Asperger syndrome was originally described by Hans Asperger 1944. But this syndrome was not well known for many years.This situation has changed somewhat since Asperger syndrome was made “official” in DSM-IV (APA, 1994) fifty years later, following a large international field trial:
From the DSM-IV
(Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, 1994)
Diagnostic Criteria For 299.80 Asperger’s Disorder
A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
1. marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction
2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
3. a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
4. lack of social or emotional reciprocity
B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
3. stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
4. persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)
E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood
F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia
The World of the Autistic Childwalks you through the prospect of Autism/PDD from the initial diagnosis through treatment. Balanced discussion of the multiple issues any parent needs to consider. If you haven’t already, you will soon discover that the treatment community is highly polarized. This book help you sort out what you read and hear elsewhere.
Play and Imagination in Children With Autismgoes beyond the usual autism literature by examining the complex problems children with autism experience in reciprocal social interaction, communication and imagination, by looking closely at the nature of the disorder in relation to play’s role in childhood culture and development, as well as contemporary intervention practices.
The Out-Of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping With Sensory Integration Dysfunction is not about autism, however, a very common condition in autistic children; can manifest itself in excessively high or low activity levels, problems with motor coordination, over sensitivity or under sensitivity to sensations and movements, and other symptoms. This book carefully details many helpful routines and remedies.
Teaching Children With Autism:. discuss the behavioral characteristics of autism, intervention methods, and key topics such as spontaneous language, along with concrete ways to support families, focus on long term gains and short term problem solving.
Autism : Preparing for Adulthoodis clear and practical, essential for anyone concerned with the challenges facing teenagers and young adults with Asperger syndrome, PDD/NOS or high-functioning autism.
Teaching Children With Autism to Mind-Read: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Parents This is the first guide on applying Theory of Mind–the ability to infer the mental states of others and use this information to interpret their behavior–to children with autism. It concentrates on the effective treatment of social and communicative abnormalities in children with autism, guiding the reader through the underlying experimental and clinical principles. It then gives a graded program for teaching children each of these skills.
Pragmatic Development (Essays in Developmental Science)provides an integrated view of how children acquire the various subsystems of rules for appropriate and communicatively effective language use, including expression of communicative intents, participation in conversation, and production of extended discourse.
Soon Will Come the Light : A View from Inside the Autism Puzzle Thomas McKean, an autistic author, successfully provides the reader with a new wealth of insight into areas known only to those individuals with autism. McKean’ description of what he experiences when he “tunes out” is quite fascinating. He enters a world of alternate reality created within the boundary of his imagination. A scary darkness leads to majestic mountains, a castle, a dragon field, a domed city, ocean, sunken ship, red fluorescent caverns, forest, and abandoned mansion. He expresses a fear of exploring too far and being unable to find his way back… How many of us wonder what our children with autism see when they have that far away look in their eyes?
Parents play a vital role in their child’s education. They are equal partners in the team that develops their child’s IEP and they care deeply about how their sons or daughters learn and grow. In the course of their child’s education, parents may interact with a large number of professionals. Being able to work effectively with different professionals, exchanging ideas concerns, and openly communicating about what’s working and what’s not, are all important elements in their child’s educational success.
The Basics
— Remember that, as a parent, you know your child best and have the greatest investment in him or her. You need to diplomatically but strongly advocate for your child.
— Develop relationships with the teachers who work with your child.
— Get information, and know your options.
— Remember that the people you are working with also care for your child.
— You need to be credible and informed to have people listen to and respect what you say. Be sure to learn what your rights are.
— Be aware that parents have a lot of power. Don’t wait for two months to check in for results. If something is not resolved quickly, work on it. Teachers don’t always have as much leverage as you think. You may be able to help your child’s teacher resolve something much faster. Work as a team
— Remember that working with the school can be a very emotional, personal process because this is your child. It’s very easy to feel defensive. Try to describe your needs in behavioral terms, not emotional terms.
— Keep things in perspective: Ask yourself, “Is what my child is doing typical for his age group, or does his behavior have to do with his disability?” Encourage those who work with your child to do so, too.
— Know that everything you do is not written in stone. You can change things. Just because you decided something at the end of June doesn’t mean you have to do it for the next year. You can change it at the end of October if it’s not working. You can call the committee back and ask to reevaluate the situation. .
— Remember to think of your child first. The disability is just part of who your child is. Remind people of your child’s strengths. Encourage teachers to praise him or her.
— Ask the teacher to have your child be in the helper position at times, not always the one being helped.
–Encourage a work ethic at home. Put value on those traits that promote success in school: responsibility, consequences for behavior, organization, and punctuality. Jobs at home translate into expectations. A sense of cooperation and self-worth follow.
— If you are not sure about how to talk with teachers, connect with other parents. It’s like an adult buddy system. Talk to other parents about what they are doing. You can get a parent advocate to work with you– someone who’s gone through what you’re going through.
Communication
— The most important thing to do is to establish open communication. Try to be non-threatening. You can make friends and get what you need.
— Look at yourself closely to identify habits or attitudes that interfere with effective communication or your being taken seriously.
— Be sure to communicate any concerns or ideas right away, over the phone or with a note, while the discussion can be relatively casual. By communicating early, you can avoid becoming angry and frustrated; by intervening early, you can avoid a situation growing into a bigger problem or crisis.
— One very effective way to keep communication open is to use logbooks. The teachers (and others who are working with your child) write in these each day and send them back home with the child. The parent reads what the teacher writes and responds and sends the book back with the child. These are especially effective with non-verbal children. It keeps the communication open between parent and teacher. Plus, sometimes writing to a teacher makes it easier to communicate an idea in the way that you want to express it.
— Inform teachers immediately of any unusual circumstances occurring at home. A stressed child cannot attend to task, often exhibits disruptive behavior, or may simply space out. Teachers may misread the signs. Examples range from divorce to a sick grandmother to a new baby. Each student has a very different response to these life changes.
Creative Problem Solving
— In order to get your point across or convince people to try something they might not be inclined to do, be positive and enthusiastic. Be very upfront and give them factual information about your child’s needs to alleviate their fears. Explain the reasons you want something done, then suggest ways to do it.
— Keep experimenting. You never know what will work.
— Ask that your child participate in everything, even at a modified level of activity.
— Convince people to try new activities or approaches before disqualifying them, even if it’s for a trial time of one month.
— Aim high. Meetings
— If you feel that decisions are being made without you, call and ask to be included in discussions. You can suggest a “pre” IEP meeting to talk about some of your ideas and what your goals and the goals of your child are. This is especially helpful for meetings that involve therapists and/or both special and general education staff. By talking before the meeting with the specific people who are responsible for your areas of concern, you can structure the formal meeting so it goes smoothly and so the entire group can sign off with only one meeting.
— Make a list of things you want to say before you go to a meeting and take it with you.
— When you meet, give yourself plenty of time to discuss important issues.
— Bring someone with you to the meeting for moral support
— your spouse, a friend, a sibling. Good Parent-Teacher Relations
— Write letters or make calls to say thank you when things are going well. It’s always a good idea to let educators know about successes, especially those that occur outside of school. For really successful occurrences, send a copy of your letter to the principal or supervisor, so he or she, too, will know what a great job your child’s teacher is doing.
— Even if you don’t agree with the methods that are being used, if your child is improving, recognize it.
— Maintain a “we” attitude. Ask how “we” can work together to solve a given problem. .
— Write articles to the local paper about one of your child’s success stories. It’s good for the school, the teacher, and your child.
— If you’re part of a parent group, consider inviting teachers and/or administrators to a meeting every now and again. They are probably curious about what parent groups talk about and would appreciate being included in discussions. Their perspectives are often very enlightening, and they may have concerns that never occurred to the parents. Remember, inclusion isn’t only for kids.
— Work on creating a good relationship with all the people who work with your child. Be open to sharing information about your child.
— Be willing to take part. Volunteer to help out with things. Be as involved as possible.
— Remember people at the end of each year. Little notes or gifts of thanks will be very appreciated by those who receive them.
— Support the people who work with your child even when things aren’t going as well. Encourage them to keep trying, that tomorrow will be better, and how you appreciate their efforts on your child’s behalf.
RELATED SERVICES FOR SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
As defined by federal law, related services are intended to address the individual needs of students with disabilities, in order that they may benefit from their educational program. Occupational and physical therapy, school health services, and special transportation assistance are just some examples of related services that can help eligible students with disabilities participate more fully and successfully in the learning process. This is an overview of the related services enumerated in federal law, with a focus upon those services provided to school-aged children with disabilities. The personnel associated with delivering each service are identified, and their major duties are described.
Several important federal laws have been passed to address the rights and educational needs of children and youth with disabilities. One such law is The Education of All Handicapped Children Act, otherwise known as EHA or Public Law (P.L.) 94-142. Recently authorized and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA (P.L. 101-476), this law mandates that special education and related service programming be made available to all children and youth with disabilities who require them. The law also makes available federal funds to help state and local governments establish and maintain special education programs for students with disabilities, as well as provide the related services these students need in order to benefit from special education.
What are related services? The IDEA defines “related services” as:
…transportation, and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services (including speech pathology and audiology, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation and social work services, and medical and counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, except that such medical services shall be for diagnostic and evaluation purposes only) as may be required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education.
Until the final regulations are available to guide the implementation of the IDEA, the regulations of its predecessor, the EHA, are being used by school districts to determine how and to whom related services will be delivered. The regulations of the EHA (P.L. 94-142) list thirteen related services that students with disabilities may require to benefit from their special education programs. These are:
audiology; occupational therapy; physical therapy; psychological services; medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes only; school health services; transportation services; counseling services; speech-language pathology; social work services; parent counseling and training; recreation therapy; and early identification and assessment of disabilities in children.
Clearly, the regulations define a wide variety of services that must be provided to children and youth with disabilities identified as needing such services to maximize the benefits of their special education. However, the law also states that this long list of services is not exhaustive and may include other developmental, corrective, or support services “as may be required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education” [The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. Chapter 33, Section 1401(17)]. It is through this provision in the law that many school districts are providing students with disabilities with assistive technology devices and services. Furthermore, as states respond to the requirements of federal law, many have legislated their own related service requirements, which may include services beyond those specified in federal law. For example, some states also include mobility training, dance therapy, and artistic and cultural programs as related services that should be provided as necessary to help a student with a disability benefit from his or her special education program.
