The Wendy Portillo Case

I don't have anything especially cogent to say, but I thought it interesting that she solicited the kids' opinions on Alex's behavior to help Alex learn how his behavior affected others. Kids with autism have trouble with theory of mind: it's very likely that a child like Alex, no matter how bright, is simply not cognitively able to understand that his behavior can be perceived differently by different people (at least at this age--he's only five, and theory of mind tends to kick in with typical kids at about age four, so he may "get it" well enough at some point). Aside from the sheer cruelty of this woman's behavior, it was also ineffective for its stated purpose (I think she's full of shit, personally, and came up with her educational justification after the fact after having, in effect, her own tantrum).

I'm sure this kid is more challenging than many, but the crimes against humanity that he committed sound like small potatoes: kicking the wall, pushing the table, eating crayons, picking his nose. Big fucking deal. If she can't handle a kid crawling under the table and lying on the floor, she shouldn't be dealing with kindergartners. I was also interested to read in the police report that he was taken to the office a lot of the time for 1:1 work, which he seemed to thrive on. It's entirely possible that he should be in a self-contained class to develop the hidden curriculum skills he'll need for mainstreaming, not b/c he can't handle inclusion but b/c the school doesn't seem to have the resources or knowledge base to teach him in a mainstream classroom. When I read stories like this, I'm grateful 1) for the diagnosis itself, which gives the school system some sort of handle on how to teach my kids and 2) a state and school district that has at least some systems in place for addressing special needs children with behavioral needs.

Granted, Alex has only just been diagnosed: it's possible (though I would hope unlikely) that the school didn't realize he has special needs. Nevertheless, even typical children benefit from behavior approaches: this isn't especially esoteric stuff.

New York State has a subclause in its education regulations relating to autism, which I'm guessing I've posted here at some point, as an example of some of the supports that could be in place to help a child like Alex succeed in the least restrictive environment:

200.13 Educational programs for students with
autism.
(a) The functioning levels of students with autism, based upon
the criteria set forth in section 200.6 (g)(2) of this Part, shall govern their
individual or small group instruction.
(1) The continuum of special education
programs and services as described in section 200.6 of this Part shall be
available to students with autism as needed.
(2) The chronological age range
of instructional groups serving students with autism shall not exceed 36 months
for students under age 16 and shall not be limited for students 16 years of age
or older.
(3) The class size for such students shall be determined in
accordance with section 200.6 (f) and (g) of this Part, provided that the class
size of special classrooms composed entirely of students with autism shall be in
accordance with section 200.6 (g)(4)(ii)(a) of this Part.
(4) Instructional
services shall be provided to meet the individual language needs of a student
with autism for a minimum of 30 minutes daily in groups not to exceed two, or 60
minutes daily in groups not to exceed six.
(5) To the maximum extent
appropriate, instructional provisions shall be instituted for eventual inclusion
of students with autism into resource room programs for students with combined
disabilities or placement in a regular classroom.
(6) In those instances
where a student has been placed in programs containing students with other
disabilities, or in a regular class placement, a special education teacher with
a background in teaching students with autism shall provide transitional support
services in order to assure that the student's special education needs are being
met.
(b) The length of the school day for students with autism shall be that
set forth in section 175.5 of this Chapter.
(c) All school districts are
required to furnish appropriate educational programs for students with autism
from the date they become eligible for a free appropriate public education until
they obtain a high school diploma, or until the end of the school year in which
they attain their 21st birthday, whichever occurs first.
(d) Provision shall
be made for parent counseling and training as defined in section 200.1 (kk) of
this Part for the purpose of enabling parents to perform appropriate follow-up
intervention activities at home.
(e) Upon application and justification to
the commissioner, approval may be granted for variance from special class sizes
and the chronological age ranges specified in subdivision (a) of this section.