Eye Contact Arkansas - Blogged
Thursday
Sep022010

Article on the Overmedication of Young Children

DateThursday, September 2, 2010

This New York Times article describes a young child given powerful antipsychotics starting at age 18 months. LINK After several years the family determined that he didn't need all of these powerful drugs. His tantrums were caused by his reaction to family stress and speech delays, not mental illness.

A preschooler's behavior problems should not be managed by a pediatrician. Psychologists and psychiatrists, hopefully both of whom are child specialists, should be the key individuals treating mental healt issues for children. Psychiatrists are doctors who can prescribe drugs. Arkansas psychologists cannot. Psychologists work with the family to change behaviors and attitudes.

In addition, individuals with degrees in counseling, behavioral analysis, and social work can help families but have more limited credentials.

For Arkansas families struggling with behavior issues, the biggest problem is finding a child psychologist. Psychological methods take longer and require some effort but can definitely treat a child's difficulties.

LISTING OF ARKANSAS PSYCHOLOGISTS

There is no statewide listing of psychiatrists in Arkansas. Try locating psychiatrists through the following groups:

UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute has both psychiatrists and psychologists.

Mental Health Council of Arkansas is a statewide group of mental health providers.

Arkansas Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health is a statewide nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to helping children with mental health issues.  Please contact them for further information on mental health help in your area.

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Friday
Aug272010

Developing Behavior Intervention Plans in Arkansas

DateFriday, August 27, 2010

Sharon Adams, M.S., NCSP and part of the Arkansas Department of Special Education, gave an excellent presentation on how to develop Behavior Intervention Plans during Special Show 2010.

Behavior Intervention Plans are developed help modify student behavior.  First, school staff (can be anyone) gather data on what the student's behavior.  What does the student do and say? Can you measure it? What does it look like? The staff must look at all aspects of the behavior, including the frequency, intensity, and duration.

In Ms. Adam's experience, behavior plans usually suffer from two weaknesses:

  1. Incomplete gathering of data in the functional behavior assessment: The district does not gather enough information about the behavior. Information also includes what happens before and after the incident.
  2. Too many behavior plans, when the IEP goals or implementation is the problem. If a student cannot do the schoolwork, such as cursive handwriting, he or she may throw tantrums. He or she is merely communicating that the work is overwhelming. The school needs to provide more handwriting assistance or modifications to help the students. Or, the current occupational help is ineffective.

Parents whose children have behavior plans should be on the alert for these two difficulties.

She also recommended several resources:

Diana Brown Wright's BSP Desk Reference

Teacher's Encyclopedia of Behavior Management 100 Problems/500 Plans

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Wednesday
Aug252010

Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education Speaks in Little Rock

DateWednesday, August 25, 2010

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke in Arkansas at the invitation of the Clinton School of Public Service about changes to NCLB, or No Child Left Behind, the federal education law, which will be presented to Congress next year. The new education law is still "in the works"; Mr. Duncan is in Arkansas to determine better ways the federal government can help rural districts by touring Hampton School District's successful revitalization of its schools. Overall Mr. Duncan seems to be focusing education priorities on:

  • increasing funding of preschool programs
  • improving teacher quality
  • building better, data-driven teacher evaluation systems
  • increasing data transparency

For special education he will only be maintaining current levels of spending in NCLB. There is no plan to increase federal funds for special education.

Mr. Duncan does have a high priority on ensuring that all students, including those in special education, can enroll in charter schools. Charter schools in Arkansas and other states appear to have unusually low numbers of special education students. Special education students and other student groups who feel that they have been denied the opportunity to enroll in charters should contact Office of Civil Rights (OCR) immediately.

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Wednesday
Aug182010

iPad Apps for Autism

DateWednesday, August 18, 2010

An August 2010 article lists several apps for the iPad. Some of the programs will also work on iPhones.  Visual schedules, augmented communication, PECS, social stories, and the learning of emotions apps can now be found on the iPad. Costs range from $179 to free.

The iPad from Apple was released in April 2010 and features a 9.7 inch touch screen. Both wireless networks and 3G cell phone access are supported by the iPad.

Click to read more ...

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Wednesday
Aug112010

ACS Waiver: WAY long waits

DateWednesday, August 11, 2010

Arkansas Waiver Association has an update on the long, long waits for ACS. Right now even individuals coming out of institutions are facing delays of 10 months to a year before receiving community services. Somehow a new priority list of individuals in HDCs needing community services has been developed by DDS.

The ACS waiver list is not moving at all for families. Arkansas will hopefully redirect money from the closed HDCs into the waiver program, but it's not too pretty right now.

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Monday
Aug092010

Standards-Based IEPs: Special Show Introduction

DateMonday, August 9, 2010

Arkansas is changing to standards-based IEPs with four districts testing the new forms this fall. Standard-based IEPs use the goals of the Arkansas curriculum framework rather than team-selected goals. The new IEP should help students with disabilities do better on benchmark exams and help general education teachers understand the IEP.

