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Educational Issues

bullet 100+ Questions To Ask A Private School by Steve Dykstra, MS, CH, CCC/SLP
bullet A bit of calm in the playground by F2 Network
bullet A Community of Friends and Classmates by Suki Casanave
bullet A Introductory letter to other Parents by Linda and Larry Newland
bullet A new school mate / Steven Brechin joins his wife, Chancellor Nancy Cantor, at SU  - "...Archie has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism that affects how a person communicates and relates to others, his father says," by Laura T. Ryan
bullet A special challenge by Cathy Flynn
bullet ACADEMIC’S triumph over autism offers hope to others - ... Grandin, an associate professor in the Animal Science Department at Colorado State University, has turned her struggle with autism into a life of hard work by Santa Cruz Sentinel
bullet Administrative Judge to Decide Diploma Dispute.  Parents say high school shuffled their son through the system. - "Sammons, 19, was diagnosed as a child with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, and was placed in the county's exceptional student education (ESE) program as a kindergartner, said Bill Sammons, a commercial real estate broker in Lakeland. ...Mark Kamleiter, the Sammonses' lawyer, said Drew Sammons doesn't demonstrate any of the knowledge he should have gotten out of a high school education, making his diploma worthless.," by Julia Crouse
bulletAgainst Schools How public education cripples our kids, and why By John Taylor Gatto
bullet American Rhythms | Reading can slow 'summer slide' - "It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs. Shears' house. Its eyes were closed. It looked as if it was running on its side, the way dogs run when they think they are chasing a cat in a dream. But the dog was not running or asleep. The dog was dead.  So begins one of my daughter's summer homework assignments. The disarmingly creative and touching novel by Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, about a 15-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome, was one of three books on her reading list," by Jane Eiser
bullet Asperger's Syndrome and Pursuing Eligibility for Services: The Case of the "Perfect Misplacement"
bullet ASPERGER SYNDROME: Classroom Success Next Year by Dan Coulter 2004
bullet Asperger syndrome from childhood into adulthood by Dr.Tom Berney / Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2004)
bullet Asperger Syndrome: Put Those Kids To Work! by Dan Coulter 2004
bullet Ami Klin, Ph.D. and Fred R. Volkmar, M.D.,Yale Child Study Center written for ASPEN 
bullet Autistic boy finds niche in robotics competition by Jacob Jordon, Associated Press
bullet Autistic student's mother defends her demands She says system failed to educate her son adequately by Jan Boyles
bullet Autistic Twins Beat the Odds - This Christmas will be a special one for two area twins. Adam and Amanda Wessel are eighth graders at Decatur Middle School. This week a holiday benefit will be held in their honor.Adam and Amanda have overcome many obstacles in their young lives. “I really didn't know anything was wrong after they got out of the hospital until they were about a year and a half and then started seeing them slide backwards and losing everything they had gained and that's when I was really worried,” said their mother, Karen Sanderson, by Shana Kelly
bullet AUTISM - A POLITICAL BOMBSHELL " NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND"? President Bush unwilling to address this National Tragedy. Parents are outraged - Autism has hit epidemic levels with no end in sight. The President has failed to address this National Tragedy....WHY ? There are 25 facts that will leave the American people asking questions. New Book Titled, Mercury: The Winged Messenger presents these 25 facts and others. - Press Release
bullet Autism and Asperger Syndrome: Overview and Classroom Strategies by Mike Connor. An Educational Psychologist provides lots of helpful advice aimed primarily at teachers of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in mainstream schools. The article is a useful introduction for any teacher unfamiliar with ASD.
