Charles P Fox Law Offices

Special Education Law and Guardianship

Law Offices of Charles P. Fox
355 W. Dundee, Suite 209
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
Phone: 847-205-9897

Navigation

Special Education Law and Advocacy

Experienced Special Education Attorneys

Autism Recovery? by Nicole Jorwic

By Leave a Comment

"Recovery" from autism is an all-encompassing term. I have a 20-year old
brother with autism. When Christopher was first diagnosed he had changed from a
happy, engaged 2-year-old who had retreated to "his own world,"
without  eye contact, lashing out
in frustration and losing all the words in his growing vocabulary. My family
went through every treatment available, from floor-time and sessions with
Stanley Greenspan in Bethesda, Maryland, Cranial-sacral therapy,
sensory-integration therapy, Tomatis auditory training, Gluten-free diets and
an in-home ABA therapy 40 hours a week. And while Chris is still non-verbal he
is now very much a part of “this world.” Yes, there are still bouts of
frustration and trouble with communication but the essence of Chris that is the
"gentle giant" that we all know and love was slowly recovered through
my parents’, Chris’ and his many therapists’ and doctors’ tireless efforts.

[Read more…]

Mandatory Flu Vaccine Upheld in W. Virginia School District

By Leave a Comment

West Virginia is apparently only one of 2 states in the U.S. that to do not have a religious or medical exemption for vaccination of school children. The Federal District Court ruled in the case Workman v. Mingo County Schools that the school district could override a doctor's note, seeking an exemption from the H1N1 vaccine in that district. The vaccination is required as a condition of attending school.

Obviously the more potent issue is whether a court in West Virginia would rule differently if the issue was a preschooler seeking to be exempted from vaccination because of a concern regarding autism. Given the strict construction it would appear that parents in that position would be hard pressed to have the court uphold any exemption even where the concern is over autism.

In Illinois, where exemptions are recognized, I had a school district refuse a doctor's note because the particular doctor had established a reputation for a being an "autism mill." He wrote prescriptions so frequently his credibility and the basis for his medical opinion had become suspect. I filed suit for the parents and after significant time spent negotiating and wrangling in court, a compromise was reached and the child was permitted to go back to school without receiving vaccinations, with a note from another doctor. Issues relating to vaccinations are hot button topics for many school districts. Parents would be well-advised to establish the bona fides of their claim to an exemption claim, either medical or religious,  to avoid expensive and time-consuming battles with the school district.

Intense Early Intevention Highly Efffective for Toddlers with Autism by Nicole Jorwic

By Leave a Comment

A ground-breaking study released today
showed promising results for early intervention in toddlers with autism. Early intervention
has generally been viewed as something for pre-school aged children as a way to
prepare them for primary school. However this study indicates that early intervention
for children, some as young as 18 months, is effective for improving IQ,
language ability and social interaction; all critical precursor skills for inclusion and life outcomes.

 The study was published
today in the journal Pediatrics, it examined an intervention method called the
Early Start Denver Model. This intervention method combines ABA (applied
behavioral analysis) teaching methods with developmental ‘relationship-based’
approaches. The experimental group received 20 hours a week of intervention
from specialists as well as five hours a week of parent-delivered therapy.

 The five-year study took
place at the University of Washington in Seattle, the study included 48 diverse
18-30 month old children with autism. The children who received the
interventions improved in all areas. Their IQs went up by an average of 18
points and a nearly 18-point improvement in receptive language. This is
compared to the control group, who were referred to community based programs
for therapy, where the children’s IQs went up only 4 points and an 10-point
improvement in receptive language. Seven of the children in the intervention
group improved enough to change their diagnosis from autism to PDD-NOS
(pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.)

Early intervention has been
proven effective time and time again and this study extends that success to a
younger age group. For the children who do show symptoms of autism at a young
age, these interventions should prove effective. Given the recent reports that
1 in 100 children in the United States have autism, more timely and effective
interventions will help these children succeed.

 Among the significant aspects of this study is the level of intensity (20 hours plus 5 hours of parent time per week) required to achieve results for students. Many EI programs and for that matter Early Childhood programs have far less than 20 hours of intensity but schools feel that this level is sufficient to provide a FAPE. This study should be one more basis to argue for greater intensity with methods that have a scientific basis.

