Cure me of deafness? No thanks — [UK] Telegraph

Well done to those scientists who have found they can trigger the growth of new hair cells in the inner ears of mice — a discovery that could eventually restore hearing in human beings. But I’m fine, thanks, and if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to switch you all off now.

Maryland prepares sports program for kids with disabilities — Baltimore Sun

91 percent of people with disabilities believe they don’t have a political voice — Marketwatch.com

Girl with Asperger’s builds confidence in beauty pageants — New Orleans Times-Picayune

Boy with autism a success story in regular classes — Modesto [CA] Bee

Two worlds collide: Wider knowledge of sign language needed — Irish Independent

Sports program helps kids with autism build skills — Newsday

Buffett’s sister supports respite home for people with intellectual disabilities — Boston Globe

Woman’s choice: Hearing or life – ABC Good Morning America

Britain’s Thatcher has dementia — New York Times (free registration required)

Aspen faces special ed crunch — Aspen Times

From the Washington Post:

Several schools in suburban Washington’s Montgomery County have programs for children with Asperger’s syndrome. They focus on teaching students to recognize and cope with their symptoms, as well as including them into general education classes to the greatest extent appropriate.

The Montgomery County program is one of only a handful at public schools across the country. Before her son entered it, one mother said, “I couldn’t see my child as anything. I couldn’t imagine him having a normal life. And now, my child has a personality. He’s funny. I can see him as an engineer. I can see him as an architect. I can see his life.”

From CBS News, a followup on the case of Alex Barton, the Florida 5-year-old with behavior problems whose teacher led fellow students in voting to eject him from class.

In an interview that also included Alex and his mother, Melissa Barton, clinical psychologist Jed Baker said teachers need training on including children with special needs in regular classrooms. In the absence of such training, he said, he worries that children are being taught intolerance.

The video (below) shows Alex as a boy who is constantly in motion. Watch the closing moments as Baker and interviewer Harry Smith give him positive reinforcement for staying silent during the interview. “Alex, thank you buddy,” Smith says. Baker offers a high-five. “You did a good job, man.”

Partial transcript follows.

Partial (and unofficial) transcript:

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Montgomery County’s integration of special-needs students angers some parents

By Daniel deVise in the Washington Post

See related post: Law opens opportunities for students with disabilities

Students like Victoria Miresso are among the first generation of students with disabilities to attend integrated classrooms in their neighborhood schools in Montgomery County, Maryland. The parents of the sixth-grader, who previously attended school in a segregated setting, say she is not learning and that other students tease her.

Phasing out the self-contained classrooms for special education students in middle and high school ranks among the most controversial decisions made by the district’s superintendent, who has held his post since 1999.

The conflict illustrates a broader schism within the special education community over inclusion, a national effort to break down the walls that have separated special-needs students from their peers. Some parents want their special-needs children exposed to the brisk academics and complex social tapestry of a suburban neighborhood school. Others, including [Victoria's parents], do not.

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Grades rose amid push to include the disabled

Another in an occasional series in the Wall Street Journal:

The experiences of a school district in Okaloosa County, Florida, illuminate a path toward the successful inclusion of students with disabilities alongside their typical peers.

Since its aggressive inclusion push began in 2001, the Okaloosa district has become one of Florida’s top academic performers, with 32 of its 36 schools receiving A grades on the most recent state assessments. The ranks of disabled students who pass state achievement tests have grown, while discipline problems among them have diminished: 2% have faced out-of-school suspensions so far this academic year, down from 11% before the reforms began.

Okaloosa has managed such progress even while spending less than other districts across Florida. According to the most recent state data, Okaloosa spends just over $9,400 a year per special-education student in state and local funds — nearly $1,300 less than the state average.

… In the mainstreaming landscape, observers say Okaloosa stands out for its unusual push to get special-education students to tackle more challenging class work and provide extra help and training to general-education teachers.

See earlier stories here and here and here.

From the [UK] Independent:

Increasing numbers of children with special needs are being excluded from British schools, teachers and lawmakers say. According to their figures, more than half of the children being excluded from school have some special need.  The figures were said to raise questions about the success of efforts to integrate children with special needs into mainstream schools.

From the Wall Street Journal, letters in response to the article “Schools accused of pushing mainstreaming to cut costs” (page one, December 14.)

… No parent wants to see his child mistreated or underserved in a school district, but to place the blame on inclusion is to miss the real problem: schools that don’t adequately implement the principles or practices of full inclusion with the necessary training, supports and resources required.

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… My family and I worry that even a very careful reader of your article and series on inclusion might conclude that separate but equal is necessary in special education. That would be a travesty in direct contradiction to research on the matter as well as our experiences