Getting Kids to Eat Healthy

The U.S. Department of Agriculture just announced a new $1 million grant to Cornell University, along with smaller grants totaling another $1 million to other institutions, to look at how behavioral economics can be used to encourage kids to eat healthier meals at school and elsewhere. The program has been nicknamed BEN, since it involves Behavioral Economics and Nutrition.

The USDA is already in the school breakfast and lunch business in a big way; some 11 million children eat breakfast at school each day and 31 million participate in the National School Lunch Program. This new grant is designed to establish a new, research focused center at Cornell, the Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs. The other grants look at how small changes in schools can impact changes in how children eat. For example, the Baylor College of Medicine will work with Houston, Texas schools where cafeteria staff will "nudge" children towards healthier choices and families will get information on school menus and recommended foods via a website, Facebook, and Twitter.


In Utah, researchers at Brigham Young University will look at how placement of healthy foods on lunch lines, replacing vending machine choices with healthy foods, and providing small incentives to eat fruits and vegetables will change the way children eat in several local schools.


Every parent has his or her own rules -- or tricks -- to get kids to eat healthier. It's good to see that schools are being encouraged to try some behavioral interventions to improve nutrition and to investigate what can effect change. Children need adequate nutrition for maximum learning. And they need to eat healthier to help turn around our national crisis of obesity. 

Broadening Post High School Options

A federal grant, announced earlier this month, will provide almost $10.9 million for grants to 27 two and four year colleges in 23 different states to transition students with "cognitive" or "intellectual" disabilities to higher education. The grants are aimed at creating new programs or expanding existing programs  that focus on "academics and instruction, social activities, employment experiences through work-based learning and internships, and independent living. Grantees will provide individualized supports for students and opportunities to be involved in college experiences with their peers without disabilities. Evaluating what works and does not work is a key component of each grant."

It is not clear from the grant announcement if these students will be on track to get a college degree, or if they will obtain an alternate certificate or credential. We think this program is a terrific idea, but wish it went further. Students with learning differences, attention difficulties, executive function issues, and high functioning forms of autism all can need significant support to become successful members of a college community and to graduate with a degree. These students would not qualify for this program because they have average or above average intelligence.

We know that all students with any kind of disability are entitled to the protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But those protections only "level the playing field." They don't require individual supports, employment preparation, or assistance with independent living skills. We'd love to see all students who need them get this level of support. In our increasingly complex world, helping students to broaden their experiences and education, with the goal of making them more productive individuals, can only help us all.

It's a Small World

Two recent events reminded us of the international reach of our work. On one day this week, we chatted with parents on three different continents, via Skype, about school options for their children here in the U.S.

The next day we received a note from a Japanese educator, Harue Kaneko, who has visited our Center in the past to learn more about how we conduct our comprehensive assessment. Dr. Yellin had also introduced her to his colleagues at CAST, The Center for Applied Special Technology, (where Dr. Yellin is a member of the Board of Directors) which is a leader in introducing Universal Design for Learning to schools across the United States. Now, through this introduction, Harue Kaneko is working with CAST to translate its work into Japanese and to consider how  to introduce the concept of Universal Design for Learning to Japan. In a recent email, she shared an entry into her Blog for Teachers:

引き続き、ニューヨークレポートです。
学習や発達を専門とする小児神経科医のDr.Yellinのセンターが、昨年移転しました。新しいオフィスはマンハッタンのど真ん中、ロックフェラーセンターが窓からよく見えました。
内装は、旧オフィスとほとんど変わらぬシンプルな作りですが、前よりも一回り広くなりました。

イエーリン先生。このお部屋は、アセスメントを受けている子どもの様子を、控えているご両親が見られるようになっています。（アンダンテにも、こういう設備ほしいです。いつか、お金に余裕ができたら。。。）

近況をお訪ねすると、奥様（イエーリンセンターの顧問弁護士を務めていらっしゃます）が本を書かれたとのこと。

Life After High School: A Guide for Students With Disabilities and Their Families 価格：￥ 1,806（税込） 発売日：2010-08-15 （お求めになれますが、英語です。） それから、イエーリン先生がCASTの理事をしているということで、後日のCAST訪問に大きな力添えをいただきました。（その話は、またあとで） 私にとって、いつもたくさんの情報と大きな知見を与えてくださるイエーリン先生に、本当に感謝です。

Some Favorite Things

It's time to take another look at books, websites, and programs that families whose children struggle in school may find helpful. 

A Guide to Special Education Advocacy, by Matthew Cohen, an attorney and disability rights expert, "describes a complicated and sometimes adversarial process as clearly as is humanly possible," according to a reviewer. We think this is a terrific guide for families seeking to navigate the special education process and like its information about the "alphabet soup" language parents will encounter and its "how to" advice with practical examples.


Advocates for Children of New York, which we have mentioned a number of times for the important  work they do to "promote access to the best education New York can provide for all students, especially students of color and students from low-income backgrounds," is offering a series of free programs at their Manhattan offices this fall on topics such as Attention, Transitioning From High School, and How to Develop and Read an IEP. Space is limited.

We like to check out the website LD Online for articles for parents, educators, and students on all sorts of issues relating to education and learning differences. We are never quite sure what we will find, but it is a worthwhile visit. Educators may find the extensive list of resources on learning differences on the website of The Center for Learning Differences to be helpful. This same website contains lots of information for parents on the basic steps in the special education process.

