September / October 2003
Page 1

Debra Beckman to discuss Oral Motor Issues:
Join Us for DSAGNO’s Next General
Membership Meeting 1
From the Editor 2
Mark Your Calendars 3
Cori LeCompte Helps Us Keep Pace with
Orthotics 3
September and October Birthdays 3
"Exit Exams Can Be Optional if You Plan
Ahead” 4
Victor Bishop Brings Innovative Literacy
Ideas to DSAGNO 4
Top 10 Signs You’re Having a Bad IEP Meeting 5
Quick Answers to Standard IEP Statements:
More Pop Up IEP Responses 5
Through the Grapevine 6
New DSAGNO Board Reaches the Six-Month
Mark: A Message from DSAGNO’s President 6
Two DSAGNO “Bright Lights” Help NDSS
Promote Awarenes. 6
From My Side: My St. Louis Experience 7
Inclusion News Spotlight: Update on JP School
Inclusion Project 7
Our House: Discipline? Uh Oh! 8
You Can Help Support the Down Syndrome
Awareness Postage Stamp Campaign 8
Profiles: Meghan Elliott, “Wait, I’m Busy.!” 9
20 Steps to a Good IEP 10
IEP Goals 10
How To Boost Your Child’s Confidence. 11
Upcoming Conferences and Workshops 11
9 Ways to Boost Your Child's Attitude Before
the Bus Arrives 12
Does Your Child’s School Successfully
Implement Inclusion Practices? 13
Buddy Walk Update 13
Web Sites 14
Coming Soon 14

Oral Motor Specialist, Debra Beckman,
To Speak To
DSAGNO Members and Friends

We are very pleased to announce that on Thursday, October 23, Debra Beckman, a specialist in motor speech disorders, will speak at a special general membership meeting about oral motor skills. Since 1975, Ms. Beckman has worked in a variety of settings helping those with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Her experience has led her to develop a strategic plan for improving oral motor function.
Oral motor health and strength is crucial for development of basic functions such as sucking, swallowing, and feeding, but it is just as important to proper control needed for speech development. Some problems that oral motor therapy can address are hypersensitivity, drooling, tooth grinding, gagging, picky and/or messy eating, and lazy speech. Typical generic stimulation techniques can only prepare a muscle for movement and cannot change the range of movement or strength of a muscle. Ms. Beckman's strategies include specific interventions to assist in activating muscles against resistance thus increasing muscle strength. Please join us at Crane Rehab, 101 River Road, Suite 112, at 7:00 p.m. to learn about Ms. Beckman's oral motor program.

Karen Scallan

DSAGNO would like to thank Dr. Stephanie Campo and Jefferson Parish Human Services Authority for the use of an office and telephone (504) 846-6903. Dr. Campo has been a supporter of DSAGNO’s efforts to reach a wider segment of the Greater New Orleans community and we thank her and JPHSA for all of their help and support.

BIRTHDAYS
Join us in celebrating the following birthdays
for September and October!

SEPTEMBER
-----------------------------------------
Joey Boustead
Yvonne Cerniglia
Jack Jurel
Tess Landry
Aaron Rhodes
Cindy Scalia
Joey Singer
Gabby Wiltz

OCTOBER
-----------------------------------------
Annie Bellflower
Daniel Clotiaux
Joseph Guichard
Matthew Guichard
Andrew Lafourcade
Kallie Laird
Annie Reynaud
Paul Semel
Annabelle Thaing Tham
Katherine Unkauf

This spring, thousands of high school students will not graduate with a high school diploma. The students took the required courses and received passing grades.
Why? How is this possible?
The students will not graduate because they did not pass their state's exit exam. These students spent at least twelve years in school. Obviously, they learned something - they have the credits and the grades to prove it.
In some cases, the child knows a great deal about some things and less about others. In some cases, a teacher or two may have strayed from the state curriculum framework.
In most cases, the state changed its curriculum - what it expects teachers to teach and students to learn. The state exit exam reflects this new curriculum. These students are being penalized because they were not taught the new curriculum.
Do students need to pass their state exit exams before they can graduate with a high school diploma? No.
Private school students do not have to pass state exit exams. Home schooled students do not have to pass state exit exams. The easiest way to eliminate the exit exam obstacle is to apply your child's high school credits to a private school diploma. This is not as difficult or expensive as you may think. Many home schooled students graduate from a private school in Maine that they have never attended, or even seen. The school is the North Atlantic Regional Schools (NARS), a private high school accredited by the state of Maine.
The procedure is simple. The child registers at the school. NARS requests the child's records from the public school. The public school sends the records to NARS. If the child's transcript shows the child has earned the required credits, NARS awards a high school diploma. If the transcript does not show the required credits, NARS can tell you how to obtain the missing credits. You have a choice.
NARS holds two graduation ceremonies each spring. In June they hold a graduation ceremony in Lewiston, Maine. In May there is a graduation ceremony in Orlando, Florida. You may also graduate at anytime of the year, without participating in a ceremony
Getting a diploma from NARS means not spending years fighting with the public school so your child can graduate from high school with a diploma. The choice is yours.

