Here in central Virginia, we are fortunate to have many marvelous neighbors and entertainment activities. In a nifty coincidence, two of those are connected. The Virginia Institute of Autism (VIA) is taking advantage of author Jeffrey Cohen visiting C’ville for the Virginia Festival of the Book at the end of March 2008. As illustrated at the right, VIA is hosting a special reception for Mr. Cohen’s visit and invites folks to attend.
Mr. Cohen, who writes the Double Feature and Aaron Tucker mysteries, is also the author of The Asperger Parent: How to Raise a Child With Asperger Syndrome and Maintain Your Sense of Humor, and Guns A’ Blazing: How Parents of Children on the Autism Spectrum and Schools Can Work Together—Without a Shot Being Fired.
As you’ll learn if you read the invitation, there’s a special treat at this reception: The fabulous Hamiltons’ will be serving desert. Yummm!
Here’s a link to the Virginia Festival of the Book Web site and another to the program information about Mr. Cohen’s presentation based on one of his books about Autism. In addition, readers can learn more about VIA via the VIA Web site more about Mr. Cohen’s books on Austim-Aspergers at his Web site.
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At Translating Autism N. L. Lopez-Duran posted a note explaining why he retracted a statement about evidence failing to support a link between vaccination and Autism. In the note, Professor Lopez-Duran explained that he didn’t want to taint his blog with hints of advocacy, hoping to preserve it as a source of information that parents, educators, and clinicians would find useful.
Specifically, I stated that what I believe doesn’t really matter, because “beliefs” rapidly turn into blind faith, even amongst scientists. Instead, good science only occurs when positions are flexible and reflective only of the status of the research (data) at any given time. Second, the addition of that particular disclaimer went beyond a discussion of the results and possible interpretation of the data presented in that particular study. This departed significantly from the spirit of the Translating Research Project…. I’m committed to preserving the spirit and purpose of this blog: To review the latest findings in the nature, causes, and treatments of autism spectrum disorders and translate these findings into information that is useful to parents, educators, and clinicians; and I seek to do this while distancing myself, and all blogs belonging to the Translating Research Project, from any advocacy position.
Continue reading ‘Blind faith’
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In “Juvenile prison system needs reform, lawyers say: Advocates urge a judge to appoint a receiver to take over a system they say remains broken despite long-standing promises to fix it,” Michael Rothfeld reports that lawyers told a judge that long-standing problems with prisons for California youth apparently have failed and more drastic action is needed. Published in the Los Angeles (CA, US) Times 18 February 2008, Mr. Rothfeld’s report includes specific concerns about students with disabilities, many of whom are likely to have Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.
Mr Rothfeld’s article includes some recognition of these problems:
* Students do not attend classes the required four hours a day; they often are removed from classrooms for misbehaving, for work assignments or for counseling. At one prison school, 347 classes were canceled between August and October last year because there were not enough substitute teachers.
[....]
* A plan to accommodate youths with disabilities suffered from a lack of leadership and funding. Staffers never received disability sensitivity training, and working groups that were to integrate programs for the disabled with other services were never convened. In two facilities, accessible visiting areas for the disabled were supposed to be in place in 2006, but were not.
Although many people probably have little sympathy for juveniles who have been convicted of crimes and incarcerated, education—especially those with disabilities—is fundamental to any reasoned hope of their rehabilitation. Furthermore, students with disabilities, including those in prisons, are legally guaranteed a free and appropriate public education. So, all of our usual concerns should apply to these schooling situations.
Having observed education services in one such institution, I have heightened concern about problems in juvenile justice system. I saw many failures to provide appropriate services. To be sure, some of them were linked to failure to adopt the kinds of methods discussed on Teach Effectively, but others were simple and clear failures to meet the letter and spirit of laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
- Link to Mr. Rothfeld ’s article.
- Some of the other materials available regarding this case: Second (June 2006) and Fifth Report of Special Master(October 2007; Donna Brorby, Special Master and Cathleen Beltz, Monitor).