bullet Autism and the Inclusion Mandate by ANN CHRISTY DYBVIK / Education Next - Winter 2004
bullet Autism camp enhances social development - The Clarion University Health Science Education Center hosts an Autism Summer Camp from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Aug. 15-19 at the HSEC, located at 330 Main St. , Clarion. The camp for any child, no matter the age or development level. Parents and/or therapeutic staff support (TSS) aids may accompany children. The autism camp is geared toward enhancing the social development of your child. The camp will help children learn appropriate social skills, how to interact with friends, and the rules of several recess games. By the Clarion
bullet Autism: Collier educators seeing more students with autism by Ray Parker
bullet AUTISM diagnoses race ahead of funding for special education - The number of Pennsylvania schoolchildren diagnosed with autism disorders has doubled in four years, but concerns about the rapid rise in one of the most expensive student populations haven't prompted changes in the laws that fund special education.  There has been no movement at the state level to change the way districts receive special education subsidies, which are based on a flat percentage of the student population by Jo Ciavaglia
bullet Autism expert shares life story as illustration - Parents and special-education teachers from throughout the South Bay flocked to Santa Clara University on Saturday for a conference on autism, an increasingly diagnosed neurological disorder that can affect everything from speech development to social interaction.
The highlight was a lecture by Temple Grandin, a woman who is autistic herself yet able to explain how her brain functions in a way that is fascinating to the general public, by Dana Hull
bullet Autism Intervention & Strategies for Success Cooperative Educational Service Agency #7 Department of Special Education. Susan Stokes, Autism Consultant 2001  This Publication was funded by the Wisconsin Department of Public.  Instruction through IDEA Discretionary Grant # 2000-9907-21
bulletAutism: Learn and Educate Yourself, Part 2 by Fredalynn Mortera Hecita, KUAM News
bullet Autism Preschool / Local school still has two opening for this academic year - "There is exciting news for area families with autistic preschoolers. There's now a special preschool to help them grow and learn all year long. We told you about the SAIL program earlier this summer. It had been a summer program, but starting next week, it's year round. The year-long SAIL program will have room for eight children, who'll spend six hours a day, five days a week at the school. The work will continue to be one-on-one with the children," by ABC 13 News / Toledo, Ohio
bullet AUTISM program on brink / Halton school board criticizes clawback - It could also mean the end of Ontario's first transition centre for autistic students. The centre was to have opened at St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School in Burlington this month, Education Director Lou Piovesan said yesterday. Proposed changes to school transportation funding could cost the board another $769,104 if they're implemented next year, he added. "Our board has consistently acted in a very fiscally responsible manner and has continually met all of the criteria established by the Ministry of Education," said Piovesan. "We had planned to further expand services for autistic students, but these plans will have to be drastically curtailed if these funds are not restored by TESS KALINOWSKI
bullet Autistic boy begins new life - "About 1,700 of the state's children in public schools have been diagnosed with autism. Some of those students will be in a special classroom with a small number of children with a similar diagnosis.  But the Ethans of the world, children who are considered high-functioning autistic, will take seats in regular classes. Some will work on their own; others, like Ethan, will need help from a full-time classroom assistant," by Monica Mendoza
bullet Autistic teenager accused of assault  / Clovis boy faces charge that he attacked teacher - A criminal case against a Clovis High School teen with Asperger's disorder is raising alarm among autism experts in California who say that such prosecution sets a dangerous precedent by Erin Kennedy
