Merged Teacher leads kindergarten class to vote boy with Asperger's out of class

[roger]

Yet another? I thought this was a rehash of the old story.

This link, provided above, shows that she is once again in trouble with new charges for discrimination against a disabled child.

 

[Checkmite]

You just forgot the students's special needs and IEP, sure Wendy and youre two friends.

What special needs? At the time of the "voting" incident, the student had never been diagnosed with anything. Neither the teacher nor any of the school staff, would have had any reason to assume the kid had "special needs" apart from the fact that he was just a constant disciplinary problem in class.

When the kid went home and told his mother what happened she immediately rushed out and found a doctor after the fact that would diagnose her child with Asperger's Syndrome, and then proceeded to tar the teacher as insensitive to "children with disabilities", citing the diagnosis as proof that her child was "disabled". Well, Asperger's is a "higher-functioning" mental condition, not a disabling one. It's not strictly "Autism"; we're not talking about a kid who can barely talk and couldn't tie his own shoes or feed himself. As far as the teacher or anyone else knew, he was just a cut-up.

You can judge her method of discipline to be unwise or misguided; but people, skip the "what a cruel monster mentally battering an autistic child" lynch mob response because it is completely unwarranted in that case.

As for the newest "omg, horrible teacher beats disabled student" incident:

The complaint said the district failed to implement the student's health plan during the 2009-2010 school year, according to information provided by the U.S. Department of Education press office.

She just happens to be one of hearing-disabled child's teachers, whom evidently the school district neglected to inform to use a microphone during class per the child's health plan. Again, a non-story...or, at least, the focus of the story shouldn't be that teacher.

 

[Alt+F4]

What special needs? At the time of the "voting" incident, the student had never been diagnosed with anything. Neither the teacher nor any of the school staff, would have had any reason to assume the kid had "special needs" apart from the fact that he was just a constant disciplinary problem in class.

When the kid went home and told his mother what happened she immediately rushed out and found a doctor after the fact that would diagnose her child with Asperger's Syndrome, and then proceeded to tar the teacher as insensitive to "children with disabilities", citing the diagnosis as proof that her child was "disabled".

You're right. The only part you left out was the mother's federal lawsuit, citing the Americans With Disabilities Act, which in no way is applicable to this case.

 

[quixotecoyote]

What special needs? At the time of the "voting" incident, the student had never been diagnosed with anything. Neither the teacher nor any of the school staff, would have had any reason to assume the kid had "special needs" apart from the fact that he was just a constant disciplinary problem in class.

When the kid went home and told his mother what happened she immediately rushed out and found a doctor after the fact that would diagnose her child with Asperger's Syndrome, and then proceeded to tar the teacher as insensitive to "children with disabilities", citing the diagnosis as proof that her child was "disabled". Well, Asperger's is a "higher-functioning" mental condition, not a disabling one. It's not strictly "Autism"; we're not talking about a kid who can barely talk and couldn't tie his own shoes or feed himself. As far as the teacher or anyone else knew, he was just a cut-up.

You can judge her method of discipline to be unwise or misguided; but people, skip the "what a cruel monster mentally battering an autistic child" lynch mob response because it is completely unwarranted in that case.

Well you're right. I read too much into the line that said "Alex was in the process of being tested for Asperger’s Syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism, at the time of the incident." I assumed it was at the school and it wasn't. That said, your characterization of the mother's behavior seems to be off as well.

 

[shawmutt]

Cut funding to special education, put the SPED students in regular classrooms, and blame the teachers when parents don't get the results they want.

My wife just went on a little rant while we were talking about it. To paraphrase, there is special training that teachers get to deal with special education students, and my wife didn't get it. She specialized in math instead.

Well, this year, she spends half her day with special needs students. She gets one full period of kids at her grade level. She's also responsible for pulling exceptional children and teaching them. To compound the issue, she works at a poverty school (Title 1--92% of the kids are living at or below poverty level) Again, her specialty is math, and guess how many students she teaches math to? Zero. I completely understand why she wants to go from teaching to administration.

Who suffers when public schools aren't funded and teachers teach to the lowest denominator?

 

[Dancing David]

Disgusting. That teacher should never be in a classroom again.

It's funny how often we hear teachers say "children are not widgets", yet they pushed for and received the same type of union work rules appropriate for and in fact inspired by factory workers making widgets, rather than white-collar professionals charged with educating children.

Um, I don't recall that in our local CFT contract, what the Fred are you talking about? It isn't in my CESP contract either.

Your fevered imagination?

 

[Checkmite]

Well you're right. I read too much into the line that said "Alex was in the process of being tested for Asperger’s Syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism, at the time of the incident." I assumed it was at the school and it wasn't. That said, your characterization of the mother's behavior seems to be off as well.

Well that's true. The impression I got was that the mother took the child to a doctor to get him diagnosed with Asperger's as a result of the incident in question, but that's not really supported objectively.

