Posts – Page 15 – Learning Disabilities Association of America

Groups Appeal EPA’s Refusal To Ban Dangerous Pesticide

MEDIA CONTACT:

Maureen Swanson, Healthy Children Project Director, Project TENDR Co-Director, Learning Disabilities Association of America

Chlorpyrifos is linked to long-term damage in children’s developing brains

Pittsburgh, PA (June 6, 2017) –Today, a dozen health and labor organizations represented by Earthjustice filed an administrative appeal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, urging the federal government to ban chlorpyrifos, a widely used agricultural pesticide that has been linked to reduced IQ, loss of working memory and attention deficit disorder in children.

It is up to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to decide the appeal.

This direct appeal to the EPA appeal was filed on behalf of the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), League of United Latin American Citizens, United Farm Workers, Farmworker Association of Florida, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, Farmworker Justice, GreenLatinos, National Hispanic Medical Association, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Pesticide Action Network North America and Natural Resources Defense Council.

“This pesticide does lasting harm to babies’ brains, leaving children, parents and schools struggling to deal with life-long effects on learning, attention, and behavior,” said Maureen Swanson, Director of the LDA’s Healthy Children Project. “LDA joins in filing this appeal because EPA has abdicated its responsibility to protect our most vulnerable citizens from toxic chemicals.”

In 2016, a group of nearly 50 eminent scientists, health professionals and children’s advocates published a statement identifying organophosphate pesticides like chlorpyrifos as chemicals for which there is clear and substantial scientific evidence of harm to children’s brain development. The “TENDR (Targeting Environmental Neuro-Development Risks) Statement” concluded that exposure to these pesticides is widespread among pregnant women and children, and is increasing children’s risks for brain-based disorders, such as learning disabilities, IQ deficits, autism, and ADHD. Ms. Swanson co-directs Project TENDR, along with Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto, University of California, Davis.

“EPA has repeatedly found chlorpyrifos unsafe, particularly for children, and strengthened that view every time it’s reviewed the science,” said Patti Goldman, the Earthjustice managing attorney handling the case. “Based on the science and the law, the only credible thing to do to protect public health is ban this toxic pesticide.”

In March, the EPA refused to ban chlorpyrifos arguing the science is “unresolved” and that it would study the issue until 2022. With this action, the EPA reversed its own proposal to ban all food crop uses of chlorpyrifos. The agency took this position even though EPA found chlorpyrifos unsafe in drinking water in 2014 and 2015. And even though in late 2016 EPA concluded there is no safe level of chlorpyrifos exposure in food or drinking water, and that workers are exposed to unsafe levels of the pesticide even with maximum protective controls. In 2016, the EPA also confirmed chlorpyrifos is found at unsafe levels in the air at schools and homes adjacent to agricultural areas.

This appeal comes two months after Earthjustice asked federal appeals court judges to order the EPA to decide now whether to ban the pesticide. That court ruling is pending. The new appeal challenges, on its merits, the EPA’s March action that allows chlorpyrifos to continue to be used on food crops.

Since Administrator Pruitt has said he wants to delay the pesticide ban, the groups have also filed a court case that asks the 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco to decide the issues presented in the administrative appeal because of the likelihood of a delayed resolution by the EPA.

Chlorpyrifos was banned from residential use 17 years ago. Yet this organophosphate—which comes from the same chemical family as sarin nerve gas— is still widely used on strawberries, apples, citrus, and more. It is linked to long-term damage to children’s developing brains and nervous systems at low levels of exposure during pregnancy and early childhood. It is also acutely toxic.

About the Learning Disabilities Association of America:

The Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) is a non-profit organization of parents, professionals and adults with learning disabilities providing support, information, and advocacy on behalf of individuals with learning disabilities. For further information go to www.ldaamerica.org.

Retailers to child care programs must act to provide non-toxic products, new report finds

Retailers selling directly to early care and education programs, including child care programs and Head Start, need to do more to screen out harmful chemicals, a new report to be released Monday finds.

The report released today by the Getting Ready for Baby coalition, “Selling Safer Products for Early Care and Education,” is the first assessment of these niche retailers who target directly to early care and education programs, including child care and preschools. It assessed policies on chemicals in products they sell, and how transparent retailers were, and found:

While nearly all (22 of 24) retailers use certifications to identify chemically-safer products, only one company applies a broad chemicals policy to all products it sells: Community Playthings.
Another leader, Kaplan Early Learning, offered the most types of certifications in products they sell.
On the other end of the spectrum, only for Creative Children were we unable to find any information about chemicals in products or relevant certifications.
All of the rest reference at least one environmental or health benefit in some product descriptions.