North Atlantic Regional Schools website
http://www.narhs.org/nars/

High School Services
http://www.narhs.org/nars/HSServices.html

Graduation Requirements
http://www.narhs.org/nars/HSRequirements.html

On September 13, 2003, DSGANO had the fortune of hosting a talk by Mr. Victor Bishop of the Riverbend Down Syndrome Association. Mr. Bishop is the father of Emmanuel Bishop, a child whom some might call a prodigy, but whom Mr. Bishop calls just another kid.
Emmanuel Bishop, now 6 years old, was sight-reading at age 2, is tri-lingual and is currently studying the violin. He also has Down syndrome. Mr. Bishop spoke about the methods he and his wife used in teaching their son to sight read at such an early age.
Starting off with picture flash cards when Emmanuel was just 6 months old, Mr. Bishop and his wife quickly flashed just enough picture cards at a time to peak Emmanuel’s interest. They left him wanting more. Each time they worked with him for a minimal amount of time, maybe 3 times per day. Soon Emmanuel was asking to “play” flash cards. From there, once Emmanuel could identify the pictures, they replaced the pictures with word cards for all of the words Emmanuel could either sign or say. Soon Emmanuel could sight read these cards to the amazement of therapists and educators.
Emmanuel is home schooled; however Mr. Bishop believes these methods take so little time that anyone could do them and you can add them to your current education schedule. He also believes, “It’s never to late to start, but it’s never too early either.” He recommends starting this method as soon as possible.
One of the tools Mr. Bishop and his wife used were “composer” flash cards. These are “paddle” style cards with the face of each composer and a brief description of that composer’s life. Soon, Emmanuel was bored with just the names of the composers and wanted to know more about them. Now he can not only name them, but he can tell you where they were born, where they died and talk about the music they composed. (For more info on the “composer” and other cards, see the article, “’Composer Cards’, Where to Find Them,” in this issue.)
Mr. Bishop also spoke about the importance of teaching digit spans (exercising memory to retain increasingly larger items of information, ex: “pick up the toy and go outside to play,” 2 digit spans; 6, 8, 3, 9, -four digit spans). We hope to have more on digit spans and their importance in the next issue of DSAGNO News. Mr. Bishop gave the crowded room a lot to think about and proved what we already know…that our children can do much more than people think they can!

10. The IEP invitation lists "drive-thru" hours.
9. When you get to the meeting, the staff want
to know what you are doing there.
8. They give you complimentary white flags and
tissues.
7. Your child's student ID # is 666.
6. They try to convince you that the attending
speech therapist really is the janitor's identical
twin.
5. You find yourself explaining that... the regs say
they can use IU's for related services, not I-O-U's.
4. The special ed coordinator says 'Have we got a
place for your kid?".
3. They think "inclusion" is some type of venereal
disease.
2. The staff is bumming because their label maker
burned out.
1. You over hear the staff talking about the Least
"resisted" environment.

Special Education Terms
From www.wrightslaw.com

Procedural Safeguards Notice: Requirement that schools provide full easily understood explanation of procedural safeguards that describe parent’s right to an independent educational evaluation, to examine records, to request mediation and due process.

Specific Learning Disability (SLD): Disability category under IDEA; includes disorders that affect the ability to understand or use spoken or written language; may manifest in difficulties with listening, thinking, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, and doing mathematical calculations; includes minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia and developmental aphasia.

Norm-referenced test: Standardized test that compares child’s performance with the performance of a large group of similar children (usually children who are the same age).

