Smart Kids With LD

Students with ADHD may benefit from daily report cards, according to a report in Education Week. In a small but well-designed study, student behavior improved significantly when participants and their parents were given constant feedback via daily reports from their teachers. Study Details The study compared a group of 63 elementary school students with ADHD, 33 of whom were randomly assigned to the intervention group receiving daily report cards (DRCs), while the remaining 30 were in a control group. The DRC lists target behaviors and goals that align with each student’s IEP. Teachers use the tool to provide immediate feedback to students and then send the reports home at the end of the day. Parents were asked to provide rewards or negative sanctions at home based on the DRCs. Students who received the DRCs behaved better and broke fewer rules in class than students who did not receive the daily reports. The intervention did not impact achievement in math or reading. Nirvi Shah, writing in Education Week suggests that the frequent feedback encourages parents, students, and teachers to make important adjustments as needed, rather than wait for IEP annual meetings to make changes: Often, the education plans of students with disabilities are updated just once a year, and in many cases, students are not present at those meetings. Goals are adjusted just at that one meeting, and it may be one of the few times a year parents get detailed feedback about their child. Daily report cards require a lot more involvement from parents and far more feedback from teachers.”

). In a small but well-designed study, student behavior improved significantly when participants and their parents were given constant feedback via daily reports from their teachers.

Study Details

The study compared a group of 63 elementary school students with ADHD, 33 of whom were randomly assigned to the intervention group receiving daily report cards (DRCs), while the remaining 30 were in a control group.

The DRC lists target behaviors and goals that align with each student’s IEP. Teachers use the tool to provide immediate feedback to students and then send the reports home at the end of the day. Parents were asked to provide rewards or negative sanctions at home based on the DRCs.

Students who received the DRCs behaved better and broke fewer rules in class than students who did not receive the daily reports. The intervention did not impact achievement in math or reading. Nirvi Shah, writing in Education Week suggests that the frequent feedback encourages parents, students, and teachers to make important adjustments as needed, rather than wait for IEP annual meetings to make changes:

Often, the education plans of students with disabilities are updated just once a year, and in many cases, students are not present at those meetings. Goals are adjusted just at that one meeting, and it may be one of the few times a year parents get detailed feedback about their child. Daily report cards require a lot more involvement from parents and far more feedback from teachers.

By Nancy Dooley

In 2008, trampolinist Logan Dooley traveled to Beijing as an alternate on the U.S. Olympic Team. At the time, his proud mother wrote the article, below, about her son’s incredible athletic achievements and the challenges he faces with dyslexia. This year, Dooley is back at the Olympics, as an alternate again, after just missing the top spot at the USA Gymnastics Trampoline Championships in San Diego.

In September of 1987, we welcomed our Bouncin’ Baby Boy into our world—and he’s been bouncing ever since; on beds, down the stairs, everywhere. In an effort to channel this energy, we gave him a backyard trampoline for his seventh birthday, and after 14 years of practice, Logan Dooley bounced himself right into Beijing as the Alternate Athlete for the U.S. Men’s Trampoline team at the 2008 Olympics.

A few years ago when Logan was recognized for his trampoline accomplishments by the Smart Kids Youth Achievement Awards program, he was working very hard—applying all of the skills he had learned during his earlier years at The Prentice School to cope with the challenges of dyslexia and earn his high school diploma. At the same time, he was competing nationally and internationally, steadily climbing the rankings ladder.

His perseverance and determination paid off handsomely. He graduated high school, began his college studies, and in May 2007 was selected to go to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to prepare for future Olympic competition.

With a year of intense training at the OTC, and impressive performances at the 2008 Olympic Trials, our Bouncin’ Boy beat the odds, placing second to our nation’s No. 1 male trampolinist, earning the Alternate spot on the 2008 Men’s Trampoline Team.

Are we proud of his accomplishments? You bet we are! As his Dad and I saw him off at the airport for his flight to Beijing, an overwhelming sense of pride swept over us. Our Bouncin’ Baby Boy had, indeed, bounced himself into world-class status. And despite the fact that his athletic skills weren’t called upon for this Olympic competition, he was physically prepared and mentally ready to represent our nation if needed.

