Tag: special needs

Does my child qualify for Assistive Technology (AT) in school?

Posted on by Nicol Walsh

If your child is eligible for special education or Section 504 accommodations, then the answer is “yes” if the assistive technology (AT) is necessary to achieve a “free and appropriate public education”.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (IDEA), states “The Individualized Education Program, (IEP), team shall consider whether the child requires assistive technology devices and services”.  The Washington State regulation (WAC 392-172A-02015) similarly states “each school district shall ensure that assistive technology devices or assistive technology services or both are made available to a student eligible for special education if required as part of the student’s: (a) Special education; (b) Related services; or (c) Supplementary aids and services.”  These are strong mandates to use in advocating for inclusion of assistive technology in your child’s IEP.

What Kinds of Devices Do Schools Have to Provide?   Both the State and Federal special education laws define assistive technology broadly to include a range of devices (from “off the shelf” to customize) and services.  The inclusion of “services” is very important. Such services can include evaluation and training for both school staff and family members.  Such training is often the key to successful use of the assistive technology.  Some examples of AT could be:  word processors, electronic communication devices, computers and printers, calculators, speech recognition software, print enlargement, text reading equipment, wheelchairs, electric scooters, etc.

How Do I Know What Kind of AT My Child Needs?  Get an evaluation from a competent professional.  If your school district does not have a staff person knowledgeable about AT, ask for an independent evaluation from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Special Education Technical Center or from another experienced AT evaluator.  There are many devices available.  Be open-minded.  There may be more than one appropriate solution for your child’s needs.  The most expensive device may not be the best match for your child. Such devices could be complicated and frustrating for the child, resulting in a total turn-off from technology.  Try different types with the child to determine which meets the child’s needs appropriately. The device can be brought home if it is necessary to achieve a free and appropriate education as for example, when the child needs the device at home for homework and/or additional and supplementary training.

Does the School Have to Pay for Any Device – No Matter How Expensive?  Not necessarily, the school is not required to buy the most expensive assistive technology if a more moderately priced device will work to achieve a free and appropriate education.  The school’s obligation is to “provide” assistive technology from their own inventory or an outside source and it cannot ask you to contribute.  If the device is paid for by the school district, the district maintains ownership of it.

What Will Happen to the Child’s AT When the Child Graduates or Leaves the District for Another Reason?  Because the district owns the equipment, the district keeps it unless you can convince the district to sell it to you, or the next program, at its depreciated value.  Planning for your child’s transition to post-secondary education, training, or directly to work is also a critical part of the process. Deciding future AT needs prior to that transition is critical. To help ensure a successful transition after high school, planning must begin by at least 16 years of age.

This may include information on State or Federal laws regarding the rights of individuals with disabilities. While this is provided to inform or make one aware of these rights, legal definitions, or laws/regulations, it is not providing legal representation or legal advice. The participant understands that this is information to educate them not to provide them with legal representation

Person Centered Planning and Aging Families

Posted on by Nicol Walsh

At the age of 56, a single parent from the baby boom age, my youngest son is now 26, and at this time in my life I need to plan for my retirement.

In a few years I will be heading toward the twilight of my life, so I need to take into account how that affects the life of my son, Kyle, who experiences Down Syndrome. Just like many families who live with and care for their adult sons and daughters for most of their life, it is my responsibility to share vital information that I might be the only one who knows, such as how, what, when, and where services are to be received. This way all the hard planning that has made his routine and the quality of life possible can continue even when I’m no longer able to care for him or myself as I age.

Up to this point most families don’t plan for such events, thinking that they will outlive their loved one with a developmental disability, brushing aside thoughts of what the future might hold for them. If I don’t think about it won’t happen. So usually what happens is when the parent or care giver has a medical emergency there is no plan of care or support for themselves or for their adult son or daughter with a disability, leaving both in need of a plan of care. It will be important to identify who it is left to sort through the maze of services, or lack of services, to help during this very vulnerable time.

Person Centered Planning is a tool that is used to help people plan for the future. Just as you plan along awaited trip you use a simple guide to help you make the journey comfortable to enjoy your precious time you have set aside. When it is time to plan, bring together the people who will be in the family’s life at that critical time. Usually, it is left up to siblings who have not been very involved in their sibling’s day-to-day care. Their parents did a really good job of caring for their sibling, but most find out the hard way what the daily routine looks like for their sibling.

