RESEARCH
Brain Imaging May Help Diagnose Autism
Neuroscientist Discovers Light Switch For The Brain
EDUCATION
Special-Ed Funds Redirected
Providing the Least Restrictive Environment in Special Education: It's
Easy to Say, not Always Easy to Apply
Special Ed And Legal Audio Conferences
TREATMENT
Debate Over Cognitive, Traditional Mental Health Therapy
PUBLIC HEALTH
Improving the Impact and Effectiveness of the National Vaccine Advisory
Committee
PEOPLE
Parent Death Plot Man Detained In Hospital
Oregon Child's Death Labeled Suicide
EVENTS
4th Annual Anaheim Autism / Aspergers Conference
2010 NYC Half Marathon
COMMENTARY
Vaccination: Black and White?
RESEARCH
Brain Imaging May Help Diagnose Autism
Subtle Language Delay, Visible In MEG, May Flag Disorder
sciencedaily.com is.gd/5WhA3
Children with autism spectrum disorders
(ASDs) process sound and language a fraction of a second slower than
children without ASDs, and measuring magnetic signals that mark this
delay may become a standardized way to diagnose autism.
Researchers at The Children’s Hospital
of Philadelphia report their findings in an online article in the
journal Autism Research, published today.
“More work needs to be done before this
can become a standard tool, but this pattern of delayed brain response
may be refined into the first imaging biomarker for autism,” said study
leader Timothy P.L. Roberts, Ph.D., vice chair of Radiology Research at
Children’s Hospital.
ASDs are a group of childhood
neurodevelopmental disorders that cause impairments in verbal
communication, social interaction and behavior. ASDs are currently
estimated to affect as many as one percent of U.S. children, according
to a recent CDC report.
Like many neurodevelopmental disorders,
in the absence of objective biological measurements, psychologists and
other caregivers rely on clinical judgments such as observations of
behavior to diagnose ASDs, often not until a child reaches school age.
If researchers can develop imaging results into standardized diagnostic
tests, they may be able to diagnose ASDs as early as infancy,
permitting possible earlier intervention with treatments. They also may
be able to differentiate types of ASDs (classic autism, Asperger’s
syndrome or other types) in individual patients.
In the current study, Roberts and
colleagues used magnetoencephalography (MEG), which detects magnetic
fields in the brain, similar to the way electroencephalography (EEG)
detects electrical fields. Using a helmet that surrounds the child’s
head, the team presents a series of recorded beeps, vowels and
sentences. As the child’s brain responds to each sound, noninvasive
detectors in the MEG machine analyze the brain’s changing magnetic
fields.
The researchers compared 25 children
with ASDs, having a mean age of 10 years, to 17 age-matched typically
developing children. The children with ASDs had an average delay of 11
milliseconds (about 1/100 of a second) in their brain responses to
sounds, compared to the control children. Among the group with ASDs,
the delays were similar, whether or not the children had language
impairments.
+ Read more: is.gd/5WhA3
+ See also: Diagnosing autism with MEG imaging
by news.cnet.com is.gd/5YDmP
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• • •
Neuroscientist Discovers Light Switch
For The Brain
By Jonathan Fahey, Forbes.com is.gd/5YmVC
Some of the most important advances in
neuroscience have been made thanks to a pair of gruesome cases a
century apart that left their victims alive, coherent and missing big
portions of their brains.
In 1848 an iron spike
three-and-a-half-feet long exploded through the face of a railroad
worker named Phineas Gage and out the top of his head, landing 80 feet
away. He lived and worked for a dozen years; the changes to his
personality offered clues to how regions of the brain controlled
specific functions.
In 1953, Henry Gustav Molaison, known to
science as the patient H.M., lost a huge section of his brain to a
lobotomy meant to treat his severe epilepsy. He quickly forgot every
new thing he learned after the operation--he would have to be
re-introduced to caretakers daily--and in the process taught science an
extraordinary amount about memory until he passed away last month.
Here's a new tool for silencing brain
regions, just a wee bit more subtle than an iron spike or a lobotomy:
Ed Boyden, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, has developed a way to shut down parts of a brain just by
shining light on them. When the light is turned off, the brain switches
back on--a luxury not available to Gage or H.M.
"We can now digitally turn off regions
of the brain," says Boyden. "We can alter the information in the brain
in a strategically useful way."