Here are more "Pop-Up" IEP answers from The University of Northern Colorado's National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities (NCLID). If you'd like to see the full list of all 16 of the most common IEP statements and suggested answers, go to:
http://www.nclid.unco.edu/Hvoriginals/Advocacy/Popup
NCLID Pop Up Response #6. "We're the professionals, we know what's best for your child."
One Response:
"I can appreciate the fact that you have many years of experience and training. But as Jason's parents, wee want to make sure this team has taken into consideration our perspective as parents." Or "This may be a great time to talk about "parent training" as required by IDEA. As parents, we need to be trained about the issues involving deafness so that we can jointly make good decisions for Meg, and support the implementation of her IEP."
NCLID Pop Up Response #9. "Your child is doing great compared to other deaf and hard of hearing kids." NCLID states: "The measure of success is what ever "third grader" should know, not comparisons to what has historically been the dismal outcomes for students who are deaf and hard of hearing." Some possible responses:
"Well, that's interesting to know. But let's keep our focus on the standards of what Michelle's goals are in context to what she is supposed to learn and know in the eighth grade. How can we continue to ensure that the goals/services we are talking about today will help her achieve what the state standards require all eighth graders to know." OR "Thank you for sharing with me this information about Candace's Achievement compared to other deaf students in these assessments. I was wondering if we could also have a conversation about this assessment and if it has been normed to typically hearing kids."

“Composer” Cards: Where to Find Them

The “composer” flash cards that Mr. Bishop discussed in his talk are actually called “Fandex Family Field Guides,” and they are available at the Barnes and Noble store on Veterans Highway ($9.95). The Covington Barnes and Noble also carries some of them. Fandex Field Guides are available in a wide variety of subjects including dogs, cats, butterflies, western art masters, mythology, American Indians, wildflowers, the body, first ladies, bible stories, explorers, pharaohs and Shakespeare.

I realize with mixed emotions that it has been six months since the election—feelings of accomplishment that we’ve achieved so much in such a short time mingle with excitement at the prospect of what we have yet to do.
In a few short months, the new Board has accomplished a lot, not the least of which is submitting a 501c3 application to the IRS. DSAGNO’s certification as a 501c3 organization is critical to future successful fundraising. We are now in the process of providing additional information to the IRS for the application and hope to have an answer from them by the end of the year. In order to comply with IRS 501c3 regulations, our organization will also have to revise our bylaws and articles of incorporation once again and those revisions are also currently being drafted.
We recently secured two nationally renowned speakers for general membership meetings. Marian Hauth secured Mr. Victor Bishop to speak at the September meeting regarding literacy and Kate Kenny secured Debra Beckman to speak to our organization on October 23rd. We sincerely hope to continue this trend and bring more experts both local and national to our meetings.
DSAGNO has also been featured in 2 recent articles in the Times-Picayune, including one extensive interview with both Marian Hauth and myself discussing the organization’s goals for the future. This kind of visibility for our organization is critical in reaching parents and service providers in the community and raising awareness about the organization in general.
Several DSAGNO members attended the NDSS conference in July and launched a highly successful campaign to bring an NDSS conference to New Orleans in the future. Response from NDSS and attendees at the conference to our campaign was extremely positive and encouraging. Connections we made with others during networking opportunities at the conference have yielded donations from of such things as paper for print publications and cash donations — not to mention advice and encouragement! Kate Kenny also attended the NDSC Conference where she made valuable connections for the organization and brought back a compendium for our library.
We also made arrangements to purchase the large display exhibit used at the NDSS conference. This display enhances DSAGNO’s visibility at such events as the recent Disability Expo considerably, thereby reaching more of the public.
Continued on page 14…

Through The Grapevine
Pam Wiltz

My daughter Gabrielle is transitioning this year from the non-categorical preschool class to a mild-moderate class. I was shocked to find that it was common practice in most of the Jefferson Parish East Bank schools I visited to have a very wide age range within the classes. Most of the classes I visited had students as young as 6 and as old as 10. One class even had students as old as 12! Evidently, because Down syndrome is such a low incidence disability, schools try to group as many students together as possible.
The school system is required by law to have parents sign a waiver accepting an age gap of more than three years. The teachers told me, though, that most parents sign the waiver not realizing that if they refuse, the system is required to provide a more appropriate setting for their child. In Gabrielle's case, she was granted a permit to attend Matas Elementary school, so we are very pleased and relieved that she will be placed in a suitable environment. I hope to spread the word to other parents so that they will know their rights in such situations.

Two DSAGNO Children to be “Bright Lights” for Times Square Presentation!
Two of DSAGNO’s own were chosen to appear in the NDSS 20-minute video presentation in Times Square this October 19th when NDSS holds the New York City Buddy Walk. Each year NDSS sends out a call across the country and the world for photos of children and adults of all ages who have Down syndrome. This year Hannah LaCour and Kevin Scallan were chosen to be included as “Bright Lights” for the campaign. Hannah is the daughter of Paula and Kirby LaCour. Kevin is the son of Karen and Matt Scallan.
NDSS runs the show on the larger-than-life NBC Astrovision screen by Panasonic which is 30 feet high and 36 feet wide. The show will run twice on the day of the NYC Buddy Walk—October 19th.
Both the LaCour family and the Scallan family were invited to attend the NDSS NYC Buddy Walk festivities. NYC’s Buddy Walk includes a visit to Times Square to view the big screen presentation, an appearance by John McGinley of the NBC television show “Scrubs,” an appearance by Chris Burke from ABC’s “Life Goes On,” and special Guest “Bear” from Jim Henson’s “Bear in the Big Blue House.”
Congratulations to both Hannah and Kevin!

