december 2004
The Stephen Gaynor School: Providing a Warm and Enriching Environment to Children with Special Needs
By Liza Young
Dr. Scott Gaynor, Head of the Stephen Gaynor School, recently shared his dedication, passion and vision for his school. Housed in a landmarked townhouse on the Upper West Side, Dr. Scott Gaynor, whose grandmother founded the school which bears the namesake of his uncle, helps children with learning disabilities overcome the challenges they face so that they can ultimately transition to a mainstream environment. READ ARTICLE
National Campaign to Find &
Help Special Needs Children
The Center for the Improvement of Child Caring (CICC) has launched a national campaign to help parents, professionals, agencies, caregivers and others. READ ARTICLE
November 2004
National
Society for the Gifted & Talented Launched
By Dorothy Davis READ
ARTICLE
Choosing
a Preschool for a Child with Special Needs
By Ronald S. Lenkowsky, Ed.D READ
ARTICLE
October 2004
The Misunderstanding
of Dyslexia
by Sally Shaywitz, M.D. READ
ARTICLE
September 2004
Computer
Adaptive Technology for the Visually Impaired
by Burke Mortimer MORE
August 2004
In the
Face of Adversity…
by Michelle Accorso MORE
Dr. Rebecca
H. Cort, Deputy Commissioner, NYS VESID
by Joan Baum, Ph.D. MORE
Lessons
from the League School
by Jason Gorbel MORE
July 2004
Teachers College,
Education Update & Phi Delta Kappa Host Drs. Klass
and Costello to a Full House
By Joan Baum, Ph.D.
READ
MORE
Valuing Language
Diversity and Fostering Inclusion
By Nancy L. Cloud, Ed.D.
READ
MORE
June 2004
Autistic
Spectrum Disorder: Part I
by Cecelia M. McCarton,
M.D.
READ
MORE
Commissioner
Matthew Sapolin:
Making a Difference for People with Disabilities
by Joan Baum, Ph.D.
READ MORE
May 2004
International
Perspectives on Autism
Presented at NYU Child Study Center
by Pola Rosen, Ed.D. READ
MORE
Legally
Blind College Student
Honored in Washington DC
READ
MORE
Read Naturally:
The Fluency Solution
READ MORE
January
2004
Anxiety
Attack: Tests, Friends, the World & Other Things Your
Child Worries About
by Joanna Leefer
Childhood is full of
stresses. Kids are constantly bombarded with new stimuli
and sensations: Their bodies are changing and growing;
their school becomes more demanding; and they are continually
confronted with new social situations. Life is a roller
coaster of emotions and changes both physical and mental.
No wonder kids often experience anxiety or "blue" periods. READ MORE
Guide to Advocacy for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities
The National Center for Learning Disabilities and the Charles
and Helen Schwab Foundation have announced the release of
the LD Advocates Guide, a handbook designed to provide simple,
accessible instruction on how to work with the government
and the media on issues affecting individuals with learning
disabilities. READ MORE
Racial Inequity in Special Education: Harvard University Findings
Racial inequities pervade special education in American schools.
In 1998, approximately 1.5 million minority children were
identified as having mental retardation, emotional disturbance,
or a specific learning disability. Racial Inequity in Special
Education , The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University
which is a new book published by Harvard Education Press,
explores the inequities experienced by minority school- children
in special education and the potential life consequences
of such inequities. READ MORE
Victory for Those Living With Spina Bifida
The Spina Bifida Association of America (SBAA), the Spina Bifida
Foundation (SBF) and the 70,000 people in the United States
who live with Spina Bifida extend their gratitude to the
members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives
for passing the "Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Prevention Act of 2003." READ MORE
December
2003
A Therapeutic Mecca: The McCarton
School
by Jocelyn K. Egyes
Sitting in Dr. Cecelia McCarton's office there is no doubt
that her passion is children. Kermit the Frog and a teddy
bear sit side by side on a bookshelf while dozens of other
toys line her office. But it's a special kind of child
that warms the heart of this pediatrician, it's "children
who are different" says McCarton, her blue eyes passionately
sparkling as she speaks of 'her' children. READ MORE
McCarton School Parent Shares Views
One parent who sees the learning first hand is Noam Spanier.
His 6-year-old daughter Shira has been with the program... READ MORE
November 2003
Helping the Visually Impaired
at Baruch College
by Jocelyn K. Egyes
It’s not everyday that advances are made in technology
to benefit the blind and visually impaired. READ MORE
Dr. Cecelia McCarton Leads
Symposium on Learning Disabilities
by Joanna Leefer
“How can I tell if my child has a learning disability?” “Will
my son be stigmatized if he is officially classified as LD?” “I’m
applying to schools for my daughter. READ MORE
Reforming Special Education. . . Again
by Michelle Accorso
How can we best serve the city’s neediest children? That
was the question posed to the diverse array of panelists at
a recent special education hearing housed at the New School. READ MORE
October
2003
Products for the Visually
Impaired READ MORE
Wheelchair Charities A Superstar
by Mike Cohen
Steve Francis took a pass from Nick Van Exel on the wing and
drove past Stephon Marbury for a thunderous highflying one-handed
dunk. The Crowd at Madison Square Garden erupted with applause.
READ MORE
September
2003
Deaf Actor Signs Up for Broadway
Stardom
Tyrone Giordano wins raves as Huck Finn in a play that
mixes music, speech, sign language and Mark Twain. Like
Huck Finn, Tyrone Giordano savors the simple pleasures.
