Speakout summer 2003 6-16-03

SPEAK OUT
Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center, Inc.
Volume 20 Number 1 • Spring/Summer 2003
338 Main Street • Niantic • CT • 06357 • 860-739-3089 v/TDD
website: www.cpacinc.org
Parents may call toll-free: 800-445-2722 • Fax: 860-739-7460
email: [email protected]
Satellite Office: Fair Haven Community Health Center, New Haven • 203-776-3211
In the last issue of SPEAK OUT we touched on the legal framework for the education of children with disabilities.
We discussed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities EducationAct. No Child Left Behind is intended to reform America’s educational system. The new law calls for dramatic changesin the way our public schools do business, but I don’t believe that any of us understands the extent to which this “regular”education law will impact special education. We are already feeling its impact. As time goes by, it becomes clearer to usthe importance of understanding No Child Left Behind, its influence on the reauthorization of IDEA and what it means tochildren with and without disabilities.
The greatest impact that No Child Left Behind has had thus far is in the area of accountability. We would all agree that accountability is important. For years, parents and communities have been voicing concerns that our education systemhas NOT been working well and that many children are not learning. NCLB is intended to bring some accountability to the educational arena. We know that it is important to have high expectations for allchildren, including children with disabilities, and to be able to measure whether ornot they are making progress in the academic realm. Our concern at present, however, In This Issue:
is that in trying to hold the system accountable for teaching our children, the focushas been shifted to those very children who have been overlooked in the past. Weseem to be moving toward a “one-size-fits-all” approach for measuring the success of our schools – standardized testing of students.
Parents and advocacy groups fought long and hard to get where we are today. Along with access to the general education classroom and participation in the general education curriculum, we have argued for our children to be considered part of the larger community, both in and out of school. There is a depth andrichness that comes through participation in both academic and extracurricular Bookworm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 activities. It is important to remember that not all strengths, not all skills and successes,can be measured by standardized academic testing. Education plans should include objective methods for evaluating student outcomes related to changes in behavior and improvements in a student's quality of life - e.g. participation in integratedactivities, improved social relationships, independence and self-sufficiency.1 If we measure those skills we will have a more complete picture of our children. Onlythen will we be sure to leave no child behind.
1. OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Information and Support, The Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center will be closed from July 4th through July 11th, 2003 and will re-open for business as usual on Monday morn-ing, July 14th. Summertime can give us all a much- needed break from the routine and pressures of the school year. It can also be a time for reflection and planning.
Be sure to call or email ([email protected]) the Center any-
time if you have questions or concerns as you think ahead tonext year We're always here to help! their technical expertise and support as we is a statewide non-profit organization that upgraded our agency computers. It is with offers information and support to parents their help that we were able to convert our of children with disabilities and theprofessionals who work with them. The database and develop a network within our center is staffed primarily by parents of children with disabilities who assist otherparents in understanding how to participatemore effectively in their children’seducation. A range of services is available, The Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center is committed to workshops and in-service presentations forparents, schools and service providers, a delivering accurate and timely information to the families we serve. In website, and a lending library of books and order to do that more effectively, we are redesigning our website.
Our "new and improved" site will still be located on the web at SPEAK OUT is published by
www.cpacinc.org. You can find resources, upcoming workshops,
Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center, Inc.
legislative information and links to other terrific sites. We are also developing a "listserve" so that as information comes in to us, we can forward it electronically on to you. If you would like to join us, Executive Director: Nancy Prescott simply email your address to [email protected].
CPAC continues to participate in Southern New England Telephone’s Community Connections Program. When you This newsletter is funded by grants from the sign up for - or confirm that you’re already using - SNET All Distance, the phone company will donate 5% of your monthly Department of Education, Bureau of Special long distance bill to CPAC. Simply call 800-635-7638 and advise Education; and by private contributions. Theviews expressed do not necessarily reflect the SNET Representative that you wish to participate in the Community Connections Program and that CPAC is your non-profit not endorse any product, service or theory of choice. Our code is #2240. Thanks to all of you who particpate referred to in SPEAK OUT. Articles,announcements and resources are included we have received over $2,526.00 through this program of giving! Connections in Connecticut: How Parents are Making a Difference If you know of parent activities that you'd like to share with others, please let us know! We will be happy to add your information to our website, and publish it in our next issue of SPEAK OUT if space allows.