Because states are required to provide the related services that are necessary for each individual student with a disability to benefit from his or her special education, related services can be quite unique and expensive. Just as special and regular education must be provided to a student with a disability at no cost to the parent or guardian, so, too, must related services. As a result of federal law, it is the state’s responsibility to provide a free, appropriate public education to all students with disabilities, and that includes any related services necessary to ensure they benefit from their education.
What Are Some Examples of Related Services and Who Provides Them?
Perhaps the best way to develop an understanding of what related services are is to take a look at the types of personnel who are involved in the delivery of services and what responsibilities each of these people typically has in the process. Given the range and diversity of disabilities, this list is quite lengthy. Therefore, the information presented about each related service is intended only as an introduction to that service and the personnel associated with its delivery. It is not the intent of this document, just as it is not the intent of the law, to exhaustively describe each related service. Many variations in service delivery are possible. It is important to read about all the services and personnel in order to know what related services are most commonly provided to students with disabilities and their families.
Audiology Services
Audiology Services are generally provided by audiologists who screen, assess, and identify children with hearing loss. Additionally, they:
determine the range, nature, and degree of the hearing loss;
make referrals for medical or other professional attention for the habilitation of hearing;
provide language habilitation, auditory training, speech reading (lip reading), speech conservation, and other programs;
determine the child’s need for group or individual amplification, select and fit an appropriate hearing aid, and evaluate the effectiveness of amplification.
Many school systems do not have the diagnostic facilities necessary to assess the extent of a student’s hearing loss, and so they refer students in need to a clinical setting, such as a hospital. Based on the results of the hearing assessment, related services are then provided by school-based audiologists or, in school systems that do not employ audiologists, by other professionals such as speech pathologists or educators.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy is provided by therapists who concentrate upon assessing and treating children with disabilities that impair their daily life functioning. Areas of daily life functioning upon which an occupational therapist might focus are: — activities of daily living, such as eating and dressing;
— school and work skills, such as writing, using scissors, managing books and papers, and sitting effectively in class; and
— play/leisure skills, such as participating in art or physical education class or playing with children at recess.
When occupational therapy is provided as a related service, it is meant to enhance a student’s ability to function in an educational program. By focusing upon the skills of daily living, occupational therapists can often help individual students to function in the least restrictive environment. Generally, occupational therapists:
— provide treatment to strengthen and develop fine motor functions;
— focus on treatment of the small muscles, primarily those of the face, upper trunk, arms, and hands; and
— improve the student’s ability to perform tasks necessary for independent functioning, such as chewing, swallowing, placement of the tongue and mouth for speech formation, eye-hand coordination, and manual dexterity.
Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy is provided to a child or youth with a disability following referral from a physician and, in some states, from school nurses, teachers, occupational therapists, and other professionals. Physical therapists:
— provide treatment to increase muscle strength, mobility, and endurance;
— focus on gross motor skills that rely on the large muscles of the body involved in physical movement and range of motion;
— help to improve the student’s posture, gait, and body awareness; and
— monitor the function, fit, and proper use of mobility aids and devices.
In relation to special education, physical therapists are primarily concerned with developing and enhancing the physical potential of students with disabilities, so that they can achieve maximum independence and function in all their educational activities.
Psychological Services
Psychological Services are also delivered as a related service when necessary to help students with disabilities benefit from their education. Often, the potential need of a child with a disability for psychological services is raised during an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting of teachers, school personnel, and parents. Members of the IEP team may have noticed that a student has become withdrawn and that his or her grades have dropped. Or parents may be concerned that their child is reading far below his grade level and want to know if he has a learning disability. School psychologists, then, become responsible for delivering psychological services. Some of their primary duties are to:
— administer and interpret psychological and educational tests and other assessment procedures to determine if, indeed, the student has a disability;
— obtain, integrate, and interpret information about a student’s behavior and conditions for learning. Sources of information may include observations of the student and interviews with teachers, parents, and the student;
— consult with school staff and assist in planning an educational program to meet a student’s special needs, as indicated by psychological tests, interviews, and evaluations of behavior; and
— plan and manage programs to provide psychological services, including counseling for students and parents.
It is important to know that, by law, “no single assessment procedure can be used as “the sole criterion for determining an appropriate educational program for a child” (Code of Federal Regulations [CFR]: Title 34: Education: Part 300.532, 1988). The anticipated regulations for the IDEA are not expected to change this approach to student assessment. One of the school psychologist’s most challenging duties, then, is to gather information about the student from a variety of sources and interpret that information, so that an educational program appropriate to the needs of the student can be developed.
Medical Services
Medical Services are considered a related service only under specific conditions. By definition, medical services:
— are provided by a licensed physician to diagnose a child’s disability, determine the need for special education, and determine the type and extent of related services that may be needed; and
— are permitted for diagnostic reasons, but do not include direct, on-going medical treatment by a physician.
Just how far does a school system’s legal requirement to provide medically-related services go? This has become quite an area of controversy as schools enroll and place students with severe and often life-threatening disabilities. Do the constant medical needs of these students qualify as supportive services a school is obligated to provide or as on-going medical treatment, which is specifically excluded as a related service? Decisions can only be made on a case by case, student by student basis. However, the trend emerging from recent court cases appears to be:
— If the supportive service must be performed by a licensed physician and is not for the purpose of evaluation or diagnosis, the school is not obligated to provide it.
— If the service can be provided by a lay person, such as the teacher, with minimal training, the school must provide it.
— When the service requires some degree of medical insight, such as what to do when an emergency arises, then court decisions can go either way. “The more medically sophisticated the decisions about how to treat the child, the more that service is excluded and the school’s obligation disappears”.
School Health Services
School Health Services are necessary, because many children and youth with disabilities would be unable to attend a day of school without supportive health care. Health services are typically provided by a qualified school nurse or a specifically trained non medical person who is supervised by a qualified nurse. Some of the health services that school nurses or other qualified personnel provide to students with disabilities include:
— special feedings — clean intermittent catheterization — suctioning — administering medications — planning for the safety of a student in school, and — ensuring that care is given in the classroom to prevent injury (e.g., changing a student’s position frequently to prevent pressure sores).
A joint task force of members and staff of four associations — the American Federation of Teachers, the Council for Exceptional Children, the National Association of School Nurses, Inc., and the National Education Association — recently released detailed guidelines to help administrators, health care providers, and educators provide health services to children with special health care needs. The guidelines list “66 special health care procedures that some children may need to have provided in educational settings,” as well as “the persons qualified to perform each of the procedures, who should preferably perform the procedures, and the circumstances under which these persons would be deemed qualified”.
Transportation Services
Transportation Services are provided to those students who need special assistance because of their disability or the location of the school relative to their home. Not all students with disabilities are eligible to receive specialized transportation services. Many are able to use the same transportation that students without disabilities use to get to school. However, for those who need special assistance, the school district must:
— provide travel to and from school and between schools; — provide travel in and around school buildings; and — provide specialized equipment (such as special or adapted buses, lifts, and ramps), if required to provide special transportation for a child with disabilities.
Most school systems have written guidelines to help make decisions about transportation services consistent from student to student. To be in compliance with the IDEA, a school district cannot require the families of students with disabilities to assume any portion of the costs of those transportation services deemed necessary to permit the students to benefit from their education.
Counseling Services
Counseling Services are typically provided by school counselors who work with students to develop their career awareness, to improve their understanding of self, and to improve their behavioral adjustment and control skills. This, in turn, makes students with disabilities better able to participate in their educational program. In many schools, the counselor may also perform the functions of school psychologists (described above under Psychological Services). Additionally, school counselors may:
— identify and refer students who may be eligible for special education;
— secure parental permission for referrals;
— provide advice concerning a student’s level of functioning, affective needs, and appropriateness of the IEP;
— provide student guidance and counseling in keeping with the IEP; and
— provide supportive counseling for parents.
Speech-Language Pathology
Speech-Language Pathology is a service provided by speech-language pathologists to address the needs of children and youth with communication disabilities, such as stuttering and impairments in speech, language, or voice. Typically, speech-language pathologists:
— screen, identify, assess, and diagnose disorders of fluency, language, articulation, voice, and oral-pharyngeal function, and cognitive/ communication disorders;
— provide speech and language services for the habilitation or prevention of communication disorders, including augmentative and alternative communication systems; and
— refer the student for medical or other professional attention necessary for the habilitation of speech or language disorders.
It should be noted that a student with a speech or language impairment does not necessarily have to be manifesting academic problems in order to be considered eligible to receive related services under the IDEA. Effective oral communication is regarded as a skill basic to academic performance (Applestein, 1987).
Social Work Services
Social Work Services are provided in order to address the whole welfare of the student with a disability – his or her life at home, in school, and in the community. Historically, social workers have been used in schools as early as 1913. The need for their services arose from “recognition of the need to consider factors beyond the schools that may be affecting a child’s educational performance” (Tabb, 1987, p. 113). Problems at home or in the community can adversely affect a student’s performance at school, as can a student’s attitudes or behaviors in school. Social work services may become necessary in order to help the student maximize benefit from the educational program.
In today’s society, qualified school social workers have completed a two-year master’s degree program in social work and generally have field experience obtained through placement in a public or private facility, where they worked under supervision. Their duties within schools typically include:
— preparing a social or developmental history of a student with a disability;
— providing group or individual counseling to the student and family;
— working with the problems in a student’s living situation (home, school, and community) that are affecting the student’s adjustment in school; and
— mobilizing school and community resources to enable the student to benefit from his or her educational program.
To develop an insightful social or developmental history of a student with a disability requires the school social worker to interact with both the student and the family. This allows the social worker to assess how family dynamics and the home environment are influencing the student’s learning and behavior patterns. This information is useful for determining the student’s educational placement and program, and also serves as a check against inappropriate labeling of a student because of test scores and school behavior. Through interactions with the family, the social worker may identify cultural or language differences that need to be taken into consideration as well.
Parent Counseling and Training
Parent Counseling and Training is an important related service, because it addresses the needs of the parents and the vital role they play in the lives of their children. The parents of a child or youth with a disability may have great need for counseling and training in order to understand their child’s disability and how it may affect development. When necessary to help the child or youth with a disability benefit from the educational program, school counselors can:
— assist parents in understanding the special needs of their child;
— provide parents with information about child development; and
— provide parents with referrals to parent support groups, financial assistance resources, and professionals outside the school system.