As a child, he said, “I would lie in the night, with
the stars, listening to crickets.” READ
MORE
August
2003
Inclusion: What Are We Doing?
Perspectives From The Field
by Marjorie Aug
In the mid-seventies a landmark act for educating special
education students was passed to ensure the rights of
special needs students to receive appropriate instruction
in a regular education setting, based on the individual
needs of each student. READ MORE
Dancing with Wheelchairs in New Mexico
by Jan Aaron
“Like other people, little girls in wheelchairs and older
people, too, want to dance,” says Shira Greenberg, founder
and artistic director of Keshet Dance Company based in Albuquerque,
NM. She adds: “Anyone—regardless of age, physical
abilities, or expertise can become a beautiful dancer.” READ
MORE
July
2003
New
Dyslexia Study at NYU Child Study Center
by Adam Koplewicz
A research study of teenagers with dyslexia has begun at
the New York University Child Study Center. This study
is attempting to shed new light and understanding on a common
but disabling condition. READ
MORE
Special Education in New York City
by Jill Levy
Thirty-five years ago, many children, including my own, did
not have the right to attend public schools. They were children
with “problems”—disabilities that prevented
them from learning or attending school as easily as other children. READ
MORE
June
2003
Would
You Recognize a Troubled Teen?
One of the difficulties parents and educators face when dealing
with adolescents is recognizing the difference between a
teen going through the normal rebelliousness of adolescence
and a teen who is heading down a destructive path. READ MORE
May
2003
Blackman Lecture
at Teachers College
by Adam B. Kushner
If it was just another dreary and wet pre-spring day outdoors,
the scene inside Grace Dodge Hall at Columbia University’s
Teacher’s College was something else entirely. READ MORE
Hooray
for the ERBs
by Sloan Roberts
At two -years old, I noted my daughter’s somewhat
scattered language that was not in keeping with her other
skills. READ MORE
An 11 Year-Old Boy Wonder
Wins State Science Fair
Andrew Hsu, age 11, became the youngest winner ever of the
grand prize in the 46th annual Washington State Science
and Engineering Fair. READ MORE
Resources, Referrals and Help
Parents of learning disabled children often need information
on resources. READ
MORE
April
2003
Research
On Beach Access for the Handicapped
It’s virtually impossible for people who use wheelchairs
and other mobility devices to enjoy the full benefits
of a beach experience, but the National Center on Accessibility
(NCA) at Indiana University Bloomington is working to
remedy this situation that affects millions of Americans.
. . . READ MORE
Resources, Referrals and
Help
As a principal of a private school for learning disabled
children, I am asked by parents and other professionals on
a daily basis for information on resources. . . . READ MORE
Wallace-Reader’s
Digest Fund gives $50,000 for Study of Successful Leaders
in High-Poverty Schools
The Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund has given $50,000
to Dr. Jacobson, University of Buffalo professor of educational
administration in the GSE’s Department of Educational
Leadership and Policy, for a study of successful leadership
in elementary and secondary school settings that serve high-poverty
communities. . . . READ MORE
E-cards
from the “Braille Bug” Children’s
Web Site
The days of flimsy paper cards with cartoon animals are gone.
. . . READ
MORE
March
2003
Technology & Inclusion at Children’s
Center
By Nancy Glass
The Children’s Center School, a division of Queens
Centers for Progress, in Jamaica Queens, offers comprehensive
educational and clinical services to children with special
needs, from birth through twenty-one years of age. Students
at the school present with a variety of disabilities, ranging
from mild to profound. While many students are multiply-handicapped,
the school also services “typically developing” youngsters
who are often participants in inclusionary programs where
children with and without disabilities share the same classrooms.
. . . READ MORE
Rhodes
Scholar “Sees” The
World
By M.C. Cohen
Cyrus Habib is in elite company. As one of the 32 recipients
of this year’s Rhodes Scholarship, Habib is an accomplished
senior comparative literature and Mideast studies major at
Columbia University. Yet, he’s far from an elitist.
Whether lobbying for the rights of students with disabilities
at Columbia, where he is president of the campus group “Columbians
Organized for Disability Advocacy,” or rallying at
a peace demonstration in New York, Habib sees the world as
a place bigger then himself. “Education can’t
exist in a vacuum,” he says. “We must always
remember to fight the world’s fight.”. . . . READ MORE
Resources, Referrals and Help
As a principal of a private school for learning disabled children,
I am asked by parents and other professionals on a
daily basis for information on resources. . . . READ
MORE
February
2003
Special
Education Update Around the Nation
Compiled By Andrew Schiff
Important Events Around the Nation
OSEP Joint Personnel Preparation/ State/Improvement/CSPD
Conference, will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
in Washington D.C., from February 19 to February 21. The
theme for the 2003 Joint Conference is..... READ
MORE
January
2003
"Circus
of the Senses” Brings
Children with Disabilities Under the Big Top
By Marie Holmes
The Big Apple Circus recently held its annual Circus of
the Senses for hearing and visually impaired students under
the circus tent set up at Lincoln Center. The show happened..... READ MORE
Living and Overcoming Learning Disabilities
By Rob Langston
I spent many miserable years as a “handicapped” child
and I have spent many wonderful years as a “successful” adult.
Somewhere in between lies living and overcoming...... READ MORE
Students Spread Cheer to Group Homes
Nearly 30 young adults with developmental disabilities were
treated to a holiday party recently, courtesy of the eighth-grade
confirmation class at Holy Innocents Church....... READ MORE