bullet Beth Israel program makes learning special for all students - "... So this fall Beth Israel launched its Special Learners Program for children in kindergarten through seventh grade who have moderate learning disabilities. The program offers a course of Jewish learning and offers bar or bat mitzvah training," by Linda Tishler Levinson
bullet Blinded By Their Strengths: The Topsy-Turvy World of Asperger's Syndrome by Diane Twachtman-Cullen
bullet Asperger's Syndrome Guide For Teachers Written by the parents of OASIS Asperger Syndrome Forum Compiled and Edited by Elly Tucker
bullet Back-to-school primer - "With school just two weeks away, students and their parents have plenty to do to make the transition a smooth one. There are long lists of school supplies to buy and organize, doctors' visits to make, summer homework assignments to finish, lunch plans to work out and, yes, sleep patterns to adjust," by the Journal News
bullet Boy locked in cage by school for burping By Kathryn Shine / News.com.au
bullet Boy shares struggle with life - "James Williams was an academic star but an emotional wreck. His parents and teachers didn't understand why the elementary school student couldn't make friends or why he would succeed in class and then go home and cry. His mother tried switching his school and was near her wits' end when a teacher pulled her aside and said James showed signs of mild autism. He was formally diagnosed with the developmental disorder Asperger syndrome, which felt like a relief and a sentence," by Leanne Libby Caller
bullet BOY'S SPECIAL SCHOOL BLOW - "September 2004 A Teenager with special educational needs has been told he must stay in a mainstream school, even though he barely manages to attend because of his problems. Tim Marchant's parents are at their wits' end after a tribunal ruled their son, who has multiple conditions, would have to stay at the Ridings High School, at Winterbourne," by Lynn Hutchinson / Bristol,England,UK
bullet Boy with disability banned from playground - "By banning the kid from the most social part of the day, you're ensuring that he won't be able to learn social skills. It's almost like saying, 'You don't know math, so we're not letting you in the math class,'" said Wayne Gilpin, president of Future Horizons in Texas, which publishes books and holds conferences on autism and Asperger's syndrome by Sarah Leitch
bullet Buddy-of-the-Week Program by Anne Reel
bullet Camp draws kids from their shells - Autistic children have growing number of options in the Triangle by Bonnie Rochman
bullet Camp Awareness fills a need for autistic youngsters - Wooded site, home to several summer camps, will welcome autistic campers this month by Holly VanSlambrook
bullet Camp helps kids understand autistic siblings - As 30 children have been learning over the past three Thursdays at the Child Development Center here, it's not easy picking up small objects wearing rubber gloves. Or seeing clearly wearing frosted goggles. Challenges with motor skills and sight are common for children with autism, a complex developmental disorder that affects about 1 in 166 children in the United States, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By Matthew Ralph
bullet Camp Teaches Autistic Children How to Fit In - "For children with Asperger's Syndrome and other mild forms of autism, the world can be an uncomfortable place. These kids have a hard time picking up the social skills that come naturally to most people. They get teased at school, often cruelly.  NPR's Joseph Shapiro recently visited an unusual summer camp for such children in Washington, D.C. It was designed to teach crucial social skills -- like how to carry on a simple conversation, or talk on the phone, and, most of all, how to make friends," by NPR
bullet Can a town discriminate against an AS child who is home schooled and ban him from public areas?  The Gayle Fitzpatrick story. Her story.  How you can help!
bullet Canines help kids in the classroom By Linda McIntosh
bullet Camp Helps Children Conquer Social Disabilities By Arielle Levin Becker - "Liam has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism in which the child functions at a high level."
