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

Changes in Attitude and Language

Check out this article from USA TODAY:

‘I am not ashamed’: Disability advocates, experts implore you to stop saying ‘special needs’

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2021/06/11/disabled-not-special-needs-experts-explain-why-never-use-term/7591024002/

Having worked in the fields of early intervention services and special education for many decades, this story has a tired theme but one that may resonant with younger parents and professionals. My first teaching job was in 1971. I was teaching a class of “multiply handicapped” students in a school for the severely mentally retarded and educable children.

In 1975 the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) a comprehensive federal law known as Public Law 94-142, was enacted. It required public schools to provide a free appropriate education for all children with disabilities, ages 3 to 21. When the law was reauthorized in 1990 it was changed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Subsequently the terms of “retarded” and physical handicaps were discarded and collapsed to the disabled.

During this time, the concept of “special needs” crept into the increasingly benign language and included those with mental health, cognitive impairments, physical disabilities, and increasingly, autism. Many parents described their children as having unique learning needs or accommodations.

Then, while I was teaching graduate students, the term of humanity first was the preferred description. Students with disabilities or students with learning challenges, emphazing that all children were children and the accompanying descriptions were secondary coniderations.

This article emphasizes the new movement with an emphasis on identify first, hence the return of the disabled student, child, or adult. It appears to be in keeping with the societal movement toward identifyinng differences as primary, underemphasizing our membership in humanity and our wholeness.

Given my longevity in this field, I am not comfortable returning to a term that can be used as a pejorative description. It has taken many years for the disabled to achieve parity with the able-bodied. When we live in a country with a President who used disability mannerisms as a political tool and a poor attempt at humor, we need to be reminded that we are all people with unique needs.

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, Early Intervention Services, Topic of the Day, Uncategorized

Development During the Pandemic

www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/health/Covid-toddlers-playdates.html

The importance of social interaction is the substance of the daily concern of many early intervention specialists. The target population is the young child, two to five years of age. Typically developing children in the youngest group will usually benefit most from healthy parental relationships and the incidental emergence of language and cognitive skills.

Children with developmental delays are not so easily led into developmental skills. Language is often modeled through small group interactions. Cognitive skills need to be broken into tasks, each manageable for the child, expanding as the child understands and masters the skills.

Virtual learning during the pandemic for these young children with developmental issues is not the path to substantial social, emotional, and cognitive growth.

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, Topic of the Day, Uncategorized

October is Learning Disabilities/Dyslexia/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness Month

The diagnosis of and provision of appropriate services for children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have been particularly difficult within the educational setting.  In the past 50 years, pediatricians have been involved in the clinical diagnosis of children, and the Academy of Pediatrics published guidelines for diagnosis in 2000 and treatment options in 2001.  These guidelines established the use of the Diagnostic and Statistical annual of Mental Disorders (DSM) for diagnosis and recommended the physician’s use of a behavioral rating scale.  A revision in 2011 broadened the ages to include young children (4 – 6-year-olds) and adolescents up to age 18. These revised guidelines which will be available in October identify fewer required behaviors for children 17 years or older, and require that symptoms begin before age 12, instead of before age 7.

https://www.aappublications.org/news/2019/09/30/adhd093019

The most important issues for educators and parents are how to identify children with ADHD and how to plan programs that are effective in assisting them to learn!  One in 5 children in the United States has learning and attention issues that interfere in learning and social behavioral issues.  Every parent and teacher needs the knowledge and tools to assist these students better.

Equip yourself through this useful and detailed report:  The State of LD: Understanding Learning and Attention Issues.

https://www.ncld.org/understanding-learning-and-attention-issues