From My Side.
By Craig Blackburn
My St. Louis Experience

I had a great thing happen to me in July. I attended my first National Downs Syndrome Society (NDSS) conference. This year it was held in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the first time, too, that I attended an event without my parents and as a self-advocate.
It was very exciting. It started out great, too. As a surprise, Ms. Paula LaCour rented a limousine to pick our group up at the airport. I went with other members of the DSAGNO. I called my parents from the limo on my cell phone. They were very surprised and happy for me.
I had picked sessions of the conference I wanted to attend and these were: being a self-advocate, leadership, and public speaking. The really great thing about my sessions was that there were many individuals with Downs syndrome that attended.
Right away, I met two television stars who have Downs syndrome, Chris Burke (Corky) and Andrea Friedman (Amanda). They were members of the TV show cast of “Life Goes On”. I was really impressed with them and it made me see that if you work hard and are a good self-advocate you can do whatever you want.
The DSAGNO had a booth telling about what good things our group does. I met people from other booths and I even met two girls that I had dates with. That was fun and we had a good time at a ball game, dinner and the dances. I have their email addresses and have been sending messages. Meeting new friends was very good and we had a chance to talk every day at lunch.
I feel like I learned a lot and it will help me become a better self-advocate and help others, too. Now I am working with Mr. Kirby LaCour on public speaking and he is helping me learn to communicate better.
I want to attend other conferences in the future and continue to do a good job with DSAGNO and, maybe, soon with the NDSS.

Inclusion Spotlight:
Update on Jefferson Parish School System Inclusion Project
By Dorianna Vicedomini and Angela Newitt

Recently, all schools involved in the parent-initiated inclusion project, “Educating All Students Together,” started their fall professional development. The four participating schools are Green Park Elementary (Metairie), Schneckenberger Elementary (Kenner), Bridge City Elementary (Bridge City) and Lincoln Elementary (Marrero). General and special education teachers, para-professionals and parents attended this 12-hour training with most training being completed within 2-3 days at each school. The mission of this training was to educate teachers and faculty of the special supports needed and preferred learning styles of children so that those with special needs and disabilities could gain maximum access to the general education curriculum.
The three presenters during this training were Dr. Christine Templet, Sue McCann and Doriana Vicedomini. Teachers participated in classroom planning activities, positive behavioral support training and planning, and took part in a jigsaw activity where multiple intelligences and different learning styles were the main focus. Parent interest was extremely high. There were 14 parents at Green Park who attended the first day session alone.
During training, great emphasis was placed on the importance of preparing the general education students for the new “inclusive” environment. Subjects covered during training included: 1) characteristics of disabilities, 2) IDEA, 3) NCLB, 4) characteristics of effective inclusive education, 5) general teaming, 6) teacher teaming, 7) differentiated instruction 8) positive behavior support and 9) system changes.
When school started on August 25th, many children with special needs at these four schools were placed in regular education classrooms. Until recently, only 13% of the special education population were able to receive education in regular classroom environments. Now, as part of the project, that number will jump to 63% of special education students participating in regular education classrooms.
Family involvement is crucial to making this project a success. With more parent interest and family involvement in this project, this number could increase in all of our schools in Jefferson Parish. Let’s keep aiming high and staying involved and hopefully that number will one day soon reach close to 100%!

Rep. Pete Sessions (TX-32) and Rep. James R. Langevin (RI-2) have introduced a resolution (H.CON.RES.247) in the House of Representatives calling for a commemorative postage stamp that promotes public awareness of Down syndrome. NDSS strongly supports this resolution because a nationally distributed stamp would generate significant visibility for the Down syndrome community and help us work toward our objective of promoting greater awareness, acceptance and inclusion of all people with Down syndrome. During Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October, NDSS hopes to generate additional support in the House for this commemorative postage stamp.

What you can do:
Contact your local representatives and encourage them to cosponsor H.CON.RES.247. Tell them that October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, so this is a perfect time to show their support for all people with Down syndrome and encourage greater acceptance and inclusion. By securing more cosponsors, we can put pressure on the committee to keep this resolution moving forward! Go to the NDSS Website Advocacy Center (http://www.ndss.org/content.cfm?fuseaction=advcen) click on Support Down Syndrome Awareness Postage Stamp
(http://capwiz.com/ndss/issues/alert/?alertid=3518546) to access the sample letter that you can send to your Representatives. If you have questions or comments about this, contact Patty Smith at psmith@ndss.org. If you or others you know would like to be added to the NDSS mailing list, send name(s) and email address to alauritzen@ndss.org.