By using the Person Centered Planning method, you have a document on hand so that you are able to have input into a plan of care before a crises.

Aging parents must start thinking about drafting a will and learning about trusts for your peace of mind. Think about the use of Person Centered Planning as a tool, as it can help relay your wishes and concerns. Share information about their care, like who their doctors are, what their care plan is, and other things like a living will. This is in case the parent loses their ability to share vital information to the people who care and to service providers who need to plan action steps.  What history of care has been provided, what are the needs, who can help, what is the plan of care when you or I are not able to communicate the needs of our adult sons and daughters?  As we age, the plan becomes the family plan, not just for the individual but for the whole family, including the network of support and those who will be left to sort things out.

The process helps pull together all their important information so that people who come in and out of the person’s life have something with which to help plan a positive quietly of life for the  individual and their family.

Pierce County Parent to Parent has also put together a care notebook that helps families keep important information together for when the parent is no longer able to speak for themselves or share information that is important, not just for the individual with the disability, but for the family itself.

Learn more about Person Centered Planning

Reunited photo courtesy Jenn Durfey via flickr

Universal Design for Learning

Posted on by Nicol Walsh

What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?

Currently, the focus of education is to prepare all students to be experts in their chosen fields of study, turning the early learner into a lifelong learner building on individual needs and strengths to accomplish this goal.  Universal Design for Learning (UDL) helps educators by providing academically structured framework on which to create curricula that meets the varied needs of all learners.   With a guidance to curriculum formation and implementation, greater variety of instruction methods can occur to engage and motivate students to learn.  Educators have more freedom in instructing students when the typical methods did not provide optimal educational experiences.

The UDL Guidelines are organized by 3 guiding principles:

Principle 1: Multiple Means of Representation

Provide options for perception, language and symbols, and comprehension.

Principle 2: Multiple Means of Expression

Provide options for physical action, expressive skills and fluency, and executive functions.

Principle 3: Multiple Means of Engagement

Provide options for recruiting interest, effort and persistence, and self-regulation.

Each area has built in checkpoints moving away from the one-size-fits-all mindset to providing optimal teaching experiences through auditory, visual, and hands-on practical suggestions.  Checkpoints also provide guidance on accessing materials, assessments, enhancing value of learned material, expanding coping skills, as well as reflection on the work done.  UDL includes evidence-based resources and examples to guide implementation, ensuring that what is taught and how it is presented will have an impact on the students.  Teachers can benefit from UDL as it provides guidance on organization of the classroom and curriculum, reducing distractions, increased use of technology to enhance learning, and how to educate students with disabilities.

 

Guiding Principles that propel the development of UDL are:

Principle 1: Equitable use—The purpose is ensure the design is useful and marketable to diverse students, including those with disabilities.  Providing equal access is not enough, teaching students of all abilities and propelling them to excellence must be the goal of education.

Principle 2: Flexibility in use—The curriculum’s design must accommodate the wide range of abilities and preferences.  Disabled students, fast or slow learners, can all benefit as the range of education will match the abilities of each individual. Students can learn how they need to learn.

Principle 3: Simple and intuitive use—Curriculum should be easily understood regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.  Education should be easy with clear guidelines, steps, and protocols.  By removing the guesswork out of teaching, time can be saved because all the steps are included and a solid academic foundation is built from the beginning so that all students can excel.

Principle 4: Perceptible information—Information is effectively communicated to the learner, regardless of the student’s needs, challenges or disabilities.  This can provide comfort to families knowing that students that learn differently will have access to the curriculum provided to the student in ways that use their strengths to learn.

Principle 5: Tolerance for error—The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.

Principle 6: Low physical effort—Curriculum should be designed so that it is efficient and comfortable without being tiring for the student, parents, and educators.

Principle 7: Size and space for approach and use—The focus of the design will not limit the size and space necessary for the students to learn, but will be accessible for all individuals, including those with body size, posture, or mobility concerns.  This assurance provides solutions for approach, reach, manipulation, and use in order to enhance the educational experience.  Access to everything will be available and provided for all individuals, which should eliminate discrimination concerns.

