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ACCELIBEAT WEEKLY ROUND UP 4/4-4/8: Autism prevalence remains stable

April 8, 2016

It’s Autism Awareness Month and the new CDC prevalence numbers are out. As prevalence appears to flatline, what does the future of autism treatment, research, and awareness hold? April is also testing season, and while the opt out movement for students continues to gain momentum, what are the consequences of testing teachers? Finally, Michael Yudin, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has resigned.
These questions and more answered in this week’s AcceliBEAT!


bully 3 What Happens When the Online Bully is a Child with Special Needs

As a bullying counselor, I spend many of my days helping students and teachers handle confrontational behavior — or, as the kids say, drama. But this was a peculiar situation.




autism prevalenceAutism Prevalence Stable, But Varies Widely Among Communities, Groups

An estimated 1 in 68 8-year-olds have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—the same prevalence rate that the agency found when it released a autism monitoring report in 2014.




T-Prep-Tests-IMG_0550-1296x0-c-defaultWill Controversial New Tests for Teachers Make the Profession Even More Overwhelmingly White?

Most of the 50-plus teacher hopefuls who crowded into a small atrium at Clarkson University on a Saturday morning in January to hear a panel discussion about the teaching job market and new licensure requirements shared two traits: They were female. And white.



Yudin-at-susan-gray-school-585x298Head of Special Education, Rehabilitative Services Leaving Education Department

Michael Yudin, the assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services, is leaving the U.S. Department of Education April 30.




autism acceptance_smallDelays in Autism Diagnosis Preventing Young Children From Accessing Critical Services

The median age of autism diagnosis is nearly 4 years old, meaning many children are missing out on highly effective early intervention.



Screen Shot 2016-04-07 at 4.35.11 PMCan ‘Micro-Credentialing’ Salvage Teacher PD?

Last year, Kay Staley and Jessica Scherer, literacy coaches in the Kettle Moraine district in Wisconsin, led groups of teachers in a book study on close reading—a complex and important skill emphasized in the Common Core State Standards.



lead_960When Kids Lead Their Parent-Teacher Conferences

Pushing up the cuffs of his plaid shirt and adjusting his glasses, the ninth-grader Colton Gaudette looks across the small classroom conference table.

“Welcome to my student-led conference,” he says.




Queen Liliuokalani Building BOE2Special Education Inclusion in Classrooms Called ‘Ethical Issue’

Education leaders and advocates agree special education students need to spend more classroom time with peers. But how?




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