Recreation Therapy
Recreation Therapy is included as a related service, because all children, with or without disabilities, need to learn how to use their leisure and recreation time constructively. For those students with disabilities who are judged to require recreation therapy in order to benefit from special education, the therapy can serve to improve socialization skills, as well as eye-hand coordination and physical, cognitive, or language development. To this end, recreation therapists:
— assess the student’s leisure capacities and functions;
— provide therapy to remediate functional difficulties that limit involvement in leisure activities;
— provide leisure education for learning the skills, knowledge, and attitudes related to leisure involvement; and
— help the student to participate in recreation, based on the student’s need for assistance and/or adapted recreation equipment.
Assistive Technology Devices and Services
Assistive Technology Devices and Services are not specifically listed in the law as a related service but are often provided as “other corrective or support services” necessary to help students with disabilities benefit from their education. The provision of assistive technology devices and services has changed over the years as technology has been developed and applied to the needs of individuals with disabilities. The EHA (P.L. 94-142) mentions that providing “related aids and services” may be necessary to help a student maximize the benefits of his or her educational program.
As assistive technology has boomed, however, the scope of this related service has expanded. In 1988, Congress passed the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act (P.L. 100-407), recognizing the enormous contribution that assistive technology can make to the lives of individuals with disabilities. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has issued a policy ruling stating that “consideration of a child’s need for assistive technology must occur on a case-by-case basis in connection with the development of a child’s individualized education program (IEP)”. The OSEP policy letter goes on to say that “assistive technology can be a form of supplementary aid or service utilized to facilitate a child’s education in a regular educational environment. Such supplementary aids and services, or modifications to the regular education program, must be included in a child’s IEP.” Thus, when an IEP of a student with a disability is being developed or reviewed, the school district must assess his or her need for an assistive technology device, determine those devices that will facilitate the student’s education, list them in the IEP, and then provide them to the student.
This policy letter, coupled with the passage of the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 and the IDEA, is expected to dramatically affect the level of district responsibility for providing related aids, devices, and technology-related services to students with disabilities.
The IDEA defines an assistive technology device as:
…any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.
The number of assistive technology devices in use across the United States is lengthy, and the list is growing longer by the day. A few examples of such devices are: electronic communication aids, devices that enlarge printed words on a computer screen, speech synthesizers, prosthetic devices, braille writers, and keyboards adapted for fist or foot use.
As more assistive technology devices become available to address the special needs of students with disabilities, districts are confronted with multiple challenges in that they must: (a) identify and acquire technology devices appropriate to the needs of their students with disabilities; (b) train staff in the use of the devices; (c) identify appropriate use of computers, communication devices, and other technology in the classroom; and (d) finance the cost of this related service. Additionally, districts must provide “assistive technology services” to eligible students with disabilities. Assistive technology services are defined by the IDEA as “…any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device”. Thus, school districts are also responsible for helping individuals with disabilities to select and acquire an appropriate assistive technology device and train them in its use.
Artistic/Cultural Therapies
Artistic/Cultural Therapies are specifically mentioned in federal regulations as other “supportive services” and include “artistic and cultural programs, and art, music, and dance therapy, if they are required to assist a handicapped child to benefit from special education”.
Dance therapy, for example, can develop and promote “good posture, discipline, concentration, coordination, agility, speed, balance, strength, and endurance”. Art therapy provides individuals with disabilities with a means of self-expression and opportunities to expand personal creativity and control. Music therapy is used to foster similar personal growth. Its therapeutic aims are the restoration, maintenance, and improvement of mental and physical health. This type of therapy can affect changes in behavior, social skills, perception, self-esteem, and physical mobility and skills.
Artistic and cultural therapies are designed by art therapists, dance therapists, and music therapists to address the individual needs of students with disabilities. These professionals: — assess the functioning of individual students; — design programs appropriate to the needs and abilities of students; — provide services in which movement or an art form is used in a therapeutic process to further the child’s emotional, physical, and/or cognitive development or integration; and — often act as resource persons for classroom teachers.
School Breakfast and Lunch Program
School Breakfast and Lunch Program is not a related service specifically listed in the IDEA. School meal programs are administered at the federal level by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA reimburses schools for every meal served, at rates that vary according to family income. Children may receive meals free or at a reduced price if their families meet specific income criteria.
Under USDA’s Section 504 and child nutrition regulations, schools participating in federal school meal programs are required to make a reasonable effort to provide, at no extra charge, special meals to students whose diets are restricted due to their disabilities [7 CFR Section 15b.26(d)(1)].
In order to be eligible for modified meals, a student must present a statement signed by a physician. The statement should include: (a) the disability of the student and how the disability affects the student’s diet; (b) the major life activity affected by the disability; and (c) the food(s) to be omitted from the student’s diet and those that may be substituted [7 CFR Section 210.10(i)(1) and 7 CFR Section 220.8(f)]. Adjustments to meals may include changing the texture of food, modifying the calories, and substituting different foods for those listed on the school menu.
Thus, parents need to be aware that they are responsible for: (a) requesting modification of their child’s meals, if appropriate; and (b) providing the school system with a doctor’s statement certifying their child’s disability and describing the child’s special dietary needs. If officials at the school are not familiar with these regulations, parents should contact their State school food service director, who is usually employed by the State education agency.
Because the IEP serves as a communication tool between service providers, parents, and the student with a disability, stating nutrition goals and objectives in the IEP, when appropriate, “will facilitate instruction on dietary needs and compliance”.
Related Services under Section 504
Under the IDEA, a student must be enrolled in special education to be considered eligible for related services. However, there is another federal law, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112), which in many cases broadens a student’s eligibility for related services.
According to Section 504 of the Act, State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) receiving Federal funds cannot exclude qualified individuals with disabilities from participation in or the benefits of any program or activity offered by the SEA or LEA. Regulations of the Act also specify that a recipient of Federal financial assistance operating a public elementary or secondary education program must provide a free, appropriate public education to each “qualified handicapped person” within its jurisdiction.
The Section 504 regulation defines a “handicapped person” as follows:
(1) “Handicapped persons” means any person who (i) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities; (ii) has a record of such an impairment, or (iii) is regarded as having such an impairment… (2) (ii) “Major life activities means functions such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. [34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 104.3(j), 1988]
Under the Section 504 regulation:
“Qualified handicapped person” means: …[w]ith respect to … elementary [and] secondary … education services, a handicapped person (i) of an age during which non-handicapped persons are provided such services, (ii) of any age during which it is mandatory under state law to provide such services to handicapped persons, or (iii) to whom a state is required to provide a free appropriate public education under Section 612 of the Education of the Handicapped Act. [34 CFR Section 104.3(k)(2), 1988]
The free appropriate public education must meet the individual needs of students who are “qualified handicapped persons” as adequately as the needs of students without disabilities are met. Such an education, according to the Section 504 regulation, can consist of either regular or special education and must include any related aids or services necessary to provide a free appropriate public education designed to meet the individual student’s needs. The law also requires that recipients of Federal funds operating public elementary or secondary education programs evaluate any person who needs or is believed to need special education or related services because of disability. Thus, Section 504 does not require a student to be enrolled in special education in order to receive related services.
The fact that the IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act define eligibility for, and entitlement to, related services in different ways can complicate how a school district decides if a student is eligible for and/or must be provided with services or not. School districts can fulfill the requirements of certain sections of the Section 504 regulation by complying with the EHA (now IDEA) (Daniels, 1988).1 However, it is possible for a school district to be in violation of the Section 504 regulation while still being in compliance with the IDEA. This can happen when a school district denies services to an individual who has a disability not specified under the IDEA but who is considered “handicapped” under Section 504. For example, there are school districts that have failed to administer medication to students with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), because ADD is not listed as a handicapping condition under the IDEA. However, such students may be entitled to have the school district administer medication as a related service under Section 504, if the student meets the Section 504 definition of “handicapped person.”
An individualized evaluation would need to be made by a multidisciplinary team to determine whether the student is “handicapped” within the meaning of Section 504; that is, whether the student has an impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities (e.g., learning). Once it is determined that a student is handicapped within the meaning of Section 504 and meets other applicable eligibility requirements (such as age requirements), public elementary or secondary education programs receiving Federal financial assistance are required by Section 504 to provide a free appropriate public education to that student, without regard to the nature or severity of the individual’s disability. The free appropriate public education must include any related aids or services, such as administering medication, that are necessary to meet the individual student’s needs.
Because the definition of disability is broader under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act than under the IDEA, many parents whose children are ineligible for related services under the IDEA are filing complaints with OCR, alleging that denial of related services denied their children a free appropriate public education. It should be noted that when OCR investigates a complaint, it does so solely on the basis of compliance with the rules and regulations of Section 504. OCR does not make findings of a school district’s compliance or noncompliance with the IDEA. In addition, an OCR investigation focuses primarily on the process used to identify, evaluate, and place students with disabilities, rather than on whether the program ultimately chosen by the district was appropriate. As the Appendix to the Section 504 regulation states:
It is not the intention of [OCR], except in extraordinary circumstances, to review the result of individual placement and other educational decisions, so long as the school district complies with the “process” requirements of this subpart (concerning identification and location, evaluation, and due process procedures). However, [OCR] will place a high priority on investigating cases which may involve exclusion of a child from the education system or a pattern or practice of discriminatory placements or education.
An example of a pattern or practice of discriminatory placements or education is a school district’s refusal to provide related services to any students who are ineligible for such services under the IDEA, even if those students are “qualified handicapped persons” under the Section 504 regulation. Recent investigations have resulted in OCR rulings that individuals who have disabilities not specified in the IDEA are often eligible for related services under Section 504.
The IDEA and Section 504 differ in another, important aspect besides their definitions of “disability.” The IDEA:
…is a federal grant program, authorizing federal funds to states to assist them in the provision of special education and related services to “eligible” students. Section 504 is a civil rights statute, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of handicap.
Therefore, although school districts must comply with the regulations of Section 504 if they want to retain Federal financial assistance, they do not receive Federal funds to pay for services provided to students with disabilities under Section 504.
Parents and professionals who are interested in more information about how Section 504 regulations affect the provision of related services should contact any of OCR’s regional offices.
How Are Related Services Obtained for Students?
