news/blog | G. Edmund Siebel, Jr. Lawyer

obama budget increase sped, autism funds

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:53:57 -0800

From "Disability Scoop" via CEC Smartbrief:

Funding for special education, autism research and other programs aimed at Americans with disabilities is nestled within the $3.8 trillion budget proposed Monday by President Barack Obama.

Here’s a look at the president’s proposed spending on programs…

transcript should not reference disability

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:23:06 -0700

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights has issued a guidance letter which suggests that a student's disability should not be noted on his or her transcript according to an article Education Week. Because report cards are prepared primarily for parents, disclosure of a disability…

bridging neuroscience to teachers

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:11:00 -0700

Education Week today publishes an article highlighting the work being done jointly by Johns-Hopkins University's Schools of Medicine (Brain Science Institute) and Education to bring discoveries about brain function in ADHD children into the classroom so that teachers can more adequately address…

reading deficit? reprogram the brain!

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:29:23 -0700

An interesting article today in Science Daily notes a study from Carnegie Mellon University published in the August issue of the journal, Neuropsychologica. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon's Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging have found that "remedial instruction resulted in an increase in brain…

suspensions in milwaukee . . . again

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:41:54 -0700

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is back in the news again. You may remember that we covered a unique settlement of a special education complaint earlier which imposed on the district a unique settlement reached between the plaintiffs and Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction. One of the…

autism & vaccinations, report on new jersey children

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:33:23 -0700

An article in The Star Ledger (New Jersey) points out that parents today are concerned about the prospect that their children may subject to autism spectrum disorders. Nationally, 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with the disorder and that drops to 1 in 94 children in New Jersey.

Along with the…

practice . . . er, observation makes perfect

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:09:31 -0700

An interesting article published today in Science Daily reports on a study out of Dartmouth College which suggests that motor skills may be acquired by observation. The study measured brain activity for subjects who were physically practicing specific dance moves, as well as subjects who were…

vitamin D testing on the increase

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:17:15 -0700

An article in USA Today points out that testing for Vitamin D deficiencies may have increased by as much as 90% recently as awareness has grown about the effect of the deficiency.

great information resource

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:19:43 -0700

Yesterday, I discovered an interesting resource which may be helpful for almost anyone, but especially teachers and students. Pete and Pam Wright's blog, The Wrightslaw Way, extolled the virtues of The Special Education Law Blog, written by Chicago area special education lawyer, Charlie Fox. The…

attention improvements may be trainable

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:11:00 -0700

A recent article in the Boston Globe details the growing research which seems to show that one's ability to attend to a task can be improved with practice. Medical research is demonstrating function we know as attention comprises an elaborate network. Researchers at the University of Oregon, in…