AAMR F.Y.I.
February 2006, Vol.6, No.2

Visit www.aamr.org/FYI/ to access current and past issues of this monthly newsletter. Subscribe at http://www.responsetrack.net/aamr/sign_up.

Dear AAMR Friends and Colleagues:

U.S. SENATORS CHUCK HAGEL AND TOM HARKIN REINTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO FULLY FUND THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT
On January 26, Senators Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) re-introduced legislation to meet the federal government’s commitment to fund 40 percent of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA guarantees a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities. When Congress passed IDEA in 1975, it pledged to provide states and local school districts with 40 percent of the funding needed to support this mandate. However, despite funding increases of $8.4 billion over the last 10 years, federal funds for IDEA have not exceeded 19 percent. This requires state governments and local school districts to pay for this federally mandated program, taking away funds for other local education needs. The Hagel/Harkin bill would fully fund IDEA within five years.

To read a press release from Senator Harkin, visit http://harkin.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=250840

Special education, including IDEA, is a topic of discussion at the Disability Policy Seminar currently being held in Washington , DC by a coalition of disability organizations. Read more at http://www.thearc.org/ppc/facts2006.htm

EXPERTS FROM 24 COUNTRIES TO GATHER IN MONTREAL TO SHARE BEST PRACTICES IN INCLUSION FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
Visit http://www.aamr.org/Events/2006.shtml to see a preliminary agenda for the International Summit for the Alliance on Social Inclusion to be held in Montreal from May 3-5, 2006 . The Summit features over 40 symposia; full and half day workshops on topics ranging from supporting parents of children with intellectual disabilities to positive behavior support training; plenary sessions from experts such as Benedetto Saraceno of the World Health Organization, Diane Richler of Inclusion International in Canada, and Jay Lundell of the Intel Corporation, USA; and simultaneous translation of sessions in French and English.

Says Summit Chair Yves LaChapelle, “We have an extraordinary opportunity at the Summit to share definitions of social inclusion, learn about cultural differences, and discuss tangible means of achieving social inclusion.”

EXERCISE LOWERS DEMENTIA RISK IN OLDER ADULTS; “TREMENDOUS AND FERTILE AREA OF RESEARCH” FOR INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY FIELD, SAYS EXPERT
A National Institutes of Health study led by Dr. Eric Larson finds that older adults who exercised at least three times a week were much less likely to develop dementia than those who were less active. While the study does not include a specific developmental disability focus, Dr. James Rimmer, Director of the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability in Chicago points out, “The general area of slowing the rate of decline in cognitive function in persons with intellectual disabilities as with the general population presents a tremendous and fertile area of research.” Dementia is of particular concern for persons with developmental disabilities since adults with Down syndrome and head injuries are more prone to dementia forms such as Alzheimer’s than the general population. The most common causes of dementia apart from Alzheimer’s disease are stroke and related vascular accidents, and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s. Dementia and disability expert, Dr. Matt Janicki of the University of Illinois at Chicago points out, “It is quite possible that exercise can serve as a preventive factor with respect to the onset of dementia. People who exercise regularly will practice other forms of wellness and thus may be less susceptible to cardiovascular problems, among them dementia.” 

To read “Exercise Is Associated with Reduced Risk for Incident Dementia among Persons 65 Years of Age and Older” in the January 17 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, visit http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/
144/2/73.

To read a press release on this discovery, visit http://www.nia.nih.gov/NewsAndEvents/PressReleases/PR20060116dementia.htm

To read a fact sheet on dementia and intellectual disabilities by the Alzheimer’s Disease International, visit http://www.uic.edu/orgs/rrtcamr/dementiaid.pdf.

For a list of useful resources on dementia, visit the AAMR website at http://www.aamr.org/Reading_Room/docs_dementia.shtml and the University of Illinois at Chicago at http://www.uic.edu/orgs/rrtcamr/dementia.htm

Contacts: Eric Larson: larson.e@ghc.org; James Rimmer: jrimmer@uic.edu; Matt Janicki: janickimp@aol.com

NATIONAL TRAINING WORKSHOPS ON THE SUPPORTS INTENSITY SCALE AVAILABLE
In 2005, the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) trained national organizations and states on the use of the Supports Intensity Scale (www.siswebsite.org), a progressive planning tool for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) calls for a new way of thinking focused exclusively on measuring a person’s needs and not deficits, training is critical in helping professionals administer the Scale properly. AAMR training workshops range from a one-day, comprehensive introduction to SIS, to conducting in-depth staff training. The SIS training workshops will be now available on a much wider scale starting April 2006. Organizations interested in SIS Training can contact AAMR at books@aamr.org.

To see a one-day SIS training agenda, visit
http://www.siswebsite.org/galleries/default-file/Agenda.pdf

To see the components of an in-depth SIS training workshop, visit http://www.siswebsite.org/galleries/default-file/SISindepthtraining.pdf

Workshops on SIS will also be offered at the International Summit on Social Inclusion in Montreal. For details, see p. 11 and p. 13 of the Summit’s preliminary program at http://www.aamr.org/Events/2006.shtml.

STRICTER SCREENING SERVICES NEEDED TO DETECT MISUSE OF DRUGS AND DRINK AMONG PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, NEW STUDY FROM IRELAND FINDS

Researchers Laurence Taggart and Derek McLaughlin from the University of Ulster’s School of Nursing found that stricter screening services are needed to pick up misuse of drugs and drink among people with intellectual disabilities. While the incidence of substance misuse among this group of vulnerable people is relatively low, the problems faced by the individuals can be disproportionately serious.

Dr. Taggart tells AAMR F.Y.I., “The study is significant because alcohol was found to be the main substance to be misused, with one fifth of the substance users also found to be using a combination of illicit drugs and/or prescribed medication . Nearly three-quarters of the sample were found to be hazardously using alcohol for more than five years. Various problematic behaviours were identified including aggression, erratic mood changes, sexual exploitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships, and loss of daily routine. The findings of this study suggest that greater emphasis needs to be placed upon the early identification of this hidden population by primary and secondary health care personnel.”

The study was conducted in Northern Ireland and Dr. Taggart adds that future comparative studies would be helpful to distinguish if differences exist based upon geographic location alone.

Read a press release on the study at http://www.ulster.ac.uk/news/releases/2006/2047.html#. Dr. Taggart can be contacted at larry@taggart37owl.freeserve.co.uk

GET FREE ACCESS TO YEAR 2004 ISSUES OF MENTAL RETARDATION AND THE AMERICAN JOURNAL ON MENTAL RETARDATION
“ Empirical Classification of Behavioral and Psychiatric Problems in Children and Adolescents With Mental Retardation” from Volume 109:6 of the American Journal on Mental Retardation (AJMR) and “ Teaching Mathematics to Students With Mild-to-Moderate Mental Retardation: A Review of the Literature” from Volume 39:1 of Mental Retardation (MR) were the most-read articles in the year 2004. Read these and others articles from AJMR and MR for free.

To access the 2004 issues, visit http://aamr.allenpress.com/aamronline/?request=index-html and click on “Archived Issues” on the top left.

To subscribe to either of the journals, email AJMR@allenpress.com or call (785)-843-1235

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

© Copyright 2005 American Association on Mental Retardation

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