PARENT SUPPORT IN GROTON
The Silence of Selective Mutism
town of Groton has started a parent support Childhood Anxiety Network, is an organization dedicated group for parents of children with special needs. The group to supporting and providing information to parents and meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30pm professionals dealing with children who have selective mutism at 2 Fort Hill Road and is facilitated by Cindy Mason-Jones, and related childhood anxiety disorders. Children with MSW. For more information call 860-441-6760.
Selective Mutism are often misdiagnosed and mismanagedsimply because so little is known and so little information is available on SM. One of the goals for SMG-CAN is to There is a new parent group in Naugatuck for par- build a network, in each state, for parents. Laurie Gorski, a ents of children with disabilities. The purpose of this group CPAC Next STEPs graduate, is Connecticut’s State is Parent Education, in the form of workshops, networking Coordinator for the Selective Mutism Group. For more and sharing information and experience. Its goal is to help information, you can contact her at [email protected] or parents to become effective participants in planning their call her at 860-267-0449. You can also learn more on the children's education. For meeting information, you can check the Citizen's News Calendar, or you can contactEileen Coyle at 723-4305 with any questions.
The Special Education Support Network is a new
support group in the Norwich area. Its purpose is to bring What's New with theT.S.A.?
parents of children with disabilities together for sharing information on community resources and special education Syndrome Association has changed its address and issues. The group meets monthly at the Montville High phone number. You can reach them at 15B Talcott School; new members are always welcome! For more Avenue, Vernon, CT 06066, 203-912-7310 or information you can contact Robin Grondahl at 860-848- by email at [email protected].
1959 or Susan Soldato at 860-691-0679.
dren with T.S. meets the last Wednesday of everymonth at Laurel Gardens in Glastonbury. For more information, contact Lynn Siegel at 860-657-2287 The Litchfield County Autism Spectrum Association, or [email protected]. For more informa- Inc. (LACASA) is a non-profit partnership that was tion on Tourette Syndrome or the Association, you established in 2001 by a group of dedicated families and can visit them on the web at www.tsact.org.
professionals. Lacasa was founded on the belief that nosingle person, professional, discipline or agency can meetthe multiple and complex needs of individuals with autismand their families. For more information you can contact Wethersfield Special Kids…
…is a support group for parents of children
with a variety of needs and abilities. The
group meets monthly, usually on the second
Wednesday evening of the month.
Wethersfield Special Kids will be hold its last meeting of Families United for Children’s Mental Health offers the school year in June, and will reconvene in September.
parent support! For more information on groups meeting in For more information, you can contact Patti Silva at 860- Wauregan, New Britain, Ansonia and/or Norwich, you can 529-7766 or email her at [email protected].
call Families United at 860-439-0710.
Preschool Models and Children’s
Later Success in School
Noting that preschools are under increasing pressure to offer instruction in basic academic skills to improve the academic performance of American schoolchildren, researcher Rebecca Marcon of the University of North Florida sheds light on the continuing and 4-year olds with disabilities. In April of this year, debate over teacher-directed versus child-centered Commissioner Theodore S. Sergi issued a circular letter preschool models in an article recently published in the to the Superintendents of Schools to clarify the Internet journal Early Childhood Research & Practice. requirements of IDEA '97 as it pertains to the LRE and In a follow-up study of children in an urban school district, Marcon looked at these children as they prepared An eligible 3- or 4-year-old child with a disability to leave the primary grades and again a year later when is entitled to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) they were to enter fourth grade. Three grouping were in the least restrictive environment (LRE), as is the school- selected as examples of the divergent preschool models aged child with a disability. This includes the requirement operating in an urban school system: children who had that each child is to be educated to the maximum extent (1) child development-oriented teachers who facilitated appropriate with children who are not disabled and that learning by allowing children to actively direct the focus special classes, separate schooling or other removal of of their learning, (2) more academically-oriented teachers children with disabilities from the regular education who preferred direct instruction and teacher-directed environment occurs only when the nature or severity of learning experiences and (3) teachers whose beliefs and the child’s disability is such that education in regular classes practices fell in between the other two contrasting models with the use of supplementary aids or services cannot be by endorsing a combination approach.
