XPsych.com
ARWOL
[Asbridge's Version of] Rights Without Labels
Donald J. Asbridge, Ed.S., Bakersfield, California USA
Introduction & Overview
I didn't invent this concept. Critics have always existed. cite them. Ysseldike, Glasser, etc. I'm just trying to sythesize here and forward a positive recommendation. Intro: I didn't invent this concept. Critics have always existed. cite them. Ysseldike, Glasser, etc. I'm just trying to sythesize here and forward a positive recommendation.
History & Background
pl 94-142 invented ld
cognitivists approach (white paper)
beh approach (response)
ongoing wars
public outcry
humanists call
president's call
my personal story... student after student, give a WISC, look for their imperfections, write a report and thencall them a horrible name in order to "help them", then do the same thing the next day... is that really what I was put on earth to do?
the current model
2004 IDEA Revised
always been skeptics
the problem with labels: pros/cons... funding/describe vs. effects of misdiagnosis, disabling, high numbers,
not trying to be a revisionist, this is my perception... links to other views.
modern model ... old way still labels, new way still labels
But the critical question is is there even such a thing as ld?
My experiences & perceptions
personal story... student after student, give a WISC, look for their imperfections, write a report and thencall them a horrible name in order to "help them", then do the same thing the next day... is that really what I was put on earth to do?
What does the research and science say
first let's look at the scientific model.
Be skeptical
operational definitions
hypothesis (and the null hypothesis)
experiment
use statistics
confirm or deny your hypothesis
GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW LD IS IDENTIFIED
Now let's look at research (is there ay research that proves there's ld?) neuropsych
quote from nasp listserve (maybe we could all agree on what ld is)
Book: ld means lousy diagnosis
Research lacking in validity of labels
Research showing harmful effects of labels
Statistics showing prevalence of labels
"Kerry: when half the population is in the pen, they're not criminals, they're the norm."
What does the law say?
Cite the law
trad, rti, other
What would ARWOL look like?
Clihat would the ARWOL program look like
specifically, it's an alternative, research-based model used to identify ld as allowed by law.
1) SLD only (preferrably ED, but that's probably impossible right now)
Identify lowest 28, )"HOT LIST") give them help
determine a time frame (every 3 months)... change as necessary (already kind of like RTI)
quote link that describes "flat 28"
2) Make a blurb explaining to parents so there is informed consent.
What would you have to do to make this program/approach work in your district?
Ask: "we have a choice... we can continue to be just another district struggling with the implementation of RtI... or we can move to the forefront of education and be national leaders... not to mention, help students.
PRINCIPLES:
not rocket science, easy to implement
uses real research
does not misdiagnose students with invented conditions
Just as is true for any model, there are pros and cons:
PROS OF ARWOL: Cost and time effective, doesn't label students, services are still provided, [key components of rti are still provided) monitoring/screening/interventions can still occur, (key components of traditional model are still provided) testing as appropriate still can provide valuable information to lead to recommendaitons/services; district can still get special education funding; simple - not rocket science; can lead to paperwork reduction... professionals have more time to work with students. Addresses "concerns" -- not diagnosis
CONS OF ARWOL:
Considerations
IN REAL LANGUAGE -- ARWOL IS CALLING FOR ONE SIMPLE CHANGE: QUIT CALLING STUDENTS LD!!! THERE ARE PROBABLY A MILLION WAYS TO STOP CALLING STUDENTS LD. YOU SHOULD ADOPT THE VERSION THAT WORKS FOR THE STUDENTS IN YOUR DISTRICT.ontent
Pertinent Links
Links in sidebar:
Books:
Websites:
Empowerment approaches:
Research regarding prevalence
effects of misdiagnosis
legal
cog white papr
beh response
rwol nasp
the law (trad, rti, other)
sites/agencies advocating for labels chadd autism speaks
Autism Speaks
http://www.autismspeaks.org/
1 in 88 have autism?
CHADD http://www.chadd.org/
PREVALENCE OF ADHD
Center for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html
- American Psychiatric Association states in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) that 3%-7% of school=aged children have ADHD. However, studies have estimated higher rates in community samples.
