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News- Page 23
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Education : School Choice Offers Flexibility for an Autistic Child
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Posted by Sylvia on Monday, March 01, 2004 (20:17:20)
The Heartland Institute 01/03/2004
By M. Royce Van Tassell
Some children aren’t ready for public schools, and public schools aren’t ready for some children. Carson Smith is one of those children.
Three years ago, Carson was like most two-year-olds: He liked to put things into his mouth. And like most moms, his mother Cheryl was always alarmed at what he was putting into his mouth. When Carson bit and broke a mercury thermometer, she was terrified.
She rushed him to the hospital in Sandy, Utah, where doctors showed her x-ray images of the mercury Carson had swallowed. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do. The mercury would pass. All Cheryl could do was wait.
Two weeks into the waiting, the shoe dropped. Carson went from babbling to mute. He couldn’t make noise. He couldn’t talk. His social skills disappeared. He wouldn’t sit still. He threw uncontrollable temper tantrums.
He wouldn’t even acknowledge when his mom or dad called him, no matter how stern--or loving--they were. The doctors diagnosed him with pervasive developmental disorder, a mild form of autism.
Cheryl enrolled him in the Jordan Valley School, a public preschool serving special-needs children. Although Jordan Valley helps many students, the school couldn’t provide the intensive interventions Carson needed. Staff recommended Cheryl try the Carmen B. Pingree School, a private school specializing in autistic students. After observing Carson for a few hours, Pingree diagnosed him with full-blown autism.
Cheryl enrolled Carson at Pingree, where he has since made a great improvement. Starting with simple tasks--like having to sit down and hold his toes still for three seconds--Carson has progressed to the point where he can now sometimes “attendâ€--sit still and look at the person talking to him--for a minute or more. He has learned to use the Picture Exchange Communications System to tell people what he wants. If he wants a Tootsie Roll, for example, he finds his picture book and shows Cheryl the appropriate page.
In addition, Pingree provides training for Cheryl and her family in how to communicate with Carson and how to cope with the challenges he faces.
But Pingree’s services don’t come cheap. To support the school’s student-teacher ratio of 2:1, Pingree tuition is $21,000 per year. While Carson was in preschool, the state paid his tuition. Now that he is five and in kindergarten, it doesn’t.
Cheryl and her husband Frank managed to scrape together enough for the first year’s tuition, but they don’t know how they’re going to come up with $21,000 every year. Some families have taken out second mortgages to find the money for the tuition.
At Cheryl’s prompting, her local legislator, Rep. J. Morgan Philpot, toured the Pingree school and met with Carson. Moved by her love, Carson’s needs, and Pingree’s ability to meet those needs, Philpot called from the school to ask legislative staff to look for a way to help students like Carson.
Philpot is now sponsoring the Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship Bill, a measure based on Florida’s McKay Scholarship Program, where parents can direct their child’s special education funds to a private school. Cheryl is the bill’s biggest cheerleader.
“Right now, he is like wet cement,†she says of her son. “With the right care now, while he’s young, he may be able to someday go into a regular public school. He may be able to ride the bus, to hold a job.†Without the early intervention he’s getting at Pingree, though, he will harden, and never become a contributing member of society.
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Education : Autism center serves 'whole child'
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Posted by Sylvia on Monday, February 23, 2004 (21:19:08)
Kansas City Kansan Online
By Andre Riley
Armed with just a modest staff, the Autism Asperger Resource Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., is hoping to make a gigantic impact on the growing number of autistic and Asperger's Syndrome children locally.
"We don't care where they come from," said Dr. Sue Ann Kline, executive director. "We serve everybody."
The Autism Asperger Resource Center, or AARC, is a nonprofit organization dedicated toward serving people locally stricken by autism and Asperger's Syndrome through a variety of support measures and services.
The AARC had been under the auspices of the Department of Special Education at KU's medical school since 1995. Its primary function was to prepare teachers and paraprofessionals for the rigors of serving autistic children.