Boyden's discovery, published in the
journal Nature this week, is a powerful new tool for neuroscientists
struggling to understand the complexity of the brain. With it,
researchers will be able to probe how the circuitry of the brain works
by silencing certain very specific areas or types of brain cells and
studying the effects.
What's especially useful about the
method is that it allows researchers to re-activate the brain regions
instantaneously by simply turning off the light.
+ Read more: is.gd/5YmVC
• • •
EDUCATION
Special-Ed Funds Redirected
School Districts Shift Millions of Dollars to General Needs After
Getting Stimulus Cash
By Anne Marie Chaker, Wall St.
Journal. is.gd/5Yf2X
Florida's Broward County Public Schools
saved as many as 900 jobs this school year. Nevada's Clark County
School District just added more math and tutoring programs. And in
Connecticut's Bloomfield Public Schools, eight elementary- and
middle-school teachers were spared from layoffs.
These cash-strapped districts covered
the costs using a boost in funding intended for special education,
drawing an outcry from parents and advocates of special-needs children.
A provision in federal law allows some
school districts to spend millions of dollars of special-education
money elsewhere, and a government report indicates many more districts
plan to take advantage of the provision.
School administrators say shifting the
money allows them to save jobs and valuable programs that benefit a
wide range of students.
"We absolutely need this," said James
Notter, superintendent of the Broward County Public Schools, the
sixth-largest district in the country. He said the provision is "an
absolute salvation for us," because the $32 million reduced from the
local budget for special education allows him to save between 600 and
900 jobs that would likely have disappeared this school year.
The budget for Broward County's
Exceptional Student Education program grew to $503.7 million this
school year, $50 million of which comes from the extra stimulus funding
for special-needs students. That makes current-year levels 10% higher
than a year ago.
A new report by the Government
Accountability Office, which surveyed a "nationally representative
sample" of school districts, says that about 44% of them plan to use
the provision that allows them to shift funds.
But supporters of special education say
special-needs students are being shortchanged. The biggest rub: To
shift the funds, schools must show they have met certain criteria,
which may include graduation and drop-out rates of special-education
students. To allow more districts to qualify, some states are ignoring
or lowering the standards.
"This is a slap in the face," said
Candace Cortiella, director of the Advocacy Institute, a Washington,
D.C.-area nonprofit that advises students with disabilities. "This is
historic funding that could have had a huge impact with
[special-education] students, and states and districts have instead
chosen to minimize the amount of good."
At the heart of the debate is a
provision in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA,
a version of a statute originally enacted in 1975. The provision says
that in years in which there is an increase in federal funding for
special-needs students, districts already meeting certain standards can
choose to reduce their local spending on special education by as much
as 50% of the federal-funding increase -- and, in turn, divert the
freed-up money to other uses.
+ Read more: is.gd/5Yf2X
• • •
Providing the Least Restrictive Environment in Special Education: It's
Easy to Say,
Not Always Easy to Apply
By Timothy Gilsbach,
educationlaw.foxrothschild.com is.gd/5Yieu
The issue of providing special education
services in the least restrictive environment, also known as
mainstreaming, is an area of law in which the basic legal principles
may be easily stated, much like the elements of torts. But in practice,
it can be difficult to apply and raises not only legal concerns, but
also philosophical and educational concerns.
The mainstreaming requirement provides
that children with disabilities should, to "the maximum extent
appropriate," be "educated with children who are not disabled." See 20
U.S.C.A. § 1412(a)(5)(A). While there may be disagreement about whether
this mandate has been met in a particular case, Pennsylvania school
districts have met this legal requirement overall.
Mainstreaming can be a complex issue
over which parents of students with disabilities often disagree. Its
application to particular cases tends to be fact-specific and is an
issue that courts, hearing officers, parents and school districts have
sometimes struggled with. As the U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District of Pennsylvania noted in Greenwood v. Wissahickon Sch. Dist. ,
there is "inherent tension between the [IDEA's] goal of mainstreaming a
disabled student and its requirement to provide an individualized
educational program meeting the student's special needs."
In addition, the U.S. District Court for
the Western District of Pennsylvania, in Leighty v. Laurel Sch. Dist.,
emphasized that the focus is on providing the student's education in an
"appropriate educational environment."