Chemicals common to children’s products are scientifically linked to pediatric diseases and disorders of environmental origin. Examples include asthma, cancer, learning and developmental disabilities, genetic mutations, early puberty and infertility.

The companies that sell the furniture, art supplies, toys, tableware and carpets for child care providers and early education programs occupy a niche market, away from public attention. And yet, in many programs, these catalog and online stores are the primary sources for the bulk of what a child interacts with every day. Eleven million children spend time in formal child care settings, averaging 36 hours a week nationally.

With only one company taking the necessary steps to screen out harmful chemicals from products in babies’ and toddlers’ daily environments, advocates urge all early care and learning retailers to:

create and implement a policy for screening out chemicals that can harm children’s healthy development;
establish a timeline for implementation;
make the policy and the timeline public; and
establish and implement a clear and consistent method for consumers to identify less toxic products.

“The early years are a time of rapid growth and development so it is especially important to nurture and protect children during this phase of their life.” Jess Klos Shapiro, Director of Policy for the Early Care and Learning Council in New York. “Busy, working parents rely on their care arrangements to provide a safe and educational setting. The classrooms and toys that children are exposed to on a regular basis must be free of harmful chemicals and foster the best environment for children to grow and thrive.”

“Retailers who sell directly to those caring for and teaching our youngest children should follow the lead of major consumer retailers and use their position to ensure that not only are products they sell physically safe, they’re healthy for developing bodies. The national Getting Ready for Baby coalition calls on these companies to act now, because child care providers, like parents, shouldn’t have to be toxicologists to ensure products are free from harmful chemicals,” said Bobbi Wilding, Deputy Director of Clean and Healthy New York and Coordinator of the Getting Ready for Baby coalition.

“Babies brains develop rapidly in the early years, and chemicals in their daily lives can alter healthy development. As retailers aimed at those who care and educate babies and young children, they have an additional responsibility to make sure the products they sell are made with chemicals that are safe for healthy brains,” said Tracy Gregoire, Coordinator of Learning Disabilities Association of America’s Coalition for Safer Products, Healthier Minds.

“We applaud Community Playthings for taking the lead to ensure safe, healthy products for our children while they’re at child care programs or preschool. It’s disheartening, however, to see that no other company has established a policy to ensure it sells only products made without harmful chemicals,” said Kim LaBo of Healthy Legacy Coalition and Clean Water Action Minnesota.

“As a nurse, I am deeply concerned about the growing body of research linking toxic chemicals in products to serious health problems. Babies are uniquely vulnerable so it is critical that large retailers work with suppliers to move away from the use of toxic chemicals in products they sell,” said Anne Hulick, RN, MS, JD, of Clean Water Action Connecticut and the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut.

National retailers like Target, Walmart, buybuy BABY and Babies”R”Us have policies to restrict toxic chemicals in products they sell. Product makers such as Patagonia, H & M, and Seventh Generation have policies to restrict toxic chemicals in the products they make.

Read the full report at https://www.gettingready4baby.org/child-care-retailers

Learning Disabilities Association of America says EPA Decision not to Ban Dangerous Pesticide Ignores Established Science and Puts Children at Greater Risk for Learning, Attention, and Behavior Disorders

MEDIA CONTACT:

Maureen Swanson, Director Healthy Children Project, mswanson@ldaamerica.org, 724.813.9684, Project TENDR website: http://projecttendr.com/

Learning Disabilities Association of America says EPA Decision not to Ban Dangerous Pesticide Ignores Established Science and Puts Children at Greater Risk for Learning, Attention, and Behavior Disorders

Pittsburgh, PA (March 30, 2017) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to allow the dangerous pesticide chlorpyrifos to continue to be used on farm fields and crops puts children and future generations at greater risk of learning and developmental disabilities, attention and behavior disorders, according to the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA).

In 2016, a group of nearly 50 eminent scientists, health professionals, and children’s health advocates issued a statement that identified organophosphate pesticides, like chlorpyrifos, as chemicals for which there is clear and substantial scientific evidence of harm to children’s brain development. The “TENDR (Targeting Environmental NeuroDevelopmental Risks) Statement” concluded that exposure to these pesticides is widespread, including among pregnant women and children, and is increasing children’s risks for brain-based disorders, such as learning disabilities, IQ deficits, autism, and ADHD.

