Winter 2013
Understanding Your Child's Educational Rights
Thomas A. Dixon, B.A., B.S.


A variety of conditions and disabilities may challenge students' ability to excel academically. There are several pieces of federal legislation that establish parents' and students' educational rights, and impact how education may be made accessible to those with disabilities. It is deeply important for parents to comprehend these laws and to make use of their rights when it comes to education. This article will briefly review several of those statutes.
Barry Lessin
Five Things to Know About Drinking Alcohol to Make this Holiday Season Jollier  
Barry Lessin, M.Ed., CAADC 

The alcohol beverage industry spends billions of dollars each year reminding us "'tis the season to be jolly." It does a great job of associating drinking with the fun and good times of the holiday season, with the obligatory warning to "drink responsibly."
The ABCs of Mental Health: PhD? MD? LCSW? LPC?  
Marolyn Morford, Ph.D.

 
My husband and I need marriage counseling. My child is having trouble at school. My 80 year-old father seems confused. Should I call psychiatrist? A psychologist? A therapist? A counselor? Help!

I Want a Puppy! 
Ris� VanFleet, Ph.D.
"I want a puppy!" "Let's adopt a cat!" Children are drawn to animals and often beg their parents to get a pet. Parents might eventually decide to get a pet, perhaps liking the idea themselves or thinking this will be a good way to teach responsibility. They might yield to their children's pleas, either happily or with resignation, as long as their children promise to "do all the chores and take full responsibility." Is this a good idea?
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In This Issue

 
e-Newsletter Committee Chair
 
"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." 
-Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Welcome to the last edition of the PPA e-Newsletter in 2013! Enjoy these wonderful articles on educational rights, pets, alcohol consumption, and mental health degrees. Please share this issue with friends, family, and colleagues. We hope you are inspired to begin filling the "blank pages" of 2014.

Christina Carson-Sacco, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist



Joe Altobeli
Creative Director

The Pennsylvania Psychological Association's purpose is to advance psychology in Pennsylvania as a means of promoting human welfare, and to educate, update and inform the public and our membership on current psychological theory and ethical practice through training activities and public policy initiatives.

Pennsylvania Psychological Association
416 Forster St.
Harrisburg, PA 17102

Phone: 717-232-3817
Fax: 717-232-7294
Understanding Your Child's Educational Rights
Continued
 
article1Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, signed into law in 1974, established specific rights which parents have regarding access of the school records of their children, along with rights regarding the privacy of said records. These rights transfer to the student when the student becomes eligible by turning 18 or by enrolling in a post-secondary institution. 

 
In brief, FERPA may enable eligible individuals (parents or students of age) to: 
 
  • Review educational records held by the school, although copies may not need to be provided unless circumstances (such as great distance) necessitate.
  • Contend that records are inaccurate, if believed to be so, and make an amendment request. If the school does not opt to amend, the parents have a right to a formal hearing. If the contested information is not removed or altered to the liking of the student and/or the parent, then the student and/or the parent may add a statement to the record, to include any alternative view(s) with it.

This and further information about FERPA [including to which extent information from records may or may not be shared with particular parties without the explicit permission of the parent and/or student] is freely available on the U.S. Department of Education's website at http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

   

The 504 Plan
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is intended to provide students reasonable accommodations in light of how their disabilities may alter their ability to have equal access to, and not be discriminated against in, school settings. The most readily available, up-to-date information regarding 504 plans, and their appropriateness for your child, is accessible at http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/iep-504-plan/is-504-plan-right-for-my-child.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that establishes the right to free and appropriate public education of individuals with disabilities. 

A parental guide to IDEA is freely available at  http://www.ncld.org/parents-child-disabilities/idea-guide. Further information on IDEA is available via the U.S. Department of Education's website specifically devoted to IDEA: http://idea.ed.gov
.

  

How Do IDEA & a 504 Plan Differ? 

The National Center for Learning Disabilities contrasts the two types of plans at  

The two-pronged test for disability identification under IDEA requires that an individual meets criteria for identification with a disability and requires specially education services as a result of that disability. A 504 plan may be useful if a child does not appear to qualify for special education services, but may still benefit from assistance with a major life activity (such as in "learning, speaking, listening, reading, writing, concentrating, caring for oneself, etc.").


What are the 13 disability categories identified in IDEA?

 http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/13-categories-of-special-education.html.

  1. Autism
  2. Blindness
  3. Deafness
  4. Emotional Disturbance
  5. Hearing Impairment
  6. Intellectual Disability
  7. Multiple Disabilities
  8. Orthopedic Impairment
  9. Other Health Impaired
  10. Specific Learning Disability
  11. Speech or Language Impairment
  12. Traumatic Brain Injury
  13. Visual Impairment
The Individualized Education Program (IEP)

The Individualized Education Program, or IEP, documents: which services a student may be provided and how often; the student's levels of performance; and how the disabilities of the student impact his or her performance in educational settings.

Students are eligible for an IEP if they are found to meet criteria under IDEA.

 

Being aware of one's educational rights helps parents to offer the best opportunities to their children. Children benefit most when schools and families are partners in this process.

 

Further information on the legislation described is available via the following links: 

Thomas A. Dixon, B.A., B.S., is an educational psychology graduate student at Temple University. As both the first in his family to pursue higher education and as an ESL teacher to immigrants and refugees, he feels deeply about enabling individuals via encouraging their educational pursuits. He can be reached at  [email protected]
Five Things to Know About Drinking Alcohol to Make this Holiday Season Jollier
Continued
 
article2Their message is not for the one-third of the United States who completely abstains from alcohol. They never tell those of us who do drink how to drink responsibly.  Here are five things to know about alcohol to help you drink more safely and responsibly during the holiday season:
 
First, alcohol is a drug. It's a drug that human beings have been using since we figured out that the fermentation of rotting food produces ethyl alcohol, the psychoactive substance in the alcohol-based drinks we consume today.  Alcohol is a drug that depresses the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord. It acts as a both an irritant and anesthetic, as anyone knows who has used an alcohol swab to cleanse a wound or felt the burning in your throat as liquor makes its way into your body.

Second, how any drug affects us depends on the interaction among three variables: 
  • The type of drug, which includes the dose, or strength
  • The set, or the individual characteristics, including mind-set and mood that you are in when using the drug
  • The setting, which includes the environment and/or culture that you use the drug in  

Understanding how this interaction affects you can help you to make decisions to drink more safely. What we drink, our expectations about our drinking, our previous drinking experiences, and the drinking environment all interact to make each drinking experience unique.

 

Third, learn what a "dose" of alcohol is. Figuring it out can be tricky because of the wide assortment of drinks available to imbibe. But in the United States we have identified one standard drink as the amount of any beverage that contains one-half ounce of pure ethyl alcohol, which roughly corresponds to the amount of alcohol in:

  • a 12 ounce beer
  • a 4 ounce glass of wine
  • a 1.5 ounce shot of 80 proof liquor

This helps us determine with some accuracy how much of the psychoactive substance ethyl alcohol we are ingesting.  

 

Fourth, you can learn your safe drinking limit by understanding blood-alcohol level (BAL). BAL is the percentage of ethyl alcohol in the blood. For instance, the legal limit for driving in Pennsylvania is .08, which means that alcohol makes up .08% of your body's blood volume. There are phone apps and websites that make it easy to calculate BAL, allowing you to figure out what various BALs feel like and when impairment may begin for you.  

 

For some of us, depending on your alcohol dose, set, and setting, impairment of coordination and judgment may begin well before you reach the legal BAL limits for driving. Other factors like gender, weight, and how much food is already in your stomach affect BAL. Women need less alcohol than men to achieve the same BAL. In addition to gender, other factors like higher body weight, and eating and drinking water while drinking alcohol will allow you to drink more alcohol to reach the same BAL.  

 

Fifth, people use substances for reasons. We gravitate toward pleasurable activities and away from painful ones. Alcohol can reliably help us feel more relaxed, lower inhibitions and reduce the anxiety many of us feel in social and family settings. The downside is that alcohol contributes to higher costs of physical and public health than every other drug combined. It's not even close. 

 

The holiday season offers many reasons for drinking. Some of these reasons can create challenges for safe drinking, depending on our individual set and setting. Financial issues, difficulties balancing work and family issues, social pressure, pre-existing family conflicts, and previous drinking history are all factors that play a part in the set and setting of our holiday drinking experiences. 

 

Arming yourself with information about alcohol and being aware of the various factors that contribute to your drinking experience will go a long way toward safely drinking alcohol while enjoying your holiday experience.  