- National Center on Education and Juvenile Justice
- Some academic references:
- Howell, K. W., & Wolford, B. I. (2002). Corrections and juvenile justice: Current education practice for youth with learning and other disabilities. Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency. Available on-line at http://www.edjj.org.
- Leone, P. E., Zaremba, B. A., Chapin, M. S., & Isili, C. (1995). Understanding the overrepresentation of youths with disabilities in juvenile detention. District of Columbia Law Review, 3, 389-401.
- Malmgren, K., & Leone, P. E. (2000). Effects of a short-term auxiliary reading program on the reading skills of incarcerated youth. Education and Treatment of Children, 23, 239-247.
- Murphy, D. M. (1986). The prevalence of handicapping conditions among juvenile delinquents. RASE: Remedial & Special Education, 7(3), 7-17.
- Quinn, M. M., Rutherford, R. B., Leone, P. E., Osher, D. M., & Poirier, J. M. (2005). Youth with disabilities in Juvenile Corrections: A national survey. Exceptional Children, 71, 339-345.
- Snowling, M. J., Adams, J. W., & Bowyer-Crane, C. (2000). Levels of literacy among juvenile offenders: The incidence of specific reading difficulties. Criminal Behaviour & Mental Health, 10, 229-241.
- Robinson, T. R, & Rapport, M. J. K. (1999). Providing special education in the juvenile justice system. RASE: Remedial & Special Education, 20(1), 19-26.
- Tulman, J. B. (2003). Disability and delinquency: How failures to identify, accommodate, and serve youth with education-related disabilities leads to their disproportionate representation in the delinquency system. Whittier Journal of Child And Family Advocacy, 3(1), 3-76.
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Published in ADHD,
Acting in,
Acting out,
Autism,
Behavior management,
Bi-polar,
Bullying,
Conduct disorder,
Depression,
Families,
Musings,
News,
Policy,
Research,
Schizophrenia and
Treatment .
Here’s a description of a highly touted intervention.
[Method X] is recognized worldwide as a general method to reinforce the body’s protective abilities for people of all ages who suffer from various disorders and pre-illness conditions, i.e. practically healthy people.
[Method X] involves the organized interaction between [therapy agent] and person, with optimal conditions to offer benefits to the person as well as the [therapy agent].
[Method X] can assist in the following tasks:
- Correction of psychological development for people with nervous system disorders
- Development of cognitive activity for people with psycho-neurological disorders
- Development of children’s speech
- Removal of chronic pain
- Reduction of neurological and vegetative-vascular reactions
- Relief from psychosomatic conditions
- Reduction of unintentional movements, tics and spasms
- Rehabilitation of people, victims of violence or other stressful situations
- Psycho-emotional training for specialists whose work is connected with extremely stressful situations
- Leisure and relaxation for healthy people – children and adults
The main component of [Method X] is the psychological effect from the interaction between [the client] and [the therapy assistant] in an unaccustomed environment and the physical therapy effect from [Y and Z] made by these [therapists].
Would you want to use this therapy for yourself or your child?
I would! But, that’s because I know what the therapy is.
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According to Liz Ditz of I Speak of Dreams, Stephen Hinshaw gave the closing keynote speech at the Learning and the Brain conference in San Fransisco (CA , US). Professor Hinshaw, who chairs the Department of Psychology at the University of California—Berkeley and is an eminent psychologist with a list of accolades as long as my arm, spoke about his current book on the stigma associated with mental illness. Liz’s report starts as follows:
The closing keynote speech at the San Francisco Learning and the Brain conference was by Stephen P. Hinshaw on The Mark of Shame: Attitudes Toward Mental Illness (With Emphasis on Children). I thought it was excellent. You should read his memoir of his father’s life-long struggle with mental illness, The Years of Silence are Past: My Father’s Life with Bipolar Disorder. An interview is here; the Amazon link is here.
Continue reading ‘Hinshaw about mental illness’
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Although it’s not really about children and youths with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, there’s an article in the Washington (DC, US) Post that’s worth reading. In “Healing a Troubled Mind Takes More Than a Pill,” Charles Barber writes about his personal experiences and his professional observations about treating mental illness. Link to Mr. Barber’s repott.
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