Maureen Swanson, Director of LDA’s Healthy Children Project, convened the process that led to the TENDR Statement, along with Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto, University of California, Davis. “This pesticide does lasting harm to babies’ brains, leaving children, parents and schools struggling to deal with life-long effects on learning, attention, and behavior,” Swanson said. “EPA has abdicated its responsibility to protect our most vulnerable citizens from toxic chemicals.”

On average, it costs twice as much to educate a child with a learning or developmental disability as it does to educate a child without one. Adolescents with learning disabilities are much more likely to drop out of high school, have problems with substance abuse, and wind up in the juvenile justice system when not provided the supports and accommodations to remediate their learning disabilities. High school graduates with learning disabilities are much more likely to be unemployed and have trouble keeping a job.

During fetal development and early childhood, even extremely low levels of toxic chemicals like chlorpyrifos can interfere with healthy brain development. Scientific studies of pregnant women and children that assessed prenatal exposures to chlorpyrifos, and then tested children as infants and as they moved into elementary school, found loss of IQ points, problems with working memory, attention disorders, and developmental delays.

Acting on the scientific evidence, EPA banned residential use of this insecticide in 2000 but allowed its continued use in agriculture. Chlorpyrifos is widely used in the U.S., sprayed on crops such as apples, oranges, strawberries, and other foods children regularly eat. EPA has found that all exposures to chlorpyrifos through food exceed safe levels. Studies show that when chlorpyrifos is sprayed on farm fields, the pesticide is carried into nearby homes and schools, where it collects in indoor air and dust.

Learning disabilities can affect the ability to read, write, speak, or complete math and can impair one’s ability to build social relationships. Deficits in basic reading skills are the most common forms of learning disabilities. Learning disabilities can occur along with, and be complicated by, attention disorders and problems with the development of social skills.

About the Learning Disabilities Association of America:

Court Finds Middle Ground in Endrew F. Decision

LDA joined with the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) and 42 other national organizations to file an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in the Supreme Court case Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. This case was the first reexamination of the “free appropriate public education” standard by the Supreme Court since the Rowley decision in 1982. Under the earlier case, the Court held that a child received a FAPE when the services provided to her “confer some educational benefit,” and this has consistently been the standard since that decision.

The 10th Circuit which heard Endrew below applied a FAPE standard of “merely more than de minimis.” In contrast, the parents argued the IDEA requires students be provided educational opportunities “substantially equal to the opportunities afforded children without disabilities.” The Supreme Court ultimately rejected both, holding that “[t]o meet its substantive obligation under the IDEA, a school must offer an IEP reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances.”

Attorneys in the NDRN brief stated that “the amendments to the statute since Rowley have decisively answered the Court’s concern that the IDEA did not set forth a substantive rule governing the education that students with disabilities must receive. Those amendments incorporate the IDEA into the federal statutory policy of standards-based education for all children. They make clear that a school district’s educational interventions must seek to enable a child with a disability to meet the standards the district applies to all children, at least absent a specific justification tied to the unique needs of the child. Congress’s move to standards-based education, combined with the specific language of the amendments to the IDEA, make the Tenth Circuit’s merely-more-than-de-minimis standard untenable”

In the Endrew decision, the Court addressed this issue, stating that, for students not fully included in the regular education classroom and not able to achieve on grade level, the “IEP need not aim for grade-level advancement if that is not a reasonable prospect. But that child’s educational program must be appropriately ambitious in light of his circumstances, just as advancement from grade to grade is appropriately ambitious for most children in the regular classroom.”

Once again, however, the Court declined to further define FAPE, noting that, through several reauthorizations of the IDEA, Congress has declined to change the FAPE definition. In fact, the Court noted that in Rowley the lower courts “adopted a strikingly similar standard” as presented by the parents in Endrew F., and the Supreme Court rejected it “in clear terms.” The Court states, “Mindful that Congress has not materially changed the statutory definition of a FAPE since Rowley was decided, this Court declines to interpret the FAPE provision in a manner so plainly at odds with the Court’s analysis in that case.”

In summary, the holding in Endrew F. comports generally with current practice, directed by the more stringent statutory requirements for development of an IEP enacted since Rowley. IEPs are developed based on the unique needs of the individual student, and, given the changes to the IEP requirements through several reauthorizations, students are challenged to succeed in the general education curriculum to the greatest extent possible.

