 |
Main Menu |
|
|
 Home Community Members options Search Web
|
|
|
|
|
Survey |
|
|
How many children are on the spectrum in your family?
|
|
|
|
|
News
|
Education : Autistic boy can stay at school
|
|
|
Posted by sylvia on Monday, July 02, 2007 (11:43:08)
Allison Sherry
The Thompson School District must continue to pay $130,000-a-year private-school tuition for a severely autistic boy whose educational needs weren't being met in a traditional classroom, a U.S. District Court said.
Judge Walker Miller dismissed the school district's appeal that the cost of tuition at the private Boston Higashi School for Autism was above and beyond the "free adequate public education" required of all school districts.
The boy, Luke Perkins, has been attending the Boston school since January 2004, and the Thompson School District has been footing his tuition along with other fees.
School counselors and his parents, Jeff and Julie, found that Luke wasn't making progress educationally at Berthoud Elementary after he started there in 2002, according to court documents. Counselors there worked with his parents, but Luke's disabilities were severe and getting worse, according to court documents. At home and at school, Luke had extremely destructive behavior.
In a 23-page dismissal filed last week, Miller upheld an Individuals With Disability Education Act requirement, which says that students be educated in the "least restrictive appropriate educational environment."
The Higashi school fulfilled that, Miller wrote, because there were no other options for Luke in the area.
Thompson district spokesman Wes Fothergill said he was disappointed in the judge's dismissal.
The Board of Education hasn't made a decision about whether to pursue an appeal with the 10th Circuit Court.
Staff writer Allison Sherry can be reached at 303-954-1377 or asherry@denverpost.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
comments? |   |
|
|
|
|
Education : District 6 struggles with influx of special education students
|
|
|
Posted by sylvia on Monday, July 02, 2007 (11:21:37)
By Chris Casey
When three students with multiple disabilities entered Greeley-Evans School District 6 late last school year, it looked like a blip.
But magnify those few by the 250 special-education students identified in the district after the December count -- the report that determines how much federal funding a district gets for special education -- and budgets begin to bend and break.
That's what happened in the district's Exceptional Student Services Department this spring when student numbers swelled, causing a $1 million shortfall. The district -- mandated by the federal government to educate the students -- will cover the gap through the next two years, mostly by tapping reserve funds.
Earlier this month, the school board heard a report about 137 students who were identified after the federally mandated December count. That number is now 250 students -- 152 who were enrolled since last August but weren't identified until after the count, and 98 who moved into the district after December who were identified as having special needs or subsequently were identified.
The students beyond the 137 are primarily pre-kindergarten and were absorbed by last year's budget, said Vicki Hubbard, the district's Exceptional Student Services director. Still, while post-count special-education students arrive every year, and must be absorbed by the general fund budget, this year's bubble was greater than normal.
"Our rise was so big, and how much money it was, it was like, 'Whoa, a huge impact,' " Hubbard said.
School officials can't pinpoint what caused the influx, but Hubbard suspects that more families are becoming aware of special-education services in District 6. Early intervention programs, such as Child Find, which screens young children for disabilities, are being more widely used, she said.
Early detection is key, she said. "That makes a huge difference in us getting these students served."
Jesse Quinby, vice president of the District 6 school board, suspects some of the influx is from smaller school districts surrounding District 6 that are less equipped to handle the many needs of special-education students.
"We need to see where they're all coming from," he said. "Anecdotally, we know that they're coming from outside the district."
District 6 has 12 percent of its students in special education, up from 11 percent four years ago. The state average is 10 percent and other northern Colorado districts of similar sizes -- Fort Collins, Loveland and Longmont -- have 9.6, 8.2 and 8.8 percent, respectively. Unlike Greeley-Evans, those districts didn't see a sizable jump in post-count numbers this year.
Quinby said District 6, Weld County's largest school district, offers a full gamut of special-ed programs. It's hard to know when the surge will taper off, he said, but if numbers continue to swell, the district may need to set up a reserve contingency fund specifically for special education.
"We don't have any alternatives but to meet that (federal) mandate," he said. "We'll get ourselves into bigger trouble by shorting that (department) than by funding it."
To help cope with the current budget crunch, the Exceptional Student Services department has reduced one coordinator, leaving three, and has left vacant a program secretary position and two psychologist positions.
Hubbard told the board earlier this month she is working to find other budget efficiencies that are as far removed from students as possible. She is looking into ways the department can better collaborate with other community service agencies.
Managing special education is one of the most complex tasks in a district, because the spectrum of disabilities and required services -- from specialist faculty and staff to equipment -- is so wide. District 6 has seen increases of special-ed students in most categories from 2002 to 2006, including in physical or other health impairments (up 52 percent), autism (up 71 percent ) and traumatic brain injury (up 47 percent).
"We are obligated to take care of them no matter how they come to us," Hubbard said. "Every student needs to have these support services."
To read more Click Here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
comments? | |
|
|
|
|
Education : Sessions to help individuals with Asperger's syndrome
|
|
|
Posted by sylvia on Monday, January 29, 2007 (21:20:06)
Spectator News
January 2007
By McLean Bennett
Beginning Feb. 12, a group of about 20 young adults will begin participating in a first-of-its-kind program at UW-Eau Claire.
The Facilitating Functional Social-Communication Skills in Adolescents program is designed to enhance communication skills among people with Asperger's syndrome, a condition that "results in an impairment in interpersonal skills," said Angela Sterling-Orth, a lecturer of communication sciences and disorders at Eau Claire.
"These individuals are usually very intelligent - sometimes gifted and talented - but lack many of the social-communication skills that are required for interpersonal relationships," Sterling-Orth said.
