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BACK TOCONTENTSREGULARS | NEWSADHD linked to offendingIndia ratifies Marrakesh TreatyChildren and youth treated for ADHD aremore likely to come into contact with thejuvenile justice system than their non-ADHD counterparts, according to newresearch from the Telethon Kids Institute,Western Australia. Researchers foundthat both boys and girls with ADHD weremore than twice as likely to receive aCommunity Correction Order and threetimes more likely to be in detention thankids without ADHD.Using de-identified linked data fromWestern Australian population databases,the researchers compared the records ofnearly 13,000 non-Aboriginal boys andgirls aged 10-21 with ADHD, to nearly30,000 without ADHD.Only a small proportion of children,8% of boys and 1% of girls with ADHD,had a Community Correction Order andeven fewer had been in detention (1%),but both these justice encounters weremore common than for children withoutADHD.‘Our work clearly shows that childrenwith ADHD are more vulnerable, andraises the question of whether early diagnosisand management of children andyouth with ADHD may help reduce theirover-representation within the juvenilejustice system,’ explained lead authorProfessor Desiree Silva. The full studywas published in The Lancet Psychiatry.India has become the first country toratify the Marrakesh Treaty.The treaty, which was adopted ata diplomatic meeting organised by theWorld Intellectual Property Organisation(WIPO) in Morocco in June 2013,improves access to published works informats such as Braille and allows fortheir distribution across national borders.There are an estimated 285m blindand visually impaired persons in theworld. A WIPO survey in 2006 found thatfewer than 60 countries have limitationsand exceptions clauses in their copyrightlaws that make special provision for visu-Synapses and autismIs a deficiency in synaptic pruning part ofthe explanation for autism?That’s the question raised by recentresearch published online in the journalNeuron. The study, carried out by scientistsat Columbia University, USA comparedthe brains of children and youngpeople with autism with the brains ofsimilarly aged non-autistic subjects.Typically, as a child’s brain maturesthe density of neurons and synapses isreduced through a process known aspruning.But the study found that this processwas typically reduced by two-thirds in thecase of those diagnosed with autism.By late childhood spine density haddropped by about half in the controlbrains, but by only 16% in the brains ofautism patients. The researchers havetraced the pruning defect to a proteincalled mTOR.ally impaired persons.The treaty will take effect after 20ratifications or accessions are presentedto WIPO.READ MORE HEREElection windfall for SENNew Zealand’s electorate will have chosena new government by the time of SpecialWorld’s launch – they go to the polls on20 September – but whatever the outcomeit looks like SEN is set to receiveextra funding.Earlier this month (September)National party leader John Key andeducation spokesperson Hekia Parataannounced they would fund an extra800,000 teacher aide hours for childrenwho have conditions such as dyslexia,ADHD and Asperger syndrome.This followed a previous commitmentto invest an extra $11m over four yearsto help support deaf children, their familiesand their schools. Other parties arealso getting in on the act. Labour, NewZealand First and the Green Party have allpledged greater support for pupils withspecial educational needs – a move welcomedby school principals.READ MORE HERE READ MORE HERE READ MORE HEREWWW.SPECIALWORLD.NET | ISSUE 1 | SEPTEMBER 20149