Welcome to October's section
of Adapted Physical Education. This month we just offer a wide variety
of interesting information on various topics. Many of these topics
provide information on medical conditions and disorders. If you
like to learn new things about the human body, you will enjoy this
section. Links to information will take you to sites that branch
out into further exploration. You won't get bored. Enjoy...
Andrea Vermef & Terri
Covey
pelinks4u staff
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Teaching
& Assessing Students with Disabilities
The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS),
and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), have
collaborated to produce a Tool
Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities to
assist states in raising the achievement of all students with disabilities.
The Tool Kit includes information about the Department's investments,
papers on large-scale assessment, technical assistance products,
and resources. The products are divided into four broad areas: assessment,
accommodations, behavior, accommodations. |
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Cold weather can increase or worsen pain
due to various health related problems. Did you know that 50 million
Americans are living with pain, many of them children? If you live
with pain, somebody you know does, or have or work with a child
who is no stranger to chronic pain, then you may wish to visit the
organizations below and research the resources they make available.
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A
consumer guide to options for managing chronic pain - The
American Chronic Pain Association, the National Pain Foundation,
and the American Pain Foundation created this guide, which answers
key questions about recent developments, and offers support
for people with pain and the challenges they face. |
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Pain
action guide - A lot of very good information on different
aspects of pain management, and working with your health care
provider. |
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Treatment
Options. A major goal of the National Pain Foundation is
to educate persons in pain and their families about the many
treatment options available today. Within My Treatment, you
will find information about both "traditional" treatment,
such as medications, injections and surgery, and "complementary"
approaches, such as acupuncture, biofeedback and chiropractic.
Information about physical therapy and treatment for the psychological
factors associated with pain also can be found in this area.
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Arthritis
Pain Management - Confused about the many options available
for managing arthritis pain? Use this section to learn about
the various techniques for arthritis pain management. Find out
more about complimentary therapies, non-prescription and prescription
drugs, and how to cope with your arthritis pain. |
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| Telecommunications
Access |
For
Hearing Loss and Speech Difficulties
The familiar calling shortcuts
of 911 and 411 have now been joined by 711. 711 is a new system
that offers access to nationwide telephone relay services (TRS)
for people who have any degree of hearing loss or speech difficulty.
Dialing 711 connects persons to their local relay service. This
is a free service.
An example of TRS is
when a text telephone (TTY) user contacts a voice telephone user
through a TRS provider (or relay center). A communications assistant
at the relay center then places the call to the voice user and relays
the conversation by transcribing spoken content for the TTY user
and reading text aloud for the voice user.
Persons unable to reach
their state TRS from their telephone can inform the FCC's Consumer
Center at 1.888.CALL.FCC (voice) or 1.888.TELL.FCC (TTY), or by
e-mail at access@fcc.gov
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What
is Crohn’s disease?
Crohn's disease is an ongoing disorder that causes inflammation
of the digestive tract, also referred to as the gastrointestinal
(GI) tract. Crohn's disease can affect any area of the GI tract,
from the mouth to the anus, but it most commonly affects the lower
part of the small intestine, called the ileum. The swelling extends
deep into the lining of the affected organ. The swelling can cause
pain, and can make the intestines empty frequently, resulting
in diarrhea. Find out more.
(resource2)
Colon
Diseases: Many who undergo regular colon cancer screenings
may be diagnosed with a colon disease. Conditions of the colon
vary by severity; some cause mild irritation and others can be
life threatening. Four common types of colon diseases are the
development of polyps, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis,
and diverticular disease. Learn about colon diseases at ColonSurgeryInfo.com.
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I was recently helping a class with children who had both
mental and physical disabilities. I noticed that the activities
we were doing seemed to bore the children who had less sever
problems, while it seemed to be to difficult for others.
I question, should a teacher further divide the class if
this situation occurs? Please share in the forum. |
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| The
National Sports Center for the Disabled: This center began in
1970, and is now one of the largest outdoor therapeutic recreation
places in the world. Thousands of children and adults every year
with disabilities are found on the slopes, mountain trails, and
golf courses. With its specially trained staff and its own adaptive
equipment lab, the NSCD
teaches a variety of winter and summer sports and activities. Their
mission is to provide quality outdoor sports and therapeutic recreation
programs that positively impact the lives of people with disabilities.
The NSCD
offers sport opportunities for people of many different abilities.
For a longer list, and
more information on all the activities and possibilities please
visit NSCD.
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The
Paralympics involves athletes from six disability groups who compete
only on the elite sports level. As in mainstream sports competition,
athletes who do not meet qualifying standards may not compete, and
others who are competing may lose in preliminary play. The mainstream
philosophy of sport is applied that facilitates competition to determine
the "best" athlete or team.
Please visit Special
Olympics to learn more information, and to gain an understanding
about the differences between Special Olympics and Paralympics.