More Special Education Terms
From www.wrightslaw.com

Modifications: Substantial changes in what the student is expected to demonstrate; includes changes in instructional level, content, and performance criteria, may include changes in test form or format; includes alternate assessments.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tillie Plaisance’s Column, Tillie’s Corner, is on hiatus this issue, but will return for the November/December issue.

Our House
A Parents Perspective...
By Kirby LaCour

Discipline? Uh Oh!

Our house is not always a wonderful place of happiness, harmony and children that listen to us each time we speak. Neither is yours, so what’s new, right? Kids are kids and they learn from others and us at home.
I grew up in a very rigid disciplinary structure. “Do not do as I do, but do what I say do,” I still can hear my dad telling me. However, as a Mr. Mom much of the time, I am much softer than the home I grew up in, but still firm. The girls sometimes do not know whether to salute with a sir, yes sir, or just go do as they are told and afterwards receive a thank you with an explanation and hugs. Usually, they are very cooperative with out any persuasion, but occasionally there has to be a disciplinary action evoked to countermand unruly behavior. This is called an "action.”
After talking to many special needs children and adults one message I’ve heard repeated over and over is, “They just wanted to be treated like everyone else.” So that’s what we do. When Hannah began to do things as far back as age two that were not appropriate she would receive an action just like big sister, Megan. It may be a time out, or removing the item she was playing with, or she may have to stop playing a particular game, or heaven forbid, turn off Barney! Every action was/is done with an explanation before and after the action was imposed and followed by hugs and kisses. As with any child it takes time to get through, but for the most part this has worked fairly well. I rarely ever make it to a count of three and Hannah knows if I do an action will take place. Her attention span is shorter so the action may not be as long as one for Megan, but it does happen and is just as serious.
The other day Hannah put me in time out for saying, “stupid”. She understands well. So, if you say your going to do something as an “action” do it. Bluffs do not seem to work at our house.
Oh, I did go in time out too!

Good Luck from Our House.

Profiles...
Meghan Leigh Elliott
”WAIT! I’M BUSY!”

Meghan Leigh Elliott was born in the summer of 1991. My wife and I both turned 40 that year. We both had terrific kids from previous marriages. Meghan was to be “our” child. We were aware of the risk involved but decided to decline amniocentesis testing due to the risk to both my wife and our unborn daughter. We also considered the choices we would be faced with if the test showed any abnormalities. It was in Gods’ hands and we would take whatever He gave us. We were giddy with anticipation of the birth and stunned to the core when the doctor announced in the delivery room that our baby had Trisomy 21-- Down syndrome.
She was a beautiful baby. We knew only that we would do the best we could. We needed education and professional help fast! The first wave of cavalry arrived in the form of the Greater New Orleans Arc. Thank God! They provided education and training for the parents while working with Meghan. They also provided much appreciated emotional support and a network of other families. The help continued until age 3 and then Jefferson Parish School System stepped up to the plate and started her education full time. We all grew as Meghan grew. As parents we learned to re-arrange priorities and provide a loving, supportive and positive environment for our child to grow up in. We learned not to “sweat the small stuff” and Meghan never heard “you can’t.”
Meghan seemed to really blossom during her years at Harold Keller Elementary School. She loves to go to school and learn. At the age of 7 Meghan, received assistance from the State Waiver Program, which has been a tremendous help for us. Her education was continued in and out of the classroom. She has thrived on the attention and exposure. Meghan and her classmates were also introduced to the Special Olympics. Mrs. Cindy Markey, their coach, has devoted countless hours working with the kids, not only at scheduled events but also practices. I think it was the twice weekly, 1-hour practice sessions where Meghan and her buddies honed their athletic skills while polishing up their social skills. When it came time for real competition, Meghan and her teammates were ready. She and her pals have qualified for the State Finals in both winter and summer games every year since they became eligible to participate. She has won a bucket full of medals. More importantly, she has learned what competition is all about as well as the fact that you cannot win the “Gold” every time.
Her introduction to sports continued 3 years ago when a friend suggested karate as a form of discipline. Meghan was experiencing aggressive behavioral problems. My initial thought was “Why don’t we give her some brass knuckles – she can already beat up all the boys.” Reluctantly, we agreed to try it. We have never looked back! It seemed to channel her aggression in the right direction. She has mastered her “katta” (routine form) required at each level as she steadily moves up the ladder. She is currently a red belt and is working very hard toward her brown belt test sometime this fall. That’s the only belt left before she starts working toward her black belt. Meghan is determined and convinced she will make it. Those of us who know her “will” are also convinced she will make it.
Meghans’ accomplishments in sports were recognized this year when she was awarded the “Yes I Can” award in athletics for the State of Louisiana by the Louisiana Federation Of The Council For Exceptional Children. She was also the recipient of the Jefferson Parish award for athletics presented by the Parish Director of Special Education at her elementary school graduation ceremony.
She is twelve years old now. She practices her reading and writing and cannot wait to start middle school this year. She constantly amazes us with her dexterity on the computer as well as her sense of humor. Her innocence allows for brutally frank opinions of likes and dislikes and brings a smile to our faces. We are all still growing and very appreciative of the fact that “the whole village has helped raise our child.” Meghan is turning into a young lady and is still a very happy little camper. To her parents the experience (to steal a phrase from one of our boys) has proved to be “most excellent – dude”!

