Special Education; Parents' Library of Useful Information
This no-nonsense, no interview program is for parents who want to hear research-based information about the IEP process.`
In addition, parents can hear about the latest research in the field that has practical implications for classroom practices.
Research is clear that parents who know more about the special education process are able to get better IEP programs and outcomes for their children with disabilities
(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10631414/).
David Poeschl is a retired school district special education director and California State University Lecturer. He currently works as a parent advisor with a non-profit agency in Northern California providing no fee consultancy and training to parents in the area.
This program is intended to be a library for parents who need information on a wide variety of special education related topics. Most of the research reviews are the result of questions from parents the host works with.
Special Education; Parents' Library of Useful Information
A Toxic Mix? Neurodivergent Students and Public Schools. Episode One: Students in Crisis
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It has been clear for years that the school system in the United States is not welcoming to neurodivergent (ND) students. School is an intensely intimidating and frightening place for many ND kids.
As the percentage of identified ND students grow (the percentage of the total student population in California is currently 20%) the number of children damaged by the school system grows as well.
Research is clear as to both the inappropriate structure of schools, and the long-term emotional damage it does to these kids.
In this episode, I summarize a research article that condemns the current school structure as we know it.
As the researcher/author writes, “Mainstream schools…are not currently safe spaces for ND children. Whether it is possible, with significant policy change, political will, and considerable investment, to transform mainstream schools into smaller, sensory-sensitive, nurturing, flexible, and truly inclusive places for ND children to be, is an open question.”
Many thanks to the researcher/author of the study, Dr. Sinead Mullally (sinead.mullally@ncl.ac.uk
w: www.ncl.ac.uk/psychology/people/profile/sineadmullally.html)
Research article that underpins the “popular” articlehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37810599/
“Popular” article related to above (and used for the podcast script)
https://researchfeatures.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sinead-Mullally.pdf
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-parents-library-of-useful-information/id1833954970?i=1000722533052)
High School Students with High Functioning Autism; Obstacles and Optimism
Autistic College Students Who Succeed at Competitive Colleges and Universities; What's the Secret?https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-parents-library-of-useful-information/id1833954970?i=1000745302991
Thanks to soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/)
A Toxic Mix? Neurodivergent Students and Public Schools. Episode One: Students in Crisis
Studies have indicated that the percentage of identified neurodivergent (or ND for short) children in California public schools has increased significantly over the past 25 years from around 13% in 1990 to about 20% today (https://www.monstermath.app/blog/how-many-children-are-ND-2025). Of course, much of this increase comes from better recognition, assessment and treatment tools, and an emerging understanding of the effects on students.
Note (in transcript only): based on the numbers of students in the special education system (in California), which was 15% in 24-25 and the number of 504 plans, about 2%. If students who are struggling readers or have behavior issues or are overly sensorially sensitive and have not been identified, it’s relatively easy to validate the estimate. https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/DQCensus/SPEDEnr.aspx?cds=00&agglevel=State&year=2024-25) and (https://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/cm/dqae.asp).
Schools have not adapted to the very different needs ND kids bring with them when they walk in the door. As I have discussed in prior episodes, schools have not even acknowledged the existence of the problem. ND kids and the school system are like oil and water; in many cases, they simply don’t mix.
Even for ND students who are able to transition to competitive colleges and universities, the childhood scars and their current difficulties speak to the challenges that every ND child and young person faces.
This episode features the work of a British neuroscientist who studies neurodivergence in British schools that looked at the problem.
I feel comfortable using a British study of their schools and applying it to American schools for two reasons.
First, the British system is similar to ours in many ways. The basic structure of classrooms is the same, what is taught is similar, and more importantly, their pedagogy is similar.
Second, British research is, in my opinion, ahead of what is being done in the U.S. There are more creative ways of looking at the issues and coming up with possible solutions in their work.
In my work the stories are discouragingly similar to what the author found in theirs; children suffering in a system that, in many if not most cases, simply does not work.
Let’s listen now to a summary of the research:
Schools should be safe spaces if they’re to encourage children to learn. However, even the seemingly safest and most supportive school environments can harbor perils for ND children and young people. The hustle and bustle of an active classroom can generate deep anguish. This is their daily reality – an emotional battleground with them at the front lines. So, it should be no surprise when they want to retreat.