Usually, the need for related services is identified during the process of evaluating a student for special education. Because far-reaching decisions are made based upon the evaluation of a student with a suspected disability, it is useful to know that both the IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act state that decisions about the educational program of a student may not be based solely on the findings of a single evaluation instrument. Rather, data must come from a variety of sources, including “aptitude and achievement tests, teacher recommendations, physical condition, social or cultural background, and adaptive behavior” [34 CFR Section 104.35(c), 1988]. Furthermore, data must be collected in all areas related to the student’s suspected disability. This may include, where appropriate, “health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status, and motor abilities” (Arena, 1989, p. 23). Federal law also requires that the evaluation must be conducted by a multidisciplinary team, including at least one teacher who is knowledgeable in the area of the suspected disability.
The extensive nature of the evaluation process should provide decision-makers with the information they need to determine an appropriate educational program for the student. It also allows them to identify the related services a student will need. At this point, decision-makers — including the parents and, where appropriate, the student — sit down and write an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for the student. The IEP details the educational goals and objectives for the student and lists the related services that are necessary to help the student attain those goals and objectives. It is useful to note that related services personnel are not required to participate in the IEP meeting. However, it is appropriate for them to participate or otherwise take part in IEP development. The written findings and recommendations of related services personnel should become part of the child’s evaluation report. Thus, the related services needed by the student must be listed in the IEP, regardless of whether the district currently makes the services available. The IEP establishes the genuine need to be met and must describe related services according to:
— the service(s) needed (e.g., occupational therapy) — the type of service (e.g., direct service to the child; consulting services to teachers or others) — the type of service provider(s) (e.g., occupational therapist) — the frequency and duration of the service (e.g., two 45-minute periods per week).
The IEP then serves as a written commitment for delivery of services to meet a student’s educational needs. The school district must provide all of the services specified in the IEP, in the amount and degree specified. Changes in the amount of services listed in the IEP cannot be made without holding another IEP meeting. However, if there is no change in the overall amount of service, some adjustments in scheduling of services should be possible without the necessity of another IEP meeting.
The above description of the evaluation process, IEP development, and the specification of related services to be delivered to a student with a disability assumes that the student was found eligible for special education and related services. What happens when things don’t go so smoothly? For example, the school district may determine, via its evaluation, that the student does not require special education and, thus, is ineligible under the IDEA for related services. Or perhaps the parents are dissatisfied with the way that related services are being provided to their child or believe that their child needs related services that the school district does not provide or feels are unnecessary. What happens then?
Here are some points parents may want to bear in mind in such situations:
1. The IDEA enumerates procedural safeguards that school districts must adhere to in the delivery of educational services. These safeguards establish due process procedures through which parents and children with disabilities can resolve differences with the school district (34 CFR Sections 300.500 – §300.514, 1988). Among the procedures are: the right to an independent evaluation at public expense, the right to an impartial due process hearing, the right to an administrative appeal and impartial review of the evidence, and the right to take civil action.
2. Therefore, if the school district determines that a student with a disability does not require special education and denies that student related services, parents may request that the district pay for an independent evaluation. If the district should refuse this request, parents may ask for a hearing before an impartial hearing officer to resolve this difference.
3. The parents can also decide to pay for the independent evaluation privately. In this case, they should receive a written evaluation report specifying (a) the problem the child has; (b) precisely how that problem affects the child’s ability to make progress toward the goals of his or her IEP; (c) recommendations on the type of service needed, the way it should be provided, how often and for how long, and the type of personnel who should deliver the services; and (d) a description of the goals of the related service program that is recommended. The school district must take the results of the private evaluation into account when making a decision about a student’s eligibility for related services.
4. Parents may also wish to negotiate with the school district to see if the student is eligible for related services under Section 504 criteria. If parents do not agree with the district’s decision, again, they can ask that a hearing officer review the evidence. As a final step, parents can also file a complaint with the regional office of the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). An OCR hearing officer will also review the evidence and decide if the district is obligated to provide the related services.
5. When a student’s need for related services is not linked to his or her ability to benefit from special education and is, therefore, not part of the IEP, parents have other options apart from the school system. For example, parents may seek services from rehabilitation organizations, private therapists, medical organizations, clinics, and other agencies.
This latter point may be important for parents to consider when trying to obtain related services for their child with a disability. Although parents do have due process rights which they can invoke when differences with the school district arise, they should be aware the problems can often be worked out informally. Many states have alternatives to the formal appeal process, including conciliatory conferences, administrative reviews, and mediation. Flexibility and reasonableness are key factors in working out differences, and compromise on the parts of both the parents and the school district may be necessary. There are many benefits to resolving differences through compromise and mediation. Not only is time saved and the cost of litigation avoided, but the relationship between parents and the school district will remain a working one, where communication is still open, people are still talking, and future decisions are not made impossible by past differences.
How Are Related Services Delivered?
The district decides how the services enumerated in the IEP will be delivered to the student. The district may provide these services through its own personnel resources, but if this is not possible, they may contract with another public or private agency, which then provides the services.
There are two kinds of related services interventions offered by schools to meet the range of student needs. These can be defined as follows:
— Direct Therapy refers to hands-on interactions between the therapist and the student. These interactions can take place in a variety of settings. The therapist analyzes student responses and uses specific techniques to develop or improve particular skills. The therapist should also monitor the student’s performance within the educational environment and consult with teachers and parents on an ongoing basis, so that some strategies can be carried out through indirect means at other times.
— Indirect Therapy refers to teaching, consulting with, and directly supervising other team members (including paraprofessionals and parents) so that they can carry out therapeutically-appropriate activities. Trained assistants, such as a certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, are sometimes employed to share in the delivery of related services. Three essentials of indirect intervention are: (a) the intervention procedure is designed by the therapist for an individual student; (b) the therapist has regular opportunities to interact with the student; and (c) the therapist provides ongoing training, follow-up, and support to staff members and parents.
One type of service intervention is not necessarily better than the other. The type of service provided depends upon the student’s needs and educational goals, and the skills and availability of school staff.
In small and rural districts, often there are not sufficient numbers of eligible students to justify employing a full-time therapist, or requirements across schools in a district may add up to the need for one related service provider. In such cases, the district may employ one specialist to move from school to school, or several districts may use a cooperative approach, pooling their resources to hire personnel who travel among districts to provide services. The term itinerant services is used to describe this type of service provision, but it refers to the deployment of personnel, not to a specific type of service intervention.
How Are Related Services Coordinated?
The IDEA requires that a multidisciplinary team perform an evaluation of a student to determine his or her eligibility for special education and related services. Likewise, a multidisciplinary team must be involved in any placement decisions. This team generally consists of a representative of the public agency who is qualified to provide or supervise the provision of special education and/or related services, the student’s teacher, one or both of the student’s parents, the student (where appropriate), individuals whose input is requested by either the parents or the public agency, and a member of the evaluation team who is knowledgeable about how the evaluation was conducted and its findings. The student’s IEP is developed through the joint efforts of these individuals, and necessary related services are specified.
Obviously, the process of developing an IEP can be complicated, requiring many people to interact and coordinate their efforts. Many school districts appoint a school staff member (such as a teacher, psychologist, or counselor) to act as coordinator or case manager of the IEP process for an individual student or for all children with disabilities in a school. This is not required by law, but it helps the school district manage the complicated task of evaluating students and developing IEPs. The kinds of activities that a coordinator or case manager might do include:
— coordinating the multidisciplinary evaluation; — collecting and synthesizing evaluation reports and other relevant information that might be needed to the IEP meeting; — communicating with parents; and — conducting the IEP meeting.
Beyond development, however, there is implementation of the IEP. Depending on the nature of the related services to be provided, many other professionals may become involved on behalf of the student with a disability. This may include one or more therapists, a special educator, classroom teachers, counselors, the school principal, paraprofessionals, and others. These individuals work not only with the child, but also with the family and community resources. Furthermore, there must be communication between the IEP team and the related service provider(s) to ensure that services are being delivered as specified and that the student is making progress. If the student is not progressing as expected, adjustments in his or her program must be made. The IEP team would need to be involved in any such decisions, and the new plan would need to be communicated to the related services personnel.
Thus, it is highly desirable that related services be delivered in educational settings through a team approach. Related services are not to be isolated from the educational program. Rather, they are to be related to the educational needs of students. The interactions of professional staff, consultants, community, and family, brought together in the delivery of related services for a student, underscore the usefulness of a case management approach in which a team leader coordinates and orchestrates services on behalf of the student.
Under P.L. 94-142 and its amendments, including the recently passed IDEA, students with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education. State education agencies are responsible for assuming the costs of that public education, and no costs of implementing the IEP for school-aged students can be passed on to parents or guardians. This includes the provision of related services. Students and their families are entitled to receive these services at no cost to themselves.
Funding of related services, of course, presents schools with an enormous fiscal obligation. While districts receive federal funds through the IDEA to assist them in providing special education programs and related services for students with disabilities, the costs can nonetheless become quite staggering. Even before the passage of the EHA, the landmark case of Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia affirmed that school districts are responsible for meeting the educational needs of students with disabilities. The school board in Mills argued that it could not afford to offer an appropriate education to all its students with disabilities. The court responded that whatever inadequacies existed in the school system could not be allowed to impact more heavily on the exceptional child than on a child without disabilities.
Clearly, a school district’s responsibility to students with disabilities is extensive and expensive. What other funding sources are available, besides the IDEA, to pay the costs of special education and related services? Since the enactment of the original EHA (P.L. 94-142), several new sources of funding have emerged. The Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act became Public Law 100-360 on July 1, 1988. Although this legislation primarily concerned Medicare and has been repealed, it also contained an amendment to the Social Security Act that affects Medicaid (which is a joint federal-state program providing health care services for low-income persons). The 1988 amendments authorize Medicaid reimbursements for Medicaid-covered related services in the IEPs of Medicare-eligible students with disabilities. The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989, which further amended the federal Medicaid statute, also provides that treatment needs recommended through Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment process (EPSDT) “must include any services that are available under Medicaid, regardless of whether the state has opted to include such service as part of its Medicaid state plan”. As a result, some school districts are now receiving funds through Medicaid for certain related services that are provided in the public schools.