For those who know him best, Logan is an ideal person to represent the U.S. in the international arena. The support and encouragement that he has enjoyed from the local community, and particularly from those who see him as a wonderful role model for their young athletes, has been a source of overwhelming pride and will continue to provide a wellspring of encouragement for Logan.

In 2005, Dooley received honorable mention as a Smart Kids with LD Youth Achievement Award nominee.

Related SK Links:

• Youth Award Winners

Some children as young as seven years old are injuring themselves on purpose according to a recent study published in the journal. The behavior, referred to as nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), includes cutting, hitting, burning, or otherwise hurting themselves.

Research shows that from 7% to 24% of adolescents and young adults harm themselves, however prior to this study, no one had looked at NSSI behavior in younger children. In this initial assessment of children ranging in age from 7 to 16, researchers found that one in 12 had engaged in NSSI behaviors. As Benjamin Hankin, a psychologist from the University of Denver and a co-investigator on the study said, “Clearly a lot more kids are doing this than people have known.”

Grade and Gender Differences

To gather information researchers interviewed 665 children in grades three, six and nine, recruited from local school districts and roughly representative of the ethnic and racial makeup of the U.S. They found that overall 53 (8%) said they had engaged in NSSI behaviors at some point in their lives, with girls (9%) more likely than boys (6.7%) to report harming themselves. A grade breakdown follows:

• 3^rd graders: 7.6%
• 6^th graders: 4%
• 9^th graders: 12.7%

In addition there were significant differences between the NSSI methods used by boys and girls: Girls were more likely to cut and carve their skin (63.3%); boys were more likely to hit themselves (55%). Other methods used to harm themselves included biting, pulling hairs, running into walls and throwing themselves into sharp objects.

Steven Pastyrnak, head of pediatric psychology at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI told Reuters Health, “I think a lot of times parents think this is just attention-seeking behavior.” Pastyrnak, who was not involved in the study went on to explain that most children he sees injure themselves as a way to express their depression, anxiety, or anger. “The bright side is, typically anxiety and depression as well as self-injury are very treatable,” he concluded.

To learn more, see the study Rates of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Youth: Age, Sex and Behavioral Methods in a Community Sample

IndyCar race fans know Justin Wilson as a seven-time winner, including a victory this summer at Texas Motor Speedway. But what his fans may not know is that Wilson has dyslexia and plans to use his fame to bring attention to the reading disability.

In a recent article published in the Miami Herald, Wilson told AP Sports Writer Chris Jenkins, “I really struggled at school. I remember one day, the teacher asking what you want to be when you grow up. And everyone went down and did their thing and it got to me: ‘I want to race cars.’ And everyone laughed…And then some joker stood up, ‘Oh, you’ll never race cars. You’re too stupid.’ ”

They’re not laughing now.

Growing up in Sheffield England, Wilson’s experience was not unlike children everywhere who struggle with reading and writing and don’t know why: Undiagnosed learning disabilities. Finally, at age 14 he was diagnosed with dyslexia and received the instruction he needed.

As a youngster one of the few activities he found solace in was racing:

I knew from an early age this is what I wanted to do. It’s the one thing that came easier to me than anything else. Sure, you’ve still got to work at everything in life. But this thing came easy, whereas everything else, all my schoolwork, even soccer at school, it just wasn’t easy. And racing always was. You just naturally go towards it. I knew from the first day I drove a go-kart that was my calling.”

Can-Do Attitude

While Wilson has never tried to hide his learning challenges, he is now planning to take on the role of active spokesperson, working with dyslexia advocacy groups worldwide. What will his main message be?

The big thing that stands out to me is to let kids know you can follow your dreams. You can do what you want to do and it’s not going to hold you back. There’s going to be extra work and you’ve got to find ways around it. But it’s also better when you find this earlier. More understanding for dyslexia’s definitely going to help.

To learn more, see IndyCar’s Wilson Promoting Dyslexia Awareness in The Miami Herald.

Are you one of those parents who breathes a sigh of relief when your nonathletic child picks up the Wii controls for a rousing game of tennis or a session of fast dancing? You’re thinking it’s the perfect way to incorporate exercise into your child’s otherwise sedentary lifestyle.

You’re going to need to rethink that. The latest research shows that “exergames”—video games that require physical interactivity—do not provide the increase in activity many believed when they invested in the game systems.

