Parents urged to demand special education services

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Parents urged to demand special education services

By Rogel crogel@...

Posted: 09/20/2010 12:04:53 AM MDT

LAS CRUCES - Parra's 2-year-old son was diagnosed with autism in

Albuquerque earlier this year. When she returned to Las Cruces, there were few

resources to turn to for help, she said.

" We really felt like there was no where for us to go, " Parra said.

" If parents have a gut feeling that something is going on with their child, be

persistent, and don't let professionals brush them off and say they will grow

out of it. I hear that a lot, " Parra said. " If parents and grandparents are

concerned, find someone who will listen. "

By federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of

2004 requires that special education services are provided at no cost to

families. Approximately 10 percent of students in the U.S. are identified as

having a disability and a majority of these 6.5 million students receive

instruction in general education classroom settings with the assistance of

specially trained teachers, said Anne Gallegos, department head of New Mexico

State University's Special Education and Communication Disorders program.

Where are the teachers?

Despite the critical needs of students receiving special education services,

there is a dramatic shortage of qualified teachers in the field and nationwide;

98 percent of U.S. schools report shortages of special education teachers, with

the greatest demand being in low-income and rural regions, Gallegos said.

The U.S. Department of Education lists special education and bilingual

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education as the two most significant areas of teacher shortages nationwide for

the 2010-2011 school year, a problem that has persisted in New Mexico for the

past 10 years.

In New Mexico, there are nearly 200 vacancies for personnel positions, which

includes speech language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational

therapists, counselors and school psychologists, according to Gallegos'

research.

In Las Cruces, classes are under way, yet the district is in need of 16 special

education teachers, including 11 who are speech and language pathologists, Jim

Nesbitt, LCPS human resources director, said.

While the district scouts for these teachers, students receive compensatory

services, where they take summer classes to make up for services they missed

during the school year, Nesbitt said.

" They get the services they need, just not during the regular school time, " he

said.

Nesbitt said the district has broadened its recruitment methods and four recent

hires for speech pathologists were from Spain and the Philippines. Additionally,

LCPS contracts with 14 private practice speech pathologists. Though it's more

costly, the district has few other options, Nesbitt said.

" We can't compete with the salaries that the private industry pays - hospitals,

rehab centers - we can't touch them. They almost double our pay, " Nesbitt said.

" So that's a big stumbling block, too, we just can't pay them enough. "

Shortages are caused by high turnover rates, heavy workload, significant

paperwork demands, and the wide variety of job roles given to teachers and

therapists, Gallegos said.

High turnover, high cost

The annual attrition rate for special educators is nearly twice that of other

educators. In a three-year period, more than 20 percent of special education

teachers will likely leave their jobs, according to an April report of the

Council for Exceptional Children, an international organization working to

improve education for individuals with disabilities or gifted students.

Additionally, Gallegos said the issue is compounded by the No Child Left Behind

Act (NCLB), the law that governs elementary and secondary education in the U.S.,

which requires that all teachers are " highly qualified " in the content areas

they teach. For individuals preparing to become special education teachers, the

law requires that they pass certification exams in both special education and

elementary or secondary education content and methodologies, she said.

For most teacher candidates in special education, this means earning a double

major, which is both more timely and more expensive, Gallegos said. And around

45,000 special educators nationwide are not recognized as highly qualified

teachers as mandated by NCLB, the Council for Exceptional Children said.

School districts can hire individuals wanting to become special education

teachers and who have a bachelor's degree outside of education on the condition

that they complete an alternative licensure program in special education within

three years, she said. And while the alternative program quickly places more

teachers in classrooms, the turnover rate in classes for students with multiple

or severe disabilities is high.

Austin Milbourn, a senior at Mayfield High School with autism, has taken

compensatory summer classes æsince middle school, his father, Milbourn,

said. In addition, Austin takes speech therapy classes at Mayfield and at the

Edgar R. Garrett Speech and Hearing Center at New Mexico State University.

In high school, Austin takes both special education classes and standard high

school classes. A full-time aide goes to class with him to review discussions as

understanding conversational language presents a challenge for his son,

Milbourn said.

The school district provides the service as part of his Individualized

Educational Program (IEP), which details special education services a student

receives under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Milbourn said these services are absolutely critical to his son's education.

" With budgeting issues it's something you frankly have to make sure is in place,

if you just left it up to the system there's a good chance he wouldn't get an

aid and he'd be relegated to special ed only type of curriculum, " Milbourn said.

" It's incumbent upon parents to make sure the services and assistance's are in

place for their kids. There are a lot of parents who don't know what their

rights are for this kids. "

Rogel can be reached at (575) 541-5424.

By the numbers

LCPS special education students:

•Gifted: 1,791 students

•Speech language: 1,555 students

•Specific learning disability: 1,237 students

•Other health impaired (Example, ADD or ADHA): 321 students

•Emotionally disturbed: 219 students

•Autistic: 109 students

•Mentally retarded: 103 students

•Hearing impaired: 53 students

•Multiple disabled: 49 students

•Developmentally delayed: 45 students

•Other impairments with medical diagnosis: 28 students

•Traumatic brain injury: 17 students

•Visually impaired: 12 students

•Total students, including gifted: 5,539

•Male students: 3,355 students

•Female: 2,184 students

•Total special education teachers: 273

•Total LCPS enrollment: 24,926

Source: Las Cruces Public Schools

Resources for parents and educators

•Asperger's Lunch Brunch Support Group: noon to 1 p.m. every Monday through Nov.

8. Focuses on issues from handwriting to aggression. Discussions are guided by

the book " Parenting a Child with Aspergers " by Boyd. To register, call

Lori Comallie-Caplan (575) 527-5918.

•The Edgar R. Garrett Speech and Hearing Center, on NMSU's campus: charges

minimal fees for therapy and provides year-round services in English and

Spanish. For appointments call: (575) 646-3906

•The Early Childhood Developmentally Delayed Program: a family oriented program

offering social services, family counseling and parental involvement for

families of 3 and 4 year-old children with developmental delays. LCPS Special

Education Department: (575) 527-5901

•Aprendamos, an early intervention service that identifies children with

disabilities ages birth to 3, and assists families. Call for information: (575)

526-6682

•Sensory Kids of New Mexico: provides resources and support for families with

autism, sensory processing and other developmental challenges. Call

Parra: (575) 635-9481

•The Family Infant Toddler Program of the Department of Health: an early

intervention program for children from birth to three years old. At no cost to

the families, the FIT program provides therapies, service coordination, and

special instruction through three providers in Dona Ana County. For more

information visit: www.trescoinc.org and/or www.fitprogram.org For more

information and additional resources visit:

http://www.lcps.k12.nm.us/departments/SPED/index.shtml