Barry Lessin, M.Ed., CAADC,
is a licensed psychologist and addiction treatment consultant in Montgomery County, PA. www.barrylessin.com

The ABCs of Mental Health: PhD? MD? LCSW? LPC?
Continued
 

 

article3More people than ever are taking advantage of the care and support that mental health services can provide.  And now they will be covered by most health insurance policies. The choices can be confusing, but they don't have to be.
  • Your provider should be licensed. Look for someone with a license in your state, not just membership in a professional organization. The terms "therapist," "psychotherapist" and even "life coach" can be used by anyone with any or no training.  A license shows that the person has the required education and experience and has passed a licensing exam in her area of practice. If you are not sure, check your state's online licensing website. In Pennsylvania, that would be: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/health-related_boards/13773.
  • Ask about the kind of license.
    • Licensed mental health providers fall into two categories of education, Master's (M.A., M.S., M.Ed.) or doctoral degrees (Ph.D., Psy.D., or M.D. and D.O.). A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (M.D. or D.O.) who can prescribe medication and may do some "talk therapy." A psychiatrist has completed college, plus 4 years of medical school, a national exam, and 4 years of supervised clinical experience preparing them to understand the biological bases of behavior and mood.  Certified, registered nurse practitioners (CRNP) can also prescribe medication.
    • Psychologists have completed college, plus 4 years of graduate school and 2 years of supervised experience before passing a national and state licensing exam. Psychologists, among all mental health providers, are the only ones permitted to do assessment and testing, in addition to treatment. In some states, psychologists with additional training can prescribe medication.
    • What about the others? A Master's degree (M.S., M.Ed., M.A.) can lead to a number of therapy 'hats'. For example, LCSW (licensed clinical social worker), LMFT (licensed marriage and family therapist), and LPC (licensed professional counselor). These individuals will have a college degree in a mental health field plus 2 years of graduate school and 2 years of supervised experience (depending on the state's license) before passing a state licensing exam. As for all treatment providers, ask about their specific training and experience.
  • It's the license, not the degree. What might be sometimes confusing is that not all Master's, or doctorates are in psychology or psychiatry. They can be in any other field of study, like biology, history, or cardiology. Ask to see the license and about any specialty the person has.
  • In summary, ask your prospective provider:
    • Are you licensed?
    • What is the type or name of your license? May I see it?
    • What kind of training have you had with my or my child's problem?
    • How would you go about working with me or my child to address the problem?
  • Keep in mind that one of the most important factors in treatment success is how confident you feel that your psychologist or other licensed provider understands your concerns. The information in this article is meant to be general and may vary by state. The reader is encouraged to verify with the mental health provider the license type and qualifications.

For more information, go to https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/choose-therapist.aspx


Marolyn Morford, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania, who sees children and young adults at the Center for Child & Adult Development in State College, PA. www.ccad-pa.com
I Want A Puppy!
Continued

 

article4Childhood experiences with pets offer many benefits, but the scenario described above often results in family arguments, disappointment, and ultimately, one of the parents providing most of the pet care. There are several considerations that help this process go better.

Benefits of Pets for Children
Children often benefit from pets in the home. Research has shown that children experience the following benefits:
  • reduced anxiety, lowered blood pressure
  • more exercise
  • stronger immune systems
  • companionship; opportunity to learn about relationships
  • improved empathy and care-giving
  • self-regulation
  • outlet for playfulness
  • social lubricant effects (easing of social interactions)
  • development of competencies 
Of course, problems sometimes occur between children and pets, or between parents and children about the pets. This is not a decision for parents to take lightly!

Parents' Opinions Matter, Too
Parents who dislike animals or who have never taken care of a pet need to educate themselves about the many aspects of pet ownership: i.e., training, exercise, considerable attention, feeding, veterinary visits, and supervision of child-pet interactions. There is much to learn and to do throughout the life of a pet. Adding a dog or cat to the family needs almost the same consideration as adding another child! If parents don't have the time, money, or interest in having a pet themselves, it's probably not the best choice. It's a long-term commitment, too. Re-homing a pet when things "don't work out" can be very upsetting for children and stressful for the animals. Furthermore, doing so provides a poor model for children in terms of responsibility, commitment, and empathy. Parents will want to make sure that they are prepared for the animal to become a family member for his/her lifetime. Colleen Pelar's excellent book, Living with Kids & Dogs...Without Losing Your Mind, is highly recommended for parents anticipating bringing a pet into the family.