A complete copy of this article, which includes There are a number of examples of meeting the some interesting research findings, is available on the web LRE requirements, including tuitioning a child into a public at http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/marcon.html or you can call or private early childhood program; placing classes for CPAC at 800-445-2722 and we will be happy to send preschool children in the child's home school; and providing services to children at sites that include 50% or ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education more of children without disabilities. For a copy of this (ERIC/EECE) National Parent Information Network, Circular Letter, call CPAC at 800-445-2722.
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A Parent's Guide to Developing
your Child's IEP
by Todd Parr, published by Little, Brown and Company, 2001.
This children's book, filled with bright colors and silly scenes, cleverly delivers its important message of ac- ceptance, understanding and confidence in a child-friendly job can be more complicated. It is important for you package. "It's okay to have wheels.It's okay to have a to learn more about special education and how to be an different nose. It's okay to be proud of yourself. It's effective partner with your child's school. This parent's okay to be different . You are special and important just guide, from the National Information Center for Children because of being who you are." The author's previous and Youth with Disabilities, can help you begin to learn books have been praised as "reasssuring and kindhearted" what you need to know. For a copy, please send $2.00 (School Library Journal) and "cheerful.with advice to cover the cost of postage and copying to CPAC at children love to read" (Kirkus review). CPAC has a copy of this kid's book available in our resource collec- NICHCY is a national information and referral center that tion, along with a list of accompanying activities and dis- provides information on disability-related issues. You can cussion topics for teachers to use in the classroom. Call reach them at 800-695-0285 or visit them Dear Parent Advocate,
I just got a note from my son’s school saying that he may not be promoted to the third grade next year. I met with the teacher and then the principal at school. Both said that “their hands are tied”, they can’t recommend that Jerold bepromoted All of this came as a big surprise to me. My son was tested last winter and the school said that he was having problems learning to read. We worked on his reading at home, and I thought that he had caught up. Now all of a suddenthe school is telling me that Jerold still can’t read and that there’s nothing that they can do. I don’t have the money to payfor a tutor and I want my son to go into the third grade. Who has the final say as to whether or not he will be kept back? This is a problem that we are running into more and more these days. First of all, I would recommend that you get a copy of your school district’s policy on retention. School policies govern these decisions. Not too long ago, parentsoften had a lot of influence in the area of retention and promotion. But things have changed, and now the school usually hasthe final say in making that decision.
The new law, “No Child Left Behind”, is having a big impact on our schools (see page 1). Many changes have come about, and policies are being re-written to comply with that new federal legislation. Standardized testing is beingused to judge student performance and mastery of educational goals. Connecticut Mastery and Academic PerformanceTests (CMT’s and CAPT’s) are being used to determine the performance of the school district. In Title 1 schools, “NoChild” provides for “Supplemental Educational Services” (in the form of tutoring and/or summer school) for students whoare struggling. Your school may receive Title 1 funds; you can find out for certain by checking with your principal. If so,your child should be entitled to extra help at NO COST TO YOU. This is true for children with and without disabilities.
CT Parents Plus has developed "Tip Sheets" for parents on No Child Left Behind. For a copy of "What
Parents Need to Know About Supplementary Educational Services” you can call CPAC, or CT Parents Plusdirectly at 860-571-6052. You can also visit CT Parents Plus on the web at www.ctparentsplus.org Every five years, Parts C and D of the Individuals other changes have been made during reauthorization. For with Disabilities Education Act must be reauthorized. This example, during the 1986 reauthorization, the infant and means that these sections of the law will expire (in other toddler program was added. Before that reauthorization, words, not be in force) unless Congress passes them again children under 3 did not get services under the law. In the (hence the word reauthorization). Part B was considered 1990 version of the law, transition planning became a so important that it is permanently authorized. This means requirement. This was added to help youth with disabilities prepare for leaving secondary school.