What is supported, and still relevant, is that the diagnosis of mental illness was after the fact, and that Asperger's is not a disabling affliction. Asperger's patients are articulate and capable of learning - for instance, the child had no trouble relaying the sequence of events in detail to his mother. The marker is trouble with interpersonal relationships, not learning or participating in day-to-day tasks and activities. It's not a "self-evident" affliction and there's no cause to believe a non-medical professional would be able to discern between a child with Asperger's and a child that simply had authority issues or refused to behave.

 

[Dancing David]

I didn't say they shouldn't be in unions. I said they shouldn't have the same work rules developed for workers making widgets in a factory.

You haven't read the contract have you, you are just making this up.

You haven't read the contract have you, you are just making this up.

My superintendent makes $250,000 a year for no damn reason, other than the School Board keeps raising his salary.

Last hired first fired is also not true for the CFT contract, ANYONE who does not have tenure can be fired at any time. (As long as the firing/discipline/grievance procedure is followed.) And in fact if they RIF you they can fire you without resort to contract language at all. Now the CESP contract does have the last hired/first fired clause, as long as you are within the same pay category.

And they can refuse to rehire you , unRIF your job and hire someone else. (Even if you have tenure.)

Why should corporate CEOs and admins make millions of dollars , ruin their companies and get bail outs when dismissed?



Do they have union contracts?

BTW:

the only people who treat children like widgets are the idiots who refuse to give money to schools, they assume that all children can be taught the same way. Despite the fact that 15% of them can't and need a higher level of support, but in Illinois they get zip, nada, zilch , niente , nothing for them, period.

They are treated exactly like every other student, despite the fact that their IQ is in the 13.5% above the retardation line, those with an IQ above 70 but below 85, the 'slow learners'. They don't get any special education, they get no extra support. They are just treated like widgets?

They are expected to just learn like everyone else, despite the fact that they can't. Why, because nobody wants to pay to do so. So that is treating kids like widgets, now isn’t it. Despite the fact that the needs of these children could be addressed, they could never be at the same level as their peers, but they could graduate able to read and do simple math, but they don’t.

Why? Because they would need more support, that would cost money, you could not then just force then to fall farther behind in a class room of 20-30 students with just one teacher and no aide support. Why are they treated like widgets, because it would cost money.

 

[Dancing David]

Well that's true. The impression I got was that the mother took the child to a doctor to get him diagnosed with Asperger's as a result of the incident in question, but that's not really supported objectively.

What is supported, and still relevant, is that the diagnosis of mental illness

Edited by Professor Yaffle: 

Edited to remove incivility

Asperger's is NOT a *********** mental illness, it is a developmental disability.

So

Edited by Professor Yaffle: 

Edited to remove incivility

, you could at least get your jargon right.

was after the fact, and that Asperger's is not a disabling affliction. Asperger's patients are articulate and capable of learning

Some are, some aren't,

Edited by Professor Yaffle: 

Edited to remove incivility

- for instance, the child had no trouble relaying the sequence of events in detail to his mother. The marker is trouble with interpersonal relationships, not learning or participating in day-to-day tasks and activities.

Yeah,

Edited by Professor Yaffle: 

Edited to remove incivility

, and for a grade school kids there is the day to day tasks and activities of 'sitting in a chair and following the social expectations'.

It is not ‘interpersonal relationships’ it is the ability to perceive, interpret and react appropriately to social cues.

It's not a "self-evident" affliction and there's no cause to believe a non-medical professional would be able to discern between a child with Asperger's and a child that simply had authority issues or refused to behave.

What the teacher did was wrong for any student.

 

[WildCat]

You haven't read the contract have you, you are just making this up.

I'm making nothing up:

The last-hired, first-fired layoff provisions in the contract were probably not written with a budget meltdown in mind, he notes. “For each low-level teacher that is let go, the savings are small,” he says.

http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/not...Union_to_ask_federal_judge_to_reverse_layoffs

I'm sure Chicago is far from unique in that regard.

 

[Checkmite]

Edited by Professor Yaffle: 

Edited to remove incivility

Asperger's is NOT a *********** mental illness, it is a developmental disability.

So

Edited by Professor Yaffle: 

Edited to remove incivility

, you could at least get your jargon right.

Some are, some aren't,

Edited by Professor Yaffle: 

Edited to remove incivility

Yeah,

Edited by Professor Yaffle: 

Edited to remove incivility

, and for a grade school kids there is the day to day tasks and activities of 'sitting in a chair and following the social expectations'.

It is not ‘interpersonal relationships’ it is the ability to perceive, interpret and react appropriately to social cues.

I can think of nothing whatsoever that justifies this abusive onslaught. How old are you? "You're wrong about Asperger's being a mental illness" would've been just fine if that's what you wanted to convey. I wouldn't mind a little back and forth about that topic but I'm not going to bother if this is the kind of discourse I can expect from you.

