Carol Ann Heath, Ed.D. Children with Disabilities, Q and A, Special Education, Topic of the Day, Uncategorized

CDC Study Pinpoints Prevalence Of Intellectual Disability – Disability Scoop

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are offering up a new estimate of the number of American children with intellectual disability.
— Read on www.disabilityscoop.com/2021/01/21/cdc-study-pinpoints-prevalence-of-intellectual-disability/29160/

Nationwide the CDC found 1.2% of children 8 years old had IQ scores 70 or below, qualifying these children for the traditional diagnosis of intellectual disability diagnosis. The majority, 78%, had mild intellectual disability, suggesting that many of these children can participate in educational opportunities within the regular classroom and ultimately will likely live within the community.

Nearly 12% were classified as having moderate intellectual disability and 1% are considered severe and profoundly disabled. These children require extensive modifications of the school curriculum and specially trained personnel. As adults these children with require specialized housing and support for daily functional skills.

This study also found that intellectual disability is twice as likely in boys, than girls, and in children of color when compared to white children. Nearly 39% of these children had autism.

Carol Ann Heath, Ed.D. Children with Disabilities, COVID, Special Education

Are You a Parent of a Student with Disabilities?

Students with educational disabilities have an IEP which details the special education services to be provided to your child. No children with IEPs have has these services provided in accordance with their IEPs since the closures of schools nationwide in March 2020. Most of America assumed, based on confusing advice from our leadership and health officials, that schools would open for in-person learning, waving farewell to the ill-conceived notion of virtual learning for students with IEPs.

Many of these children may be non-verbal, have physical disabilities, or attention deficits. Many parents work. In order to access an appropriate education, often speech and language therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy are required.

What is a family to do? How will these children with significant learning challenges be able to access the appropriate curriculum? Regression in learning is taking place for regular and special education students when only able to access their learning virtually.

To counteract this loss of access, some school systems are transporting students with disabilities to schools on certain days, in combination with virtual learning. Since many of these students have health conditions placing them at risk if exposed to COVID, returning to a physical classroom, mainstreamed with their appropriate grade and age peers, is too dangerous.

In-home services by teachers and other appropriately trained therapists should begin as soon as these personnel can be identified. School systems are struggling to engage personnel, provide safe transportation, physically distanced classrooms, and assess how to compensate students for their interruption of services.

While in the long-run parents will need to decide for their family what is best for their child, school systems need to provide the safe and effective environments for special education which can be safely selected by parents and children.

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Carol Ann Heath, Ed.D. Children with Disabilities, Q and A, Special Education

Ed Department Reminds Schools Of IDEA Obligations During Pandemic – Disability Scoop

Parents of children with disabilities have had significant interruptions in their children’s delivery of IEP services. School systems have a continuing obligation to provide services. Some will provide a combination of virtual and in person. While this is very difficult for many children and families, the services must be consistent with services provided to all children.

With an unprecedented school year underway, federal officials are weighing in yet again on how educators ought to be serving students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
— Read on www.disabilityscoop.com/2020/10/05/ed-department-reminds-schools-of-idea-obligations-during-pandemic/29019/

Carol Ann Heath, Ed.D. Children with Disabilities, Special Education, Uncategorized

National Disability Employment Awareness Month: October 2020

The 2019 American Community Survey estimated that among noninstitutionalized civilians with a disability in the U.S., 7.9M are employed and 0.9M are unemployed.
— Read on www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/disability-employment-awareness-month.html

Celebrating the work of persons with disabilities in the workplace. Diversity and creativity abound.

Carol Ann Heath, Ed.D. Special Education, Topic of the Day

Access to Services for Students with Disabilities

www.wsj.com/articles/in-remote-learning-children-with-disabilities-face-unique-challenges-11598866202

More than 14% of students nationwide are identified as SWDs and require special education and related services. Many of these students have not received these services since March. Some have received only 20 minutes of Zoom therapy, without understanding the impact of this lack of individualized instruction on learning and social interactions.

Carol Ann Heath, Ed.D. Children with Disabilities, Early Intervention Services, Special Education, Topic of the Day, Uncategorized

Returning to School in the Fall

Young children and students with disabilities face significant education challenges as the beginning of school in the fall approaches.  Around the country, school districts are grappling with the format and pace of programming while at the same time accommodating the learning needs of many children.  The physical obstacles include transportation of children while observing social distancing and variations in hybrid models of in-school and virtual learning.

Many young children and students with disabilities may not be willing to tolerate masks, particularly when riding for long periods of time on a bus or when attempting to communicate if dependent on sign language or communication supports.  Variability in routines will challenge children if the schedules are intermittent or are unexpectedly changed due to recurrent school closures for student or teacher illness.

Some children with IFSPs and IEPs that have not been implemented during the quarantine period may be eligible for compensatory services.  Team meetings, with parent participation, will evaluate the current levels of student functioning within the curriculum and determine any revisions that will assist the child.  Additional services may be necessary to support the child with regressions during distance learning.

Carol Ann Heath, Ed.D. Children with Disabilities, Special Education, Uncategorized

What Happened Before Special Education and Early Intervention?

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Photo by Ann H on Pexels.com

Many scholarly texts exist on what this nation has accomplished related to services for young children and school-age children in childcare and school settings.  Prior to this century, the focus was more on societal attitudes towards individuals with disabilities and not on access to services or the legal rights of the disabled.  Many children with disabilities were subject to abuse, abandonment, and isolation within institutional settings.  As the Enlightenment spread and the rise of Christianity across the world, a focus on the medical treatment of disabilities emerged.  Europe began making instruction available during the eighteenth century.  The United States followed in the nineteenth century, battling decades of bias and stigmatization.