Developmental Disabilities: A
Public Health School Issue
1
What are Developmental
Disabilities (DD)?
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Severe and chronic interference of a persons
functionality which is attributable to a mental
or physical impairment or a combination of
mental and physical impairment.
Manifested before the person attains age 22
is likely to continue indefinitely
2
What are Developmental
Disabilities (DD)? (Continued)
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Results in substantial functional limitations in
three or more of the following areas (selfcare, receptive and expressive language,
learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for
independent living, economic self-sufficiency)
Reflects the person's need for a combination
and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or
generic care, treatment, or other services
which are lifelong or extended duration and
individually planned and coordinated. (Haring
& McCormick, 1986)
3
How Prevalent are
Developmental Disabilities?
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About 17% of U.S. children under 18
years of age have a developmental
disability.
Approximately 2% of school-aged
children in the U.S. have a serious
developmental disability
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What are the Major
Developmental Disabilities?
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Autism
Mental Retardation
Cerebral Palsy
Seizure Disorder
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Let’s Look at these Disabilities
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What Characterizes Autism?
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Autism is diagnosed if the person exhibits
symptoms listed within each of three
domains. These are
(1) Qualitative impairments in social
interaction,
(2) Qualitative impairment in communication,
and
(3) Restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped
patterns of behaviors, activities, and interests
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Is There an Autistic Gene?
Duke University Margaret PericakVance and her collaborators have
found evidence of chromosomal
defects that may be linked to
autistic spectrum disorder
8
What is Mental Retardation?
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Characterized both by a significantly belowaverage score on a test of mental ability or
intelligence, and
By limitations in the ability to function in areas
of daily life, such as communication, selfcare, and getting along in social situations
and school activities.
Mental retardation is sometimes referred to
as a cognitive or intellectual disability.
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How Common is Mental
Retardation?
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Mental retardation is the most common
developmental disorder
About 1% of children ages 3-10 years had
mental retardation
1.2 of every 100 10-year-old children had
mental retardation.
Mild mental retardation was 3 times more
common than severe mental retardation.
10
What Causes Mental
Retardation?
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Mental retardation can occur at anytime
in the course of human development
It can be caused by a genetic
abnormality, injury, disease, or
deprivation
These causes can happen while in the
whom, during the birthing process, or
during childhood
11
Can Mental Retardation be
Prevented?
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We do not know how to prevent most
conditions that cause mental retardation
There are some causes that can be
prevented
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Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is one such
cause
Some metabolic conditions, such as
phenylketonuria (PKU).
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How Can We Respond to PKU?
13
What is the Cost of Mental
Retardation?
During the 1995-1996 school year,
about 600,000 U.S. 6- to 21-year-old
children with mental retardation
received special educational services,
at a cost of about $3.3 billion.
14
What is Cerebral Palsy?
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Cerebral palsy is a disorder of
movement or coordination caused by an
abnormality of the brain
Almost 70% have other disabilities,
primarily mental retardation
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How Does the Law Protect
School Age-Children?
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What is the Lanterman Act?
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Guarantees the right to services and
supports to help individuals diagnosed with
developmental disabilities live an
independent and productive
life.
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What are the Rights Guaranteed
Under the Lanterman Act?
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Treatment and habilitation;
Dignity, privacy and humane care;
Participation in an appropriate program
Prompt medical care and treatment;
Religious freedom;
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Lanterman Rights
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(Continued)
Social interaction and participation in
community activities;
Physical exercise and recreation;
Freedom from harm;
Choices in your own life;
The opportunity to make decisions.
§ 4502.1
19
What are Regional Centers?
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Non-profit corporate community
agencies that provide services to people
with developmental disabilities;
There are 21 regional centers in
California; and
The main point of contact in your
community between service
management and the end-user.
20
Who is Eligible for Regional
Center Services?
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People with developmental disabilities;
People who are at high risk of giving
birth to a child with a developmental
disability; and
Infants who have a high risk of
becoming developmentally disabled.
21
What is a "substantial disability?”