Another potential funding source that has come into use in the last decade is third-party billing. Third-party billing means that parents of students with disabilities use their private health insurance to pay for the individual evaluations or related services that their child receives. The idea of third-party billing arose out of somewhat ambiguous regulations under both EHA and Section 504 that state that insurers are not relieved of their obligation to “provide or pay for services provided to a handicapped child” [34 CFR § 300.301(b), 1988]. Third-party billing has been seen as a promising way for school districts to pay for related services, but it has also become controversial. As early as 1980, the U.S. Department of Education released a policy interpretation stating that educational agencies could not compel parents of a child with a disability to file an insurance claim that would pose a realistic threat to the parents in terms of financial loss. Examples of financial loss include, but are not limited to: (1) decreases in available lifetime coverage or other insurance benefits; (2) increases in insurance premiums; (3) discontinuation of the insurance policy; or (4) out-of-pocket expenses such as deductibles. However, the Department of Education did state that districts may require parents to file an insurance claim when: (a) doing so would not result in cost to the parents; and (b) the district ensures that parents do not have to bear even a short-term financial loss, such as paying a deductible. Moreover, parents should be aware that a district may not terminate services to a student with a disability if parents refuse to file an insurance claim.
Even where parents allow third-party billing, the district may still not be able to get reimbursed by insurance companies for providing related services. Some insurance policies specifically exclude coverage of services that the insured can obtain free under federal, state, or local laws.
Are There Shortages of Personnel for Related Services?
The answer is: Yes. The shortage of related services personnel is a recurring theme in state data on special education programs and related services. Personnel reported to be in the shortest supply are occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, counselors, social workers, and speech/language pathologists. The results of several recent studies attest to the problems that school districts face in finding, hiring, and keeping personnel in these important related services areas.
Salaries, of course, are a factor in these shortages, inasmuch as hospitals and private agencies can often offer greater compensation than can schools. But other factors include the lack of trained applicants for school positions and competition with other agencies who provide related services to the elderly population, infants at risk, and accident trauma victims.
Not only are vacancies difficult to fill in many districts, but the scarcity of personnel leads to heavier case loads for those who are employed. To improve assessment and treatment, increase student contact hours, and allow more services for students who need them most, additional personnel time is certainly needed. There is also a pressing need to hire school-employed related service providers, rather than obtaining them through contractual arrangements with other agencies, as is often the case at present. However, many therapists are trained predominantly for clinical work and often prefer clinical rather than school settings. As demographics in the United States change, the shrinking representation of minorities in teaching and related services is also of concern.
All of these personnel shortages impact greatly on the school district’s ability to provide related services to students with disabilities.
In Conclusion: Addressing the Problems Together
Without a doubt, many school districts face very real problems in meeting their responsibility of providing the related services needed by school-aged children with disabilities. Chief among these problems are a shortage of personnel to provide related services and a shortage of monies to fund them. While school districts are required by federal law to provide related services, constructive action is needed on the parts of parents, practitioners, and school administrators in order to improve the situation. Here are some suggestions for action that can ease the budget and personnel crunch experienced by many school districts, without sacrificing the welfare of students who require related services in order to benefit from their education.
1. Write a complete IEP. Related services needed by a student should be listed in the IEP. Not listing related services in the IEP leads to inaccurate reporting of needed personnel in national and state data collection efforts, which distorts the true picture of the supply/demand problem. Therefore, the documentation of related services and personnel needs begins with the IEP. If that documentation is faulty, understanding of supply/demand becomes skewed. Plans that are made based upon this documentation are similarly skewed, and the problem of personnel shortages is perpetuated.
2. Walk in each other’s shoes. The shortage of personnel and monies is real. There are simply not enough qualified related services personnel to fill all vacancies. At the same time, the news is filled with reports of school districts that cannot pay for the educational services they are required by law to provide. Parents, understandably, find it unacceptable that difficulties may exist in meeting their child’s legitimate needs. The law, after all, guarantees their child’s right to a free appropriate public education. Many parents may hold the view that the difficulties faced by school districts in terms of personnel and funding are the school district’s concern, while the child’s welfare is the parent’s concern. Ultimately, however, the difficulties school districts face impact most upon those individuals who need the services _ namely, eligible students with disabilities.
3. Improve coordination of services and responsibility- sharing. No single agency alone can handle the increasingly complex needs of children. There is a major and growing need for coordination of services, for resource and program sharing, and for new patterns of interagency collaboration and cooperative services involving schools, mental health, human services, welfare, health agencies, juvenile justice, homeless centers, and other services. Often, coordination and cooperation can be achieved more effectively at the grass-roots level, with the assistance and involvement of concerned citizens, parents, and professionals, rather than through state and federal mandates.
4. Become a creative networker. There are many ways of finding services and establishing opportunities that go beyond what the school district offers to your child or youth with a disability. Be creative in building a team that utilizes the many resources available within your school and community. These resources can offer valuable learning experiences for your child. Become a networker. Talk to people such as reading specialists in the school, the chairperson of volunteer activities in the school or community, club leaders, librarians, and individuals involved in school or community sports programs. Explore what opportunities can be created for your child in recreational or after-school activities. Many parents have succeeded in networking with people within and outside of special education who are willing to involve children and youth with disabilities in activities offered by their club, organization, or place of employment. Becoming involved in school and community activities can give individuals with disabilities the opportunity to grow and learn academically, vocationally, and socially.
5. Take constructive action. Local parents, practitioners, and principals can activate entire communities in plans to staff the schools with excellent people. Among the strategies that can be carried out, both in rural and urban areas, are:
— encouragement of local students to enter careers in special education and related services;
— roles for high school students as tutors and aides;
— negotiations with higher education institutions anywhere in the country to place student teachers and interns in the district;
— development of community-wide and school-based incentives and a welcoming atmosphere to attract new personnel;
— planning with local businesses to offer jobs to spouses of teachers who might relocate;
— acquiring and/or raising scholarship funds for promising young people who will return to the community after completing professional training;
— arrangements with higher education to deliver locally-based training to increase the population of aides and assistants in the schools, and to provide career ladders whereby these personnel can acquire professional credentials;
— human-centered interagency cooperation that can extend and enrich services to all children;
— planned agendas of school improvement and community pride activities that will make your town a better place to live and work. ____________________
CLEARINGHOUSES AND INFORMATION CENTERS–
Clearinghouse on Disability Information – Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Room 3132, Switzer Building, 330 C Street S.W., Washington, DC 20202-2524. Telephone: (202) 205-8241.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services – University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 101 Park Building, School of Education, Greensboro, NC 27412-5001. Telephone: 1-800-414-9769.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education – The Council for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091. Telephone: 1-800-328-0272.
National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education – Council for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091. Telephone: 1-800-641-7824; (703) 264-9474.
National Information Center on Deafness – Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20002-3695. Telephone: (202) 651-5051 (Voice); (202) 651-5052 (TT).
National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals in Education and Related Human Services – 25 West 43rd Street, Room 620N, New York, NY 10036. Telephone: (212) 642-2948.
OTHER NATIONAL INFORMATION RESOURCES–
ABLEDATA – National Rehabilitation Information Center, 8455 Colesville Road, Suite 935, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3319. Telephone: (800) 227-0216 (V/TT); (301) 588-9284 (V/TT).
Alliance for Technology Access – 2175 East Francisco Boulevard, Suite L, San Rafael, CA 94901. Telephone: (415) 455-4575.
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance – 1900 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091. Telephone: (703) 476-3481.
American Art Therapy Association, Inc. – 1202 Allanson Road, Mundelein, IL 60060. Telephone: (708) 949-6064.
American Counseling Association – 5999 Stevenson Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304. Telephone: (703) 823-9800.
American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) – Suite 108, 2000 Century Plaza, Columbia, MD 21044. Telephone: (410) 997-4040.
American Dietetic Association – Practice Team, 216 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606-6995. Telephone: (312) 899-4815.
American Foundation for Technology Assistance, Inc. – Route 14, Box 230, Morganton, NC 28655. Telephone: (704) 438-9697.
American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. – 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. Telephone: (301) 652-2682.
American Physical Therapy Association – 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Telephone: 1-800-999-2782.
American Psychological Association – 750 First Street N.E., Washington, DC 20002-4242. Telephone: (202) 336-5500.
American School Counselor Association – 5999 Stevenson Avenue, Alexandria, Va 22304. Telephone: (703) 823-9800.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association – 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. Telephone: 1-800-638-8255; (301) 897-5700 (voice/TT); (301) 897-0157 (TT).
Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) – 615 16th Street N.W., Albuquerque, NM 87104. Telephone: (505) 243-7622.
Helen Keller National Center, – Technical Assistance Center (TAC) -111 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point, NY 11050-1299. Telephone: (516) 944-8900.
National Association for Music Therapy, Inc. – 8455 Colesville Road, Suite 930, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Telephone: (301) 589-3300.
National Association of School Nurses – Lamplighter Lane, P.O. Box 1300, Scarborough, Maine 04070-1300. Telephone: (207) 883-2117.
National Association of School Psychologists – 8455 Colesville Road, Suite 1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Telephone: (301) 608-0500.
National Association of Social Workers, Inc. – 750 First Street N.E., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20002. Telephone: 1-800-638-8799.
National Institute of Art and Disabilities (NIAD) – 551 23rd Street, Richmond, CA 94804. Telephone: (510) 620-0290.
National Therapeutic Recreation Society – 2775 S. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA 22206. Telephone: (703) 820-4940.
RESNA, RESNA Technical Assistance Project, 1700 N. Moore Street, Suite 1540, Arlington, VA 22209. Telephone: (703) 524-6686.
Trace Research and Development Center – S-151 Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705. Telephone: (608) 262-6966 (Voice); (608) 263-5408 (TDD).
Very Special Arts – 1331 F Street N.W., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004. Telephone: (202) 662-0300 (Voice) and (202) 737-0645 (TT).
Autism-PDD Resources Network information and support online and all the links and formatting from the main page (http://www.autism-pdd.net/)are by Autism-PDD Resources Network. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Autism, which affects thought, perception, and attention, is not just one disorder with a well-defined set of symptoms; autism is a broad spectrum of disorders that range from mild to severe. In addition, the behavior usually occurs across many different situations and is consistently inappropriate for their age.
In the diagnostic manual used to classify disabilities, the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994), “autistic disorder” is listed as a category under the heading of “Pervasive Developmental Disorders.” A diagnosis of autistic disorder is made when an individual displays 6 or more of 12 symptoms listed across three major areas: social interaction, communication, and behavior. When children display similar behaviors but do not meet the criteria for autistic disorder, they may receive a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder-NOS (PDD not otherwise specified).
