The Autism Education Site » Education

Wrightslaw Special Education Law Conferences – 2Q 2010

Melissa — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Although the Wrightslaw conferences aren’t specific to autism spectrum disorders, they are one of the best resources available for parents that want to learn more about special education law. The more you know about IDEA 2004, 504s, IEPs, etc, the better advocate you can be for your child. The following is a list of the Wrightslaw Special Education Law Conferences scheduled in the second quarter of 2010.

April 10, 2010: Davenport, IA
April 15, 2010: Hackensack, NJ
April 22, 2010: Bowie, MD
April 30-May 1, 2010: Portland, ME

Registration is limited at most of these events so early registration is key. For more information, visit the Wrightslaw website.

Rethink Autism – ABA Therapy at Home

Melissa — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:56:15 +0000

I don’t usually copy and paste press releases in their entirety but I thought this may be of interested to The Autism Education Site readers that use ABA therapy in their child’s treatment regime.

Parents of Children With Autism Worldwide Can Now Help Their Children Learn at Home

In the past, parents of children with autism worldwide had little hope of finding effective and affordable treatment services for their child. Today, parents are discovering that they can now easily apply the latest research to help their child learn at home. Evidence-based research suggests that a key to effective learning is the use of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to teach children with autism. A company making ABA best-practice treatment tools accessible to parents around the world through the Internet is Rethink Autism (http://www.rethinkautism.com/).

“Since beginning the Rethink Autism lessons, we have discovered a new child. He is smart, he has great potential, and he learns so fast,” said Latifa Hajoui in Hesse, Germany, who began using the Rethink Autism platform in November 2009. “Rethink Autism gives me the tools that I need to work with my son directly when he doesn’t have access to his ABA therapist.”

Ms. Hajoui’s son receives ABA therapy six hours a month, far less than the clinically recommended 25+ hours per week. She tried to learn from the therapist how to work with her son for the remainder of the time. However, her son was making little progress so Ms. Hajoui subscribed to Rethink Autism’s platform and followed the individualized curriculum. “The therapist visited us recently, and she couldn’t believe that [my son] had learned so much in such a short time,” said Ms. Hajoui. “He can match shapes, letters, numbers, and words. He can imitate a peer, and he can imitate actions with object, sequencing actions, build model. He can also imitate words.”

When using Rethink Autism, a parent assesses the child by filling out a skills checklist, and the program then formulates an individualized ABA-based learning plan for the child. “Our goal is to make ABA accessible to families without clinical jargon or a diagnostic maze. Each lesson plan includes several step-by-step videos that show ABA therapists working with a child with autism, so that parents know how to work with their children through very specific needs anytime and anywhere,” said Jamie Pagliaro, executive vice president of Rethink Autism.

Rethink Autism offers 1200+ video lesson steps that are consistent with ABA methodology. Endorsed by the US Surgeon General and the American Academy of Pediatrics, ABA is the only treatment for autism that has been consistently validated by independent scientific research.

Even in the U.S. where there is a high level of awareness about autism, parents can still struggle to know where to find the ABA tools they need or professionals that can help. “Every parent should know that there is help out there. With Rethink Autism, my child has made incredible progress,” says Evelyn O’Neil Brown, mother of a 5-year old son with autism in New York.

“Before joining school for the second time, my son was unable to sit down with a group or even imitate steps to a song,” said Khadeeja Abdullah, from Bangkok, Thailand. “However, after starting the Rethink Autism ABA curriculum, he was able to sit with others for the first time. Even if he didn’t sit with them for too long, he was paying attention to activities and doing work while sitting. I simply cannot credit this program enough for its help in guiding how I work with my son. It has helped me build a solid foundation for his education.”

Wrightslaw Special Education Law Conferences – 1Q 2010

Melissa — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:00:24 +0000

January 15, 2010: Tampa, Florida
March 18, 2010: Lake Charles, LA
March 20, 2010: Wheaton, IL
March 25, 2010: Bakersfield, CA
March 27, 2010: Grand Rapids, MI

Registration is limited at most of these events so early registration is key. For more information, visit the Wrightslaw website.

Wrightslaw Conference in Indiana IDEA 2004 & NCLB

Melissa — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:39:38 +0000

Wrightslaw, one of the biggest names in special education advocacy and information, is preparing for the Wrighstlaw Indiana Conference. The theme for the September 18, 2009 conference is IDEA 2004 & NCLB: What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You! with Wayne Steedman, Esq.

IDEA = Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
NCLB = No Child Left Behind

This six hour conference will provide parents with the information they need to better advocate for special education services for their children. While this conference is not autism-specific, the same laws apply to all children in the special education system. Speaking from personal experience, being armed with a solid understanding of your child’s rights under IDEA 2004 will help you when it comes to IEPs, placement, therapy requests, etc.

Registration for this one day conference is $135.00 and the event will be held at:

Junior Achievement of Central Indiana
7435 North Keystone Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46240.