Even though Part B of the law does not have to The IDEA was last reauthorized in 1997. So—a be reauthorized, changes are made to it during each little more than 5 years later—it’s time to reauthorize the reauthorization. For example, during the 1997 IDEA again. To get ready for the reauthorization, both reauthorization, mediation became a major strategy for the Senate and the House of Representatives began to resolving conflicts between schools and parents. Before gather information about how the current IDEA is working that time, IDEA allowed mediation, but it was the 1997 and what people would like to see in its next version.
reauthorization that required States to create a mediation They have both introduced bills to amend the current law.
system in which parents and schools could voluntarily take For more information on the current reauthorization and changes that are being proposed, please go to our Since the law was originally passed in 1975, many Legislation section on pages 8 & 9.
Managing Teens with ADHD, by Grad L. Flick, Ph.D.
This comprehensive resource is packed with tested, up-
The Bookworm
to-date information and techniques to help teachers,counselors and parents understand and manageadolescents with attention deficit disorder, including step-by-step procedures for behavioral intervention at schooland home and reproducible handouts, checklists and A reminder.CPAC has an extensive resource col- record keeping forms. The Cneter for Applied Research lection of books and videotapes available to par- ents and professionals. You are welcome to visit ourlibrary during regular business hours, 8:00 to 4:00,Monday through Friday, or you may call and bor- Individualized Education Plans: Involved Effective
row materials through the mail. Please call CPAC Parents, by Alison B. Seyler and Barbara E. Buswell.
to request the books and/or videos of interest to you, This is an essential text for families and educator as they or for a listing of references in your area of concern. develop and implement Individual Education Plans. Thisbook thoroughly explains what occurs before, during, andafter the development of an IEP, and provides and A Mind at a Time: America’s Top Learning Expert
innovative process for transferring information from year- Shows How Every Child Can Succeed, by Mel Levine,
to-year. Includes practical forms for parents and educators.
M.D Dr. Levine shows parents and others who care for Available in English and Spanish. PEAK Parent Center, children how to identify individual learning patterns. He explains how parents and teachers can encourage a child’sstrengths and bypass the child’s weaknesses. Dr. Levine Opening Doors: Connecting Students to Curriculum,
lists the eight fundamental components of learning that draw Classmates and Learning. PEAK Parent Center's
on a variety of neurodevelopmental capacities. Using book for teachers, parents and others about including all examples from his own experience, Dr. Levine shows how students in general eudcation classes and activities. It is a parents and children can identify their strengths and "how to" book that addresses the question: "How will I weaknesses to determine their individual learning styles.
make this work?". It describes strategies that educators, He urges parents and teachers to recognize each child’s therapists, principals and families have used to include learning style and thus maximize that child’s learning students with disabilities. 2nd Edition, Published by PEAK potential. Simon & Schuster, New York, NY; 2002 From Emotions to Advocacy: The Special Education
Survival Guide, by Pam & Pete Wright
If you’re beginning to advocate for a child with a disability,
this is the perfect book for you. Pam and Pete Wright
New Video Available
teach you how to plan, prepare, organize and get qualityspecial education services. You can learn about: The IEP – A Tool for Realizing Possibilities.
your child’s disability and education needs This instructional video highlights the importance and use of the IEP as the basic tool in designing negotiating for special education services and delivering supports and services for students and many other valuable strategies for fulfilling your with disabilities. This resource is excellent for both educators and families and is available in both This user-friendly reference book includes hundreds of English and Spanish. It is the Winner of the 1998 strategies, tips, references, warnings, and Internet resources that will help you help your child. Harbor House Parent Center in partnership with San Diego State Helping Teens Develop Healthy Social
Skills and Relationships:
Connecticut Community KidCare is a statewide
What the Research Shows about
effort to reform the way children’sbehavioral health services are coordinated, Navigating Adolescence
financed and delivered to children and their Ask anyone who has ever lived with, known or families. KidCare is focused on improving been a teenager: adolescence is a time of dramatic change.
the quality and availability of community- With adolescence comes puberty, a new sense of self and based services and supports. It is based on the principles identity and often new and increased expectations at that children should receive services in their community school and work. Relationships with parents and peers wherever possible and that parents are an integral part of change too. Social skills are called upon to form and the planning and decision making process.
maintain relationships. With these quality relationships The KidCare initiative began in October of 2000.
come beneficial outcomes, such as improved performance Services are currently available in varying degrees but the in school and success in relationships as adults. The ab- types of behavioral health services available and the way sence of such quality relationships is associated with nega- in which they are delivered will continue to evolve.
tive outcomes, such as delinquency and psychological Services will include Inpatient and Outpatient Services; Home-Based Services; Emergency Mobile Psychiatric In order to better understand how adolescents gain the skills needed to maintain relationships, Child For a copy of "The Educator's Guide to Trends, Washington, D.C., reviewed more than 360 re- Connecticut Community Kid Care" call CPAC at 800- search studies that examined the factors that lead to high- 445-2722. A detailed description of the program can be quality social relationships and good social skills. They found by clicking on the KidCare icon at the Department found a number of intervention strategies that are effec- of Children and Families website: www.state.ct.us/dcf tive.
For a complete copy of this Child Trends Research Brief,please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to CPACat 338 Main Street, Niantic, CT 06357.
In a long anticipated move, the FDA recently gave its stamp of approval to the first non-stimulant drug for the treatment of ADHD. Atomoxetine, manufactured byEli Lilly and Company and sold under the brand name “Strattera”, affects the brain chemical norepinephrine,which is believed to be an important factor in regulating Today, more children are being prosecuted for attention, impulsivity and activity levels of children, teens delinquent behavior than ever before. Many of these children have learning disabilities, attention deficit Unlike stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, Adderal disorders, behavior and emotional problems, brain injuries, and Cylert, the non-stimulant Strattera cannot be used as and mild cognitive disabilities. Juvenile court proceedings a drug of abuse, according to researchers.
are a minefield for all juveniles, but are particularly While head-to-head studies with the conventional hazardous for children with disabilities. The parents of a drugs have yet to be carried out, Strattera appears to be child with a disability can often improve the outcome…by as effective as Ritalin. In addition, Strattera does not taking an active role in their child’s case. (ATTENTION! appear to cause wakefulness, which might make it feasible to manage ADHD throughout the day without concerns For a copy of A Parent’s Guide to the Juvenile
that it may cause some children to have difficulty falling Justice System please send a self-addressed stamped
envelope to CPAC at 338 Main Street, Niantic, CT Reprinted with permission from "Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities", Vol. 2 No. 16 Adds some requirements for the selection of hearing officers – includes a requirement that the h.o.
have a fundamental understanding of the Act, have no personal or professional interest that conflicts withobjectivity in the hearing, and is not an employee of the SEA or LEA in involved in the education or care of the resentatives approved HR 1350, The Improving Educa- tion Results for Children with Disabilities Act," by a vote Issues may not be raised at due process that were of 251 to 171. Advocacy and parent organizations were not raised in the due process complaint notice. The notice opposed to this bill, citing concerns that it would weaken requirement binds BOTH parties, not just parents. That the educational rights of children with disabilities. On June 12th, the Senate introduced its version of a bill to - “…a description of the nature of the problem of the reauthorize IDEA, S. 1248. The following is only a very child relating to such proposed initiation or change, brief summary of some of the changes in that bill. It is not including facts relating to such problem” and intended to be either comprehensive or verbatim. There - a proposed resolution of the problem to the extent are a number of changes (to IDEA) proposed in HR 1350 known and available to the party at the time that appear in the Senate bill in similar if not exactly the However, nothing prevents a parent from filing another same form that are not addressed here.
due process hearing request on a separate issue at a latertime.