bullet Children on the autistic - Guidelines for mainstream practice - Gradually, pupils with autism or Asperger syndrome are being included in mainstream situations. Michael Connor presents a set of guidelines for practitioners unfamiliar with these conditions. The detailed strategies are not intended as a blueprint but provide a useful body of information for constructing school-based strategies by Michael Conner
bullet Children with Asperger's Syndrome: Characteristics/Learning Styles and Intervention Strategies by Susan Stokes, Autism Consultant
bullet Cleaning up for class - T.J. Christensen squeezed the pink sponge dry as he held it over the Three Rivers School sink. He'd been working throughout the day, taking out trash, shoveling snow and wiping a classroom mirror clean. T.J. is not the school custodian. He's in the third grade. Like other students at Three Rivers, he's pitching in with cleaning duties at the school. Students sweep floors, vacuum and do other tasks at a time when custodians throughout the district are struggling to get the job done, by Julia Lyon
bullet

Demand on special ed is growing - Schools grapple with degree to which they're responsible for social, as well as academic, skills - "She was a bright 9-year-old with a high IQ and a flair for creative writing.  When she grew anxious and refused to do homework, her parents and school were at a loss. No one considered it a learning disability, until sixth grade when she tried to commit suicide. She was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a neurological disorder that can interfere with basic social skills," by Sarah B. Miller

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Dempsey sending children back to school wthout special needs resources- Enright - "In little over two weeks time, many schools will be returning after the summer holidays with even less support for children with special educational needs than they had last year because of Education Minister, Noel Dempsey's litany of incompetence, Fine Gael Spokesperson on Education and Science, Olwyn Enright TD said today (Friday).- Ireland

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Diagnosis: Autism - What

bullet Deer Hill class inspired by girl's book on autism by Mary Ford
bullet Disabled students denied extra time for admission exam - "An Oakland judge has refused to grant more time on the national medical school entrance exam to two learning-disabled students who say their inability to read fast enough to finish the test doesn't reflect their potential skills as doctors," by Bob Egelko
bullet Disorder Overtaking Special Ed - A year at Yale University costs about $12,000 less than it costs to educate one student with autism disorders in a Bucks or Montgomery County school system. Districts can spend $50,000 a year educating a child with this lifelong disorder that impairs communication and social interaction skills by JO CIAVAGLIA AND MARION CALLAHAN
bullet Do I Have To Go To School Today?  by Jacqui Jackson
bullet DVD used to educate teachers about experiences of disabled students - "A new DVD has been produced by the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) to give teachers and support staff working in post-school education and training a better insight into the needs of disabled students," by PublicTechnology.net
bullet Dwindling Resources, Diminishing Expectations - Teachers talk about how their schools and classrooms have changed. We have all kinds of syndromes now. There is classic autism and Asperger's, and genetic syndromes--beyond Down syndrome, more unusual, rare syndromes.
bullet Early to bed, early to rise - "Although some students, such as Lauren, enjoy smooth transitions, getting kids back on a school-friendly sleep cycle can be a challenge as carefree summer evenings turn into schedule-bound school nights," by Ann Schimke
bullet Education Strategies For Special Needs Individuals By Lena M. Mahathor
bullet Educational Problems: It's the Kids' Fault; Learning Problems at School: Whose FAULT Is It? by Pamela Darr Wright, M.A., M.S.W., Licensed Clinical Social Worker
bullet Educating the Student with Asperger Syndrome - Courtesy of Saskatchewan Education Special Education Unit, Canada
bullet Educators to discuss mental health funding options - Several North County school district superintendents will meet Wednesday to begin mapping out a plan to deal with San Diego County's decision to abandon mental health services for special education students, officials said Monday. Educators have lined up to oppose the county's bid to drop the $10 million program. In abandoning the services, county officials placed the blame on Sacramento, saying the state has failed for years to fund the pricey program by Ben Frumen
bullet Exploration of Strategies for Facilitating the Reading Comprehension of High-Functioning Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Irene M. O'Connor, Perry D. Klein - 4/2004 
