Special Education Law Blog

Educating Students with High Functioning ASD: Part 2- A Personal Story by Marilyn Green Rebnord

In doing research on finding appropriate placements for students with either high-functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome, I got side tracked by a little jewel of an article that had appeared in a magazine published by the National Education Association.  Titled “Square Pegs:  Kids with Asperger Syndrome are Hoping You’ll Help Them Find a Place in the Classroom that Fits Just Fine,” the article quotes Lucas, a young man with Asperger’s who had just graduated high school.  According to Lucas, “You’ve heard people say we don’t want to be square pegs in round holes, we want to be square pegs in square holes.  To me that means we don’t need to be fixed.  We’re not broken people.  We just need to be understood.” What Lucas is asking for—understanding--is what is essential to ensure a successful placement for the child with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s.

 Teachers who are willing to go the proverbial extra mile may discover that children on the spectrum can contribute enormously to their classrooms.  These children can shine brightly with a teacher who appreciates who they are and shows classmates by example how to treat the child with autism or Asperger’s with respect.   Children who are placed with rigid, top-down disciplinarians are probably not going to do so well.  Everyone—the child, the teacher, the principal, and the family—are going to be miserable.  And some children simply cannot have their needs met in a mainstream classroom. 

Chart of Disability Issues Makes it Easy to be an Informed Voter

Thanks to Disability Rights Ohio, an Ohio disability organization it is now very easy to be an informed voter on issues effecting people with disabilities. They have put together a side by side comparison chart of the candidate's position on the issues. Now it is obviously time to read it, be informed and vote for the issues that matter to us, our families and people with disabilities that we care about.

Educating Students with High Functioning ASD: Part 1

The number of children being diagnosed with autism is rapidly increasing.  The incidence rate within the past few years has gone from one child in every 500, to one child in every 150, and now, according to the CDC, the incidence of kids on the autism spectrum is 1 in 88.  It’s beyond the scope of this blog to explain the reason for the escalating number of children being diagnosed, but suffice it to say that the public schools are being called upon more and more frequently to provide services for these children.  Sometimes schools can do a phenomenal job in addressing these children’s needs; sometimes not.  In particular, meeting the needs of those students with higher functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome can be uniquely challenging because on the surface many of these children look “fine.”  Yet, these children have challenges and need help. 

 School staff can be blinded by the sometimes high intellect or seemingly strong verbal skills some children with either Asperger’s syndrome or high-functioning autism exhibit.  Yet, these kids can be exceedingly puzzling.  Seemingly competent students fall apart when their rigid adherence to routine is interrupted.  Due to sensory overload, the student in AP physics might wind up under the table during a fire drill.  Navigating gym classes, lunchrooms, and playgrounds—confusing even for some children without special needs--can be nightmares for children on the spectrum.  Homework and class work are also stressors for these children.  Some teachers will fault the child on the spectrum who fails to turn in his homework, loses it, or even more frustratingly, simply refuses to do it.  After all, these are bright children who should really “know better.”  Any and all of these scenarios can result in meltdowns for these children.  In worst case scenarios some melt downs are so very badly managed by school staff that the child exits the school in handcuffs escorted by police.  Other children will quietly slip under the radar and simply have their needs overlooked.     

Elopement Behaviors: A Real Danger

Elopement or running away behaviors are certainly at the top of the list of most serious behaviors that must be eliminated from the range of behaviors that a student with special needs experiences in school. I have had several families where elopement has been a frequent and tortuous experience. While some have been injured fortunately none have died. For students with autism there is a great propensity to elope from school supervision and put themselves in danger. According to a study just published in Pediatrics on elopement behaviors, 49% of parents reported that their child had attempted to elope at least once. Of these children, 65% had a “close call” with traffic whereas another 24% were at risk of drowning. Children who elope leave their homes (74%), stores (40%), and schools (29%). Researchers were able to compare the rate at which children with an autism spectrum disorder eloped compared with that of their typical siblings. Between ages 4 and 7 (4 being the developmental age when children can be expected to not wander off), 46% of children with an autism spectrum disorder eloped compared to 11% of their siblings. And between ages 8 and 11, 27% of children on the spectrum wandered compared with just 1% of their siblings.

Special Education Advocacy Training from COPAA

Over the years the question has come up frequently: how do I become a trained special education advocate ? My answer is usually along the lines of read various books such as material from Pete Wright, attend legal and substantive seminars and apprentice with an exeperienced advocate or attorney. For the first time thanks to the innovative efforts of COPAA,  there is finally an advocacy training course being offered. The Special Education Advocate Training (SEAT) is a year-long course that provides participants with training to become a special education advocate. The course is based in part on the SEAT Curriculum ® developed through partnership between COPAA and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) University Center for Excellence, University of Southern California on a three year demonstration grant funded by the US Department of Education. The grant funded portion of the project ended in 2009, resulting in development of a model curriculum for advocacy training that was vetted through 3 cohorts under the direction of a 10 member National Advisory Board and members of COPAA's Training Committee - all of whom are nationally recognized special education advocates.

Education Advisors to Presidential Candidates to Debate

Here is another forum to view the candidate's respective positions on matters related to education and hopefully special education. Education Advisers to Obama and Romney to Engage in a Live Debate at Teachers College, Columbia University on  Monday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m. ET

Exclusive Live Webcast Hosted by Education Week on edweek.org

Teachers College, Columbia University, will host "Taking the Election to School: Making Education a Focus of the 2012 Election," a debate between Jon Schnur, education adviser to President Barack Obama, and Phil Handy, education adviser to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, on Monday, October 15, at 7:00 pm Eastern. Teachers College President Susan H. Fuhrman will moderate the debate, which will take place at Teachers College's Cowin Conference Center. The event will be webcast live by Education Week on edweek.org.

Participants:

• Jon Schnur is co-founder of America Achieves. Previously, Mr. Schnur co-founded and served as CEO of New Leaders for New Schools. He has also served as senior adviser to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and co-chairman of the Obama for America Education Policy Committee.
• Phil Handy is the higher education co-chair of Mr. Romney's Education Policy Advisory Group. Mr. Handy is CEO of Strategic Industries; former chairman of the Florida State Board of Education; twice appointed by President George W. Bush as vice chairman of the National Board for Education Sciences; and a member of the board of directors of the Foundation for Excellence in Education.

A panel discussion featuring education journalists and other experts will immediately follow the debate.

Register free to view the live webcast on edweek.org.