Senate Bill 1248:
A hearing officer may not rule that a child did not receive FAPE based on purely procedural violations replaced with "a statement of how the child’s progress toward the annual goals… will be measured, including - compromised the child’s right to an appropriate through the use of quarterly or other periodic reports, concurrent with issuance of report cards, that delineate - seriously hampered the parent’s opportunity to the progress the child is making toward meeting the annual goals.” 3 year IEP is an option only after the age of 18.
- caused a deprivation of educational benefits.
Due Process
enforceable in any state court of competent jurisdiction or a federal district court, unless either party appeals. A written mediation agreement is similarly enforceable.
Native language Requirement - The requirement that the Attorney Fees- Fees awarded to prevailing procedural safeguards notice be in the parent’s native parties shall be based on rates prevailing in the community language is the same as current law – “unless clearly not in which the action or proceeding arose for the kind and feasible to do so.” The language in HR 1350 was weaker.
Number of times that procedural due process notice issent out is reduced, similar to the House bill.
Monitoring and Enforcement
“Preliminary Meeting”- Similar to HR 1350 but with some The system of monitoring and enforcement in the Senate differences. Parents may not proceed to due process until bill is quite different than that described in the House bill the LEA has a 30 day opportunity to resolve the problem.
and in current law. Further analysis of this language is The LEA shall convene a meeting with the parents and required before any conclusions may be drawn about it.
IEP team within 15 days of receiving the parent’s due Discipline
process hearing request, but the district’s attorney may A form of the manifestation determination review not be present at the meeting unless the parent is also has been included in the Senate bill, as apparently has accompanied by an attorney. Then the district has 15 days protection for students for whom the conduct was a after the meeting to resolve the complaint. Parent’s manifestation of his or her disability. It is clearly an attorneys may not be reimbursed for time spent at this meeting, even if they are later determined to be prevailingparties.
Up to 10 days of suspension- same as current law.
10 days or more of suspension if the conduct is not a Every five years, the State Board of Education Special Circumstances – “Serious Bodily Injury” has
develops a comprehensive plan for promoting been added to weapons and drugs as a “stay put” educational improvement in Connecticut. The 1996-2000 exception. Hence LEAs may unilaterally place a child in Comprehensive Plan focused on expectations and student an interim alternative educational setting (IAES) for up to achievement. Connecticut’s vision for the next five years 45 school days if the child’s conduct meets one of those is on “Greater Expectations”. “The challenge is to close three exceptions, whether or not it was a manifestion of the achievement gaps between rich and poor, white and African-American and Hispanic students, boys and girls, When the conduct is a manifestation- Not mentioned in native English speakers and limited-English-proficient the bill, so it appears that for removals of more than 10 students and students with disabilities and those days, the student is to return to the current placement, as without…Our goal is to ensure that all Connecticut students achieve standards of excellence.” Manifestation Determination:
One driving force behind every state’s educational The IEP team must meet within 10 school days of the planning is the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2002.
The five NCLB goals are that: by 2013-2014, all students - all relevant information in the student’s file will be proficient at reading and math; all students will - any information provided by the parents become proficient in English; all students will be taught by highly qualified teachers; all schools will be safe, drug- free and conducive to learning; and all students will graduate - the conduct in question was the result of the student’s from high school. These goals are consistent with - the conduct in question resulted from the failure of the LEA to implement the IEP or to develop and implement Expectations, Connecticut’s Comprehensive Plan for behavioral interventions as required by the IEP Education 2001-2005 are available from the SDE’s Public If EITHER of these is true, the conduct is considered a Information Office. You can reach them at 860-713- Transition/Rehab Act
There is a new section added that would provide funds to
Vocational Rehab. agencies to: ATTEND TRANSITION
IEP MEETINGS and facilitiate transition to VR services.
Transition services in the IEP begin at age 14, not 16.
