Eye Contact Arkansas - Blogged
Wednesday
10Mar2010

Conway Human Development Center considered High Risk

DateWednesday, March 10, 2010

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion yesterday in court calling the Conway Development Center a high risk operation.  500 individuals live in Conway with a variety of disabilities including autism. 50 children live in the facility, with the Department of Justice asking for the immediate suspension of all children's admittances to Conway.

This information all comes from the Wednesday, March 10 Democrat-Gazette. The Arkansas Department of Human Services operates the Development Center.

papoose boardsThe Conway Center has been the subject of negative press since 2004, but after years of investigation and consultation with the State of Arkansas, the Department of Justice has now moved to litigation. I was astonished at the horrifying facts of the filing. Restraints, for instance, were alleged by the Department of Justice to include straitjackets, papoose boards, and restraint chairs, which it calls "practices that have been largely barred from other facilities for years."

Even the written plans for restraint use were horrifying; the memo states that one 14-year-old girl could be put in a papoose board "until she was apologetic for her behavior."

On education, the memo notices that "none of the CDHC children receives a full day of special education services or adequate transition plans."

In 2004 Arkansas agreed to a plan to transition individuals out of institutional settings. However, the memo states that "the State is not taking any meaningful action to end the unnecessary segregation of individuals with disabilities." Instead, the "State is actively increasing its capacity for institutionalizing children."

The U.S. government expert testified that half of the Conway residents, or about 250 people, could be moved to community settings. However, Conway itself had recommended only 5 residents for community placement as listed in the memo.

Here's the Department of Justice Memo on Conway. I highly recommend everyone read this document. It's well-written and jaw-dropping in its description of the institution.

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Tuesday
09Mar2010

ACS or Big Waiver Autism Eligibility

DateTuesday, March 9, 2010

For many Arkansas interested in applying for Medicaid waiver for their child or adult with autism, there's been a lot of confusion about the autism diagnosis.  Is Asperger's covered? How can I build a three-part diagnosis if I didn't orginally go to a UAMS center?

I contacted the Arkansas DHS Developmental Disabilities Service office to get the final word on autism. Here's the response:

Click to read more ...

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Sunday
07Mar2010

Agenda for the Autism Task Force on March 19, 2010

DateSunday, March 7, 2010

So much for what I thought was going to be on the agenda.  I know that some money was released to those on the autism grant waitlist in January and will ask for further information.

Nothing listed yet on the new autism waiver or on what communities around the state told Partners for Inclusive Communities about their autism needs. (Of course their meeting schedule got delayed by all the ice in February.)

So far there's a presentation on the need for first responders to understand autism. There's also a discussion of what should be the priorities for the 88th General Assembly next year. I hope you can either attend or e-mail me your comments. If you need ideas on recommendations, skim the 2008 Task Force Report, although I find it light on specifics in education.

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Saturday
06Mar2010

Doing the math on the autism waiver

DateSaturday, March 6, 2010

Arkansas is slowly starting its new autism Medicaid waiver. With “only” $1,500,000 in funds each year, the waiver will only be able to serve about 100 children in the state.  Each child would get services for three years. With the severe shortage of specialists throughout the state, it’s hard to imagine many providers of the autism waiver outside of the Northwest corridor and Little Rock.

On the other hand let’s see what happens if the $1,500,000 was transferred to education training.

Click to read more ...

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Saturday
06Mar2010

Just Once: Teaching Social Skills At Home

DateSaturday, March 6, 2010

I’ve probably taught my seven-year-old son with high functioning autism a hundred times what to do when his little brother is crying: look at your brother, give him a hug, ask him if he’s ok, and finally apologize for any accidental injuries. It’s one of those intuitive social moments that his younger siblings already imitate but that a child with autism requires step-by-step direction. My son with autism does care, but he just doesn’t know what to do and so starts up the goofy act.

So I’m delighted to hear Jacob going through his injured brother script upstairs. But has he mastered it? No, I expect I’ll have to practice this same script in the future. He’s just starting to try out the sympathy script.

AuthorEyeContactArkansas | Comment6 Comments | | | | in
Thursday
04Mar2010

H.B. 4247 Passes U.S. House

DateThursday, March 4, 2010

H.B. 4247, Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act, passed the house on Wednesday on a primarily party line vote.  This act would set up federal standards on use of restraints and seclusion on children. In particular, these two techniques would only be allowed in case of a student injuring himself or others.

I would not be comfortable standing aside while a student dented my new car under H.B. 4247, but too often petty destructive acts were an excuse for excessive force. Yes, in certain ways H.B. 4247 goes too far, but it's written in response to poor decisions by school personnel that injured or even killed children.

Arkansas Democratic Congressmen Mike Ross, Vic Snyder, and Marion Berry all voted in favor of the bill. Both Snyder and Berry are retiring this year. Republican and Senate Candidate John Boozman voted against H.B. 4247.

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Tuesday
02Mar2010

Autism Task Force Meeting, Friday, March 19th at 1:00 pm

DateTuesday, March 2, 2010

We're back at the State Capital in Room 151 from the Autism Task Force meeting.  The agenda will be available on March 5th. The Disability Rights Center and Partners for Inclusive Communities are tenatively scheduled to speak.

This meeting will probably have a presentation on the autism Medicaid waiver. If you have any comments about the direction of the new autism waiver, the meeting would be a good forum for you.

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Saturday
27Feb2010

Floortime Training Available Online

DateSaturday, February 27, 2010

Dr. Stanley Greenspan, the developer of the Floortime autism treatment method, now has his training seminars available online. Floortime is a fairly popular method of treating autism. Here's a link to further information on the Floortime technique. The online courses are somewhat expensive, about $75 to $125 for 6 to 10 hours of training. However, you would have access to the training program for a full eight weeks. The workshops are on autism across the lifespan, managing tantrums, and managing sensory behaviors.

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Saturday
27Feb2010

Autism Walk Walk Walk Walk

DateSaturday, February 27, 2010

April as Autism Awareness Month has a lot of fundraising events across the state to build up awareness.  Here's a list of events for various large events.  The autism walks also have lots of families and providers coming to learn more about this disability.

Bentonville: Autism Involves Me 5k Walk, Saturday, April 10 REGISTER

Click to read more ...

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Friday
26Feb2010

Dr. Phil Seeks Stories on School Rights Violations

DateFriday, February 26, 2010

TV talk show Host Dr. Phil is seeking your stories of trouble with the school system.  Please apply HERE if you're interested in appearing on the show.

I applaud those such as Carole Reynolds in Fort Smith who are willing to go public with their school stories.  The public, legislators, and the media need actual examples of school incidents.

However, I do think that Arkansas families who go public with their stories can pay a heavy price in community hostility. Any family who goes public with their complaints should be prepared to leave the public school system completely through homeschool or private schooling.

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