Special-education teachers in the Frankfort Independent Schools are ready for big changes. At an organizational meeting Tuesday, those teachers led a discussion with district officials and parents about improving education for students with special needs at Frankfort High School and Second Street School. Read more online.

Learn about Camp Huntington special needs summer camps.

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Many people are affected by ADHD, not just those who are diagnosed with it. In an effort to help educate those affected, organizations and support groups are developing more and more distance education opportunities.

"Online learning is beneficial to those who learn better through visual modalities."

Teleclasses, audio streaming classes, and real time chats, and message forums are all available at websites like www.addaudiolibrary.com and www.addclasses.com.

Read more online.

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The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has released a new Practice Parameter and Pocketcard that documents the best ways to evaluate, diagnose and treat ADHD.

"AACAP's Practice Parameter shows that ADHD is a medical illness on par with diabetes or asthma. Like these conditions, ADHD can be successfully managed, but not cured."

Included is information about the benefits and potential risks of ADHD medication. The AACAP hopes the information will be beneficial for those in the medical profession who don't specialize in treating children and/or adolescents or mental health illnesses. Read more online.

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The United States Federal Food and Drug Agency ordered that drugs for attention deficit disorder must carry guides that spell out potential risks for cardiovascular and psychiatric reactions, as of February 22, 2007.

This new order affects popular prescription drugs such as Adderall, Concerta, Daytrana, Dexedrine, Focalin, Metadate, Methylin, Ritalin and Strattera.

FDA spokespeople said that there have been cases of sudden death in patients with underlying cardiac diseases who took ADHD drugs. Other patients suffered strokes or heart attacks. The ADHD drugs are also associated with manic episodes, paranoia, and auditory hallucinations even in patients with no psychiatric history.

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May parents who think their children might have ADD/ADHD struggle to know when they should seek medical advice and when they need to just wait and see what happens with their child. Some parents don't want their child "labeled" and so they hesitate to seek a proper diagnosis.

"But there are times when you should see a doctor and seek medical help. Much research has shown that ADHD is biological in nature and there is medical treatment that can help alleviate symptoms of ADHD."

In this article from About.com, symptoms and behaviors are broken down by age group so that you know what you look for in children of different ages and can know when it's time to see a doctor. Read more at About.com.

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A West Virginia T.V. station recently told the story of a young boy who, diagnosed with ADHD, has begun taking his medication via a skin patch that he wears under his clothes.

"Doctor Feifel says it may be the same chemical [as Ritalin] but the patch seems to have a big advantage over pill... 'Some of the side effects that we think about with Ritalin are due, or at least contributed to, by the fact that it's a roller-coaster effect.'"

The patch provides a more steady, even dose of the medicine, and eliminates the need for trips to the nurse's office for kids to take their medication. Read more at WCHSTV.com.

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Rebecca Jeanne Riley's recent overdose death has pediatricians and psychiatrists revisiting the philosophy of prescribing medication to young children. The medical community is often split on this issue, with some thinking medication should never be prescribed and others believing it's perfectly safe as long as the dosage is low enough.

"'Carefully monitored, it's a relatively safe drug, and there's been a lot of experience with it,' said Dr. John Fromson, chairman of psychiatry at MetroWest Medical Center. 'It's commonly prescribed, and it's well-known and it's certainly within the standard of practice.'"

Others are still concerned and urge parents to use caution when medications are prescribed for young people. Read more at MetroWestDailyNews.com.

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A group of parents in Hattiesburg, Mississippi have pushed to start a CHADD support group in their city. CHADD - Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Group serves as an avenue for parents seeking information and awareness about the disorder.

"CHADD's mission is to provide information to parents through professional speakers and allowing parents to meet and discuss the disorder and share coping skills."

The new Hattiesburg chapter wants to be a place where parents can find support, and learn how to best help their children succeed. Read more at HattiesburgAmerican.com.

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Most people with ADD/ADHD, whether children or adults, are prescribed medication to treat ADHD. Your doctor will likely give you a lot of information about the different medications available, but this web article gives a great overview of the types of medication and their possible side effects.

"The beneficial effects of stimulant ADHD medication treatment can be dramatic. Attention to class work can improve to the extent that the child is no longer distinguishable from classmates; activity level can decline to within normal limits and impulsivity can be substantially reduced."

While there have been many studies on ADHD, most have been conducted on Caucasian males. There is less information about the effects of medication on females, or other ethnic groups. Read more at ADHDNews.com.

