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Public schools still need broader special ed options Cynthia Whitfield Published: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 Eugene Register Guard Art by people with autism: Notecards and More... Help Support Artists With Autism   My son Jalen is 11 years old. He looks like a typical kid, but it doesn't take long to realize he has serious disabilities. His speech is hard to understand, and he functions academically at a kindergarten level. Although there's some disagreement, Jalen was diagnosed with mental retardation and autism. Despite years of early intervention and receiving Eugene School District special education services, he remains on the outside looking in, unable to really comprehend the world around him. Jalen is just one of 8,218 children living with disabilities in Lane County. Children with brain damage or brain disorders include 595 kids with autism and 392 with mental retardation. Diagnosed cases of autism have increased 582 percent in Oregon since 1993. Many others are diagnosed with less severe forms of learning disabilities. Statewide, the number of children identified as having special needs increased almost 30 percent from 1993 to 2003. Under federal law, all children with special needs are entitled to a "free and appropriate education." This law sometimes causes tension between parents and school districts. Schools are attempting to provide selected services without spending too much, while parents are vying to get the services they think their children need. Sometimes there is disagreement about what is "appropriate." About 10 percent of special education students spend most of their time in a "life skills" classroom. Here the most impaired children gather in one multi-age classroom taught by a teacher and several assistants. This is the only kind of classroom the school district deemed appropriate for Jalen. The teacher and assistants in Jalen's former class of about 10 children were wonderful. I watched them running around putting out a dozen fires every day, feeding and diapering children with severe physical or cognitive disabilities, cuddling younger children in their arms, and working on individualized education for each child. Despite heavy staffing, such classrooms are very intense. Some children exhibit extremely challenging behavior. As Jalen became more aware of his surroundings, he could no longer tolerate other children's outbursts. His teacher noted he was often sad all day after witnessing another kid's "meltdown." They tried everything - earphones, separation - but it was still too distressing. She agreed with my decision to home-school him. Obviously, the kids were not at fault; they were struggling with their own limitations. It wasn't the teacher's fault, either. Instead, the problem for Jalen was the nature of the system. I visited several other life skills classes, but realized none would fit his needs. Finally, I got it: Right now there is no appropriate place for Jalen in the school system. Navigating the special education maze is difficult, and sometimes school personnel make it even harder. More than once, school district personnel have given me information they thought might be helpful, but asked me not to reveal its source because they might "get in trouble." I've heard the same story from other parents. Other times, a district representative will approve certain services only to be contradicted by another administrator. In the worst cases, expensive and time-consuming lawsuits are filed. Not surprisingly, parents of children with disabilities often feel stressed and worried about their children's future. The good news is that there's help in the form of Bridgeway House, a Eugene nonprofit organization for children and families with autism and other developmental disabilities. Bridgeway House is run by parents of children with disabilities. The organization provides support groups and resource information to parents working with school districts and other professionals. It also offers develop- mental therapies, enrichment courses and general support. In the meantime, parents say the school system needs to adopt a wider continuum of services. At a recent Bridgeway House meeting attended by seven parents, three were home-schooling and two had children enrolled in private schools. A recent study shows home-schooled special ed students made more yearly progress than public school children. Better access to appropriate services within the school system is what most parents want, and some parents and professionals are working hard to make this a reality. But it should be easier to establish that a public school setting is not the best place for some children to learn and grow. "Trying to get some of our kids to thrive in school is like trying to pound a square peg into a round hole," one parent observed. The goal of making parents and professionals equal partners has not been reached, according to many parents. There are some good things happening in special education, but many problems need to be addressed. Cynthia Whitfield of Eugene (cynhome2@msn.com) is a free-lance writer. Bridgeway House (www. bridgewayhouse.org) can be reached at 345-0805.