bullet Empathy part of life’s lessons.  Incident drives parent to teach students sensitivity toward disabled peers by By JENNIFER BOOTH REED
bullet Exams are Easier - "...She said: "I had to catch up with the work I missed." Jos Gibbons, 15, who has Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism, added two AS levels to his two A-levels in maths and the A* in GCSE maths he passed at primary school," by Justine Smith
bullet Executive Functioning - Zero tolerance and Special Education by Alex Michaels
bulletFamily withdraws child, action against OR schools by Jenifer Fern
bullet Familiarity = Safety: Transition for the AS Student by Dot Lucci
bullet Federal officials tutor teachers about No Child Left Behind law By Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
bullet Feelings and Their Expression - The Critical Role of Behavioral Intervention Plans
bullet For some districts, it's cost vs. quality - To save money, school officials need to get smarter about autism, advocates say.  Faced with rapidly rising numbers of children with autism, school districts are exploring the cost effectiveness of providing some special education programs themselves.  "You don't have to provide the Mercedes Benz, but you have to provide the Buick - and that is reasonable," said David Bollinger, director of administrative services for Council Rock School District, which had 118 students with autism disorders last year, more than any other Bucks district by Jo Ciavaglia
bullet Friendship facilitators give camp kids a ‘comfort zone’  - "..."All kids should go to camp," Turner said, adding that she did not send him to camp last summer because she was worried the integration issue would be too difficult for him. He has as Asperger syndrome, a behavioral/emotional disorder characterized by a heightened degree of social, and sometimes physical, awkwardness. Some children are shut out from the experience because "they don’t have the intuitive sense of how to deal with other kids," she said. "I wanted him to have a social experience," by Timothy Churchill
bullet Finding a Better Way to Play For Students With Disabilities
bullet Genius May Be an Abnormality: Educating Students with Asperger's Syndrome, or High Functioning Autism by Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
bullet GIRL skipped 111 school sessions - "...She said the girl's problems first surfaced when her older brother, who was epileptic and had attention deficit hyperactivity dis-order, was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. The problems worsened when her brother was taken into care, after his mother was unable to cope," by Samantha Clarke
bullet Giving up on kids is easy, but they're worth our effort -  We need to be tougher on these bad school kids. They want to constantly disrupt class? Suspend them. If that doesn't work, expel them.  An alternative school? Forget it. They don't deserve second and third chances. Besides, who wants to pay for a school for losers?  Odell Lucas, director of Jackson Academy, an alternative middle school, has heard this many times.  "You're right about people's perceptions," she said as we sat in her office. "People say they've all been to jail. They say the students don't care. Some folks feel their families are all to blame." It's just not that simple, she says, by Wil LaVeist
bullet Help kids live with exclusion by Joyce Gemperlein
bullet Helping Children with Autism Learn by Bryna Siegel, Ph.D.
bullet Helping their heads to look ahead by Dr. Mel Levine
bullet Helping Your Child to Help Him/Her Self:Beginning Self-Advocacy by Stephen Shore
bullet High cost education -  "A year at Yale University is cheaper than what it can cost to educate one student with autism disorders for one year in the Bucks County school system. School districts can spend at least $50,000 a year educating a child with this lifelong disorder that impairs communication and social interaction skills," by phillyburbs.com
bullet High cost of special ed puts halt to new schools - "New Jersey officials have called for a temporary moratorium on any new special education schools, hoping to stem the rising use of these costly programs," by John Mooney
bullet

Home schooling and Autistic Spectrum Disorder

bullet

How "Educational Assessments" Skew Autism Prevalence Rates - During an Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting with our local school district, one of the teachers suggest that my younger son was autistic. This surprised me because we had just provided a letter from a well-respected developmental pediatrician that specified why the boy not meet the diagnostic criteria for autism. In response to my concerns, the teacher and school psychologist explained that he met the criteria for autism as determined in Oregon under a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), by James R. Laidler, M.D.