To introduce Arkansas educators to the standards-based IEP, Ms. Marla Holbrook of Alabama Department of Special Education gave a presentation on the topic during Special Show in July 2010. She will be conducting training around the state on the new IEP for school staff. Please contact her directly for more training information at marlaholbrook@gmail.com.

Beginning in the fall of 2012, all Arkansas school districts will have IEPs listing items from the curriculum framework as annual goals, or standards-based IEPs. These new IEPs will have annual goals that are aligned with grade-level content standards. Students who are on portfolio assessment or who are otherwise not taking benchmark exams are exempt from the standards-based IEP.

My article is based on what she presention but is not a word-for-word summary. I hope to show Arkansas parents how they can use the Arkansas curriculum framework to develop their IEPs for students with autism.

Arkansas Department of Education develops curriculum frameworks, or list of many tasks each student is supposed to master in each grade. Using this framework, Arkansas then creates its benchmark exams and approved school curriculums. For instance, here're the general categories of what Arkansas students are expected to master from Kindergarten to 8th grade in English Language Arts:

  • Oral and Visual Communications
  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Inquiring/Researching

Just this part of the framework is 80 pages long, and students are supposed to master prior material before moving onto the next grade level.

There are a couple of areas where looking at the Arkansas curriculum will help develop better IEPs for students for autism. For instance, the K-8th grade language arts curriculum begins with several pages of listening and speaking goals for students, such as second grade student mastery of:

  • verbally introducing yourself to others(OV.1.2.4)
  • giving 3 and 4-step directions (OV.1.2.8)
  • asking and answering questions(OV.1.2.12)
  • demonstrating active listening behaviors (i.e., asking relevant questions)(OV.2.2.1)

Looking at the much broader curriculum framework, with its expressive language and listening goals, students with autism now have a way to see if they're falling behind in these important skills.

The Arkansas curriculum framework also details the level of reading comprehension and writing skills that a child should master. Both of these areas can also be troublesome for students with autism.

My advice would be for parents should look closely at the Arkansas curriculum framework and see if their child has mastered the listed goals of the prior grade. If not, is it caused by the disability? Does the district need to do additional testing? Even a typical learner may not master every item on his or her grade's framework, but severe lags on the framework that don't match the child's cognitive/IQ level are a big sign of trouble.

It's also tough for parents transitioning from preschool, where there is no curriculum framework, into kindergarten. What skills are being worked on in preschool? Where is the student behind or ahead? Parents do not have an Arkansas framework in preschool.

For individuals interested in incorporating social skills into the IEP, the curriculum framework may be the easiest way for parents to determine when skills should have been mastered. Conference Presenter Ms. Holbrook suggested that the annual level of mastery should never be less than 80%.

All Arkansas curriculum frameworks for various subjects and grades can be found at the Department of Education website HERE. Arkansas has just agreed this summer to adopt the national curriculum standards, so state frameworks will be updated in the next couple of years.

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Thursday
Aug052010

Autism Task Force Meeting on Friday, August 20

DateThursday, August 5, 2010

The Autism Task Force meets on Friday, August 20 at 1pm in Room 130. For parking, try the east side of the capital that's closer to downtown Little Rock.

So far there's nothing on the agenda, but the task force is working up a list of final recommendations to the 2011 General Assembly.

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Tuesday
Aug032010

Social Skills and Pragmatic Groups for Fall 2010

DateTuesday, August 3, 2010

Pragmatic speech therapy is desperately needed by many higher-functioning children with autism. Also called social skills classes, these therapy groups help children learn correct social behavior. However, arranging these speech groups can be difficult, since children need to practice with other children their own age.  Several pragmatics groups can be found in the Central Arkansas area.  Please let me know if you hear of other such groups.

The speech program at UALR has pragmatics groups for children 7-12 years old, and the occasional teen group. The cost is $250 for a semester of once a week classes. The parents can observe the class through a one-way mirror. The group's supervised by a speech-language pathologist with undergraduates doing the bulk of the therapy. The entire fee must be paid up front, and UALR will not bill your insurance company or Medicaid. Dr. Betholyn Gentry manages the lengthy wait list for the program; she can be reached at either 501-569-8913 or gentrybetholynf@uams.edu to see if this program would be suitable for your child.

The ACH Child Study Center also runs a social skills group on a school calendar. The group ranges in age from 5 to 14, with Ph.D. Psychologists Jason Lagory and/or Rachel Bowman supervising the master's level therapists and therapist-trainees. The ACH group varies slighly each semester, with classes sometimes available for normal siblings, teenagers, and other groups.

This ACH social skills group can be billed as a group therapy session to insurance or Medicaid, with UAMS handling the actual billing. The "rack rate" per group session is $100, although most insurance and medicaid provides a significant discount. The waiting list for the Dr. Bowman group is extensive but varies depending on the type of medical insurance.

