Here is your update on the TACA (TALK ABOUT CURING AUTISM) Group for April 2003 - #1. As always, email your thoughts and or questions.
I want to make this e-newsletter informative for you. Let me know your thoughts on how I can improve it.
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IF this email is NEW to you and you don't recognize the name... WELCOME! These emails happen two to four times a month for Southern California Autism support called TACA.
We focus on parent support, parent mentoring, gluten / casein free diets, the latest in medical research, special education law, reviews of the latest treatments, and many other topics as it relates to Autism.
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TACA has an official web site at www.talkaboutcuringautism.org
COMPLETE SITE OVER HAUL IS DONE! Dozens of new resources, hundreds of new web links, new THERAPY, GFCF Diet, Medical and Legal information! Check it out!
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In this edition of TACA e-news:
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1) Next TACA COSTA MESA support group meeting:
Date: Saturday, April 12th, 2003 (always the 2nd Saturday of each month)
Time: 2:30 - 5:30
Topics: Because of POPULAR DEMAND – TWO Topics:
Tomatis Listening Therapy - Presented by Deb Swain SLP from the Swain Center (30 minutes)
Autism & Apraxia (1.5 hours)
Apraxia is NOT just a language problem for autistics – come
learn more about this important topic.
Presented by Speech & Language Connection: Melanie Foshee and Kim Bowman
PLACE: VINEYARD NEWPORT CHURCH - 102 East Baker Avenue - Costa Mesa
(Please do not contact the church for meeting details. They have graciously offered use of their facility, but are not affiliated with TACA.)
Directions:
405 FWY South, Exit Bristol
Right on Bristol
Left on Baker
Go under FREEWAY.
The Vineyard church is on the corner just after the FWY - turn left onto the freeway access road, MAKE FIRST right into the Vineyard's parking lot.
And remember, we are still a non-faith based group!
CONTACT PHONE FOR DAYS OF THE MEETING ONLY: 949.678.9010
Please do NOT use the cell contact for days outside of the meetings. Thank you!
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2) UPCOMING TACA Costa Mesa Meeting Schedule:
May 10, 2003 School Shadowing Presentation -
What to look for - what to avoid ABA Specialist - Jessica Postil -
Autism Spectrum Consultants
June 14, 2003: Kirkman Labs – the new world of supplementation
Much more is being planned for July – December of 2003! Stay tuned!
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TACA has FIVE So. California meeting locations:
1) Costa Mesa: 2nd Saturday of each month (info in item #1)
2) West Hills (the valley man!): the 1st Sunday of every month, on the Cal State University Northridge Campus in the Early Intervention Psyche Clinic... - info: contact us
3) San Diego: 4th Tuesday evening – 6:30- 8:00pm info: contact us
4) Corona: 3rd Saturday – 2:30pm – 5:30pm – for more info: contact us
And our newest edition: 5) Torrance (Los Angeles Area)
TACA Torrance meet the 3rd Monday of each month.
Whole Foods Market Torrance
2655 Pacific Coast Hwy
Torrance – in the Rolling Hills Shopping Center
6:30-7:30 New parent information
7:30-9:00 Regular Meeting
Fore more info: contact us
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3) THE LATEST VACCINE NEWS –
From Barbara Loe Fisher at the National Vaccine Information Center:
Dear NVIC Friends:
As you know from the Action Alerts that NVIC has been sending out over the past three weeks, we and the parent organization members of our Coalition, Americans for Vaccine Safety and Accountability, have been working with Congress to improve the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) that was created under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. We thank all of you who have responded to our ACTION ALERTS and have communicated with those legislators who represent you in Washington, D.C. about your concern that Congress do the right thing and protect the rights of the vaccine injured.
While we have not been in agreement with all of the provisions in the bill (S.15) forwarded by Senator Bill Frist (R-TN), there have been ongoing discussions with staffs of both sides of the aisle to find a way to amend that bill and create meaningful reforms to the VICP. For us, meaningful reform must include access by all of the children injured after the 1986 law's implementation in 1988 to the federal compensation system and the protection of access to the civil justice system that will serve as a "check
and balance" on the implementation of the federal compensation system.
Over the past few weeks, the "markup" of the Frist bill has been repeatedly postponed. Today, the bill was once again scheduled for "markup" and was cancelled. There are too many outstanding questions and concerns remaining. We believe that, because so many of you have made your voices known here in
the nation's Capitol, we now have another opportunity to work harder to try to get a bill that comes much closer to doing what it needs to do for thevaccine injured.
Please know that every letter and every phone call you have made to Capitol Hill has made a difference in this process, which is the political process that we rely on in our democratic form of government. We will keep you updated and are grateful for the prayers and encouragement that you have given us as we go forward and try to do the best we can to represent the very real and special needs of the families of vaccine injured children.