20 Steps to Getting a Good IEP
by Reed Martin, J.D.
Reprinted from www.reedmartin.com

BEFORE THE MEETING:
* Chart needs of your child that affect the child’s ability to meet all of the school’s expectations for a typical student, including transition successfully after public education.
* Examine all records relating to your child.
? Review last year’s performance.
* Determine if additional evaluation is needed.
* Let the school know in writing before the IEP meeting what you want that will be different and remind the school of their duty to reply in writing whether they will accept or refuse your proposal.
* Make sure the proper people will be at the IEP meeting.
AT THE MEETING:
* Object, on the record, to procedures that discourage parental participation and consider re-scheduling the IEP meeting
* Describe problems your child has that affect “educational” benefit.
* Set goals in each problem area, with appropriate consideration of transition.
* Select interim objectives.
* Set evaluation schedules and criteria for each objective and goal, including the parent role in assessing effectiveness.
* Develop the plan.
* Determine needed related services.
* List resources to be allocated.
* Examine contingencies, such as absence of key personnel or disciplinary infractions.
* Determine where the program will be carried out.
* Remove any unnecessary restrictiveness.
* Plan the transition component.
AFTER THE MEETING:
* Monitor progress.
* Prepare for the next IEP or call for the revision of the current one if there is a lack of expected progress toward the annual goals.

This information is educational and not intended to be legal advice. Reed Martin is an attorney with over 34 years experience in special education law and recognized as one of the nation's leading experts. He can be reached through email at connie@reedmartin.com or http://www.reedmartin.com.

IEP Goals
by Reed Martin, J.D.
Reprinted from www.reedmartin.com

* The goals should be what we expect of regular students.
* The IEP explains how your child gets from “here” to “there.”
A goal should have five components:
1. The direction we want to go
2. The problem we are addressing
3. The present level
4. The amount of change by the end of this school year
5. The methodology needed
For example:
Johnny will:
1. increase
2. in-seat on-task behavior
3. from 0% of the time currently to
4. 50% of the time by the end of this year
5. by training the teacher in positive behavior interventions that give reinforcement to in-seat, on-task behavior and do not unintentionally reinforce Johnny by giving attention to out-of-seat behavior.
Another example:
Susie will:
1. increase
2. self-control
3. from overreacting emotionally to stimuli that are normal in the classroom
4. to the ability to function with limited supervision in classroom settings
5. through individual counseling and reinforcement of positive behaviors in the classroom.
The IEP would then specify the short-term objectives in terms of the task or performance expected conditions under which the performance is expected the standard by which it will be measured, how the performance will be documented and how the results will be reported to the parents.

This information is educational and not intended to be legal advice. Reed Martin is an attorney with over 34 years experience in special education law and recognized as one of the nation's leading experts. He can be reached through email at connie@reedmartin.com or http://www.reedmartin.com.

Following are quiet ways to challenge your child to become more confident with his or her own achievements.

* When you give your children chores or offer them books a little more advanced than their age, their confidence increases as they learn they can perform them or read them.

* When your child does well, congratulate him or her with words of encouragement or a hug. “This one is tricky,” says psychology professor Paul Miller. “You don’t want them to do things merely to get a reward. Then you take the joy out of it. So, don’t reward them for getting an “A,” but for hard work they put in that resulted in the grade.”

* Don’t run your child’s life. You may think you are providing security by taking everything on yourself, but if a child is given no responsibility, he or she cannot develop confidence. This also means you should let him or her direct a shared activity.

