Most Clicked CEC SmartBrief Stories
1. School uses therapy dogs to help students gain reading skills
CEC SmartBrief | Nov 16, 2009
At The Prentice School for students with learning disabilities in California, teachers are having students read to therapy animals through a program designed to help improve students' literacy skills. Created 10 years ago, Reading Education Assistance Dogs -- READ -- helps students overcome their inhibitions about reading. "The kids are not really aware that they're reading anymore," said a parent who suggested the school use the program. Orange County Register (Calif.), The (11/13)
2. Are alternative-testing methods overused?
CEC SmartBrief | Nov 19, 2009
The use of alternative testing in some Virginia schools has raised concerns about the validity of achievement gains, particularly among English-language learners and students in special education. "How do you know we are closing the achievement gap, because thousands of our kids are not being tested the same way?" asked one parent advocate. While proponents of alternative testing say it offers better measurements of proficiency among some students, skeptics say the methods are being overused and not offering accurate reflections of student performance. Washington Post, The (11/19)
3. Research: Improvements seen in test scores of students with disabilities
CEC SmartBrief | Nov 17, 2009
A new study from the Center on Education Policy shows students with disabilities have improved their performance on assessment tests. The study found gains across all proficiency levels in fourth-graders with disabilities when comparing state reading and math test results from the 2005-06 school year with 2007-08. The center said the research was complicated by several factors, including a fluctuation in the number of students taking the tests, but said the No Child Left Behind law was a factor in the gains. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (11/17)
4. S.C. school to offer college program for students with disabilities
CEC SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
South Carolina's College of Charleston plans to offer a new program to provide a college experience for more students with disabilities. The Learning Is For Everyone -- or LIFE -- program will provide a college experience for people with mild-to-moderate intellectual disabilities, allowing them to attend mainstream classes and earn credits toward a certificate. The school says it will also help the students find jobs upon completion of the program. WCSC-TV (Charleston, S.C.) (11/17)
5. Scientist discusses how dyslexia affects the brain
CEC SmartBrief | Nov 20, 2009
Neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene explains in this interview the science behind how children who are dyslexic fail to learn how to properly connect visual letter recognition with speech sounds. Dehaene also talks about recent research that looked at why people who are dyslexic have been shown to have an increased ability to detect symmetrical patterns -- a skill that may give them an advantage in math. Scientific American magazine (11/2009)
6. Special-needs educator tells board about teacher frustrations
CEC SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
A special-needs teacher in a Kentucky district recently shared her frustrations with administrators and the school board, saying teachers are stressed and are being asked to do more with less, and officials were sympathetic. "While teachers inherently want what is best for their students, the data-driven mechanism we call education seems to take more time away from what essentially drew teachers to the field -- building relationships, sharing our passion about content, and personally meeting students' needs by our mentoring," Roseann McCafferty said. Cincinnati Enquirer, The (11/16)
7. Parents create iPhone application for autism caregivers
CEC SmartBrief | Nov 16, 2009
A new application for the iPhone and iPod Touch helps track behavior in children with autism as part of applied behavior analysis. Developed by the Pennsylvania parents of a child with autism, Behavior Tracker Pro helps caregivers with detailed record-keeping needed to monitor behaviors. The application costs $9.99 and can be used by teachers and therapists to track data for multiple subjects. Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pa.), The (11/15)
8. Teacher uses quilts to improve focus of students with special needs
CEC SmartBrief | Nov 19, 2009
An Ohio teacher says using personalized, handmade quilts with her students who have special needs helps them stay focused in the classroom. "Oftentimes, they're feeling things they can't control," teacher Shellie Ryan said. "And when you give them a manipulative, such as a quilt, they have something they can control." Ryan said she stumbled onto the idea when she used a quilt to help calm an upset student. Advocate (Newark, Ohio), The (11/18)
9. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to treat children who have autism
CEC SmartBrief | Nov 17, 2009
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy -- a common treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning -- is being used to treat children who have autism. Although it has not been approved as an autism treatment by the Federal Drug Administration, the therapy can be provided with a doctor's prescription. A Pennsylvania mother whose 3-year-old child has autism and received the treatment said she has seen an improvement in her son's verbal skills. WHP-TV (Harrisburg, Pa.) (11/17)
10. Assistive-technology inventor who was disabled dies
CEC SmartBrief | Nov 16, 2009
Chicago Tribune (11/16)
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