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Susan Luger Associates Newsletter |
Happenings in the World of Special Education February 2010 |
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Susan Luger Associates in now on Facebook.
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Lancet Retreats on Autism-Vaccine Link
British medical journal which sparked the controversial link between autism and the MMR vaccine retracts 12 year old study
Controversy and polarizations remain
A British medical panel determined last week that the study's lead author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, acted "dishonestly and irresponsibly" in conducting his research, and that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al. are incorrect, contrary to the findings of an earlier investigation. Based on these findings the journal Lancet retracted the paper.
The study in question did not specifically look at the relationship between autism and vaccines. But the researchers reported that eight of the 12 children who they investigated experienced signs of autism within days of receiving the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Defenders of the autism-vaccine link have been blogging that the retraction is politically and/or economically motivated and that Dr. Wakefield is a victim for discovering and speaking this inconvenient truth. Supporters of Dr. Wakefield believe he is the subject of a conspiracy to discredit him.
The SLA Newsletter takes no stand in this issue, since our goal is helping parents obtain educational rights. We don't have the scientific resources to investigate the issue. |
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'IEP Checklist' iPhone App Aims To Level Playing Field |
Now here's an application for the iPhone that has substance: it organizes the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting for you into categories. The IEP meeting is typically held by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) at your local school district. This application provides a checklist to ensure the participant of proper compliance by both sides.
The application lists a series of categories that must be discussed to the parent's satisfaction, such as Current Performance and Annual Goals. Clicking on a specific category gives the viewer a description of the legal requirements and allows for the insertion of notes.
The application is free and is available through the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center, requiring the iPhone. This application is intended to equalize the the relationship between the two parties -- the parent and the CSE.
As always, we counsel that the parent should be accompanied by a trained professional advocate, whose non-emotional eye can best support the parent.
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| Workshop News |
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Workshops Scheduled |
On March 10, 2010, Andrea Silvia, our own double-threat advocate & attorney, will give workshop: The Essentials of a Multisensory Orton-Gillingham program. Click here to register.
Prior Workshops in the 2009-2010 Year
David Cooperman, MD presented "Is It ADD or Is It Asperger's?", January 25, 2010.
Dr. Nancy Eng spoke on 'Identifying Speech and Language Issues in Mono- and Bi-lingual Children' -- October 28, 2009.
Financial Consultant Stuart Flaum to discuss 'Special Need Trusts' -- November 18, 2009. Presentation available on request. | |
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Community Corner |
February 25, 2010
Susan Luger and Joseph M. Fein, Esq. will describe "Navigating the Special Education Process" for parents of the Rebecca School and Aaron Academy.
National Autism Association NY Metro Chapter is having a Bowl-A-Thon. SLA's Luger's Barracudas will be defending its honor. Contributions welcomed. |
March 24, 2010
Susan Luger and Joseph M. Fein, Esq. will describe "Navigating the Special Education Process" under the auspices of NAA.
April 11, 2010
Susan Luger will be on a panel "Best Practices in the Education of Children with Autism" at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.
Contact us to highlight your activity. |
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Both Parents' Ages Linked to Autism Risk |
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A recent study analyzed almost 5 million births and 12,159 cases of autism in California in the 1990's. The father's age contributes significantly to the risk of the disorder.
This new study suggests that when the father was over 40 and the mother under 30, the risk of autism in the child was 59% greater than in the younger father-mother population.
For women over 30, the risk of autism in the child rose an additional 13% when the father is over 40.
A study analyzing a large Israeli population found that children of fathers over 40 were more than five times as likely to have an autism disorder as those whose fathers were under 30.
This article is gleaned from the NY Times of Feb. 9th. |
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| Too Few Words? When to Worry |
| Assessment of delayed speech crucial to a child's development |
Speech delay in childhood development can be defined through guidelines on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website. Speech and language delay can be the result of hearing loss, global delay, neuro-developmental disorders, and a host of other more benign possibilities.
In the current environment of advocacy and federally mandated early intervention, children younger than 3 can get meaningful evaluations. Pediatricians are no longer casual about delay factors, but are more pro-active.
This article is a synopsis of an article in the NY Times of 2/9/2010. |
| Share this Newsletter with your friends and colleagues by forwarding this email to them. |
If you learn of any newsworthy item related to Special Education, contact us with the information. |
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End Notes
There is a recent docu-drama on HBO about an autistic person named Temple Grandin. Almost everyone in the office has seen this movie. It is a raging conversation between all of us on our internal news groups.
Temple Grandin is an individual who fought to overcome a number of issues associated with autism -- clueless of social interaction cues, dislike of physical contact, literal interpretation of comments and instructions. In the movie, Temple says that she sees ideas in pictures, not words. There is a strength in her picto-graphic mind, where she is able "to see" solutions to problems in animal husbandry, her chosen field of endeavor. Perhaps researchers should delve further into this insight.
Early on in the movie, Temple develops an affinity for cattle. She finds association with the critters to be soothing -- standing among them, touching their coats, lying surrounded by them. It brings to mind the autism service dogs, mentioned in earlier Newsletter issues. I jump to extrapolate that perhaps all children with autism would benefit from a close relationship with a dog (cattle may be too much in an urban setting). The example in the movie seems to confirm a salutary autism-animal link.
Temple Grandin goes to school, meets villains, hecklers and mentors, and even makes friends with another handicapped student. The beauty of the story is Temple's perseverance, success (including a Ph.D. and authoring a number of books), and in the insights she provides at the end of the movie. That ending is a two-hankie tear-jerker.
Not all of our children are Temple Grandin. Most have been touched in a different way. But, you know what? They are still our heroes, our very own Temple Grandins. I salute Temple Grandin and I salute our heroes.
Sincerely,
Susan Luger Associates, Inc. | |
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