What the teacher did was wrong for any student.

As I indicated in my first post, this is a perfectly arguable point.

 

[luchog]

What is supported, and still relevant, is that the diagnosis of mental illness was after the fact, and that Asperger's is not a disabling affliction. Asperger's patients are articulate and capable of learning - for instance, the child had no trouble relaying the sequence of events in detail to his mother. The marker is trouble with interpersonal relationships, not learning or participating in day-to-day tasks and activities.

The "mental illness" issue has already been addressed; but this hasn't, sufficiently.

Asperger's Syndrome is a neurological disability, and it most certainly does affect learning and participating in day-to-day tasks and activities. To what degree it affects these things depends on the severity of the syndrome. It is not a binary condition, but exists on a spectrum. Asperger's individuals often have difficulty developing speech and language skills; and typically require a more highly structured and regimented environment for learning than other children.

It's not a "self-evident" affliction and there's no cause to believe a non-medical professional would be able to discern between a child with Asperger's and a child that simply had authority issues or refused to behave.

You're about 10 years behind, here. There are, in fact, a number of indicators that non-medical professionals can observe to indicate a potential ASD; including highly repetitive behaviour patterns (rocking, hand-waving, nose-rubbing), physical tics, difficulty adjusting to changing environments, "inappropriate" speech patterns (eg, excessively loud or quiet), obsessional speech and behaviour patterns, and hyperfocus. These have been known and understood for years. On top of that, many of these can also indicate other "special needs" problems, neurological or behavioural, that require individualized attention.

While some high-functioning ASDs can appear to be merely disciplinary issues on casual observation; that is still not a justification for Portillo's actions. If you have a problem with a particular child, you refer the child to a higher authority, and remove them from the classroom environment in the meantime. You do not humiliate them in front of the class.

It has been said before, but needs to be repeated: What this teacher did would be wrong for any child, regardless of whether they were "special needs" or not. This person simply should not have been working with children in the capacity she was. The board clearly came to the same conclusion and took appropriate action. Unfortunately, it appears that Portillo did not seem to learn anything from the incident.

 

[Checkmite]

It has been said before...

Including by me - twice, now.

 

[jiggeryqua]

Thank you luchog. Dancing David could perhaps have expressed himself a little better, I thought, and then you saved me the effort of doing that for him.

Checkmite, confound my expectations of internet posters and respond appropriately to the rest of luchog's post, please, not just the bit (the one tiny bit) where you can say you already said something that is agreed upon. You also already said some ignorant and offensive things - the proper response, if you're unsure, would be an apology and an undertaking to educate yourself.

 

[Checkmite]

Checkmite, confound my expectations of internet posters and respond appropriately to the rest of luchog's post, please, not just the bit (the one tiny bit) where you can say you already said something that is agreed upon.

Like what? The entire first paragraph of his post is effectively negated by the first sentence of his second paragraph:

While some high-functioning ASDs can appear to be merely disciplinary issues on casual observation;

...which, oddly enough, was exactly the point of my post he was addressing. There was nothing to "respond" to; whether it was his intention or not he effectively agreed with me.

You also already said some ignorant and offensive things - the proper response, if you're unsure, would be an apology and an undertaking to educate yourself.

What did I say that was "ignorant and offensive"? Please quote directly.

 

[Skwinty]

AS became a distinct disease and diagnosis in 1992, when it was included in the tenth published edition of the World Health Organization’s diagnostic manual, International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), and in 1994 it was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic reference book. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/detail_asperger.htm

Could some one explain the difference between: disease, disorder and illness.

 

[Checkmite]

AS became a distinct disease and diagnosis in 1992, when it was included in the tenth published edition of the World Health Organization’s diagnostic manual, International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), and in 1994 it was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic reference book. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/detail_asperger.htm

Could some one explain the difference between: disease, disorder and illness.

There is none. "Disorders" tend to be psychiatric conditions, but not always; whereas "diseases" tend to be physiological, but not always. Medical dictionaries usually define them as synonymous. "Illness" is the same thing. They're interchangeable. A "psychiatric condition" can be called a "mental illness", and vice-versa.

 

[Skwinty]

There is none. "Disorders" tend to be psychiatric conditions, but not always; whereas "diseases" tend to be physiological, but not always. Medical dictionaries usually define them as synonymous. "Illness" is the same thing. They're interchangeable. A "psychiatric condition" can be called a "mental illness", and vice-versa.

So DD was having a bad day then ?

 

[willhaven]

Pure democracy in action!

 

[Checkmite]

So DD was having a bad day then ?

I don't know what DD was or was not having; but I must admit that, after reading over this page several times, I do find the notion that between the two of us I'm the one that needs to apologize for my behavior here is rather interesting.