Mall Strolling and Bowling

I’ve written once before about community-based instruction (CBI) trips that our children with significant disabilities have as part of their educational curriculum. As you can tell from my previous posting, I am not of fan of how the majority of the CBI trips are done.

Today Ashley is going to the Dollar Tree and to McDonalds for lunch. Trust me, Ashley already knows how to shop. She doesn’t need any further instruction in that skill! She also doesn’t eat anything McDonalds has to offer. We’re still working on her feeding program, and unfortunately, that program doesn’t include double cheeseburgers and fries. So what is Ashley going to get out of this particular CBI trip?

Yes, there will be opportunities for practicing language skills – and maybe even some orientation and mobility skills. There certainly won’t be many models for appropriate meal manners. Nothing against McDonalds, but it’s just not a place where most of us learn to use the correct utensil, where to put our napkin when the meal is finished, and how not to gulp our food. At Dollar Tree, she is not going to learn how to find ingredients for a meal she can prepare, nor will she be likely to find any necessary clothing items she may need. She and her classmates will be shopping for classroom decorations. I agree that might be a fun way to spend a couple of hours of her school day, but I believe every hour counts when it comes to actual academic skills for Ashley and her classmates.

One of the largest gaps between education of children with significant disabilities and their regular education peers centers around this issue of community-based instruction, in my opinion. Regular education students may take one field trip a year. Those regular education field trips strongly support the academic curriculum. The students prepare throughout the school year for the trip and normally have worksheets or testing which follow the field trip. Children in special education, particularly those with significant disabilities – those who need the most time on academic pursuits just by virtue of the fact that it usually takes them a little longer to absorb the material – spend hours outside the classroom every week or every other week on trips that do not support their curriculum (or supports it just incidentally).

I researched the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program, and explored the Aligned Standards of Learning, the items on which children with significant disabilities are assessed. I chose several of those ASOLs to see if a community trip could be used to support that curriculum, and of course, I discovered that it easily could. Following are some examples:

ASOL #1
E-RW 12 The student will demonstrate comprehension of information in reference materials.
(SOL 2.9) a) Use a table of contents.
b) Use pictures and charts.
c) Use dictionaries and indices.

The library seems a perfect spot for a community trip to support this ASOL.

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ASOL #2
M-G7 The student will identify, describe, and sort three-dimensional (solid) concrete figures,
(SOL 2.20) including a cube, rectangular solid (prism), square pyramid, sphere, cylinder, and cone,
according to the number and shape of the solid’s faces, edges, and corners.

A museum, specifically a museum with an exhibit of modern art, seems tailor made to support this ASOL

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ASOL #3
S-R 1 The student will investigate and understand that materials can be reused, recycled, and
conserved. Key concepts include
(SOL K.1) a) materials and objects can be used over and over again;
b) everyday materials can be recycled;
c) water and energy conservation at home and in school helps preserve resources for
future use.

How about a trip to a recycling plant in support of this ASOL?

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ASOL #4
S-R 3 The student will investigate and understand that plants produce oxygen and food, are a
source of useful products, and provide benefits in nature. Key concepts include
(SOL 2.8) a) important plant products (fiber, cotton, oil, spices, lumber, rubber, medicines, and
paper);
b) the availability of plant products affects the development of a geographic area;
c) plants provide homes and food for many animals and prevent soil from washing
way.

A trip to a nursery or farm could easily be arranged to support this ASOL.

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ASOL #5
S-IE 3 The student will investigate and understand basic types, changes, and patterns of weather.
Key concepts include
(SOL 2.6) a) temperature, wind, precipitation, drought, flood, and storms;
b) the uses and importance of measuring and recording weather data.

Most of the meteorological staff at local news stations welcome visits from school children.

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ASOL #6
HS-C9 The student will recognize why government is necessary in the classroom, school,
and community by
(SOL 3.10) a) explaining the purpose of rules and laws;
b) explaining that the basic purposes of government are to make laws, carry out
laws, and decide if laws have been broken;
c) explaining that government protects the rights and property of individuals.

Virginia has a beautifully redesigned state capitol and Governor’s mansion that are open for tours daily. In addition, the current Governor of Virginia is very welcoming of people with disabilities. Why not a visit while the General Assembly is in session next Spring?

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I really think it is time for teachers to take a fresh look at how to support their students with significant disabilities, especially in the area of community-based instruction. At least in Virginia now, there is a curriculum for those students, and it is time, in my opinion, for that curriculum to move to the forefront of the educational day for students with significant disabilities.

Thankful Thursday

Today, on this cold morning with a beautiful sunrise that turned the sky many shades of pink and blue, I am thankful...

• For all the people who have taught me to be a good advocate for my children with disabilities. I’m winning more battles, and my children are benefiting greatly.


• For my house with all its Christmas decorations. It’s beautiful, imho.


• For soups in the wintertime – thick, creamy, well-seasoned soups.


• That my cat, Kitty Carlysle, is feeling better and recovering from her urinary tract infection.


• For my son, Chip, who has the uncanny ability to find the Christmas gifts I need to buy at the absolute lowest prices.


• For my well-shorn and groomed dog, Lizzie, who looks quite fetching (get it – “fetching”) in her Christmas collar. Thank you Miss Amy for tackling the job of dog groomer and doing it so well!


• For the noise-canceling ear phones connected to my music player at work. I hear my music but do not hear the headache-inducing jack hammering that has been going on right outside my office window for the last week.


• For hot cocoa with itty bitty marshmallows floating on top


• That Ashley has been given the chance to participate in Art class at school. She absolutely loves it and our house is now adorned with several of her accomplishments. They honestly are quite well done, especially considering she is blind!