Problems in social relatedness andcommunication. (Difficulty in mixing with other children; prefers to be alone; aloof manner; difficulty in expressing needs; uses gestures or pointing instead of words ).
Abnormal responses to one or acombination of senses; such as sight, hearing, touch, balance, smell, taste, and reaction to pain.
Sustained odd play. Uneven gross/ fine motor skills. Not responsive to verbal cues acts as deaf. Little or no eye contact. Insistence on sameness; resist changes in routine. Noticeable physical overactivity or extreme under-activity. Tantrums; display extreme distress for no apparent reason.
Autism Resources Speech and language absence or delays. Inappropriate laughing and giggling. Echolalia (repeating words or phrases in place of normal language).
Abnormal ways of relating to people, objects, and events. (Inappropriate attachment to objects; don’t seek cuddling ) Spins objects.
An aspect of language that tends to be disturbed in autistic people has to do with knowing how to use language appropriately and in context. That includes knowing how to hold a conversation, thinking about what the other person in a conversation understands and believes, and tuning in to the meta-linguistic signals of the other person, such as facial expression, tone of voice, and body language. It is important to remember that communication is as much nonverbal as it is verbal, and autistic people have great difficulty understanding nonverbal language.
The following is from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM IV):
DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR 299.00 AUTISTIC DISORDER
A. A total of six (or more) items from(1), (2), and (3), with at least two from (1), and one each from (2) and (3)
(1) qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
a) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
b) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
c) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people, (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
d) lack of social or emotional reciprocity ( note: in the description, it gives the following as examples: not actively participating in simple social play or games, preferring solitary activities, or involving others in activities only as tools or “mechanical” aids )
(2) qualitative impairments in communication as manifested by at least one of the following:
a) delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime)
b) in individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
c) stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language
d) lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play appropriate to the developmental level
(3) restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least two of the following:
a) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
b) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
c) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
d) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
B. Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years:
(1) social interaction
(2) language as used in social communication
(3) symbolic or imaginative play
C. The disturbance is not better accounted for by Rett’s Disorder or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
Autism and related disabilities, such as PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified), and Asperger’s Syndrome is difficult to diagnose, especially in young children where speech and reasoning skills are still developing. It is essential that the process of diagnosing Autism & related disabilities include the assessment and evaluation of a child’s development, communication, and social skills.
Evaluation and assessment are ongoing processes. Once a diagnosis has been reached, this process should be repeated periodically. We included brief descriptions of some medical tests and evaluations that may be ordered for children suspected of having autism or a related disability.
Medical Tests The following medical tests may help with diagnosis and possibly suggest changes in the intervention or treatment strategy.
Hearing: Various tests such as an Audiogram and Typanogram can indicate whether a child has a hearing impairment. Audiologists, or hearing specialists, have methods to test the hearing of any individual by measuring responses such as turning their head, blinking, or staring when a sound is presented.
Electroencephalogram (EEG): An EEG measures brain waves that can show seizure disorders. In addition, an EEG may indicate tumors or other brain abnormalities. An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a recording that shows the variations in electrical potentials at a number of scalp sites.
Inside the brain, neurons produce their own electrical fields. The electric fields are measured in units of microvolts. It is thought that an unhealthy brain will have large changes in electrical potential compared to the potentials produced by a healthy brain.
However, in order to observe an unhealthy brain, it must be compared to the same brain when it was healthy. So, for example, to measure the difference between a brain undergoing a seizure, the EEG must last long enough for the seizure to occur. Often a video EEG is done over a period of a day or a week.
This form of measuring brain activity is noninvasive (doesn’t require any surgical cuts) and it is relatively inexpensive. This method gives numerical results. The patterns of the numbers are then used to determine whether or not the brain is healthy.
The results can also be used to determine which section of the brain is causing problems. Additional tests will likely be needed to make an accurate diagnosis of these conditions.
Metabolic Screening: Blood and urine lab tests measure how a child metabolizes food and its impact on growth and development. Some Autism spectrum disorders can be treated with special diets.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): An MRI involves using magnetic sensing equipment to create an image of the brain in extremely fine detail. Sometimes children are sedated in order to complete the MRI.
Computer-Assisted Axial Tomography (CAT SCAN): An X-Ray tube rotates around the child taking thousands of exposures that are sent to a computer where the X-rayed section of the body is reconstructed in great detail. CAT Scans are helpful in diagnosing structural problems with the brain.
Genetic Testing: Blood tests look for abnormalities in the genes that could cause a developmental disability. Return to Top
Therapy Evaluations Many children with Autism and related disabilities require some form of special therapy. Evaluation can help determine the potential benefits of therapy.
Speech-Language Therapy: It is recognized that autistic children have difficulties with language, but it is clear that traditional approaches emphasizing mastery of the formal properties of language are largely inappropriate: training children to speak is not going to bring about a transformation of their behavior.
The autistic child needs to learn not so much how to speak as to how to use language socially to communicate. Some autistic children are nonverbal, and some who are verbal may also have deficiencies or are unable to use language in a meaningful way. A Speech Pathologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of language and speech disorders can help a child learn how to effectively communicate.
Occupational Therapy: Commonly focuses on improving fine motor skills, such as brushing teeth, feeding, and writing, or sensory-motor skills that include balance (Vestibular System), awareness of body position (Proprioceptive System), and touch (Tactile System).
After a therapist identifies a specific problem, therapy may include sensory integration activities such as massage, firm touch, ex..
Physical Therapy: Specializes in developing strength, coordination, and movement. Therapists work on improving gross motor skills. This therapy is concerned with improving the function of the body’s larger muscles through physical activities including exercise.
Direct ObservationDirect observation, interaction, and interview assessments: Information about a child’s emotional, social, communication, and cognitive abilities is gathered through child-directed interactions, observations in various situations, and interviews of parents and caregivers.
Parents and family members should be actively involved throughout these assessments. What actually occurs during a specific assessment depends on what information parents and evaluators want to know.
Functional assessments: Aim to discover why a challenging behavior (such as head banging) is occurring. Based on the premise that challenging behaviors are a way of communicating, functional assessment involves interviews, direct observations, and interactions to determine what a child with autism or a related disability is trying to communicate through their behavior.
Once the purpose of the challenging behavior is determined, an alternative, more acceptable means for achieving that purpose can be developed. This helps eliminate the challenging behavior.
Play-based assessments: Involve adult observation in structured and unstructured play situations that provide information about a child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and communication development. By determining the child’s learning style and interaction pattern through play-based assessments, an individualized treatment plan can be developed.
Return to Top
Standardized instruments are formal methods used to determine different levels of cognitive development.
Rating Scales & Developmental Inventories: Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and Childhood Autism Rating Scale are examples of standardized tests that measure a child’s general developmental skills, including socialization skills and coping skills. Scores are based on parent interviews and evaluator observations.
Intelligence Tests (IQ): Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and other intelligence tests attempt to determine an individual’s intelligence based on standardized criteria. The results of educational tests are often provided in composite scores.
On the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, (WISC-III), three scores are usually provided: Verbal IQ (VIQ), Performance IQ (PIQ), and a Full Scale IQ (FSIQ). Each of these tests provides a composite score. Both the Verbal and Performance IQ scores are composites of five different sub tests. Intelligence Tests (IQ)do not necessarily measure an autistic child true abilities and unique potential to develop. Return to Top
This chart shows some of the 1997 amendments to the Act. Please note: this is only a partial overview and is not meant to substitute reading of the legislative language.
Update: Anticipating Final Regulations for IDEA 1997 On June 23, 1998, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee ofthe House Appropriations Committee developed a draft of (marked up) the fiscal year 1999bill and included several provisions that, if passed, would bring changes to IDEA 97.
The Appropriations Committee was scheduled to vote on the fiscal year 1999 spending billon July 14, 1998, and send it on to the House on July 22. However, the bill has been pulledand is being held over until after Congress returns from its August recess.
BEFORE
1997 IDEA AMENDMENTS
Part A . Sec.602(1)(B).Definitions:”Child with a Disability” – allows use of
“developmental delay” for ages 3-5.
Sec. 602(3)(B). Definitions: “Child with a Disability” – allows use of “developmental delay” for ages 3 through 9
Sec. 612(2)(C). “Child Find”: States are required to identify, locate, and evaluate children with disabilities in need of special education & related services.
Sec. 612(a)(3). “Child Find”: Same, with
following additions:a. “Child find” includes children with disabilities in private schools.
b. Nothing in the Act requires classification by disability, as long as child meets federal eligibility definition.
Sec. 612(5)(B). “LRE”: States must have procedures to ensure that, to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including those in public/private institutions,
are educated with non-disabled children, and that removal from the regular education environment only occurs when education in that setting, with supplementary aids and services, cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
Sec. 612(a)(5). “LRE”: Same, with following additions:a. If intrastate funding mechanism is based on type of setting, results cannot be placements that violate LRE.
b. If State does not have policies/
procedures that comply with a. (see above), State must provide assurance that it will revise funding mechanism as soon as feasible to conform to a.
Sec. 613(a)(4), (d). Children Enrolled in Private Schools:a. Special education & related service will be provided to children in private schools, if those children are placed there by SEA/LEA.
b. Federal payment may not exceed “per child” amount for those children in public schools.
Sec. 612(a)(10). Children in Private Schools:a. Children enrolled by parents in private schools are eligible for special education & related services under following requirements:
(1) Amounts spent for those services shall be equal to a proportionate amount of federal funds available under Part B;
(2) Services may be provided on premises of private, including parochial, schools, as consistent with law;
(3) “Child find” shall apply to children in private, including parochial, schools.
b. LEA is not required to reimburse costs of special education if parent unilaterally placed child in private school.
(1) Reimbursement may be available if court/hearing officer determines that LEA had not made FAPE available in timely manner prior to enrollment in private school.
(2) Reimbursement may be reduced or denied if:
(a) at IEP meeting prior to removal, parents did not inform team that placement was rejected and that they intended to place child in private school at public expense; or, 10 business days prior to removal, parents did not give written notice to LEA of rejection of placement and intent to remove;
(b) prior to removal, LEA informed parents of intent to evaluate child, but parents did not make child available; or(c) judicial finding of unreasonableness on parents’ part.
