Is your school district offering a summer recreation program, in stead of extended school year services (ESY), for your child with autism? Do you wonder what to keep in mind as you make the decision? This article will discuss the difference between summer recreation programs, and extended school year services.
Extended school year services (ESY), are special education services, given outside of the regular school year. These services can be given before or after school, or in the summertime. This article will only discuss ESY in the summertime.
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), extended school year needs to be given to a child, if they require it to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). A court case Reusch vs Fountain came up with several factors that need to be kept in mind, when determining if a child needs ESY services. These factors are; regression and recoupment, nature and severity of your child’s disability, skills that are just being learned (emerging skills), whether the child’s behavior interferes with their learning, and any special circumstances that relate to your child.
Here are a few things to keep in mind about ESY and a recreation program:
1. Some school districts are no longer offering ESY, as is required by IDEA. Instead they are offering to pay for private summer recreation programs. If your child needs ESY, and has some of the above factors, they are to receive it from your school district, free of charge, though you may have to fight for it.
2. Most summer recreation programs do not offer academic remediation. If they do, check it out carefully! The program may not be taught by a qualified special education teacher, so it may not be appropriate for your child. Academic remediation is a good reason to ask for ESY, if your child needs it.
3. Even if the summer recreation program is for children with a disability, it may not be appropriate for all children. Check out the daily schedule, talk to the staff, check on staff-child ratio. Find out if a lot of sitting is required. This may be inappropriate for a child with ADHD or autism.
4. Be careful when signing up your child for a summer recreation program, if your child has behavioral difficulty. Years ago, my daughter attended a special recreation camp whose staff was not trained in dealing with inappropriate behavior. Ask lots of questions, see if a positive behavioral system could be put in place for your child. Also discuss how staff will handle inappropriate behavior.
5. Summer recreation programs tend to be unstructured. Some children with disabilities do not do well in an unstructured environment, so be careful. Again, ask a lot of questions, check on the schedule etc.
6. If your child needs life skills or functional training, ESY can provide that training. If your child needs it, bring it up at their annual IEP meeting, and make sure that it is in writing.
By keeping these things in mind, you will be able to make an appropriate decision for your child about extended school year services or a recreation program.
By: JoAnn Collins
Posts Tagged ‘Court Case’
Extended School Year For Special Education Or Summer Recreation Program – Which is Best?
November 24th, 2009Getting Important Methodologies Like ABA in Your Child’s Special Education Program
November 9th, 2009
Are you the parent of a young child with autism that thinks that your child needs an applied behavioral analysis (ABA)program? Are you the parent of a child with dyslexia or other learning disabilities who thinks that your child needs an Orton-Gillingham Based multisensory reading program? Would you like to learn how to advocate for these particular methodologies for your child? This article will discuss what methodology means, and information that you can use to advocate for the appropriate methodology for your child.
Methodology means the specific curriculum or program that special education personnel are going to use, to teach your child. Some of the most popular methodologies for teaching children are ABA (for children with autism) or an Orton-Gillingham based multisensory reading program for children with dyslexia or other reading disabilities.
Many special education personnel continue to tell parents that they have no right to tell them what methodology to use. Below are 4 points that you can make with school personnel to get the methodology that your child needs in order to benefit from their education.
1. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 states under 300.26 that: special education means specially designed instruction means adapting as appropriate to the needs of the eligible child . . .the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction.
This section is one of the most important clarifications in the IDEA law. It
gives parents the right to discuss the content, methodology and delivery of education to their child. The discussion of methodology is important for all children but especially those children with autism or language based learning disabilities.
2. In a recent court case entitled KL vs. Mercer Island School District found that: The particular teaching methodology that will be used. . .will need to be discussed at the IEP meeting and incorporated into the student’s IEP.
3. Another court case the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois discussed methodology in the case of TH vs. Palatine School District. The court held that the school’s argument that it had the right to choose methodology was not valid since the school district had no methodology. The US Supreme Court decision in Rowley could only apply if the school had chosen and implemented a methodology calculated to allow the child to make meaningful progress.
4. There is no legal basis for school districts decision to not discuss or specify the methodology in a child’s IEP! School districts position on this contradicts common sense. IDEA regulations require that the IEP should include related services and supplementary aids and supports to be provided to the child, and a statement of the program, modifications or supports. It is mind blowing that school districts take the position that it should specify the supports and modifications which may be dependent on the methodology, but not specify the methodology.
If you feel that your child needs a particular methodology in order to benefit from their education, bring it up at an IEP meeting. If the IEP team feels that they do not have to put the methodology in your child’s IEP, bring up all of the 4 points above! Put special emphasis on the wording of IDEA which does include the word methodologies. You may have to fight for a particular methodology that your child needs, but it will be well worth it!
By: JoAnn Collins
