How Brains Learn to See

At the end of this month, researcher Pawan Sinha gave a TED talk on "How Brains Learns to See," posted at http://www.ted.com/talks/pawan_sinha_on_how_brains_learn_to_see.html.

Sinha begins by explaining the dismal prospects for children in developing countries with vision impairments, who face a shortage of care in the early years and, after age 4 or 5, dwindling hopes that their brains will ever learn to process visual information. He describes the efforts of Project Prakash, an organization to locate Indian children in need, provide free vision-recovery treatments, and conduct research into how the brain interprets visual data. Near the end, he also discusses dynamic vision processing in individuals with autism.

Including One, Including All

Including one, including all: a guide to relationship-based early childhood inclusion by Leslie Roffman and Todd Wanerman of The Little School in San Francisco. The authors draw from decades of experience in inclusive preschools to form this guide to getting to know individual children with special needs and creating an accepting, supportive environment for children to learn together.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

RTI In Practice

RTI in practice: a practical guide to implementing effective evidence-based interventions in your school by James McDougal, et al., is a textbook and CD-ROM for special educators looking to implement an RTI model in their schools. The authors step through the process of screening, collecting performance and risk data to establish goals, staging interventions, and following through with assessments.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Dyslexia Checklist

The dyslexia checklist: a practical reference for parents and teachers follows the same vein as The autism checklist by Paula Kluth in the same Jossey-Bass Teacher series. Authored by best-selling speakers, authors and teachers Sandra Rief and Judith Stern, the book is a concise yet comprehensive resource for teachers and parents of children with dyslexia. The authors cover the basics of the condition, comprehension strategies, and practical advice such as how to enforce reading in the home.

Interested in this book? Indiana resident? Email us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this book at your local library through WorldCat.

Why Are Children with Disabilities Bullied?

A professor of language and development and psychology addressed an insidious problem schools in today's Long Island Press: "Why Are Children With Disabilities Bullied?"

Dr. Ellenmorris Tiegerman, the founder and Executive Director of the School for Language and Communication Development and Professor Emeritus at the Derner Institute for Advanced Psychology Studies, explains why children with disabilities can become the targets for unstable youths looking to wield aggressive power. She discusses how students with disabilities can be perceived as "unpopular," may withdraw out of shame or may have difficulty expressing their fears to caregivers. She advocates implementing stronger curricula to develop social skills to counteract these trends.

You can read the column here. For more information about bullying, also check out the book Bully-Free Classroom from the CeDIR library.