•Service Provider Advocacy Procedures
American Federation of Teachers has advocated for a
provision that would provide a documented dispute
resolution process through which providers (teachers,
What's the C.I.P.?
related services providers, etc) could make complaints if Connecticut's State Department of Education they were retaliated against by LEAs for expressing and its Birth to Three System have released concerns about the identification or provision of services their joint Annual Report on Connecticut's Continuous Improvement Plan for early
intervention and special education. You can
For a good explanation of how a bill becomes a find a copy of the report's summary on the law and why certain laws need to be "reauthorized", visit the NICHCY website at www.nichcy.org. To view the website, www.ctserc.org
actual Senate Bill, you can go to http://www.senate.gov
Entitlement vs. Eligibility
New Publications Available from NCSET
How are services different?
The school is the sole provider of services for This paper gives parents practical information students and families until the student graduates with a about how their children can use Social Security work regular education diploma, or ages out at age 21. Many incentives to facilitate a gradual transition to partial or families are unaware that, unlike the educational services, complete financial independence. Work incentives allow which are entitlement services through state and federal
a recipient of SSI to earn wages while maintaining cash legislation, adult agencies are eligibility services and are
benefits and Medicaid. Background information, defini- not automatically available to individuals. Even if a young tions and specific criteria for using SSI work incentives adult is eligible for an adult service agency, if resources (i.e. funding) do not exist, the agency is not mandated to provide services. In addition, the family is suddenly faced This parent brief provides a detailed description with an array of agencies, each with its own eligibility of the process for applying for Supplemental Security In- come. It outlines four elements, including the specific steps Here are some practical suggestions for enhancing in applying for benefits and the criteria that the Social interagency collaboration at the local level: Security Administration uses to determine eligibility.
• Get to know the individuals who are responsible You can get a copy of these publications from for coordinating transition efforts for each agency. Learn CPAC or on the web at www.necset.org.
• Learn about the referral processes and eligibility criteria. What does each agency need from the school Independent Living Centers provide four core services
(i.e. evaluations) in order to determine eligibility? Who to adults with disabilities: information and referral; will be responsible to ensure that proper releases of advocacy, peer counseling and independent living skills information are signed and this information is transferred training. They are “consumer-controlled and community- based". They are not group homes or residences but a Collaboration with other agencies takes time and “hub” of activity. There are five Independent Living Centers commitment. CPAC has fact sheets available from key in Connecticut, located in the communities of Hartford, state agencies that may support young adults with Naugatuck, Norwich, Stratford and West Haven. Call disabilities after they graduate from high school. Call the CPAC for the name and phone number of the ILC closest to you, or visit them at www.ilusa.com
Transition to Adult Life Resource Expos a
When Do School Services End?
Great Success!
The Connecticut statues define the school year Earlier this school year, CPAC and the Special as beginning July 1 and ending June 30 (Section 10-259).
Education Administrators in Southeastern Connecticut Connecticut regulations state that students with disabilities held three Transition to Adult Life Resource Expos.
who require special education are eligible to receive special Participants were given an introduction to transition plan- education and related services until receipt of a high school ning, community organizations had the opportunity to de- diploma or “until the end of the school year in the event scribe their services, and parents and students got the that the child turns 21 during that school year” (10-76d- chance to network and meet with invididual agencies.
1(a)(7)), whichever occurs first. For example, a student Many parents commented that they had no idea so many eligible for special education and without a high school agencies were available to support them with the transi- diploma who turns 21 between July 1, 2003 and June 30, tion process. If you are planning for the transition from 2004 is eligible to receive services, as recommended by school to adult life and would like a list of the agencies the PPT and stated on the IEP, through June 30, 2004. If that participated in Southeastern Connecticut, or are in- a student turns 21 prior to July 1, 2003, eligibility for terested in replicating a "Transition Expo" in your region, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to CPAC,338 Main Street, Niantic, CT 06357.
