OCALI News Archive
National Bullying Prevention Awareness
To raise awareness among educators and other professionals about the prevalence of bullying, PACER Center, a national parent advocacy organization located in Minnesota, sponsored its third annual National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week October 5-11. Many resources can be found at the PACER site: http://www.PACERkidsagainstbullying.org. You can find additional resources on bullying in the OCALI lending library. Two such resources are Being Bullied: Strategies and Solutions for People with Asperger Syndrome (DVD) and Perfect Targets.
President signs TEACH Grants into law
Yesterday, the President signed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (HR 2669 ENR), after an earlier veto threat to the House bill. Included in the bill are The TEACH Grants, representing $375 million of mandatory federal spending to prepare new teachers in colleges and universities. Because this is mandatory spending, funds will be available every year without going through the annual appropriations process. This is truly a landmark investment in teacher quality.
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Imagine if every time you wanted to say something...
Imagine if every time you wanted to say something, you had to carve it out of a block of stone. You would hope that people would recognize that just because somebody isn’t able to speak, doesn’t mean they have nothing to say. Communication is sometimes compared with playing tennis volleying the ball back and forth. But imagine playing tennis in a hailstorm’ of tennis balls. Where the thing you’re trying to focus on is just overwhelmed by countless other things coming at you, with equal weight. And even though you know what you want to do; what you want to say; what you want to accomplish; there’s enormous interference between your best shot, and what actually comes across the other side of that net.
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Device Helps Parents Track Children
A new piece of technology is helping central Ohio parents know exactly where and how far their children are at all times. Up to four children can be tracked per the device and newer versions will soon allow parents to track even more children.
[ Learn More ]
Developing a Great IEP
Developing a Great IEP, with Gary Mayerson, the latest in Autism Speaks' instructional video series, is now available at autismspeaks.org. The free 12-minute video provides important information for parents who are encountering the IEP process for the first time, as well as tips for parents who have been through the process before.
School Success for Kids With Asperger's Syndrome
School Success for Kids With Asperger's Syndrome covers a myriad of techniques to help students with AS meet their potential. This well-written, comprehensive book should be on the bookshelf of every teacher and parent. Sue Klingshirn, District Autism Consultant at Medina City Schools, has a wonderful chapter in this book.
Highlights in Special Education
This newsletter, from ODE’s Office for Exceptional Children, features news and information for educators and parents who are interested in special education issues.
AOTA Scholar Award - Brenda Myles
Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D., Chief of Programs and Development at OCALI, received the AOTA scholar award this year from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF). She is going to give a speech at the AOTF's 13th Annual Breakfast With a Scholar on April 22.
Brenda Myles - A Top Contributing Researcher
An article in the journal Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities recognizes Brenda Myles as a top contributing researcher in the field of autism spectrum disorders.
[ Download Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities Article (PDF) ]
Sheila M. Smith: 2007 CEC Herbert J. Prehm Student Presentation Award
Sheila Smith has been named as the recipient of the 2007 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Herbert J. Prehm Student Presentation Award for her presentation entitled, "Interventions for Success at the Middle and High School Level for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome."
