A major standardized test maker is taking steps to make it easier for students with disabilities to access accommodations.
— Read on www.disabilityscoop.com/2021/07/26/act-will-honor-iep-504-plan-accommodations/29423/
A long needed change for students with learning needs.
Check out this article from USA TODAY:
‘I am not ashamed’: Disability advocates, experts implore you to stop saying ‘special needs’
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.
www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/health/nursing-shortage-disabled-children.html
Another of the less apparent impact of COVID is the personal toll the lack of health professionals has meant for families with severely disabled children. It took years for the health system to understand the need for home-based nursing and the benefits for the family and the savings in health care dollars. Now….so few health professionals are available and families are struggling. No one can walk on their path, experiencing the pain and exhaustion of keeping a child alive, 24 /7.
Early intervention services can make a big difference for students who are at risk for learning disabilities. What should teachers look for?
— Read on www.edutopia.org/article/recognizing-signs-potential-learning-disabilities-preschool
Taking advantage of early intervention services is important, paired with screening focused on identifying risk in learners.
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.
Continued progress on a life-limiting genetic disorder gives hope for many with rare diseases. Science is the path for many to live life independently.
staff.
— Read on www.disabilityscoop.com/2021/01/05/advocates-covid-19-relief-leaves-out-people-with-disabilities/29138/
Yet again, the disability community has been shocked by the lack of a meaningful commitment to the everyday lives and survival of our nation’s most vulnerable. Congress has passed another relief package with a token dollar amount for individuals, yet no critical funding for services that would support the everyday life of persons with disabilities and their families.
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.
www.wsj.com/articles/the-lasting-benefits-of-preschool-11603378648
Preschool education has a lasting effect on young children, helping learning and increasing socialization skills.
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.
Early Intervention Services and Special Education for Parents and Grandparents 