Monthly Archives: February 2008

In a recent post, I pointed to the Web resources about Autism available from the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). About 10 years ago, NIMH published a Web page that is the forerunner of that more recent page. I thought it might be interesting to some folks to examine that older page, so [...] Continue reading →

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has scheduled a panel discussion about prevention of Learning Disabilities. Entitled “RTI Goes to Pre-K: A Comprehensive System for Early Intervention to Promote School Readiness,” the discussion is slated for 11-noon on Wed. 30 January 2008 in HC-6 U.S. Capitol Building, Washington (DC, US).
Participants will discuss [...] Continue reading →

At lunch the other day, my friend Dan and I agreed that there really had to be something to brain-based learning…as in, try learning without a brain. But, the readers of Teach Effectively! surely seem to consider brain-based learning as the most bogus of the four reform movements that are compared in the current Bogus [...] Continue reading →

Last weekend on behalf of the Division for Learning Disabilities, I attended the semi-annual meeting of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD). The NJCLD has a long and distinguished history, one that I ought to describe in a page or post, but that’s the basis for another post, but not this one.
The [...] Continue reading →

Mississippi (US) Governor Haley Barbour and the state legislature for Mississippi appear to be at political loggerheads about education funding, according to an article entitled “Gov. Haley Barbour: Version 2.0 — Katrina still in his sights: Ongoing hurricane recovery, funding Medicaid and education gains top Barbour’s agenda” by Sid Salter of the Clarion Ledger. Mr. [...] Continue reading →

The US National Institute of Mental Health has maintained a page about Autism for many years. It recently reviewed that page and the updated version is on-line now. Here is an outline of the contents of the page.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders)

Introduction
What Are the Autism Spectrum Disorders?
The Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Treatment Options
Adults [...] Continue reading →

In an article entitled “NZ ‘failing kids who struggle to learn,’” Lane Nichols of the Dominion Post reported about a critical evaluation of New Zealand schooling. It seems that NZ schools have been failing to address the problems of students with Learning Disabilities and some parents of those students have complained. Shades of Eli Tash [...] Continue reading →

In a column distributed by the Tribune Media Services, entertainer Garrison Keillor makes a clear pitch for teaching reading effectively and sustaining the Reading First initiative. Mr. Keillor, who has consistently supported politicians in the Democratic party, argues that Democrats should not discard the RF program on political grounds when there are children who need [...] Continue reading →

The acompanying notice may be of interest to some readers:
Since there has been considerable interest in the 2008 Autism Conference, the Association for Behavior Analysis International is extending the pre-registration deadline to Sunday, January 20th at 12:00 AM (EST). The advantage of pre-registering for the conference, titled “Issues and Recent Advancements in the Behavioral [...] Continue reading →

This is not really a an educational story, but one that reveals another gap in the care received by individuals with disabilities. It’s the story of the Denney family and a child, David, who has such substantial disabilities that he requires extensive nursing care. Perhaps most surprisingly, it is the … Continue reading →