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Achondroplasia
- Achondroplasia is a genetic (inherited) condition that results
in abnormally short stature. All persons with achondroplasia are
little people. Achondroplasia is one of the oldest known birth defects.
Find out more.
Primordial
Dwarfism - Primordial Dwarfism is a category of disorders with
many subtypes. Its definition is vague, but basically means that
these children are profoundly growth delayed for their gestational
age before birth and at birth. Find out more information, and meet
some of the people who live with this condition. You can also find
more information at Nemours.
PHOTOS:
This is a photography site, and has lots of wonderful, professional
photos taken by Gary
Parker, photographer, of people living with different types
of dwarfism. These are really interesting to view, and those old
enough to pose certainly enjoyed the posing. Great
photos! This is a project for the little
people of America. |
What
is Fragile X?
Fragile X is a family
of genetic conditions, which can impact individuals and families
in various ways. These genetic conditions are related in that
they are all caused by gene changes in the same gene, called the
FMR1 gene.
Fragile
X syndrome (FXS), is the most common cause of inherited
mental impairment. This impairment can range from learning disabilities
to more severe cognitive or intellectual disabilities (Sometimes
referred to as mental retardation.). FXS is the most common known
cause of autism or "autistic-like" behaviors. Symptoms
also can include characteristic physical and behavioral features
and delays in speech and language development.
Be sure to read the
various characteristics
of this condition, and again, check out the great photo
gallery!
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| Pain
You Shouldn't Ignore |
7
Pains You Shouldn't Ignore - Experts describe the types
of pain that require prompt medical attention.
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The
worse headache of your life could be a brain hemorrhage or brain
tumor. |
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Pain
or discomfort in the chest, throat, jaw, shoulder, arm, or abdomen.
Chest pain could be pneumonia
or a heart
attack. The discomfort associated with heart
disease could also be in the upper chest, throat, jaw, left
shoulder or arm, or abdomen, and might be accompanied by nausea. |
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Pain
in lower back or between shoulder blades could be arthritis,
but could also be a heart attack or abdominal
problems. |
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Severe abdominal pain might
not be from problems with your appendix. Gallbladder
and pancreas problems, stomach ulcers,
and intestinal
blockages are some other possible causes of abdominal pain
that need attention |
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Calf pain could be caused
by a life-threatening condition - deep
vein thrombosis - a blood clot that can occur in the leg's
deep veins. |
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Burning feet or legs could
be a sign that you have undiagnosed
Diabetes. |
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Vague, combined, or medically
unexplained pains are common in depression. |
Read the information
on each of these.
Check
Your Symptoms
Need information as you determine what to do about your symptoms?
Get help figuring them out by answering a series of questions. To
get started, click on male or female, regardless of age, then the
part of the body that is troubling you.
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| Pervasive Developmental Disorders |
| The
diagnostic category pervasive
developmental disorders (PDD) refers to a group of disorders
characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions
including socialization and communication. The most commonly known
PDD is autism. Find out more about different pervasive developmental
disorders.
What
Is Autism? - Autism is a developmental disorder that some people
are born with - it's not something you can catch or pass along to
someone else. It affects the brain and makes communicating and interacting
with other people difficult. People who have autism often have delayed
language development, prefer to spend time alone, and show less
interest in making friends. Another characteristic of autism is
what some people describe as "sensory overload": Sounds
seem louder, lights brighter, or smells stronger. Although many
people with autism also have mental retardation, some are of average
or high intelligence. Find out more.
Asperger
syndrome - is one of five neurobiological pervasive developmental
disorders (PDD) that are characterized by deficiencies in social
and communication skills. It is considered to be part of the autistic
spectrum, and is differentiated from other PDDs and from High Functioning
Autism (HFA) in that early development is normal and there is no
language delay. Find out more.
Rett
syndrome (or Rett's disorder) is a progressive neurological
disorder. The symptoms of this disorder are easily confused with
those of cerebral palsy. The clinical diagnosis specifies a small
head and small hands and feet. Stereotypical repetitive hand movements
such as mouthing or wringing of the hands are also included as diagnostic
signs. Symptoms of the disease include learning disorders and a
total inability to socialize. Find out more.
Childhood
Disintegrative Disorder - CDD has some similarity to autism,
but an apparent period of fairly normal development is often noted
before a regression in skills or a series of regressions in skills.
Regression can be very sudden, and the child may even voice concern
about what is happening, much to the parent's surprise. Some children
describe or appear to be reacting to hallucinations, but the most
obvious symptom is that skills apparently attained are lost. Find
out more.
Causes
- There's no known cause of childhood disintegrative disorder. The
disorder may occur abruptly over the course of days to weeks or
gradually over an extended period of time. Find out more from the
Mayo
Clinic. |
| If you have ideas, comments,
letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please email
one of the following Adapted PE Section Editors: |
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