Archive for the 'education' Category
Autism safety not "in the bag"
To those who celebrated, I hope your Christmas was a blessed one. I also wish the same for a nine-year-old autistic boy at the center of a Louisville, Kent. school controversy when word got out that staff members at Mercer County Intermediate School stuffed Christopher Baker inside a duffel bag for allegedly acting out on Dec. 14. Chris is enrolled in a special needs program there.
The Kentucky Department of Education has no laws regarding restraint or seclusion, although an autistic Georgetown University student started a petition calling to fire the school employees responsible. The online petition had over 700 signatures at the publication date.
Thankfully, I can say I was never placed in a duffel bag when I was in school, or I'd probably be at the center of a lawsuit. However, controversies over how the education system handles autistic children still appear in mainstream news cycles periodically. With no uniform system in place for training on autistic students, coupled with varying levels of intervention behaviors chosen by education specialists, such actions are theoretically possible if educators are unprepared.
The biggest difficulty with the lack of a streamlined system are public school employees who do not understand the symptoms of autism. This does not suggest that all of them will choose actions that compromise the safety of students, but if their patience is low, they will be more likely to exhibit an impulsive emotional response.
Bruce Schreiner of the Associated Press published the story, which was then syndicated on Huffington Post. The story is largely a reaction piece that interviews Christopher's mother (the school cited confidentiality laws and refused to comment on the incident specifically), the Georgetown student who started the petition to fire school employees, and a former teacher who blogs about autism issues.
Generally, controversial stories revolve around what two parties are thinking, as reporters either on deadline or lacking journalistic intuition consider getting both sides of a story satisfactory. Schreiner goes one step deeper, researching the larger public's response to the incident. While more sources may not change the tone of a "he-said she-said" story, but just as surveys decrease their margin of error when their sample size increases, quoting subjects not involved in the center of an altercation provides a better consensus of the situation's brevity. As a result, readers will more likely get the idea that what the school did to Chris would violate rules or laws in other states.
Obtaining outside sources also develops a well-rounded story. When facing controversial topics, the "defendant" is often hesitant to speak either in an attempt to hide guilt or to control damage. Reporters shouldn't be "out to get them," but having a neutral go-to source to spell out an event's significance will offer analysis or details that will likely be skipped by both the accuser and defender.
Odds suggest a follow-up story will be found on Huffington Post or the Associated Press if Mercer County School reaches a decision, but until then, the story highlights what all of us could add when taking the effort to expand the source pool.
Posted in autism, controversies, education, Internet, intervention, media coverage, public school
Tagged with Associated Press, Christopher Baker, Huffington Post, Kentucky, Mercer County Intermediate School
San Diego police officer protects and serves
Police officer Brian Herritt and his autistic son
In what was a timely follow-up to my analysis of the Toronto Sun story published earlier this week, Rebecca Woolington of The Oregonian brings us a story profiling a San Diego police officer hosting a four-hour training session for fellow police officers in Oregon's Washington County. The training is far from standard, as Brian Herritt will be instructing police officers on how to respond to autistic children. The father of an autistic child himself, Herritt's inspiration began when his son eloped at the age of three and he found himself relying on police to find him. While his son was discovered safely, Herritt noticed police may be unprepared to handle autistic children, his experience as a parent and law enforcement official created a dedication to teaching cops how to recognize signs of autism and deescalate situations. Conversely, he also wants to teach parents the mentality of police officers.
The Autism Society of Oregon is funding the training session, and one likely subject will be the potential of confusing symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (people talking to themselves or fixating on objects) with socially awkward behaviors that exhibit signs of drug and alcohol use. Herritt also explains how to best take autistic people into custody, what crimes they are most likely to commit or fall victim to, and to avoid assuming someone isn't cooperating because they're not responding to questions or orders (as explained many times on this site, some autistic people don't communicate verbally).