Parents interested in a specific topic relating to advocacy or working with their school may find the website Wrightslaw.com helpful. We love their information, including the full text of important court cases and solid explanations of important laws and principles, but wish this site were easier to navigate and search. Still, it remains an important resource for those with the patience to sort through the clutter.

For families of high school or college students, the website of the Heath Center at George Washington University lives up to its description as a clearinghouse of information for post secondary education for individuals with disabilities. Not all of its information will be relevant for students with learning differences, since they deal with all sorts of disability issues, but they have so many resources to recommend, that it is a worthwhile starting point for your college search.

Manhattan's Resurrection Episcopal Day School (REDS) is a preschool based on the Montessori model that reaches out to children of all faiths. We have come to know their Head of School and the depth of their commitment to creating an environment that celebrates and empowers each individual, cultivates a love of learning and fosters an appreciation for the diversity of life. Now they are about to begin an extraordinary examination of how parents and schools can teach children to be responsible, respectful, global citizens.

Starting with a "kick-off" session by Dr. Paul Yellin, who will speak this coming Tuesday, October 5th at 7:30 pm at REDS (119 East 74th Street, NYC) on "The Myth of the Perfect Brain: Understanding, Nurturing, and Valuing Neurodiversity in the Home," the program will begin by explaining how individuals can come to appreciate their own mix of strengths and challenges and come to appreciate the diversity of minds in their own community and even their own households.

Next, the series takes a look at how technology shapes the way children interact with their environment, in an in depth look at recent research and effective strategies by Dr. Gary Johnson, scheduled for October 20th. The series continues with a presentation by the dynamic Hans Hageman, on November 9th on "Melting Pot, Salad Bowl, or Community?"

Bobby Ghosh, International Editor of Time Magazine, will bring his extraordinary experiences as an award winning foreign correspondent and editor when he speaks on "Islam in America; Islam in North America and America's Interaction with the Islamic World" on Thursday, December 9th.

After a break for the holiday season, the series resumes with a presentation by Clancy Blair, PhD, Professor of Applied Psychology at New York University, who will speak on "Wired for Learning: How Experience Shapes Brain Development and Self-Regulation Abilities Important for Success in School and Life," on Thursday, January 13th, 2011. Dr. Kathy Hirsh Pasek, who is the Director of the Infant Laboratory at Temple University will discuss why play is critical for a child's academic, social and physical well-being in a session titled, "Mandate for Playful Learning" scheduled for Tuesday, February 1, 2011. As yet unscheduled, will be a presentation by Dr. Todd Rose of the Center for Applied Special Technology and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Last, but by no means least, this extraordinary series of speakers will conclude with a presentation on Thursday, April 7th, 2011 by Dr. Eboo Patel, named by U.S. News and World Report as one of America's Best Leaders of 2009, who will speak on "Acts of Faith: Interfaith Leadership in a Time of Global Religious Crisis." In a world too often convinced of the inevitable clash of civilizations, Dr. Patel will examine how strong interfaith leadership can guide communities of faith to work with people of different religious and philisophical backgrounds to serve the common good.

These presentations are open to the public. For more information, contact REDS at 212-535-9666.

Following Up on Special Education in NYC

Back in April we wrote about proposed changes to the special education system in New York City. Now that the school year has begun, these changes are being put into place in 265 "Phase One" schools throughout the city. Parents in these schools have already received communications advising that their school will be implementing changes. The Arise Coalition, a group of public interest organizations and nonprofits which focus their work on special education issues in New York City, spearheaded by the terrific organization Advocates for Children , has been carefully monitoring these changes to determine how they may impact the children who are affected by them.

So, what do these changes include? They do not include any changes to the rights of students entitled to special education services to receive a free, appropriate public education as they are entitled to by law. You can see the document which outlines the philosophy which New York City is using as the basis for this new approach. These changes are in keeping with a statements by Congress in the preface to the 2004 revisions to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that "special education [should] become a service for such children rather than a place where such children are sent." and that schools should provide special education, services and supports in the regular classroom "whenever appropriate."

The key question is whether the changes being made in New York City will benefit the children they are intended to serve. Now that they are being put into place, we will continue to monitor the impact on the students of New York.

Learning to Play

A new event, billed as the  Ultimate Block Party, is scheduled for Sunday, October 3rd in New York City's Central Park. Sponsored by universities and organizations that include renowned leaders in learning and the science of education, it is designed to give children of all ages an opportunity to participate in activities that build skills through creative play, physical movement, and language based games.

Why would organizations such as the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society and the Harvard Graduate School of Education link up with companies like Lego and Crayola for an event? They are all responding to the loss of something kids of earlier generations took for granted -- opportunities for creative, unstructured play, that got them moving, helped build social and communication skills, and kept them healthy. Sure, the rough and tumble of the playground was not always a happy place and the realities of our present day world  have prompted many parents to limit where and how their children play. But the lack of play time is taking a real toll on children. According to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, authored by Dr. Kenneth Ginsberg,  "Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth... Despite the benefits derived from play for both children and parents, time for free play has been markedly reduced for some children." 


So check out this event, or look on the website for opportunities to hold a similar event in your own town. And do what you can to get your kids off of the sofa and off to the park or playground.