How were you to know? After all, the companies marketing those video systems and games were claiming health benefits. And they weren’t entirely wrong. As explained in The New York Times Article, “Exergames” Don’t Cure Young Couch Potatoes, early studies found that “…adults and children who play active video games, when encouraged in an ideal laboratory setting, engage in moderate, even vigorous physical activity briefly.”

Reality Check

But real-life experience is apparently quite different. In a study undertaken by the Children’s Nutrition Research center at Baylor College of Medicine, researchers recruited children 9-12 years old with a body mass index above the median who did not have a video game console. The children were given a Wii; half were asked to choose physically demanding games while the other half were offered passive games.

After 13 weeks of game playing, there was “no evidence that children receiving the active video games were more active in general, or at any time, than children receiving the inactive video games.”

While those findings may seem counterintuitive, the results are in keeping with a well-known phenomenon in the field. “When you prescribe increased physical activity,” study author Anthony Barnett explained, “overall activity remains the same because the subjects compensate by reducing other physical activities during the day.”

Other real-life studies also suggest that “exergame” is a misnomer. In one study, Professor Scott G. Owens, associate professor of exercise science at the University of Mississippi and his colleagues gave Wii Fit games to eight families. Measurements were taken before the games arrived and then again six and 12 weeks after. As Owens told NYT writer Randall Stross:

A major finding was the dramatic drop in daily use after the first six weeks. The Wii Fit was used an average of 22 minutes a day by everyone in the household in the first six weeks, but only four minutes a day in the second six weeks. At the end, health-related fitness measures were essentially unchanged.

There’s No Substitute For the Real Thing

What’s the parent of a video-exergame-loving child to do? Find a way between Wii tennis and golf to put a real racket or club in his or her hands. “For physical activity that brings health benefits,” writes Stross, “kids need things like real balls, real rackets and real courts.”

Now that the political season is in full swing, the chances of getting both houses in Congress to agree on a federal budget grow slimmer by the day. With the looming threat of sequestration—$1 trillion in automatic spending cuts that will take effect in January 2013 in the absence of a legislative solution—those who rely on federal spending are becoming increasingly concerned, including special educators.

According to a survey conducted jointly by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), special education directors are nearly unanimous (95%) in their prediction that the 8% automatic cut will result in layoffs and hiring freezes. These cuts would be in addition to recent personnel losses that occurred when federal stimulus money dried up this past year.

Major Concerns

The survey was conducted among 300 special education directors throughout the country. Other results, reported in a CEC/CASE press release, paint a dire picture of how your child could be impacted if sequestration occurs:

• 81% agree that there will be increased strain on the availability of services for students with disabilities
• 85% predict their district will cut funding for purchase of resources including needed technology
• 77% think their district will increase caseloads
• 79% said their district will reduce professional development

In 2011 CEC and CASE collaborated on another survey asking their members how the economic slowdown was already impacting their ability to provide services. Some of the results follow:

• 92% reported an increased strain on the availability of special education services
• 91% reported an increase in class size
• 90% reported cuts to education programs
• 94% reported funding cuts for the purchase of resources, such as technology

Take Action

The CEC urges anyone who supports special education to use the CEC Legislative Action Center to tell Congress to restore funding for special education.

Now that the political season is in full swing, the chances of getting both houses in Congress to agree on a federal budget grow slimmer by the day. With the looming threat of sequestration—$1 trillion in automatic spending cuts that will take effect in January 2013 in the absence of a legislative solution—those who rely on federal spending are becoming increasingly concerned, including special educators.

According to a survey conducted jointly by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), special education directors are nearly unanimous (95%) in their prediction that the 8% automatic cut will result in layoffs and hiring freezes. These cuts would be in addition to recent personnel losses that occurred when federal stimulus money dried up this past year.

While the overall number of prescription medications for children has decreased significantly in the past decade, the number of prescriptions for ADHD medications has increased substantially.

These are the findings from a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study that used a large national database to analyze prescription trends among children in the U.S. from 2002 to 2010. The results, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that during that time the number of prescriptions for children under age 17 went down seven percent. In contrast, prescriptions for ADHD medications increased by 46 percent. (The study tracked prescription trends, not actual use of the medications.)

