How We Teach ALL Children Impacts the Entire Nation/Adventures in Kindergarten

(Sigh) I had an appointment set up today with Mrs. D, the Kindergarten Teacher who had welcomed me into her classroom.  Altho she seemed almost frantic for tips on how to handle her wiggly, squiggly, verbal kindergarteners, I did notice that there was a definite look of panic on her face when I suggested using  different strategies that move away from reinforcers and consequences.  Not that these are bad; but kids who need movement to think and stay on task, should not have the possibility of less movement than their non-wiggly counterparts.  I tried to stay very positive, encouraging, even dropped by beautiful orange flowery plants for Mrs. D and her aide, and even one for the school secretary (it never hurts to have as many people as possible on your side, rooting for you).   Alas, the thought of changing the whole premise of how her classroom worked was too daunting for Mrs.  D.  Game-changing is scary.  So, rather than popping in any time, she will let me know when she would like me to be there to work with students on skills.

So, I worry.  Is Mauricio stuck waiting for big-kid recess, and acting out as the wait becomes too long?  Is Jason still being punished for not being able to stay in his chair, by being asked to stay in his chair?  Is Rolando having vision issues?  Will this be monitored?  Will Adriana continue her attention-seeking behaviors by stealing pencil boxes and eating her snack like a dog?

According to the Centers for Disease Control:

• 9% of children 3 - 17 years of age have ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder, with and without the hyperactive component)
• If this is broken down further 7.6% between 5 & 11 yrs have ADD/ADHD
• 12.2% between 12 - 17 years of age have  ADD/ADHD
• Prevalance of ADD/ADHD is almost 3 times higher in boys than it is in girls 

Of this population that have ADD/ADHD there is:

• 41% co-occurrence with Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• 22% have minor depression/dysthmia
• 15% have Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• 50% have sleeping problems
• 40% are gifted

Teens with ADD/ADHD:

• have 4 x's as many traffic citations and 4 x's as many traffic accidents; they are 7 times more likely to have a second accident;
• 21% skip school regularly
• 45% are suspended from school at least once
• 30% have repeated a year in school
• 35% drop out of school before completing High School

The drop-out rate for individuals with learning disabilties is 17.6%.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic and the Boston Children's Hospital followed 5, 718 children born in Rochester, Minn. from 1976 through 1982. 367 of these children were diagnosed with A.D.H.D. These researchers found that "only 37.5 % of the children we contacted as adults were free of these really worrisome (ADD/ADHD) outcomes."

As adults with A.D.H.D, they were significantly more likely to suffer from another psychiatric Disorder (most commonly substance abuse, anxiety and depression.)  They were also more likely to be incarcerated or have committed suicide.

In other studies, the divorce rate for persons with ADHD is nearly twice that of married couples without ADHD.  Male adults with ADHD performed more poorly on tests for reading comprehension.

The statistics for ADHD, learning disabilities and illiteracy in prison populations is even more devastating:

• the incidence of ADHD in the prison population is 8-fold higher than ADHD in the general population.
• 80% of those imprisoned are functionally illiterate.
•  there is a high level of speech, language and hearing impairments as well as learning disabilties present in both juvenile detention and state prison populations
• 30% of inmates have hearing loss.  There is speculation on whether this hearing loss is responsible for poor communication skills which result in increased altercations and juvenile deliquency.
• in the prison population, individuals with learning disabilties have one or more communication disorders

 The education system as a whole has been unable to adequately address the national drop-out rate, which is closely linked to the possiblity of moving into the prison system.  One in 10 young male High School drop-outs is jailed or in juvenile detention compared to 1 in 35 of male High School Graduates.

With the implementation of Public Law 94-142 (1975, requiring educating all children despite their physical or mental challenges), and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), schools are required to provide education to a variety of students with a variety of special needs.  As the years have progressed, there has been a decrease in the number of students served in resource rooms and self-contained rooms.  This means that more and more students with differing educational needs are being "mainstreamed" or included (referred to as "inclusion") in regular education classrooms.  In fact, 47% of students with disabilities spend 80% of their day in general education settings.

Despite this precipitous influx of students with special needs in regular education classrooms, regular education teachers receive cursory or no training in diverse populations i.e. race, culture, class or exceptionality.  Prospective teachers are historically regarded as being culturally insular and this also applies to exceptionality.

Implementation of IDEA requires that in cases where the child has a specific diagnosis which significantly impairs the students ability to learn in school, but does not qualify the child for Special Education services, a 504 Plan may be implemented. This plan must state in writing a list of specific accomodations, supplementary aids and related services.  Most parents of children with ADD/ADHD are never informed of this service/accomodation, despite the fact that a significant number of children with ADD/ADHD have significant difficulty learning in school due to ADHD impairments.

Helping Students with ADHD with 504 Accomodations

The statistics for drop-out rates, school failures, and incarceration rates of persons with learning disabilties, communication disorders and ADD/ADHD is a huge indictment of our present education system.  The child that qualifies for Special Education services is generally well-served because that child receives targeted specific education under implementation of the Individualized Education Plan.  Most children with ADD/ADHD are not receiving targeted services.  When this is true, one would think that focus would be on changing the structure of general education so that all learning styles and deficits are accomodated through multi-sensory learning approaches.  Regular Education teachers who have 1-3 children in their classroom  with ADD/ADHD or other learning disabilties should be receiving training in teaching these populations.  We are failing our teachers by not providing the support and training they need in order to adequately teach these challenging individuals.  We are failing our students with learning disabilities (including ADD/ADHD) and their families because their needs are not adequately being accomodated to make them successful in the academic community and as well as the greater community.  This is very evident in the unbelievably high rate of illiteracy, and learning disabilties in our prison populations.  We are failing our non-challenged students, because we are not adaptaing our teaching curriculum and teaching practices to adequately address all the students and decrease classroom disruptions and misbehaviors, requiring time away from instruction, learning, and personal development in order to address student discipline. Brain and learning research is not finding its way into our Public Education system, instead focus is centered on Test Outcome and Performance.  Curriculum is dictated by School Boards which than becomes politicized, and sensationalized and allows religious beliefs to replace scientific research.  Commercial Pre-schools do a better job at integrating current learning research into their teaching practices.  And our education system is failing the nation, because the best and brightest students will always excel no matter how they are taught.  We are focusing on test outcomes rather than process and life success. But it is how we help educate those who are most in need of education, who are most vulnerable to life failure and incarceration that are the most telling of our success or failure as a nation. 

I am a supporter of Public Education.  I am a supporter of teachers.  I am a supporter of children and families.  In looking closely at the truth and outcome, we will strengthen all when we acknowledge our educational failures and allow ALL children to succeed.

Peace,
Kismet