Autistic people must follow the laws like everyone else, but after the ordeal I dissected in Toronto, Herritt's mission is the perfect antidote to solve issues surrounding lack of awareness of autism in law enforcement. One training session won't make police experts, but because Herritt is a fellow officer with an autistic child, his ability to communicate to both parents and cops is more effective. He understands the wishes of parents to accommodate autism spectrum disorder when approached and the rapid responses officers must sometimes make on or off-duty. As I mentioned in the last story, there will be increasing encounters between autistic people and police officers as the autism population grows and ages, which likely means Herritt won't be the only cop to offer this training in the future.
There's also a possibility of a follow-up story in The Oregonian as the training session doesn't take place until next Wednesday, creating a set-up to report the response of attendants. Many are representatives of the sheriff's office and local police departments in Oregon, so finding ties for the reading audience would not require much effort. Continuing to cover this story could also reveal Herritt's future plans for these training sessions; the fact he is traveling to Oregon from the San Diego area brings forth the desire to promote a subset of knowledge to a group who most likely will need them on future assignments. Outside the region, other news editors and reporters may find citizens similar to Herritt who share his goal.
Woolington spends the first half of the story explaining Herritt's background and his drive to educate other officers before switching to local sources for their reaction regarding his Oregon visit. Woolington indirectly highlights why autism training will matter to any kind of safety official in the long-term: parents already in the business are getting a first-hand experience with the disability.
Posted in autism, education, Internet, media coverage, safety
Tagged with autism, Brian Herritt, education, law enforcement, Oregon, police officer, Rebecca Woolington, safety, San Diego, The Oregonian, training, Washington County
iLove the iPad (and always will)
Courtesy Tim McCarthy, Asbury Park Press
Alesha Williams Boyd of the Asbury Park Press is the latest reporter to uncover the autism community's love affair with Apple's iPad computers. Several New Jersey school districts are purchasing iPads for special needs students for the upcoming 2011-12 school year, with a private school requiring families of students to purchase the mobile computers.
The mobility, aesthetics and the ability to install apps to personalize each system are a few reasons why iPads are such a hit for the mentally disabled community. The director of special services at New Jersey's Marlboro Public School district credits Apple's product for drawing autistic kids out from themselves. The iPad's ability to provide a means of communication via screen images for autistic children is well-documented, but thanks to the app market, school districts are also using iPads to encourage autistic people to make eye contact. Even if such applications have a price tag (according to the article, some cost as much as $200), many still consider the iPad a marvel with its $500 list price compared to bulkier, bigger, more complicated devices that can reach four figures.
What about students with other disabilities? Boyd covers that segment in the first few paragraphs, reporting applications allowing students to organize their activities, thoughts and assignments (a boon for autistic children who adhere to routine), and apps that can vocalize text or translate the spoken word into text. Not enough? Settings on some apps can be adjusted to the type of touch students produce, and can also be rigged to challenge students to exercise their motor skills with different forms of touch.
I doubt this will be the last time iPad and autism blend in the same article, but future media coverage could become stagnant if future versions of the iPad aren't considered revolutionary for the disabled population. Coupled with similar abilities from the iPhone and iPod Touch, Apple's sister products, stories on the benefits of these devices will find difficulty creating new flavors for an audience that follows autism news via the Internet, where geographical boundaries are neutralized. However, the primary reason for future media coverage that could repeat itself is all about the audience. Similar stories to find a place on this blog originated from Houston and the Twin Cities area, so to assume New Jersey residents would know of those stories would be unwise. While this means using a search engine for stories on autism may produce carbon-copies published in different outlets, local organizations aren't worried about similar coverage outside their market.
However, Boyd does show her readers the iPad's potential outside of the autism community, where most media coverage in this topic is focused. Truthfully, the advantages of the iPad aren't any major revelation these days, but Boyd does answer the call for communities who may feel overshadowed by autism coverage. Examining the benefits is useful beyond informing the audience for Apple's sake. Since Apple releases new editions of their products on an annual basis, viewing its impact across multiple facets may assist them with improvements for future editions through app technology or hardware components.