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Inclusion in Education - TOGETHER WE ARE BETTER.  ALL MEANS ALL

bullet Igniting Their Writing: The Struggle to Get Ideas on Paper by Dr. Mel Levine
bullet In Good Company by Anonymous, Woodstock Times  
bullet In Search of a Great Summer Program: One Parent's Solution by Grace Peng
bullet Jonathan, 8, making strides despite autism - Jonathan has made great strides this year.  The 8-year-old boy (Case J22) currently lives with his parents. Jonathan is autistic and attends a special education school, where he also receives help for his attention deficient disorder, by Lisa Arcaro
bullet Just Give them a Pill - ABC's and 123's- all across this nation our public schools are reaping what we've so carelessly sown as parents. There are sixth graders having sex before comprehension of consequences, and there are seventh grade students lying in hospital beds after a Wednesday morning "cat fight" at a local Jr. High School. We have first graders lashing out in anger at their teachers, and we have police officers being called in because fourth grade students are threatening their teachers with physical harm. Jr. Highs are practicing lockdowns as routinely as fire drills. High Schools have weapons and narcotic shakedowns on a regular basis to keep the students under control. Almost every campus in America--from high school down to grade school--have police officers patrolling their campuses, ticking their walks to the beat of our school time clocks. America's children are exploding emotionally. What are we as their parents going to do? by Kerry Marsala
bullet Knowing your ABCs is all it takes to help kids with autism learn
bullet Letter: Work with parents on problems - Re: "How can we improve our schools?" (A question Collin County Opinions has asked readers in the past few weeks.) by Dalles News.com
bullet Leaving Baltimore: Finding a home; Searching for a new beginning - "...Karih suffers from a form of autism known as Asperger's Syndrome.  The condition leaves the child with challenges learning how to play and interact with other children. He was initially placed in a special needs class, but this year, after testing confirming his suitability, he was placed in a regular class at Sandy Hill Elementary," by Richard Kendall
bullet Matching Strategies in Cognitive Research with Individuals with High-Functioning Autism: Current Practices, Instrument Biases, and Recommendations /  Special Issue: Research Methodology—Matching by Laurent Mottron - 2/2004 
bullet Memories are Made of This: Schools as an Unending Test of Remembering and What to do About It by Dr. Mel Levine
bullet Methodological Issues in Group-Matching Designs: α Levels for Control Variable Comparisons and Measurement Characteristics of Control and Target Variables / Special Issue: Research Methodology—Matching by Carolyn B. Mervis, Bonita P. Klein-Tasman - 2/2004 
bullet Misunderstood Minds by Dr. Mel Levine
bullet Model Bill of Rights for People Receiving Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology Services
bullet Model Training Centers - REGIONAL AUTISM MODEL CENTERS AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS OUTCOME STUDY AND TRAINING PROJECT - Portland State
bullet More students diagnosed with autism - In Iowa, there were 67 students ages 6-21 diagnosed with autism in the 1992-93 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education. By 1999-2000, that number increased to 543, a 710 percent increase. And that trend is prevalent in the rest of the nation: 5,000 autistic students in 1991-92 and about 97,847 in 2001-02. The reason autism cases have increased dramatically is not yet clear. Environmental factors such as diet or exposure to certain chemicals are being researched as possible reasons.  By Cynthia Beaudette
bullet Mother chides board / She is unhappy with a school's treatment of her son, 10, who has ADHD - "A mother embroiled in a legal battle with the school system confronted the Manatee County School Board during its meeting Monday, claiming the district is wasting money opposing her son's right to a special education plan," by Michael Barber
bullet Mother sues, alleges abuse in special education - Today Ann Gaydos looks back in horror and asks herself how she could have kept sending her child back into that classroom. Her daughter, Paige, has a form of autism that put her in a special education class in Cupertino. Over several months, Gaydos said, Paige's teacher subjected her to a series of abuses -- ranging from pushing her to the floor and sitting on her, to rubbing a burrito in her face. Gaydos has filed a civil suit to be heard in November against Cupertino Union School District, for unspecified damages. Neither district officials nor the teacher, Karen Miller, would discuss the allegations. But in court filings, both parties deny them by Larry Slonaker
bullet Motor skills related to how children learn - Educated Opinion by the Sun Herald
bullet My Life with Autism:  Implications For Educators by Stephen Shore
bullet Myth: Autistic People Lack Empathy by Zosia Zaks  
bullet NEIU chief: Special chairs no inherent problem - In February -- nearly five months after the Lackawanna County district attorney's office began investigating allegations a teacher was tying autistic students to wooden support chairs -- parent Kathleen Walsh asked the Abington Heights School Board to remove the chairs from autistic classes by Lauren Roth
