Secretary of Education Duncan has announced the following states have made the first cut for the bonanza of "Race to the Top" money. The list of finalists for now are: Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,
Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee. If your state is not among them perhaps you should email your State Education Director and find out why. Whether this money will ultimately trickle down to special education departments remains to be seen down the road. Edweek has a preliminary analysis of those states that were chosen with more analysis to follow.
House Passes Restraint Bill H.R. 4247
The following is a press release from TASH regarding the passage today of the Restraint Bill H.R. 4247 which now goes to the Senate where hopefully it will be taken up in a timely way.
Judge Rotenberg Center Probed
It has long been known that the Judge Rotenberg Center was using electrical shock as means of behavioral modification for the students, who were residing at this residential school for children with special needs. The Justice Department is finally investigating the use of aversives (electrical shock) to modify behaviors. It is remarkable that it has taken quite a while and a concerted effort by advocacy groups to pressure the government to investigate and hopefully take enforcement action.
TASH Call-In Needed to Support Restraint and Timeout Bill on February 26,2010
Below is an announcement from TASH for a national call-in to Congress to support the pending bills H.R. 4247, S. 2860 governing use of restraint and timeout.
Southern Poverty Law Center Cases More Than Ample Support for Restraint Legislation
The Southern Poverty Law Center has undertaken many important cases involving the civil rights of individuals including those with disabilities. Reading through the list of cases below, what strikes me is how many involve excessive punishment and cruel restraint. We need a total reform in how behavioral intervention is addressed in this country, but creating a federal law on restraint, as is pending in Congress, would be a big step in the right direction. For anyone who does not think we need such legislation review the following list.
Guide to Autism Insurance Laws Now Available by Nicole T. Jorwic
Most sections of the Autism Insurance Act in Illinois went
into effect in December of 2008. Implementing and understanding this act is an
ongoing process. Autism Speaks through its Autism Votes initiative with the
help of George Washington University Law School, has created fact sheets for
each state. There are 28 states that currently have autism insurance laws. The Illinois fact sheet includes the purposes of the act, what is
covered and the limitations of the act. This is useful information for any
parent seeking help from their insurance companies to cover the exorbitant medical
costs associated with autism. Here is a fact sheet from Pennsylvania
Download Pennsylvania–s-autism-insurance-act—a-factsheet
New I-Phone Application, IEP Checklist, A Great Tool for Parents by Nicole T. Jorwic
Going into an IEP meeting can be an intimidating thing for
any parent, even when they have an attorney or advocate in their corner.
Feeling that you are on a level playing field with the school could provide
peace of mind. The new I-phone
application, the IEP checklist, would provide that peace of mind. The
application was created by the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center, a
Virginia center that’s part of a national network of special education parent
information and training centers funded by the Department of Education. This new app is so cool and should justify the purchase of an I-phone, if just for the look on the school personnel and their attorneys faces.
This application allows you to look up everything from
notification time requirements, to scientifically-based research, and it leads
you to a brief description and lists the section of the IDEA that addresses
each issue. This is a great tool to balance the powers between the school
districts and families. The application allows you to take notes under each
section to keep your thoughts organized. You can also save your notes in the
application in order to refer back to them at another time or at the next IEP
meeting. Next we need a goal writing app and apps for literature that applies to your child's/client's disability. School districts that would take advantage of unsuspecting parents have been fairly warned that parents are now fully loaded with the law for their next meeting.
DSM V Proposals Bring Big Changes
The
proposed DSM V, the primary psychiatric manual, is
about to bring big changes. The proposed changes will add cutting as a recognized disorder not just a symptom of another
diagnosis, and bing eating will be recognized as its own separate
disorder. Bi-polar disorder for children, which is a diagnosis
that has increased over the last 15 years at geometric rate, will be
reclassified under a new heading such as "temper dsyregulation disorder."
Perhaps one of the most controversial changes will be that Aspergers and PDD-NOS will officially fall within the
heading autism spectrum disorder. The most welcome change will be that
the term mental retardation will be retired and the new term will be
intellectual disability. The criteria to meet this new diagnosis will
also be refined for more accurate diagnosis. Overall the DSM V will
downplay the checklist means of diagnosis and will instead
emphasize qualitative considerations that are more specific to the individual.
The public and professionals will be able to comment on the proposals until April 20, 2010.
I will
be posting my own commentary on the blog and at the DSM website, but I wanted
to get this up and publicized with the immediacy it deserves.
What’s in Label? by Brian R. King LCSW
Brian R. King is a well-respected social worker who has Aspergers, writes extensively on topics related to Aspergers, and counsels and works with many individuals with a variety of social and emotional needs. He has graciously permitted me to reprint in full his commentary on the prospect that the upcoming DSM-V will no longer include Aspergers as a diagnosis. Apparently the draft new criteria is due to come out on February 10, 2010 and the new edition is due out some time in 2013.
Live Binder of AT Resources
Among the things you can never have enough of is information and resources on AT. Here is a great resource in a format called Live Binder , that until now I was unaware of and could be a great modality for classrooms and other settings.
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