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Developmental Disabilities: A Public Health School Issue

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What are Developmental Disabilities (DD)?

Severe and chronic interference of a persons functionality which is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or a combination of mental and physical impairment.

Manifested before the person attains age 22 is likely to continue indefinitely

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What are Developmental Disabilities (DD)? (Continued) Results in substantial functional limitations in

three or more of the following areas (self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, economic self-sufficiency)

Reflects the person's need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic care, treatment, or other services which are lifelong or extended duration and individually planned and coordinated. (Haring & McCormick, 1986)

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How Prevalent are Developmental Disabilities? About 17% of U.S. children under 18

years of age have a developmental disability.

Approximately 2% of school-aged children in the U.S. have a serious developmental disability

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What are the Major Developmental Disabilities? Autism Mental Retardation Cerebral Palsy Seizure Disorder

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Let’s Look at these Disabilities

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What Characterizes Autism? Autism is diagnosed if the person

exhibits symptoms listed within each of three domains. These are

(1) Qualitative impairments in social interaction,

(2) Qualitative impairment in communication, and

(3) Restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviors, activities, and interests

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Is There an Autistic Gene?

Duke University Margaret Pericak-Vance and her collaborators have found evidence of chromosomal defects that may be linked to autistic spectrum disorder

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What is Mental Retardation? Characterized both by a significantly below-

average score on a test of mental ability or intelligence, and

By limitations in the ability to function in areas of daily life, such as communication, self-care, and getting along in social situations and school activities.

Mental retardation is sometimes referred to as a cognitive or intellectual disability. 

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How Common is Mental Retardation? Mental retardation is the most common

developmental disorder About 1% of children ages 3-10 years had

mental retardation 1.2 of every 100 10-year-old children had

mental retardation. Mild mental retardation was 3 times more

common than severe mental retardation.

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What Causes Mental Retardation? Mental retardation can occur at anytime

in the course of human development It can be caused by a genetic

abnormality, injury, disease, or deprivation

These causes can happen while in the whom, during the birthing process, or during childhood

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Can Mental Retardation be Prevented? We do not know how to prevent most

conditions that cause mental retardation There are some causes that can be

prevented Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is one such

cause Some metabolic conditions, such as

phenylketonuria (PKU).

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How Can We Respond to PKU?

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What is the Cost of Mental Retardation?

During the 1995-1996 school year, about 600,000 U.S. 6- to 21-year-old children with mental retardation received special educational services, at a cost of about $3.3 billion. 

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What is Cerebral Palsy? Cerebral palsy is a disorder of

movement or coordination caused by an abnormality of the brain

Almost 70% have other disabilities, primarily mental retardation

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How Does the Law Protect School Age-Children?

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What is the Lanterman Act? Guarantees the right to services and

supports to help individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities live an independent and productivelife.

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What are the Rights Guaranteed Under the Lanterman Act?

Treatment and habilitation; Dignity, privacy and humane care; Participation in an appropriate

program Prompt medical care and

treatment; Religious freedom;

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Lanterman Rights (Continued)

Social interaction and participation in community activities;

Physical exercise and recreation; Freedom from harm; Choices in your own life; The opportunity to make decisions.

§ 4502.1

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What are Regional Centers? Non-profit corporate community

agencies that provide services to people with developmental disabilities;

There are 21 regional centers in California; and

The main point of contact in your community between service management and the end-user.

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Who is Eligible for Regional Center Services? People with developmental

disabilities; People who are at high risk of

giving birth to a child with a developmental disability; and

Infants who have a high risk of becoming developmentally disabled.

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What is a "substantial disability?”

A condition that is severe enough to be a major impairment of cognitive and/or social functioning.

A condition that requires Interdisciplinary planning

A condition that requires Coordination of Services

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What are the responsibilities of the regional center? Search out and identify; Provide intake and assessment; Supply preventive services; and Develop an Individual Program

Plan (IPP).

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What Happens After Becoming Eligible? Within 60 days after the intake and

assessment a written Individual Program Plan (IPP) must be developed:

It should focus on you and your family, where appropriate.

It should promote community integration; an independent, productive, and normal life; and

A stable and healthy environment.

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Why is the IPP So Important? It is a contract or agreement

between the family of the consumer and the regional center;

It establishes what will be provided and what will not be provided;

It indicates who will provide the services; and

Who will pay for the services

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How is the IPP Developed? Gathering information and

conducting assessments; and Assessments may be formal or

informal

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What Must the Regional Center do to Make the IPP Work? Getting the services and supports; Providing advocacy; Identifying and building circles of

support; Ensuring quality of services; and Developing new services

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What are the Entitlement Services and Supports? Assessment services Habilitation and training Treatment and therapy Preventive services An array of different living

arrangements Community integration Employment/Day programs

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Entitlement Services and Supports (Continued)

Family support services Relationship services and supports Emergency and crisis intervention services Specialized equipment Transportation services Facilitation/Self-Advocacy Interpreter/translator services Advocacy

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The History of Special Needs Children Prior 1975, approximately 1 million

children with disabilities were shut out of schools

Hundreds of thousands more were denied appropriate services

Ninety percent of children with developmental disabilities were housed in state institutions.

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Current Status of Special Needs Children Three times the number of young

people with disabilities are enrolled in colleges or universities as compared to prior to 1975, and

Twice as many of today's 20 year olds with disabilities are working.

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The Unfulfilled Promises to Special Needs Children

Twice as many children with disabilities drop out of school.

Drop outs do not return to school, have difficulty finding jobs and often end up in the criminal justice system.

Girls who drop out often become young  unwed mothers—at a much higher rate than their non-disabled peers.

Many children with disabilities are excluded from the curriculum and assessments  

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PL94-142 Education for All Handicapped Children (1975) Assures that all handicapped

children have available to them a free appropriate public education (FAPE) regardless of how, or how seriously, he may be handicapped

Mandates an individualized education program (IEP) for every student with a disability

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PL 98-199 Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments (1983)

Allows for federal funding to create parent training and information centers (PIC)

Expands services for children from birth to age 3 and the initiatives for transition services from school to adult living for students with disabilities

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PL 99-372 Handicapped Children's Protection Act (1986)

Allows parents or guardians to be reimbursed for reasonable legal costs if they WIN a hearing or court action.

Requires that the case and the costs of the legal proceedings should be discussed with the lawyer prior to any legal action

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What IDEA Attempted To Do Raise expectations for children with

disabilities; Increase parental involvement in the

education of their children; Ensure that regular education teachers

are involved; Include children with disabilities; Support quality professional

development.

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IDEA Accomplishments Full-inclusion has become the

standard Increased graduation rates Increased employment Greater college and University

attendance More support programs for education Improved technology for all of us

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IDEA’s Areas of Weakness Eligibility and over representation

of racial and ethnic minorities; Funding of IDEA; Monitoring and enforcement; and Discipline

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Overrepresentation of Minorities Under IDEA Prevent special education placement Intervene in general education Increase regular educational staffing Improve family centered services Improved school support services Increased funding for regular

education

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Monitoring and enforcement Significant weaknesses exist in the

current systems of monitoring and enforcement

More timely system focused on solid outcomes for students

More classroom time for teachers