A decision was made last year to change the focus of the AARC to more of a community-based entity to serve the growing number autistic and Asperger's Syndrome-afflicted children in Wyandotte County and the metropolitan area.
In response the AARC stepped away from the KU umbrella in January. However, the staff of three full-time, four part-time and other volunteer workers remains based on the KU Med campus. The AARC is also now affiliated with the Department of Developmental Disabilities.
Kline said the move allows the AARC to better meet the needs of the community.
"We're not just focusing on training teachers, but what services families need," said Kline, who adds, "We like to serve the whole child."
AARC services are based on three principles: social skills, communication and behavior. The three principles affect how those with autism or Asperger's Syndrome interact with others.
The most daunting of the three is communication. Sixty percent of all autistic people are functionally nonverbal, said Kline.
As an example, Kline points to a friend who is autistic.
Kline's friend can talk at length about the weather or other things but is unable to order a meal from a fast food restaurant menu.
AARC services are offered in a small cluster of rooms in the Developmental Disabilities building at KU Med. Individuals with autism or Asperger's Syndrome or families, teachers or anyone else who interacts with them can receive them in the AARC's second-floor offices.
A bulk of the activities occur in the play and social therapy room, a large conference area near the AARC's main offices.
The room contains computers, a stereo, books and other items designed to assist in therapy and building social skills.
Other services offered at AARC include a lending library with 550 books on autism and Asperger's Syndrome and a host of pamphlets and other reading materials for families and teachers.
Information for teachers is important, said Kline, due to the increasing number of autism and Asperger's Syndrome cases in Kansas.
According to the Kansas Department of Education, autism in Kansas has increased by 160 percent in the last four years, said Kline.
Alexa Pochowski, Kansas assistant education commissioner, told the Kansas Board of Education in March 2003 that the ratio of students with autism in the state increased from one in every 2,500 children to one in every 250 children between 1990 and 2000.
"It's not just due to (improved) diagnosis," said Kline. "There are more children being born with autism or Asperger's Syndrome than ever before."
Many of those children will enter school in the next decade, creating a need for teachers and school staff to be well schooled in assisting those students. Right now many teachers do not have the training to provide the specialized care and supervision an autistic child might need, said Kline.
The AARC has worked with the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools and the Turner Unified School District to train paraprofessionals in ways to assist and instruct autistic or Asperger's Syndrome-stricken children.
Additional options are available for the families of afflicted individuals.
Group or individual therapy sessions are available as well as a support center for those who have questions or need advice.
Kline estimates the center receives 5,000 phone calls every six months, or an average of 833 calls monthly. The AARC has also attracted hits to its Web site (www.autismasperger.org), leading to calls from as far away as Holland.
The most recent new activity is a parent support group for families of autistic children in Wyandotte County. Kline said many parents found it difficult to attend similar support groups in Johnson County or other locales.
The support group will meet at 6 p.m. March 2 at the Main Library, 625 Minnesota Ave.
The hallmark of the AARC's efforts is Camp Determination, a week-long, overnight summer camp for autistic or Asperger's Syndrome children or youth held at the Tall Oaks Conference Center in Linwood, Kan.
Camp Determination has activities such as horseback riding, swimming and hiking in addition to social activities. On the last day of camp, each cabin of campers performs a skit or song about their experience.
The camp has a child-staff ratio of 1:1.
Last summer 120 kids from 15 states attended the camp, up from 80 a year before. The growing number of participants has led Kline and the AARC to consider expanding the camp past the three sessions held last summer.
The only drawback to the event is its high cost. The AARC holds events throughout the year to raise money for scholarships for needy students. A Bowl-A-Thon in March 2003 raised $8,000 for scholarships to the camp.
Kline said the AARC doesn't want to turn anyone away from Camp Determination.
"It's kind of expensive," said Kline. "We don't want money to keep people from attending camp."