I had to learn to communicate through more traditional computers since touch-based technology was far from wide use growing up. I can't say I'm more or less fluent with computers than autistic kids who use iPads are, but I can predict school districts will eventually saturate their special-needs students with iPads when budgets and resources allow for the opportunity, and you can bet I'll follow the news coverage generated from the implementation.
Posted in autism, education, Internet, intervention, media coverage, progress, technology
Tagged with Apple, Asbury Park Press, autistic students, communication, computer, iPad, New Jersey, school, technology
Autism dashes another victim's optimism
Ben Barnhard, courtesy Associated Press
I always stress that autism itself cannot kill its inhabitants directly, but the stress and frustration that builds with raising children on the spectrum can lead caregivers to murder, as was the case with Margaret Jensvold, who killed her 13-year-old autistic son and then herself in a story published by Eric Tucker of the Associated Press and syndicated to Huffington Post. A dark irony in this instance was Jensvold's occupation of a psychiatrist.
Police found a note along with their bodies earlier this month, with Jensvold saying she couldn't deal with the Maryland school system and that debt was strangling her. Family members said Jensvold was increasingly strained by financial pressure and fights with the Montgomery County public school system as they refused to cover tuition costs for Ben Barnhard to attend a private school for special-needs students. Jensvold didn't want to return her son to a public school district where family members said she felt harshly judged and marginalized while Ben had struggled.
The note added that Jensvold killed her son so he wouldn't experience of the trauma of losing her mother, with Jensvold's sister noting she wouldn't believe Barnhard would mentally recover from such an event. Barnhard spent nine months at a weight-loss boarding school after he topped the scales at 275 pounds, and he dropped more than 100 pounds when he finished his time there, gaining new-found optimism about school and being a kid again. The day after Jensvold killed herself and Barnhard, a check came in the mail from her sister's mother for $10,000 toward tuition at the private school she was hoping to enroll Barnhard in.
This is the third article I have dissected on my blog where an autistic child was killed by his or her parents, and recurring themes are all too similar: parents are unable to handle the challenges of raising children whose development doesn't align with neurotypical kids, with their emotional stress exacerbated by the feeling of isolation from the community. Unfortunately, this leads parents whose conflict management skills are vulnerable to taking the life of the children they gave birth to. Imagine how Jensvold's circumstances could have changed had she not become mentally unstable and held out for at least an extra day, where she would have learned that support was coming for her son.
Covering a story like this is not much easier than it was for the sources to speak about what happened (Jensvold's sister and Barnhard's father were interviewed). Since Tucker is an Associated Press employee, his story follows a specific format that's about as hard-core as you can get with journalism. Opinions from authors of AP articles are non-existent, and since AP stories are often distributed throughout news outlets across the country, their writers will craft the story for a national audience as they cannot predict where and when their stories will appear online or in print.
Even with the guidelines, there still is room for some creative flow in AP stories, as Tucker leads with Ben's achievement at the weight-loss boarding school he attended after enduring years of taunting from classmates. Similar to the mission plan of the Syfy series Alphas, Tucker sought to communicate qualities to the audience that highlight how Ben's previous weight problems and autism spectrum disorder had little effect on his interests or capacity for autism. Midway through the story, he does the same for his mother. While it won't change the fact that Ben's mother ultimately killed him, Tucker does his part to humanize the story's subjects to increase audience accessibility.
Instances of parents killing autistic children are rare, but the emotional weight of murder often means such deaths will likely find their way to online media. Autistic children shouldn't live in fear of being killed by their parents, but Tucker explains through his reporting why murder/suicide is a poor solution. Tucker and the Associated Press won't make a call to action themselves, but perhaps readers who know of parents traveling through an environment similar to Jensvold's will pick up the cue.
Posted in autism, crime, death, education, intervention, media coverage, support
Tagged with AP, Associated Press, autistic, Ben Barnhard, death, debt, education, Huffington Post, Kensington, Margaret Jensvold, Maryland, Montgomery County, murder, stress, suicide
Alpha and Omega
Photo by Justin Stephens, Syfy
Before I analyze my next story, I want to inform you that this blog is a finalist for Twin Cities CBS affiliate WCCO's Most Valuable Blogger competition in the health/fitness/medical category. Click here to view all the entries in the category. Voters can select their favorite blog in each category once per day. The winner receives a $50 Amazon gift card.
