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Matt Cohen's Special Education, Disability

and Human Services Law

E-Newsletter  
August 2012

Response to Intervention (RTI) is an educational strategy that has been incorporated in the federal special education law as an option for serving students at risk academically, especially for students suspected of having learning disabilities.  It is intended to provide extra support to students that are struggling academically in regular education that might otherwise be referred for special education evaluation due to the suspicion that they may have a learning disability and require special education.    The basic idea is to provide short-term (8-12 weeks), intensive, scientifically-based educational intervention in the area of difficulty and to carefully monitor, week by week, the child's progress to see how they respond to the intervention.   If the student responds well to the intervention, as reflected in the data, it is surmised that the student's academic problems were due to a problem with inadequate instruction, rather than being due to a learning disability.  As a result, some and perhaps many students that were being placed in special education due to underachievement, rather than due to a learning disability, could get the boost they needed to get on track, without being subjected to unnecessary evaluation or being placed in special education inappropriately.

You know the story...maybe you've lived it, maybe you've been the parent in the story...the story of the bright child who just can't seem to learn. The child who gets up every morning, in the same house, with the same people, at the same time....but still can't seem to remember exactly how to get ready to go to school (or forgets to put on his shoes as he runs out of the house).  This is the child who, just as the bus approaches, starts raging because you put the peanut butter on the jelly side of the sandwich.  We're talking about the kid who has the best of intentions but can't seem to start a task; or if he does-can't finish the task; or if he does-can't find it; or if he does-can't remember to turn it in.  And, when you ask him to move on to something else, he acts as if his feet are stuck in molasses.  These are the kids with report card comments of "Lazy", "Unmotivated" and "Underachiever".  No matter how bright or how much he wants to please....this is Tommy.   There are a number of different disorders that could be contributing to Tommy's difficulties, but one that is being increasingly identified as a major source of learning and self-management problems is....

Executive Functioning Deficit

Now if you are hoping for a clear-cut definition, I will disappoint.  Google "Executive Functioning" and you...for the rest of the article, click here.

Join me in welcoming the newest member of Matt Cohen & Associates: Shari Meserve.  Shari Meserve, M.S.Ed., Ed.S. is trained as a school psychologist.  She received her Master's of Science in Education from National Louis University in 1997 and her Educational Specialist Degree in School Psychology from NLU in 1999.  She has worked in various north shore schools for the past 13 years.  In her role as a school psychologist, she has extensive experience working with and advocating for children and adolescents who have learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, emotional and behavioral difficulties, attention disorders, spectrum disorders, tourette syndrome, and other disorders.  Her responsibilities included evaluating students, leading special education teams, performing classroom observations, assisting in the development of IEPs, providing direct counseling services to students, conducting Functional Behavioral Analyses and developing and implementing Behavior Intervention Plans, and consulting with staff, administration and parents about appropriate strategies and programs for students.  Out of a growing desire to use her skills to help a wider range of children and families obtain appropriate services and supports, Shari chose to leave the public school system and has now joined Matt Cohen and Associates as an Educational Consultant/Advocate...for the rest of the article, click here. 

Special education rules and procedures are complex and can often be confusing.  In addition, parents often are unsure of what their children with disabilities may need, whether the school is properly identifying their needs and offering the right programs or services, or whether the IEP is properly completed.   Sometimes, parents feel intimidated or overwhelmed with the IEP paperwork or at the IEP meetings.  At times, they may feel that their concerns are being ignored or that the staff is not sharing important information with them.   When these concerns arise, parents often wonder how or from whom to get help in understanding the process, in making sure that their child's needs are being met, and in ensuring that the IEP process is working correctly.   They may even feel they need help at the IEP meeting to be sure that they are getting what their child needs and that their concerns are being taken seriously by the school staff.   At the same time, parents are often unsure of whom to call for help-if it is best to have a friend, clinician, advocate or attorney assist them and how that may affect the process.   They may also worry about...for the rest of the article, click here.

As a part of their IEP, students with disabilities begin to plan for their transition out of high school.  Many parents may still know, however, that even with early planning, the transition to post-high school life can be wrought with obstacles.  These obstacles sparked a recent study by the GAO, finding that many students with disabilities leaving high school must individually reapply for the transition services they were receiving throughout school.  This process, however, is not streamlined.  Parents and students must oftentimes reapply to various federal agencies-including the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, and the Social Security Administration-that each have different goals and policies.   GAO further found that, while there is some coordination among these departments regarding sharing of information, there is insufficient assessment of effectiveness, and their interaction is "a patchwork approach."  Thus, parents and students find it difficult to create coordinated services with full awareness of options-if programs are even available-and face limited access and delays in programming as adults.    Finally, the GAO study also noted that transition planning may begin too late-as many high schools inadequately prepare students for life post-high school.  As a result of this study, the GAO recommends a strategy for transition that operates among the various agencies to create common goals, greater awareness of services, and ways to manage agency effectiveness.  For a full account of the GAO's findings, from which this is summarized, click here..

Matt Cohen

"How to Successfully Address the Needs of Children with Learning Disabilities on A Systemic Basis"

LDA Webinar

for further registration information, click here.

September 12  7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Matt Cohen 
"The Ethics of Triage in a time of Diminishing Resources" 

Matt Cohen & Associates offices

155 N. Michigan Ave.

7th floor conference room

Chicago, IL  60601

CEUs available through NASW, more info soon 

September 19  7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Sande Shamash

"Strategies for Getting Appropriate School Services for Children with Tourettes Syndrome"

Matt Cohen & Associates offices

155 N. Michigan Ave.

7th floor conference room

Chicago, IL  60601

October 10  7:00- 9:00 p.m.

Matt Cohen 

"Effective Report Writing" 

Matt Cohen & Associates offices

155 N. Michigan Ave.

7th floor conference room

Chicago, IL  60601

CEUs available through NASW, more info soon 

October 24  7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Matt Cohen

"Confronting the Emotional Taboos of Transition - For Parents of Children with Disabilities"

Matt Cohen & Associates offices

155 N. Michigan Ave.

7th floor conference room

Chicago, IL  60601

November 8-10, 2012 

Matt Cohen, November 10, 1:30 p.m. 

CHADD Conference

24th Annual International Conference on ADHD

Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport
San Francisco,CA 
for further registration information, visit www.chadd.org

If you are looking for further information or would like Matt to speak at your parent group, support group, organization, conference or convention or to do staff trainings, please contact Tami at tami.kuipers@gmail.com or call at  1-866-787-9270.