Board looks at rise in autism

Autism and emotional disorders-the most costly segments of special education to school districts-are on the rise.

California schools began counting children with autism in 1992. At that time, 1,982 students fell into the category. By last year, 34,668 students were labeled autistic.

Pat Schulz, a Las Virgenes Unified School District board member and president of the Ventura County School Board Association, organized a recent discussion in Oxnard to inform school districts on issues related to autism. About 50 superintendents and other district personnel attended the talk, which addressed special education trends, challenges and goals.

Mary Samples, president of the Ventura County Special Education Local Plan Area, and Mary Schillinger, director of pupil services in the Las Virgenes district, spoke at the event.

Samples kicked off the talk by explaining the special education budget. Ventura County school districts receive $110 million for special education funding, but the actual cost is $170 million for this year alone.

"We can't cut budgets," Samples said. "We have to do what the students' Individual Education Plans call for. We're all here for the kids."

Schools, Samples said, face many challenges surrounding special education. The goal is to improve educational programs for all special education children, but finding and recruiting qualified staff is often difficult.

Legal compliance in special education is the top reason for litigation between parents and school districts, but the most daunting of all problems faced by educators is the alarming rise in autism and emotional disorders throughout California.

A chart tracking special education enrollment trends by disability categories among the state's students from 1985 to 2005 shows the sharp rise in emotional disorders and autism. In 1985, 9,206 students enrolled in California schools were categorized as having emotional disturbances. By 2005, the number had soared to 27,512.

Samples said the federal government has committed to fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 by 2013. Full federal funding would be 40 percent of the total cost.

In the meantime, schools have only been receiving an 18 percent cost reimbursement, and the amount is expected to drop to 17.5 percent for next year. California schools, Samples said, face "huge financial burdens."

Schillinger outlined the skyrocketing costs of special education. A typical child costs $7,000 a year to educate, she said, compared to $12,000 to $75,000 for a special education student, depending on the severity of disability.

Autism, Schillinger said, is the fastest growing segment of special education categories. From 1998 to 2002, students receiving services for autism almost doubled, from 10,360 to 20,377.

Schillinger said that approximately one in 323 children will be diagnosed with autism. "This is not a rare disorder; it's a pressing public health problem," Schillinger said, borrowing a quote from Dr. Marie BristolPower of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

On Oct. 13 of this year, 1,700 pages of regulations were added to the disabilities act. Some of the changes were procedural, including the ability of teachers to amend an IEP without a meeting between all parties. Changes to IEPs can be made over the phone, and people have the right to be excused from meetings.

Some of the shifts are philosophical. Samples said that in the late 1970s, many special education students didn't even attend school. "We've come a long way," she said. Students with disabilities are required to be placed in the least restrictive environment possible, and before they are eligible for special education, general education interventions must be tried.

Special education has become a particularly pressing problem in Las Virgenes, Schillinger said. Five percent of the state's special education students have been diagnosed with autism, while 15 percent of special education students in Las Virgenes schools have the disorder. The next highest percentage of students with autism in Ventura County is Simi Valley Unified with 8.6 percent.

"There are no easy answers, Schillinger said.

Comprehensive programs, Schillinger said, have led to fewer legal battles in Las Virgenes. In 2002, Schillinger said the district faced legal action in 13 special education cases. This year, the district was only sued once.

Schillinger said the district learned many hard lessons and combines training of general education staff with special education teachers.

Terilyn Finders, a Las Virgenes board of education member, was honored for her work in getting Assembly Bill 2513 passed. The bill establishes statewide standards and guidelines for the development of programs for children with autism.