Spedtalk Newsletter 1(4)
This week's list of current topics in the magazine.
Welcome, dear readers, to the fourth issue of the first year of the newsletter for SpedTalk. Here are this week’s notes.
Subscribers
We have grown. Thank you for serving as vectors for knowledge of the special education resources available via this magazine. Please keep on telling others about the magazine. Use the "share" button. It's still free—all of the content published so far—and I hope that readers are finding it worth reading.
As I noted last week, I plan to widen the solicitation of readers. This week, after I have sent all y'all faithful readers this newsletter, I'll go to Twitter and post a notice about it. If you're following me @johnwillslloyd (or @spedpro) on Twitter, please watch for an announcement and issue a "like" or a "retweet" so your followers will get the word.
Spedtalk, the name
As reported previously, there are potential problems with using "spedtalk" as the name for the magazine. I haven't resolved the issues or made definitive plans. Still, I alert you to the possibility that I may be using "spedtalk" only temporarily.
But I won't give up on the community called “spedtalk” that many of us have shared since the early 1990s. If I've got to use a different name, I'll let folks know! For now, I think we are OK saying "https://www.spedtalk.com/" and continuing our efforts to promote improved services for individuals with disabilities, their teachers, and their parents. If it happens that someone scares us off the domain name, we’ll let readers know a new source for the community.
Current Contents
This week, you can find articles about various topics in the magazine. Here they are in chronolgoical order (FIFO):
News: ASAT newsletter for June 2021: The Association for Science in Autism Treatment published its newsletter...this is an excellent source for evidence-based treatment-intervention.
News: Special ed's effects on academics among students with LD: Study confirms that students with learning disabilities receiving special education have higher test scores. Holy smokes! Can you believe it? Special education helps?
News: EU researchers express concern about SARS-Cov-19 and vulnerable groups: Individuals with disabilities are among the individuals who deserve assistance, as if having a disability wasn't enough!
News: Australian support "hub" for individuals with autism launched: Organization called "Amaze" is offering access to resources via "Autism Connect." Go, OZ!
News: In context of SARS-Cov-19, large CA school systems promoted early literacy program: Alameda, Los Angeles, and San Diego schools adopted instructional practices to help students who may have trouble developing early early reading skills. Even in a pandemic, core issues should be addressed.
News: US Food & Drug Administration authorized marketing of "device" to aid diagnosis of ASD: New system may be used by physcians to screen quickly for developmental disabilities--it's an interesting use of the word "device," but yay!
Your comments
Thanks for dropping comments. I hope the magazine will support thoughtful, civil, informed, and collegial discussion of matters that concern individuals with disabilities, their parents and teachers, and others who care about those matters. Please comment on posts...and thanks to Professor Jane Bogan for her thoughtful discussion about why people buy bogus (or, at least, weak) arguments.
Personal notes
This weekend is the anniversary of my elder brother's birth. William E. Lloyd, Jr., would be turning 77 this weekend. He died in 2009, and I'm very sorry that I couldn't be with him to hold his hand as he passed. He was a really smart guy who studied chemical engineering at the University of Virginia and then, after a stint working in a patents office, studied law at American University. He took all kinds of cases (dog bite, anyone?) in his practice while he lived in Northern Virginia. As time passed and he moved to Los Angeles and focused on medical malpractice (I teased him about being an "ambulance chaser" and he took it well). Although I could tell myriad stories about Bill, I simply want readers to know that I was proud of him. He was wonderfully affiliative person…connected with family…considerate…a thoughtful advisor-consultant. I miss him greatly. This weekend, I hope to take a bit of his favortite whiskey and sip it and dump the remainder on his grave.
So, I hope everyone is well, safe, and happy. Please remember to give a damn about each other, reach out to your peeps, and teach your children well.
JohnL