(3) Reimbursement may not be reduced or denied for failure to provide notice [see (2)(a) above] if:
(a) parents are illiterate and cannot write English;
(b) compliance would result in physical/emotional harm to child;
(c) school prevented parent from providing notice; or
(d) parents had not receive notice of requirement.
d. If public agencies (see c.) fail to provide or pay for services, LEA or SEA shall provide or pay for such services, and may then claim reimbursement for these
services,
and the responsible agencies shall pay in accord with agreements.e. Requirements of a.
may be met through.
(1) State statute or regulation;
(2) signed agreements between agency officials;
(3) other appropriate methods as determined by Governor or designee.
Sec. 613(a)(14). Personnel Standards: State shall establish and maintain standards to ensure that personnel are appropriately and adequately prepared and trained, including:a. standards consistent with any State-approved or recognized certification/ licenser or other
comparable requirements; and,
b. to the extent those standards are not based on highest requirements in the State applicable to a specific profession or discipline, steps State is taking to retrain or hire personnel that meet those highest requirements.
Sec. 612(a)(15). Personnel Standards: Same, with the following additions:a. State standards shall allow paraprofessionals and assistants who are appropriately trained and supervised to assist in provision of special education and related services.
b. State may require LEAs to make ongoing good faith effort to recruit and hire appropriately and adequately trained personnel, including, in a geographic area of the State where there are shortages, the most qualified individuals available who are making satisfactory progress toward completing applicable course work necessary to meet the highest standard within three years.
N/A
Sec. 612(a)(17). Participation in State Assessments: Children with disabilities will be included in general State and District wide assessments, with appropriate accommodations.a. SEA or LEA shall develop guidelines for participation; and, develop, and, no later than July 1, 2000, conduct alternate assessments.
b. SEA must report, with the same frequency it does for non disabled students;
(1) the number of children participating in regular assessments, and the number of children participating in alternate assessments;
(2) performance on regular assessments, beginning not later than July 1, 1998, and on alternate assessments, not later than July 1, 2000.
c. Performance data will be desegregated for assessments conducted after July 1, 1998; and, for assessments conducted prior to that date, if the State is required to desegregate data.
School-Based Improvement
Plan: N/A
Sec. 613(g). School-Based Improvement Plan:a. SEA may grant authority to LEA to use Part B funds for a period not to exceed 3 years to permit a public school within its jurisdiction to design/implement school-based improvement plan to improve educational/ transitional results for children with disabilities and non disabled children, as consistent with sec. 613(a)(4).
b. LEA shall have sole responsibility for oversight of activities relating to design and implementation of plan.
c. Plan shall:
(1) be consistent with State Improvement Plan [sec. 651(b)];
(2) be designed, implemented, & evaluated by a school-based standing panel (see below);
(3) include goals and measurable indicators to assess the progress of the school in meeting these goals;
(4) ensure that all provisions of IEPs are met.
Sec. 614(d)(1). Direct Provision of Special Education & Related Services by the SEA: SEA will provide direct services to children with disabilities whenever SEA determines that LEAa. is unable or unwilling to establish/maintain FAPE;
b. is unable or unwilling to be consolidated with other LEAs;
c. has one or more children who can best be served by a regional or State center.
Sec. 613(h). Direct Services by the SEA: Current law with the following changes-SEA will provide direct services if LEA:
a. has not provided information needed to establish eligibility;
b. is unable [Delete “unwilling”] to establish/maintain FAPE.
Disciplinary Information: N/A
Sec. 613(j). Disciplinary Information:a. State may require LEAs to include, in the records of a child with a disability, statement of current or previous disciplinary action.
b. Statement will be included in and transmitted with other student records to same extent that such information would be included in/transmitted with records for non disabled students.
c. Statement may include description of any behavior that required disciplinary action, description of action taken, and other information relevant to child’s safety or safety of those involved with that child.
Sec. 612(20(C); 612(5)(C); 614(a)(1)(A). Evaluation:a. Both SEA and LEA must identify, locate, and evaluate children with disabilities to determine their eligibility for special education and related services.
b. SEA must establish procedures to assure that testing and evaluation materials and placement procedures will be selected and administered so as not to be culturally or racially discriminatory.
Sec. 614(a)-(c). Evaluations and Reevaluations:a. SEA or LEA shall conduct initial evaluation to determine whether child is a child with a disability and to determine educational needs.
(1) Agency must obtain informed consent from parents before conducting evaluation, and consent shall not be construed as consent for placement.
(2) If parents refuse consent for evaluation, agency may pursue evaluation through mediation and due process procedures.b. Reevaluation:
(1) LEA shall ensure reevaluation if conditions warrant or if parents or child’s teacher requests reevaluation, at least once every 3 years.
(2) Parents’ informed consent should be secured prior to reevaluation; however, not necessary if LEA can demonstrate that reasonable measures taken to obtain consent and parent didn’t respond.
c. Evaluation Procedure:
(1) LEA shall provide notice to parents describing any evaluation procedures to be conducted.
(2) LEA shall use variety of assessment tools, including information provided by parents; shall not use any single procedure to make determination of eligibility; and, use technically sound instruments to assess cognitive, behavioral, physical and developmental factors.
(3) Other requirements:
(a) Evaluation materials must be selected and administered so as not to be culturally or racially discriminatory;
(b) Tests must be administered in native language or other mode of communication, unless not feasible to do so;
(c) Child must be assessed in all areas of suspected disability;
(d) Assessments must provide information to determine the
child’s educational needs.
(4) Team of qualified professionals and child’s parent will determine if child meets eligibility requirements.
(5) Child will not be determined to be “child with a disability” based on lack of instruction in reading or math or limited English proficiency.
(6) If IEP team determines that no additional data are needed to determine continued eligibility, LEA:
(a) shall notify parents of determination and reasons and parents’ right to request assessment; and,
(b) shall not be required to conduct assessment unless parents so request.
Sec. 602(a)(20); 614(a)(5). Individualized Education Program:a. Definition:
(1) IEP is a written statement developed by representative of LEA or IEU who is qualified to provide or supervise specialized instruction to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities, teacher, parents, and when appropriate the child;
(2) IEP shall include statements of:
(a) present levels of educational performance;
(b) annual goals, including short-term objectives;
(c) specific educational services to be provided and extent to which child will participate in regular educational programs;
(d) needed transition services for students, beginning no later than age 16, including as appropriate interagency responsibilities or linkages;
(e) projected “start” date and duration of services; and,
(f) objective criteria and evaluation procedures, and schedule for determining at least annually whether objectives are being met.
b. LEA or IEU must provide assurance that will establish or revise an IEP for each eligible child at the beginning of each school year, and will review and revise, if necessary, at least annually.
Sec. 614(d). Individualized Education Programs:a. Contents of the IEP – current law with the following additional statements:
(1) Present level of educational performance, including
(a) how the child’s disability affects involvement and progress in general curriculum;
(b) for preschoolers, how disability affects participation in appropriate activities;
(2) Special education & related services and supplementary aids & services to be provided and program modifications or
supports provided for personnel:
(a) to advance appropriately toward attaining annual goals;
(b) to be involved and progress in general curriculum and to participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities;
(3) explanation of extent to which child will not participate in regular class;
(4) Any individual modifications needed for student to participate in State and district wide assessments; and if child will not participate in general assessments, why assessment is not appropriate and how child will be assessed;
(5) Frequency and location of services and modifications;
(6) Beginning at age 14, transition service needs focusing on child’s course of study;
(7) Beginning at least one year before child reaches age of majority, information regarding rights transferred on reaching age of majority;
(8) Child’s progress toward annual goals will be measured, and parents will be regularly informed of progress.
b. IEP Team – current law with following additions:
(1) at least one regular education teacher if child is or might be participating in regular education environment;
(2) at least one special education teacher;
(3) LEA representative knowledgeable about general curriculum and about availability of LEA resources;(4) individual who can interpret evaluation results;
(5) at parents’ or LEA’s discretion, other individuals with knowledge/expertise about the child, including related services personnel.
c. Development of IEP –
IEP Team shall:
(1) consider for child whose behavior impedes learning, interventions, strategies, and supports, including behavior management plans, to address behavior;
(2) consider for limited-English proficient child, language needs;
(3) for child who is blind or visually impaired, provide Braille instruction, unless Team determines that use of Braille is not appropriate;
(4) consider for all children, communication needs;
(5) consider for deaf or hard of hearing children, language and communication needs, opportunities for communication in child’s language and communication mode, including direct instruction in that mode;
(6) consider whether child needs assistive technology devices and services.
d. For children with disabilities convicted under State law as adults and incarcerated in adult prisons:
(1) following requirements do not apply:
(a) participation in State and district wide assessments;
(b) statements of transition planing and services.
(2) IEP team may modify IEP or placement if State has demonstrated security or “compelling penological interest” that can’t be otherwise accommodated.
e. LEA or SEA shall ensure
that parents of each child with disability are members of any group making placement decisions.
Sec. 615(b)(1). Procedural Safeguards (Required Procedures):Procedures required by this section include:
a. opportunity for parents to examine all relevant records with respect to identification, evaluation, and placement, and provision of FAPE, and to obtain an independent educational evaluation;
b. protection of child’s rights when parents are not known, unavailable, or child is ward of the State;
c. written prior notice to parents when agency proposes to initiate or change or refuses to initiate or change identification, evaluation, or placement, or provision of FAPE;
d. assurance that written prior notice fully informs parents, in native language unless not feasible, of all safeguards; and,
e. opportunity to present complaints.
Sec. 615(b). Procedural Safeguards (Types of Procedures): same, with the following additions:a. opportunity for parents to examine all [Delete “relevant”] records and to participate in meetings with respect to identification, evaluation, and placement, and provision of FAPE;
b. protection of child’s rights when agency, after reasonable efforts, cannot locate parents;
c. opportunity for mediation;
d. provision of notice to SEA/LEA by parents or their attorney which includes…
(1) child’s name, address, and school;
(2) description of problem, including facts relating to problem; and,
(3) proposed resolution of problem;
e. requirement that SEA develop model form to assist parents in filing complaints.
Sec. 615(c). Content of Prior Written Notice: The notice contents are contained in 34 C.F.R.§300.505 of the IDEA regulations. Notice contents are also included in
the statute.
