Cuts to Special Education Programs Angers New York City Parents

NEW YORK – Some parents of children with autism are expressing anger over the elimination of certain special education programs.
The New York State Board of Regents has voted down a long-time rule that mandated speech and language services for autistic kids.

Filling the Gap

WILMETTE, Ill. -- Travis Tassone stood in the center of the room and crooned an Elvis tune for his teenage friends when it happened, again.
"Toenails!" he blurted. He clapped his hands to his mouth. He was trying so hard not to say that word. It's one of those expressions — like "Merry Christmas" — that he says compulsively.
"I'm sorry," he said.
Life is filled with such small struggles at Our Place, a day program in downtown Wilmette for young people with developmental disabilities. The program was started almost two years ago by parents who saw a gap in social services and filled it.
Increasingly, parents frustrated with the state's waiting lists and funding woes are forming nonprofit corporations such as Our Place to keep their children busy and closer to home. Special education services end when students reach 22, leaving few options for young adults with disabilities in Illinois.

Mock Flight Prepares Young Travelers

PHILADELPHIA -- At 8 p.m. Saturday, Southwest Airlines Flight 2149 was poised to push back from the gate. Flight attendants gave fasten-seat-belt instructions, and First Officer Peter Hayes announced, "There's 25 minutes of flight time until we touch down in Philadelphia."
Capt. Todd Siems said the Boeing airliner was cruising at 37,000 feet. And after he turned off the seat-belt sign, the young passengers were served complimentary Sprite, cranberry-apple juice, and airplane-shaped crackers.
Flight 2149 never left the gate at Philadelphia International Airport, though. It was no ordinary flight, but rather a practice for children with autism and their families to become familiar with travel at the airport - bags, getting boarding passes, going through security, waiting at the gate, and sitting on the plane to experience the lights and sounds.

Handwriting Problems Continue for Children with Autism

Poor handwriting among children with autism tends to persist well into the teen years, a new study finds.
Unlike with younger children, the reason for the poor handwriting among teens seems to have less to do with motor skills issues than with problems in "perceptual reasoning," or the ability to reason through problems with nonverbal material.
The study, by researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, is published in the Nov. 16 issue of Neurology.

Teen with Autism Says Football Helped

Just a wonderful story that should help get the week off to a great start. Be sure to watch the video.

SNELLVILLE, Ga. -- A teenager in Gwinnett County says his love for football and his faith helped him overcome his autism. Cortland Hale was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. After following his brother’s footsteps into the game of football, Cortland says the comradery of the game is what helped him overcome his communication problems and his shyness.

New York Considers Reducing Speech Therapy for Students with Autism

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The New York State Regents, an appointed board that sets policy for the state's schools will be voting Monday on new regulations that will reduce speech therapy requirements for students with autism in New York to the federally mandated minimum and increase the maximum number of students in specified classrooms for students with autism. A coalition of New York autism organizations has come together to oppose these unnecessary cuts in education for some of New York's most vulnerable students. The Regents claim this is a cost saving measure but have not bothered to determine what the purported savings would be.

Student with Down Syndrome Becomes JROTC Cadet

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — When enrolling her son Stephen at Leavenworth High School, Cindy Bartko has noticed a table for the Junior ROTC program. But she never pursued having her son join the program.
Stephen has Down syndrome.
But he was among the many JROTC cadets to appear in Thursday’s Veterans Day parade in downtown Leavenworth.