Monthly Archives: January 2008

Consistent with the theory that genetic variations cause Autism, there were two articles about proteins involved in neural synapses in the journal Neuron last month. I present the abstracts here primarily as a prompt for others to read them. These studies are pretty important because the proteins in question, the production of which is [...] Continue reading →

In an article entitled “Regents back McWalters on special-ed class sizes,” Linda Borg of the Providence (RI, US) Journal reported about a disagreement between a teachers’ group and an administrator about the number of students who could be assigned to a classroom. The administrator wanted to increase special education class sizes from 10 to 12 [...] Continue reading →

Consistent with the recent burst of interest about successful folks with dyslexia, Time magazine has an interview with Sir Richard Branson, the entrepreneur behind the Virgin brand of brand of businesses. Mr. Branson responded to questions submitted by readers, one of whom asked about dyslexia.
Has your dyslexia hindered you in the business world? —Skye O’Brien, [...] Continue reading →

After many years of valuable service to the Learning Disabilities community, Charles and Helen Schwab are passing along their popular Web sites, Schwab Learning and Sparktop, to two other organizations. The Schwabs will shift their focus to other mays to help children and youths with Learning Disabilities and their families.
Thanks for all the good [...] Continue reading →

Elona Hartjes had a delightful and insightful post, one of many, on her blog some time ago. In the post she explains how she took an important lesson from a book she happened to read in a bookstore. She applies the lesson to her teaching.
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The Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy continues to promote investment in research-proven programs. The coalition proposes a $3 billion investment in grants permitting scaling up of evidence-based social interventions.
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While we’re on the subject of Autism, what should one say when confronted with the idea that expert witnesses championing the purported link between thimerosal and Autism have received hefty fees for their work? Brian Deer of the London (GB) Sunday Times has dug through the records and found that one physician receive approximate [...] Continue reading →

Judge Stuart R. Berger of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City (MD, US) barred testimony by Mark Geier in a case based on the idea that thimerosal in a vaccine causes Autism. Depending heavily on expert testimony by Dr. Geier and others, Jamarr Blackwell’s parents sued the vaccine maker, Wyeth. On 21 December 2007 Judge [...] Continue reading →

In its current newsletter (No 63, Winter 2007: “The Great Reading Disaster; Beware BSF”), the UK Campaign for Real Education alerts readers to a dozen contemporary concerns about the quality of education. There are sections recounting the “great reading disaster,” concerns about the government program called “Building Schools for the Future,” notes about how English [...] Continue reading →

In “Schizophrenia takes a daughter away: Even a loving family with ample financial resources is powerless against the disease,” Scott Gold and Lee Romney of the Los Angeles (CA, US) Times describe the struggles of Tiffany Sitton and her family with Ms. Sitton’s schizophrenia. The reporters reveal how shortcomings in the mental health system have [...] Continue reading →