www.nytimes.com/2020/09/25/us/politics/voting-disability-virus.html
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.
Play Therapy
www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/parenting/play-therapy.html
When young children have feelings, sharing then with a helper adult may be difficult for the first time. Play therapy can help to express the complexity of lives and feelings through strategic play, providing insight and assistance to the behavioral therapist.
Alumni of historic and landmark Willowbrook case continue to be at risk!
Many will not remember this historic settlement for children and adults with developmental disabilities in the Willowbrook State School. While many of the residents are deceased, those living in specialized care have continued to be at risk of continued abuse. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/nyregion/willowbrook-state-school-staten-island.html?referringSource=articleShare
Special Education Funding Gets Moment in Spotlight at Democratic Debate – Politics K-12 – Education Week
Special Education Funding Gets Moment in Spotlight at Democratic Debate – Politics K-12 – Education Week
— Read on blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2019/12/fully-fund-idea-debate.html
At last someone cares and the group loved it.
What Happened Before Special Education and Early Intervention?
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.
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
Early Intervention Services and Special Education for Parents and Grandparents 