Request for Comments: Proposed Guidelines on Accessibility of Digital Content

LDA has been asked by the Cognitive Task Force (COGA) of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to respond to its request for comments on the accessibility of digital content by individuals with learning disabilities. (This includes how someone with a learning disability accesses information or may take a test via a computer.)

You are encouraged to share this request with other individuals (including parents, students, educators, and adults with learning disabilities) or groups who have insights into the needs of people with cognitive and learning disabilities. Comments may be submitted by individuals or groups. Please see below for details. Comments are due Friday, March 31, 2017.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,
Pat Lillie
President, Learning Disabilities Association of America

“The Cognitive Task Force (COGA) of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) has been working to get accommodations and accessibility guidelines for people with learning and cognitive disabilities into the next version of WCAG, version 2.1.
WCAG is an internationally-recognized set of guidelines that defines how to make digital content accessible to people with disabilities. It has been codified into law in several countries, including the United States, and is the basis of the recent update to Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act.

The First Working Draft of WCAG 2.1 was recently released and they are looking for public comment. The main document is extremely long and can be a bit daunting to review, so the Cognitive Task Force created a summary document of the new changes that have been added specifically to help people with learning and cognitive disabilities.

The needs of these populations have not been well-represented in previous versions of these guidelines and the COGA Task Force hopes to change that reality. However, in order to make this change, we need feedback from experienced people, like you, who have a deep understanding of the needs of people with various types of cognitive and learning disabilities.

The task force would specifically like feedback on the following:
How important are the proposed COGA Success Criteria for users? Note that many of our success criteria are likely to get removed in the next version, so feedback about why they are needed and useful is very important.
Do the COGA Success Criteria fully address current user needs for digital learning and web content? If not, what changes would you recommend so that the needs of more people can be addressed?
Some of our recommendations are not in the First Working Draft. Which ones do you think are most important to put in the next draft?

To comment on each one of the 10 COGA Success Criterion that made it into the First Public Working Draft of WCAG 2.1, you can, file an issue in the W3C WCAG 2.1 GitHub repository, or you can simply send an email to public-agwg-comments@w3.orgpublic-agwg-comments@w3.org. You can also view the comment archive to see what others are saying.

Comments are requested by 31 March 2017. We sincerely hope that you will be able to take the time to respond about the need for these provisions to be included in WCAG 2.1. We also invite you to share this email with others in your network who have insights into the needs of people with cognitive and learning disabilities.

Feel free to look at our COGA-FAQ or Wiki or email our facilitator, Lisa Seeman, with any questions.

Thanks so much for all your help!

Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Accessibility Task Force (COGA)

David Allsopp, PhD, Named Learning Disabilities Association of America Educator of the Year

MEDIA CONTACT:

Mary-Clare Reynolds, LDA Executive Director mcreynolds@ldaamerica.org, 412.341.1515, ext. 206

David Allsopp, PhD, Named Learning Disabilities Association of America Educator of the Year/h3>

Learning Disabilities Conference in Baltimore, Feb. 16-19

Pittsburgh, PA (February 13, 2017) – David H. Allsopp, PhD, will be presented the Sam Kirk Educator of the Year Award during the 54^th Annual Learning Disabilities of America (LDA) Conference, Feb. 16-19, in Baltimore, MD. He is professor of special education at the University of South Florida, where he serves as coordinator of the doctoral program in special education at the university’s College of Education. Dr. Allsopp will be the guest speaker at the LDA Awards Brunch on the last day of the conference, Sunday, February 19.

The Educator of the Year Award is given in memory of Dr. Samuel A. Kirk, pioneer in the field of special education. In 1963, Kirk proposed the term “learning disability” to describe children who have disorders in language, speech, reading, and associated communication skills. LDA annually presents its award to an educator at local, state or national levels who has made outstanding contributions to the education of persons with learning disabilities.

Dr. Allsopp teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, focusing on instructional methods for students with high incidence disabilities and research methods for developing and validating effective practices for students with disabilities. During his 21 years in academia, he has contributed extensively to the field of special education through research, writing, resource development, and presentations.

Effective mathematics instruction for students with learning disabilities is a core component of his work. Committed to using technology to enhance school and life outcomes, Dr. Allsopp co-developed the MathVIDS! and The Learning Toolbox websites. Both resources offer research-supported practices, including instructional videos, for educators teaching students with learning difficulties.