Picture Schedules Ease Back to School Transitions

Melissa — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:53:23 +0000

Both of my children started back to school two weeks ago. While both of them have problems with transitions in general, the back to school transition seems to be the most stressful time of the year, especially for my son. One tool that I have found useful in helping to ease back to school transitions is the use of picture schedules. My latest article on Suite 101 is about how picture schedules ease back to school transitions.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

“A picture schedule is simply a list of images, with or without accompanying text, that allows a child to see a sequence of actions or events in chronological fashion. Picture schedules are often used in autism classrooms and so children are able to quickly pick up on their purpose…”

Read the entire article: Back-to-School Picture Schedules: Visual Schedules for School Day Routines Help Children with Autism.

Must Read Autism Education Books

Melissa — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:03:53 +0000

It is back-to-school time for students across the nation. If you are the parent of a child on the autism spectrum, educating yourself about the nuances of educating our children is imperative. Individualized education plans, IDEA, 504 accommodations, etc can be a confusing world. However, if you take the time to learn about all of these educational terms, you will be in a position to better advocate for your child’s educational services.

I recently wrote an article in which I recommended my choices as the Top Autism Education Books.

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law
Autism: Asserting Your Child’s Rights to a Special Education
Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew

What are your favorite autism education books?

Caldwell College Launches PhD ABA

Melissa — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:21:15 +0000

The following is an excerpt from a press release about a new Doctoral program at Caldwell College in New Jersey.

Caldwell College will launch the first Ph.D. program in New Jersey for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a well developed scientific discipline that is best known for its proven ability to greatly help children with autism spectrum disorder. Caldwell’s program was recently approved by the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and Middle States.

New Jersey has one of the higher autism prevalence rates and so it is fitting (in my opinion) that Caldwell College is expanding its educational opportunities for autism professionals.

FCTD Institute on Assistive & Instructional Technology

Melissa — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:00:05 +0000

I recently received a flyer about a free, online assistive and instructional technology course that begins on 7/20. Here is an excerpt from the flyer’s FAQs:

1. Where does the FCTD Institute on Assistive and Instructional Technology take place?

The FCTD Institute is offered entirely online, so that you can participate when and where it is most convenient for you. At least a week prior to the Institute you’ll receive an email with a URL (website address). On the start date, you’ll use that URL to access the website pages that have been created exclusively for the Institute. You’ll create a screen name to log in; no password will be necessary.

The Institute website will be available 24/7 for you to read and post questions and comments. Discussion moderators will check in several times a day to post their comments and to respond to participant questions.

2. What are the registration fees to participate?

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, the FCTD’s annual Institute is FREE to participants.

For more information, view the flyer: FCTD Institute on Assistive & Instructional Technology (PDF)

Autism Organizations Aim to End Restraint and Seclusion in Schools

Melissa — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:45:43 +0000

National Autism Association Teams Up With 12 Organizations to End Abusive Restraint and Seclusion in Schools

NIXA, Mo., June 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The National Autism Association (NAA) along with 12 other organizations launched a campaign this week to spur letter writing and raise awareness about dangerous restraint and seclusion practices in schools. The initiative comes on the heels of the May 19th GAO Report that revealed no federal laws regulating restraint and seclusion in schools, no laws in 19 states, and “widely divergent” laws in remaining states.

It also investigated cases where two children died from “mechanical compression to the chest” and being “smothered to death,” one died from restraint following a seizure, another died from hanging himself in a seclusion room. Other cases included a four-year-old girl who was tied to a chair and abused, five children who were duct-taped to their desks, and a ten-year-old boy who was put in a seclusion room “75 times over a 6-month period for hours at a time for offenses such as whistling, slouching and hand-waving.”

The report only adds to stories around the country of disabled children being handcuffed, locked in closets and bathrooms, and restrained with chemicals and lemon spray. “These are essentially torture tactics that are outlawed for terrorists, but children with autism and other disabilities have no federal regulations in place protecting them,” says Wendy Fournier of NAA. “We’re not speaking of all teachers – but we do need to protect children from the ones who are putting them in danger.”

This week, the group launched an ad campaign with headlines that called handcuffs “the new circle time, and “when our disabled children can’t figure out how to sit still, more schools are showing them the ropes.” They’re asking lawmakers to ban dangerous restraint and seclusion and enforce proper training, ample reporting, and better monitoring.

Empowering parents is also key. “Thanks to organizations like APRAIS and Families Against Restraint and Seclusion, parents are armed with information and can download a sample ‘no consent’ form to give to their schools,” says Rita Shreffler of NAA. To download the letter and take action, visit www.nationalautism.org.

Take Action Against Abuse, Restraint, Seclusion

Resources to Help you Secure a Para Pro for your Child

Melissa — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:26:47 +0000

Parents of children with autism, and other disabilities, may find that navigating the school system is difficult, at best. One of the more laborious chores is securing a para professional to help their child. Wrights Law’s latest newsletter has listed several resources that will help parents get that much needed para pro for their child. Not only does the site provide great information for parents, it uses IDEA 2004 as its framework.

What IDEA 2004 says about Paraprofessionals
This article provides information from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 as to what, exactly, para pros are allowed to do.

How to Request a One-to-One Paraprofessional for Your Child
If you are considering a request for a one-on-one para pro for your child, you need to read this first. It will help prepare you for the request and the (probable) initial rejection of the request.

Additional paraprofessional resources on Wrights Law: