A judge in central Illinois has ruled that a 1st grader may continue using an autism helper dog in school, the Associated Press says.

Judge Chris Freese, of Douglas County, Ill., ruled earlier this week that the dog should be considered a service animal, which means it's allowed in school under state law. The student's family argued the dog is akin to a seeing-eye dog for a person who is blind, and said it helped keep the boy calm and safe. For example, the dog helped prevent him from running out into cars in the parking lot, the AP story says.

The Villa Grove school district had opposed the dog's presence, claiming that it's not really a service animal, and that it would be difficult to balance the boy's need for the dog with the needs of other children who might have allergies or fear of dogs.

The issue of service animals for students with autism has been grabbing headlines this year. Similar lawsuits have been filed on behalf of children with autism in other states, including California and Pennsylvania, the AP says.

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The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has made a podcast available on its Web site about hearing screening for public school students.

Hearing screenings are critical because without the proper identification and treatment, more than one-third of school-aged children with mild or unilateral hearing loss are projected to fail at least one grade in school, according to ASHA.

The podcast reports that a child with mild hearing loss can miss as much as half of what goes on in a classroom. An estimated 2.5 million school-aged children in the United States having mild or hearing loss in one ear, ASHA said.

Hearing screenings of school-aged children vary nationally in standards, quality, and availability, the group said.

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The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has made a podcast available on its Web site about hearing screening for public school students.

Hearing screenings are critical because without proper identification and treatment, more than one-third of school-aged children with mild or unilateral hearing loss are projected to fail at least one grade in school, according to ASHA.

The podcast reports that a child with mild hearing loss can miss as much as half of what goes on in a classroom. An estimated 2.5 million school-aged children in the United States having mild or hearing loss in one ear, ASHA said.

Hearing screenings of school-aged children vary nationally in standards, quality, and availability, the group said.

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A federal judge Monday rejected a request to stop public school furlough days in Hawaii, and encouraged lawyers representing parents challenging the school system's cost-cutting plan to try to settle the case, the Honolulu Advertiser said.

Judge A. Wallace Tashima of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said he did not feel the legal challengers have enough evidence to prevail, the story said.

But the judge said the plaintiffs, represented by private lawyers Eric Seitz and Carl Varady, demonstrated that special education students will suffer "irreparable harm" because of the state's decision to eliminate 17 instructional days from October though May. However, Tashima said, ordering schools to reopen would cause more harm than good, the story said.

Lawyers fighting the furloughs told the Advertiser they appeal the decision and continue to pursue the lawsuits.

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I wanted to alert our readers to another interesting blog they may also want to follow. This academic year, the Council for Exceptional Children, a professional association for special educators, is featuring blogs by four "newly minted" special educators, all in their first, second, or third year in the field, to discuss their experiences in the classroom.

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Parents of students with disabilities have filed a lawsuit against the Sumner County, Tenn., board of education, and a special education teacher who is charged with child abuse, the Associated Press reports.

Donna Weidenbenner, a teacher at Station Camp Elementary, was suspended without pay in April after allegations were made against her, the story said. She was arrested and charged with three counts of child abuse in August following an investigation by the Gallatin Police Department, the story said.

The lawsuit accuses Weidenbenner of abuse, including improper restraint, and force-feeding the children to the point of vomiting. The lawsuit claims the school board "failed to adequately and properly train" its teachers in "use of force" and proper restraint, the story said.

The improper use of seclusion and restraint has been the topic of Congressional hearings and of a Government Accounting Office report in May. The subject is expected to come up as part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act reauthorization.

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The National Association of Secondary School Principals today released a set of recommendations for how lawmakers should change the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act when it's up for reauthorization in 2010.

The group formed a task force, made up of 11 acting middle and high school principals and assistant principals and four representatives from higher education institutions, in 2007 to study IDEA and how to improve it. These are the task force's nine recommendations, which touch on topics like assessments, paperwork, teacher shortages, and other issues that plague special education.

For more information on the following recommendations, check out the group's Web site .

NASSP said the new IDEA should:

*Assist states and districts in effectively recruiting and retaining highly qualified special education teachers.

*Expand professional development opportunities and technical assistance that aids teachers, school leaders, and support personnel to more effectively provide instructional and other services to all students with disabilities.

*Begin transition planning that includes measurable postsecondary goals and transition services by the time a student reaches the age of 14 or by eighth grade.

*Research and develop exemplary models in the areas of instructional and intervention strategies, assessment tools, development of individualized education programs (IEPs), and transition planning in order to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

*Ensure a linkage between states' data systems to streamline paperwork and increase consistent and appropriate access to services for students with disabilities who transfer between schools, districts, and states.

*Develop an assessment and accountability system for the purpose of calculating adequate yearly progress that allows for students with disabilities to be assessed at their current instructional level, as determined by the students' IEP teams.

*Provide incentives for highly qualified teachers to acquire dual certification in special education and general education.

*Create a common set of standards of care and assessments for each of the disabilities enumerated in IDEA.

*Fully fund IDEA.

What do you think the new IDEA should address? Please comment below.

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Hawaii may have to lay off "thousands" of education department employees, if a cost-saving plan for furlough days is blocked by a federal judge, school officials said in an article in the Honolulu Advertiser.

Today is the second of 17 "furlough Fridays" when schools will close in the state. A judge on Oct. 22 refused a legal request for a last-minute halt before the first furlough day. A hearing is scheduled for Nov 5. on two lawsuits filed primarily on behalf of special education students, the story said.

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A new study finds that 2- to 5-year-old children diagnosed with autism and autism-spectrum disorders had blood-mercury levels similar to those of typically developing children.

The study, published Oct. 19 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives shows mercury levels were mostly affected by the amount of fish children consumed. Those with autism and autism-spectrum disorders were less likely to consume fish, the study says. When adjusted for fish eating, the levels were about the same for both groups of children, it says.

The analysis was conducted through Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment, an ongoing study to identify and understand factors contributing to childhood autism, autism-spectrum disorders, and developmental delays.

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The Ohio Department of Education must make sure the state's school districts comply with federal special education requirements, according to a partial settlement reached this week in an 18-year-old class-action lawsuit, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

On Tuesday, a federal judge approved the deal designed to end the disparities in services for the 280,000 special education students across the state. The issue left unresolved is whether the state is correctly funding special education, the article said.

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