Education: Turbulent Times

Parents raising children with autistic disorders know all too well that the disorder can wreak havoc on a family budget. Faced with rising health insurance premiums, out-of-pocket medical costs, and serious limitations on covered expenses; these families have had to make some very difficult choices. No one understands the budget constraints and the financial balancing act required better than the parents of autistic children!

Schools too, have felt the pinch. Legally a public school must provide a free and appropriate education to every student enrolled in their district. When the student requires special education services that the school cannot provide; the district must send them outside of the school district to receive these services. This can be an extremely costly measure and the district usually tries to fight such action.

Some school districts have taken a very responsible approach to special education and have opted to add services to their special education budget. These are the schools that realize that early intervention has proven to be the most effective means for educating these students. If these students are taught social and communication skills early on and if they are specifically trained in methods to regulate their behaviors, and if they receive the therapies required; many will go on to achieve academic success. They will lead productive lives and become active members of their communities. This however, requires intervention at the earliest stages of their education.

Sadly, some school districts have portrayed a much bleaker picture that has pitted regular education parents against the parents of children with special needs. Some school districts claim that they cannot provide other services for their regular ed population because of rising special education costs. They portray special education as something that is bleeding the school budget dry. What is most disturbing is that these are usually the same districts that provide the least amount of support for special education students.

Unfortunately, Cherry Hill Schools began to fit that profile over the last two years. Faced with an explosion in autistic students about to enter the school district, our new administrators began slashing the very programs to support these students. At the same time, they began a trend of denying services to special ed students already enrolled. Many students lost therapy services and 1:1 aides. Students with little ability to adapt were suddenly thrust into mainstream classrooms. Many could not transition to this mainstream environment and suffered the consequences daily.

The parents of these children were faced with the difficult decisions of utilizing funds to meet their child's medical needs vs. hiring an attorney to fight the school district. Some parents had to resort to home schooling their child while they battled with the school district for an appropriate education. No parent should have to face such an ordeal!

Over the last two years, as all of this began to play out, school budget debates were focusing on the IB program, after school sports expenses and other issues that regular ed parents were concerned about. Ironically, one of the key reasons stated for the proposed elimination of certain regular ed activities was because of rising special education costs. In reality, many of the special education services were being taken away. This seemed to be a calculated means of pitting parents against one another.

This year we have seen a new trend emerge. As more families are touched by autism and other special education concerns, the community began to unite on these issues. Many families of typical children have friends and/or family members raising a disabled child. That alone started the trend of unity in Cherry Hill. We also happen to live in a town where residents look out for one another. I have received so many emails and comments from parents of typical children, that are deeply concerned about the state of special education services in our schools. Some of that is fueled by the fact that many of our special needs children are being integrated into the mainstream environment. These parents see first hand how it becomes inter-related. What effects my child, now effects yours!

This became abundantly clear during the issue many now refer to as the "Quiet Room." I had more parents of typical students comment in my blogs about that issue than any other blog I had written! They were appalled that our school district would think it was acceptable to discipline any child in that manner.

Many of the residents that I have spoken with are furious over the special education cutbacks that led to this scenario. When our special needs children are denied critical services and supports, it usually manifests into behavioral problems. To have a school district that wanted to discipline an autistic child, rather than teach the skills to modify their behavior, was simply not acceptable to any parent in Cherry Hill. As pictures of the Quiet Room (or padded closet) were portrayed on every local TV News station, parents became outraged at our school district. Soon those pictures hit the national news and our school district suffered a black eye. Most parents (special ed and regular ed) agreed that this was a terrible way to treat any child!

It is unfair to the students that require special education services to suffer the consequences of not receiving them. Many parents in our school district are highly upset that they voted for a tax increase last year, based in part on rising special education costs, when the funds were not utilized for special education. These parents want to see more transparency and have become quite vocal about it! They feel that they were lied to by school administrators and the board of education.

Although we have a school district facing turbulent times, I still feel that our community is a great place to live and raise our children. A big reason for that is the result of parents helping each other. It is a comfort to know that our community, as a whole, will not tolerate a reduction in educational services to our typical children or our special needs children! Please do not let our school officials define who we are. Cherry Hill has many responsible, caring residents that understand the impact that our school district has on our children. We are consumers of their product. We put our children in their hands to learn and grow and develop skills that will last a lifetime. The education that our children receive should never be compromised based on race, ethnicity, family wealth or a disability classification. We are all residents of a great community and we all need to stand up and reclaim our schools!

Education: Autism's Impact on our School District

Autism once affected 1 in 10,000 children. We have seen an explosion in autism rates and there are now 1 in 94 children (1 in 60 boys) suffering with the disorder in the state of NJ. (National estimates are 1 in 150.) Some have estimated that the incidence of autism in certain areas of the state, such as Cherry Hill, may be slightly higher. This may be because families with autistic children have moved into certain areas where services were more easily accessible.

The NJ Public Schools Autism Prevalence Report showed a 911% cumulative growth rate of autism from 1992 to 2003. At the time it was estimated that 1 in 179 children had a diagnosis of autism in our state. That rate swelled to 1 in 94 children with autistic disorders, as reported by the Center for Disease Control this past year.

Locally, Cherry Hill Public School System saw their special education population grow from 9.4 percent in 2000 to 14.5 percent last year. The rise in autistic disorders played a major role in the escalation of special education students.

To further compound the problems with Special Education, Cherry Hill Schools were faced with administrative changes. We have a Superintendent and Director Of Special Education that are still fairly new to our school district. While change is difficult for everyone, many have viewed this change as a major step backward for our school district. At a time when special education needs are on the rise and therefore more dollars need to be allocated to this area; our administrators have tried to reduce the cost of providing special education services. This has put our district in a position of having to provide many more children with programs and services while using fewer dollars. It is an impossible situation!

We are also seeing a trend where many independent contractors (mainly therapists) are not willing to work in our school district. Although I am uncertain if it is because they are being offered a reduced rate of pay (or a rate that is far less than other districts) or if it is a result of non-payment for services provided. There is evidence that both may be attributable to the reduction in available therapists.

Without qualified therapists to provide services, such as Occupational Therapy, we have students being denied critical services. This scenario is impacting other contracted services as well. Cherry Hill once employed a Behavior Consultant full time. That position is now filled by independent contractors. It appears to be a transient position. Some children in the district benefited greatly by the services of one particular behavior consultant and then suddenly the provider was changed. The parents of these students were asked to pay out of pocket for services until the new provider's contract was negotiated. This not only created a hardship on parents, but was against the law! However, more troubling than that, is the regression that many of these children could experience as a result.

The overall change in the culture of special education has been the biggest problem for parents. The dollars involved in providing for these children seem to be more important than the "sense" of providing appropriate services.

Education: The Basics

Autistic disorders encompass numerous skill deficits that make it difficult for these students to participate in a regular education environment. Although some may be mainstreamed they usually require support services to maintain them in a regular ed setting. Some may need an educational assistant, while some may require speech, occupational or physical therapies. Students with autistic disorders have some degree of social and/or communication skill deficits, which may range from mild to severe. These students may not have the skills to follow social rules or social norms. They may appear to be rude or insensitive without ever intending to appear this way. A certified special education teacher, that is specifically trained in teaching social skills to an autistic student, can incorporate social skill building activities as well as a structured lesson plan to teach these critical skills.

Autistic students typically have difficulty with transitions, so a change in environment or activity may cause a tremendous amount of difficulty. It is usually preferable to teach transitioning skills prior to having the student switch rooms for various lessons. Many autistic students have difficulty going from outdoor play to indoor instruction. For those students it may be necessary to incorporate a transition activity. In example: Have the student pick up items (leaves, etc) from outdoors, to write about once they come indoors.

It is important to remember that many autistic students suffer with Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID). For those students, the transition from outdoors to indoors may have more to do with the change in lighting, temperatures and even odors. Although it is not a permanent solution, some students with SID should remain in very controlled environments as any sudden change could impede their ability to process sensory input and throw them into sensory overload. The reaction that the student with SID displays when faced with a sudden sensory assault is commonly referred to as Sensory Defensivenes. It can quickly trigger a "fight, flight, or fright" response. These areas need to be addressed prior to placing the child in a problematic situation.

Additional concerns should be addressed in the classroom. Even in seemingly controlled environments, steps must be taken to ensure the child's safety. The simple act of watching a movie in class or the teacher's use of an overhead projector could be problematic for a student with SID. The dimming of a room, the sounds associated with a movie projector or the humming of the fan on the overhead projector could be too much sensory information for the student to process at once. Often a sensory diet is helpful, but be prepared for difficutlies until it is fully addressed.

Children with autistic disorders typically have poor problem solving abilities and fall victim to bullies. It is important to have close supervision for these students as they may not even realize they are being bullied until the problem escalates. An educational assistant may become imperative for students to navigate through their regular school day.

Traditional medicine does not offer a cure for autism, but early intervention has proven to be the most effective means for educating these students. If these students are taught social and communication skills early on and if they are specifically trained in methods to regulate their behavior, many may go on to lead productive lives and become active members of their communities. This however, requires intervention at the earliest stages of their education.