LD News http://www.ldonline.org/ en-us LD OnLine Administrator hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss The Questions About ADHD Drugs The New York Times Didn't Ask http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/The_Questions_About_ADHD_Drugs_The_New_York_Times_Didn%27t_Ask Thu, 14 Jun 2012 14:47:20 GMT The New York Times had a blockbuster front-page article on how healthy teenagers are misusing stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin, usually used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, in order to focus on studying and perform better on tests. The story does a fantastic job tracking the personal stories of high school and college kids who use these medicines to get an academic edge.

But it's worth looking at the science and medicine behind this trend, because it shows how our cultural misunderstanding of what these medicines do is leading to more — and more dangerous — stimulant use. The biggest question is this: how do we as a society decide how we want these medicines to be used?

]]> The New York Times had a blockbuster front-page article on how healthy teenagers are misusing stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin, usually used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, in order to focus on studying and perform better on tests. The story does a fantastic job tracking the personal stories of high school and college kids who use these medicines to get an academic edge. But it's worth looking at the science and medicine behind this trend, because it shows how our cultural misunderstanding of what these medicines do is leading to more — and more dangerous — stimulant use. The biggest question is this: how do we as a society decide how we want these medicines to be used? http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/The_Questions_About_ADHD_Drugs_The_New_York_Times_Didn%27t_Ask Federal Special Education Budget Gets Initial Boost http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Federal_Special_Education_Budget_Gets_Initial_Boost Thu, 14 Jun 2012 14:45:48 GMT A budget proposal approved with a 10-7 vote today by a U.S. Senate subcommittee would boost special education spending for students age 3 to 22 by $100 million. However that and other proposed increases to special education spending, while promising to the disability community, face the hurdle of approval by the full Senate Appropriations committee later this week, and eventually, all of Congress.

]]> A budget proposal approved with a 10-7 vote today by a U.S. Senate subcommittee would boost special education spending for students age 3 to 22 by $100 million. However that and other proposed increases to special education spending, while promising to the disability community, face the hurdle of approval by the full Senate Appropriations committee later this week, and eventually, all of Congress. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Federal_Special_Education_Budget_Gets_Initial_Boost Wider Letter Spacing Helps Dyslexic Children, Study Says http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Wider_Letter_Spacing_Helps_Dyslexic_Children%2C_Study_Says Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:09:02 GMT Increasing the spacing between characters and words in a text improves the speed and quality of dyslexic children's reading, without prior training. They read 20% faster on average and make half as many errors. This is the conclusion reached by a French-Italian research team, jointly headed by Johannes Ziegler of the Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (CNRS/Aix-Marseille Université).

]]> Increasing the spacing between characters and words in a text improves the speed and quality of dyslexic children's reading, without prior training. They read 20% faster on average and make half as many errors. This is the conclusion reached by a French-Italian research team, jointly headed by Johannes Ziegler of the Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (CNRS/Aix-Marseille Université). http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Wider_Letter_Spacing_Helps_Dyslexic_Children%2C_Study_Says The Cost of Literacy: Overcoming Learning Disabilities http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/The_Cost_of_Literacy%3A_Overcoming_Learning_Disabilities Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:06:05 GMT Like one in five students, Jacob has language-based learning disabilities that affects his reading and writing abilities. His challenges include dyslexia, dysgraphia, slow processing and decoding issues. When asked what's hard about reading, the fourth grader answers, "Sounding out words. Sounding out words, yeah. It shouldn't. I just feel I have no time and I have to rush. So, it was hard for me to sound out words or read words or memorize words."

]]> Like one in five students, Jacob has language-based learning disabilities that affects his reading and writing abilities. His challenges include dyslexia, dysgraphia, slow processing and decoding issues. When asked what's hard about reading, the fourth grader answers, "Sounding out words. Sounding out words, yeah. It shouldn't. I just feel I have no time and I have to rush. So, it was hard for me to sound out words or read words or memorize words." http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/The_Cost_of_Literacy%3A_Overcoming_Learning_Disabilities Cost of Prekindergarten Special Education Is Soaring http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Cost_of_Prekindergarten_Special_Education_Is_Soaring Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:04:22 GMT New York City is paying private contractors more than $1 billion this year to operate a little-known special education program for 3- and 4-year-olds, nearly double the amount it paid six years ago.

]]> New York City is paying private contractors more than $1 billion this year to operate a little-known special education program for 3- and 4-year-olds, nearly double the amount it paid six years ago. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Cost_of_Prekindergarten_Special_Education_Is_Soaring Fake Version of ADHD Drug Adderall Being Sold Online, U.S. FDA Warns http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Fake_Version_of_ADHD_Drug_Adderall_Being_Sold_Online%2C_U.S._FDA_Warns Thu, 31 May 2012 15:26:23 GMT The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday said it has learned of at least two cases in which people received counterfeit versions of the 30-milligram dose of the drug with the wrong active ingredients — ones that treat acute pain, not attention problems. The fake pill is ineffective and may be harmful, the FDA said.

]]> The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday said it has learned of at least two cases in which people received counterfeit versions of the 30-milligram dose of the drug with the wrong active ingredients — ones that treat acute pain, not attention problems. The fake pill is ineffective and may be harmful, the FDA said. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Fake_Version_of_ADHD_Drug_Adderall_Being_Sold_Online%2C_U.S._FDA_Warns Small Change In Reading To Preschoolers Can Help Disadvantaged Kids Catch Up http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Small_Change_In_Reading_To_Preschoolers_Can_Help_Disadvantaged_Kids_Catch_Up Thu, 31 May 2012 15:23:52 GMT Learning to read is an incremental process; you become familiar with letters, then words; the practice of reading from left to right; and eventually you put all that together and begin to read. But if a child's attention isn't drawn to the printed word, then reading to a child won't necessarily make them more familiar with what it means to read. How could teachers change what children saw and thought about when a book was being read? And how much difference would that make?

]]> Learning to read is an incremental process; you become familiar with letters, then words; the practice of reading from left to right; and eventually you put all that together and begin to read. But if a child's attention isn't drawn to the printed word, then reading to a child won't necessarily make them more familiar with what it means to read. How could teachers change what children saw and thought about when a book was being read? And how much difference would that make? http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Small_Change_In_Reading_To_Preschoolers_Can_Help_Disadvantaged_Kids_Catch_Up Including, Excluding Students With Disabilities Under NCLB http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Including%2C_Excluding_Students_With_Disabilities_Under_NCLB Thu, 31 May 2012 15:22:30 GMT Students with disabilities were largely excluded from state testing programs before changes to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1997 and the 2001 No Child Left Behind law. A new report looks at how many schools were held accountable for the performance of students with disabilities when it comes to state tests. It shows that some of the fears about students with disabilities dragging down the performance of a school under the No Child Left Behind law weren't realized.

]]> Students with disabilities were largely excluded from state testing programs before changes to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1997 and the 2001 No Child Left Behind law. A new report looks at how many schools were held accountable for the performance of students with disabilities when it comes to state tests. It shows that some of the fears about students with disabilities dragging down the performance of a school under the No Child Left Behind law weren't realized. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Including%2C_Excluding_Students_With_Disabilities_Under_NCLB New Law to Help Children with Dyslexia http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/New_Law_to_Help_Children_with_Dyslexia Thu, 24 May 2012 14:17:28 GMT Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill that will give dyslexic students in first through sixth grades the opportunity to move to other public or nonpublic schools employing dyslexia therapists. The law also establishes universal screening of children in kindergarten and first grade.