Common Psychiatric Drugs Linked to Weight Gain and Possible Elevated Cardiac Risks

By Leave a Comment

Some of the most common psychiatric drugs, Abilify, Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa, have been linked with significant weight gain in children. These drugs have also been linked with elevated levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and diabetes and possible long term cardiac risk.  Schools often pressure parents to have students begin taking these powerful drugs. Legally under IDEIA schools should not be having this conversation. Practically, this conversation should only take place between the family and their physician. These medications can be an important part in addressing the symptoms of disability, but decisions about their use must weigh the significant short term and long term risks.

“Where the Wild Things Are” Useful for Students With Autism

By 3 Comments

I went to see Where the Wild Things this past weekend. The movie is an adaptation of the classic children's book. The director Spike Jonze in an interview on NPR discussed that the main character Max was selected for the role in part because his vivid facial expressions that show the emotions the character is experiencing during the movie. The movie explores how Max and the monsters have to deal with strong and sometimes out of control emotions. 

For some students who have autism, the movie could be a movie-social story about emotions: recognizing the facial expressions of different emotions and understanding how strong emotions can be overwhelming and have consequences. Although I am not an "autism expert," I have represented a lot of students on the autism spectrum, and have seen first hand how misunderstandings about emotions and how to cope with various emotions can lead to real life unwanted consequences. The movie is very spare and the emotions expressed are clear and unambiguous making it more useful for students with autism. Perhaps viewing the movie on DVD (when available) allowing for stopping and starting and freeze-frame might be the way to go. While there is more to curriculum than watching videos, and I normally think that movies are used as giant time-wasters in school, the movie Where the Wild Things Are should be considered an exception.

Possible Future Research Potential for Autism Treatment from Cord Blood Stem Cells

By 1 Comment

About 10 years ago my brother and sister-in-law generously allowed us to "bank" their son's (our nephew's) cord blood at the time of his birth, for an indefinite future where the stem cells in the cord blood could have real therapeutic applications. I have at least one client, who have gone abroad for stem cell treatments, and claim very positive effects. We have been using Cord Blood Registry ("CBR") as the bank for the stem cells. I just received the following notice (see below) about possible research opportunities using cord blood to investigate therapies to address autism.  Read the discussion in http://www.blisstree.com/autismvox/another-autism-treatment-stem-cell-therapy/ as a caution about stems cells as a current viable therapy. Nevertheless,  I thought this notice would be worthwhile to share. We all need  hope within the confines of safe and proven therapies.

[Read more…]

New Study Shows One in A Hundred Children Have Autism

By 3 Comments

A recent Federal study shows that the actual number of children who have autism is not 1 in 150 as previously reported but 1 in 100. It is unclear whether it is an increase in prevalence or an increase in diagnosis. The Atlantic Monthly reports that the increase in numbers is a result of the fact that an autism diagnosis paves the way for funding. While there may some truth in this story from the Atlantic Monthly, in my experience and in discussions with several therapists, there is an absolute increase in the number of children with autism. Schools are generally not well equipped to handle the numbers of students in the system now. If in fact that there will be many more students who are going to require special education for autism, schools will need  to significantly revamp their programs to address the numbers and increased needs.

NIH to Receive $100 millions for Autism Research

By Leave a Comment

As part of economic stimulus, President Obama has announced that the National Institute of Health is receiving a $100 million grant to look at the genetic aspects of autism. The money will also be used for understanding and recommending effective treatments for autism.  While this research is still getting off the ground, the future findings may present fertile resources to use as examples of best practices for working with students with autism in school.  While their are already many great resources, this research should hopefully break new ground and allow parents, advocates and attorneys to present compelling evidence-based practices, as they advocate for appropriate and effective programming in school. I will be checking back periodically at the NIH website to see what develops from this research.

Closing Circles and Opening The World for Children with Autism

By 1 Comment

DIR which was formerly known as Greenspan/Floortime has worked very well for a number of children with autism that I represent. The following article is from Michele Ricamato, a certified DIR therapist, SLP and a well respected colleague of mine, who has dedicated her professional life to working with children with autism and other disabilities with tremendous results. This article Download ClosingCircles.pdf
is a great overview for parents and others who are interested in learning more about this unified set of therapies that has shown great promise for children with autism.