Special Education Law Blog

The British Medical Journal calls Dr. Wakefield's Autism Study an "Elaborate Fraud"

Dr. Andrew Wakefield, the doctor who originally published a study that linked MMR to autism, was called to task by the British Medical Journal. The Journal is set to publish a series of articles by an investigative journalist who spent seven years uncovering the nature of Dr. Wakefield’s research. The BMJ called the study and Dr. Wakefield’s research “an elaborate fraud that has done long lasting damage to public health.” That proclamation goes one step further then the retractions and denouncements that have come before.

CNN reporter Anderson Cooper had Dr. Wakefield on his show last night. Mr. Cooper aggressively questioned  Dr. Wakefield and called out others, such as Jenny McCarthy, who have supported him and his findings.

Some might say that the efforts spent researching the findings in Dr. Wakefield’s study could have been spent focusing on new advances in autism research and trying to uncover innovative treatments and therapies, instead the public is still spending time on his discredited study. Hopefully, the focus on interventions and research for autism can now move past Dr. Wakefield onto real and data-driven research that will make meaningful differences in the lives of people with autism.

 

Students with Disabilities Underrepresented in Literature

A recent study revealed that children with disabilities are rarely, if at all, featured in children’s books. In the last 35 years less then 24% of children’s books honored with the Newberry Medal had a main, or even supporting character with a disability.

 Children often read books seeking characters that they can identify with. Students with disabilities are left to look in most cases. The study found that “characters with disabilities were most likely to be supporting characters and were often used to boost the emotional growth of those without disabilities rather than to develop in their own right.” 

Among the concerning themes the researchers found are:

• The representation of characters with disabilities in Newbery books is not proportionate to the current school population of students with disabilities.
• White school-age characters with disabilities were overrepresented, black and Hispanic characters with disabilities were underrepresented, and Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native characters were not present at all.
• In some of these books, authors eliminated characters with disabilities through death, being sent away or discovery of miraculous cures.

 There have been recent movements though to create more inclusive literature. The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series follows Percy Jackson who is a student with a disability and his disabilities don’t diminish his status as a hero. There are other publishing companies that spotlight students with disabilities and their struggles and successes. 

 

New Application for Apple Products Tries to Protect Students from Sexting

This fall Apple started to develop a technology that could help prevent sexting . This technology would allow parents to block incoming or outgoing texts containing certain words. Considering the recent incidents of sexting in the news, this would allow parents to put up one more line of defense against sexting. 

 

The Virtual Future of Special Education

The world continues to get smaller thanks to technology and the special education world is no exception. From specialists using video conferencing to touch base with clients to students using technology to express themselves, the possibilities seem to be endless.

 Recently in Washington, a school district used technology to discuss a student with selective mutism. The insight and knowledge that school personnel was able to attain would not have been possible without the technological advances. Students can also get evaluated and even receive therapy virtually. The growing access to early diagnoses and intervention will help students all over the county.

 These advances can also provide access to education for students who are unable to attend school due to health issues or other reasons. One of the most widely used practices of videoconferencing for special needs students is connecting students from remote locations to the classroom.