This week, I read an article about the “Every Student Succeed Act” plan. According to the article, 33 states do not separate their performance skills from their general and special education programs. This means that the general education students could be keeping the numbers up for the performance skills levels. If the special education program is being lumped with the general education numbers than there may not be an accurate reading of the special education program. This is a big concern because students with disabilities may not be receiving the proper education they deserve.
It states in the article that only ten states have detailed descriptions for interventions and only 18 states have the same long term goals for all of the students. Most states have limited discussions about the students who are English learners and have disabilities.
There are mandates the states have to follow with special education that all states have to create “state systematic improvement plans”. During 2010-2016, states were making strides to improve their special education programs, but now it seems it has has stopped for the moment. The NCLD is trying to get it back on track, so there will be plans and goals set for students with disabilities. The students deserve to be challenged and they deserve to have goals they can strive for just like everyone else. I hope that they are able to get this back on track. As a nation, there should be similar standards and expectations, so everyone can work towards being the best they can be! I feel that sometimes people with disabilities just get left in the dark with education and it is awful. I am hopeful the NCLD will get special education back on track and the teachers can continue to challenge and help everyone. It is important to help every child learn.

https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/2018/10/state_essa_plans_special_education.html

I recently read an article about the babies having withdrawl from opioid when they are born. The mothers abused the drug while they were pregnant and so the child becomes addicted to the drug while they are in the womb. Between 2000 and 2013, there were 22,000 babies that were tested positive for opioid. There was a range on the number depending on the state. For example, West Virginia had 33 babies tested positive in one year, while other states may have been 25 or 30.
Researchers have followed and studied the children that were in neonatal care due to drugs and now they are in preschool. They are seeing behavioral problems in the children when they are in preschool. For example, they are more likely to bite, kick, and lash out without a trigger. Some of them are very hard to soothe. The children could also have sensory overloads. While not every child who was exposed to opioid in the womb is having a problem, the majority of the children are having some kind of struggle in school. Researchers also looked at a group of seventh graders that were exposed as babies had lower test scores. Their scores were lower than a fifth graders. It certainly affects them throughout their entire life.
The states are being proactive and they are giving the teachers special trainings to help the children, especially in states like West Virginia where the percentage is high.
I personally think it is sad that this is happening because it is something that can be avoided. I feel that we need to educate our parents as much as possible to help prevent this. Hopefully with awareness, this percentage will come back down. I am glad that districts are being proactive and training teachers to help the children. Early intervention is always important!

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/09/19/opioid-epidemic-raising-special-education-concerns.html

I read an article about a school in New Haven, Connecticut that is conducting a study about students with dyslexia.

The researchers are studying children who scored in the bottom 20 percent for reading. The children gave a swab of their DNA to see if they contain the gene that causes dyslexia. Over the next four years the children will be exposed to Reading Recovery or Empower, both reading programs. The children will complete four years with one of these programs and then be tested again. The researchers will then look to see if there is a change in the child’s genome. They will also compare it to the children who did not go through the program.

If they find that this program is successful, children could get early intervention with dyslexia. A lot of students don’t(currently) find out they have dyslexia until late elementary or middle school. If this study helps then children could get tested as early as preschool.

There is a negative side to this study. Parents complained that their child could be labeled as an at-risk-reader before they entered school. They do not like the idea of their child being perceived that way when it might not be the case.

In my opinion, if this truly works and I thought my child might have dyslexia, I would want my child tested for early intervention.

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/09/12/scientists-use-dna-testing-to-seek-answers.html

The article that I have posted below discusses the importance of early intervention in early childhood. There are various opinions on this topic. Some people feel that testing children at a young age causes to many children to be “classified”. This article argues that it is important to identify if a child has a disability early because then you can make adjustments right away to their life to make them more successful.
In the article it talks about how even second and third world countries are using various programs to help their younger children with disabilities. For example, the MDAT in Africa is used to measure delay in children.
I feel it is important to intervene as soon as possible. As an educator of early childhood, a lot of times, parents do not feel their child needs help until they are tested by the state. As more and more information comes out and success stories come to surface, I feel that more parents will be more willing to help their children at a younger age. It breaks my heart when a parent waits so long and the child struggles because they are not receiving the proper help. I hope that as we continue into the future that parents will be more open about getting their children the help and adaptations they need. As an educator, I continue to adapt my lessons for those children and encourage the parents to help their child as well. I know that it can be scary, but in the end it is all worth it!

Click to access Paul-Lynch-reading-pack-1.pdf

I read an article about the association between childhood disabilities, adult-age mental problems, lack of education, and unemployment. According to the article people who have a math disability have a higher unemployment rate and more mental health problems than those with a reading disability. The article also states that males with reading disabilities pose a higher risk than females do with mental health and educational problems.

I found this article very interesting that males are affected more than females. I have to wonder if it is linked to the male and female chromosomes. A lot of the time, a male is more susceptible to something because of the XY chromosomes.

I also found it interesting that people with math disabilities are more likely to struggle than those with a reading disability. I would have thought it would have been the opposite since reading is a part of our daily routines, such as signs and directions.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219418775118

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton