Showing posts with label Early Childhood Transition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Early Childhood Transition. Show all posts
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Preschool inclusion program benefits all students, educators say
A preschool program in Springfield, Mo., is integrating students with developmental delays into classrooms with students who are high achievers with the goal of having both groups of students learn from each other. Educators say the learning environment is intended to prepare all students for kindergarten and to teach them to celebrate differences. KOLR-TV/KSFX-TV (Springfield, Mo.) http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=409626
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Transition to Adulthood, Screening & Early Identification
Presentations from the Nov 10-11, 2008 OPENING DOORS: A STATE OF THE SCIENCE CONFERENCE are now available online. The two-day conference focused on the application of research to practice in three areas: Transition to Adulthood, Access to Community Recreation, & Screening & Early Identification. Conference presentations addressed a wide range of topics including community-based sports/recreational programs for youth with severe disabilities; person-centered planning; residential school transition programs; supported employment; transition issues for youth with sickle cell disease, & ways family organizations can support immigrant families of children with special needs. Conference materials are available at http://openingdoorsforyouth.org/sos/
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Early Childhood Programs and Inclusion
The regulations dealing with least restrictive environment and having children with disabilities educated and participating with nondisabled children includes students aged 3-5. However, schools have difficulty doing this with this age group. First, states have a choice on whether public schools will serve this age group. So in some states other agencies serve this age group. If the schools serve children ages 3-5 with disabilities, they frequently have few programs for nondisabled children in this age group. The programs they do have typically have specific criteria, i.e. disadvantaged, bilingual, non-English speaking or children of employees.
Often the schools say that children with disabilities can not participate in these programs, even part-time, because regulations do not allow it, the classes are too full, etc. Many times the school could allow the students with disabilities to participate to some extent in these non-special education programs, if they really wanted to. Often the school is reluctant to begin the practice because it fears that more requests will follow. If the school says that state regulations do not allow this, contact the state to verify this. If this is true, someone could try challenging the state regulations, because they are discriminatory to children with disabilities.
Schools could serve children with disabilities in private and religious schools and daycares. Regulations allow this and some states even have pushed this option because it is a more natural environment and gives schools access to more nondisabled children. Public schools tend to resist this option due to lack of experience and fear that it will divert resources and “open a can of worms.” Private schools and daycares may also be reluctant to try this because of lack of experience with the concept and not wanting to give up any control to the public school. There are places where this approach is working effectively. Ask the state agency if some districts are doing this. Letting schools know where it is being done might help. Since it is hard to force schools to do this, parents/individuals must be organized. One approach is to build a coalition of support with parents, community leaders and staff in the private and public schools and daycares. Find out the state’s position on schools working with non-public school entities and build on that. Please comment if you have any experience with innovative approaches to preschool inclusion.
Often the schools say that children with disabilities can not participate in these programs, even part-time, because regulations do not allow it, the classes are too full, etc. Many times the school could allow the students with disabilities to participate to some extent in these non-special education programs, if they really wanted to. Often the school is reluctant to begin the practice because it fears that more requests will follow. If the school says that state regulations do not allow this, contact the state to verify this. If this is true, someone could try challenging the state regulations, because they are discriminatory to children with disabilities.
Schools could serve children with disabilities in private and religious schools and daycares. Regulations allow this and some states even have pushed this option because it is a more natural environment and gives schools access to more nondisabled children. Public schools tend to resist this option due to lack of experience and fear that it will divert resources and “open a can of worms.” Private schools and daycares may also be reluctant to try this because of lack of experience with the concept and not wanting to give up any control to the public school. There are places where this approach is working effectively. Ask the state agency if some districts are doing this. Letting schools know where it is being done might help. Since it is hard to force schools to do this, parents/individuals must be organized. One approach is to build a coalition of support with parents, community leaders and staff in the private and public schools and daycares. Find out the state’s position on schools working with non-public school entities and build on that. Please comment if you have any experience with innovative approaches to preschool inclusion.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Transition to Early Childhood - Part II
The parent of a preschool age child may hear the public school say that a child does not meet the criteria for one of the disability categories or that there is not an educational need for special education services. If the child does not meet criteria for a disability category, the parent may present any testing or evaluations that they have. Remember that for some disability categories this may be medical evaluations/reports. The parent may also request an independent educational evaluation (IEE) at public expense. This is an evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner(s) not employed by the school (basically a second opinion). The school can try to defend their evaluation to the state to keep from paying for an IEE, but this involves time and cost, so the school may or may not fight this request. If an IEE is done at school or parent expense, the IEP team must consider it, but does not have to agree with the diagnosis or recommendations.
If the school says that the child does not need special education (educational need), the parent should ask for specific reasons in writing. Current federal regulations added that services must be “available to any individual child with a disability who needs special education and related services, even though the child has not failed or been retained in a course or grade, and is advancing from grade to grade.” This was a major standard that schools used in determining educational need. This new language undermines this standard to some extent, but schools still use this. Educational need can include a child’s behavioral issues, even if they are doing “ok” academically. The IEP team must make a judgment decision of whether the child needs special education and related services because of the behavioral needs or whether they can be addressed through regular education programs/services. If regular education services are provided, the parent should monitor the child’s progress. Later they could request a review of this decision, if the child’s behavioral issues are not improving.
For preschool children, the regulations say that the IEP Team looks, as appropriate, at “how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities”. While federal regulations do not give any clarification of this rule, parents can try to show that the child has difficulty with certain age-appropriate activities. You could analyze your child’s disability/behavior compared to developmental levels and to preschool curriculum and activities. While schools may not admit it, socialization, i.e., appropriate interaction with peers, is a general goal.
Often the school will say that a student has a speech impairment, but their needs can be met with several speech sessions a week. A special education preschool class will not be offered because the child does not need that to address their speech needs. Many times, this is probably true and it can be hard to build a case that the child needs to attend a preschool program. Sometimes it may be possible to build a case that the speech problems are serious enough that the child needs to be around their peers to hear appropriate language and for socialization. Also look for other activities where the child’s participation would be affected. Parents should ask about non-special education preschool programs provided by the school or other agencies, like Head Start. Sometimes programs will waive some of their eligibility criteria, if the student has a disability.
Even when a child is provided special education services by the school, many schools are reluctant and/or find it difficult to provide inclusive activities with nondisabled peers. In another blog, I will cover this issue.
Added 3/20: I strongly recommend that if parents face this situation that they seek support, information and ideas from others. This situation can be very emotional for you and complex. Several "heads are better than one" is diffently true here. Look for parents in your district and other districts who can provide insights into their experiences. Advocates, educators from your district and other schools, and medical and related services professionals can help determine if a case can be built that your child needs special education services.
If the school says that the child does not need special education (educational need), the parent should ask for specific reasons in writing. Current federal regulations added that services must be “available to any individual child with a disability who needs special education and related services, even though the child has not failed or been retained in a course or grade, and is advancing from grade to grade.” This was a major standard that schools used in determining educational need. This new language undermines this standard to some extent, but schools still use this. Educational need can include a child’s behavioral issues, even if they are doing “ok” academically. The IEP team must make a judgment decision of whether the child needs special education and related services because of the behavioral needs or whether they can be addressed through regular education programs/services. If regular education services are provided, the parent should monitor the child’s progress. Later they could request a review of this decision, if the child’s behavioral issues are not improving.
For preschool children, the regulations say that the IEP Team looks, as appropriate, at “how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities”. While federal regulations do not give any clarification of this rule, parents can try to show that the child has difficulty with certain age-appropriate activities. You could analyze your child’s disability/behavior compared to developmental levels and to preschool curriculum and activities. While schools may not admit it, socialization, i.e., appropriate interaction with peers, is a general goal.
Often the school will say that a student has a speech impairment, but their needs can be met with several speech sessions a week. A special education preschool class will not be offered because the child does not need that to address their speech needs. Many times, this is probably true and it can be hard to build a case that the child needs to attend a preschool program. Sometimes it may be possible to build a case that the speech problems are serious enough that the child needs to be around their peers to hear appropriate language and for socialization. Also look for other activities where the child’s participation would be affected. Parents should ask about non-special education preschool programs provided by the school or other agencies, like Head Start. Sometimes programs will waive some of their eligibility criteria, if the student has a disability.
Even when a child is provided special education services by the school, many schools are reluctant and/or find it difficult to provide inclusive activities with nondisabled peers. In another blog, I will cover this issue.
Added 3/20: I strongly recommend that if parents face this situation that they seek support, information and ideas from others. This situation can be very emotional for you and complex. Several "heads are better than one" is diffently true here. Look for parents in your district and other districts who can provide insights into their experiences. Advocates, educators from your district and other schools, and medical and related services professionals can help determine if a case can be built that your child needs special education services.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Transition to Early Childhood Programs
The Beach Center Early Childhood blog lists a blog by a mother of a child who is deaf and has a cochlear implant. Cochlear implants are a unique topic by themselves and Ms. Toes has lots of information about them and her daughter. Discussions have begun with the public school about services when the child turns 3 this summer. Because of the cochlear implant and the criteria that schools use, she may not qualify for special education services.
This situation happens frequently to parents whose child received services before they turned 3. I will give some insight into how this happens and how parents might be able to advocate for their child. The first task is to learn the federal and state criteria for eligibility for special education services that your public school uses. Programs for children under 3 base eligibility on the child experiencing developmental delay or having a condition that is highly likely to result in developmental delay and because of this the child needs early intervention. For children 3 years and older the federal law establishes 13 categories of disability. The law allows states to extend special education to children age 3-9 who experience developmental delay, but may not require schools to use this category. However, few, if any states do this for even part of the 3-9 age group. (This is partially due to the fact that the Federal Department of Education believes that states are placing too many students in special education programs.)
So it is important to know if your state and school allows services for any students with developmental delay between ages 3-9. If the state does, study the state regulations and the definitions closely. Texas for example, has a category called noncategorical early childhood for ages 3-5. However, the criterion says the child must be evaluated as having mental retardation, emotional disturbance, a specific learning disability or autism. Why use this category, if the child meets one of these categories? This is confusing to Texas parents.
The federal disability categories are: autism; deaf-blindness; deafness (“a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing with or without amplification that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”); emotional disturbance; hearing impairment (“impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness”); mental retardation; multiple disabilities; orthopedic impairment (“includes impairments caused by a congenital anomaly, impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures); other health impairment (“having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, ... that is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia and Tourette syndrome”); specific learning disability; speech or language impairment; traumatic brain injury (“an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force”, it does not include congenital or degenerative brain injuries or those induced by birth trauma); and visual impairment including blindness.
Next you should study the categories of disabilities and the definitions the state uses (states may add categories). The Texas definition of autism includes children with pervasive developmental disorders, although this is not mentioned in the federal regulations. Also in Texas, deafness and hearing impairment are combined into auditory impairment. The required evaluation data must include a description of the implications of the hearing loss for the student’s hearing in a variety of circumstances with or without recommended amplification. The rules may also indicate that special reports, i.e., otological, medical or specialists, i.e., teacher of the deaf, optometrist are need for certain categories.
The federal definition of a child with a disability lays out what some people refer to as a two part process. An evaluation report, following federal and state regulations, determines if the student has one or more of the disability conditions. Then it is determined if because of the disability, “by reason thereof “, the child needs special education and related services to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum. For preschool children, the regulations say that the IEP Team looks, as appropriate, at “how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities”.
It is important to understand this last paragraph to deal with situations where the school is saying that the child does not have a disability or does not need special education and related services, often referred to as educational need. In the next blog, I will discuss ideas and strategies for dealing with this situation, if it occurs.
This situation happens frequently to parents whose child received services before they turned 3. I will give some insight into how this happens and how parents might be able to advocate for their child. The first task is to learn the federal and state criteria for eligibility for special education services that your public school uses. Programs for children under 3 base eligibility on the child experiencing developmental delay or having a condition that is highly likely to result in developmental delay and because of this the child needs early intervention. For children 3 years and older the federal law establishes 13 categories of disability. The law allows states to extend special education to children age 3-9 who experience developmental delay, but may not require schools to use this category. However, few, if any states do this for even part of the 3-9 age group. (This is partially due to the fact that the Federal Department of Education believes that states are placing too many students in special education programs.)
So it is important to know if your state and school allows services for any students with developmental delay between ages 3-9. If the state does, study the state regulations and the definitions closely. Texas for example, has a category called noncategorical early childhood for ages 3-5. However, the criterion says the child must be evaluated as having mental retardation, emotional disturbance, a specific learning disability or autism. Why use this category, if the child meets one of these categories? This is confusing to Texas parents.
The federal disability categories are: autism; deaf-blindness; deafness (“a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing with or without amplification that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”); emotional disturbance; hearing impairment (“impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness”); mental retardation; multiple disabilities; orthopedic impairment (“includes impairments caused by a congenital anomaly, impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures); other health impairment (“having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, ... that is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia and Tourette syndrome”); specific learning disability; speech or language impairment; traumatic brain injury (“an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force”, it does not include congenital or degenerative brain injuries or those induced by birth trauma); and visual impairment including blindness.
