Tag Archives: special education

A Strategy: reduce suspensions, referrals and drop out rates of at-risk minority students by 30% or more for $700 or less per year/ per student?

A closer look at innovative options to maximize the human potential quotient in urban schools by the Future Hope Project

As an experienced teacher and school administrator in high school, middle schools and the university setting I have seen my share of chronically disruptive students. I can remember teaching in a Milwaukee high school and having the mother of one of our chronically disruptive male students call me during the morning in tears. She told me that her son had beaten her up that morning and that she wanted my help to resolve the issue. I agreed since she had nobody else in her life to intervene. Later that day she made an appearance at my door. I called the young man into the hallway and we had a brief and unproductive three way discussion about how important mother was in his life. The young man displayed no remorse. Later that afternoon, he cursed me out for getting involved. A few days later he was expelled for engaging in violent behavior toward a female student in the hallway.

This young man was labeled as a special education student, had an IEP, was 2 or more years behind in reading, had ADHD and other disorders as the co-morbid companions of ADHD, and had spent 6 months in a youth detention center and was a chronically disruptive and unproductive student. The school population was comprised of more than 20% of students with this profile.

Special Education labels

Special education specialists and departments are at their wits end attempting to find solutions to the aforementioned problem. However, the organizational emphasis on rule enforcement and orderly conduct places meaningful intervention into the lives of these young people, primarily young men and women of African American descent, as secondary. As a result, students are shuffled through a variety of school settings with the unlikely outcome that a new scholastic home is identified, at a minimum allowing the student to complete their social promotion cycle. Of course, the likelihood of a good fit placement is reduced as the school semester advances. Logically, students who have presented with more than a semester of disruptive behavior find themselves with few meaningful academic options for progression as organizational patience wanes thin, resulting in transfer or suspension and perhaps dropout. What a waste of human potential and school resources! This cries out for a review of process. How it is implemented and how it is prioritized.

Let us avoid this waste of human capital

This is the level of disorder that many teachers in urban environments face on a daily basis. Many of us have varied opinions as to the cause. Yes, poverty, video games, life imitating art movies, rap music all play a part. There is little that we can do about these influences other than create universal boarding schools across the urban landscape of America. Hmm, maybe not such a bad idea! Let’s talk to our friends in England about the merits of boarding schools.

To avoid this waste of human capital and school resources, the learning community of each urban school system should take a proactive approach with students who display a history of chronic disruption in school and other resource intensive behavior issues on their IEP.

One method for accomplishing this goal is to engage in a nutrition and alternative resource program at the beginning of each semester, accompanied with the appropriate assessments to intervene in the unproductive behaviors of chronically disruptive students.

So many risk factors

Many students present with metabolic deficiencies that have a clear effect their behaviors. The exogenous influence of lead poisoning is still very real in cities like Milwaukee. In addition, students living in areas north of Cincinnati, face a significant sunlight deficit. The most current research cites Vitamin D deficiency in at risk minority populations as a key factor in perpetuating at risk behaviors. Lack of insurance coverage or limited access to alternative medical interventions such as neurofeedback training, cognitive therapy or hypnosis, make it more difficult for families with multiple at-risk learners to find solutions. Ultimately, it is up to the school. Yes, the school has to bear the responsibility because we see these fine young people on a daily basis for 7 hours or more per day. As a result, overworked and over burdened special education departments toil on the front lines each day with a mindset of restoring order to the chaos. Their interest in seeking innovative solutions to the students’ problems could be affected based on work load and organizational mandates.

Four possible solutions to address the problem:

Solution One

Examine the success that an upstate Wisconsin charter school, Appleton Central High School, enjoyed when the school administration made a commitment to reduce suspensions and truancy by changing the diet of the students. A private/public partnership was forged with a local boutique bakery, Natural Ovens Bakery. The school created a total dietary makeover for their students and staff. As a result, school climate improved dramatically as a result of the reduced truancy, suspensions and referrals. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_243/ai_109946508?tag=content;col1

Solution Two

The Future Hope Project, a nuero feedback training program presented in a Milwaukee charter school, Wings Academy, sought to improve academic performance, social behaviors and sleep patterns of at risk K-12 learners affected by ADD/ADHD. The form of nuerofeedback used is called audio visual entrainment or AVE and was pioneered by Mind Alive, Inc., a Canadian company. The overall results were very positive although the qualitative assessment of student improvement was more powerful than the quantitative figures. You can view the video testimonials from parent, teacher, and administrator on You Tube at the Ourlifedesigns channel:

http://www.youtube.com/ourlifedesigns

Solution Three- The $700 solution for improved school climate and student performance

Combine the audio visual entrainment intervention protocol with a vitamin supplement intervention program. Over the past decade a distinguished body of research has been presented to support the use of vitamin supplements in at-risk populations. Of particular importance to minority students is Vitamin D. Virtually 80% or more of African American and Hispanic youth are deficient in Vitamin D. These deficiencies lead to mental health issues, mood disorders, poor concentration, increased incidence of Type 2 diabetes, and other chronic diseases states. An exceptional article appeared in the Alternative Medicine Review, Volume 1.3, Number 1, 2008, “Use of Vitamin D in Clinical Practice”, by John J. Cannell and Bruce Hollins, Ph.D, outlining the many benefits of vitamin D supplementation at much higher levels than previous wisdom had suggested.

Other critical vitamin deficiencies are associated with chronically disruptive behaviors. These include iron deficiency, zinc deficiency in relation to a proper zinc/copper ratio and Omega 3. The cost of implementing solution three on a per student basis, for a full school year is $700, without staff training expenses factored in. Isn’t it worth this investment to improve school climate and student performance?

Solution Four- A return to the schools roots

Implement all four strategies at the beginning of the school year with the goal of reducing suspensions, drop outs and improving school climate. As educators, we have a commitment to honor and invest in the young human capital that is our at-risk students. The organizationally prudent mandates have pushed the expedient process of shuffling students to preserve school climate and organizational stability under the watchful eye of No Child Left Behind with limited success and marginal outcomes at best for the at-risk student. After all, the whole is no better than the sum of it’s parts.

K-12 students with ADHD improve academically

Posted on March 10, 2009 | Leave a comment

The Future Hope Project: An After School Intervention Program for K-12 at risk learners

The Future Hope Project, under the direction of Milwaukee psychologist Dr. Raymond Lueck as the P.I. and AVE trainer and education researcher Steve Taylor as the project manager, engaged in a 10 week (36 session), after school demonstration project to assess the strength of intervention of audio visual entrainment in the lives of at-risk learners in 1st through 12th grade. Previous research studies investigating the efficacy of AVE have taken place in Minneapolis in 2005, Yonkers N.Y in 2001, and multiple sites in Minnesota in 1997, and 2000-2001. Research for the Future Hope Project took place at Wings Academy, a Milwaukee charter school for children that learn differently.

The Future Hope Project is the 3rd after school program to be developed and managed by Mr. Taylor and to receive grant funded support.

Ten students participated in the project with twelve enrolling. Two students dropped out. All students had I.E.P.’s with diagnosis ranging from autistic spectrum to self injurious behavior. Providing AVE as a form of non prescription intervention can be especially beneficial to children living in poverty. Few students have health insurance or access to psychological services. In many cases basic insurance does not provide coverage for alternative treatments of behavior disorders.

What is Audio Visual Entrainment
Audio visual entrainment uses coordinated pulses of light and sound delivered through a patented viewing and listening device, called the DAVID Alert, to stimulate the auditory and visual cortex, improve cerebral blood flow and improve the production of neurotransmitters that improve mood, attention and reduce impulsivity. The primary brain waves include Alpha, Delta, Beta and Theta and each have a corresponding behavior associated with them. The control device for the DAVID Alert can be programmed to increase or decrease each of these brainwave frequencies and hence over a period of time, influence the behaviors of the user. The devices are commercially available at: http://www.ourlifedesigns.com .