Sec. 615(d). Procedural Safeguards Notice: States that parents must be fully informed of all available procedures. Reauthorized law provides following details:
a. Parents shall be given copy of procedural safeguards at a minimum upon initial referral for evaluation, upon each notification of IEP meeting and reevaluation, and upon registration of complaint.
b. Notice shall be written in easily understandable manner and provide full explanation of safeguards relating to:
(1) independent educational evaluation;
(2) prior written notice;
(3) parental consent;
(4) access to educational records;
(5) opportunity to present complaints;(6) placement during pendency of due process proceedings;
(7) procedures for interim alternative education settings;
(8) requirements for unilateral placement by parents of children in private schools at public expense;
(9) mediation;
(10) due process hearings;
(11) State-level appeals, if applicable;
(12) civil actions; and
(13) attorneys’ fees.
Sec. 615(b)(2). Impartial Due Process Hearings:Whenever complaint has been received, parents shall have opportunity for an impartial due process hearing. Employees of SEA/LEA involved in child’s education shall not conduct such hearings.
Sec. 615(f)(2). Impartial Due Process Hearings: Same, with the following addition:a. At least 5 business days prior to hearing, each party shall disclose all evaluations and recommendations that the party intends to use at the hearing;
b. Failure to disclose may result in bar to introduction of this information at the hearing without other party’s consent.
Chapter 2. Improving Early Intervention, Educational, and Transitional Services and Results for Children with Disabilities through Coordinated Technical Assistance, Support, and Dissemination of Information:
Sec. 682. Parent Training and Information Centers:
a. Secretary makes grants with parent organizations to support parent information and training centers.
b. Each center shall:
(1) provide training/information that meets needs of parents in area served, particularly under served parents and parents of children inappropriately identified;
(2) assist parents in understanding and using procedural safeguards;
(3) serve parents of children with full range of disabilities;
(4) explain mediation process to parents.
c. Secretary shall make at least 1 award in each State.
Sec. 683. Community Parent Resource Centers: Grants shall be made to local parent organizations to support parent training and information centers targeted at under served parents, including low-income, limited-English proficient, and parents with disabilities.
Sec. 684. Technical Assistance for Parent Training and Information Centers: Secretary may directly or through grant awards provide technical assistance for developing and coordinating parent training and information programs.
Sec. 685. Coordinated Technical Assistance and Dissemination:
a. Secretary shall provide, through grants/contracts, technical assistance and information through mechanisms such as institutes, Regional Resource Centers, clearinghouses, and programs that support State/local capacity building.
b. Authorized activities include…
(1) assisting SEAs/LEAs and other “partners” in development of SIP with planning systemic changes;
(2) promoting change through multistate/ regional framework; and,(3) promoting communication and information exchange among SEAs, LEAs, and other “partners,” based on needs identified by partnerships.
c. Other areas of authorized activities include “Specialized Technical Assistance” and “National Information Dissemination.”
Sec. 687. Technology Development, Demonstration, and Utilization, and Media Services: Authorized activities under this section include…
a. conducting research and development on emerging technologies;
b. promoting demonstration and use of those technologies;
c. providing technical assistance on development of accessible and usable products;
d. supporting implementation of research programs on captioning or video description;
e. demonstrating use of publicly-funded distance learning systems;
f. providing video description and open/closed captioning;
g. providing free educational materials, including textbooks, in accessible media for visually impaired and print-disabled students;
h. providing cultural experiences for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.
Each state sets eligibility ages for services to children and youth with disabilities.For current information concerning this state, please contact the office listed underSTATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: Special Education Services.
Douglas Gill, Director Special Education Section Superintendent of Public Instruction P.O. Box 47200 Olympia, WA 98504-7200 (360) 753-6733
PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITES:
AGES 3 THROUGH 5
Anne Shureen, Coordinator Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction P.O. Box 47200 Olympia, WA 98504-7200 (360) 753-0317
PROGRAMS FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS WITH DISABILITIES:
AGES BIRTH THROUGH 2
Sandy Loerch, IDEA Intervention Coordinator Infant Toddler Early Intervention Program Department of Social & Health Services P.O. Box 45201 Olympia, WA 98504-5201 (360) 902-8490 (Voice); (360) 902-7864 (TTY) URL: http://www.wa.gov/dshs/iteip/iteip.html
STATE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AGENCY
Jeanne Munro, Director Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Department of Social and Health Services P.O. Box 45340 Olympia, WA 98504-5340 (360) 438-8008
OFFICE OF STATE COORDINATOR OF VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Carlane J. Washington, Program Supervisor Special Needs and OCR P.O. Box 47200 Olympia, WA 98504-7200 (360) 753-0555
STATE MENTAL HEALTH AGENCY
Jann Hoppler, Director Mental Health Division Department of Social & Health Services P.O. Box 45320 Olympia, WA 98504-5320 (360) 902-0790
STATE MENTAL HEALTH REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Jann Hoppler, Director Community Services, Mental Health Division Department of Social & Health Services P.O. Box 45320 Olympia, WA 98504-5320 (360) 902-8070
STATE DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES PROGRAM
Timothy R. Brown, Director Division of Developmental Disabilities Department of Social & Health Services P.O. Box 45310 Olympia, WA 98504-5310 (360) 902-8484
STATE DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES PLANNING COUNCIL
Ed Holen, Director DD Council P.O. Box 48314 Olympia, WA 98504-8314 (360) 753-3908
PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY AGENCY
Mark Stroh, Executive Director WA Protection & Advocacy System 1401 East Jefferson, Suite 506 Seattle, WA 98122 (206) 324-1521
CLIENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Jerry Johnsen, Director Client Assistance Program P.O. Box 22510 Seattle, WA 98122 (206) 721-5999; (800) 544-2121 (In WA)
PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS
Maxine Hayes, Assistant Secretary Community & Family Health Department of Health P.O. Box 47830 Olympia, WA 98504-7830 (360) 753-7021
STATE AGENCY FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED
Shirley Smith, Director Dept. of Services for the Blind 1400 South Evergreen Drive, SW, Suite 100 P.O. Box 40933 Olympia, WA 98504-0933 (360) 586-1224; (800) 552-7103 E-mail: SHISMITH@dsb.wa.gov URL: http://www.wa.gov/dsb
PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING
Leon Curtis, Director Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Department of Social and Health Services P. O. Box 45300 Olympia, WA 98504-5300 (360) 902-8000 (V/TTY); (360) 753-0699 (TTY) (800) 422-7930 (Voice message only) (800) 422-7941 (TTY message only) E-mail: curtigl@dshs.wa.gov
DISABILITY ORGANIZATIONS
Attention Deficit Disorder To identify an ADD group in your state or locality, contact either:Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders (CH.A.D.D.) 499 NW 70th Avenue, Suite 101 Plantation, FL 33317 (954) 587-3700 (800) 233-4050 (Voice mail to request information packet) URL: http://www.chadd.org
Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) P.O. Box 972 Mentor, OH 44061 (216) 350-9595 (800) 487-2282 (Voice mail to request information packet) E-mail: NATLADDA@aol.com URL: http://www.add.org
Brain Injury Ron Finlay, President Brain Injury Association of WA P.O. Box 52890 Bellevue, WA 98015-2890 (425) 451-0000; (800) 523-5438 (in WA)
Wanda Godin Head Injury Support Group St. Peter Hospital 413 Lilly Road NE Olympia, WA 98506
Cerebral Palsy G. Tim Gojio, Executive Director United Cerebral Palsy of WA 18560 1st N.E., MS#2 Seattle, WA 98155 (206) 361-1125
Epilepsy Yolanda Larson, Executive Director Epilepsy Association of WA 3800 Aurora Avenue, North Suite 370 Seattle, WA 98103 (206) 547-4551; (800) 752-3509 E-mail: epilepsy@juno.com
Learning Disabilities Learning Disabilities Association of WA 7819 159th Place N.E. Redmond, WA 98052-7301 (206) 882-0792; (800) 536-2343 (Information and referral, in WA) (206) 882-0820 (Business Line)
Mental Health Arlene Engel, President Alliance for the Mentally Ill of WA 4305 Lacey Blvd Lacey, WA 98503 (360) 754-1185; (800) 877-2649
Mental Retardation Sue Elliott, Executive Director The Arc of Washington State 1703 State Avenue NE Olympia, WA 98506 (360) 357-5596
Speech and Hearing Charles Madison, President WA Speech & Hearing Association 2033 Sixth Ave, Suite 804 Seattle, WA 98121 (206) 441-6020
Spina Bifida Spina Bifida Association of Puget Sound P.O. Box 12669 Mill Creek, WA 98082-0669 (206) 726-3984
OTHER DISABILITY ORGANIZATIONS
Garry Wyckoff, President & CEO Easter Seal Society of Washington 521 Second Avenue, West Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 281-5700 (V/TTY); (800) 678-5708 E-mail: gwyckoff@seals.org URL: http://www.seals.orgCassie Johnston, IDEA Early Intervention Parent Paricipation Coordinator Parents Are Vital in Education (PAVE) Infant/Toddler Early Intervention Program 6316 South 12th Tacoma, TA 98465 (253) 565-2266 (V/TTY); (800) 298-3543
UNIVERSITY AFFILIATED PROGRAM
Michael Guralnick, Director Center on Human Development and Disability Box 357920, University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195-7920 (206) 543-2832
TECHNOLOGY-RELATED ASSISTANCE
Debbie Cook, Project Director Washington Assistive Technology Alliance ATRC/University of Washington P.O. Box 357920 Seattle, WA 98195-7920 (260) 685-6836 (V/TTY)
PARENT TRAINING AND INFORMATION PROJECTS
Joanne Butts, Executive Director Parents Are Vital in Education (PAVE) 6316 South 12th Street Tacoma, WA 98465 (253) 565-2266 (V/TTY); (800) 572-7368 (In WA only) E-mail: wapave9-2@idt.net Heather Hebdon PAVE/STOMP 6316 South 12th Street Tacoma, WA 98465 (253) 565-2266 (V/TTY); (800) 572-7368 E-mail: wapave9-2@idt.net
PARENT-TO-PARENT
Parent-to-Parent Support Programs 10550 Lake City Way N.E., Suite A Seattle, WA 98125-7752 (206) 364-3814; (800) 821-5927 (In WA, OR and ID)
PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA)
Jim Carpenter, Executive Director Washington Congress of Parents and Teachers 2003 65th Avenue, West Tacoma, WA 98466-6215 (253) 565-2153; (800) 562-3804 (in WA only)
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