In addition to numerous articles, Dr. Allsopp is co-author of three books including Teaching Mathematics Meaningfully: Solutions for Struggling Learners and Academic Success Strategies for Adolescents with Learning Disabilities and ADHD. His most recent is Mathematics RTI: A Problem Solving Approach to Creating an Effective Model.

“My best guides to my educational practice and my ‘educational philosophy’ are my students, both their learning-related outcomes and their voices,” Dr. Allsopp said. “It is through them that I learn and grow and hopefully evolve as an educator.”

LDA’s four-day conference on learning disabilities in Baltimore, February 16-19, is a comprehensive resource for parents, educators, adults with LD, and professionals. Distinguished keynotes and over 200 sessions feature the leading experts in their fields. Attendees have access to poster sessions and table talks, numerous networking opportunities, and a sold-out exhibit hall including 60 exhibitors, bookstore, silent auction, and the Assistive Technology lab offering hands-on training.

Conference and registration information is available at https://ldaamerica.org/events/annual-conference. Questions? Contact LDA at info@ldaamerica.org or (412) 341-1515.

About the Learning Disabilities Association of America:

Learning Disabilities Association of America Honors Poet and Advocate LeDerick Horne with 2017 Sylvester Award

MEDIA CONTACT:

Mary-Clare Reynolds, LDA Executive Director mcreynolds@ldaamerica.org, 412.341.1515, ext. 206

Learning Disabilities Association of America Honors Poet and Advocate LeDerick Horne with 2017 Sylvester Award

Learning Disabilities Conference in Baltimore, Feb. 16-19

Pittsburgh, PA (February 13, 2017) – LeDerick Horne of Somerset, NJ is being honored for his strong dedication and commitment to advancing the issues of adults with learning disabilities during the 54th Annual Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) Conference in Baltimore, MD. LDA’s Harry Sylvester Award recognizes an adult with learning disabilities and will be presented on Sunday, February 19, during the award brunch at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.

Mr. Horne has worked for over a decade to make the world a better place for adults with specific learning disabilities. He is an advocate, speaker, writer, and spoken-poet who provides between 35 and 55 presentations each year at universities, conferences and other events focusing on improving the lives of people with learning disabilities and other challenges.

His appearances include Harvard University, national and state organizations focused on disabilities, and state departments of education. Recently, he was the closing keynote speaker at the 24^th Annual World Congress of Learning Disabilities Worldwide at the University of Sunderland in London, UK.

Mr. Horne was diagnosed with a learning disability and labeled as neurologically impaired in third grade. He shares his success story including his struggles through the New Jersey school system and the influence of the teachers and mentors who believed in him. Mr. Horne went on to study mathematics at Middlesex County College and then earn a BA in Mathematics and a fine arts minor from New Jersey City University.

Best known as a spoken-word poet, Mr. Horne has released two spoken-word poetry albums and co-created New Street Poets, a spoken-word play about the effect of gentrification on urban culture. He was featured in the PBS documentary called “Being You,” a film about three young people with learning and attention issues. They travel the country seeking advice from adults who have transformed their learning and attention issues from a struggle into an asset. His most recent project is a text book co-authored with Margo Vreeburg Izzo, PhD. from Ohio State University, titled “Empowering Students with Hidden Disabilities: A Path to Pride and Success.”

Horne’s volunteer work includes serving on the Steering Committee of the IRIS Center of Training Enhancements at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and his local chapter of the NAACP; serving as Board Chair for the first eight years of Eye to Eye, a national nonprofit providing young adults with LD/ADHD the opportunity to mentor middle school students labeled with LD/ADHD; and working with LDA affiliates in New Jersey, Hawaii, and Bermuda.

Conference and registration information is available at https://ldaamerica.org/events/annual-conference. Questions? Contact LDA at info@ldaamerica.org or (412) 341-1515.

About the Learning Disabilities Association of America:

Learning Disabilities Association of America Honors Houston Chronicle Reporter Brian Rosenthal with 2017 Media Award

MEDIA CONTACT:

Mary-Clare Reynolds, LDA Executive Director mcreynolds@ldaamerica.org, 412.341.1515, ext. 206

Learning Disabilities Association of America Honors Houston Chronicle Reporter Brian Rosenthal with 2017 Media Award

Learning Disabilities Conference in Baltimore, Feb. 16-19

Pittsburgh, PA (February 13, 2017) – Brian Rosenthal, Austin Bureau, Houston Chronicle is being honored by the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) for his investigative work on the article series, Denied: How Texas Keeps Tens of Thousands of Children out of Special Education (Houston Chronicle, Sept. 11, 2016.)