Kristine Retherford, chair of the communication sciences and disorders department, said the condition can impair people's judgment when communicating with others, which may affect their ability to hold a job.
"They may make a comment in a particular situation that is interpreted as inappropriate," she said. "They may make a comment to an employer that may not be appropriate."
Retherford said the program will involve three groups of young adults and will focus on teaching appropriate interaction skills.
"I'm very excited about the program," graduate student Tiffany Leighton said. Leighton will be one of two graduate students responsible for leading sessions with participants.
"Each group of adolescents and young adults will develop particular skill sets that will improve their communication," she said. "Everything centers around appropriate communication."
She said the groups will consist of about four to eight participants, totalling about 18 to 20 participants.
The groups will begin meeting Feb. 12 in the Center for Communication Disorders, located in the Human Sciences and Services Building.
Sterling-Orth added that two of the groups will meet twice a week and receive "intensive and individualized instruction." Another group, made up of older participants, will meet less frequently and their meetings will be less intensive, she said.
Sessions will focus on teaching communication skills through role-playing situations, Retherford said.
Leighton said she will also take the participants into the community to practice the skills learned in the sessions.
A $60,000 Medicaid infrastructure grant from the state and the federal government funded the program, Retherford said.
Ultimately, Retherford said she hopes the people who participate in the program become more comfortable communicating with others.
"We hope that by the end of the year, all � of our kids will be involved in volunteer or employment settings and have developed new leisure activities," she said. "They will have a greater sense of confidence in their communication."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
comments? | |
|
|
|
|
Education : Software Developer Launches Language Program for Autism, Special Needs
|
|
|
Posted by Sylvia on Saturday, January 27, 2007 (18:03:18)
Web Wire
January 2007
WINOOSKI, VT -- With a recent surge in autism, developmental delays, and other related disorders, many special educators often face the difficulty of selecting and implementing the proper individual educational plan (IEP) for those with speech, language, and learning impairments. The variety and complexity of these disorders create many challenges for those seeking the proper course of treatment and intervention.
However, the recent launch of a new language system is offering solutions to these and other complex issues facing parents and educators within the special needs community.
Deemed the "next generation" of software for language intervention, LanguageLinks is a comprehensive, six-level syntax system designed to help children master syntax and become better communicators. LanguageLinks was developed by Laureate Learning Systems, a special needs software publisher based outside of Burlington, Vermont.
"LanguageLinks is an important product for children with autism spectrum disorders and other language-based impairments," said Dr. Mary Sweig Wilson, a practicing speech-language pathologist and co-founder of the company.
"The ability to understand spoken words and phrases is the foundation for language development. Communication skills are developed more through listening than speaking. Our product is based on this concept of receptive language training," she added.
Developed with grants awarded by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), LanguageLinks offers a curriculum which takes advantage of advances in computer technology and an artificial intelligence component inspired by Laureate’s association with NASA’s Software Technology Branch at the Johnson Space Center.
The company’s new product is a unique addition to an already diverse portfolio of over 50 talking software programs and has been successfully tested in the field.
A recent study done in Medford, Massachusetts on LanguageLinks: Syntax Assessment & Intervention system showed that pre-school children in the Syntax Intervention Group outperformed those in a Control Group that used only vocabulary and concept development software.
Wilson noted, "We’re proud that LanguageLinks comes to market as a proven system. Our goal was to provide the most current and technologically advanced language intervention product available. We feel this objective has been met."
She concluded, "Ultimately, this program is about improving the lives of children with special needs. Having an opportunity to contribute to that is a rewarding feeling."
For more details, including information on in-home use, visit www.LaureateLearning.com or call 800-562-6801.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
comments? | |
|
|
|
|
Education : Mother wins court fight over autistic son's £200,000 school fees
|
|
|
Posted by Sylvia on Saturday, January 27, 2007 (10:48:06)
This is London
January 2007
A mother has forced her local education authority to pay £40,000-a-year school fees for her autistic son.
June Goh took Hammersmith & Fulham council to the High Court to obtain specialist education for Reuben, seven.
The borough has been ordered to meet the full £200,000 cost of Reuben's education at the Rainbow School for autistic children in Earlsfield.
Ms Goh's victory is the culmination of a two-year dispute that started when she realised Reuben was failing to make any progress at a local state school and moved him to Rainbow.
"It has been an enormous struggle for us," said Ms Goh, 47, who lives with her partner, steel trader Edward Pivcevic, 43, in Fulham.
"We have spent £25,000 on fighting this through the courts and have achieved the result we wanted.
"It might seem unfair that the council has to spend £200,000 educating our son but this way he has a good chance of being reintegrated into mainstream education.
"There is also less likelihood of the state having to care for him later in life."
Hammersmith £ Fulham refused to support moving Reuben to Rainbow when he was five, saying the cost was not justified.
His parents argued their son needed a technique known as Applied Behavioural Analysis to help his verbal skills and said Rainbow was the best place for this.
Under the school's rules, they were forbidden from paying the fees themselves and when the council refused to help the couple took it to a tribunal, which ruled in their favour.
The council appealed and the case went to the High Court, where the family again emerged victorious.
Ms Goh said: "We had to do it because we were determined to do everything we could for him.
"We spent a fortune on legal fees and expert witnesses. It worries me there must be less-fortunate families who could not afford to fight.
"Surely it would make more sense for LEAs to invest in good schools rather than waste money fighting expensive tribunal cases."
Since starting at Rainbow in January last year, Reuben has changed from being almost silent to a communicative, outgoing boy.
"We could see straight away how well Reuben was doing," said Ms Goh.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
comments? | |
|
|
|
|
|
Latest: 
New Today: 0
New Yesterday: 0
Overall: 7452
Members: 0
Visitors: 5
Total: 5
1: