Fw: September 30, 2009 - Video games are used to aid motor skills of students with special needs

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September 30, 2009

News for special education professionals

Curriculum & Instruction

Video games are used to aid motor skills of students with special needsAn Ohio teacher who teaches students with special needs is using a Nintendo Wii video-gaming system to improve his students' fine and gross motor skills. So far, students have played Wii Sports, Wii Music and Wii Fit, which offers instant feedback about balance and performance. Students also improve their fine motor skills, used for writing, by handling the controllers. The n Star (Ohio) (9/28)

Campus for teens, adults with autism is approved by Illinois cityA residential and educational complex for young people with autism will be built in Naperville, Ill., by the Turning Pointe Autism Foundation after the project recently received approval. Serving up to 36 students from middle school to age 21, the campus plans include an 18,700-square-foot school, as well as a recreational facility and transitional housing. "I would hope our residential setting will be a bridge for those [suffering from autism] who get kicked out of the [educational] system at age 22," said the foundation's president. Chicago Tribune (9/30)

Classroom technology helps students with learning disabilitiesA Canadian teacher says technology, such as laptop computers and electronic whiteboards, has led to improved achievement among struggling students and students with learning disabilities. Technology offers alternatives to traditional teaching and allows students to learn through different methods, educators said. For example, students are using one computer program that reads text aloud for them and another that teaches geography by allowing students to build their own maps on a computer program. Nanaimo News Bulletin (Canada) (9/28)

Now you can use the popular iPod Touch with all of the videos from our Functional Skills System (3,200+ videos!) to teach and reinforce critical functional life, social, math, literacy and work skills necessary for independence. Use this new mobile technology to take classroom instruction into the community. A great reminder and visual prompting tool!

Educational Leadership

Minnesota congressman urges full funding of IDEAU.S. Rep. Kline, R-Minn., is calling for the federal government to fulfill its existing financial commitments under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, before it adds programs for schools take on with their already limited resources. According to Kline, the federal government has consistently failed to meet its 35-year-old promise of funding 40% of the extra cost of special education, and this year, it has frozen its commitment at last

year's level of 17%. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. , Minn.) (9/29)

Need your master's degree for professional certification? Consider the Excelsior College Liberal Studies Advantage. Our master's in liberal studies may be your best choice for professional certification. Choose from several track options such as Educational Leadership or Community Building and Conflict Resolution. Visit malt2.excelsior.edu for more information.

Technology Trends

Technology will help learning continue during a swine flu outbreakEducators nationwide are bracing for an expected wave of student absences because of swine flu by ensuring that learning can continue even when students are out of school. Many teachers are turning to online options such as posting assignments on a school Web site or interactive Wiki. The Department of Education is recommending teachers use e-mail, video conferencing and streaming video of classroom lessons to prevent students from falling behind if they are absent. The Seattle

Times (9/30)

New adaptive technology comes with high price tagPeople with disabilities have an increased reliance on technology to help achieve independence at work and at home, and some say the cost of the latest software and assistive devices can be prohibitive. While the prices of some simple technologies -- like scanners for the visually impaired -- have decreased over the years, newer technology such as wireless, voice-activated systems in homes can cost more than $10,000. The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Ind.) (9/29)

Your struggling readers can achieve silent reading fluency. Reading Plus® delivers individualized, scaffolded silent reading practice and robust progress monitoring. Reading Plus® ensures your students transition effectively from oral reading instruction to independent silent reading. Free Pilot!

Policy News

Court rules that South Dakota school district violated IDEAA federal judge has ruled that a student with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder did not receive proper treatment under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act when educators from South Dakota's Leola School District did not readmit him to his mainstream classroom after he improved his behavior. The judge's ruling faulted educators for not attempting to transition him into mainstream classes, and he ordered the district to pay the boy's parents for their legal fees and associated costs. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org)/The Associated Press (9/29)

NYC is spending more on private schools for students with special needsPrivate-school tuition for students in special education cost New York City more than $13 million more in 2008 than the year before, with overall spending at more than $100 million. City officials say the increase is a result of clearing out a backlog of reimbursement cases as well as an increase in enrollment. New York schools must pay for private-school tuition for students with disabilities whose needs cannot be met by public schools. WNYC (New York Public

Radio) (9/30)

Investigation looks into violation of civil rights of 13 Mass. studentsA federal investigation is under way in Massachusetts' Dedham school district where 13 students in a special-education class were allegedly left with other teachers so their instructor could provide home tutoring for a school official's child who is disabled. The investigation was prompted by a complaint from nearly 30 teachers, who allege that the school violated the civil rights of the students in denying them a "free, appropriate public education by not providing teachers trained in instructing students with disabilities." The Boston Globe (9/30)

Eye on Exceptionalities

In utero learning is the focus of new productsBabyPlus is a device that can be attached to a woman's abdomen during pregnancy, playing a series of heartbeat-like sounds designed to begin learning even before a baby is born. This gadget is among a growing number of such products being introduced to the market aiming to reassure parents about their baby's learning. One new mother says BabyPlus will help her newborn avoid autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. A developmental psychologist warns that such a device "probably won't do any good, and it can in fact be harmful." The Washington Post (9/29)

CEC Spotlight

Need a continuum of positive behavior supports in your school? "Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports," a special issue of TEACHING Exceptional Children, explains how to create a continuum of supports. Topics include: schoolwide discipline, classroom management, data-based decision making, wraparound process and more. Take me to the CEC Store!

Weekly policy updates are available from CEC Now, more than ever, special educators need to keep up with what's happening in Washington. With CEC's Policy Insider, a free e-newsletter, the latest developments in special- and gifted-education policy are delivered straight to your inbox weekly. Find out more.

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