Any legal rights with sound field system?

This was on the front Page of the the Orange County Register. I retyped it here and emphasized the pertinent parts…like it SAVES MONEY, REACHES ALL CHILDREN, REDUCES Special education referrals…

Gee Whiz?? Why doesn’t Florida get with the times and out of the backwoods? Good luck Beth, you have some more information for your files to validate this expenditure for not only your son but the whole class.

Teachers amplify learning with mikes

AnaheimCity School District tested system last year, and users sang its praises

December 4, 2001

by: Sarah Tully Tapia
The Orange County Register

Anaheim— The microphone is draped around her neck. A battery pack is clipped to her hip. And she’s ready to break into son in front of a pint sized audience.

No, it’s not Britney Spears. It’s Madison Elemetnary kindergarten teacher Sabrina Goldstein with “The fish song.”

Some Orange County teachers are using such diva like wireless technology for lesson, part of NATIONWIDE TREND that educators say helps students pay attnetion, improve skills like spelling and learn English. “you can’t help but just listen to the teacher,” said Alisa DeSart, assistant principal at Madison elementary School.

Anaheim City School District is the FIRST in Orange County to buy classroom amplification systems from Audio Enhancement - a Salt Lake City based company in business for two decades with products in more than 4,000 districts nationwide. all teachers at Madison elementary in Anaheim began using the systems earlier this fall and all classrooms in the new Westmont Elementary will have microphones. The district plans to begin a study in January to see whether it should put them in all new classrooms as they are built.

Another company- Phonic Ear - also has systems in eight classrooms throughout the county. Carol Flexer, an audiology professor of the University of Akron who studies classroom amplification, says microphones are more important thant lights - considering that children spend about half of the school day listening - and she believes that ALL classrooms will be miked by 2005.

The systems include hand held and headset microphones mostly worn around the neck and small speakers placed strategically around the room that give every child the sound of a front row seat. Researchers found that schools WITH amplification systems CUT THE NUMBER of SPECIAL EDUCATION referrals in HALF in one district and children more easily picked up English.

Teachers say microphones cut down on sore throats and fatigue. Speakers also drown out the hum of air conditioners, traffic or other noises.

“We can hear her real well so we don’t have to keep saying, “What did you say again?” said Jennifer reyes, 10, a fifth grader.

Assisitant Superintendent Lettie Boggs proposed that a few teachers try out the systems when she read research about how it helped english language learners- a group that makes up about 62 percent of Anaheim students. But teachers were skeptical at first.

Madison fifth-grade teacher Cheryl Robertson used one of four units tested in the district last year and noticed the difference right away. A child with Attention Deficit disorder was more orderly. Spelling improved. Children could hear all parts of words. “It’s not that they don’t want to listen. It was too hard to liste,” Robertson said.

Robertson helped persuade her Madison colleagues to spend bonus money given for increasing test scores on the new systems costing about $48,000 for 26 classrooms. Units cost from $900 to $1,700 each according to Audio Enhancement, the manufacturer.

In a first grade classroom last month teacher Kathy Buttner acted like a talk show hostess as she had students use a hand held microphone when they came up to read words on the board. An incentive to speak up. with his back turned to the class 6 year old Brian Diaz’s small voice was clear from the back of theroom, as he read words like “jump.”

In the kindergarten class, children in the back row of the carpet sat attentively as Goldstein read “Madeline.” When a few minutes were left in the class, she let children come up to sing with the microphone, including 5 year old Veronica Lopez, who knew most words to Britney Spears’ “Oops, I did it Again.”

A lot of Britney Spears jokes have been flying since the school got the systems. But the teachers see the microphones as more than a passing phase.

“Honestly, it’s probably the BEST TECHNICAL UPGRADE WE’VE GOTTEN, AS FAR AS REACHING EVERY CHILD,” Goldstein said.

my keyboard spacebaris sticking and needs to be replaced. Having to keep pounding on it is sure playing havoc on my typing skills

Pattim,

This only makes me feel worse about the fact that my son isn’t get this technology! You know his teacher was convinced that he is hard of hearing until told by numerous people that it wasn’t so.

Any ideas about how to force their hand a bit? The teacher has to give him most directions one on one. Fort. she does. They were talking about a “buddy” at his IEP meeting last week and she told the committee she was his buddy.

BTW, my son more than passed all his goals on his IEP, despite spending only a week in resource room since they were written. They were all very proud of themselves, even though it was me and private therapy that was largely responsible for his success. (Now he did get speech and OT). I was amused but glad just the same.

Beth

Do you have legal rights?? YES!

Okay a famous Floridian school district move.( maybe the sun goes to their head?)

What they did was a screening. The screening means nothing,only to satisfy the parent.( they hope)
When a formal eval is done,the ACATT team ,complete with a SLP and OT come in an do an evaluation. If it is reccomended in the report,then the device MUST be written into the IEP.

Once written into the IEP,they MUST provide the device for the specific time frame that the IEP dictates. If it isn’t in the IEP,you can’t tip their hand.
What you can do is make them either reccomend the device in the report,or deny that he needs it. Your in a catch twenty two situation. To get State funding for the device,it has to be in the IEP,then it winds up on the Matrix of services form,then they recieve funding for your kid to recieve the device.

You could file a State Complaint,BUT,if it isn’t written in the IEP,they will not be responsible to providing it.Or won’t be held accountable for not providing one.

I would reccomend you contact ATEN,and FAST. This is a Statewide agency for assistive technology. They lend the device,train eveyone on it’s use,and then helps get it funded. The school district doesn’t like for you to go this route,because ultimately they will be held accountable for providing it,after the leading period is over. I will post later today,after work if I can find the number to FAST. I recieve their newsletter,but ATEN is usually in information. Or sometimes the area hospital will have these numbers. I have accessed these agencies for communication devices,but they should also do FM hearing device,or southfield. Good Luck

Socks,

You are amazing. Thanks. Here are numbers for your files

FAST-850-487-3278 ATEN 800-328-3678.

FAST provides equip. free of charge through donations. ATEN lends to school systems.

I do think I have been given the run around. I am going to insist this afternoon that the need for sound field system be written into his IEP. There clearly are better options than waiting until another child has been given a trial.

Beth

Socks,

OK, we had the IEP meeting. They would not put the sound field system on the accomodations form so it would be part of IEP. Said it wasn’t considered to be part of IEP until had gone through trial period and decision was made that it was necessary.

So back to square one. The sp. ed coordinator told me that the sound field system was coming from ASSIST but they only had one system. Does that make sense? Is there any time frame by which they legally have to complete this evaluation? This started in October with them trying various accomodations. We met in November to refer to assistive technology. Now it seems they want to do a trial but won’t do until the other child has had an eight week trial. This will be early March since the equipment is not yet in place.

I have the name of the audiologist and am going to call her. Wonder if there was anything I could do/say to make process go faster.

Beth

Beth, you might want to take a look at the following document produced by your own DOE. It is comprehensive article on Auditory Processing Disorder.
THere are some statements in it about funding of FM devices.:

www.firn.edu/doc/bin00014/y2001-9.pdf

It’s a technical assistance paper produced for Florida DOE. It includes
glossary, descriptions of 5 subtypes of APD and interventions for the 5
subtypes (e.g. for some, FM devices are of no use, for some it is
efficacious to repeat an instruction word-for-word and for others it is
recommended to rephrase rather than repeat), descriptions of 34 tests &
subtests and screening vehicles.

Helen

Said the document had either been moved or didn’t exist.

Mary

Helen,

I actually have the document and gave it to the school. We used it to help with developing modifications for him. I will look again at what it said about funding of systems.

It is actually the most comprehensive writeup on CAPD that I have come across. Sorta ironic, given how much trouble I have had with the schools here.
I was told that in my county CAPD is not a classifiable disorder.

BTW, the OT today left him in OT. (remember my post about a month ago) She had to agree after evaluation that his handwriting in use (copying, answering questions) was not nearly as good as it was in isolation. His small motor skills actually tested above grade level though. She told me after the meeting that she had to score him really severely though to keep him qualified. She told me she felt a bit like the bad guy at the last meeting (and thinks of herself as champion of kids) so I think my assertive posture did help here anyway.

Beth

Beth

It worked for me from email but not when I cut and paste either. So go to this site and then scroll down ‘til you is the artical on CAPD.

http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00014/taparc01.htm

Helen

Did you call the numbers? If so,hell get the device! Once you get this,prove he does better with it,they will have to write it into the IEP.

The timeline IS excessive,I filed a State Complaint in Florida on assistive technology The timeline of how long it took to do the evaluation,the use of the device,and inadequate training by the ACATT team.
The problem is the screening vs. the formal eval. When you signed consent for the formal eval. The DOE doesn’t count the screening,and informal evals. What they did rule on was everything that was written into the IEP, Period.

Your best move is to get the device,show that it benefits his education,and then what can they say? They’ll write it into the IEP. Once there,they are held accountable for providing the device.

So should she lease, rent the device or buy it?

Helen

nt

I would first try FAST and see if you can’t recieve a device through them. ATEN will provide to the school and train them on the device etc. Provide funding ideas etc. Get the device through another source if you can.

Geez Louise…these guys are stuck in a time warp…Go to Radio Shack and get an inexpensive personal FM system to get him through until they get their head out of the sand. We use them in the clinic and they work fine.

Beth,

I think with the fine-motor issues kids improve and learn how to do well on the test but as time goes on the issues resurface. In my opinion keep him in as long as he is content.

My own son’s handwriting has gone downhill so that it isn’t readable. I requested an OT evaluation and it has been approved. At the very least I would like some consultation to the RSP to help get his handwriting back to readable. He scored 93% on the VMI three years ago when he took lots of time on it. This time he scored 42%; still considered average.

Helen

Helen,

With my son it seems to be that his handwriting is fine as long as he isn’t doing anything else like thinking hard, copying, ect. In other words, real life! She has him now using paper with squares on it for each letter. This controls his tendency to go all over the place when writing. I have no idea if this will help but he doesn’t seem to mind it and his regular classroom teacher is going to have the whole class use it for awhile so he doesn’t feel different.

He had a standard score of 98 on VMI and above age level on small motor skills. He actually writes the letters beautifully, hence the OT’s insistance that there is not a problem. For him, it is clear that it is integration above all else that is the problem. It fits his CAPD problems—auditory integration. I honestly don’t know if he will ever be able to listen and write at the same time but right now he is getting copies of the nicest notes in class! I am hopeful that with time he will be able to write well enough to think and write—if not there are always alpha smarts!!

I am just glad to keep the classification while we continue to work on his problems.

Beth

We have one of these. I don’t think he would use it in public. He is very self-conscious. This is the kid who won’t ask for clarification because noone else does.

and with no luck. Fast, who basically recycles used equip, said that theoretically sound field equipment would fall under their domain but they had never had one donated to them. I filled out the form and faxed it to them anyway. Then today I talked to someone with ATEN. They told me that they don’t lend sound field equipment, although they do lend other sorts of assistive technology equipment. So I am back to ground zero, I think. I have a call into the area audiologist but suspect I won’t get any different story from her directly than through the sp. ed director at the school (who said don’t shoot the messenger!). Sigh.

Kind of reminds me about the numerous conversations I have had with the elderly who refuse to wear hearing aids because of embarrasment. They are dumfounded when I tell them I have worn one for over 24 years and my daughter since she was 5 yrs old, and I tell them you have no idea of what you are missing. My daughter has worn one since kindergarten and she knows how much easier the ALD makes her learning experience, she won’t be caught without it. She went through a kind of embarrased phase in 3rd grade and that was when we went to the $3K ear level ALD.

On a side note, from all the research that I have read about using FM systems, a personal FM system is preferred over a soundfield system as it provides a much better signal to noise ratio for individuals with CAPD, a hearing loss or ADD…hope something happens for him and soon because he is defintely missing out on important auditory information. I am getting off my soap box now..

I finally got hold of the audiologist in charge this afternoon and she said she would check and make sure another system had been ordered. Not sure what to think at this different party line but told her that I would call next week to check on the status. She seemed to have be confused about the fact that the two children approved for trial were in the same school (and same grade) but not the same classroom. Can’t explain why I heard another message at the school but certainly I didn’t mention it.

They are still talking a month but it is an improvement….if it actually happens.

I know where you are coming from. But the one we have at home has to be used with the rather large earphones we have from doing FFW. It is very obvious and not something he would go along with, I am sure.

I have also heard numerous stories of hums and other distractions that didn’t make the FM devices work as well. So I suppose it is a trade off.

Just talked to audiologist and she said she’d get another system. Not sure why she is telling me something different than what I heard through school but hope it actually happens!!! I really think the classroom system is the best bet for him right now.

Okay here is another possibility. Try the local Lions Club.
Here in my county they have a speech and language section,and will buy a device for kids. I am getting a communication device for clients of mine through them. The person I spoke to today stated that it is a Statewide club and it doesn’t hurt to call and try. She told me how the last year they bought a specific type of TV screen for two visually impaired kids to do homework,they had the device at school but not at home,and Lions club bought them one for their use.

with that system? Usually when you hear the hum it is because the batteries are low, flourescent lights are interferring or it is a cheap system. I use Sony ear buds and people can’t even tell in class when I am using it. I do get questions now and then but most people are cool about it. When I was a kid I had a box that sat on the table it looked like a phone, I got to wear the head phones and adjust the volume. I didnt’ like it but if I didn’t use it I was out to lunch. When other kids were curious I let the other kids try it and they liked it too.

Patti

I don’t know. I will have to check into it. My inclination is to wait, if indeed we can get the soundfield system within a month. I don’t want the school saying that the small fm system helped enough. This is a trial for the soundfield system—only if it is determined that he improves signficantly will he keep it. I really do think that compliance will be an issue with him and that he will be better off with the sound field system. The sound field system would then follow him through 4th and 5th grade. We may have to revisit a personal system when he has to switch classes in middle school.

What do you mean by Alpha Smarts? Thank you.(new at this)

It’s basically a word processor in a heavy-duty case, considered a form of assistive technology for dysgraphic kids. Worksheets and homework can be downloaded into it so a child can type his answers.

Mary