Tagged with 'SPED News'

When thinking back to holiday celebrations in the 1960s and 70s, I remember a time when there were specific timeframes and expectations. Labor Day meant that school was about to start. We did not think about decorating or getting costumes for Halloween until the beginning of October. On November 1^st, we transitioned into Thanksgiving preparation. On Thanksgiving, the Macy’s Parade ended with Santa starting the movement into Christmas. We celebrated holidays after the first of the year one at a time. Usually, we would have stories about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and decorating boxes to receive Valentine’s Day cards the week before those holidays.

I was taken back to those thoughts this year when I began seeing Christmas displays being put up as early as Halloween and heard radio stations which began holiday music at midnight on November 1. I have nothing against the holiday season starting early but am concerned that the overload of emphasis on these days is creating a great deal of sensory overload and a sense of overwhelm in many individuals, both neurotypical and neurodiverse.

It is beautiful at this time of year to take drives and see the holiday lights up around various parts of our cities. While we are doing that, are we taking the proper precautions to make sure some of our friends are not overstimulated? Ideas like keeping them comfortable inside of the car, van, or bus is important. Extreme temperatures within the vehicle can exacerbate potential escalations. Be sure to have time in between the various light displays so that proper time for processing of emotions can take place. If we are outside, are we pacing our walk so that speed is not adding to any potential escalations as well? This is like taking individuals out for Trick-or-Treating. We want to make sure that the pacing is such that there is no overstimulation occurring out on the streets, even before having any of the treats at the end of the evening. How are we protecting our individuals from too much noise? Do we have noise reducing headphones or ear buds to go along with a hat if it is cold out? Halloween is another time where having this type of sound protection is important.

As we move inside, how are the environments decorated? Lots of lights can be overwhelming as well as blinking lights. If we are doing the decorating, are we spacing out the décor so that it does not become overwhelming? There is nothing wrong with having lights on a tree inside, but how are they offset with other decorations? The picture you see is my tree this year and it has a lot of lights. I chose to keep the rest of the room simply decorated as I wanted the tree as a focal point without being lost in a sea of lights and colors. Be purposeful in how you are decorating. Think of what brings joy to you as well as what might create your own level of sensory overload. Work to find that space which highlights the holiday and is not the bare minimum. At the same time, you do not want lights and sounds so overwhelming, one might seek refuge in a casino to stay calm!

You want to think the same way in classrooms, offices, and any area in which there may be a lot of people coming together. Decorate for any holiday with a focus on celebration without overdoing it. Lights and sounds can be distracting as well as overwhelming. When you have lighting, keep it appropriate for the environment. Be sure to keep the sound level down so that it is not distracting for the area as a whole. Halloween is a time when some of the decorations include movement sensor reactions. Be sure that any sounds are at a reasonable level and that individuals know that something will happen when they interact with or pass by the sensor.

Inclusivity with celebrations requires us to make accommodations for those who might not always be able to join in the festivities in a typical format. What are you doing to assist those who have visual impairments. Are you including information in braille? Are you making sure that the scenes in the room can be explained through alternate text in some way? Are you creating some type of path that an individual who uses a cane can navigate to make sure they do not crash into anything like trees or displays that may be in areas where there is usually empty space? What about for those who may be deaf? Are there signs describing the decorations and notifications about celebrations? Is there closed captioning for any videos that are being watched by the group? Always keep your audience in mind!

I was working with a group who wanted to make sure that they had their workplace environment as inclusive as possible. As I was working with them, there was one employee who commented that “it was so much easier when we didn’t have to worry about all this nonsense.” Aside from the gasps from his co-workers, I was taken aback by his lack of understanding. Creating inclusive celebrations allows us to involve as many individuals as possible. Without looking at who will be attending, we can create a restrictive environment for some. It would be like going to some party or dance club where only those invited can enter, but one doesn’t know if they are able to enter until they get there.

Inclusivity also expands beyond the sensory side of things. We want to be aware of the beliefs of those attending the festivities or working in the office. During the holiday season, we have different days that are celebrated by different groups. Are we including some reference to those days as well so it does not seem like a “private” celebration? Are we able to add celebrations with food and activities that fully embrace each of these holidays? Have we set up the opportunity for groups to explain the beauty of their holidays and the traditions around them? Even something as commonplace in many locations as a “Secret Santa” should have some recognition of those who may not celebrate Christmas or those who have economic restrictions which limit even low-end spending. This is not to say we have to cancel these types of activities; we simply need to be aware and make adjustments for the sake of including as many people as possible.

