One of the most overlooked parts of an IEP is what happens in the event of a fire or natural catastrophe and students need to be evacuated from school building. For me personally, the thought is always an issue of accessibility but that is not the only issue. Some time ago, I represented a child in a Early Childhood program who had a terrible fright reaction associated with loud noises, and fire alarms certainly fell into that category. According to her mother she could run and hide when faced with loud noises, and could very hard to find or even run out of the building; both situations present obvious and extreme dangers.
The Virtual Future of Special Education
The world continues to get smaller thanks to technology and the special education world is no exception. From specialists using video conferencing to touch base with clients to students using technology to express themselves, the possibilities seem to be endless.
Recently in Washington, a school district used technology to discuss a student with selective mutism. The insight and knowledge that school personnel was able to attain would not have been possible without the technological advances. Students can also get evaluated and even receive therapy virtually. The growing access to early diagnoses and intervention will help students all over the county.
These advances can also provide access to education for students who are unable to attend school due to health issues or other reasons. One of the most widely used practices of videoconferencing for special needs students is connecting students from remote locations to the classroom.
Illinois Considering Allowing 4 Day School Weeks
The after shocks of 8 years of George W. Bush just keep rippling outward with no end in sight. The Illinois House approved a bill to allow schools to move towards a 4 day school week. Supposedly all hours of instruction would still be accomplished with shortened summers or longer days. Will related services and all special educations services be delivered? I doubt it! This is a variation on the theme seen in Hawaii where the state instituted furlough day and suits were filed over missed special education services. Stay tuned as this type of educational rationing may be coming to your state.
Sec. Duncan Putting Some Teeth Into Enforcement?
The popular perception, and reality in my experience, is that State and
Federal enforcement of educational rights complaints have been sorely lacking in any real effectiveness. I
have seen some notable exceptions, but on the whole, unless the parents bring an
action in the role of a "private attorney general" in the form of a
due process, enforcement of the law at the State and Federal level has been very limited. Almost any "plausible" justification often suffices as a good defense to the complaint. Unfortunately,
due process is expensive, time consuming and addresses cases one at a time; not
the model of efficiency to improve outcomes and to reform systems.
Palin Blasts Rush for Use of R-word?
Sarah Palin has issued a statement through her spokesperson against Rush Limbaugh's comments on Raum Emmanuel's potty-mouthed stupid use of the word "retard." I want to be clear, I think Sarah Palin is about one thing, ill thought-out shallow drivel, to serve her selfish political interests, including using her son as a political prop (yuck!!). So I derive little pleasure from the fact that she has come out against the use of the word retard, which needs to be retired from our language, and while we are in a retirement mood, Ms. Palin get off the stage!
Raum Emmanuel at least has taken the Special Olympics pledge as part of their campaign to Spread the Word to End the Word .
Autism Vaccine Study Retracted
The medical journal Lancet has now withdrawn the published study from 1998 from Dr. Wakefield that reported a link between autism and vaccines. Dr. Wakefield has been largely discredited. Retractions of this kind are apparently very rare events. This news represents a shocking development for many families who have made many significant changes in their lives based upon this report from avoiding vaccines to painful therapies like chelation. Parents need to examine this new finding from Lancet and consider with their health care providers as to what are the responsible next steps.
Student With Autism and His Dog Finally to Go to School
While the litigation is far from over the Illinois Appellate Court upheld the lower court's ruling in favor of the family. This student is a rural school district in downstate Illinois should finally be able to go back to school and bring his service dog. This Illinois school district needs to make a few calls to schools in Portland, Oregon, where more districts are welcoming services dogs for children with autism because they are seeing real and demonstrable educational benefits.
LRE Run Amok In Evanston Illinois
I am a strong proponent of inclusion and that students should being educated in the least restrictive environment ("LRE"). LRE is a central pillar of IDEA. Nevertheless it needs to considered in the context of the individualized needs of the child and most importantly what is appropriate for the student. In fact the law in Illinois is that the first line of inquiry in making placement decisions is first decisions on appropriateness and then and only after that determination considerations of LRE.
Districts tend to argue LRE when it suits their end goal, or FAPE when that works best for them, even though they are not legally interchangeable. In the Beth B. case the 7th Circuit ruled that it made no sense to place a child in an inappropriate LRE.
Evanston School District #65 is closing Park School that has been open for many years and serves students with severe needs, many of whom have not been successful in other less restrictive settings. The ostensible justification for the closing of Park School is in the name of LRE without any consideration for the individual needs of the students or the appropriateness of more inclusion for these students.
How Do Former Preemies Learn?
Education experts in the United Kingdom are starting a
two-year study exploring what teaching methods are most effective for children
who have special needs due to their premature births. Eighty percent of
premature babies born today survive due to advances in medicine. Some are born
before their brain development is complete. These children will face unique
challenges and this study will begin to determine the best teaching methods for
them to receive an educational benefit.
As a parent of a child who was a preemie (27 weeks and 800 grams) we have had to find our way with sheer instinct and some expert advice as to how our son learns best and understanding the fullness of his needs. There are so many things that appear separate from his physical challenges that are confounding, e.g. emotional immaturity, perseveration, seizures, sleep issues and moving ahead in math and reading. Perhaps this study will shed light on our son's life long quest to learn.
Intense Early Intevention Highly Efffective for Toddlers with Autism by Nicole Jorwic
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.
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