Respecting - Period!

Just as it is important for students to respect teachers, school administrators and staff, it is essential that they respect students - students of all ages and in all grades.

One of the apparent difficulties for teachers and staff is to respect students as they mature. Students who are 15-16-18 years old should be taught and allowed to become more independent. They should be treated differently than one might treat students who are 6-7-8 years of age.

When a student is in high school, he should be learning to make more decisions on his own. In fact, it's good if he begins learning that in middle school, even in grade school. You make decisions; you enjoy benefits or consequences for the decisions you make.

For the high school and older student, it's no longer appropriate to give orders and demand compliance - unless it is a life-threatening direction. Too many teachers are trained to be disciplinarians, to expect instant compliance with orders and directives. They don't learn how to interact with students who are learning independence in the home. Too many are too quick to "pull a card" on a student or to issue discipline.

In particular, for students in special education, teachers and staff should be identifying what is causing a particular behavior or action. Until you know and understand what led up to a particular behavior, you, as a teacher, staff member or even as a parent, cannot take effective steps to solve the problem.

In Special Education there is a process called a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA). It is well described in a publication from the Pacer Center in Minnesota (www.pacer.org). I've had my own experience with FBAs, and it is critical for a parent to know how it is supposed to be conducted. I learned that I could not trust the school system to do it properly, in spite of many questions ahead of time and assurances received from the school personnel.

I'll write about that on another day.

Respecting Differences

What does this mean in education - "cultural competency"?

Today our schools number many nationalities, colors, religions, etc. among their student bodies. Teachers don't really have a choice about which kids they get in their classes. If a student is 8 years old, he is likely to be in 2nd or 3rd Grade.

How do teachers deal with students of different ethnic backgrounds, religions, color, ability to speak/understand/write English, size, build, etc.?

One approach is the one-size-fits-all mentality or school protocol. "This is school. This is not Burger King; you get it our way. And you'd better be able to keep up."

Another approach is to realize that every student is entitled to a Free and Appropriate Public Education.

Just because a child doesn't speak English or is Muslim or Jewish or is from Africa or Ethiopia or Russia doesn't matter. It's the teacher and the school system who must adjust.

When teachers refer to certain students as "those" students or she's from "Russss-sheeee-ya", that hurts the child and it hurts all the rest of the students in the class. They don't learn acceptance and tolerance and to respect differences.

There is a wealth of information at www.TeachingTolerance.org In November around the country schools participate in Mix-It-Up, a day when the barriers comes down and the cliques are broken into pieces.

Is there a school in McHenry County that participates in Mix-It-Up? This year Mix-It-Up Day was November 13, 2008. If you know of one, post its name here.

I have recommended Mix-It-Up to District 200. They tried it one year. I don't know that they ever participated in it again. My inquiry to D200 this year went unanswered.

Neuropsychological Evaluations

Last night's presentation by Dr. Scott Johnson was great. Dr. Johnson speaks about three times faster than the normal rate of speech, which means that no one goes to sleep. The meeting room at Westfield Community School in Algonquin was packed!

Several staff members of District 300 were present, although the sponsor of the meeting, the Special Education Network, is parent-led. They seemed to be bright, happy, "alive" educators. How refreshing!

Several years I met Ron Jania in McHenry District 15. He too was bright, positive and not burned out, even after a long career in Special Education.

Every school district should seek to hire and keep these types of people - people who smile and who demonstrate genuine interest in their students.

Scott Johnson has a practice in McHenry, as well as in Naperville. If you have a child in need of an evaluation for Special Education services, do everything you can to get Scott's services. And, once you get them, stay on top of the school district and staff to make darned sure that they understand and implement his recommendations. See the link to his website in the article below about saving the date of November 20.

New Autism Support Group

A new support group for parents of children with Autism is being established in McHenry County. As a chapter of the national organization TACA (Talk About Curing Autism), this local group will present a seminar on Saturday, November 1.

I met one of the coordinators recently at the Parent University that was sponsored by the Family CARE Project of the McHenry County Mental Health Board. Huntley resident Linda Betzold is the mother of a 12-year-old boy with autism. As co-leader of the new group, she invites anyone directly or indirectly interested in autism to attend.

Linda's son was diagnosed ten years ago, and she told me that she remembers those days when she felt utterly alone and without information or resources. She doesn't want any parent to go through what her family has experienced.

Due to the sensory issues of her son, he is home-schooled, and he gets good support services from the Huntley School District. But she knows that many families are not getting what they need in terms of services from schools and other organizations.

TACA started in California and went national after Jenny McCarthy spoke out on this subject. Jenny has written two books, Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism and Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds.

When and where is the seminar?

TACA New Parent Seminar
Saturday, November 1, 2008, 8:30AM - 5:00PM
Home State Bank
611 South Main Street
Crystal Lake, Ill. 60014
Cost: $28 per person (or $45 per couple). Scholarships may be available for families in need.

For information, contact Linda Betzold at linda_betzold@tacanow.org or call (847) 961-6914. (Note the underscore hiding in the above link between Linda and Betzold (linda_betzold...)

You might also be interested in the Schaumburg-area support group that meets on the second Saturday of each month, 4:00-6:00PM at Woodfield Mall. Email Linda for contact information for Sara DiFucci and Christina Blakey.

Please share this information with anyone who might be interested. Just click on the "envelope" below to send this posting to someone else.

Save the Date: Nov. 20

Coming up in a month is an evening program you will not want to miss. I met Dr. Scott Johnson about eight years ago. I am delighted to learn of his private practice! He is tops!!! You'll understand everything he says, because he uses words we can all understand!

Assessing and Addressing ADHD and Related Attention Disorders
Thursday, November 20, 2008, 7:00 pm
Westfield Community School, Professional Development Center (see directions below)
2100 Sleepy Hollow Road, Algonquin, IL 60102

The following announcement was distributed by Judy Ruffalo.

If you have a child who struggles with learning, mark your calendar for November 20th for a program you won't want to miss! Join us as neuropsychologist Scott Johnson presents recent research findings regarding the underlying brain-based causes of ADHD and related attentional disorders affecting children with special learning needs. A variety of supports, accommodations and treatment options for modulating these difficulties will be reviewed.

Scott is a wonderfully entertaining, engaging, knowledgeable speaker. Prior to going into private practice, he was employed within the Psychology Department of a large, free-standing rehabilitation hospital in the Chicago area. Scott has conducted comprehensive evaluations and offered treatment recommendations to physicians, parents and educators for thousands of children presenting with developmental and acquired neurological disorders. Scott has been a consultant to the Illinois State Board of Education on Special Educational programming and has provided many invited professional lectures, presentations and addresses at local, regional and national conferences.

We are very pleased to offer this opportunity to all parents, educators and staff. For language translation or other information, please contact Judy Ruffulo (847) 551-1780.

Directions to Westfield School: From the intersection of I-90 and Randall Rd., go north on Randall approximately 5 miles to County Line Rd.; go east on County Line approximately one mile to Sleepy Hollow Rd.; go south on Sleepy Hollow one-half mile to school on the right. Enter and park in north parking lot and use building entrance marked "Professional Development Center."

Very Important Memo for Parents

One of the best-kept secrets in Woodstock, perhaps throughout the State of Illinois, is a Memorandum written in 2003 by the then-Director of Special Education for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). On April 10, 2003, Dr. Chris Koch issued a Memorandum entitled "Appropriate Procedures for Determining Placement in the Least Restrictive Environment."

At the top of Page 2 he wrote, "Because it is important that all stakeholders receive consistent information, we ask that special educator directors assist us by disseminating copies of this memorandum to all school administrators, teachers, related services personnel, and parents of students with disabilities in their district...

"Additionally, given the importance of these issues, we encourage district superintendents to discuss the implications of this procedural guidance of this with their administrators at an upcoming staff meeting.

"Finally, we ask that parent organizations distribute copies to persons who access their services
and/or by posting it on their websites."

The Memo is about ten pages in length, easily printed from your home computer. I urge you to read it carefully, print copies, and then highlight the paragraphs that are important to you.

The Memo is found on the webpages of the Special Education Division of ISBE:
Go to www.isbe.net/spec-ed
Click on Parents (right side)
Under Advocacy Resources see the article (first article at this writing) with the above title. Disregard the year (2001) shown; it may be corrected by the time you read this. That's the Memo.

Or you can click on http://isbe.net/SPEC-ED/pdfs/lre_guidance.pdf

I learned of this Memo in January 2004 at a parent support group meeting in Rockford. Shortly after that, I approached the District 200 headquarters to inquire about it and learned they did not know of it. They did, after I provided the web address to them and then met with them.

To my knowledge District 200 still has never provided copies to parents of special education students. Why not?

Parents must learn of memos like this one. You shouldn't have to fight to find out about important memos like this one.

Dr. Koch is now the State Superintendent of ISBE, and special education students and their parents are fortunate that he is there, because he understands Special Education. However, until all parents know their students' rights and learn about these Memos much sooner than 4 1/2 years after they are written, there is much work to do done to provide this information to parents.

Parents - Want a Support Group?

Hello, parents of students in Special Education in Woodstock (or anywhere in McHenry County):

Would you like a support group in Woodstock? A support group that actually supported you?

If you would like a group formed that allowed you to participate in person, online, by email, by phone - a group that is convenient for you - let me know.

There are parents in Woodstock who would like this type of group. For those interested in a meeting, a meeting place can be arranged. There are several locations available close to the Square.

Tired? Burned out? Frustrated? Feel there is no sense trying to change something that doesn't want to change?

Let me know that you are interested, and I'll let you know when the group will meet. Plus I'll announce it here.

Email: gusphilpot@aol.com (N.B., one "t" (although my last name has two t's)
Phone: 815.338.2666

WrightsLaw

An excellent resource for parents of children in special education is www.wrightslaw.com

Pete and Pam Wright have been writing articles and doing workshops for ten years about Special Education.

Visit www.wrightslaw.com and sign up for free e-newsletter. It contains a wealth of information and many links.

You might also monitor their travel schedule and attend one of their workshops. You'll find the time and money well-spent!

What Help is Needed?

What kind of help do parents of children with special needs want and need, with regard to the education of their children?

There is a huge amount of information available from many resources. So much information is available that parents often do not know where to start. At the same time, many parents are so overwhelmed with day-to-day caring for and providing for their children that they do not have time, energy or expertise to investigate the resources available to them.

Needs are often so complex that careful evaluation is needed to design just the right educational package. State and Federal laws are in place to guarantee certain rights.

As one wise person said a while back, "If you don't know what your rights are, you don't have any."

School personnel should be in one of the best positions to know the educational rights of a student in a special education program. After all, who should know the rules better?

Unfortunately, while personnel may know the rules, they may be under pressure to refrain from providing complete information and services to a special education student because of the cost involved. The old "We can't afford that" routine.

While schools might be caught between a rock and a hard place, they don't have a choice. If a special education student needs a service, then the law says he is to have it. The law does not say, "If the school district can't afford it, it does not have to provide a needed service."

In following articles I shall write about some of my experiences with the Woodstock (Illinois) District 200 Schools from 1996 to present. It may appear that I am "picking" on them, but I have no doubt that what I have experienced has been experienced by tens of thousands of other parents across the United States.

Along the way I'll share resources that you may find valuable as your child and you go along the special education highway.

Welcome, Parents of Children with Special Needs

For several years I have contemplated launching a website for parents of children with special needs. Talk is cheap, you say? And right you are.

Since 1996 I have advocated for my stepson. Perhaps I now need to say my ex-stepson, but that's not right. I met him when he was seven; now he's 20. His mother and I married just before he was 8; we divorced shortly before he was 12. I've stayed in Woodstock since the year 2000 to remain in his life. He's very important in my life, and I like to think that I am very important in his life.

OK, so why today? I've got 12 years of stories, experiences, heart ache, heartbreak, satisfaction, happiness, joy, love; so why today?

About ten days ago at a meeting of the Family Council of the Family CARE Project of the McHenry County Mental Health Board, I picked up a flyer for a workshop that was held today. The title grabbed me, "Strategies to create a calm home for intense children." Now, who can't use those?

The presenter this morning was Kirk Martin, founder and director of "Celebrate Calm". Kirk's message was clear - identify and build on the talents, skills and passions of your child. Kirk's program was scheduled for 9:30-11:00AM in Woodstock; most were still there at noon, as the program wound down. Kirk's 15-year-old son, Casey, was traveling with him and participated in the program. This was one of the best workshops that I have attended! And it was presented without charge.

Information about Kirk and his program can be found at www.CelebrateCalm.com I have no doubt that his CD programs on Parenting and the Brain Boosters Academics are worth every penny.

What's coming up in Woodstock?

Our area has for a long time needed an independent support group for parents of children with special needs. There is a huge amount of information available to parents, many of whom are already overwhelmed with information and the stresses of life with a special-needs child. Parents must know the Special Education Rights granted to their children under Federal and Illinois laws. Most don't.

This forum (blog) will be a resource and also a source. I myself advocate for children with special needs by helping parents find what they need. Parents helping parents; that's what this will be all about.

Welcome!