Students With Disabilities Face Significant Challenges As Schools Plan To Reopen

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2020/08/Roberts_Feature.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1921;s:6:"height";i:1080;s:4:"file";s:27:"2020/08/Roberts_Feature.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:13:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"Roberts_Feature-336x189.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:189;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"Roberts_Feature-771x433.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:433;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"Roberts_Feature-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"Roberts_Feature-768x432.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:432;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Roberts_Feature-1536x864.jpg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:864;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:25:"Roberts_Feature-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"Roberts_Feature-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"Roberts_Feature-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"Roberts_Feature-553x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:553;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"Roberts_Feature-470x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"Roberts_Feature-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"Roberts_Feature-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:27:"Roberts_Feature-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Marcella Roberts
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1654493931 
1596627830

When schools shifted to virtual instruction in March, Marcella Roberts adapted as best as she could. 

“It’s been … I’ll use the word interesting,” she said. 

Roberts and her husband have twin boys starting middle school later this month. One of their sons, Joshua, has Down syndrome. For the family, the pandemic has created some challenges.

“Children with Down syndrome are very sociable,” Roberts said. “And there is no distancing with them because they love to hug.” 

She has been teaching Joshua alternatives, like fist bumps and hand signals, so he will be prepared with safer greetings when he is back in school. He attends Hoover city schools, which will offer in-person classes on a staggered schedule. 

Roberts wants Joshua to return to school not only because he loves being around other people, but because he receives services such as speech therapy that cannot be easily replicated at home.

“I think Joshua is going to do better in an in-person environment, being there with his instructors, and having that one-on-one time,” Roberts said. 

But not all schools are offering in-person classes, and for some students with special needs, returning to school is too risky due to serious underlying health conditions. For these students, advocates and health experts worry the loss of in-person services could have significant consequences. 

“You’re going to see a tremendous loss of learning among students with disabilities, some of which I fear will not easily be made up,” said Nancy Anderson, associate director of the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program.

Schools are required by federal law to provide special education services including physical and occupational therapy and personalized learning plans. 

Many educators acknowledge the challenge of providing these services remotely, including state Superintendent Eric Mackey. 

“Those vulnerable children, whether they’re children with special needs or our English language learners, children who have mental health needs, those are the ones that keep me up at night,” Mackey said during a recent press conference. 

Anderson said parents understand these are unprecedented times, but they also need guidance about what to expect with online platforms. 

“I think it’s really important for schools to engage with families,” she said, “get to the table with them and talk with them about how their child’s needs are going to be met.”

Many families are already struggling from the loss of in-person services in recent months.

Dr. Justin Schwartz, a behavioral pediatrician at Children’s Hospital, works with many patients who have autism or ADHD. He said for some, the pandemic has delayed progress. 

“The functional skills, the adaptive skills, the kids who were working on toilet training or self-feeding or those things have been much more challenging to work on in a virtual way,” Schwartz said. 

He said it takes a toll on both kids and their families, some of whom are dealing with other setbacks such as unemployment or other health concerns. The pressure, Schwartz said, can have a significant impact on everyone’s mental health.

“There’s always the possibility for more behavior issues at home,” he said. “There’s always the possibility for more discord between parents and children, or that overall family stress is heightened.” 

Schwartz has talked with many parents about deciding whether to send their kids back to school. He said ultimately, it’s a risk-benefit analysis, and that can look different for every family. 

 

Young offenders are often denied credit for “dead time” behind bars

Juvenile detention systems often deny young offenders credit for the time they spend waiting behind bars

From bromance to breakup: How Elon Musk and Donald Trump blew up

The blow up marks the end of an alliance between the president and the billionaire that lasted far longer than many observers expected.

Fans drive huge Nintendo Switch 2 launch; others play the waiting game

Criticized for its high cost but still selling out nearly everywhere, Nintendo's sequel to their popular Switch console releases as a trade war squeezes the video game industry.

Israel says it’s arming clans to fight Hamas in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the government was arming factions in the Gaza Strip to combat Hamas, after accusations from an opposition politician.

Trump’s travel ban includes Afghanistan, where thousands await U.S. resettlement

President Trump's travel ban on a dozen countries includes Afghanistan. Since American troops left in August of 2021, many Afghans have already arrived in the U.S. but many more are still waiting.

After his mother’s death, Ocean Vuong wrote his way out of grief

Vuong's new novel, The Emperor of Gladness, is the first he's written, from start to finish, since his mother died in 2019. He says writing it was a way to honor her memory.

More Coronavirus Coverage