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A condition that is severe enough to be a
major impairment of cognitive and/or
social functioning.
A condition that requires Interdisciplinary
planning
A condition that requires Coordination of
Services
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What are the responsibilities
of the regional center?
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Search out and identify;
Provide intake and assessment;
Supply preventive services; and
Develop an Individual Program Plan
(IPP).
23
What Happens After Becoming
Eligible?
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Within 60 days after the intake and
assessment a written Individual Program Plan
(IPP) must be developed:
It should focus on you and your family, where
appropriate.
It should promote community integration; an
independent, productive, and normal life; and
A stable and healthy environment.
24
Why is the IPP So Important?
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It is a contract or agreement between
the family of the consumer and the
regional center;
It establishes what will be provided and
what will not be provided;
It indicates who will provide the
services; and
Who will pay for the services
25
How is the IPP Developed?
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Gathering information and conducting
assessments; and
Assessments may be formal or informal
26
What Must the Regional Center
do to Make the IPP Work?
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Getting the services and supports;
Providing advocacy;
Identifying and building circles of
support;
Ensuring quality of services; and
Developing new services
27
What are the Entitlement
Services and Supports?
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Assessment services
Habilitation and training
Treatment and therapy
Preventive services
An array of different living arrangements
Community integration
Employment/Day programs
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Entitlement Services and
Supports (Continued)
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Family support services
Relationship services and supports
Emergency and crisis intervention services
Specialized equipment
Transportation services
Facilitation/Self-Advocacy
Interpreter/translator services
Advocacy
29
The History of Special Needs
Children
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Prior 1975, approximately 1 million
children with disabilities were shut out
of schools
Hundreds of thousands more were
denied appropriate services
Ninety percent of children with
developmental disabilities were housed
in state institutions.
30
Current Status of Special
Needs Children
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Three times the number of young
people with disabilities are enrolled in
colleges or universities as compared to
prior to 1975, and
Twice as many of today's 20 year olds
with disabilities are working.
31
The Unfulfilled Promises
to Special Needs Children
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Twice as many children with disabilities drop
out of school.
Drop outs do not return to school, have
difficulty finding jobs and often end up in the
criminal justice system.
Girls who drop out often become
young unwed mothers—at a much higher
rate than their non-disabled peers.
Many children with disabilities are excluded
from the curriculum and assessments
32
PL94-142 Education for All
Handicapped Children (1975)
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Assures that all handicapped children
have available to them a free
appropriate public education (FAPE)
regardless of how, or how seriously, he
may be handicapped
Mandates an individualized education
program (IEP) for every student with a
disability
33
PL 98-199 Education of the
Handicapped Act Amendments (1983)
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Allows for federal funding to create
parent training and information centers
(PIC)
Expands services for children from birth
to age 3 and the initiatives for transition
services from school to adult living for
students with disabilities
34
PL 99-372 Handicapped
Children's Protection Act (1986)
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Allows parents or guardians to be
reimbursed for reasonable legal costs if
they WIN a hearing or court action.
Requires that the case and the costs of
the legal proceedings should be
discussed with the lawyer prior to any
legal action
35
What IDEA Attempted To Do
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Raise expectations for children with
disabilities;
Increase parental involvement in the
education of their children;
Ensure that regular education teachers are
involved;
Include children with disabilities;
Support quality professional development.
36
IDEA Accomplishments
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Full-inclusion has become the standard
Increased graduation rates
Increased employment
Greater college and University
attendance
More support programs for education
Improved technology for all of us
37
IDEA’s Areas of Weakness
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Eligibility and over representation of
racial and ethnic minorities;
Funding of IDEA;
Monitoring and enforcement; and
Discipline
38
Overrepresentation of
Minorities Under IDEA
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Prevent special education placement
Intervene in general education
Increase regular educational staffing
Improve family centered services
Improved school support services
Increased funding for regular education
39
Monitoring and enforcement
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Significant weaknesses exist in the
current systems of monitoring and
enforcement
More timely system focused on solid
outcomes for students
More classroom time for teachers
40