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The Oxford Observer

The Secret to Special Education

10/5/2014

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Kids normally do a great job at accepting other people right off the bat, before they even really get to know each other. This innocence is tainted with experience as they get older, but it's mainly experiences taught to them by others (ie adults).

I'm learning all about how to teach kids with disabilities in my class "Teaching Students with Special Needs." One of the biggest difficulties is dealing with how other kids perceive and treat them because of their disabilities (anything from dyslexia to Down syndrome to Cerebral Palsy). As teachers, we can model appropriate behavior and have a sizable impact. The trick?

Treat a kid like a kid, no matter how different they may be.
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St. Nicholas Superstars

3/18/2014

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Today I got to visit St. Nicholas Primary School in Oxford! I was shown around by my mum’s cousin (my first cousin once removed) Harriet who I last saw when her family came and visited New York City a few years ago. It was great to see her again and I am very grateful she arranged the visit to St. Nicholas.
St. Nicholas Primary School (SNPS for the purposes of this post) is a co-educational community primary school (roughly ages 5 to 11) with no religious affiliation in the Oxford village of Marston. According to the Department for Education website, SNPS has 360 students with 13 of them receiving extra resources for “Autistic Spectrum Disorder” and “Speech, language and communication” issues. It was with this group of kids that I spent my day, observing the Communications and Integrations Resource Base (the CIRB or “the Base”) where they get small group or even one-on-one support away from the mainstream classrooms. Many of the adults who help out are volunteer Teacher Assistants (like Harriet) who come in once or several times a week. The students who learn in the CIRB are mostly kids with Autism, although they widely vary on the spectrum from those who are “high-functioning” with Asperger’s syndrome to those with severe Autism. The kids are split by age group, with 5-8 year olds on one side of the staircase and 8-11 year olds on the other. Some students split their time in the CIRB and mainstream classrooms, but many stay in the CIRB all day long. Let me tell you: there was a MASSIVE difference between the two groups as I got to spend time with both. I got to do a lot of different things throughout the day, met a lot of amazing people, and learned some very valuable things.

After meeting Harriet at the bus stop, I checked into the school as a visitor and wound my way through what seemed to be a maze of hallways to the CIRB. All the kids start their academic school day at 0850, although there are some before-school clubs which meet in the mornings before school. 
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When the Base’s kids first walk in (on the 8-11 side), they do some individual work and then move into a bigger group to work on handwriting skills (this includes OT hand-strengthening exercises and other activities to focus and quiet the group). They put up the day of the week (along with other things) on a Velcro board, then moved to a dance activity (which they do every Tuesday). At least one student joined the mainstream class at this time, but most of the students combined with the other side of the CIRB and went into the assembly hall. Here they did some physical exercise, dance routines, and following of simple directions: the kids seemed to have a great time. Next was music with rhythm, memory, and singing games and songs. Some of the kids got very involved with the activities and looked like they were enjoying them! When the groups broke up again, I stayed with the younger kids and saw math and counting practice along with a size comparison activity. Then came lunch, break, and play time (students had an 30 min for lunch and 30 min for recess), at which point I moved back to the older group to observe and participate in silent independent reading, stations, board games and “choosing time” (kids get to pick their own activity). Finally, students were dismissed at 1450 (mainstream students left at 1515).

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One of the more interesting things I got to see was the station time the older kids did towards the end of the day. Essentially they were puzzles or activities meant to challenge them, like “build a copy of this out of blocks” or “draw the mirror image of this design.” There was very little if any verbal instruction from the adults and it was fascinating because I could actually see their minds working as they solved the problems given to them. The board game time was also a valuable part of the day as the adults worked on social skills like being gracious winners and not getting too “bent out of shape” after a loss. There seemed to be a focus on social skills, which is extremely valuable for kids with Autism, and they made a point to go over how to behave in certain situations.

After the students had left for the day, I asked the adults some questions about their school and the system as a whole. The biggest thing they said needed to be improved was that the government and schools needed to begin treating students as individuals. For example, it would be unreasonable to require that students must pass English and math to leave school, since for many special education kids that is an unattainable goal. The adults also said that SNPS was very good at providing creative outlets for the kids and that often the school observes a week-long theme (this week was “Science Week”). Students also have the opportunity to participate in many extra-curricular activities, as well as having a fair amount of the day put aside for physical activity. Specifically, the kids in the Base went swimming once a week and horseback riding every 3 weeks, along with practicing dance routines and break times.

