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This article, and the video linked on the page, talk about the use of interactive visual supports to help teach children with autism, and manage their behaviors. This research is important as the number of children diagnosed with autism increases and the as technology continues to progress. It makes sense that there would be technological advances in the special education field.

"Woodhead, M. (1988). "When psychology informs public policy." American Psychologist 43(6): 443-454."

Jenal Austin December 2010 "When Psychology Informs Public Policy" According to this article, there has been significant evidence that early childhood programs in the United States increase cognitive competence, school readiness, school achievement, social development, and health status in young children. Regardless, the government has not fully acknowledged the importance of such programs on the political agenda. Leaders should know that providing preschool education is a solid financial investment for the country. Children who attend these programs have shown promising long-term impact including higher high school completion rates, greater occupational aspirations, and improved employments rates and reductions in referrals to special education, juvenile delinquency, and teenage pregnancy. However, the author reminds us that there are limits to how much we can generalize these findings. He explains that this will not be a one-all, fix-all solution to our society's complex social and economic problems. It is also important to understand that the effects of early childhood intervention cannot be taken in isolation from the context in which it occurs and it may not be possible to replicate all aspects of an experiment of such programs on a national level. "..Effects are the result of a complex interaction of variables in home and school, throughout the school years and beyond, but also… the children themselves play an active part in the process through the images they project and the self-concept they acquire of themselves, either as competent and motivated, or apathetic, problematic, and unwilling." Governments should use the research on the positive impacts of preschool education when designing public policy; however they should not expect a simple solution. "..Where human development is concerned even an experimental approach can rarely yield definitive universally applicable statements about the extent to which a program is effec

Presented as a case study of the importance of Individualized Intervention for children with the diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder and achieving success. Additional support structure recognized as individually needed for Michael, he received focused instruction in the reading and writing program training nonverbal children to communicate via written word cards and later through typing on a keyboard or writing on paper.

This article looks at a staff training program in a school for children with multiple disabilitie. The staff training program was based on a personalized system of instruction, organizational behavior management procedures for supervisors, regular assessment of teacher behaviors, and teacher assessment of all instructional trials. The results showed that many of the teachers and the students behaviors improved as a result of this treatment package.

This article outlined several issues. 1. High powered politicians coming together to make decisions on federal policy that directly effect their financial profits. 2. The use of insufficient evidence from studies, the lack of scientific correlation and the improper transcription of results from studies being used to make "the best" decisions in standardized tests and phonics instruction on reading skills. 3. The emphasis and funding for schools being put toward standardized tests and phonics instruction along with materials/products needed for them instead of other places that may be in more need.

This article brings to light what Metcalf describes as the "Bush Revolution" in education. After providing a brief history of education, referencing Horace Mann and John Dewey, Metcalf stresses education as a business, connecting McGraw (Publisher McGraw-Hill) and Bush. Bush changes the system and creates new standards in education, as a result new materials are then needed to implement his new education 'revolution.' Metcalf implies the situation is more about business between friends than actually worrying about educating children.

The Philadelphia article describing Southwest Airlines implementation of a program to allow autistic individuals "pre-view" the flight experience prior to the real experience to minimize initiating behaviors illicited by the new situation. Other airlines are joining in on the procedures. Dr. Wendy Ross trained 130 airport and airline employees on autism, which is diagnosed in one in 100 children annually.

This article provides a glimpse of the potential backlash from parents as their children begin to utilize social media within their education. Seen as a pastime, some parents are alarmed that social media is being integrated into the school curriculum.

Great article related to Attention Restoration Theory (ART) which was part of my study in 692. Easy to read, and relevant for cognitive psychology students. Check out the Children & Nature Network for more research and info on the importance of connecting with and learning through nature: http://www.childrenandnature.org

I thought this article was a nice portrayal of the action research process. It discusses how a school lunch menu was changed so it would be healthier for the kids. The children also get to give feedback on the menu. It's nice to see a positive change made with just a few people trying to implement something new.

This researcher asked the question, "What effect will Conscious Discipline behavioral teaching strategies have on reducing the incidence of the aggressive acts of young children in child care settings?". Conscious Discipline is a management system and emotional intelligence program that teaches educators and parents how to respond rather than react to life events. The researcher utilizes surveys, interviews, and direct observation in order to collect information. I liked the questioning that she did before beginning her intervention and that by the end of her research, she was able to answer all of them.

Reynolds, leader of Chicago study of early childhood interventions, discusses the need "to identify... the causal mechanisms or active ingredients of intervention effects"