Information adapted from: Principles of Universal Design, version 2.0 (Center for Universal Design, North Carolina, 1997)

UDL provides excitement and hope for parents and educators that have struggled with students that are atypical learners.  The one-size-fits-all approach to education does not work for all students.  With the ability to adapt an inflexible curriculum, all elements are adapted for any student that may learn differently, requires real life examples, hands on experiences, or who needs more reinforcement to understand concepts.

With the curriculum intentionally written to be all inclusive, a better learning environment can be implemented, as stresses of last minute adaptions are eliminated.  The evidence-based adaptions are planned from the start and incorporated in to daily teaching for all learners.  The UDL will not take the place of the IEP or the 504 Plans, but will aid in the implementation of accommodations and modifications.

Educating disabled students with their peers can be promoted with the adoption of UDL standards because it allows for multiple levels of teaching and learning of the same subject in the same classroom.  UDL standards will not replace resources or other specialized education classrooms, but will enhance the teaching done in the alternative environments when placement away from the general education classroom is required by the IEP.

Students, parents, and educators will benefit by UDL.  Students will be prepared for the future by learning how they learn best, becoming academic experts as they prepare for college or work life. Parents can take comfort in knowing that all children will be provided access to education in the ways necessary for each student to learn.  This can be especially comforting for those parents who have students that learn differently.

As educators work to improve their curriculum, their teaching skills will be strengthened and the adaptation of curriculum will be done in advance, saving preparation time.  Educators will also gain confidence when teaching students with varying skills, abilities, and learning levels; making them experts at teaching a variety of individuals.

“Working Together with Military Families of Individuals with DisAbilities!”

 

The school wants to use Aversive Intervention, what do I do?

Posted on by Nicol Walsh

What is aversive intervention?

Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Section 392-172A-03120 sets out the following:

Aversive interventions means the systematic use of stimuli or other treatment which a student is known to find unpleasant for the purpose of discouraging undesirable behavior on the part of the student. The term does not include the use of reasonable force, restraint, or other treatment to control unpredicted spontaneous behavior which poses one of the following dangers:

(a) A clear and present danger of serious harm to the student or another person.

(b) A clear and present danger of serious harm to property.

(c) A clear and present danger of seriously disrupting the educational process.

This WAC section also states that “aversive interventions, to the extent permitted, shall only be used as a last resort. Positive behavioral supports interventions shall be used by the school district and described in the indivi-dualized education program prior to the determination that the use of aversive intervention is a necessary part of the student’s program.” More simply put, using an aversive intervention plan must be a last resort measure and positive behavioral supports interventions must be used and described in the IEP prior to determining that aversive intervention is a necessary part of the student’s program.

Requirements for Implementing Aversive Interventions

If an IEP team is considering the use of an aversive intervention because positive behavior support interventions have not worked in discouraging undesirable behavior on the part of the student, the team must follow WAC 392-172A-03135.  (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=392-172A-03135)

What do I need to know?

All students with Aversive Plans MUST have Behavior Intervention Plans as part of their IEP that have all of the above elements. Again, “aversive interventions” means the systematic use of stimuli or other treatment which a student is known to find unpleasant for the purpose of discouraging undesirable behavior on the part of the student. As such, Aversive Plans should not be focused on responding to unpredicted spontaneous behavior and should instead be focused on why the team believes an aversive measure is an appropriate tool to use to help a student meet a specific behavior objective and how the tool will be used.

Requirements for Monitoring Aversive Interventions

As set forth above, WAC 392-172A-03135(1)(h) requires that at least every three months when school is in session, the effect of the use of aversive interventions be reviewed. Each case manager insures that data is collected regarding the use of aversive interventions for this periodic review for each student on their caseload on the following schedule:

Preschool and elementary: with trimester progress reporting

Secondary: by 12/1, 2/1, 5/1

If changes need to be made to the current aversive intervention plan, those must be done through an IEP amendment, complete with all required paperwork. If no changes are necessary then the case manager completes a prior written notice documenting this review that is sent to parents and central files for the legal file.

The PAVE Parent Training and Information Program may include information on State or Federal laws regarding the rights of individuals with disabilities. While this is provided to inform or make one aware of these rights, legal definitions, or laws/regulations, it is not providing legal representation or legal advice. The recipient understands that this is information is to educate them not to provide them with legal representation.