]]> Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill that will give dyslexic students in first through sixth grades the opportunity to move to other public or nonpublic schools employing dyslexia therapists. The law also establishes universal screening of children in kindergarten and first grade. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/New_Law_to_Help_Children_with_Dyslexia Romney Proposes to Boost School Choice for Students with Disabilities http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Romney_Proposes_to_Boost_School_Choice_for_Students_with_Disabilities Thu, 24 May 2012 14:14:18 GMT Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is expected to officially unveil his education platform as early as this week. Among the proposals is one regarding expanding school choice options for low-income students and students with disabilities. Romney says these parents would be able to choose which school their children attend, and the federal funds allocated to their education would follow them to their chosen campus, including any district public or charter school, online school or courses, private schools, or to a tutoring company.

]]> Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is expected to officially unveil his education platform as early as this week. Among the proposals is one regarding expanding school choice options for low-income students and students with disabilities. Romney says these parents would be able to choose which school their children attend, and the federal funds allocated to their education would follow them to their chosen campus, including any district public or charter school, online school or courses, private schools, or to a tutoring company. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Romney_Proposes_to_Boost_School_Choice_for_Students_with_Disabilities Chronic Lyme Disease Linked to ADHD in Adults http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Chronic_Lyme_Disease_Linked_to_ADHD_in_Adults Thu, 24 May 2012 14:12:51 GMT Chronic lyme disease (CLD) has been linked to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults, new research shows. "The association between ADHD and CLD has not been identified previously," principal investigator Joel L. Young, MD, medical director, Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine, Rochester, Michigan, told Medscape Medical News. The survey results also corroborate earlier findings of a relationship between CLD and anxiety and depression, he said. Dr. Young presented his research here at the American Psychiatric Association's 2012 Annual Meeting.

]]> Chronic lyme disease (CLD) has been linked to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults, new research shows. "The association between ADHD and CLD has not been identified previously," principal investigator Joel L. Young, MD, medical director, Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine, Rochester, Michigan, told Medscape Medical News. The survey results also corroborate earlier findings of a relationship between CLD and anxiety and depression, he said. Dr. Young presented his research here at the American Psychiatric Association's 2012 Annual Meeting. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Chronic_Lyme_Disease_Linked_to_ADHD_in_Adults ADHD Behavioral Therapy May Be More Effective Than Drugs in Long Run http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/ADHD_Behavioral_Therapy_May_Be_More_Effective_Than_Drugs_in_Long_Run Thu, 17 May 2012 13:31:15 GMT Cognitive and behavioral therapies that help young people reduce impulsivity and cultivate good study habits are costlier and take longer to administer, but may be more efficacious over time according to new findings.

]]> Cognitive and behavioral therapies that help young people reduce impulsivity and cultivate good study habits are costlier and take longer to administer, but may be more efficacious over time according to new findings. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/ADHD_Behavioral_Therapy_May_Be_More_Effective_Than_Drugs_in_Long_Run Executive Function in the Classroom & Educational Policy http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Executive_Function_in_the_Classroom_%26_Educational_Policy Thu, 17 May 2012 13:27:13 GMT Executive function represents our capacity to self-regulate, encompassing everything from focus and impulse control to long term planning, prioritizing, organizing our lives and emotional control. It is required for social interactions and classroom learning. Imaging studies confirm that children with ADHD experience immature brain development, showing again that it's neither a child's fault, nor a parent's, nor society's.

]]> Executive function represents our capacity to self-regulate, encompassing everything from focus and impulse control to long term planning, prioritizing, organizing our lives and emotional control. It is required for social interactions and classroom learning. Imaging studies confirm that children with ADHD experience immature brain development, showing again that it's neither a child's fault, nor a parent's, nor society's. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Executive_Function_in_the_Classroom_%26_Educational_Policy Teen Impulsiveness Has Different Sources in ADHD, Substance Use http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Teen_Impulsiveness_Has_Different_Sources_in_ADHD%2C_Substance_Use Thu, 17 May 2012 13:25:10 GMT Teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and teens who start using cigarettes, drugs or alcohol tend to share at least one personality trait: impulsiveness, experts say. But a new brain-imaging study of nearly 1,900 14-year-olds finds that the brain networks associated with impulsivity in teens with ADHD are different compared to those who use drugs or alcohol.