A review of several recent cases in this
area reveals that parents of students with special education needs take
diverging views, with some demanding more restrictive placements than
those offered by the local school district and others saying districts
have not done enough to mainstream their children. These cases
illustrate the complexity of the issues faced by school districts in
attempting to meet this mandate.
One series of cases demonstrates that
parents of students sometimes seek a placement that is more restrictive
than that suggested by the school district, primarily in the form of a
private placement. For example, in the case of Leighty , the parents of
a disabled student sought to have the district pay for a private
placement recommended by their expert, a notion that was rejected by
the court, which found that the district had educated the student with
inclusion into regular education and that approving the private
placement at district expense would be inconsistent with the
mainstreaming requirements.
In the Eastern District case of Daniel
S. v. Council Rock Sch. Dist. , the parents of a student with a
specific learning disability placed the student at a private school and
then sought tuition reimbursement, contending it was an appropriate
special education placement for the student. The court rejected the
request for reimbursement, finding that the school district had offered
the student a special education placement that included inclusion in
the regular education setting and in which the student had previously
made educational progress. Accordingly, the court found that the more
restrictive environment chosen by the parents was not appropriate.
+ Read more: is.gd/5Yieu
• • •
Special Ed And Legal Audio Conferences
From LRP Publications. www.shoplrp.com/speced
Melinda Jacobs' Year in Review: Lessons Learned from 2009 Special Ed
Case Law
Wednesday,
Jan. 13
One-to-One Aides: Making the Best Legal and Educational Decisions for
Students With Autism
Wednesday,
Jan. 20
When Parents Revoke Consent: Avoiding Legal Disputes and Protecting the
Student
Tuesday,
Feb. 2
Bringing Instructional Coaches on Board: Enhance Your Title I Program
and Boost Academic Achievement
Wednesday,
Feb. 10
Effective Interventions and Appropriate Placements for Aggressive
Students
Thursday,
Feb. 18
Visit www.educationaudios.com/
for the complete schedule of audio conferences and Webinars!
The
Autism Community
Supports the
Schafer Autism Report
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the Schafer Autism Report.
$35
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year - or free!
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• • •
TREATMENT
Debate Over Cognitive,
Traditional Mental Health Therapy
Psychologists who favor the more medical-minded cognitive behavioral
model point to growing evidence of its efficacy. Proponents of
psychoanalysis deride a one-size-fits-all approach.
By Eric Jaffe, LA Times. is.gd/5YBxN
If your doctor advised a treatment that
involved leeches and bloodletting, you might take a second glance at
that diploma on the wall. For the same reason, you should think twice
about whom you see as a therapist, says a team of psychological
researchers.
In a November report that's attracting
controversy the way couches attract loose change, three professors
charge that many mental health practitioners are using antiquated,
unproved methods and that many clinical psychology training programs
lack scientific rigor.
The accusation has reignited a
long-standing "holy war" within the psychological profession.
On the one side sit the report's authors
and other like-minded psychologists who say that too many clinicians
favor personal experience over scientific evidence when deciding on a
patient's treatment. They are particularly unsettled by the number of
therapists -- especially from training programs that grant a higher
degree known as doctor of psychology, or PsyD -- who ignore the
most-studied type of treatment: cognitive behavioral therapy.
"Too many clinical psychologists tell us
they don't look to research, they don't look to science," says Timothy
Baker of the University of Wisconsin, lead author of the report,
published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest.
On the other side of the fight are
psychologists who say that what matters most is not the type but the
quality of mental health treatment and who fear that the push toward
cognitive behavioral therapy -- which is cheaper but not effective for
everyone -- is being used by insurance companies to cut down on costs.
The new report's authors and their
supporters "are largely people who not only don't practice themselves
-- and therefore have no idea what would be relevant to practice -- but
have a tremendous disdain for people who do practice," says
psychologist Drew Westen of Emory University.
The debate comes at a critical moment in
mental health care. In the last 20 years, the treatment rate for people
with mental disorders has nearly doubled. In October, a long-term Duke
University study reported that some afflictions -- including depression
and anxiety disorder -- affect twice as many as previously believed.