The AARC wants to offer additional services such as rest period night for parents when they can drop their children off at the AARC and go have time to themselves.
For now, Kline is pleased with the response from the community.
"It's very encouraging. People recognize us and are coming to the center," said Kline. "The number of people we serve validates the project."
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Education : School statistics skewed by special ed students
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Posted by Sylvia on Sunday, February 22, 2004 (14:14:29)
NWI The Times Online 22/02/2004
By Olivia Clarke
Twenty-one of 24 school districts in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties aren't succeeding under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, according to a statewide education consultant.
The majority of those districts -- 14 -- lag behind because many of their special education students couldn't pass the 2003 ISTEP-Plus, said Lowell Rose, who analyzed the region's 2003 test scores and recently presented these grim statistics to area educators.
No Child Left Behind requires schools to close the achievement gap suffered by low-income and minority students. Instead of flagging those districts that need to do a better job educating all students, it many times flags districts with higher numbers of special education students.
Every student, regardless of disability or economic background, must pass the 2014 ISTEP-Plus. That may be an unfair and impossible goal for many special education students, said educators who also worry those students' scores will reflect poorly on their districts.
Currently, if about 60 percent of the special education students do not pass either portion of ISTEP-Plus, then the entire district could face repercussions. These penalties begin when a district fails to improve the scores for two consecutive years and get tougher each year after that. The changes range anywhere from allowing parents to transfer their students to restructuring the district.
The Indiana Department of Education plans to soon release a list of school districts that made the "needs improvement" list based on 2002 ISTEP-Plus data. When the list based on the 2003 scores gets released soon after, parents and educators will know what consequences their district faces.
Hammond parent Alma Hogan said there is no way her son could pass ISTEP-Plus.
If you saw 10-year-old son Hunter you wouldn't know he has high-functioning autism and is classified as mildly mentally disabled, she said. While he's improved his skills, she doesn't believe having all students take the test will give a clear picture of education.
"I don't understand what they are trying to accomplish by forcing him to take the test," she said.
Bob Marra agrees that having the same goals for all students doesn't work.
"I don't think it's a realistic goal," said Marra, associate superintendent for the Indiana Department of Education's Division of Exceptional Learners. "Even the people in Congress who passed it know it's not realistic."
Dealing with the situation
Mitch Miller, principal of Portage's Jones Elementary School, said 29 percent of his school's third-graders are in special education and his building is one of two in the district to educate students who are mildly mentally disabled.
Miller does not want special education students to be unfairly blamed because of Congress' decisions.
"The very nature of special education is these students have some type of learning disability," Miller said. "To throw them all into the same playing field isn't fair."
At least half the special education students at the School Town of Munster will not meet the test benchmarks under No Child Left Behind. If a school or school district gets labeled as unsuccessful, they will deal with consequences, said Maureen Stafford, Munster's director of instructional programs and assessment.
"It affects people's perception about the schools," Stafford said. "We feel the frustration and we don't want these students to be penalized."
Roger Luekens, superintendent of the East Porter County School Corp., said between 80 and 88 percent of his district's students passed each portion of the 2003 test. However, only 48.4 percent of the students in special education passed English and 41.9 percent passed the math portion.
"With special education students, you take students from where they are and you plan to help them improve," Luekens said. "You don't say, 'here is the grade level standard and if you don't make that you are failing.'"
Influencing special education
Because of No Child Left Behind, Marra said, people have begun asking this critical question about special education students: "Did Bobby learn to read?"
Instead of mainly worrying if special education programs follow all the procedures, people now want to also know if special education students are improving, he said.
"I do see that expectation rising and people saying these kids can do something," he said.
His office has begun closely watching the number of students who fall into two categories -- "learning disability" and "other health impairment." Some states have found parents trying to get their students into special education so they receive additional help throughout the year.
There needs to be several sets of standards for students, said Pat Pierce, director of the Northwest Indiana Special Education Cooperative.