• That I have this entire week without a scheduled school meeting or doctor visit. I keep thinking that I am forgetting something…

I'm An Addict

Hello. My name is Ashley's Mom, and I am an addict. I am addicted to Dancing With The Stars, and now that the show is over, I fear the withdrawal pains are knocking at my door.

Fortunately, I have a couple of episodes recorded for those times that I can sneak a fix. And, the image of Maksim dancing in his tight pants and chest-revealing shirts is forever etched on my mind, allowing me the freedom to partake of that particularly tasty morsel whenever the addiction recovery process becomes too overwhelming.

I believe I heard the host say that a new round of DWTS begins early next year. I.Can.Wait...I.Can.Wait...I'll just keep telling myself I.Can.Wait.

Guest Blogger #2

David, at the Growing Up With A Disability blog, composed an essay for an English course in which he is enrolled. He chose to write about his early educational experiences. The essay is incredibly insightful. I suggest anyone interested in the education of children with disabilities take the time to follow this link and read David's essay:

Understanding the Less Common Perspective - A Thanksgiving Reflection

Guest Blogger!

My friend, Lynnette (Brooke's Mom), had a wonderful response to my post yesterday regarding appropriate gifts for children with significant disabilities. I wanted everyone to see it, so I have posted it here.

"I certainly wrestle with that one myself. I don't really know the answer to the question but I have come to think of it this way, at least for now . . . there's a little kid in all of us and the world would likely be a happier, less violent, less hurried place if all of us took a little more time to be in touch with our "inner child". I know many adults who parade around quite publicly in Winnie-the-Pooh or other character shirts and clothing, who watch cartoons of one variety or another, or who wear "Bunny Slippers" on a daily basis. My daughter happens to love Blues Clues. When she's 21 she will most likely still be watching Blues Clues and I will still buy her those DVDs if that's what she expresses interest in at that time in her life. In the privacy of her own home she can watch and enjoy whatever she wants, the same way I love watching Maks on Dancing with the Stars! I do my best to provide opportunities for her to broaden her interests by trying new videos, etc. but I will not force my preferences on her. My greater struggle is actually finding more things she can do more independently rather than constantly having mom in her face! As a professional I am supposed to encourage, in fact demand, age appropriateness. But as a mom, I remain torn . . ."

Gift Quandry

One of the more difficult things for me during the holidays, and apparently for other families I have heard from who have children with significant disabilities, is deciding on gifts for those children. The yearly debate seems to focus on whether gifts should be chronologically age appropriate or developmentally age appropriate. I’m sorry to say that I don’t have a good answer and debate this issue constantly myself.

Here’s a scenario presented by one family – the family has a 21year old son, I’ll call him Michael, who has Down Syndrome. Michael lives at home with his family, is in his last year of high school, and doesn’t have much of a social life outside his family members and their friends. Michael adores Mickey Mouse cartoons. His family knows he would be very happy to receive Micky Mouse DVDs as a Christmas gift, but they are reluctant to buy him something that is so chronologically age inappropriate. In past years, they have bought him clothes, DVDs the whole family enjoys, and music CDs to which the whole family would listen. Michael is happy to receive those things, but it wasn’t really what he wanted.

I have the same dilemma with my oldest daughter. Jessica is 17 years old, but cognitively and developmentally is more like 6-7 years old. She loves baby dolls and Barbie dolls. She also likes getting girly clothes as gifts, and she would also like Disney DVD’s. Like Michael’s family, I don’t want to stigmatize her with things her friends and peers would ridicule, but I also would feel bad not giving her a gift that she truly wants.

How have other families handled this issue? What recommendations would you have for families like mine and Michael’s?

Searching for a Birthparent

In honor of National Adoption Month, I am reposting an article from Karen Ledbetter, the Adoption Editor at BellaOnline. I believe it offers some great advice for adoptees who want to search for their birthparents:

Search and Reunion - Consider This First

First of all, prepare yourself for all possible issues resulting from your search. You can do this by reading about adoption in general, relinquishment, search, and reunion. Don’t forget to read about the experiences of others who have already traveled the Search and Reunion Road.

First of all, do you know exactly why you’re searching? Do you realize that your decision will affect the lives of other people?

Be sure to educate yourself on the various state laws regarding search and reunion. Did you know that in some states, a birth parent can file paperwork requesting to NOT be contacted? If your birth parent lives in one of these states and has filed such a request, are you willing to respect their wishes and end your search?

Do you have realistic expectations of your search results? Hopefully, your search will result in the happy reunion and special relationship you’re dreaming of; but the results may not live up to your expectations, no matter how realistic they are.

What if you come up with identifying information on your birth relatives, only to learn they do not want to be found? Or, suppose you contact a birth parent who asks you not to contact him/her again. Are you prepared to handle either issue in a healthy manner and respect your birth relative’s wishes? Do you know how you’ll feel if you find your birth mom’s name and address, then write her a letter, only to receive no immediate response or to have your unopened letter returned? Do you have the patience to wait and see if she eventually replies? How will you deal with never receiving a response?

What if you do meet your birth relatives, only to find they are not exactly the people you had expected them to be? How will you handle that?

What if, after meeting, your birth relatives decide, for whatever reason, not to continue a relationship with you? Can you handle the rejection?

What if, after meeting, you realize that continuing a relationship with your birth relatives would not be the best idea in the world? How will you explain your feelings to them? Suppose they insist on a relationship anyway. What will you do?

As you can see, beginning an adoption search must not be done lightly. Many issues must be considered in order to protect the feelings and privacy, as well as respecting the wishes of many people. And, anyone searching must be prepared emotionally, mentally, and physically for almost any potential result.