It's Part of our Program

It's Part of our Program

Perhaps your child is in a specific program within the school. As an example, a school district names a specific preschool program TBEIP - The Best Early Intervention Program.  This program includes intensive special education, speech and langage, occupational therapy and behavioral intervention services.

One day you realize that your child's IEP does not include the behavioral support services.  You ask for them to be documented in the IEP.  This is where they explain that "those services are just part of our TBEIP program."

O.K., here's why that is not all right in my opinion.

                                         








It is the many peices that make the whole. 

Your child's IEP should include all of the support services that he is receiving.  And in the case where those behavioral services are not direct, individualized services to your child.  Ask that the IEP include a description of the overall program, including all of the professionals who provide specific expertise.

1 in 20 Kids Have a Disability

I can't tell you how many times I have searched and searched for a ballpark estimate of how many kids in the U.S. have a disability. Each time that I have, I have come up with several different answers that have left me in the outfield. So I've been forced to be vague about defining something that is important to me and the work that I do on behalf of families who live with disability. We are a statistsic driven-nation. It helps us put issues into perspective when we know how many people are affected by a certain circumstance. I've devoted my life to the issues that affect kids with disabilities, so I'm thankful for this new statistic:

Census: 1 In 20 Kids Have A Disability
By Michelle Diament

November 22, 2011 About 5 percent of school-age children in the United States have a
disability, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis from the U.S. Census
Bureau.

The statistic comes from a brief released this month offering an
in-depth look at kids ages 5 through 17 with disabilities who live in community
settings.

While the Census has long collected data on this group through its annual
American Community Survey, this year marks the first time that government
officials analyzed the results, said Matthew Brault, a Census statistician and
the author of the report.

We've Come a Long Way Baby!

My son was diagnosed with autism a few years before the incidence of autism shot through the roof. In those early days of living with autism I felt so alone in my situation.

To give a little perspective here, how computers weren't standing operating procedure in the household like they are today. Therefore, I wasn't able to Google autism, which by the way, I knew almost nothing about other than I knew it wasn't a wonderful disability. I actually had to go down to my local library and look "autism" up in a set of encyclopedias from the 1950's. The entry in the encyclopedia said that people with autism were destined to live in instututions. I remember reading that the slapping the book closed with fright. Dont worry, I finally ended up getting a home computer and am truly greatful for the ease in which I am now able to inform myself of things.

Must A Child with "High Functioning Autism" Receive an IEP?

As a special education advocate in Connecticut, I can't tell you how many times I have sat in IEP Team Meetings and heard this from the school district: "just because your doctor says he has autism doesn't mean he needs special education," "and besides, he's getting great grades in all of his academics."

To which I say: "yes, we know that. However, can we look beyond  his grades and talk about the fact that he has no friends, sits in the lunch room alone, can't organize his homework, and is being harassed by other kids daily?"

This is what typically occurs when my client has "high functioning" autism. By the way, you need to know that I can not stand the term "high functioning;" I prefer to say "less affected" by autism. Unfortunately, that phrase hasn't caught on yet, so I'll say "high functioning," so you know what I mean. 
This is where I turn to the Team and say, and here's what I want you to remember: "Education is not just about academics!"
Here is a great article from my friend and colleague Jennifer Laviano, a special education attorney practicing here in Connecticut.
So just remember, when you have your son or daughter evaluated to determine whether they have an autism spectrum disorder, make sure he or she is evaluated in all domains, not just academics.  And,  don't forget to keep the "I" (individualized) in IEP!!!!

Autism Doesn't Take a Summer Vacation

The school year is drawing to a close and summer is around the corner. Summer brings fun thoughts, but it can bring also bring on a sense of dread for parents who have children with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities: How many weeks will my daughter be in summer school? What our we going to do with all our downtime? How am I going to be able to program for her at home? How will my son have opportunities to socialize with peers?

These are some of the comments I routinely hear from parents who know the absense of the school year routine can throw their child for a loop - because autism and many other disabilities don't take a summer vacation.

As a special education advocate, I am in the midst of IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting season. I've gotten quite used to the fact that summer programming discussions prompted by the school district usually start like this, "our summer school runs for the month of July," or something along these lines. As well intentioned as these predetermined summer programs are, let me remind you that, if your child is eligible to extended year services (I'll get to eligibility in a moment), then your child's summer services can be individualized.

About eligibility for summer programming. It's not unusual to hear the IEP school team say that your child doesn't meet the criteria for summer school. It's also not unusal to hear school staff tell parents that they can only offer summer programming to those kids who can be proven to regress over the summer. Yes, regression is one of the criteria, it is not, however, the only criteria. I can't tell you how many parents I have worked with whose child has gone years without summer programming only to find out, once they learned about the full criteria, that they actually would have qualified.

If getting appropriate extended school year services is a concern for you, you would be well served to research your state's standards and policies about extended school year services. Call your state's department of special education and print out their standards and policies. This way, you will have the knowledge you need to have a well balanced discussion about whether your child meets the criteria or not.