http://www.ldonline.org/ en-us LD OnLine Administrator hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Are_Dyslexia_and_IQ_Related%3F Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:00:40 GMT Dyslexia is often diagnosed when a child or adult has more difficulty with reading than their IQ would suggest. New research adds to this discrepancy model by using fMRI patterns. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Are_Dyslexia_and_IQ_Related%3F http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Study_Spots_Early_Signs_of_Math_Disabilities_in_Kids Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:00:20 GMT A number of factors associated with math disability in children have been identified by researchers. The study included 177 children in 12 public schools in Missouri who were tested one to three times a year from kindergarten through fifth grade. The results showed that those who had trouble understanding the fundamental concept of exact numerical quantities — for example, that the printed numeral 3 represents three dots on a page — when they started school were diagnosed with a math learning disability by fifth grade. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Study_Spots_Early_Signs_of_Math_Disabilities_in_Kids http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/ADHD_in_Women_and_Girls%3A_The_Importance_of_Early_Diagnosis Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:00:00 GMT Women and girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) are not only less frequently diagnosed than their male counterparts. ADD/ADHD girls and women often require gender-specific treatments to help manage symptoms, succeed at school and work, and have successful relationships. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/ADHD_in_Women_and_Girls%3A_The_Importance_of_Early_Diagnosis http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Dyslexia_Not_Related_to_Intelligence%2C_Study_Finds Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:58:45 GMT Booster Shots Blog: One's intelligence appears unrelated to the specific brain pattern that causes dyslexia, researchers reported Thursday. The findings are important because they suggest that IQ shouldn't be considered by education specialists when diagnosing dyslexia. In fact, doing say may bar some children from receiving special education services to improve reading comprehension. ]]> Booster Shots Blog: One's intelligence appears unrelated to the specific brain pattern that causes dyslexia, researchers reported Thursday. The findings are important because they suggest that IQ shouldn't be considered by education specialists when diagnosing dyslexia. In fact, doing say may bar some children from receiving special education services to improve reading comprehension. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Dyslexia_Not_Related_to_Intelligence%2C_Study_Finds http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Hard_Decisions_for_Learning_Disabled Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:08:44 GMT The admissions process can be stressful for even the most gifted, organized students. But to applicants with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or learning disabilities, the path to college can feel like a maze. The Choice addresses some of the issues such students face. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Hard_Decisions_for_Learning_Disabled http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Digital_Book-Sharing_Unlocks_Print_for_Students Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:47:20 GMT The Chocolate Touch, listening to it at the same time. ]]> When 4th grade teacher Heather Whitby sat down for a book discussion last week with a group of students at her Bethesda, Md., elementary school, other students read on their own, including two who a year ago might not have been able to do so. Because of their disabilities, Kyle Nordheimer and Maurice Van Lowe struggle with traditional printed text. But, using Bookshare, a nonprofit that provides free electronic copies of books to students with certain disabilities, both boys watched computer screens scroll through the text of The Chocolate Touch, listening to it at the same time. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Digital_Book-Sharing_Unlocks_Print_for_Students http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Study_Finds_Scant_Evidence_of_Heart_Risks_From_ADHD_Drugs_for_Kids_ Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:01:00 GMT New England Journal of Medicine. But critics of the widespread use of prescription amphetamines to treat the symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder — 2.7 million children are taking the drugs — say this latest study still doesn't give ADHD drugs a clean bill of health. ]]> Children taking stimulant drugs like Ritalin for ADHD aren't at greater risk of having a heart attack or other serious cardiovascular problems, according to new research published online Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. But critics of the widespread use of prescription amphetamines to treat the symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder — 2.7 million children are taking the drugs — say this latest study still doesn't give ADHD drugs a clean bill of health. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Study_Finds_Scant_Evidence_of_Heart_Risks_From_ADHD_Drugs_for_Kids_ http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/How_Many_Students_With_Disabilities_Take_the_NAEP%3F Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:00:40 GMT While many students with disabilities are included in state exams in reading, math, and other subjects, in 2005, a Government Accountability Office report found that they are more likely to be excluded from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called the Nation's Report Card. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/How_Many_Students_With_Disabilities_Take_the_NAEP%3F http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Sweet_16_and_ADHD Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:00:20 GMT Just last week, Coco was a 6-year-old Brownie camping in our back yard. Now she's 16 and I feel overwhelmed that we haven't done enough to prepare her, to make her safe in the real world with her ADHD. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Sweet_16_and_ADHD http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/A_Way_into_Books_for_Children_with_Dyslexia Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:00:00 GMT Dyslexia Awareness Week, an annual event celebrated around the world to raise public awareness about dyslexia, begins today and runs until Sunday 6th November. It's seems the perfect time to highlight some of the fantastic books from Barrington Stoke, an Edinburgh-based firm which is now 14 years old and the main British publishing house devoted to books for reluctant and struggling readers. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/A_Way_into_Books_for_Children_with_Dyslexia http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Atlanta_High_Schools_Broke_Rules_to_Meet_Performance_Standards Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:40 GMT A learning disability made school hard for Chantel Cox. But she always stayed on grade level and looked forward to earning a high school diploma. She actually was excited about taking the state graduation tests. But the morning of the high school writing test, in September 2009, school administrators pulled Chantel and several other Carver juniors aside. All stood a good chance of failing — and of lowering the school's odds of meeting its do-or-die performance targets. While the rest of the 11th grade took the test required for all juniors, Chantel and the others worked puzzles in a special-education classroom. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Atlanta_High_Schools_Broke_Rules_to_Meet_Performance_Standards http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Parent-Teacher_Peace%3A_6_Rules_for_Better_Cooperation Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:20 GMT The hardest part of any teacher's job? The parents. Here's how teachers of ADHD students can encourage teamwork, unearth solutions, and make a difference in the life of an ADD child. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Parent-Teacher_Peace%3A_6_Rules_for_Better_Cooperation http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Were_Special_Education%2C_Title_I%2C_Other_Programs_Cut_by_Mistake%3F Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:00 GMT When Congress passed a short-term budget bill that expires Nov. 18, lawmakers may not have realized what some of the bill's potential long-term effects might be on education spending—although states and school districts noticed their action right away. Spending for four programs—special education, Title I, teacher quality, and career and technical education—for the current school year was cut, presumably well after most states and school districts had spending plans for the year in place. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Were_Special_Education%2C_Title_I%2C_Other_Programs_Cut_by_Mistake%3F http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Are_Americans_More_Prone_to_ADHD%3F Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:01:00 GMT Whether you call it hypochondria or American exceptionalism, the numbers are plain: Americans lead the world in diagnoses of mental health problems. For some conditions, perhaps wealth explains the disparity: in developing nations, more people are focused on pressing needs like food and shelter, making depression a "luxury disorder" in wealthy nations like the United States. But are there other factors at play for conditions like attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, that may be "culture-specific"? Maybe the condition is more common in the United States because the high-energy, risk-taking traits of ADHD are part of America's pioneer DNA. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Are_Americans_More_Prone_to_ADHD%3F http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Learning-Disabled_Students_get_Firmer_Grip_on_College Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:00:50 GMT A growing number of students with learning disabilities are enrolling in college, yet few are likely to get the level of support and encouragement available at Landmark College, one of a few small, private colleges that specialize in educating students who struggle with conditions such as dyslexia or attention-deficit disorder. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Learning-Disabled_Students_get_Firmer_Grip_on_College http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/How_to_Diagnose_a_Toddler_with_ADHD Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:00:40 GMT The American Academy of Pediatrics on Sunday issued new guidelines that urge parents and doctors to be on the lookout for signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children as young as 4. Previous guidelines set the minimum age at six. Preschoolers aren't particularly focused in general — so how could you tell if one had ADHD? http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/How_to_Diagnose_a_Toddler_with_ADHD http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Questions_Raised_About_%27High-Flyers%27_Study Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:00:20 GMT On Special Education Blog: Are high-achieving and gifted students being hurt by all of the attention on the lowest-performing students? Pretty much, according to researchers at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in a report last month called "Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude". But at least two groups find fault with the analysis from Fordham, which hosted a discussion of its findings Monday. ]]> On Special Education Blog: Are high-achieving and gifted students being hurt by all of the attention on the lowest-performing students? Pretty much, according to researchers at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in a report last month called "Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude". But at least two groups find fault with the analysis from Fordham, which hosted a discussion of its findings Monday. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Questions_Raised_About_%27High-Flyers%27_Study http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Teen_with_Dyslexia_Doesn%27t_Let_Disability_Hold_Her_Back Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:00:00 GMT A few years ago, Jordan Heald marched into the office of A Touch of Understanding and said she wanted to be a speaker for the organization. The Granite Bay nonprofit's Executive Director Leslie DeDora asked what she would speak about. "I'll never forget what she said," DeDora said. "She said she has dyslexia and her younger sister does too, and she doesn't want her to be teased the way she was. Who can say no to that?" Jordan joined the group's Youth FORCE, which stands for Friends Offering Respect Creating Empowerment, and visits schools to spread awareness about disabilities. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Teen_with_Dyslexia_Doesn%27t_Let_Disability_Hold_Her_Back http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Assistive_Technology%3A_Write_Answers Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:00:40 GMT Assistive technology is designed to make hard or even seemingly impossible tasks doable—and for students with disabilities, writing can be one of the hardest school tasks of all. But since difficulties in writing are wide-ranging—and technology is rapidly evolving—finding the right AT device can be an ordeal. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Assistive_Technology%3A_Write_Answers http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/DPS_Special-Ed_Program_Gains Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:00:20 GMT It took two years of state pressure and the threat of losing millions in funding, but Detroit Public Schools has reformed its special education evaluation system to comply with state and federal laws. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/DPS_Special-Ed_Program_Gains