]]> Teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and teens who start using cigarettes, drugs or alcohol tend to share at least one personality trait: impulsiveness, experts say. But a new brain-imaging study of nearly 1,900 14-year-olds finds that the brain networks associated with impulsivity in teens with ADHD are different compared to those who use drugs or alcohol. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Teen_Impulsiveness_Has_Different_Sources_in_ADHD%2C_Substance_Use Studies Shed Light on 'Twice Exceptional' Students http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Studies_Shed_Light_on_%27Twice_Exceptional%27_Students Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:30 GMT Emerging research on the "neurodevelopmental paradox" of twice-exceptional students highlights the need for educators to take an earlier, more holistic approach to evaluating and teaching students with disabilities. Often, when people think of a gifted student with disabilities, they picture an autistic savant, like Dustin Hoffman's character in the movie "Rain Man," but in reality, "there are a lot of kids who are really struggling, and we totally miss them," said M. Layne Kalbfleisch, the principal investigator of the Krasnow Investigations of Developmental Learning and Behavior, or KIDLAB, at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Va. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Studies_Shed_Light_on_%27Twice_Exceptional%27_Students Faltering in Special Education, LA Unified Seeks Answers http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Faltering_in_Special_Education%2C_LA_Unified_Seeks_Answers Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:20 GMT After failing for the eighth straight year to meet service delivery targets for special education, Los Angeles Unified School District has begun interviewing staff to understand why records indicate thousands of students with disabilities are not receiving their prescribed services. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Faltering_in_Special_Education%2C_LA_Unified_Seeks_Answers Kids with Learning Disabilities Flourish at Tailored Camps http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Kids_with_Learning_Disabilities_Flourish_at_Tailored_Camps Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:10 GMT Camp can be best experience of a child's life, or the worst, according to Marty Hornstein, executive director for the Learning Disabilities Association in Calgary. With 50 offices in 10 provinces and one territory (Yukon), the Learning Disabilities Association is country's leading authority on the subject of educating children and helping adults with learning disabilities, which affect 10% of the population. Though attending summer camp can be a very enriching childhood experience, it can also be devastating to a child who has trouble in social situations. This led the Calgary chapter to start their own camp specifically for kids with LDs. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Kids_with_Learning_Disabilities_Flourish_at_Tailored_Camps High-Tech, Low-Tech Methods Meet to Help with Learning Disabilities http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/High-Tech%2C_Low-Tech_Methods_Meet_to_Help_with_Learning_Disabilities Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:00 GMT Using "assistive technology" to overcome learning difficulties is not new. But newer gadgets like Kindles, iPads and smartphones are becoming some of the most popular tools. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/High-Tech%2C_Low-Tech_Methods_Meet_to_Help_with_Learning_Disabilities Standards Open the Door for Best Practices From Special Ed. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Standards_Open_the_Door_for_Best_Practices_From_Special_Ed. Thu, 03 May 2012 13:34:16 GMT Some instructional approaches associated closely with special education are gaining traction more quickly than ever as more states and districts look to them as the ideal tools to implement the Common Core State Standards. In particular, two strategies—universal design for learning and response to intervention—are being cited by states in requests for waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act in the section about how they will implement the standards. Those familiar with the techniques say the pairings are logical, and the timing is right. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/Standards_Open_the_Door_for_Best_Practices_From_Special_Ed. New Grant Helps UH Learning Disabilities Research http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/New_Grant_Helps_UH_Learning_Disabilities_Research Thu, 03 May 2012 13:33:54 GMT The University of Houston's Texas Center for Learning Disabilities has been awarded a 5 year, $9 million grant to continue its unique research on learning disabilities. http://www.ldonline.org/ldnews/New_Grant_Helps_UH_Learning_Disabilities_Research