*“Invite them to join you in your tasks,” Miller says. If you are fixing the car or cooking the evening meal, find age-appropriate ways the child can help.

*‘Don’t compare your child with other children,” Miller says. “It’s important to remember that kids’ confidence will wax and wane.”

* Don’t be negative: “Parents who are critical and negative cause low self-confidence,” psychologist Carol Bettino says….

* Don’t set impossible goals. If you make the goals for your child too high and he or she cannot master them, self-confidence suffers.

* Don’t overprotect your kids. “You are not helping them by keeping them away from hurts or disappointments,” says psychology professor Paul Miller. Children lose confidence if they don’t learn how to master disappointments….

* Don’t make your goals into your children’s goals….Their talents might lie elsewhere.
…
* Don’t act like a pill just because your kid acts like one. “Research shows the parent who can stay calm when the kids display negative emotions have kids that are much better at self-regulating five years down the road,” Miller says.

The Arc’s 2003 Training Series
Family Needs: Trusts and Sibling Support
Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, October 26, 2003
Embassy Suites Hotel, Dallas—DFW Airport
2401 Bass Pro Drive, Grapevine, TX 76051
Who Should Attend: Families, State and local officers, New and emerging chapter leaders, especially family leaders, Executive directors and other senior staff leaders, local attorneys and financial planners.

Saturday, October 25, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Reaching out to siblings, fathers and grandparents
Presenter: Don Meyer, Director, Sibling Support Project of The Arc of the United States
Sunday, October 26, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Trusts and Future Planning for Families
Presenter: Teresa Varnet, Spain, Spain & Varnet, PC, Susan Hartley, Executive Director, Life Trust Plan

Registration Fees are $99.00 per day or $178 for both days (save $20). Participants are responsible for their own travel and lodging arrangements. To arrange for your hotel accommodations (room rate $109/night +tax), please contact the hotel at (972) 724-2600. To receive this special rate, please mention you are attending The Arc of the United States event. Questions, contact Suzette Crim at (301) 565-5470 or at crim@thearc.org. Registration forms are available on line at www.thearc.org. On line registration available also. Registration deadline: October 17, 2003. Room block deadline: October 3, 2003.

Reed-Martin Phone-In Workshops
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Reed Martin or his web site, Mr. Martin is an attorney with 34 years experience in the area of special education law. He has been offering advice on his website and through is workshops on such topics as IEPs, how to file complaints, IDEA and NCLB for quite some time.
Anyone who is interested can participate in his phone-in workshops. Each workshop cost $40.00 and is held for 90 minutes with time for questions and answers. You will get your own participant ID#, the 1-800# to call, a handout and the option to submit one question for the Q&A portion of the workshop. After you register, you may send in your question and it may be one of the ones answered in the workshop. To see the schedule of topics which changes each month, log on to www.reedmartin.com.

1. Plan Ahead – Does your child always lag behind in the morning because they can’t find matching socks or their homework? Start preparing for morning the night before. Lay out clothing (down to socks and shoes), sign all papers, pack lunch and put it all by the door. This may sound simple but it really does cut down on morning anxiety. If your child is on medication, use a pill organizer so that you can tell if they have already taken their morning meds. A hectic morning could result in double-dosing. Avoid this at all costs.
2. Get a Good Night’s Sleep – A good night’s sleep can never be underestimated. Parents, this goes for you too. Lack of sleep can cause problems related to health, performance on the job AND stress at home. Be firm. Set a reasonable bedtime and then let them EARN a later bedtime based on their daily performance. For example, base bedtime could be 9:00 p.m. If the child does well that day at school and at home (no bad reports, no time outs) then they can extend to 9:30 as a reward. They may go from complaining about 9:00 p.m. to actually APPRECIATING 9:30 as an alternative.
3. Rise and Shine: Parents – Learn to embrace the morning. Wake up an extra 15 minutes early and make yourself some coffee. Go sit on the porch in the morning air and breathe in the fresh air. A slow start may give you more patience and tolerance to deal with whatever comes your way.
4. Rise and Shine: Kids – If your kids are still young (like mine) you can get away with a little more creativity. There was a time when getting my kids up was like awaking a couple of beasts in a cave. They’d whine “No, I’m tired” or “I just went to sleep…” or “I hate morning!” and the list goes on. One day I thought I’d add a little spice to morning. I was going to let them control the process. My children all LOVE music so I cranked up the stereo and within 5 minutes they were all up and singing along. It was like a miracle! Now every morning we do the same ritual. Loud music CAN be good for the soul. When my kids were younger I would sing to them until they woke up. “Rise and shine lazy, sleepy head. Get your lazy bones out of the bed!” I picked a goofy song from my own childhood (Patch the Pirate) that they would surely find reason to smile about.
5. Time to Get a Grip – Even kids need time to adjust to a new day. Don’t wake them up with only 15 minutes to spare! This is a recipe for disaster. We usually make some time for ourselves as parents - even if it is while we drive to work. Remember that kids need time to prepare for the day, too.
6. Talk to Them – Use the extra time that you save from preparing ahead of time to talk to your children. Ask them what they are doing at school that day or if there are any tests coming up. Get to know their schedule and their morning rituals. This will help to open the channels of communication between you.
7. Laugh with Them – Tell them something funny. Even if it is something silly like reading the comics on the cereal box, in the paper, or telling them something that happened to you the day before – let them know that you still can laugh. Laughter is something that we can indulge in and doesn’t cost us a thing.
8. Feed Them – Remember: garbage in = garbage out. Breakfast is the most important meal of your day. Don’t skimp or skip. Your child needs nutrients in order to learn. Read the boxes or make a hot breakfast. Make sure that there is something of value to your child’s health contained in your breakfast choices.
9. Hug Them – Your children are getting older and are maybe a little less “touchy-feely” but don’t let that stop you. Never let your child leave your home without some type of physical interaction. Hold on for a few seconds longer each morning. Tell your child that you love them. A hand on the shoulder, a high-five, a kiss and smile – whatever works for you and your child. Make that important contact. You never know what a day will bring.
Send them out that front door feeling like they can conquer anything. Feed their mind, body and soul each and every morning. Only time will tell just how big of an impact that you can truly make just by making a few small changes before the bus comes.