Speaking of value, Jean Winegardner of The Washington Times explores the usefulness of an autistic character on Syfy's new series, Alphas. The series focuses on people whose neurological anomalies give them special powers while simultaneously dealing deficits and difficulties brought on by their differences. One of the five main characters, Gary Bell, is a high-functioning autistic adult who can read a wide range of electromagnetic frequencies, including television, radio and cell phone signals.
Actor Ryan Cartwright, who portrays Bell, enjoys the complexity of the character that he believes extends beyond the autism diagnosis. Naturally, Gary makes little eye contact, his speech patterns are stilted and echolalic, he relies on rules learned by rote and carries a strict adherence to routines. All are common traits of autism spectrum disorder. However, the kicker is Gary's sense of humor, giving him an extra personality to challenge mainstream notions that autistic people are humorless (an idea promoted in the days of Rain Man).
Much detail and care was included in the science portion of the science fiction show. Dr. Susan Bookheimer, a faculty member of UCLA's neuroscience program, is a consultant for Alphas who reviewed each script for the show's inaugural season while offering on advice on aspects of Gary's presentation and symptoms. Cartwright's research included consulting with people who work with autistic individuals, reading books by autistic authors Temple Grandin and Daniel Tammet along with blog sites created by autistic people (I wonder if he came across this one :-p) and watching documentaries on the subject. Cartwright credits this research for helping him understand the reasoning behind the attributes and difficulties of autistic people to create and not imitate the physicality of Gary. Cartwright's biggest goal? Playing the person and not the disorder
With the story part reporting and part editorial, Winegarden expresses approval for the show introducing a complex character with autism as opposed to stereotypical characters that permeated mainstream media in the early days of autism exposure. Bookheimer concurs, as the show seeks to examine themes of neurodiversity as the topic itself becomes more embroiled in public dissemination.
Science fiction itself has always opened doors to addressing ideas and topics among current events that could never be extrapolated by media set in the present because of raw, impulsive emotional responses from segments of the viewing audience. Star Trek and its spin-offs before the 2009 reboot contained many allegories among its episodes and races, including Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, with a 23rd century version of Chernobyl and the end of the Soviet Union. Alphas may not be as futuristic, but the science fiction elements of neurological conditions leading to superhuman powers does communicate to viewers that disabled people aren't so simplistic in real life. Several examples of autism in mainstream media used to place autistic individuals as "out there," separated from the public domain. Recent portrayals, including a young boy with Asperger's on the second version of NBC's Parenthood and now Alphas, approach the condition with a mission to deconstruct what the public erected years ago about the condition.
Credit must also be given for Winegardner's approach to the story. There are few indications of the article presenting itself as a column until the end of the story, when Winegardner analyzes the character of Gary Bell and the effort from Cartwright and the show's production staff. While I doubt anyone would be critical of a column praising a television show for avoiding stereotypes, columns and editorials can sometimes fall into traps created by the writers (or pundits on television shows), where the writer eschews fact and reasoning for an egotistical nature. Winegardner's structure is very similar to what a straight-up reporter would write, and prefaces her sense of encouragement with a behind-the-scenes look for a rookie series seeking to establish itself in the Syfy lineup, using both the actor and a consultant whose expertise is the science of the brain as sources for her analysis.
While an opinion is more blatantly expressed, opinion articles sometimes employ the tactics of more neutral stories that make up the front page of newspapers, as such work can carry the same effect in both instances. Thanks to Winegardner's interviewing, she doesn't have to rely solely on her own word even in a news environment where someone's word is sometimes given more credence than traditional reporting. A positive side effect is the illustration of commitment from Alphas to accurate portrayals within its neuroscience surroundings.
As with any art form, television isn't immune to subjectivity from the viewing audience, critics and advertisers, but even if Alphas joins the long list of "one-and-done" programs, expect future shows that tackle neurodiversity to draw inspiration from the latest work of science fiction.
Posted in autism, brain, education, Internet, media coverage, neurodiversity, neurotypical, progress, science, science fiction, television
Tagged with Alphas, autism, fitness, Gary Bell, health, Jean Winegardner, media coverage, medical, Most Valuable Blogger, neurodiversity, neuroscience, Ryan Cartwright, science fiction, Syfy, television, Washington Times, WCCO
Autism doesn't graduate
Yes, I'm back again after another hiatus, but I see some of you are still reading my site.
I'll be exploring some articles I had stored up to discuss, including a lengthy article by John Richardson of the Kennebec Journal in Maine. The story is among a growing number of journalistic investigations reporting the response to the increasing autistic population. Maine is not immune to the effects, with 680 adults with autism or other disabilities waiting to get MaineCare funding for some level of services, a figure reaching $282 million this year. That's a few zeros, but even with 180 on that list considered in critical need for health or safety concerns, the state can only move seven to 10 people per month when funding frees up, usually when older adults die. Even just four years ago, a high school student with autism could smoothly transition to adult services if the condition warranted such care. Now, residents in Maine and other states find themselves on waiting lists that can last for years. Complicating things is the lack of affordability for services, with day programs costing $20 to $25 per hour and full-time residential care running at least a $70,000 price tag.
Richardson's story isn't new, as the high cost of services is a repeated point of discussion in autism articles (recently explored in the Denver Post with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's granddaughter). Given the current economic and political climate, foreseeing a growth of these stories published can only be expected. Autism's strain on families is another element making a return appearance in Richardson's story, citing a 2010 story where a father and full-time caretaker of his autistic son killed both his son and himself. Naturally, we also see statistical evidence that autism is rising in Maine, with Richardson using data from the state's public schools. Granted, those in Maine who spend most of their news consumption within state boundaries may not be aware of similar articles in the news timeline, but that doesn't change the increasing occurrence of reports detailing how the public may potentially deal with autistic adults unable to function independently.
The story isn't part of an elaborate scheme to rehash the same material in order to demand more autism funding from various sources. Instead, stories with parallel themes are usually the result of considering the outlet's audience. A similar story in the West Coast may not have the same impact because of geographical distance. There's also a chance reporters themselves are still developing fluency; autism carries a complex nature, but its penetration may not be high enough for its own beat coverage that reporters give to topics such as politics, crime, education and sports.
Richardson is effective at spelling out the issue for readers of Kennebec Journal, balancing the recurring elements of concerned parents, data, and challenges as a result of said data. However, autism news readers likely understand by now that autism doesn't suppress itself upon graduation. The community may ask for something deeper than localizing a previously reported story, but with the varying severity of autism combined with the uncertainty of progress offered by treatments, the adaptation of autistic adults could be one story where reporters won't have an easy time digging further in the present.
Posted in autism, education, Internet, intervention, media coverage, supervised care
Tagged with adult, autism, autistic adult, funding, graduation, John Richardson, Kennebec Journal, Maine, MaineCare, services, waiting list
Sheldon Cooper's got company
Before you ask, no one on The Big Bang Theory has said Sheldon Cooper is officially on the autism spectrum. So what other connection could possibly exist? Hardcore fans may recall Sheldon enrolled in college at the age of 11. While the subject profiled in a TV story for MyFOX Atlanta (the local FOX affiliate) has aged another year before doing the same, the future North Georgia College and State University autistic student is no less an intellectual prodigy. George Franco, the reporter assigned to the story, highlights Alex Beach's fluency in Japanese and Latin, his music composition and his chess skills. For a student who went blind in one eye due to a young childhood disease, calling him a visionary might be an understatement. His mother said Alex could have started college at age 10, but she and her husband decided to hold him until this June to develop Alex's social skills.