bullet New special school for autistic kids to open in Bt Batok in July - SINGAPORE: A new special school for autistic children will be ready next July. It's part of a S$220m package over four years for special schools announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong over the weekend, by Ca-Mie De Souza
bullet New UO program trains autism specialists - The University of Oregon this week will launch the state's first teacher training program dedicated solely to preparing specialists in autism, a perplexing neurological disorder affecting an increasing number of children. Project PASS (Preparing Autism Specialists for Schools) aims to boost the ranks both locally and statewide of educators trained to identify and work effectively with children with autism, said Dr. Cindy Herr, assistant professor and research associate in the College of Education's secondary special education department by Anne Williams
bulletNine Assumptions of Schooling - and Twenty-one Facts the Institution Would Rather Not Discuss  by John Taylor Gatto
bullet "No Child Left Behind" Keeps Many From Being Successful - "The No Child Left Behind Act is supposed to ensure that all children are successful learners. But as long as kids are required to learn material they are not ready for or that is being taught in a way that is counter to their learning styles, more and more students will continue to be left behind," by PRWeb - Press Release
bullet No Child rules worry special-ed teachers - "..."Learning British literature or calculus will not help my students," she said. "I would be better off taking classes on Asperger's syndrome instead of spending a lot of study and time on something I won't teach," by Monica Von Dobeneck and Jan Murphy
bullet No Joking Matter Written by Bruce Leshan
bullet One family reaches new heights in child's education, while another continues to struggle with system by Donna Newman
bullet Optimistic Views on School Services for Autism -  Dear Readers, I received several interesting responses to last week's column on Fairfax County's efforts to serve students with autism, a complex developmental disability that affects an individual's capacity to interact and communicate with others, by Jay Mathews
bullet Parent Perspective: How one parent brought Schools Attuned to her child’s school by Leslie Williamson
bullet Parental involvement a key to No Child Left Behind law - ""Parental advocacy is a pillar of No Child Left Behind," said Joanne Webb, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education. Parents who are empowered with this information can insist upon improvement in schools and have some say-so in how their children are educated.," by DAVID MCKAY WILSON
bullet Parents ask district to pay tab now - The parents of an autistic Berthoud boy have asked a federal judge to order the Thompson School District to begin paying for him to attend a Boston private school. The request for an injunction filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Denver asks for nearly $16,000 — enough to pay for Luke Perry, 10, to attend the Boston Higashi School during the summer. According to the document, the school district should pay even though it appealed an earlier decision requiring it to cover Luke’s school’s costs. “The school district’s financial obligations were immediate ... and may not be deferred until the close of litigation,” the document states. The district’s lawyer, Stu Stuller, said he has not yet filed a response.
bullet Parents key to class design District's Autism Spectrum Program to be at Lakeridge - "ASD includes a continuum of traits that characterize the most profoundly physically and mentally retarded person, to the most able, highly intelligent person who is unable to interact normally with others. Language, writing, numbers sense or physical coordination may be intact or delayed or abnormal to any degree in a person who is autistic. Within these variations there is a core of what researchers sometimes call a "triad of impairments" -- in social interaction, communication and imaginative activity. The school district committee had the unwieldy title "Low Incident/High Impact Committee," which refers to the fact that the number of children who need special education services are small, but their needs and impact are greater than normally developing children. The committee met over several months to research, justify and design a new program. The new program, called Spectrum, will initially serve about a dozen children at Lakeridge Elementary School and will begin this fall," by Mary L. Grady
bullet Parents take to the streets against strikers by Raymond Duncan & Damien Henderson The Herald - UK
bullet Parents watch children progress - "...He finished the school year, but that summer doctors diagnosed Albert with Asperger's syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified, forms of autism. At 6, he had a 21/2-year developmental delay.  Albert is 9 now. He attends a Bucks County Intermediate Unit autistic support program for children with Asperger's, the same one he has attended since first grade," by Jo Ciavaglia
bullet Parker's "Miracle" was an education - For instance, the actress is proud of her work in "Miracle Run," a new Lifetime film at 9 tonight. Parker plays Corrine, a single mother of autistic twins in a drama based on a true story by Steve Hedgpedth
bullet Percpectives on Autism by Lars Perner, Ph.D.
