Archive for the ‘ Educational Science ’ Category

Orange County Schools’ Special Education Alliance

Orange County Schools’ Special Education Alliance

The Orange County Schools ’ Special Education Alliance was created by the 28 districts in Orange County in 2003. The primary goal of the Orange County Schools’ Special Education Alliance is to meet the need for a countywide system that can focus on special education. This includes offering staff development and training to school employees, creating leadership in advocating for legislative and administrative change, overseeing the decisions and rulings rendered by administrative agencies, offering a way to fund the litigation and appeals of administrative and judicial decisions and rulings especially when the outcome has a countywide significance or precedent setting in its implications for all students.

The Orange County Schools’ Special Education Alliance was created with the intention of addressing all the concerns of all students regardless of if the student has any manner disability. Any student that is not receiving the full services they need changed because of lack of funding to support mandates created under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The main problem that Orange County Schools faces with meeting this federal mandate is drawing funds from the regular education program. Funds are often taken from the regular education program to support the needs of special education students. Orange County Schools’ Special Education Alliance aims to provide the services all students need to be successful in meeting academic standards.

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The Myth of Alzheimer’s – A Review

Is Alzheimer’s disease just a myth and the resulting brain degeneration caused by aging and affected by lifestyle conditions and choices? That is a question posed by neurology, geriatrics, dementia and cognitive science expert Peter J. Whitehouse, MD, Ph.d. in his book, The Myth of Alzheimer’s. This ground breaking book asks the questions that so many early diagnosed patients and their families ask about dealing with the condition.

While Whitehouse was instrumental in developing and testing pharmaceuticals – prescription medications – to treat “Alzheimer’s disease” for over 30 years, in 2007, he had an “awakening” of sorts that made him question the true intent of pharmaceutical companies. His goal with the book is to not only influence the pharmaceutical industry in the way they do business, but also to hopefully guide baby boomers in their aging process and health care professionals in diagnosing and treating brain aging.

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