For more articles like this visit http://www.bridges4kids.org.

"In 1995, 10 of the most prominent national educational associations acknowledged schools successfully implementing inclusive schooling practices and identified their characteristics (Council for Exceptional Children, 1995). [These characteristics are:]

1. Diversity is valued and celebrated.

2. The principal plays an active and supportive
leadership role.

3. All students work toward the same educational
outcomes based on high standards

4. There is a sense of community in which
everyone belongs, is accepted, and is
supported by his or her peers and other
members of the school community.

5. There is an array of services

6. Flexible groupings, authentic and meaningful
learning experiences and developmentally-
appropriate curricula are accessible to all
students.

7. Research-based instructional strategies are
used, and natural support networks are
fostered across students and staff

8. Staff have changed roll that are more
collaborative

9. There are new forms of accountability.

10. There is access to necessary technology and
physical modifications and accommodations

11. Parents are embraced as equal partners."

From "Vision for the 21st Century, Down Syndrome," a publication by NDSS. Edited by William I. Cohen, Lynn Nadel and Myra E. Madnick

Buddy Walk Notice…We Need You!!!

Buddy Walk needs volunteers for various jobs before, during and after Buddy Walk. Volunteer runners are needed for the weeks before the event to make pickups and deliveries, answer phones and maintain supplies of registration forms at area businesses. Muscle will also be needed to help set up and take down the stage area and food tents. We also have a variety of jobs for high schoolers who need service hours. And, as always, if you know of a business that would like to participate in Buddy Walk as a sponsor or to donate anything from food to prizes for the drawings, please call Marian Hauth at 833-1588.

WEBSITES

Louisiana Part C Early Intervention Web Site
Did you know that you don’t have to choose all of your child’s therapists from the same agency? There have been many new changes in the 0-3 Early Intervention setting with the DHH’s take over of ChildNet. Now you can choose individual providers from a list on the web. You search the list by provider name, zip code, availability or parish name. Check out the provider matrix at
http://www.eikids.com/la/matrix/default.asp.

Seussville University
Your child can learn the basics about reading, math, science and reasoning skills while having "lots of good fun that is funny" on the Seussville University web site. Your favorite Seuss characters serve as guides in this brand-new interactive learning environment.
http://www.seussville.com/seussville/university/

DSAGNO Board Reaches Six-Month Mark
Continued from Page 6

Thanks to JPHSA, DSAGNO now has an office and telephone line at no cost to DSAGNO. Funds are limited and the benefit of saving the cost of a phone line AND having that phone line on site at an office will increase not only Board efficiency, but response time to new parents who need our assistance.
And then, of course, there’s Buddy Walk that will be coming up soon. Many of our Board members are very actively involved in the planning and execution of this, our biggest event of the year!
All-in-all, it’s been a busy six months with a lot left to accomplish, and I’m more than confident that we’ll be able to reach and exceed our goals for the next six months if we keep working hard and remember what we are ultimately trying to accomplish: a community aware of our children’s abilities, one in which they are included as contributing citizens who have value and where they are treated with dignity.