The 12-year-old also takes martial arts training, with his mother serving as his instructor. His mother says the physical and social contact of the sport assist Alex with his autism spectrum disorder, and she will commute with him daily when his college classes start. Alex will be on his own, but the school will be ready to provide assistance. Alex's mother also told Franco that not allowing his intellect to grow could have adverse side effects, even if he doesn't act his age socially.
Alex's intellectual abilities may ring parallels to Sheldon Cooper or Raymond Babbitt's skills exhibited in Rain Man, but such skills are statistically rare in autistic people. Estimates suggest only 10 percent of the autism population possess above-average IQ in a particular subject, and a documentary produced 10 years ago on Discovery Channel reported that savant skills can deteriorate with the growth of knowledge of other subjects processed in the brain (nothing recent has refuted that theory). This area of autism isn't linear either; many success stories of autistic people aren't necessarily due to outperforming most peers in a certain subject, but folks like Alex reinforce the sometimes buried benefits an autism diagnosis grants its inhabitants.
As I've mentioned before with TV news, time constraints and the characteristics of the medium don't often allow in-depth stories. Franco features only Alex and his mother for the story, yet his limits don't restrict him from spilling out why Alex could most likely kick our butts on Jeopardy!. While unexplored plot points do exist, including where and how Alex caught up with his social skills to assist his adaptation to college (a stage in life some 18-year-olds aren't always ready for), television is about showing the meat of the story hard and fast. If additional time remains to explain secondary plots, then television journalists will make the exploration. Otherwise, the focus is efficiently informing the audience why they should care about who gets TV time. However, Franco indirectly highlights the positive role of involving autistic children in activities with his fact about Alex's martial arts training.
There's a good chance Alex will receive more TV time in the future, as his bright mind will only expand in college. His story is growing riper for a medium increasingly eager to find more "pedestals" in the community, and this journalist can theorize Alex Beach will eventually be categorized in a long list of autistic people who could school us on material we thought was mastered. The key for future stories is displaying those talents while balancing the human element that exists, even inside the autism community.
Posted in autism, autistic, education, Internet, media coverage, progress, strengths of autism
Tagged with Alex Beach, Atlanta, child prodigy, college, Georgia, high IQ, intellect, intelligent, local affiliate, MyFOX Atlanta, North Georgia College and State University, prodigy, savant, smart
Autistic students become "teachers"
Justin Evans, with assistance from an autism aide at Colfax Elementary School, highlights his shared interests with non-autistic classmates during a presentation. Photo by Jason Bridge.
OK, so adults still teach full-time, but Michael Aubele of Valley News Dispatch found three autistic students at Colfax Upper Elementary School who shared their autism spectrum disorder with their classmates. The school, along with other school districts in the Alle-Kiski Valley in Pennsylvania, are involved in sponsoring events for Autism Awareness Month, which wraps up this Saturday.
The three autistic Colfax classmates, just like almost every other student, were nervous about their presentations because their lectures broke traditional routines (autistics are very routine-oriented). One student used an iPad to showcase his interest in Dr. Seuss, and his autism support teachers regularly use the iPad to communicate with him. Their fellow classmates embraced the learning lessons because they increased their overall understanding of autism spectrum disorder. One student interviewed by Aubele said she wasn't aware of autism's range of severity prior to the presentations.
Aubele's story is short and doesn't quote any sentences when he refers to his interviews, but give him credit for finding a pair of fellow students to gauge reaction to the information shared by their autistic classmates. Interviewing children is tougher than adults and even teens who are subjects of many other autism stories, so not seeing many quotes from them isn't a surprise, no matter what restrictions were placed on story length. Complicating such an interview is the story's subject; adults have spent hours upon hours and are still dumbfounded on many facets of autism. Now throw in a much younger face with much growing to do. Fortunately, as Aubele shows, no hairs need pulling when approaching kids for interviews. Stick to the simple questions, such as what they knew before and after a presentation and what they thought about it.
