Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Oct 18, 2002

Improving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2003
The White House report on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is expected to affect the bill's reauthorization debate next year. The Council for Exceptional Children agrees with many of the goals, but disagrees with some specific elements of the White House report, and adds its own recommendations regarding disproportionate representation of minority children in special education.
http://www.cec.sped.org/spotlight/cec_response/PresCommReportNEW.html

**The Special Needs of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
This Children's Law Center resource for legal professionals describes ways to recognize youth with special needs and covers the educational rights of youth with disabilities, program evaluation, and special education services in short- and long-term juvenile correctional facilities.
http://www.childrenslawky.org/pubs.htm

**New Research on ADHD and Brain Development
The brains of children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are three to four percent smaller than those of their counterparts, according to this major new study. The course of brain development in the ADHD patients paralleled that of normal subjects, suggesting that whatever caused the disorder happened early. Researchers found "strikingly smaller" white matter volumes in never-medicated children, giving evidence that medication is not the cause of reduced brain size.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v288n14/abs/joc20194.html

**Resources for Families
The National PTA and the Family and Advocates Partnership for Education have free resources for parents of children with disabilities, including "Discover IDEA: Supporting Achievement for Children with Disabilities," and "Possibilities: A Financial Resource Book for Parents of Children with Disabilities." Order by calling FAPE toll-free at 888-248-0822.
http://www.fape.org/