AAMR F.Y.I.
May 2005, Vol.5, No.5
Visit http://www.aamr.org/FYI/ to access
current and past issues of this monthly newsletter.
Dear AAMR Friends and Colleagues:
CELL MISCOMMUNICATION MAY CAUSE MENTAL RETARDATION
A breakdown in brain cell communication may contribute to the most common
biochemical cause of mental retardation, scientists at the University
of Florida have discovered.
Read more at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2005news/pku.htm
To read an abstract of the discovery in the journal Brain, visit http://brain.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/128/2/300
CANADA AWARDS $3 MILLION TOWARDS INTEGRATING PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL
DISABILITIES INTO COMMUNITY LIFE
The government of Canada awarded $3 million in funds to two national
organizations—Canadian
Association for Community Living and People First of Canada—as
a part of the Community Inclusion Initiative, designed to help people
with
intellectual
disabilities integrated into community life. Through Community Inclusion
projects, local communities develop customized strategies to eliminate
barriers faced
by Canadians with intellectual disabilities and their families.
Read more about the grant at http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/cs/comm/sd/news/2005/050425.shtml
Learn more about the Community Inclusion Initiative at http://www.communityinclusion.ca/index.cfm?UID=970&UIDL=970 and http://www.sdc.gc.ca/asp/gateway.asp?hr=/en/hip/odi/06_comInclusion.shtml&hs=pyp
U.S. CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING ON CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
AND CHILDREN’S
HEALTH
On May 10, experts from the developmental disability community will
testify before the U.S. Congress on how chemical exposure affects children’s
health. It is estimated that 1 in every 6 children under the age of
18 has some kind of a learning or developmental disability. The briefing
is
organized
by the American Association on Mental Retardation, the Learning Disabilities
Association of America, and the Learning and Developmental Disability
Initiative.
Learn more about the concern at http://www.aamr.org/ToxinsandMentalRetardation/pdf/hill_briefing.pdf
To read a briefing agenda, visit http://www.aamr.org/ToxinsandMentalRetardation/pdf/Agenda.pdf
INFANT BEHAVIOR CAN PREDICT AUTISM, SAYS NEW RESEARCH
Specific behavior signs in infants as young as 12 months can predict
with remarkable accuracy whether a child will develop autism, says
a group of
Canadian researchers
who conducted a study on 200 infants from birth to 24 months. They
found that even at six months of age there were certain behaviors that
distinguished
siblings
later diagnosed with autism. These included a passive temperament and
decreased activity level at age six months, followed by extreme irritability,
a tendency
to fixate on objects, reduced social interaction, and lack of facial
expression as they approached the age of 12 months.
To read a press release issued by the Offord Centre for Child Studies,
one of the groups conducting the research, visit http://www.offordcentre.com/index.html
Click here (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science)
to read an abstract of an article published in the April-May 2005 issue
of International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience.
FIRST ALERT! INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT ON INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES TO BE
HELD IN MONTREAL IN 2006
The International Alliance for Social Inclusion Summit will be held
May 2-6, 2006 in Montreal. The Summit is co-hosted by the American
Association
on Mental
Retardation (www.aamr.org), Washington, DC. Call for presentations
will be issued shortly. To read a welcome note from Dr. Yves LaChapelle,
Summit
chair
and Professor of Psychology at the University of Quebec, Trois Rivières,
visit http://www.aamr.org/Reading_Room/pdf/Summit06.pdf
PUBLIC MEETINGS ON THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT
ACT OF 2004 IDEA TO BE HELD ACROSS THE U.S.
Here’s your chance to comment on the proposed rules to implement
programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement
Act (IDEA) of
2004. Visit http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/idea/public-meetings.html to see a list of cities where public meetings on the IDEA will be held.
To learn more on the implications of the 2004 IDEA reauthorization
and its implications, read a Users Guide published by the Consortium
for
Citizens with
Disabilities at http://www.c-c-d.org/IdeaUserGuide.pdf
To read a report on academic expectations for students with cognitive
disabilities within the context of IDEA and the No Child Left Behind
Act, visit http://education.umn.edu/nceo/OnlinePubs/Synthesis55.pdf
AAMR F.Y.I. is compiled by Anna Prabhala, Editor. Please submit comments, suggestions, tips, and news to annap@aamr.org
Access past issues of AAMR F.Y.I. at www.aamr.org/FYI/. To subscribe, visit http://www.responsetrack.net/aamr/sign_up
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