Project Participate provides families
and educators simple strategies to increase the
active participation of students with disabilities challenges. The Department of Mental Retardation is in school programs. Supported by a U.S.
planning how to continue services in light of reductions to Department of Education grant, Project Participate the allocation they will receive. The Department is trying facilitates collaboration and communication in the to streamline their work so critical positions important to classroom. CPAC has three of their "tip sheets" available.
direct service and case management can be refilled. One Ten Tips for General Educators offers ideas to help
change that will occur across all state human service students with disabilities participate and succeed in the agencies is a consolidation from five to three regions classroom. Ten Tips for Special Educators helps
effective July 1, 2003. The three new regions will be: teachers collaborate, communicate and promote the West (a combination of Northwest and Southwest participation of students with disabilities. Finally, Ten Tips
for Caregivers suggests ways that parents and other
North (a combination of the North Central and part of caregivers can encourage teamwork and communication to benefit their child. Call CPAC at 800-445-2722 for a South (a combination of the South Central and part of the copy of one or all three of these fact sheets, or you can Each region will be sending out more specific information over the course of the summer.
Our Children, Our Schools
A Family Resource Guide to Connecticut's Public Schools How's Your Child Doing in School?
This guide, developed by the CT Policy and Education Ten Research-Based Ways to Find Out
Council in partnership with the CT Association of Boardsof Education, is for parents and others who care for stu- Although hot educational topics come and go, dents in Connecticut. In it you will find lots of informa- parents will always need to know the answer to the ques- tion, including10 questions to ask at a parent-teacher con- tion: How is my child doing in school? The following tips ference, 10 ways to judge school quality and information are based largely on information from federally-funded on the latest research on child development. You can educational research. This article focuses on elementary access this guide on the web at www.schoolguide.org or
school children, but many of the suggestions apply to stu- dents of all ages.
1) Know what is expected 2) Know how well your child is reading 3) Understand test scores To help accommodate students in their district, the 5) Familiarize yourself with your child's homework Enfield Public School System is looking for Rifton 6) Use a report card to identify overall progress chairs. They need medium-size chairs, two with low backs and two with high backs that tilt. If you have chairs you no longer use, please contact Andrea Brunnelle in Enfield at 860-253-4709.
For a complete copy of this article by Ronald Dietel, Director of Communications at National Centerfor Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Test- ing, UCLA, please send a self-addressed stamped enve- lope to CPAC at 338 Main Street, Niantic, CT 06357.
Excerpted from Newsbriefs, an official Publication of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, 4156 Library Road, Pittsburgh, PA January/February 2003 Presorted StandardNonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage Connecticut Parent
Advocacy Center, Inc.
338 Main Street • Niantic, CT 06357Telephone: 860-739-3089 V/TDD Please share this newsletter with others!
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"The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) 2 Day Training Workshop";
Crowne Plaza Hartford Downtown- Hartford, CT
"Teaching 9 Critical Communication Skills Workshop: Promoting Functional
Communication for those with Disabilities"; Holiday Inn, North Haven, CT Designed
by Pyramid Educational Consultants, Inc. for SLPs, Special Ed.Teachers, Administrators,
Behavior Analysts, and Parents.
For more information on either of these communication skills workshops,
you can visit www.pecs.com or contact [email protected]
CT Down Syndrome Congress (CDSC) 18th Annual Convention “Down Syndrome: Celebrate
the Differences” Farmington-Marriott Conference Center Keynote speaker: Dr. Richard Villa ,
internationally recognized author and lecturer on inclusive practices, co-teaching, and curriculum
adaptation. For more info contact Ken Cholewinski at 860-663-2676.
"Inclusive Education: Promising Practices Conference"; Saxe Middle School, 468 South
Avenue, New Canaan, CT Primarily for professionals, this conference will focus on a range of
topics, including curriculum modifications and paraprofessional issues. Please direct any
inquiries to Beth Lurie, Conference Chair, at [email protected].
CACLD ANNUAL FALL CONFERENCE, "Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficits Through
the Lifespan"; Keynote Speaker: Larry Silver, M.D. author of THE MISUNDERSTOOD CHILD.
For more information, contact CACLD at 203-838-5010.
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Source: http://www.cpacinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/SPEAKOUT-Summer-2003.pdf