Editor’s note: This post contains snippets about stories, resources, and observations that the SET authors didn’t quite have time to develop into full-blown posts over the past week. I’m hoping we can catch up with our in-boxes. We didn’t want you, Dear Readers, to miss them. Some of them may later appear as a part (or parcel) of a full-blown post.—JohnL
Over in the New England Journal of Medicine, Jan Buitelaar and Jeffrey Newcom published “Adult Attention Deficit–Hyperactivity Disorder.” They provided an overview of ADHD in adults that should be helpful for physicians in clinical practice.
Caiti Wade of The Disruptive Educator, provided a thoughtful account of the benefits of using prepared lessons in “why ‘rote learning’ is what kept me in teaching
The approach being blamed for driving teachers out of the profession is the one that kept me in it.” It’s not about special education (she’s mostly taught upper grades “maths”), but the defense of scripting lessons will be of interest to some readers.
Chris Ulman of Special Books for Special Kids published additional interviews, including one with a young woman named “Mel.” Quoting the SBSK site: “Mel is diagnosed with thiamine transporter deficiency, a rare genetic condition that affects her movement and ability to speak. As a result, she is fully dependent on caregivers for personal care. Mel also communicates using an eye gaze machine that tracks her eyes, allowing her to select words, share her thoughts, and even write scripts about vampires falling in love.” See the interview with Mel on YouTube.
Sally Bergquist, who’s publishing about writing instruction for the early grades, posted an extended and extensive examination of approaches to the teaching task on 6 November 2026. In “Addressing the range of writing skills in K-2: Yes, differentiation is still a thing,” she provided pros and cons about different ways of organizing instruction and lots more.