Researchers have coined the term ‘school distress’ to capture the extreme emotional turmoil faced by children who struggle to attend school. Symptoms, including profound anxiety, depression, and sensory overload triggered by a typical school environment which they find simply overwhelming, are typical.
Their distress manifests in various forms, from avoidance to crying spells and physical illness. This distress isn’t just limited to missing school; it also includes the emotional trauma that accompanies being present in a classroom while feeling terrified or alienated.
In a (different) large-scale British study, researchers found that a staggering 92.1% of children with school attendance problems were ND, with 83.4% being autistic. ADHD, sensory processing difficulties, and anxiety were also common companions, creating complex profiles that amplified school distress.
The parents’ accounts of that distress were harrowing, often referring to their children’s chronic physical displays of intense anxiety, including vomiting and bed-wetting, and attempts at self-harm at the prospect of going to school.
The survey showed clear evidence of pathological demand avoidance, manifesting as extreme resistance to everyday demands and a heightened need for control. What made matters worse was teachers mistaking their behaviors as defiance rather than cries for help; punitive measures only deepened the wounds.
Statisticians might be astounded at the odds ratio revealed in this study: autistic children were 46 times more likely to experience school distress than their neurotypical counterparts. In contrast, the odds of a smoker developing lung cancer are between 15 and 30 times higher than a non-smoker.
Despite the high odds, autistic children are still expected to conform to an educational mold designed without their unique challenges in mind.
However, homeschooling isn’t a panacea for all; neither is it practical. This reality points to a need for systemic changes in traditional schooling.
Mainstream schools…are not currently safe spaces for ND children. Whether it is possible, with significant policy change, political will, and considerable investment, to transform mainstream schools into smaller, sensory-sensitive, nurturing, flexible, and truly inclusive places for ND children to be, is an open question.
Key to answering this question is listening to the ND children and young people themselves and conducting high quality participatory research into educational spaces in which ND children thrive.
What would be the most impactful and practical way for an education system to shift practices and empower ND children to thrive?
The first step is accepting that the current education system …is not fit for educating ND children, and that the current status quo is, all too frequently, causing significant and enduring harm to ND children and young people and indeed to their families.
Ending punitive attendance policies for ND children is also essential.
Crucial too, is challenging the legal presumption that school is the best place for all children, as there is currently little scientific evidence to support this when specifically considering ND children, and plenty that contests it.
Until the above are recognized and accepted, change is not possible.
There is no panacea for this, and the answer will require an informed, skilled, and flexible education system that can rapidly respond to the unique learning needs of all its students.
That’s the end of the quotes from the article. But it begs the question, where to go from here and how to start the process of change in schools.
As with most things, change comes from the bottom up, not top down. I have not seen any movement on the part of our local school districts to address the issue head on. They simply apply old ways, even with the evidence of the damage caused right in front of them.
This means that parents will need to organize and challenge their school districts to first, acknowledge that the problem exists, then to plan how to make the needed changes.
As the evidence is convincing, and as we’ll see in upcoming episodes, promising ways to address it are being developed, changing school structures can start to happen now.
I don’t buy the argument that financial constraints won’t allow schools to alter the way they treat ND kids. As personnel costs constitute more than 80% of a districts annual budget, staff can be re-trained. You have only to look at Universal Design for Learning ( https://www.cast.org/what-we-do/universal-design-for-learning/) as a very significant step forward. I’ve put a link to my podcast on UDL in the notes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-education-parents-library-of-useful-information/id1833954970?i=1000722533052)
And as to what kids with high functioning autism say about this issue in their own words, here is a link to another previous episode, “High School Students with High Functioning Autism; Obstacles and Optimism”:
As to autistic students who successfully transition to college or university here is a recent podcast:
Research article that underpins the “popular” article
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37810599/
“Popular” article related to above
https://researchfeatures.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sinead-Mullally.pdf
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
High School Students with High Functioning Autism; Obstacles and Optimism
Autistic College Students Who Succeed at Competitive Colleges and Universities; What's the Secret?