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Link: Entrepreneur.com
People with disabilities are reliable, motivated workers who may inspire their colleagues, writes Mark Henricks in a magazine for small-business owners. "It just pulls you into not only being a better person -- that's a little cliché -- but doing the right thing," says Pennsylvania sandwich-shop owner Antonio DeRosa. "And when you do the right thing, good things happen."
Link: WickedLocal.com
To draw attention to the challenges of dyslexia and other language-based learning problems, students from the Carroll School are visiting other Massachusetts schools to perform "Breaking Through," a musical about a young girl who realizes she has a learning disability. For the cast, the musical is more than just a performance; it's a reflection of their own lives.
Link: NPR
Could a dearth of freewheeling imaginative play be contributing to the number of children identified with ADHD? Researchers think this might be the case. Independent, self-regulated play allows children to develop executive function — neurobiological wiring that affects planning, flexibility, organization, and self-monitoring. But as play has changed — with elaborate toys, scheduled activities, less recess, and little or no unsupervised outdoor time — children have fewer opportunities to build self-regulation and self-control abilities.
Link: WashingtonPost.com
Two dozen fifth-graders watched intently as a musical trio explained the basics of jazz on a big screen at Potowmack Elementary School this week. Chins in hands, they appeared engaged in an activity many fifth-graders are good at: watching television.
But then something curious happened. The two-dimensional figures on the screen began asking questions, and the students raised their hands and answered. When the musicians played, they smiled as the students nodded their heads and snapped their fingers in time. When the performers were finished, they acknowledged the applause, then took a few questions from the young audience.
Link: RedOrbit.com
A report featured on Red Orbit's website introduces a new special series addressing issues related to students and mathematics learning disabilities (LD). Six papers on various mathematics topics, grade levels, and service delivery will be provided in this special series. Authors report findings on research efforts and offer implications for practice.
Link: WRN.com
The Governor is calling on the state Assembly to pass a bill requiring insurance companies to cover autism treatments.
The state Senate already approved the measure, but Assembly action has not yet been scheduled. Governor Jim Doyle is urging them to take it up before the session ends. Doyle says the Assembly can still do the right thing in approving the bill, which will provide relief to thousands of Wisconsin families.
Link: Preview Let's Talk
This curriculum is designed to help educate youth about alternatives to running away. It is presented in 14 modules offering lessons to help teachers and community-based organizations lead discussions with youth. Topics include communication and listening, adolescent development, personal influences, peers, families, roles and responsibilities, runaway reality, and more.
Link: Entry Point Internships
ENTRY POINT! is a program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) offering Outstanding Internship Opportunities for Students with Disabilities in Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, and some fields of Business. To meet the challenge of the competitive global economy in the new millennium, private industry and government research agencies must expand the pool of technical talent.
Link: WashingtonPost.com
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee plans to establish an experimental program that would offer differentiated instruction for disabled, regular and gifted students in the same classroom, as part of an effort to overhaul special education. For years the District of Coumbia has lacked high-quality programs for learning-disabled and physically disabled students.
Link: yahoo! News
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Teenagers whose initial drug treatment fails to combat depression, which happens in four out of 10 cases, can be helped by switching medicine and adding psychotherapy, a U.S. study published on Tuesday said.
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"The findings should be encouraging for families with a teen who has been struggling with depression for some time," said Dr. David Brent of the University of Pittsburgh who headed the research.
"Even if a first attempt at treatment is unsuccessful, persistence will pay off. Being open to trying new evidence-based medications or treatment combinations is likely to result in improvement," he added.
