special education issues
TRANSCRIPT
Current Special Education Issues in the
NewsPresented by:
Cynthia CliffordBianca GreenbergerAnne Marie MeehanBarbara MontelionePamela Woodstein
Local NewsBoard of Education Lacks Quality Teachers for Autistic
Children
• Appropriately Prepared• Important Strategies Needed to Teach Students
on the Autism Spectrum• Autism Program Quality Indicator (APQI)
Local NewsBoard of Education Lacks Quality Teachers for Autistic
Children (Cont)Assessment of Special Education Service Delivery of Students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Type of Setting for Autistic Children in NYC
Type of Setting
Age 4-5
Age 6-11
Age 12-13
Age 14-17
Age 18-21
Total
Public Day School
90 277 67 188 78 700
Private Day School
41 270 51 34 16 412
Public Residential
0 0 0 0 0 0
Private Residential
0 19 12 15 15 61
Home/ Hospital
0 5 0 0 0 5
1178
Local NewsBoard of Education Lacks Quality Teachers for Autistic
Children (Cont)
• Types of Environments
• Treatment Methodologies
• Lack of qualified teachers
Local NewsBoard of Education Lacks Quality Teachers for Autistic
Children (Cont)
City Struggles vs. Autism Epidemic
• Autism among city children has exploded in the past five years
• Rising 72% among school age students
Local NewsBoard of Education Lacks Quality Teachers for Autistic
Children (Cont)
• City schools fail to offer enough high quality programs
• Too few teachers are trained
• Placements are questionable
Advocates say…
• Treatment Methodologies
Local NewsBoard of Education Lacks Quality Teachers for Autistic
Children (Cont)
Some Progress…
• Nest Program– History– Program goals
• Recent Funding
Local NewsBoard of Education Lacks Quality Teachers for Autistic
Children (Cont)
• You have a lawyer
• Time
Yes, you can get it if…
State NewsUse of Aversives
• What is an Aversive?
• New York State Regulations
• Myths and Facts about Aversive Treatment
State NewsUse of Aversives (Cont)
• Noxious, painful, intrusive stimuli intended to induce pain such as hitting, slapping, pinching, kicking, hurling, strangling, shoving and other similar stimulus
• Any form of noxious, painful or intrusive spray or inhalant• Any form of noxious tastes• Electric Shock• Water spray to the face• Pinches and deep muscle squeezes• Withholding sleep, shelter, bedding, bathroom facilities, clothing, food or
essential nutrition or hydration as part of mealtimes• Withholding visitation or communication with family• The use of chemical restraints instead of positive programs or medical
treatments• The placement of a child unsupervised or unobserved in a room from which the
student cannot exit without assistance
Examples of Aversive Stimuli
State NewsUse of Aversives (Cont)
“Shocking Therapy” presented by ABC News
National NewsChild’s Growth Stunted – The Ashley Treatment
• What is a Pillow Angel?
• What is the Ashley Treatment?
• What is Ashley’s Condition?
Static Encephalopathy of Unknown Etiology: an insult to the brain ofunknown origin or cause, and one that will not improve.
National NewsChild’s Growth Stunted – The Ashley Treatment (Cont)
Benefits and Risks of the Ashley Treatment
Benefits:
• The Hysterectomy avoids Menstrual Discomfort, Pregnancy, and Uterine Cancer.
• The Height/Weight Reduction provides easier mobility which results in better blood circulation, GI functioning, stretching, and avoiding the use of hoisting harnesses and ropes. Also, halting her growth should slow down or even halt the progression of her severe scoliosis preventing an involved surgery.
• The Breast Bud Removal avoids Fibrocystic Growth, Breast Cancer, and Sexualization towards her caregivers.
• Caring for Ashley at home versus institutionalizing her.
Risks:• Thrombosis or Blood Clot, which is a risk in anybody taking Estrogen.
National NewsChild’s Growth Stunted – The Ashley Treatment (Cont)
What did Ashley’s Surgeries Entail?• Breast Bud Removal
• Hysterectomy• Appendectomy
What happened Post-Surgery?• Recovery• High-Dose Estrogen Treatment
• Expenses
• Results
National NewsChild’s Growth Stunted – The Ashley Treatment (Cont)
Ethics and Legal Issues:• Ethics Committee Deliberation• Legal Issue: Sterilization of a Disabled Person
Controversy:• The treatment is intended to convenience the caregiver only. • The prospect of having a full-grown and fertile woman endowed with the mind of a baby.
• The treatment interferes with nature.
National NewsChild’s Growth Stunted – The Ashley Treatment (Cont)
Message from the Parents: “In our opinion, only parents with special-needs children are in a position to fully relate to this topic. Unless you are living the experience, you are speculating and you have no clue what it is like to be the bedridden child or their caregivers. Furthermore, in the case of the female aspects of the treatment, women are in a better position to relate to these aspects and the benefits for which they are intended.”
National NewsChild’s Growth Stunted – The Ashley Treatment (Cont)
Pictures of Ashley X
“Ashley’s Treatment” presented by CNN
List of References
• Evans, H. (2007, May 20). City Struggles vs. Autism Epidemic. Daily News, p.18. Katz, Alyssa. ().The Autism Clause. New York Magazine, p 42.
• Autism National Committee. (2007). Myths and Facts about Aversives, Retrieved February 8, 2007, from http://www.autcom.org/myths.html
• New York State (2007), What are “Aversive Behavioral Interventions?, Retrieved February 8,2007,from http://www.wrightslaw.com
• “Shocking Therapy” presented by ABC News,http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2889853
• “Ashley’s Treatment” (2007).CNN [Television series].http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3182244366714256751&q=genre%3Afitness+is%3Afree
• Ashley’s Parent’s Blog: http://ashleytreatment.spaces.live.com/blog/?&_c02_owner=1
• New York Able: The Newspaper Positively For, By & About The Disabled, Volume 12, Number 9, dated February 2007, Article entitled, Medical Procedure Sparks National Debate, No Author.
• Devitt, J. Steinhardt's IESP Expands Program to Address Autism. NYU Today on the Web. (Dec 2005). Vol. 19 No. 6 retrieved fromhttp://www.nyu.edu/nyutoday/archieves/19/06/pageonestories/autism.html
• Council Members Announce Million-Dollar Autism Initiative. (May 2007). NY1 Politics retrieved from http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?&aid=70227&search_result=1&stid=3.