Student Assessment
School staff selected the student participants. Student cumulative folders and IEP’s were reviewed by the research team. Each parent and teacher was interviewed by Dr. Lueck and Mr. Taylor to gain a better understanding of student’s behavior dynamics. A battery of assessment questionnaires were completed by the parents and teachers that included:
• the Pace Learning and Behavior Scale for parent and teacher,
• the Coopersmith self esteem inventory,
• and the AVE symptom scale. The AVE symptom scale provided a guide for the researcher to establish the settings for the training protocols.
• Woodcock Johnson
Students participate in the 25 minute AVE training protocol four times per week in a controlled setting. La Fuma zero gravity chairs were used to provide comfort, and each student was asked to consume twelve to twenty ounces of water an hour prior to the training session.

Preliminary observations
In the first four weeks of the project, parents reported that sleep patterns of all students have improved. The mood of the students had improved as well. Of particular interest, all three children with autistic spectrum disorders showed marked improvement in sociability and cooperation.

Post AVE demonstration project results
Students realized significant improvement in self esteem and sleep patterns as reported by parents, teachers and students and recorded on the Coopersmith assessment. One third of the students showed marked improvements in reading while the other 2/3 students remained the same. All of the children in the autistic spectrum showed improvements in social behaviors and sleep patterns. The four children who were low birth weight, with systemic cocaine and fetal alcohol improved their social behaviors, on task focus and sleep patterns.

Turnkey After-School intervention model
There is great value in providing after school intervention models that can facilitate improvements in student performance and enhance the effectiveness of the organization as well. The many benefits to the student and their family include but are not limited to access to a service that might be out of their realm of access due to the impact of poverty, access to health care, insurance issues. Schools benefit because it can reduce costs for special needs staffing yet improve the ability of the organization to meet the needs of at risk learners.
The template that the Future Hope Project manifests, allows schools in any location to start the intervention process within a week to ten days of, securing the training equipment, identifying the student participants, securing parent permission, and establishing a date to train staff.

Next Steps- Two new strategies for multi-year study
There are two new strategies that the Future Hope Project will implement that will add value to the project. The first strategy is to provide a model that satisfies the needs of high school students. This approach is presented as a longitudinal study attempting to respond to the following needs. How can we apply the value of the Future Hope Project after school program to improve the social and academic outcomes for at risk students? Can the Future Hope Project after school program help schools reduce student suspensions and reduce drop out rates? How do we measure school climate and what strategies should the Future Hope Project engage in to measure its potential to create the proposed changes? The Future Hope Project 2 will be a brain centered after school program serving at-risk learners that uses innovative methods to create the positive changes identified above.
The second strategy to be implemented is the inclusion of vitamin supplements to support improved outcomes of the student participants. Current research suggests that schools could enjoy a significant reduction in the rate of suspensions and drop out rates with an elegant plus (4) supplementation model that introduces four vitamins into the dietary plan of all students. The vitamin supplements plus the use of audio visual entrainment is a cost effective model that could quickly yield dramatic results.

A Book is in the Works
Dr. Lueck and Mr. Taylor are completing a book for parents and teachers that discusses a variety of methods to improve the symptoms of ADD/ADHD with non pharmacologic approaches. The book also leverages Mr. Taylor’s experience in developing after school enrichment programs direction to learning communities on how to develop and launch specific after-school projects. It should be ready for press by June 2009.

website: http://www.ourlifedesigns.com

Sponsoring Organizations of the Future Hope Project outreach effort
Family Care Psychological Services http://www.familycare4u.com

Extreme Thought Makeover http://www.extremethoughtmakeover.com

The Cash Coupon.com http://www.thecashcoupon.com/greatvalue

Dr. Gael Riverz http://www.drgaelriverz.com

Wings Academy http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/wi/3285

Mind Alive, Inc. http://www.mindalive.ca