Good IDEA(s) Newsletter
A Professional Development Newsletter for Special Educators
A Publication of the Montgomery County ESC
and Western Ohio Service Collaborative
April 2018
Volume 2, Issue 6
April is Autism Awareness Month
- Children conceived less than 18 months after their mother's previous birth or children conceived 60 or more months after their mother's previous birth were more likely to have ASD when compared to children conceived between 18-59 months after their mother's previous birth.
- The link between birth spacing and having a child with ASD appeared to be unique to ASD. There was no linkage found between birth spacing and having children with other developmental disabilities.
- The link was not explained by unplanned pregnancy, an underlying fertility disorder in the mother, high blood pressure or diabetes.
This study used data from the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED). Information about this study appeared in the January Good IDEA(s) newsletter. It is a multi-year, multi-site study to identify and study physical and behavioral characteristics of children with ASD (autism spectrum disorder).
To access this study, go to: https://goo.gl/9AgyGe
Autism Wandering Bill Passes
Colleges Create Opportunities for Students with Autism
"Students at these colleges commonly have mentoring programs, social events, scholarships, special housing options, personalized fitness programs and daily or weekly meetings with professional staff who help them engage their time and train them to self-advocate." Unfortunately, because maintaining these programs can be costly, often the families are required to cover these expenses through federal financial aid.
To read this entire article, go to: https://goo.gl/xYXniA
The Family Caregivers Act
Health and Human Services department will convene a Family Caregiving Advisory Council to advise the department on recognizing and supporting family caregivers. This plan must be completed within 18 months.
Many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live with family caregivers and many of these caregivers are elderly. This legislation will hopefully support these caregivers so that they can continue to care for their children into adulthood.
Discipline, Disparity and Disabilities
A related article by Anne Gregory and Edward Fergus which focuses primarily on black male students, but also Latino, American Indian, and disabled black males, reported that these students are "more likely than other students to be referred to school administrators for discipline problems and are also more likely to be punished by out-of-school suspensions, expulsion or referral to law enforcement". This data is supported in the March 2018 GAO report.
Drs. Gregory and Fergus believe that current SEL (social emotional learning) approaches when implemented with fidelity, reduce these disparities; however, they still exist. They suggest that "colorblind notions of SEL don't consider power, privilege and cultural differences and that most SEL models are centered on students, but not on the adults who interact with them. Educators social and emotional competencies strongly influence students' motivation to learn and the school climate in general."
The authors believe in a developmentally appropriate SEL which "may require an ecologically and equity-oriented SEL that acknowledges the cultural and power dynamics inherent in disciplinary interactions". This is an excellent article for any one interested in implementing an SEL program or SEL instructional practices.
To read the entire article by Drs. Gregory and Fergus, "Social and Emotional Learning and Equity in School Discipline" go to: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1144814.pdf
To read the entire GAO report go to:
WOSC Summer Institute
Teaching Kids to Thrive with Dr. Dedra Stafford, August 6, 2018
This workshop is sponsored by the Western Ohio Service Collaborative (WOSC).
Moderate to Intensive Intervention Specialist Academy
This workshop series is sponsored by MCESC & WOSC.