AUCDigest

November 2, 2007 • Volume 7, Number 10

Download print-friendly version (MS Word)

Network Related Resources

MCH Library New Knowledge Path: Healthy Social and Emotional Development in Children and Adolescents. This electronic guide presents resources by age group (infants and young children, school-age children, adolescents) and on topics such as developmental stages; factors that impact social and emotional development; policies and programs to promote social and emotional well-being in homes and community settings; and strategies for integrating health, development, and education services.

Pediatrics in Practice Website Offers CME and CE Credits. The online interactive modules of Pediatrics in Practice) are now accredited for CME and CE by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Focusing on health promotion and faculty development, the website features fully re-designed Learning, Teaching, and Practice Centers.

New Resource Guide for Parents of Children with Epilepsy from the University of Southern California UCEDD. This guide provides very basic information about epilepsy/seizure disorders and is intended to serve as a starting point for parents of a child with a new diagnosis as they begin learning about this condition. Beginning mid-November 2007, you may access an electronic copy of the guide by going to the USC UCEDD Main Website (click on PROJECTS, then select EPILEPSY). A hard copy can be obtained by calling the USC UCEDD at 323-361-3830.

Research to Know

Scientists Use Shared Genome Data To Confirm SORL1 Gene Linked to Alzheimer's. Until recently, only one of the approximately 30,000 genes in the human genome has been linked to risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Now, a new NIH-supported study in the Nov. 19, 2007, issue of NeuroReport (now online) used a publicly shared genome dataset to strongly support findings that variation in the sequence of the SORL1 gene may be a second risk factor gene for late-onset disease. Identifying the genes involved in AD ultimately may help determine who may be at greater risk and enable researchers to zero in on pathways to develop new treatments.

Other Resources

U.S. Department of Education Highlights Promising Practices for Basic Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies Helping Transition Age Youth. The US Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration monitored 23 state vocational rehabilitation agencies funded under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. These agencies, their stakeholders, and RSA identified promising practices that provide useful samples of programs and services that promote youth with disabilities transitioning from school to employment.

New Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The National Guideline Clearinghouse announced the following new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Including Samuel DVD. Dan Habib’s new 55-minute documentary film Including Samuel examines the educational and social inclusion of youth with disabilities. The film is built on the efforts of Habib and his family to include Samuel, 7, in all facets of their lives. Including Samuel also features four other families with varied inclusion experiences, plus interviews with teachers, parents and disability rights experts.

HCBS Resources

Resource Guide to State Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG) Initiatives. This guide was developed as a means to provide a framework for state-to-state communication, technical assistance, and for multi-state analysis of policy and program development activities. The Guide has 6 sections which include 65 categories of states' MIG comprehensive employment project activities.
States Act to Improve Medicaid Coverage and Quality: Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008. The annual 50-state survey of state officials on Medicaid and state budget actions reports enrollment in Medicaid declined.
Assessment of the Personal Assistance Services (PAS) Program for Working Adults with Disabilities. This memo summarizes the state of the Personal Assistance Services (PAS) program in Washington, DC as of August 2007. The memo offers findings within the current PAS program and recommendations for improvements.
Partnerships to Independence (PTI): Resources for Successful Nursing Home Transitions. PTI was created by the Birmingham Independent Living Center in Birmingham, Alabama through a grant from CMS. This transition guide addresses nursing home outreach, support needs and skills, follow-up, and barriers.
State Approaches to Consumer Direction in Medicaid. The Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. summarizes findings from a survey of Medicaid agencies to identify which consumer-directed approaches are being considered and implemented. Findings show growing trends toward consumer direction, agencies initiating policies to reward health-related behaviors and increasingly allocating control of funds to recipients, and states interest in health savings account-like plans and increasingly providing health plan quality data to the public.
State Policy in Practice: A Medicaid Primer for Housing Officials. The most striking characteristic of housing and health care in this country is the disconnection between the two. Access to affordable, accessible housing is critical to the success of the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program, which will provide opportunities for thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries living in institutions to relocate to the community.

