Education World news editor Ellen Delisio tracks down education news from across the nation and around the world. Some sites credited in this archive may require free registration. Some links may be valid for only a brief period of time.
Class Teaches Autistic Kids Social Skills
Teens with autism can be taught to interact appropriately with others, according to a 12-week experimental class at the University of California, Los Angeles.
04/15/09
Sensory Yard a Hit With Special Needs Students
A New Orleans elementary school's sensory yard aims to help children with autism, ADHD, and other disorders interact more with their environment and prepare them to better focus in the classroom. 04/02/09
Kids with ADHD May Learn Better by Fidgeting
A new study suggests that teachers should let ADHD kids move all they want. It may be that excessive movement doesn't prevent learning but actually facilitates it by helping kids focus on learning. 03/25/09
Computers Help Give Preschool a Special Education Edge
Integrated preschools -- where special education students are paired with peers who are not in the special education program -- help encourage growth in key areas. Computers are another asset. 03/24/09
Middle School Students Fight to Save Childcare Center
Upset by roof leaks, old pipes, and cracked mortar at a local center for special-needs students, a class of Atlanta area 8th graders recorded a plea to save the center and sent the video to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Oprah Winfrey, and Ellen DeGeneres. 03/25/09
Teachers Keep the Bar High
In this editorial, a special ed teacher encourages teachers and parents alike not to lower expectations for students with special needs. Students of all abilities succeed when expectation are kept high. 03/04/09
Program Pairs Special Education, Gifted Students
Math, science, and technology lessons are incorporated into this robotics program, which teams special education students, who are learning-disabled, and their counterparts in the gifted and talented program. 03/02/09
Schools Work to Retain Gifted Students
Strapped for money, school districts are adding or expanding programs for gifted and talented students, who have begun deserting traditional public schools and taking their state funding with them.02/22/09
Video Self-Modeling Helps Autistic Students
According to a pilot program conducted last fall in two Pennsylvania school districts, children with autism may benefit from watching videos of their proper interactions with others. 02/17/09
Many Teachers Ill-Equipped to Handle Special Needs Students
Many teachers are not given training until after a special-needs child is placed in their class. "They give the child to the teacher and then they see if there are problems." 02/12/09
Reading Goes to the Dogs
Students in Raleigh, North Carolina, who have trouble reading get a boost in confidence by reading to specially trained reading dogs. 02/11/09
DVD Teaches Autistic Kids to Smile
A DVD teaches autistic children how to recognize emotions like happiness, anger, and sadness through the exploits of vehicles including a train, a ferry, and a cable car. 02/04/09
Children Hurt by Restraints
Schoolchildren across the U.S. have been injured or killed when they were restrained or secluded, a disability rights group says. A House committee announced a hearing on the issue. 01/21/09
Parents Can Remove Children from Special Education
New U.S. Education Department regulations allow parents to remove their children from special education via written request, reversing previous policies that did not allow parents to make such decisions unilaterally.
12/17/08
Special-Needs Program Could Cut District's Costs
The Norwood (Massachusetts) public schools hopes to save millions by returning about 70 students with special needs to a special program of its own rather than placing them in schools elsewhere. 12/10/08
Unified Sports Programs Growing
More schools are adopting Unified Sports, a program developed by Special Olympics International. The aim of the program is to unify athletes with intellectual disabilities (special athletes) and athletes without intellectual disabilities (special partners) on one team. 11/05/08
District Vows Special Ed Changes
Washington, D.C., officials have promised major changes in special education services over the next year, which could allow some students currently in private schools to return to the district.
10/15/08
Nurse Raising Money for Autism Awareness
Jocelyn Pardi, a nurse at the Coltsville School in Hartford, Connecticut, for children with autism, is aiming to raise $10,000 for the school by running in the New York City marathon.
10/08/08
Toronto School Eyed as Special Ed Model
A private Ontario school for children with learning disabilities that has affiliates across Canada and the U.S., uses neuroscience research to target learning deficits with intensive therapy.
10/01/08
Study to Examine Diet, Autism Link
Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center are undertaking one of the first double-blind, clinical studies to determine whether gluten and dairy products play a role in autistic behavior as some parents have claimed.
08/20/08
Grants to Help Special Ed Teachers Meet NCLB Standards
Twenty U.S. universities are slated to receive federal funding to expand preparation programs for special educators. The grants are for training programs to help special ed teachers meet NCLB "highly qualified" standards.
08/14/08
New Ways to Diagnosis Autism Earlier
Researchers are targeting new technologies to help detect autism at ever-younger ages -- even as young as 30 months -- in hopes of reversing some of the disorder's worst symptoms.
07/08/08
Children Read Better After Brains 'Rewired'
An intensive reading program conducted three years ago in 50 Allegheny County (Pennsylvania) schools permanently "rewired" the brains of dyslexic children, Carnegie Mellon University researchers reported.
06/23/08
Poor Hearing Can Be Behind School Problems
Hearing problems may be the cause of some children's poor academic performance or misbehavior in school, according to some experts. Children who have difficulty hearing often appear inattentive and restless.
05/30/08
Education World news editor Ellen Delisio tracks down education news from across the nation and around the world. Some sites credited in this archive may require free registration. Some links may be valid for only a brief period of time.