The LDA Media Award recognizes Mr. Rosenthal’s “exceptional commitment to fair and accurate reporting on the issues that affect the lives of the learning disabilities community.” The presentation is on Sunday, February 19 during LDA’s 54th Annual International Conference at the Baltimore (MD) Marriott Waterfront.

As a result of Mr. Rosenthal’s story on special education services in Texas, many school districts are reviewing their special education operations and federal officials plan to continue their investigation. His article brought attention to the unjust practices within special education in Texas and across the nation including the interpretation of IDEA.

Statistics show that “1 in 5” children have a specific learning disability including deficits in reading, writing and/or math. To ensure students who are eligible receive the appropriate services, it is important that each child is properly evaluated. LDA has ongoing concerns about the inappropriate use of response to intervention (RTI) as a means to identify and determine eligibility for special education services. This includes school districts discouraging or refusing to act on referrals for evaluation by school personnel or families until and unless students have reached the top tier of the system.

Brian M. Rosenthal is a state bureau reporter who primarily focuses on Texas government and politics, health and human services and enterprise projects. He is most passionate about covering vulnerable people and the ways in which they are affected by their government. An Indiana native and Northwestern University alumnus, he previously worked for The Seattle Times as a government reporter. His reporting on that region’s broken mental-health system helped spur significant reforms and was cited in a landmark state Supreme Court case.

Conference and registration information is available at https://ldaamerica.org/events/annual-conference. Questions? Contact LDA at info@ldaamerica.org or (412) 341-1515.

About the Learning Disabilities Association of America:

National Center for Learning Disabilities, Learning Disabilities Association of America Call on DeVos to Divest in ADHD Company, Citing Harmful Conflict of Interest

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Marcia Griffith- Pauyo with NCLD: (646) 616-1210, mg@ncld.org

Myrna Mandlawitz with LDA: (202) 686-1637, mrmassociates@verizon.net

National Center for Learning Disabilities, Learning Disabilities Association of America Call on DeVos to Divest in ADHD Company, Citing Harmful Conflict of Interest

Washington, DC (January 30, 2017) – The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) and the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) are calling on U.S. Secretary of Education nominee, Betsy DeVos, to immediately withdraw her significant financial holdings in Neurocore to avoid a conflict of interest and the appearance of impropriety.
Neurocore is a company that claims – without any rigorous research base to support such claims –to provide effective treatment for children and adults with ADHD. Ms. DeVos has an investment of $5 million – $25 million in Neurocore, raising questions regarding her ability to be objective on related policy matters impacting the 6.4 million students with ADHD, if she is to assume the nation’s top education post.
NCLD and LDA– organizations that work on behalf of children, families and educators impacted by ADHD – are deeply concerned that if Ms. DeVos retains her holdings in Neurocore, a conflict of interest may arise that prevents the Department of Education from addressing policies that impact children with ADHD. Any such action serves as a disservice to the students and educators who rely on the U.S. Department of Education for enforcement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. These laws provide many students with ADHD important federal protections and civil rights.

About the National Center for Learning Disabilities: www.ncld.org

The mission of NCLD is to improve the lives of the 1 in 5 children and adults nationwide with learning and attention issues—by empowering parents and young adults, transforming schools and advocating for equal rights and opportunities. We’re working to create a society in which every individual possesses the academic, social and emotional skills needed to succeed in school, at work and in life.

About the Learning Disabilities Association of America: www.ldaamerica.org

LDA’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities and to reduce the incidence of learning disabilities in future generations.

To download a PDF copy of this press release, please click here.

LDA Responds to Houston Chronicle Investigation

In response to the article, Denied: How Texas Keeps Tens of Thousands of Children out of Special Education (Houston Chronicle, Sept. 11, 2016), the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) is expressing concerns about the harmful implications of placing a cap of 8.5 percent on the number of students identified as needing special education in Texas. LDA’s concern includes the delay or denial of referral and evaluation for students suspected of having disabilities and requiring special education.

Read the LDA Press Release and other Documents Here.