Although surmising a deadline for this story isn't achievable, Aubele could have played up his third-person narrative with the autistic students and their classmates to a greater extent. How much did the autistic classmates believe their peers understood their disability? What goals did they have for the presentations? How well did they get along with classmates before they opened themselves up in this fashion? The story's short length doesn't allow much development for such ideas. However, Aubele's story illustrates the reduced fear of sharing sensitive material about students that can increase their vulnerability. The mentality when I attended elementary school was silence in hopes that no one would think the disability exists. Unfortunately, autism and other disabilities don't work that way. Gauging what would be different had I attended in this social environment is impossible due to too many changing variables, but Aubele's piece could ease worries other parents or teachers may still have about revealing differences.
Posted in autism, Autism Awareness Month, education, Internet, media coverage, public school
Tagged with Autism Awareness Month, autistic students, children, Colfax Elementary School, education, fifth-graders, kids, knowledge, Pennsylvania, presentation, school, Valley News Dispatch
Autism needs growing faster than available resources
A kindergartner turns away during a read along in class. Photo by Diandra Jay
News about cash-strapped school districts has landed on television and newspapers for the last few years following The Great Recession, exacerbating issues the districts are facing within their student bodies. They have no immunity against autism, and as Kelly Puente of the Press-Telegram highlights, the state of California is implementing what they can with limited resources as more autistic students enroll in their schools. California's Department of Education estimates 60,000 children in their schools are autistic, with over 1,000 serving in the Long Beach Unified School District, the primary coverage area for the Press-Telegram.
While limited funding increases the difficulty of adapting to rising autistic students, districts like the LBUSD are far from helpless. Previously relying on outside agencies to provide services for autistic children, the district now offers resources that include the Long Beach Early Autism Program which begins before a child turns 3. The program helps parents and the district construct and Individualized Education Program (IEP) while the child enrolls in preschool and special day classes. While such amenities cost the LBUSD $91 million, nearly 20 percent of their overall budget, they say doing so saves money long-term by going in-house versus using outside agencies (my post on Ken Salazar's granddaughter highlighted some reasons for the high cost of autism services).
The state of California formed an Autism Advisory Committee in 2007 as a call to action to meet the challenge of educating autistic children. A teaching authorization for autistic students was added to special-education teachers, and the LBUSD now requires an authorization to teach autistic students for all special education teachers working with children who have mild to moderate disabilities.
Although Puente's main plot is the course of action pursued by the local district her paper serves, she makes the story easier to relate by including an insight from an autistic student inside the Long Beach district who is prone to mental breakdowns but excels in his middle school classes. Blake Wesselman serves as the springboard for the story's focus, representing one face of the 60,000 inside the country's most populous state. While Wesselman's mother holds hope that her son can lead a normal life, Puente bookends the story emphasizing such "normal" things, including his proficiency in math, his passion for sports, heavy metal and Guitar hero, even mentioning Blake's girlfriend in the story. I doubt Puentes and Temple Grandin have met face-to-face, but Puente has taken Grandin's advice about promoting the strengths of autistic people, as such strengths aren't exclusive to them or non-autistic people.
Using Blake's profile as a bookend benefits the story beyond illuminating a success figure in the schools, his story reinforces the effectiveness of the LBUSD's autism programs. While no doubt was cast in the story on the school district's programs, using a student who was more severely impaired or just started receiving attention in one of their programs could unintentionally communicate an ulterior message in Puente's story. Factoids about autism awareness month and the disability itself are included to clue in readers who may not be aware of either element.
Puente's reporting balances the increase in support for autistic students in California schools with ongoing obstacles, allowing her sources to promote why autism services require continuous support. A follow-up certainly isn't out of the question with the always-changing nature of education. Whether that's through more success stories like Blake's, new programs offered by school districts, or the impact current programs have on students is unknown, but the story's positive nature will at least offer a nice reprieve for readers growing weary of stories warning of a metaphorical apocalypse.
Posted in autism, education, Internet, media coverage, public school
Tagged with autism, Autism Advisory Commitee, autistic students, Blake Wesselman, California, funding, Long Beach, Long Beach Early Autism Program, Press-Telegram, programs, resources, schools, special education