With thanks,
Barbara Loe Fisher, Co-founder & President
Kathi Williams, Co-founder & Vice President
National Vaccine Information Center
Americans for Vaccine Safety and Accountability
Autism Society of America
Lyme Disease Foundation
Mothering Magazine
National Vaccine Information Center
New Hampshire Citizens for Health Freedom
Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education
Safe Minds
Unlocking Autism
World Chiropractic Alliance
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4) General News:
Call to ACTION: Federal IDEA REFORM IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN
IDEA Reauthorization: House bill HR 1350 and Senate Bill
To see information and sign a petition – please see:
http://www.petitiononline.com/IDEA2003/petition.html
Detailed info on IDEA Law reform here:
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News from the |
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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE |
CONTACTS: Alexa Marrero or |
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House
Republicans Propose Reforms to Improve Education Results for Children with
Disabilities WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Led by Education Reform Subcommittee Chairman Mike Castle (R-DE), Republican members of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce today formally announced plans to introduce legislation that would renew and reform the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and make improvements to a system that many parents and teachers say is overly focused on compliance with complex bureaucratic rules, and not focused enough on ensuring children with special needs are getting the education results they need. The Improving Education Results for Children with Disabilities Act calls for reforms to strengthen accountability and results for students, reduce the IDEA paperwork burden for teachers, provide greater flexibility for local school districts to improve early intervention strategies, reduce the number of children who are wrongly placed in special education classes, reduce litigation and restore trust between parents and school districts, and align IDEA with the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act signed by President Bush in January 2002. NCLB requires federally-funded schools to be accountable for providing a quality education to all students, including students with special needs. "Despite IDEA's many success stories, there is room for improvement in serving children with disabilities. These children are still among those at greatest risk of being left behind," said Castle. "Now more than ever, we must make sure that children with disabilities are given access to an education that maximizes their unique abilities and provides them with tools for later successful, productive lives. We must continue to be vigilant in our efforts towards improving the quality of education of all children, including children with disabilities." Under the leadership of Chairman Castle and full committee chairman John Boehner (R-OH), the Education & the Workforce committee in 2002 conducted an exhaustive series of hearings on IDEA reauthorization and also launched a first-of-its-kind web-based project -- dubbed "Great IDEAS" -- soliciting input from stakeholders from all across the nation on the reforms necessary to improve results for children with disabilities. The more than 1700 responses, collected from parents, teachers and school administrators, emphasized the need for reform to refocus the law on improving results, and not on compliance with burdensome and complex regulations. By seeking input from those directly involved with special education, committee members were able to craft legislation addressing the concerns of the parents of children with special needs, and the teachers who work to educate those children. Boehner pledged that the committee would move quickly with efforts to reauthorize the IDEA law, which officially expired in 2002, and noted that federal spending for IDEA has increased by 50 percent since President George W. Bush took office, even amid the twin challenges of war and economic uncertainty. At the unprecedented level of funding proposed by President Bush for FY 2004, the federal government will be paying approximately 19 percent of the overall cost of educating children with special needs -- a share far greater than at any other time in history, and more than twice what it was during the last time Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and the White House. Since the GOP took control of the House in 1995, federal funding for special education has increased by 282 percent, compared to only 62 percent during the previous eight years under Democrat control. The increased spending means it is now more essential than ever that Congress take steps to strengthen the IDEA system, Boehner said. "Those who believe money alone can be the magic cure for the problems in our special education system are wrong," said Boehner. "Under President Bush, the federal government is spending far more money than at any other time in our nation's history for the IDEA system, and even more money is on the way for next year. But increasing spending alone is not enough. We have a responsibility to parents, teachers and children to ensure that these resources are funding a system that produces the best possible results. I commend Chairman Castle for crafting legislation that will achieve this vitally important goal." House Republicans have also crafted a number of "companion bills" to strengthen special education results for students in conjunction with the Improving Education Results for Children with Disabilities Act. Rep. Jim DeMint (R-SC) will introduce an IDEA school choice bill on Thursday, March 20, 2003 aimed at promoting greater education choice for parents with children who have special needs. And Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) has introduced legislation to address the growing shortage of special education teachers by dramatically expanding federal student loan forgiveness for Americans who teach math, science, or special education in disadvantaged schools. The Wilson bill was originally proposed by President and Mrs. Bush, and is included in the President's FY2004 budget proposal. # # # # # (Bill Summary Follows) --Improving Education Results for Children with Disabilities Act-- Bill Summary The Improving Education Results for Children with Disabilities Act would improve education results for children with special needs by shifting the focus away from compliance with duplicative, burdensome, and confusing rules, and placing a renewed emphasis on ensuring that children with disabilities are learning. The following provides a more comprehensive summary of the provisions included in the bill: Increasing Accountability and Improving Education Results for Children with Disabilities. The current IDEA system places too much emphasis on compliance with complicated rules, and not enough emphasis on ensuring that academic results are being delivered for children with special needs. As a result of this misplaced emphasis, too many children in special education classes have been left behind academically. This legislation will ensure that States align their accountability systems for students with disabilities to the NCLB accountability system; assure that the IEP specifically addresses academic achievement of students with disabilities; and give local school districts greater flexibility in reviewing the progress of a child by replacing benchmarks and short-term objectives with the regular reporting requirements of NCLB. Reducing the paperwork burden. Good special education teachers are leaving the profession in frustration with the current IDEA system's overwhelming and unnecessary paperwork burden, contributing to what is becoming a chronic shortage of quality teachers in special