Considering Coherence: Teacher Perceptions of the Competing Agendas of RTI and an Existing Special Education Model

In 2005, the Ontario Ministry of Education introduced Responsiveness to Inter-vention (RTI) to the Ontario school system. RTI is a tiered approach involving increasing levels of support for students who are at risk for later learning difficul-ties. However, the introduction of this different support structure was not accompanied by a substantial shift in Ontario’s process of identifying and sup-porting struggling students. This paper uses focus group data to describe the perspectives of teachers who participated in the implementation of RTI and the tensions they experienced due to the lack of coherence between RTI and a special education framework where psycho-educational testing is the gateway to addi-tional support

Kindergarten Teachers’ Perspectives on Culturally Responsive Education

Six kindergarten teachers in the Greater Toronto Area were interviewed on their understandingsof and approaches to culturally responsive education (CRE) in their classrooms. Teachers generally reported believing that CRE is important in kindergarten, and the practices they implemented fell into two categories: structured components of their classrooms and spontaneous accommodations or instruction. Teachers reported finding it challenging to access the resources they need to effectively practise CRE and to maintainongoing communication with other school personnel and families. The implications of the findings are discussed to facilitate the development of age-appropriate CRE practices for kindergarten.Six enseignants de maternelle du Grand Toronto ont participé à des entrevues au sujet de la compréhension et des pratiques pédagogiques culturellement adaptées (PCA). Selon les enseignants, les PCA sont importantes au domaine d’enseignement et que les pratiques se divisent en deux catégories: des composants structurés et des aménagements imprévus. Les enseignants ont de la difficulté à avoir accès aux ressources dont ils ont besoin pour exercer efficacement les PCA et pour maintenir une bonne communication avec leur entourage. Les implications de ces résultats sont discutées pour nous aider à développer des pratiques de PCA adaptées pour les jeunes enfants

Perspectives of Canadian Teacher Candidates on Inclusion of Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Mixed-Methods Study

This mixed-methods study reports on the perspectives of 208 teacher candidates on teaching children with developmental disabilities and delays (DD) in inclusive classrooms from Kindergarten to Grade 6. The questionnaire included items on demographics, experience, knowledge, and feelings of competence, advocacy, and sense of efficacy. Open-ended questions addressed challenges and successes experienced when including children with DD. Findings suggest that qualitative items elicited more positive responses than traditional questionnaire items and elicited more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the challenges and successes associated with social inclusion. In the qualitative data, respondents showed understanding of dilemmas associated with inclusive education. Feelings of competence about teaching children with DD and about collaborating with colleagues predicted general sense of efficacy scores; those with experience advocating for individuals with disabilities reported greater knowledge, experience, and confidence related to teaching students with DD. Knowledge, experience, and confidence were highly correlated. Implications for teacher education are discussed

Mitochondrial DNA changes in pedunculopontine cholinergic neurons in Parkinson’s disease

In Parkinson’s disease (PD), mitochondrial dysfunction associates with nigral dopaminergic neuronal loss. Cholinergic neuronal loss co-occurs, particularly within a brainstem structure, the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN). We isolated single cholinergic neurons from post-mortem PPNs of aged controls and PD patients. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number and mtDNA deletions were increased significantly in PD patients compared to controls. Furthermore, compared to controls the PD patients had significantly more PPN cholinergic neurons containing mtDNA deletion levels exceeding 60%, a level associated with deleterious effects on oxidative phosphorylation. The current results differ from studies reporting mtDNA depletion in nigral dopaminergic neurons of PD patients

Whole exome sequencing and the clinician: we need clinical skills and functional validation in variant filtering.

Whole exome sequencing (WES) is a recently developed technique in genetics research that attempts to identify causative mutations in complex, undiagnosed genetic conditions. Causative mutations are usually identified after filtering the hundreds of variants on WES from an individual's DNA selected by the phenotype. We investigated a patient with a slowly progressive chronic axonal distal motor neuropathy and extrapyramidal syndrome using WES, in whom common genetic mutations had been excluded. Variant filtering identified potentially deleterious mutations in three known disease genes: DCTN1, KIF5A and NEFH, which have been all associated with similar clinical presentations of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinsonism and/or hereditary spastic paraplegia. Predicting the functional effect of the mutations were analysed in parallel with detailed clinical investigations. This case highlights the difficulties and pitfalls of applying WES in patients with complex neurological diseases and serves as an instructive tale

Altered 2-thiouridylation impairs mitochondrial translation in reversible infantile respiratory chain deficiency.

Childhood-onset mitochondrial encephalomyopathies are severe, relentlessly progressive conditions. However, reversible infantile respiratory chain deficiency (RIRCD), due to a homoplasmic mt-tRNA(Glu) mutation, and reversible infantile hepatopathy, due to tRNA 5-methylaminomethyl-2-thiouridylate methyltransferase (TRMU) deficiency, stand out by showing spontaneous recovery, and provide the key to treatments of potential broader relevance. Modification of mt-tRNA(Glu) is a possible functional link between these two conditions, since TRMU is responsible for 2-thiouridylation of mt-tRNA(Glu), mt-tRNA(Lys) and mt-tRNA(Gln). Here we show that down-regulation of TRMU in RIRCD impairs 2-thiouridylation and exacerbates the effect of the mt-tRNA(Glu) mutation by triggering a mitochondrial translation defect in vitro. Skeletal muscle of RIRCD patients in the symptomatic phase showed significantly reduced 2-thiouridylation. Supplementation with l-cysteine, which is required for optimal TRMU function, rescued respiratory chain enzyme activities in human cell lines of patients with RIRCD as well as deficient TRMU. Our results show that l-cysteine supplementation is a potential treatment for RIRCD and for TRMU deficiency, and is likely to have broader application for the growing group of intra-mitochondrial translation disorders