The situation stands to worsen. The
National Alliance on Mental Illness recently found that the unemployed
were four times as likely as job holders to report symptoms of mental
illness. A need for clinicians capable of treating post-traumatic
stress disorder will rise dramatically as more soldiers return from
Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Many people in the general public are
not getting ideal care," says psychologist Scott O. Lilienfeld of Emory
University. He describes the new report as an "accumulation of
frustration."
+ Read more: is.gd/5YBxN
• • •
PUBLIC HEALTH
Improving the Impact and Effectiveness of the National Vaccine Advisory
Committee
Jeanne S. Ringel, Marisa Adelson,
Katherine M. Harris, Dimitry
Khodyakov, Nicole Lurie
The National Vaccine Advisory Committee
(NVAC) was established by the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of
1986 to achieve optimal prevention of human infectious diseases through
immunization and to achieve optimal prevention against adverse
reactions to vaccines. This
study seeks to identify the reasons the committee has not had a greater
impact and suggests strategies to improve its effectiveness. The
authors conclude that NVAC should proactively seek input regarding
priority vaccine and immunization issues, its recommendations should be
written
in a manner specific enough to be easily actionable, and it should
monitor the status of those recommendations on a regular basis. It is
also suggested that NVAC should be more strategic about its
dissemination efforts, clearly delineating the intended audiences and
identifying innovative and effective ways to reach them.
+Full document available at
www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR752/
• • •
PEOPLE
Parent Death Plot Man Detained In Hospital
is.gd/5RzaE
A son has been given an indefinite
hospital order for plotting with another man to kill his parents at
their home in Lancashire, UK.
Christoper Monks, 25, and Shaun Skarnes,
20, were convicted at Preston Crown Court of conspiring to murder
Monks' parents.
Monks met Skarnes on the internet and
persuaded him to stab the couple while they were asleep at their
Chorley home.
Skarnes, of Ellesmere Port, Merseyside,
was given an indeterminate jail term.
He cannot be considered for parole for
at least three and a half years.
The murder plan failed when Monks'
father woke to find Skarnes in his bedroom with a large kitchen knife.
Mr Monks, also called Christopher, and
his wife Elizabeth fully supported their son at his trial last July.
They said Monks, who was adopted at the
age of 10 months, did not intend to take their lives.
They argued he suffered from Asperger's
syndrome, a form of autism, and was was unable to separate fantasy from
reality.
+ Read more: is.gd/5RzaE
• • •
Oregon Child's Death Labeled Suicide
By Paul Daquilante. is.gd/5YCyw
McMinnville 6-year-old Samantha
Kuberski, found unresponsive Dec. 2 with a child's blanket and belt
wrapped around her neck, committed suicide by hanging, according Deputy
State Medical Examiner Dr. Clifford Nelson.
"It's not common, but basically, the
investigation led to this conclusion," Nelson said.
Samantha, a Grandhaven Elementary School
first-grader who suffered from autism and physical disabilities, had
lost consciousness when she was discovered at her residence, 600 N.E.
Summerfield St., about 5 p.m. Medics rushed her to the Willamette
Valley Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Her three sisters and her mother, Kellie
Kuberski, were in other parts of the home at the time, according to
McMinnville Police Det. Sam Elliott. Her father, Graham Kuberski,
arrived just as she was being readied for transport to the hospital,
Elliott said.
"He was gone, but in the area," Capt.
Dennis Marks said. "His wife called him and said he needed to get home."
An officer transported the parents to
the hospital and interviewed them there. They subsequently interviewed
the surviving children with the assistance of personnel from the state
Department of Human Services and Juliette's House, McMinnville's child
abuse assessment center.
"The reports are still being reviewed by
the district attorney's office, but on the surface, from what we have
been able to see, there does not appear to be any criminal culpability
associated with this incident," Marks said.
+ Read more: is.gd/5YCyw
• • •
EVENTS
4th Annual Anaheim Autism / Aspergers Conference
Earlybird registration ends on January
15. Register before then to receive the earlybird discount!
The 4th Annual Autism/Asperger's
Conference includes: Stephen Shore, Ph.D., Life on the Autism
Spectrum Doreen Granpeesheh, Ph.D. Treating Anxiety Disorders
Special Brain Imaging to Guide Treatment: Dr. Jeff
Bradstreet and Dr. J. Michael Uszler
8 tracks to choose, including:
Stephen Shore Track - Life on the
Spectrum Education Track I and II (double-length) Family Track Therapy
for Autism Track Speech/Social Track Medical Track Teen/Adult Track
This is the most comprehensive
autism/Asperger's conference in Southern California!
