NLDline
Subj: THE SPECIAL ED ADVOCATE, JULY
28, 1999 (VOL. 2, NO. 15)
Date: 7/28/99 8:02:17 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: pwright@wrightslaw.com (Pam Wright)
Sender: owner-special-ed-advocate@wrightslaw.com
To: special-ed-advocate@wrightslaw.com
==================
The Special Ed Advocate
The Online Newsletter About
Special Education and the Law
July 28, 1999 Vol. II, No. 15
Visit us today at:
http://www.wrightslaw.com
===================
The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education legal issues,
cases, tactics and strategy, effective educational methods, and Internet links.
We publish this newsletter occasionally, when time permits. Back issues of The Special Ed
Advocate are archived at our web site -
http://www.wrightslaw.com
As a subscriber to The Special Ed Advocate, you will receive announcements and
"alerts" about new cases and other events. Contact, copyright, and subscription
information is at the end of this
newsletter.
If your email address changes, please unsubscribe your old email address and subscribe
your new email address.
This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. You received the newsletter because you
subscribed to The Special Ed Advocate.
For a "printer friendly" copy of the newsletter, go to
http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/nwltr/1999/nl_99_0728.html
================
1. SNEAK PREVIEW OF WRIGHTSLAW: SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW
2. NEW LINKS TO GREAT ARTICLES
3. NEWS BREAK! NEW YORK STATE RECOMMENDS ABA THERAPY FOR YOUNG AUTISTIC
CHILDREN
4. EDITOR'S CHOICE FROM THE BOOKSTORE
5. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
6. CONTACT INFORMATION
===================
1. SNEAK PREVIEW OF WRIGHTSLAW: SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW
Beginning Tuesday, July 28, subscribers to The Special Ed Advocate newsletter can preview
WRIGHTSLAW: SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW.
The first four chapters of WRIGHTSLAW: SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW, the Table of Contents, and
the 14 page index are now up on the Wrightslaw website.
Please send us your feedback. What are your impressions? Thoughts? Suggestions? We wrote
WRIGHTSLAW: SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW to meet the needs of people who visit our site. Your
feedback is invaluable to us and is critical to the success of this book.
To preview WRIGHTSLAW: SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW, click the link below which will take you to
the Announcement page. As you scroll down the Announcement page, you will see the links to
the first four chapters, the Table of Contents, and the Index.
http://www.wrightslaw.com/bkstore/ourbooks/Law_Book_Announce_99_0712.htm
To view the chapters as they actually appear in the book, you need to have Adobe Acrobat
Reader installed on your computer. Adobe Acrobat Reader is FREE. For those folks who need
to install Adobe Acrobat Reader, we included a link to the Adobe site.
SPECIAL OFFER: Our publishers, Harbor House Law Press, are making special a
pre-publication offer between now and July 31, 1999. For more information about this
offer, go to
http://www.wrightslaw.com/bkstore/ourbooks/Orderform.html.
===============
2. NEW LINKS TO GREAT ARTICLES
We are continuing to revise and redesign the web site. The last newsletter contained
updated links to several popular articles. Here are some additional links -
Tactics and Strategy Session With Pete Wright: IEP Goals and Objectives is at
http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/Tactics_Strategy_IEPs.html
Section 504 and IDEA: Basic Similarities and Differences by S. James Rosenfeld, Esq.,
President, EDLAW, Inc. is at
http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/504_IDEA_Rosenfeld.html
Seven Steps to Effective Mediation by Diana Santa Maria and Marc A. Gregg (originally
published in TRIAL magazine) is at
http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/Seven_Steps_Mediation_SantaMaria.html
Three Generations of Orton at the Supreme Court is at
http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/orton.html
The Attorney Manual is at
http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/attorney_manual.html
Minnesota attorney Sonja Kerr has written a great advice letter to the attorney who is
taking his or her first special education case. We call this article " Letter to
Damon" because Sonja first wrote the letter to Pete's son Damon who had recently
completed law school.
You can read Sonja's advice at
http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/ltr_to_new_lawyer_Kerr.html
===========
3. NEWS BREAK! NEW YORK STATE RECOMMENDS ABA THERAPY FOR YOUNG AUTISTIC
CHILDREN
The FEAT newsletter carried the following report:
"Treating the Untreatable/Autism & ABA Report Stirs Criticism"
By Jamie Talan. Newsday.
New York State health officials have released a controversial report on the diagnosis and
treatment of autism that recommends a program of rigorous behavioral intervention and
finds little value in other currently popular approaches.
State officials have spent the last two weeks educating health care providers and parents
of autistic children about the recommendations, the first of their kind in the state for
autism, in hopes that the
behavioral program will be used early in the assessment of this puzzling neurological
condition.
The state panel that developed the guidelines says studies support the effectiveness of
the strategy, called Applied Behavioral Analysis or ABA, and that there is no scientific
evidence that other approaches, such as sensory or auditory integration, music therapy and
facilitated
communication, work.
The state-endorsed approach involves intensive, one-on-one instruction, rewards for
desired behavior and systematic use of behavioral techniques to teach communication and
language skills.
On Long Island, an estimated 300 therapists, health care providers and parents gathered
yesterday in Melville to hear the findings, and many were openly angry and frustrated that
the state report recommended only Applied Behavioral Analysis.
"This is a biased report," said Tali Dinewitz, a speech therapist at the Island
Child Development Center in West Hempstead. "As this report states, two-thirds of
children in treatment have a poor outcome. If prognosis is so poor, shouldn't we try to
see whether other programs work?"
She spoke, in particular, about a popular technique developed by child psychiatrist
Stanley Greenspan. His "floor-time approach" focuses on the child's social
problems. Dinewitz and others at the meeting said they feared that parents will not opt
for this method because of the new
guidelines.
Some health care providers voiced concerns that the guidelines would prevent insurance
coverage for some therapies, but state officials denied that.
No one knows how many people have autism, a neurological condition with a range of
troubling behavioral, cognitive, and language-based symptoms. The most pervasive problems
include difficulty with language and human interaction.
Many experts agree that there has been a puzzling increase in autism cases, and no one has
any hard evidence about the cause. The state report focused on children under 3.
State officials say that the report should make assessment and diagnosis easier. Studies
show that the earlier a child receives help, the better the outcome. The guidelines panel
included doctors, psychologists, speech and language therapists, and parents. The panel
spent two years
analyzing the merits of dozens of studies to figure out what works best. The panel
said that more than one assessment tool was needed for diagnosis, and that the assessment
should involve several meetings with the child. Ultimately, diagnosis is based on the
child's behavior. The panel did not recommend brain scans or an assessment of immune
status, food allergies or diet.
The best way to help autistic children, the panel members said, is to target the child's
abilities; make life predictable and routine; have a long-term strategy for transitions as
the child improves; and provide support and education for the family.
"Kids do seem to get better," said Donna Noyes, director of the state's early
intervention program. Included in the state report were statistics showing that one-third
of autistic children show marked improvement with treatment.
Physical punishment and restraining are not recommended, said panel member Christine
Radziewicz, assistant director of the School for Language and Communication Development in
North Bellmore. Ellen Woodward, director of the Developmental Disabilities Institute in
Smithtown, said that the panel members also evaluated other popular techniques, including
Greenspan's technique, and could not recommend them.
The panel found no research to support sensory integration, touch therapy, music therapy,
auditory integration training involving stimulation with tones, or facilitated
communication, involving
computers or alphabet boards to correct language impairment. Medications to quell
aggressive behavior should be used only after behavioral interventions have been tried,
the panel advised. The panel found no evidence that any of the hormonal therapies - such
as secretin and ACTH
- improve symptoms of autism. Nor are immune globulin infusions, anti-yeast therapies,
high dose vitamins or diets recommended.
The recommendations will be evaluated periodically, panel members said. "We are
just reporting the evidence for effectiveness," for each of the methods, Woodward
said. "We identified what we know now. How people use this information will be as
individual as the children themselves."
Copyright 1999, Newsday Inc.
For more information about FEAT, follow these links:
FEAT DAILY ONLINE NEWSLETTER
Families for Early Autism Treatment- http://www.feat.org
M.I.N.D.: http://mindinstitute.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/
"Healing Autism: No Finer a Cause on the Planet"
Letter to Editor: FEAT@feat.org Archive:
http://www.feat.org/listarchive
NOTE: After reading this article, we conducted an Internet search and located the
Developmental Disabilities Institute of New York website. Based on information from
the Institute, we were able to order the books from the state of New York which describe
their research and recommendations.
Parents of very young autistic children who need to make decisions about their child's
special education needs should secure this information.
=========
4. EDITOR'S CHOICE FROM THE BOOKSTORE
This month, our editor focuses on books for parents and kids.
* * * SURVIVAL STRATEGIES FOR PARENTING YOUR ADD CHILD: DEALING WITH OBSESSIONS,
COMPULSIONS, DEPRESSION, EXPLOSIVE BEHAVIOR, AND RAGE * * *
Focuses on stress management skills for families with ADD children - techniques for
parents and children to help manage the most problematic behaviors of ADD children,
including rage, oppositional behavior, self-righteousness, obsessions, and depression.
One Ohio reviewer says:
The most sensible book on RAGE that I've read. My son, who is 13, was diagnosed with ADD,
ODD, OCD, and depression about 4 years ago.
I've collected a library of books on each subject. This is the first book that not only
mentions all of the above, but actually shows how they are related and how to effectively
deal with the everyday problems of these disorders.
This is the first book I've read that deals with the grief that parents feel. Books like
this one will make it easier for the next parent who finds himself at a loss to explain
his child's behavior.
* * * HOW TO TALK SO KIDS WILL LISTEN AND LISTEN SO KIDS WILL TALK * * *
Not Just Kids! How to talk to Anybody!
"A therapist recommended this book to me when my son was 4 years old and I was going
though a difficult divorce. I read the book and actually photocopied the ideas of each
chapter and taped them to the refrigerator for easy reference."
"The ideas are simple and effective. They build self-esteem and keep communication
open between parent and child. My son is now almost 18, and we still have a terrific
relationship."
"How to Talk so Kids Will Listen should be in the Business/ Management section. It
says the same things high-priced consultants say -- treat people with respect, do not deny
their emotions, state the facts (only) and shut up and listen. The book talks about giving
praise and recognition - another reason to use it in real life, inside the family AND
outside in the "real" world."
* * * THE PRETENDERS: GIFTED PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY LEARNING by
Barbara P. Guyer and Sally E. Shaywitz * * *
"With insight, sensitivity, and the wisdom gathered through unusually thorough
training and years of classroom experience, Dr. Guyer explains why some educational
practices perpetuate the very problems they are intended to solve."
Look for these and other good books in the “Parents” section of our bookstore
http://www.wrightslaw.com/bkstore/bks_parents.htm
NEW ADDITION TO THE CHILDREN'S CORNER
* * * HOW DYSLEXIC BENNY BECAME A STAR * * *
One Texas reviewer says:
One of the BEST stories of hope for children with dyslexia! This story should be shared
with parents, teachers and specially children who have dyslexia. I have read this story to
my Language Training students who have been inspired by this book." (Reading level:
ages 9-up)
http://www.wrightslaw.com/bkstore/bks_kids.html
============
5. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
To subscribe to The Special Ed Advocate, send an email to
majordomo@wrightslaw.com
In the beginning of your message, insert the following words exactly, with the hyphens,
all lowercase
subscribe special-ed-advocate
You will receive an automatic, computerized confirmation that your request "has been
forwarded to the owner of the special-ed-advocate list for approval and that it is a
closed list." Within a couple of days, you will receive a message confirming that you
are a subscriber.
To unsubscribe to The Special Ed Advocate, send an email to
majordomo@wrightslaw.com
In the beginning of your message, insert the following words exactly, with the hyphens,
all lowercase
unsubscribe special-ed-advocate
===========
6. CONTACT INFORMATION
Pete and Pam Wright
c/o The Special Ed Advocate
P. O. Box 1008
Deltaville, VA 23043
Phone: 804-257-0857
Website: http://www.wrightslaw.com
Email: webmaster@wrightslaw.com
The resources at this website are copyrighted by the authors. They may be used for
non-commercial purposes only. They may not be redistributed for commercial purposes
without the express written consent of Peter W. D. Wright.
It is not necessary to obtain our consent to link to our website or copy, print and
distribute our articles and newsletters for nonprofit purposes so long as the material is
reproduced in its entirety and credit is given to Pete and Pam Wright and
"wrightslaw" including the URL -
http://www.wrightslaw.com
Copyright 1999, Peter W. D. Wright and Pamela Darr Wright. All rights reserved.