ACCESS has afternoon classes the fall of 2010 for social skills classes. Once a week the classes meet in small age groups and go out into the community on field trips. A speech language pathologist supervises the group.The cost is $630 for the 14 week program, payable by monthly bank draft. The class time is 3:15 to 4:45. Please check with your insurance but Access will not be filing for payment. Most insurance plans require a psychologist, not SLP, for reimbursement. Groups start September 13th and end December 13th, so please call Beth Rice of Access, 217-8600, if you're interested.

The UCA Speech-Language Hearing Center offers extensive therapy services at $25 per session.  UCA is not filing with insurance so all expenses must be covered by the parent.  SLP students provide therapy services under the direction of UCA faculty.  UCA also offers $35 speech evaluations, as I've previously described.

 **NEW** Arkansas Department of Education Behavioral Consultant Jennifer Hennessey Ed.D. and BCBA and Psychologist Sheila Smith are together offering social skills groups in Conway. The classes are based on ABA principles and start this fall on Thursday evenings. The ages are from 4 to 12, divided into two groups of up to 8 participants each.**UPDATE** Program is on hold for the fall.

All participants need to have a $100 registration, assessment and goal development, then pay $800 for the entire series of ten classes. FORM HERE

 If you're new to the exasperating wait lists for autism services, try to be persistent yet polite.  Sometimes these therapy groups lose applications, or have massive cancellations, so keep calling and checking.

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Tuesday
Aug032010

Little Rock: Speaker on How to Succeed with Autism in High School and College

DateTuesday, August 3, 2010

Carole Ann MacDonald, a teacher who herself has Asperger's, addresses the needs and strengths of students with autism who are interested in post-secondary education. What does it take to succeed in higher education? What kinds of classrooms are best suited for higher functioning students with autism, Asperger's, and other behavioral disorders?

Ms. MacDonald holds a unique position as a person with Asperger’s who is also teaching students with Asperger’s syndrome. She holds a Bachelor's of Arts degree with a major in History and a Masters Degree of Education from York University in Canada. Ms. MacDonald completed her thesis research on the attitudes of teachers, parents and students towards students diagnosed with autism attending post-secondary education in Ontario. She was nominated for the Premier's Award in teaching excellence in 2008. Ms. MacDonald also co-produced several education training videos on Asperger’s.

Please help distribute this flier to interested students, educators, therapists, and counselors.  FLIER LINK HERE

Sponsors: National Autism Association, Autism Speaks, Marjorie Greenberg.

She is speaking on Wednesday, August 11th at 6:00pm at the Main Library in Little Rock. Parking is only $1 an hour with a stamped ticket. I am willing to sign attendance forms for those needing professional education credits, although this event is not registered.

There's no need to RSVP, but please contact Marjorie Greenberg at eyecontactarkansas@gmail.com for further information.

This event is not endorsed in any way by the Central Arkansas Library System.

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Monday
Aug022010

CIRCUIT: Statewide Arkansas Education Resources

DateMonday, August 2, 2010

CIRCUIT is a statewide educational consulting agency funded by the Arkansas Department of Education. It was started five years ago to coordinate the many organizations who offer consulting to school districts. CIRCUIT now works to have the best state and national practices available through its cadre of highly-trained professionals.

These are my notes of the CIRCUIT overview presented at Special Show in the summer of 2010.

CIRCUIT serves in following areas:

  • Autism
  • Multiple Disabilities / Physical Disabilities
  • Sensory
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Behavior (Number One request)
  • Deaf / Hearing-Impaired
  • Transition
  • Programming or Training (Popular request)

All requests for help are welcome, however, such as rare chromosomal abnormalities. To make a request, please use the short online form. LINK HERE The intake coordinator will usually call you in 48 hours.  If you don't hear anything, please resubmit your request since there may have been a computer error. There is no direct phone line. Requests for help are answered year-around.

Last year the program had 1200 referrals. Anyone can make a referral such as a teacher or parent or even another student, but the district LEA must agree to pay the costs. Most Arkansas districts support CIRCUIT's involvement with a difficult case.  CIRCUIT is not paid through Medicaid.

CIRCUIT specialists will typically arrive at your location around the state in 10 days, although they can respond during extreme crises such as injured people.

CIRCUIT is unable to do some tasks.  They are not an advocacy agency so are unable to help with parent disputes with the school district. CIRCUIT will not work on 504 children. only those with IEPs. Finally, CIRCUIT will not work with a child who is in the middle of due process against a school.

CIRCUIT services are free to the school for the first 20 hours of work on a referral. After that point the school must make a contract with the particular CIRCUIT group. (The 20 hours is the average amount of time it's taken to correct behavioral difficulties.)

CIRCUIT has four main sections: Easter Seals Outreach, BICs, EARS for hearing impairment, and Vision consultants.

Click to read more ...

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