Pierce gives the example of students classified as moderately mentally disabled who can write their names, say their A-B-Cs and use functional words. Their skills may improve each year, but most won't be able to read a ninth-grade passage or write a composition on a test.
If they don't pass ISTEP-Plus, they won't receive a diploma, she said. Pierce questions what incentive these students have to try.
"We are setting kids and the system up to fail by not considering the whole continuum of kids," Pierce said. "I think they are unfairly judging schools that are doing a darn good job educating students."
No Child Left Behind could negatively impact special education students in the classroom, she said.
"I think you may find teachers who say 'I can't have this kid in my class, because I know they won't meet standards. They need to go to a special education class,'" she said.
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Education : Saved by diagnosis
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Posted by Sylvia on Sunday, February 22, 2004 (13:59:50)
The Star 22/02/2004
Mazlan Mohd Som knew his son Nazmi was different from the other boys but he was not sure why. Even when he started school, Nazmi was unable to concentrate and would often be found outside the class instead of inside during his lessons.
When it came to doing his homework, he would often be unable to do it, telling his parents that he was too tired to hold a pencil. Because his condition was undiagnosed, his parents did not understand what was wrong and thought Nazmi was just lazy and naughty.
But after two years in primary school with little or no change in his attitude and on the advice of friends, Mazlan decided to bring him to see a child psychologist at Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM).
''We were relieved once he was diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome. Until then, we had no idea what was wrong and how to deal with the situation,'' shares the father of four.
The UK's National Autistic Society website explains that because the condition of people with Asperger syndrome is not as marked as those with autism, they may not be diagnosed for a long time (see sidebar). This can mean that their particular needs may go unrecognised and parents may blame themselves or worse still blame their children for their unusual behaviour.
Mazlan admits he resorted to caning Nazmi on some occasions before the diagnosis because of a lack of understanding of his son's condition.
By this time, Nazmi had been taken out of primary school as his father felt he was just not coping there.
''The child psychologist who diagnosed Nazmi suggested various forms of therapy. She also told us about Magic (Malaysian Association of Guardians for the Intellectually Challenged) and other centres.
''We decided to send Nazmi to the Magic centre full-time. At the same time, our younger son Nasuha was also diagnosed as being developmentally delayed,'' he adds.
After an initial assessment, an individualised education plan (IEP) was drawn up where the child's cognitive, social and emotional goals were listed.
Mazlan is amazed at how Nazmi has changed in the one-and-a-half years he has been at the centre.
''Previously he could not even sit still and would refuse to do his homework but after undergoing the programme at the centre, he can now do his work without us nagging him to do so.
''We are so impressed with his improvement that we have put him back in regular classes this year. We have chosen a private school with small classes so he is given more attention as he would be unable to cope in a bigger class,'' he adds.
Nazmi still comes to Magic once a week, and also receives extra tuition in the afternoons to help him cope with his schoolwork.
''We also work with him at home to reinforce everything he has learned. So far he has been coping,'' shares the happy father.
Mazlan says Nazmi's IEP was tailored to his autistic needs while Nasuha's was tailored to improve his language and communication, gross and fine motor skills, self-help skills and perceptual cognitive skills.
He explains that Nasuha is in the process of being registered in a special class at a government school.
''We feel Nasuha has also improved which is why we are registering him in a special class,'' he says.
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Education : Magic does wonders for those with special needs
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Posted by Sylvia on Sunday, February 22, 2004 (13:56:26)
The Star 22/02/2004
By Karen Chapman
What started out as a labour of love has changed the lives of a group of children with special needs dramatically. Instead of being left in public schools where the ratio of students to teacher is high and the teachers untrained, these children are learning, cooking and having fun. Best of all, instead of being “nobodysâ€, they now have good friends and they all know each other's names.
The desperate efforts of a group of parents who have children with special needs four years ago have certainly paid off. The centre that they set up together – the Malaysian Association of Guardians for the Intellectually Challenged (Magic) – has grown from an initial enrolment of seven students with various disabilities and two teachers to 18 students and six teachers. And there is room for seven more children.
With fees set at RM600 per month per child (some parents who can't afford it pay partially), Magic has to raise funds regularly to supplement its income.
''We registered Magic with the Registrar of Societies and our books are audited every year. But funding remains a major concern.
''Most of the money goes towards paying the teachers' salaries so there is a shortfall of RM5,000 to RM6,000 every month for the other facilities such as the rental, utilities and a full-time caretaker,'' shares one of the founding parents, Wong Peng Kuan.
''So, every few months, we do something to raise money; sometimes we have charity dinners but we also welcome personal donations and support from corporations,'' he adds.
Even the house where Magic is currently located in, Section 16, Petaling Jaya, has undergone a transformation as it was abandoned and full of weeds and undergrowth when it was first discovered.
''Once we found the bungalow, a group of parents and volunteers got together to clean up the place. We had to clear 20 lorry loads of rubbish, repaint as well as rewire the place to ensure it was safe for use.
''It's not easy setting up such a place but we want to share Magic with other parents who may be facing the same problems we had a few years ago.''
Special care
Magic offers an alternative form of education for students who have been diagnosed with Down syndrome, Developmental Delay, Global Delay, Learning disabilities as well as those diagnosed along the Autistic spectrum (see sidebar).
Although trained teachers were hired from the outset, parents remain involved. They help out in various ways, including providing transportation for the children to participate in activities like art and craft away from the school.
Various issues ranging from how the children were taught, class size and teacher-student ratio to curriculum were the chief concerns among the parents who co-founded the centre.
Wong shudders when he recalls how his daughter Jenna who has Down syndrome was placed in a class with grilles on the window. ''It was like a prison environment where the children were 'locked' in during class and it was terrible for us to see her like that.
''Just because the children have special needs doesn't mean they deserve to be treated like that,'' hesays.
Another founding parent Quah Pek Geok whose daughter Rachel has Down syndrome too, says she was promised a low ratio of students to teachers at one centre and at another, she was not allowed to see how the children were taught.
''It was a culmination of all these experiences and discovering that other parents had the same problems that made us decide to get together to do something.
''As parents, we want the best for our children and we wanted some control and say in how they were being educated,'' explains Quah who is also the secretary of Magic.
As a father of two special children, Mazlan Mohd Som says he understands how hard it is to deal with them but at the same time stresses that this is why a small class is necessary.
''I understand how difficult it is to cope with a special child, which is why I think a small teacher-student ratio in class is important. Even if the class is filled with all autistic children, they do not have identical problems. Instead, each one has different needs and capabilities,'' shares Mazlan who is president of Magic.
Tailored curriculum
Magic's teachers provide individual education programmes to small groups of students. The curriculum facilitates cognitive growth, enhanced self-esteem and effective communication.
''Our comprehensive curriculum aims to make a difference and we strive to ensure each child leaves the centre with a viable post-school option.
''Once a child comes, there is an initial assessment where an individualised education plan is drawn up to ensure his cognitive, social and emotional goals are met,'' explains programme coordinator Shoba Vias.
At Magic, each class has either five or six students, with a teacher and an assistant teacher.
The curriculum is based on a combination of methods or as Wong describes, what suits the children best. However, any changes to the curriculum must be approved by a group of parents who sit on an education committee.
''Our programme coordinator is in charge of the curriculum and from time to time she may make a proposal for some changes. The education committee will look into the proposal and work out the resources for implementation if there is a need.
''Although we may not be the ones trained in teaching, we think it is important for us to know what our children are being taught,'' he adds.
Shares teacher Shanthy Pathmanathan who has worked with autistic children for 20 years, research has shown that children with autism benefit more in a structured educational environment.
Therefore, she works with a combination of methods such as the Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH).
She explains that autistic children need a routine and the ABA programme uses the reward and punishment method to train autistic children, just as parents would for normal children.
A major component of the programme is discrete trial training which involves breaking down a skill into smaller parts and teaching one part or sub-skill at a time.
After being presented with each part, the student is quizzed about it right away and a correct response is immediately followed by the tutor's positive reinforcement, perhaps by giving the child his favourite food or toy.
In the beginning, learning occurs almost exclusively in this type of a controlled environment but gradually, it should become as natural as possible with the tutor using everyday situations to teach and reinforce correct responses or behaviours.
Shanthy explains that PECS begins with teaching a student to exchange a picture of a desired item with a teacher, who immediately honours the request.
Verbal prompts are not used, thus building immediate initiation and avoiding prompt dependency. The system goes on to teach discrimination of symbols and then puts them all together in simple sentences.
''The curriculum is tailored to the disability and our teacher-student ratio is one to three respectively to ensure the child's needs are met,'' says Shoba.
At Magic, complete and wholesome education does not just happen in structured group settings but in other social environments too.
Shoba says Magic's integration programmes are designed to expose the children to different learning techniques, social activities and opportunities to meet new people.
As part of the curriculum at Magic, the children are able to enjoy activities such as riding for the disabled, arts and craft, cooking, drama and dancing with the help of staff members and volunteers.
''There is also an integration programme with Garden International School where a group of 16-and-17-year-olds spend time with the children once a week. They get to know each other and work on an activity together such as carpentry or weaving,'' she says, pointing proudly to a framed piece of weaving on the wall which was done by the children.
For older children, there is also a School-to-Work Transition Programme which consists of work education skills and job training. To complement this course, an intensive life skills programme covers areas like personal and home maintenance, budgeting and banking.
''We teach the children what to do if they are given a grocery list and RM10. They know what a receipt is and most can calculate how much everything costs with a calculator. This may seem like a simple task to many of us but for these children, it's an achievement.
''Basically we are teaching them to be as independent as possible and to fend for themselves although most of the children live with their parents,'' says Shoba.
When StarEducation visited Magic, the senior class was having a cooking lesson with a volunteer, Fabiana Ambrogi. The children were carefully pouring olive oil into a bowl and putting the spaghetti into boiling water.
One-stop centre
The aim is to make Magic a one-stop centre where the children are educated as well as where they receive other forms of therapy too.
Parents find that they often have to ferry them from appointment to appointment with the physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist or psychologist.
Shoba says the centre hopes to offer a speech therapist by April.
''Funding is a problem but we are now in the process of obtaining the services of a speech therapist who should be with us in two months' time,'' she says.
Another aim is to turn Magic into a resource centre where parents can come to find out more information about a particular disability. ''We hope to do this in the future but again it depends on our resources,'' says Wong.
The founders are gratified that despite financial limitations, the school has been a great education centre for their children and others.
Says Quah: ''Before coming to Magic, Rachel was less vocal but now she is a changed person. Although her speech is still limited, she has become more demonstrative and independent. Before going to bed each night, she will fold her clothes carefully and put them to one side while my other daughter will just leave her clothes on the floor.
''Rachel also takes her dishes to the kitchen and washes up,'' she shares. From a child who cried every morning at the thought of going to school, Rachel now can't wait to get to Magic.
“She has made so many friends here. It's a nice feeling to see her so happy and even remembering her friends' birthday,'' adds Quah.
Mazlan agrees, saying that Nazmi now has friends.
''Previously when we asked him about his friends, he would shake his head and say he had none but now he remembers all their names.
''Although my sons no longer attend classes here full time, I have great confidence in what the teachers at the centre can do. This is why I remain an active member here,'' he says.
For more information, contact Magic at tel 03-7957 3082. It is located at 70 Lorong 16/9A, Section 16, Petaling Jaya
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