The Cedars Academy is a residential school for boys and girls who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADHD), Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and Non-verbal Learning Disorder (NLD). Cedars offers a structured environment, behavioral treatment, and a challenging college preparatory curriculum that helps children with learning disorders find academic and personal success. Learn more about Cedars Academy.

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The Food and Drug Administration is requiring drug companies that manufacture ADHD medications prepare Patient Medication Guides warning about possible risks associated with the medicines.

"ADHD medications, like Adderall and Ritalin, have been linked in rare cases to cardiovascular risks and some psychiatric symptoms, like hallucinations and paranoia."

The guides will contain information not only about the risks, but also about what patients can do to prevent or reduce the risk of problems. Read more at HealthScout.com.

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Copper Canyon Academy offers a college preparatory focused academic program which is designed to maximize a students learning potential while developing each students' love of learning. To help girls with AD/HD, Copper Canyon Academy features smaller classes with more individual attention. Core classes need to earn a high school diploma are just some of the classes available to students at Copper Canyon Academy. Copper Canyon Academy is fully accredited by North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement and all academic classes are taught by Arizona Certified Teachers.

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A research team of more than 120 scientists from 19 countries in North America and Europe has identified two genetic markers that may affect whether a child develops autism.

The "Autism Genome Project" worked with 1168 families who have two or more autistic children for five years. Researchers isolated one gene called "neurexin 1," associated with the release of glutamate, a chemical critical to early brain development. The other gene is in an area of chromosome 11, but scientists are unsure of how that one works. They also believe that 40 to 50 more genes are linked to autism.

Doctors often diagnose autism in children as young as two years, but the new genetic research may allow them to identify the disorder in babies and treat it with drugs.

Geraldine Dawson, director of the University of Washington Autism Center in Seattle, WA, and a lead investigator for the Autism Genome Project, said that autism has a strong genetic association. For example, if one identical twin is autistic, the other has a 90 percent chance of having some aspects of the disease and a 60 percent chance of having the same symptoms as the sibling. Many people have been searching for environmental causes, such as mercury in childhood vaccinations, to explain why the number of new cases of autism keeps increasing in recent years.

The number of autistic children is about 1 in 150, according to a recent study by the Center for Disease Control. For every girl with autism, there are four boys with the disorder.

The United States National Institute of Health and a nonprofit group called Autism Speaks funded the Autism Genome Project. This study appears in the February 18, 2007 issue of Nature Genetics.

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Whether you're a teacher, a parent, or both, it can be hard developing a plan and structure that help students with ADHD thrive in school. This article from 1998 offers suggestions for both parents and teachers.

"To accommodate to the student's short attention pan, academic assignments should be brief and feedback regarding accuracy immediate. Longer projects should be broken up into manageable parts."

Other suggestions include peer tutoring, revised study schedules, and direct instruction. Read more online.

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The National Alliance for Hispanic Health has published an English-Spanish booklet on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

"...[the booklet] aims at helping parents of children with ADHD understand their condition and learn about the rights of children with disabilities in the public school system." Read more at TwinCities.com.

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The Center for Disease Control announced that disorders in the autism spectrum (ASDs) are more common now than ever. The incidence is probably as high as one in every 150 American children, according to their latest survey results announced February 8, 2007.

CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding said, "We can't tell if there is a true increase in ASDs or if the changes are the result of our better studies. We do know that these disorders are affecting too many children."

ASDs are developmental disorders with symptoms of social and communicative impairments as well as unusual behaviors and interests. The ones in this study included autistic disorder, Asperger Syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder/not otherwise specified.

This new study (completed in 2002) if the largest one ever. It includes about 10% of 8-year-olds from 14 states. A previous study done in 2000 included 4.5% of 8-year-olds in six states.

The new results indicate that 6.6 out of every 1000 children have an ASD. This translates to about one in every 150.

Lee Grossman, president and CEO of the Autism Society of America, commented, "Finally, we can end the debate on the prevalence of autism in our nation and focus on getting the services and supports the families need...Autism is a treatable lifelong condition that affects tens of millions of Americans today. It is time to aggressively address this national health crisis."

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Recent studies have shown that deficiencies in things like Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin C could aggravate ADHD in children.

"Children with ADHD usually suffer from food allergies. They could be losing vital vitamins, iron, and even zinc because of their allergy to dairy products, wheat, corn, yeast, soy, citrus, eggs, chocolate, peanuts and artificial colors and preservatives."

For children with food allergies, supplements can replace the much needed vitamins and minerals which can increase ADHD symptoms. Read more at Buzzle.com.

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