PAVE's Pipeline
Winter Edition
December 2012 - March 2013, Vol. 2, Issue 7
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| Social Security Announces New Compassionate Allowances | 
SSA's new Compassionate Allowance Program that fast-tracks disability decisions to ensure that Americans with the most serious disabilities receive their benefit decisions within days instead of months or years. These conditions primarily include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare disorders that affect children. For more information on the Compassionate Allowances initiative, please click here. |
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Medical Care Services is now a voluntary managed care program
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Research Study Opportunity
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The Sandbox Learning Company is looking for children with developmental disabilities (autism and/or intellectual disabilities) ages 6-15 who are not toilet trained to participate in a study titled, Pocket Potty Program - Toilet Training for Children with Developmental Disabilities. The purpose of the study is to create and evaluate an app for toilet training children with developmental disabilities.
For more information please contact Amy Truong, Principal Investigator (800) 704-7815 ext. 5 or email her at
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Resource Corner:
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Save The Date!
Parent-Professional Partnerships to Benefit Children in Special Education
March 1st and 2nd - Vancouver WA
The Lewis County Autism Coalition has a new website at www.lcautism.org It is a great resource and overview of the great things that are happening to support children with autism and their families in Lewis County.
"HUB" -- A Family Support Group for Young Adults with
High Functioning Autism
"HUB" Support Group will be geared towards connecting young adults, along with their families, to community opportunities, resources, and support systems.
For more information contact Susan Jackson
sjackson@wapave.org or
Sybille White swhite@wapave.org
GKSN-Grandparents of Kids with Special Needs:
The Sibling Support Project and the Kindering Center are pleased to announce GKSN-Grandparents of Kids with Special Needs We believe that no one understands a grandparent's unique joys and concerns better than another grandparent of a child with special needs. Please visit www.gksn.org for more information!
Internet Essentials helps more students and families get online!
Does your child qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch at School? Do you struggle to pay internet and need a computer? If so, Comcast may be able to help you.
- Fast home Internet for just $9.95 a month + tax
- No price increases, no activation fees and no equipment rental fees
- A computer available at initial enrollment for just $149.99 + tax
- Access to free Internet training - online, in print and in person
Call 1-855-846-8376 to confirm your eligibility and request an application, or visit
www.internetessentials.com
Behavioral Optometrist
A Behavioral Optometrist is trained to work with special needs and can help determine vision-related problems or dyslexia in special needs children who may/may not be verbal and who may/may not be able to make eye contact or who have sensory issues. Locate one for you child at:
www.oepf.org
NDTAC's Transition Toolkit
Brings together strategies, existing practices, and updated resources and documents on transition to enable administrators and service providers to deliver high-quality transition services for children and youth moving into, through, and out of education programs within the juvenile justice system. Click HERE to learn more or download the toolkit
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| A Letter from PAVE's Executive Director |
Season's Greetings!
Hope:
As dictionary.com defines it means, "To believe, to trust... that what is desired or can be will be... in the end." I believe this feeling needs to be supported, even encouraged, and that we need to save signs of hope. Some say signs of hope are all around us. A quote may be sent to us or we see one anew with "fresh" eyes...
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."
- Albert Einstein
They can be symbols that guide us to being hopeful or they can be embodied in a person. I offer you this photo of Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii as he entered the JFK Room in our nation's capital this past summer. All of us representing our Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) knew this moment was truly memorable. Did we know it would be historic? As is frequently the case I did n ot realize it until reflecting on it in the light of "today." His recent passing on December 17, 2012 now illuminates that moment. Did you know that he was an original cosponsor, along with Senator Harkin, of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1989 and voted for its passage in 1990? I just learned that only 13 days prior to his death he was advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities worldwide. Here's an excerpt...
"The ADA, established in law, our nation's dedication to ensure those born with disabilities, or those who suffer life changing disabilities, are individuals with dignity." Senator Inouye was supporting the US resolution "to provide its advice and consent with respect to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). At its heart, the Convention is a non-discrimination treaty, which requires that persons with disabilities have the same general rights as those without disabilities."
Gardeners often talk of the need for the winter season in order for the spring to return. I now see that during this winter, just as the plants and flowers are renewing and drawing strength it is a good time to gather the signs of hope be they symbols, quotes, and memories. Tuck them away for a "rainy day" to share with someone else or to draw strength for us and our loved ones. Do you have a favorite image, symbol, memory, quote, or sign of hope you'd like to share? I'd love to hear and/or see it so that we can build a bank of signs of hope. Please email me at pave@wapave.org and I'll share them in the next edition of the Pipeline.
"Never let go of hope. One day you will see that it all has finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You will look back and laugh at what has passed and you will ask yourself... 'How did I get through all of that?"
-Anonymous
Warmest regards from all of us at PAVE to you and your family,
Tracy Kahlo,
Executive Director
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Holiday Fun for the Whole Family
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No matter how you and your family celebrate the holiday season we can all agree it's a special time of year. Some of us have traditions we hold dear and others are just  beginning to set them into place. In our house the holidays are filled with family, friends and celebration. My children love to take their yearly trip with grandma to downtown Seattle to sit on Santa's lap, ride the carousel, and drink hot chocolate as they window shop!