Guides & Reports

UCP Report Portrays a Troubling Snapshot of the Status of Disability in America. United Cerebral Palsy has released State of Disability in America. The 65-page document examines existing research on the overall state of affairs for individuals with disabilities in America in the areas of disability rights, healthcare, education, employment, housing, and organizing for change.
Bright Futures Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents. Bright Futures and the American Academy of Pediatrics announced the Guide’s Third Edition. Bright Futures Guidelines and other materials help pediatricians and other health care professionals provide the best care possible for children and families. The 3rd edition has integrated the AAP Guidelines for Health Supervision, resulting in the official guidelines for pediatricians.
Special Needs Resource Project (SNRP) Provides Guide for Parents of Children with Special Needs. SNRP provides a basic guide for parents of children with chronic health issues, disabilities and special needs. This site is designed to help you get a jump-start in your search for helpful information and resources. Though focused on children ages 0-22, most of the information we offer is applicable to adults as well.
ADHD Medication Guide for Parents. A new parents' guide to ADHD drugs, released by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association, offers help to families concerned about whether or note to medicate their child in the wake of recent warnings about serious side affects associated with ADHD.
E-patients With a Disability or Chronic Disease (Pew Internet and American Life Project Report). About a fifth of American adults say that a disability, handicap, or chronic disease keeps them from participating fully in work, school, housework, or other activities. Half of those living with a disability or chronic disease go online, compared to 74% of those who report no chronic conditions. Fully 86% of internet users living with disability or chronic illness have looked online for information about at least one of 17 health topics, compared with 79% of internet users with no chronic conditions.
Rethinking High School: Preparing Students for Success in College, Career, and Life (Report). This report, commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and prepared by WestEd, profiles five innovative school programs in underserved communities that share a common, effective framework of strong school leaders, rigorous coursework, and an emphasis on effective teaching. These programs are helping ethnically and socioeconomically diverse students succeed in high school and preparing them for college.

Various Resources

Training in Menstrual Self-Care for Girls and Young Women with Severe Developmental Disabilities. Janet's Got Her Period, new from Australia's Victoria Health Foundation, addresses the problems of menstrual management for girls and young women with special needs. Developed for professionals to use with their lower-functioning students, Janet's Got Her Period tells the story of a young girl who learns self-care responsibility from her mother and sister.
PACER e-newsletter. The mission of PACER Center is to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents.
Role of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Postsecondary Transition (Issue Brief). The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) has released a new issue brief on the role of career and technical education (CTE) in secondary-postsecondary transition. As states and national organizations are implementing new initiatives designed to improve the secondary and postsecondary education outcomes of our nation's youth, numerous reform strategies that involve a strong focus on CTE have emerged.
Free Online Access to All SAGE Journals. SAGE is offering free online access to over 460 journals and over 550,000 articles through November 30, 2007.
ADHD Practice Parameters. This practice parameter describes the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with ADHD based on the current scientific evidence and clinical consensus of experts in the field. This parameter discusses the clinical evaluation for ADHD, co-morbid conditions associated with ADHD, research on the etiology of the disorder, and psychopharmacological and psychosocial interventions for ADHD.
Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews: Special Issue on Down Syndrome (Journal Issue). This issue of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews is devoted to Down syndrome. It includes articles on Education and children with Down syndrome: Neuroscience, development, and intervention; and Families of persons with Down syndrome: New perspectives, findings, and research and service needs.
Recommendations to Improve No Child Left Behind for Struggling Students and Disconnected Youth. While the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has succeeded in highlighting disparities in our education system, it has failed to provide solutions to the pressing problem of high school dropouts. This document presents recommendations from the Center for Law and Social Policy and the National Youth Employment Coalition for how NCLB resources can be used to ensure that these youth have access to systems, support, and funding in order to attain an education that prepares them for future learning opportunities and the world of work.

New Websites

The Catalyst Center. The Catalyst Center is a national center dedicated to improving health care insurance and financing for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), funded by the Division of Services for Children with Special Health Care Needs of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

CDC Launches Redesigned Spanish WebSite “CDC en Español”. The updated website is another step in CDC’s efforts to provide accurate, up–to–date information in Spanish on health issues of special interest to Hispanic communities, including information on a wide range of health promotion and disease prevention topics like asthma, cancer, HIV/AIDS, immunizations, children’s health, diabetes and occupational hazards.

Toys “R” Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids. The holidays are just around the corner. The welcoming is by Maria Shriver, First Lady of California. Search engines are arranged by age, gender, price, brand, characters, and categories of abilities.

Healthy and Ready to Work. This site focuses on understanding systems, access to quality health care, and increasing the involvement of youth. It also includes provider preparation plus tools and resources needed to make more informed choices.

Accessible Employment Website. The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation launched a new national job site dedicated to including individuals with disabilities in today’s workforce. The website is designed to provide employers with one central place to post employment positions and search resumes of qualified candidates with disabilities and potential job candidates to post resumes for prospective employers.

National Chamber of Commerce for Persons with Disabilities, Inc. The Chamber’s mission is to provide synergies and open markets for businesses that are controlled by individuals with disabilities and by direct caregivers of individuals with disabilities.

ASD Video Glossary Website. The new site is sponsored by two nonprofit advocacy groups: Autism Speaks and First Signs, and Florida State University. These sponsors hope the site will promote early diagnosis and treatment, which can help young children with autism lead more normal lives. (Website is free, registration required)

November is National Family Caregivers Month!

< Previous | 10 of 11 | Next >