Next you should study the categories of disabilities and the definitions the state uses (states may add categories). The Texas definition of autism includes children with pervasive developmental disorders, although this is not mentioned in the federal regulations. Also in Texas, deafness and hearing impairment are combined into auditory impairment. The required evaluation data must include a description of the implications of the hearing loss for the student’s hearing in a variety of circumstances with or without recommended amplification. The rules may also indicate that special reports, i.e., otological, medical or specialists, i.e., teacher of the deaf, optometrist are need for certain categories.
The federal definition of a child with a disability lays out what some people refer to as a two part process. An evaluation report, following federal and state regulations, determines if the student has one or more of the disability conditions. Then it is determined if because of the disability, “by reason thereof “, the child needs special education and related services to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum. For preschool children, the regulations say that the IEP Team looks, as appropriate, at “how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities”.
It is important to understand this last paragraph to deal with situations where the school is saying that the child does not have a disability or does not need special education and related services, often referred to as educational need. In the next blog, I will discuss ideas and strategies for dealing with this situation, if it occurs.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Transition to Early Childhood Programs
No matter what group, disadvantaged, disability, "normal", you are talking about, most people know that beginning "education" early is very important. However, putting this into practice is not easy for parents and agencies. In years of working for schools I saw many cases of parents who found out about services years after their child was first eligible for the services/program.
All states are to have programs (usually called Early Childhood Intervention, ECI) for children with developmental delays from birth through age two. At age three those services end and, if the child is eligible, they can be served by the next agency that serves children with disabilities. In most states that is the public school. Unfortunately, many parents are not aware of the ECI services and agency or that there are services for 3 and 4 year olds. If a child is in an ECI program, the parents should be informed of possible services and the next agency/school informed of the child. However, the parent must consent to giving information to the school and to meeting with the school.
Some states/agencies do a good job of letting parents know of services available for children 0-2 and 3+, but more communication is always needed. That is part of the goal of this posting. If you are aware of these services, Spread the Word. If you are not aware, find out about them, and then Spread the Word.
If a child is transitioning from an ECI program to a school, there are some issues that arise. The eligibility criteria for services for the 3+ age group is more narrow, so some children do not qualify for services. In other cases the child receives fewer services than they did in the ECI program. This is why parents are to begin receiving information from the ECI program before the child is 3. At times, that program does not know a lot about the public school programs and if the child will qualify. So, the parents should meet with and communicate with the school to find out what is available for their child. It can also be helpful if parents can find a person who has had a child in the school programs or someone who is knowledgeable of the school and other agency programs. In some communities, public and private programs will work with children with delays or disabilities. Some schools will work with these programs providing services at that program or at the public school.
Again knowledge is important. Parents need to know what is possible and what other schools do. Some schools do not include 3 and 4 year olds with disabilities with their peers very much. Parents may need to push for services outside of the school and inclusion activities. One source of information and links is the Beach Center early childhood cop.
At some point, I want to write more about issues that face parents and schools with the programs for children ages 3-5.
All states are to have programs (usually called Early Childhood Intervention, ECI) for children with developmental delays from birth through age two. At age three those services end and, if the child is eligible, they can be served by the next agency that serves children with disabilities. In most states that is the public school. Unfortunately, many parents are not aware of the ECI services and agency or that there are services for 3 and 4 year olds. If a child is in an ECI program, the parents should be informed of possible services and the next agency/school informed of the child. However, the parent must consent to giving information to the school and to meeting with the school.
Some states/agencies do a good job of letting parents know of services available for children 0-2 and 3+, but more communication is always needed. That is part of the goal of this posting. If you are aware of these services, Spread the Word. If you are not aware, find out about them, and then Spread the Word.
If a child is transitioning from an ECI program to a school, there are some issues that arise. The eligibility criteria for services for the 3+ age group is more narrow, so some children do not qualify for services. In other cases the child receives fewer services than they did in the ECI program. This is why parents are to begin receiving information from the ECI program before the child is 3. At times, that program does not know a lot about the public school programs and if the child will qualify. So, the parents should meet with and communicate with the school to find out what is available for their child. It can also be helpful if parents can find a person who has had a child in the school programs or someone who is knowledgeable of the school and other agency programs. In some communities, public and private programs will work with children with delays or disabilities. Some schools will work with these programs providing services at that program or at the public school.
Again knowledge is important. Parents need to know what is possible and what other schools do. Some schools do not include 3 and 4 year olds with disabilities with their peers very much. Parents may need to push for services outside of the school and inclusion activities. One source of information and links is the Beach Center early childhood cop.
At some point, I want to write more about issues that face parents and schools with the programs for children ages 3-5.
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