education. This legislation will incorporate elements of Rep. Ric Keller's (R-FL) paperwork reduction bill, including the 3-year Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and the use of teleconferencing; create a ten state pilot program that allows states to reduce the IEP paperwork burden on teachers in order to increase instructional time and resources and improve results for students with disabilities; and streamline and decrease the paperwork burden on States and local school districts. Improving early intervention strategies. Currently, too many children with reading problems are being identified as disabled and placed in special education where they do not necessarily belong. This over-identification hinders the academic development of students who are misidentified, and also takes valuable resources away from students who truly are learning disabled. Experts agree that strengthening the quality of reading instruction programs across the nation will significantly strengthen special education and address this problem directly. This legislation will give flexibility to local school districts to use up to 15% of their funds for pre-referral services for students before they are identified as needing special education. Reducing overidentification/misidentification of nondisabled children, including minority youth. A disproportionate number of minority students are wrongly placed in special education rather than being provided positive behavioral interventions and supports and intensive educational interventions. As Education Secretary Rod Paige has noted, studies show the proportion of minority students identified in some disability categories is dramatically greater than their share of the overall population. More specifically, African-American students are labeled as mentally retarded and emotionally disturbed far out of proportion to their share of the student population. For minority students, misclassification or inappropriate placement in special education programs can have significant adverse consequences, particularly when these students are being removed from regular education settings and denied access to the core curriculum. This legislation will require local school districts with significant overidentification of minority students to operate pre-referral programs that work to reduce overidentification; eliminate the outdated "IQ-discrepancy" model that relies on a "wait to fail" approach for identification of "specific learning disabilities;" introduce a "response to intervention" model that identifies students with specific learning disabilities before the student is failing at grade level; and encourage greater use of programs that rely on positive behavioral interventions and supports. Reducing overidentification/misidentification of nondisabled children, including minority youth. A disproportionate number of minority students are wrongly placed in special education rather than being provided positive behavioral interventions and supports and intensive educational interventions. As Education Secretary Rod Paige has noted, studies show the proportion of minority students identified in some disability categories is dramatically greater than their share of the overall population. More specifically, African-American students are labeled as mentally retarded and emotionally disturbed far out of proportion to their share of the student population. For minority students, misclassification or inappropriate placement in special education programs can have significant adverse consequences, particularly when these students are being removed from regular education settings and denied access to the core curriculum. This legislation will: require local school districts with significant overidentification of minority students to operate pre-referral programs that work to reduce overidentification; eliminate outdated IQ-discrepancy model that relies on a "wait to fail" approach for identification of "specific learning disabilities"; introduce a "response to intervention" model that identifies students with specific learning disabilities before the student is failing at grade level; and encourage greater use of programs that rely on positive behavioral interventions and supports. Supporting general education and special education teachers. A continuing shortage of special education teachers, coupled with a shortage of regular education teachers who are adequately trained to work with students with disabilities, hinders the educational achievement of students with disabilities under the current IDEA system. Both current and prospective special education and general education teachers should have professional development to address the educational needs of students with disabilities. This legislation will refocus State Professional Development Grants on professional development for school personnel working with students with disabilities; align IDEA with requirements of NCLB for "highly qualified" teachers so that all students with disabilities are taught by a highly qualified teacher in core content areas; and streamline Personnel Preparation programs and encourage training of both special education teachers and regular education teachers to work with students with disabilities. Restoring trust and reducing litigation. Litigation under this Act has taken on more of a role of finding and punishing school districts for technical violations rather than being used to protect the substantive rights of children with disabilities. The type of litigation breeds an attitude of distrust between the parents and the school personnel rather than working cooperatively to find the best education placement and services for the child. This legislation will: encourage the use of mediation as early as possible and create opportunities for voluntary binding arbitration; require that complaints be clear and specific when they are filed; and establish a statute of limitations of one year from the date of the violation to file a complaint. Encouraging innovative approaches to parental involvement and parental choice. Parents should be active participants in their child's education experience. However, often under the current IDEA, parents of students with disabilities are not fully informed or are often given limited options of where or how their child can be educated. This legislation will: enable parents and local school districts to agree to change the IEP without holding an IEP meeting; allow school districts to use IDEA funds to support supplemental educational services for students with disabilities in schools identified in need of improvement under NCLB; and reform parent training centers to focus on all children with disabilities and serve all parents of children with disabilities, especially low-income, minority, and limited English proficient parents. Reforming special education finance and funding. The current funding streams under IDEA are complex without necessity. The funding streams under the Act should be simplified and a clear path created to reach the federal full spending goal of 40 percent. This legislation will simplify funding streams for IDEA Part B Grants to States and establish a clear 7-year path to reach the 40 percent goal of APPE through the discretionary appropriations process. Ensuring school safety. Schools should be safe for all students and teachers. All students should be treated the same when it comes to discipline issues to ensure safety for all at the school. This legislation will require school districts to continue to provide educational services to students with disabilities while allowing school district personnel to have one uniform discipline policy for all children. |
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5) Autism Awareness month = April
County of Orange on April 1st recognizes APRIL AS AUTISM AWARENESS month thanks to Project SEA Gil Murro! Wish you all could have been there!