The holiday season and all celebrations throughout the year are reasons for us to come together. By taking a little time and being conscious of our students, our co-workers, and all individuals who may be a part of our celebration, we can make decisions on how we can decorate and celebrate so as not to overwhelm or frustrate people. Instead, we are opening a door to a celebration which everyone can feel the same joy that we might feel.

May all of you and yours have a wonderful holiday season!

by Dr. Raymond Heipp

The year 1922 brought two national treasures into existence. The first was Betty White. May she now rest in peace. The second was the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) which is celebrating its 100th year as an organization. The celebration takes place in Orlando from January 16-19 at the CEC Conference. While it may be something to celebrate, the impact of the CEC goes well beyond just their annual conference.

During the summer of 1922, a group of twelve educators attending courses at the Teacher’s College of Columbia University came together to form the International Council for the Education of Exceptional Children. Elizabeth Farrell, aside from being a founder, was its first president. I highly recommend you purchasing a copy of Elizabeth Farrell and the History of Special Education, 2nd Edition from CEC. In this inspirational story, you’ll learn how Elizabeth Farrell devoted her life to making a difference in the lived on children in public schools. Not only did she begin the idea of teaching “ungraded” classes for students who had difficulties, but she developed the basic principles and concepts under which Special Education still operates.

Over the last 100 years, CEC has focused on making education for exceptional students the best it can be. During that first year, they committed themselves to the design and establishment of “professional standards” when it came to teaching exceptionalities. They have continually sought to take these standards and strengthen them along the way. The current name, “Council for Exceptional Children,” was formally adopted in 1958 and in 1962, they would convene a National Convention with the main focus on addressing the national standards around teaching these students. 

As CEC moved into the 1970s, they saw the changing landscape in the world outside of education and the need for support for those with exceptionalities. Taking that into account, they redoubled their efforts to make sure that teachers, and the students with whom they were working with, had the support needed for excellence in education. Many may not be aware of the impact that CEC had in the passing of The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, also known as Public Law 94-142.  This was significant due to the fact that most students with exceptionalities were not always able to receive the education and opportunity being provided to their neuro-typical peers.

As we moved into the 1980s, we began to see a shift in how exceptional individuals were being seen in the medical community. The publication of the DSM-3 demonstrated a movement toward better understanding of issues facing our individuals. For example, this manual was the first to formally acknowledge Autism as its own category and NOT a sub-category of Schizophrenia. Imagine the impact that had on the medical community. CEC took it upon themselves to focus on the legal aspect of supporting our exceptional students. With guidance and a focused approach, they helped to bring about multiple events and laws for the years to come. In the beginning, they joined with other groups to create the International Year of Disabled Persons. This event in 1981 was created to bring awareness, along with the hope, and helping to change the perspectives of those who did not understand the depth of what individuals with exceptionalities bring to the rest of the world. CEC was also instrumental in the passage of the Perkins Act as well as several other laws which focused on brining services to families with children who had exceptionalities from the time of their birth. These services were not required until a child turned three prior to this time. CEC’s role continued to grow after 1990 thanks to the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which brought grants, resources, and free appropriate public education to eligible children. 

For me, the CEC has always been the bedrock to what we as teachers, administrators, and therapists buil upon to make our classrooms and schools the strongest they can be for our students. Personally, I used the standards they discussed as I worked with individuals with autism in the 1980s. I then transitioned into working with students who had reading difficulties in the late 80s. It was often difficult to work with students facing those difficulties as the assessments were not always able to pick up processing delays or conditions like dyslexia. The CEC always provided a sense of hope as they were a group that spoke to what we did as educators and reminded us that we were making a difference no matter what “standardized tests” were saying about our students. Directing programs in the 1990s, I saw the rise of students with ADD (ADHD would be later identified as well). It was not easy to get teachers and parents to understand that attention issues were real and not simply because a child was lazy or bad. CEC guided us as to how to stay focused on the most important aspect of our role as educators, the education of that child. 

In the last two decades, we have seen CEC continue to lead the way globally as well as here in the United States. They supported the use of technologies as early as the 1980s and continued to shape policy so that the assistive technology was available for individuals who needed it. We, as a community, were already overcoming so many barriers in education when the pandemic hit in early 2020. CEC has been there as a guide the entire time by continuing to support educators and provide ideas needed to transition to virtual and hybrid settings. While we may not have been perfect, we did an amazing job with what we had. Now, as we face continued uncertainty, CEC continues to guide us through webinars, conferences and materials.

Good organizations are generational and support groups for a period of years. Great organizations maintain relevancy for multiple generations. The Council for Exceptional Children have been with us for 100 years now and still manage to evolve to the times. They are outstanding as an organization and have done so much for each and every one of our students.

Thank you, CEC, for all that you have done and here is to another 100 years of being a national treasure, supporting all of us along the way!