There also seemed to be a great music program from what I saw, and the teachers agreed that their school was very supportive of the arts. The mainstream and the CIRB’s students put on a whole host of concerts/talent shows for the school’s governors and parents, where kids play the piano, sing songs, and dance routines. Apparently there’s also at least one music assembly a week, and the music teacher gets everyone clapping and singing along. The TAs also told me about the school’s choirs and musical groups, including an orchestra with parent volunteers as teachers and participants! While the school has a great commitment to creativity, they did say that the arts were unfortunately almost always the first things cut when money was tight (which seems to be a universal problem, at least in the UK and the US!).
Overall I met some great teachers and assistants, whose patience and caring were boundless. I really did learn a great deal and I had a blast while doing it. I want to thank Harriet for arranging the opportunity, as well as the staff and administration of St. Nicholas Primary School for welcoming me into their wonderful school!!!
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Reece's Rainbow - Jenny Scrupps Pohl

3/16/2014

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This post is from a family friend who used to work with my mum and dad at Elks Camp Moore! Born in Lincolnshire, England, Jenny worked for many years with children and young adults with disabilities in a variety of settings, including residential schools with children with cerebral palsy; group homes and summer programs with deaf/blind clients; nanny to children with cerebral palsy; a school for teenagers with challenging behavior; and a summer camp for children with a variety of special needs. She married her husband Randall, and moved to South Dakota, in 1997. For the past 13 years Jenny has been self employed, running an inclusive daycare, and raising their now 10 year old son (who is quite the soccer star!).
A few years ago I read an article in People magazine, about an organization called Reece's Rainbow who, in a nutshell, advocate and find adoptive families for orphans with Down Syndrome and other special needs. Children who would otherwise spend their lives in orphanages and mental institutes, hidden from the world. They raise adoption grants and promote awareness. Since 2006, over 1000 children have been adopted internationally through Reece's Rainbow.

The first children to catch my eye were “Heath” and “Brady”(their RR pseudonyms, real names are not listed in order to protect privacy). They were living in a mental institution in the middle of nowhere, in an Eastern European country. An adoptive mom who had been at the same institute, adopting her son with arthrogryposis , wrote about Heath and Brady in her blog, and my heart just about broke.

At the time, I just couldn't get the two boys – two little boys with Down Syndrome – out of my mind. Thankfully, Brady was adopted pretty quickly – but Heath wasn't so fortunate. I wasn't in a position to adopt, so what could I do ? I started to advocate for Heath and the other children listed for adoption on Reece's Rainbow. I shouted for them on Facebook, I donated when I could, and I cheered when families stepped up to adopt. 
At the time, the older children listed (over the age of 6) had a collective grant – when a family stepped forward for an older child, they received the whole grant, which was then reset to zero. Thankfully, this soon changed, so that each child had their own, individual grant, meaning you could donate to a particular child. Unfortunately, this also meant that over 100 children suddenly had a grant with ZERO in it. I couldn't just sit back and let that be – seeing a zero on a child's profile was like a kick in the face to me – every child is worth SO much more than that, and I wanted to show that, by donating to a child and zapping that zero, that someone, somewhere, cared about that child.

So began my blog, and my advocating for the least of the least – those children with zero in their grants, the older children who had been passed over again and again. My Zero The Zeros blog (www.zerothezeros.blogspot.com) doesn't have a huge readership, but it is a work of love, and is ongoing. We DID manage to get all of those zeros zapped back in 2011 – but, as more and more children are listed for adoption, then more and more children start with zero. It is an uphill battle, but, to me, it is so worth it. To see those grants grow, and to see those children adopted, is just priceless!!

Why advocate for these children ? Why not leave them where they belong, in their own country ? The sad fact is, that in many countries around the world, children born with disabilities are seen as broken, as unworthy. There is no education available for them, no therapies, no help for families, and little medical care. They are mostly abandoned at the hospital at birth, or given up at an older age when families realize they are not “perfect”. These children live in “baby houses” for the first few years of their life, and then are transferred, as early as four years of age – to mental institutions. Those that can walk fare slightly better – those unable to walk spend their lives laying in a crib, doing nothing. The orphanages and institutions are usually extremely short staffed, so the children receive minimal care – resulting in malnutrition, sickness, and often death at an early age. 

Children that in the USA would receive the best of medical care, and therapies, and education, are left to waste away and die. Children that in the USA can grow up to be productive members of society – living and working a normal life – are deemed unworthy, and cast away. THIS is why I advocate. THIS is why I shout.

I shout for those who cannot shout for themselves.

Remember Heath ? I wasn't the only one to see him. Many people around the country – and the world – shouted for Heath and so many other children – and within a couple of years, Heath was “fully funded” - meaning, if an adoptive family stepped forward for him, their costs would be fully paid for !! Yet still he waited. And waited. Until, finally, just about a year ago, a family saw him and said “YES” !!! They claimed him as their son, and, after working through the adoption process, they were able to bring him home around Thanksgiving 2013. His new name is Boden, and he is absolutely thriving – the love of a family has no bounds !!
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The Cochran Family: Unsung Hero Award

1/21/2014

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Yet another great example of how children with disabilities affect the ones around them! Great video, definitely worth watching.
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2012 Sports Illustrated SportsKids of the Year

1/20/2014

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Just got shared to me on Facebook and I felt like I had to post it! Make sure you have your tissues ready...

To connect it in some way to "education":
This is a great example of how integrating children with disabilities into mainstream schools affects both sets of children! I am all for getting these kids together because they can all learn from each other, many times without any prompting at all. Kids naturally want to play with other kids, they have the ability to look past physical defects and see "what's on the inside". And you know what? Conner is a pretty cool kid, and so is his brother Cayden.
See more US News from ABC | World News
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/boy-cerebral-palsy-competes-triathlon-16909373
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