Great for parents, family, educators,
speech pathologists, therapists, other professionals, and teens/adults
on the spectrum!
You will learn a lot to help your
child/student/clients with autism/Asperger's!
Some Regional Centers will provide
partial or full funding to attend the conference - talk with your case
manager. Our Regional Center vendor number is #ZM0018.
For more info and to register, go to www.autism-conferences.com
• • •
2010 NYC Half Marathon
Call for runners to support autism research
As you may already know, the NYC Half
Marathon is an amazing and memorable event. You can expect the same
this year, except a few things have changed. Instead of a hot, humid
day in August, this year's race hosted by the New York Road Runners
will be run on March 21st, offering much cooler, more race-friendly
weather.
The Organization for Autism Research
(OAR) is once again a charity partner this year and has a limited
number of reserved entries for this sold-out race. The race features a
one-of-a-kind course that begins with a loop around Central Park,
continues down 7th Ave through Times Square and finishes in Battery
Park within view of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
Last year’s Run For Autism- New York
team raised over $57,000 and with your help and efforts, OAR can reach
new heights this year. OAR’s team closes March 5. If you are interested
in participating in the event or for more information go here.
email: lmatusiak@researchautism.org
or phone: (703)
243-8020
About OAR: The Organization for Autism
Research (OAR) is a national charity committed to excellence in its
research programs and services to families, caregivers, and individuals
with autism. OAR’s mission is to apply research to the challenges of
autism. No other organization has this singular focus. More than
$.86 of every dollar raised directly funds OAR’s research and
information programs. www.researchautism.org
• • •
COMMENTARY
Vaccination: Black and White?
By Maureen McDonnell, RN. On ageofautism.com is.gd/5YmbY
Now that my 4th granddaughter has
arrived and I am surrounded by lots of young parents, the question
comes up more and more frequently. Should we vaccinate? As I've posted
before, I've been pediatric registered nurse for 32 years, but more
relevant to this discussion is the fact that I've interacted with
hundreds of parents of autistic children as a clinician, as well as
during my ten years as the coordinator of the Defeat Autism Now!
conferences. Because of these experiences, I get many inquiries from
family members, friends and clients regarding this very hot and very
controversial subject. My reply to these young parents is "It's not as
black and white as your pediatrician would have you believe".
Please do some homework on this subject
before adhering to the guidelines set forth by the American Academy of
Pediatrics and or the CDC." It's easier sometimes to blindly trust the
authorities because in this case, once that homework or research begins
it typically creates incredible doubt on the whole vaccine safety
issue. Although almost every article you read on this subject in the
mainstream media says that all the studies have shown there is
absolutely no link to vaccines and autism, that is simply not true.
There is good science pointing to a connection (some studies listed
below) and more importantly there are hundreds, if not thousands of
parents of sick children who can tell you they had a normal child up
until he or she received several vaccines in one day, or he or she was
sick and still got their vaccines etc. More research needs to be done
for certain (especially examining the differences between vaccinated
and unvaccinated populations). But these accounts by intelligent,
observant parents can not be discounted and to me are equally if not
more important than ANY scientific study. For the purpose of
practicality, lets say a parent does decide to selectively vaccinate.
Here are some ideas on minimizing potential problems which could be
caused by vaccines:
+ Read more: is.gd/5YmbY
Note:
The opinions expressed in COMMENTARY are those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of the Schafer Autism Report.
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RESEARCH
Brain Imaging May Help Diagnose Autism
Neuroscientist Discovers Light Switch For The Brain
EDUCATION
Special-Ed Funds Redirected
Providing the Least Restrictive Environment in Special Education: It's
Easy to Say, not Always Easy to Apply
Special Ed And Legal Audio Conferences
TREATMENT
Debate Over Cognitive, Traditional Mental Health Therapy
PUBLIC HEALTH
Improving the Impact and Effectiveness of the National Vaccine Advisory
Committee
PEOPLE
Parent Death Plot Man Detained In Hospital
Oregon Child's Death Labeled Suicide
EVENTS
4th Annual Anaheim Autism / Aspergers Conference
2010 NYC Half Marathon
COMMENTARY
Vaccination: Black and White?
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