Special Note: COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL MEMBER & TACA FAMILY GARY MONAHAN (and Skosh Monahan’s restaurant owner) is working on City Autism Awareness Resolution for the month of April as well!
If you can’t make it to Sacramento – here is how you can help!
Come show your support at a City Proclamation for Autism Awareness month!
Wear a picture of your child and your autism awareness pin!
Costa Mesa City – April 7th at 6:30pm –
Location: 770 Fair Drive
Newport Beach City – April 8th at 6:30pm
We need folks to show up to show support for autism awareness! If you can make it or need additional information please email: monahanclan@msn.com
Additional things to do for Autism Awareness month:
a) April 5th – do the Cure Autism Now WALKATHON – for more info – www.cureautismnow.org
b) Wear an Autism Awareness ribbon or purchase a bag, hat or other autism awareness item: www.stitches4autism.com or CAN has a flavor at www.cureautismnow.org or another cute source Moms on a mission for autism: http://momsonamissionforautism.org/MoMA_SHOP.shtml
c) Go to a conference and learn more about autism. Conference is in Buena Park – information about conference is available at:
D) There will be an AUTISM RALLY AND CAUCUS in Sacramento also on April 5th. I will going to that Rally and let me know if you want more information! Email me.
E) Write a letter to your state senate representative about budget cuts to special education! Write a letter to your US Representatives about vaccine reform or budget allocations for autism research and treatment.
F) Do it all! (just kidding! Do as much as you can!)
- TACA will be working on some fundraising efforts in April to honor autism awareness month with ribbons and other great supplies! These are only available at the next TACA April meeting!
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6) Disneylands HAPPY HEARTS DAY – time for discounted tickets to the happiest place on earth! AND NEXT TACA SOCIAL FOR FAMILIES:
Disneyland happy hearts days offers discount tickets for persons with disabilities and their families. Here are the upcoming dates and how to get tickets:
May 4-7
May 11-14
May 18-21
Costs: tickets are $18.00 per person. There is a limit 6 tickets and children under 2 free.
To get tickets, you must write a letter with a check for tickets desired per the sample below:
Disneyland Resort Guest Services
PO Box
61015
Anaheim, CA 92803-1015
Attn: Happy Hearts Programs
Dear Sir/Madam:
Please add me to your mailing list. My child (Name) has (Diagnosis), and
I would like information sent to me on your Happy Hearts Program.
I understand you need an organizational contract. You may contact the ____________ Regional Center at (___) ….-…….. My case workers name is ____________.
Thank you,
Mother and Father, Parents
Address
City, State and Zip
Phone Number
South Coast Plaza FREE Carousel rides!
Attention all TACA members! Diane Gallant has worked hard with South Coast Plaza management in arranging FREE CAROUSEL RIDES for children with Autism and their siblings!!
Come join us for a morning of fun and horse rides at South Coast Plaza!
Dates:
Next 2 dates are: Saturday, 4/19/2003 and 5/17/2003
Times: 8:30am-9:30am (BEFORE the mall opens)
Local: South Coast Plaza by the carousel (NOT the Crystal Court carousel!)
Costs: FREE!!!!!!!!!
Park: Park by ZTejas Restaurant and the Bank of America ATM’s off Bristol
Note: Kids can ride as often as they would like and based on availability. Come join us for some free fun!!
NO NEED TO RSVP! JUST COME AND PLAY!!
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More updates on Jeff in the next TACA e-news – right now, let’s focus on thoughts and well wishes for our country.
Hugs, thanks and be safe -
Lisa A Jeff's mom
Disclaimer: Views, news, and opinions expressed in this email service are not necessarily the view of TACA – Talk About Curing Autism.
P.S. TACA e-news is now at 566 families