Holiday Pets
The holiday season is a popular time for families to surprise their children with a new pet. The excitement that children express is the stuff of wonderful photos and videos. Even so, the holidays generally are not the best time for families to add pets to the household. First, it is a busy season, with many family gatherings, trips, shopping, or cooking. There is little time left to supervise a pet and the children. Second, if one is getting a puppy that needs to be house-trained, winter is not an ideal time for accomplishing that. In general, it is better to surprise children at other times of the year unless the family is able to provide all the attention a new pet needs.

Keeping Everyone Safe
While children and animals enjoy playing together, accidents happen. Children get scratched, pets get dropped, animals get stressed, and sometimes bites cause facial disfigurement and trauma. Most of these problems can be prevented with parental supervision. Children need to learn safe ways to interact with pets, and parents need to be vigilant that interactions remain enjoyable for both child and animal. There are a number of excellent resources on this topic: www.doggonesafe.com; another book by Colleen Pelar about supervising children, Kids & Dogs; a blog by Dr. Sophia Yin at http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/kids-and-dogs-how-kids-should-and-should-not-interact-with-dogs; and a wonderful recent blog by Madeline Clark Gabriel--http://www.dogsandbabieslearning.com/2013/09/03/how-to-be-a-kid-dogs-feel-safe-with/.

Learn About Animal Body Language
One of the most interesting and useful things for families with pets to do is to learn about their animal's body language. Animals are communicating all the time, but we often fail to see their messages. Learning about body language can help families reduce stress on their pets, prevent injuries, and strengthen children's empathy for others. Two excellent family-friendly resources on this are
What Is My Dog Saying? and, What Is My Cat Saying? which are both available from http://www.diamondsintheruff.com.

Make Training a Family Affair
Just as it is with children, consistency from the human family is important for good pet behavior. In particular, dogs do not come with pre-installed good behavior, even though we might wish for that! Training is very important for a happy adjustment for everyone in the family. It's important that all family members learn how to train dogs, for example. Classes and in-home training are available in most communities. It is extremely important that only positive training methods be used for training dogs, in part because it increases dogs' motivation to do what their humans want, and also because it provides the best model of caring behavior for children. Things to be avoided are choke chains, prong collars, or electronic collars (sometimes called "stim" collars or "e-collars"). They are things of the past. Methods that promote dominating one's pets are outdated and potentially dangerous for children. Approaches that rely on positive reinforcement offer the best options for families. Furthermore, positive training can be used to teach tricks to dogs, and these are often quite popular with children. There is an article about selecting the right type of dog trainer at http://play-therapy.com/playfulpooch/images_resources/FindDogTrainer.pdf

Turn "Chores" into Fun
Most adults have grown up with the notion that taking care of pets is a chore. Typically when we think of anything as a chore, we are not particularly motivated to do it. The way that parents present pet care to children can make a big difference in their motivation and cooperation. It can be quite fun to listen to a dog slurp his/her supper, watch the things a dog sniffs on a walk, or groom a pet in a manner that the animal truly enjoys.

Parents might want to present pet care as a privilege rather than as a chore. Instead of saying, "You have to feed the dog tonight." a parent might use a lighter tone of voice to say, "You get to feed the dog tonight! Let's see how long it takes him to eat tonight!" Redefining pet chores as enjoyable activities can enhance children's cooperation.

Summary
Pets can be wonderful companions for children and families. They offer many benefits and countless hours of fun and laughter. They require considerable care and commitment, and so the decision to add a pet requires much thought. Once acquired, however, the right amount of parental guidance and supervision, with reasonable sharing of pet care tasks, can help everyone live happily with the new family member!

Ris� VanFleet, Ph.D., is a child and family psychologist, a registered play therapist-supervisor, and a certified dog behavior consultant in Boiling Springs, PA. Dr. VanFleet works with children with a wide range of difficulties and their families and trains mental health professionals to conduct play therapy and Filial Therapy. She has helped develop the field of Animal Assisted Play Therapy and is the author of the award-winning book, Play Therapy with Kids & Canines as well as several books about play and family therapies.  She also provides in-home dog training and behavior consultations for families. Dr. VanFleet can be reached at [email protected], and access to her websites is at  www.risevanfleet.com. She was the recipient of PPA's 2013 
Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Science and Profession of Psychology.
Thank you again to these PPA members for sharing their expertise  
with our public audience and again with us in this e-Newsletter! 

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