There are many activities that families can do during this time of the year to make the holidays a special time for every family member.
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ABA Therapy now Approved for Families Enrolled in Apple Health for Kids (Medicaid)
|  Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is a new benefit for families who have children enrolled in Apple Health for Kids (Medicaid). Many families may not be aware of this program or how to access it for their families. This article will hopefully provide information on who is eligible, when it starts, and where to go to start the process. Below is information from the Health Care Authority on this new option.
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Hearing Aid Coverage for Children (FAQ)
|  For a young child who has a hearing loss, gaining access to spoken language is critical for learning and development. For many of those children born with permanent hearing losses, hearing aids are by far the best option to help them develop auditory and language skills on par with their normal hearing peers. Investing in the early years of a child's life is critical to improving that child's future outcomes. [...] Getting a child access to amplification devices (such as hearing aids) and early intervention services can mean the difference between special education services and mainstreamed education.
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A Sibling's Perspective
By: Victoria Jackson
|  When I was younger I never noticed anything wrong with my brother. Sure, he was very hyper at times and I do remember taking him to speech therapy with my mom but nothing crossed my mind. I never realized my brother was different. One day at school, I was about 9 and my brother was 12, we were waiting in line outside of the lunchroom to go inside and eat breakfast. Nothing seemed wrong or out of the ordinary, until a group of kids in my brother's grade walked over to us. They all surrounded us. All of a sudden they looked at my brother and the leader of the pack suddenly called him a "creep". The group around us laughed. The same boy then started to call my brother other crude names. My brother looked puzzled and just kept saying "stop" but no one listened. I then had enough of this name calling game. I stepped in front of my brother...
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Electronic Organization of Special Education Records
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We all know the importance of keeping our students' records organized. These days, more and more people are using technology to their advantage by keeping their records saved on their computers, USBs, or CDs. The technical nature of the electronic record makes managing them a challenge. If they share and contain information that is vital to the education or medical condition of our student, we want to make sure we know where they are, when they were saved, and most importantly, that they're not lost...
Click Here to Read More...
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Winter Blues Leaving You SAD?
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Linked to Depression, but It CAN Be Treated
|  Feeling lethargic, out of sorts, and hopeless? Maybe you are just tired and craving more sleep and comfort food, after all it is winter and our natural instinct is to want to "hibernate" and be warm indoors. Once the daylight disappears, the days become shorter and the clouds replace the sun, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can set in. For those prone to depression it can have serious lasting affects if left untreated or diagnosed.
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School-Based Medicaid Services
|  Families of students receiving special education services frequently ask why they must provide the district with information about whether their child receives Medicaid. There is a fear that by providing this information to the district they will be denying their child access to other Medicaid services. To better understand what School-based Medicaid services are, how they are used, and what requirements are associated with school-based Medicaid services takes an understanding of why the program is available and how it differs from regular Medicaid funding. |
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Federal Government Convenes Commission to Help College and Graduate Students with Disabilities
|  Written by: Linda Tessler Ph.D., Commissioner, U.S. Department of Education's (AIM) Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Material for Post Secondary Education for Students with Disabilities and author of "One Word at a Time: A Road Map for Navigating Through Dyslexia and Other Learning Disabilities." For the first time in history, a Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan appointed a government advisory commission to investigate the accessibility of instructional materials for college and graduate students with disabilities.
When I was a child, I thought there was no occupation in this literate society to which I was suited because I couldn't read. Today with special tutoring programs and access to recorded text, all is possible. I earned a Ph.D. in psychology using recorded text. I am still not a good reader. I had the privilege of serving on this government commission which is conscientiously making sure that college and graduate students have access to recorded text. The world is opening up for us all.
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We're Glad You Asked!
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Question One:
I just had a conference with my daughter's third grade teacher. She told me that testing and grades were very much below grade level. I told her that I have to fight with Susie every night to do homework and it's becoming a war zone at my kitchen table. I asked if perhaps the teacher could give her extra time or have the aide help her so that homework is kept at school. Mrs. Jones was very helpful, she explained that there have been interventions at school and they are not helping. She knows that my child is already taking medication to help with concentration and focus. She suggested I talk to the principal and ask for a 504 plan. What do you think?
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Partnerships for Action, Voices for Empowerment
Administration - Tracy Kahlo, Heather Hebdon, Elma Rounds, Sandy Trujillo, Michael Vargas
Community Inclusion Program - Michele Lehosky, Susan Jackson, Sarah Miller
Early Support for Infant and Toddler Program - Debbie Jackson
Family Resource Coordinators - Sybille White, Nan Nop
Family to Family Health and Information Center - Jill McCormick
Parent To Parent of Pierce County - Michele Lehosky, Susan Jackson
Parent Training and Information Program - Vicky McKinney, Vanessa Lewis,
Sherry Mashburn, Anita Partida, Jessica Kaluza, Pat Barkley, Amy David
Person Centered Planning - Michele Lehosky
Response To Intervention Program - www.rtiinfo4families.org
Specialized Training of Military Parents - Heather Hebdon, Adriana Martinez, Kate Mason, Valerie Patterson, Serice Tanvas
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