bullet Physician-Parents Head Back to School to Solve Learning Problems / Doctor-parents Fernette and Brock Eide solve their family's own learning challenges and help other children by merging education, neurology, medicine, and psychology. Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide were University of Chicago physicians when one of their children began having problems at school. When they sought help, they found conventional approaches frustrating. Fernette, a neurologist recalls, "We were shocked to find out how little specific help we could find for our son. We were in the perfect place to get any expert we could, but we were handed behavioral checklists and standardized IQ tests that we knew weren't going to get to the heart of his problem. We knew we wanted help, but we needed someone who would take the time to get to know him as a person, and understand his unique neurobiological, medical, psychosocial, and educational issues. Was that too much to ask?" Apparently it was. The Eides eventually found their own answers to help him, but in so doing realized the great need to provide children with an individualized approach to their problems, by PRWEB / Press Release
bullet Preschool can help children get used to differences - When very young children head off to school, they're learning more than reading, writing and arithmetic. As the first day of class approaches for parents, those enrolling their children in preschool are getting ready to send their children to a new world, a world 4.9 million strong, according to 2003 census numbers.  By Kathleen Lavey
bullet Psychopharmacology: Disability Law and the Administration of Psychotropic Medication in the School Setting by James F. Luebbert, M.D., Richard P. Malone, M.D. and Len Rieser, J.D.
bullet Places in Hell by Tricia and Calvin Luker
bullet Private school offers program to meet needs of autistic kids / Independent setup is first of its kind in Macomb -  A private kindergarten through eighth-grade school in Washington Township is offering a new alternative for parents of autistic children this fall by Janet Sugameli
bullet Program helps students with special needs fit in by Adam Townsend
bullet Public schools no place for teachers' kids - More than 25 percent of public school teachers in Washington and Baltimore send their children to private schools, a new study reports by George Archibald
bullet Put your autistic children into a primary school or we'll prosecute, families are told - "Parents who set up a special school for their autistic children have been threatened with prosecution for failing to send them to a mainstream primary school," by David Harrison, BBC News UK
bullet Report says NJ lags in mainstreaming special ed students - New Jersey buses more special education students to classes outside their districts than any other state in the nation and classifies a disproportionate number of minority students as disabled, according to a state watchdog agency. The findings are part of a new report by the state Council on Developmental Disabilities, which blames the state for not doing enough to integrate special-needs children into regular classrooms by Angela Delli Santi
bulletResearch Methodology—Matching by Jacob A. Burack / Editorial - 2/2004
bullet Relationship among student, parent and teacher requires trust, respect - Starting a dialogue with teachers early in a child's education and continuing the relationship during critical middle school and high school years can go a long way toward keeping small concerns from becoming big problems by Tracy Wong Biggs
bullet Researcher says home environment affects student performance - Even if schools had enormous budgets to educate poor students, they still couldn’t level those students’ test scores with those of wealthy students, a researcher testified on Monday in a school finance trial by Elizabeth Pearson
bullet Rethink how schools funded, urges head - A radical rethink of educational funding in Northern Ireland needs to take place immediately, a school principal claimed today by Kathryn Torney
bullet Schoolyard allowed to bar autistic boy / Maine court finds testing justified - "Jan Rankowski, an autistic boy in Falmouth, Maine, should not return to the town's only public-school playground, a judge ruled yesterday, saying that the 9-year-old posed "a significant risk" to the health and safety of other children and the adults supervising them," by Jenn Abelson
bullet Segregated Learning Hurts Social Education By Becca Bacon Martin
bullet Serving special-needs students through inclusion - Your Nation and You by Stephen Winslow
bullet Schools Accused of Criminalizing Disability Discipline leading to lawsuits By Harvey Rice
bullet School board meeting erupts into brouhaha Thaw, Raglin shout at each other over lawsuit settlement by Jan Boyles
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