- Recent data from surveys of parents indicate that: [Read article]
- Parents report that approximately 9.5% or 5.4 million children 4-17 years of age have ever been diagnosed with ADHD, as of 2007.
- The percentage of children with a parent-reported ADHD diagnosis increased by 22% between 2003 and 2007.
- Rates of ADHD diagnosis increased an average of 3% per year from 1997 to 2006 [Read article Adobe PDF file]] and an average of 5.5% per year from 2003 to 2007.
- The highest rates of parent-reported ADHD diagnosis were noted among children covered by Medicaid and multiracial children.
- Prevalence of parent-reported ADHD diagnosis varied substantially by state, from a low of 5.6% in Nevada to a high of 15.6% in North Carolina.
Using a prevalence rate of 5%, the annual societal ‘‘cost of illness’’ for ADHD is estimated to be between $36 and $52 billion, in 2005 dollars. It is estimated to be between $12,005 and $17,458 annually per individual. [Read article]
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Emotional Disturbance http://cecp.air.org/resources/20th/eligchar.asp
TBI
NICHCY National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
Causes
No one knows the actual cause or causes of emotional disturbance, although several factors—heredity, brain disorder, diet, stress, and family functioning—have been suggested and vigorously researched. A great deal of research goes on every day, but to date, researchers have not found that any of these factors are the direct cause of behavioral or emotional problems.
According to NAMI, mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income. Further:
Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan. (5)
Frequency
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), approximately 8.3 million children (14.5%) aged 4–17 years have parents who’ve talked with a health care provider or school staff about the child’s emotional or behavioral difficulties. (6) Nearly 2.9 million children have been prescribed medication for these difficulties. (7)
PREVALENCE
National center for learning disabilities
http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/what-is-ld/state-of-learning-disabilities
"1.8%, totaling 4.67 million Americans."
Education.com
http://www.education.com/reference/article/prevalence-learning-disabilities/
"... over half of all children who receive special education have a learning disability (24th Annual Report to Congress). They are approximately 5% of all school-aged children in the public schools."
US National Library of Medicine http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17272589
"The lifetime prevalence of learning disability in US children 9.7%. Although prevalence of learning disability is lower among average developing children (5.4%), it still affected 2.7 million children."
Florida TechNet (pdf document)
http://www.floridatechnet.org/bridges/factsandstats.pdf
"30-50% of the population has undiagnosed learning disabilities."
IN THE NEWS:
Labeling your kids: is it helpful or harmful? http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/49372231#49372231
Activity Log
I made the decision I was going to put forth a dedicated effort to do what I can to actually implement ARWOL at whatever level (school site, district, county, state, national) I can. Here is a log of my efforts/activities.
001. | JUL, 2012 | Made my decision and set my professional goal. |
002. | SEP, 2012 | Shared my goal with my administrator during my annual goal-setting activity. |
003. | OCT 18, 2012 | Called CSDE. Spoke with a very pleasant person who was doing her best to try to help. I asked where I should start. She said, "I've never heard of anything like this before." I said, "I know." She provided me a number to call and I did, left a message. CSDE should be returning my call. |
004. | OCT 19, 2012 | CSDE returned my call. Spoke with another very pleasant and helpful person. She talked with me and asked and answered question to understand my request. She said she an approach [such as RWOL] "would be allowed as long as we don't break any laws." She also gave me the name of the technical support person assigned to my county. I will call on Monday. |
005. | OCT 22, 2012 | I called CSDE and had a great talk with another person. I explained my question. He said he felt an RWOL (i.e., noncategorical) approach would be legal, but he would ask the opinions of others at the state level and get back to me later in the week. |
006. | OCT 24, 2012 | The CSDE person called back as promised. I got the news I was hoping for. He said it is the state department's view to leave decisions such as this up to the local districts. He said it (RWOL) is legal as long as it doesn't break any laws :-) ! I thanked him for his efforts. I want to say everyone at the CSDE has been very helpful, polite, professional, and knowledgeable as I have worked with them on this issue. |
007. | OCT 25, 2012 | Notified my district of my conversations with CSDE: a district in California does not need a waiver to develop and implement a noncategorical service delivery model; RWOL is legal as long as it's, um, legal! The next question: how to next proceed. |
001. Made the decision and set my goal.
ARWOL
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