Experts attribute the increase in ADHD prescriptions to a parallel upturn in ADHD diagnoses, which climbed from 4.4 million children in 2002 to 5 million in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Traditional ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall account for most of the ADHD prescriptions, but researchers suggest that their use is currently stabilizing and being replaced by newer medications such as Vyvanse and Focalin.

Other Findings

Researchers noted that the general decrease in medications for children is largely due to fewer prescriptions for antibiotics and medications for allergies, pain, depression, colds, and coughs. Antibiotic prescriptions alone went down 14 percent, a victory for medical experts who have mounted a large-scale campaign to educate the public about the dangers of antibiotic resistance and the ineffective use of antibiotics for treating viral infections.

Antidepressant prescriptions also declined, which is believed to be the result of FDA warnings about risks associated with suicidal thoughts. Dr. Martin Stein, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine told ABC news:

The reason for the warnings was there was a two-fold increase in suicidal ideation, particularly in the first month after initiating therapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This trend, however, is a double-edged sword. More children are likely to attempt suicide when they are depressed if they are not appropriately treated.

In addition to the increase in ADHD prescriptions, the study found increases also in prescriptions for contraceptives and asthma as well as an upswing in acid-reflux inhibitors prescribed for infants.

Related Smart Kids Links:

• Straight Talk About Medications for ADHD
• Treating ADHD: A Comprehensive Strategy

Applying the findings from scientific research often takes months if not years to reach the people whom it can benefit. But the team that uncovered a simple way to improve reading outcomes for kids with dyslexia is wasting no time in applying their research results to readily accessible technology.

Research Findings

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, a team of French and Italian researchers found that increasing the spacing between letters and words may improve the speed and quality of reading for children who have dyslexia.

The study, involving 94 students, ages 8 to 14 with diagnosed dyslexia, tested the effects of normal and wider letter spacing in a text that contained 24 sentences. According to an article in Science Daily:

The results showed that wider spacing enabled the children to improve their reading both in terms of speed and precision. On average, they read 20% faster and made half as many errors. This progress could stem from the fact that dyslexic children are particularly sensitive to “perceptual crowding,” in other words the visual masking of each individual letter by those surrounding it. The results of this study show that this crowding effect may be reduced by spacing letters apart.

Immediate Application

This simple “fix” for making reading a little easier for kids with dyslexia is already available in the form of free iPad and iPhone applications that were developed while the study was underway. The apps known as “DYS” can be downloaded free from the online Apple Store.

According to the Science Daily article, “The researchers for their part hope to be able to collect large-scale data that will allow them to quantify and analyze whether optimal spacing exists as a function of the subject’s age and reading level.”

The download is available at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dys-help-people-with-dyslexia/id529867852?mt=8

Related Smart Kids Links

• Treating Dyslexia
• Addressing Reading Issues: MSL Basics
• Help For An Older Child with Reading Problems

As high-stakes testing proliferates, the controversy surrounding the practice continues to grow. This past spring, a small but significant effort to organize those who oppose high-stakes tests took a giant leap forward when a national resolution protesting their use was put up online.

What started out as a local effort by a coalition of parents, educators, businesses, and civic leaders in New York who are calling for a review of the Regents exams and other state-initiated standardized tests has caught fire throughout the country.

The group, calling themselves Time Out From Testing, first posted the National Resolution on High -Stakes Testing last April. Since then more than 300 organizations and 8,000 individuals have endorsed the call to reduce testing mandates under No Child Left Behind, and to develop “a system based on multiple forms of assessment, which does not require extensive standardized testing, more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning, and is used to support students and improve schools.”

National Support

Among organizations that support the resolution are the National Education Association, National Association for Bilingual Education, the NAACP-Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the National Opportunity To Learn Campaign. The National PTA encourages locals to sign on maintaining that the resolution is in line with PTA policy.

Prior to the resolution, the primary form of protest open to parents was opting out of high-stakes testing for their child. While effective on an individual level, this wider effort is expected to generate media attention along with further protests from other school districts, administrators, and board members beset by the costly and time-consuming testing mandates.

To add your voice to the movement sign the resolution at http://timeoutfromtesting.org/nationalresolution/.