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These pages will not be anything fancy, but a list any parent can read
to learn about new help out there. Please send your announcement
today! To post here or give feedback (always welcome), please send an email to [email protected].
Please do not send announcements as attachments in MS Word format.
Schools claimed they provided students with disabilities some services they never rendered.
December 31, 2003.
From the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services:
"Based on a statistically valid sample of Illinois claims for school-based health services
during the year ended June 30, 2001, we estimate that at least $6,067,669 of a total
$37,501,089 (Federal share) of payments did not qualify for Medicaid reimbursement.
Local education agencies improperly included claims for, among other things,
We attributed these conditions to the local education agencies' misinterpretationFull document (pdf)
of the State Medicaid agency's payment criteria, ineffective billing controls,
and clerical mistakes.
Additionally, Illinois improperly included claims for payments to local education
agencies that were not limited to the lower of billed cost or the state-wide maximum
payment ceiling because it had not fully implemented computer-based edits that would
have appropriately limited these payments. Illinois also claimed developmental services
that were neither furnished under a child's plan or a family plan nor provided to develop
such a plan. Contrary to section 1903(c) of the Social Security Act, Illinois policy
allowed local education agencies to claim such services for Medicaid reimbursement.
A State may receive Medicaid funding for services included in a child's plan or family
plan as long as (1) the services are listed in section 1905(a) of the Social Security Act
and are medically necessary; (2) all Federal and State regulations are followed, including
those for provider qualifications; and (3) the services are included in the State plan or are
available under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment Medicaid
benefit. Covered services may include, but are not limited to, physical therapy,
occupational therapy, speech pathology/therapy, psychological counseling, nursing, and
transportation services. "
The Illinois Chapter is launching its 3rd annual participation in the Chicago Auto Show First Look for Charity Gala. This black tie event and private reception for Cure Autism Now will bring together all the top suporters of the Foundation for a fun evening.
February 5, 2004
McCormick Place, Chicago
5:30 PM Cure Autism Now Reception
6:30 PM Auto Show Preview Begins
Join and stay for the 8:30 car drawing where you could walk away with either a 2004 Lexus SC 430 or a 2004 Acura TL.
To purchase tickets online or to become a sponsor, click here.
For more information about this event please email Co-Chairs, Kim Wolf or Barry Craven at [email protected].
On Wednesday, April 21st attend the "Kick Off" event with a Rally and Press Conference that will take place at 3:00 on the Mall. During this time our Open Your Eyes picture boards, which will be approximately five football fields in length, will be on display. Our collection to date will represent only 1% of the people in our nation currently living with autism. To demonstrate the magnitude of the autism epidemic, Dan Marino will be at this press conference and throwing the football as far as he can. In his address to the media and public that follows, he will let them know that its going to take more than a few football stars and a few parents to make a difference, its going to take the nation!
Immediately following the Rally and Press Conference, The Dan Marino Foundation and Flutie Foundation will be hosting a "Kick Off" Reception at the Capitol. VIP seating at the Press Conference and Rally and admittance to the "Kick Off" Reception will be exclusive to Members of Congress, Conference Sponsors and Conference Attendees.
Thursday and Friday speakers will address our basic political system and how it works, current and upcoming national legislation, do's and don'ts for working with Congress, tips on writing and lobbying a bill, establishing an effective and lasting working relationship with congressional leaders and their staff, how to hook a story in the media, how to shape your child's educational program now for the adult that they will become and what you can do once you get back home.
The Most Comprehensive Conference on Autism Ever Assembled
Autism One 2004, the most comprehensive conference on autism ever
assembled, will be held May 27 – 30, 2004, in Chicago. It is a conference
for parents and professionals for the care, treatment, and recovery of
children with autism. Our web site is http://AutismOne.org.
The conference organizers are themselves parents of children with
autism. Parents are, and must remain, the driving force of our community.
The issues are too sacred and the stakes too high to delegate to outside
interests.
Keynote Address
Congressman Dave Weldon, MD will deliver the keynote address. Dave
Weldon, a physician by training, has been for the past several years, and
continues to be one of the autism community's staunchest supporters on
Capital Hill.
More than 100 Presentations – World's Leading Authorities
Autism One features many of the world's leading researchers, educators,
practitioners, agencies, and parents. Featuring over 100 speakers
including such experts as Dr. Boyd Haley, Dr. William Walsh, Dr. Jeff
Bradstreet, Dr. Andy Wakefield, Dr. Sudhir Gupta, and Dr. William Shaw, among
others. Learn about the latest treatments, your rights when dealing
with school districts, the best ways to handle insurance companies, how to
petition government agencies, along with a host of other pressing
issues. In addition, leading parent-advocates and autism organizations will
be on hand to present and inform.
Special Conference Prep Day
Autism One is even more comprehensive with a special Conference Prep
Day, Thursday, May 27, to help you get more out of the conference and
understand autism at a broader and deeper level. It will be a day of lofty
ideas and practical everyday applications.
Meet Officials from the CDC, NIH and IOM
High-ranking officials from the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Institute of
Medicine (IOM) will present, answer questions and explain the government's
present and future commitments in the fight against autism. Register your
concerns and make your voice heard.
Questions and Answers Do Not Stop at the Boundary of a Discipline
Autism is a multivariate disease. As parents we know questions and
answers do not stop at the boundary of a discipline. We offer four tracks
to help you make the most informed choices, and decisions.
The tracks include:
1. Biomedical Treatments
2. Behavior / Communication / Education Therapies
3. Complementary and Alternative Medicine
4. Government / Legal / Personal Issues
Please let me know if there are any other question I can answer. Thank
you.
My Best,
Edmund Arranga
714.680.0792
http://AutismOne.org
[email protected]
January 24, 2004
Sibshop for Siblings of Children with Autism
12:00-4:00pm
Cost $10.00/ child
Lunch will be served
February 2, 2004
Behavioral Supports for the Home
7:00-8:30pm
This workshop will present techniques to address issues such as behavior
managment, self-stimulatory behaviors, toliet training, chores and responsibility.
This is a free workshop
Both workshops will take place at Giant Steps Illinois;
8320 S. Madison Street; Burr Ridge, IL
To register for either workshop, please contact Nicole Allgood @ (630) 455-5730
... grossed over $15,000 and expect the net to be over $9,000. Everyone was thrilled and just excited to
see so many people supporting Autism. I got so many hugs and compliments it was unbelievable. People loved the food that we had and all the entertainment.
No one expected us to make money but we did! And I can see us doing so much better in future years - everyone says we have to do it again! Im sunburnt
and exhausted and still a little shaky but I am starting to come down off the nervous high...whew!
I saw a fair number of autism parents but there should be so many more!
We will be meeting soon to celebrate, assess this event and begin planning for 2004. I think this race excited a lot of people because they saw something
tangible and worthwhile and now they are looking to help out.
August 23 2003
8:30 a.m.
Independence Grove Forest Preserve
Libertyville, IL
IL Route 137 east of Route 21return email or call me at 847-543-4502 if you have any questions!
Eric
Following the lecture will be a short information session on fund raising activities NAAR has planed in the Chicago area, including Walk FAR for NAAR.
The lecture will be held at:
HarperCollegeWojcikConferenceCenter1200 W. Algonquin RdPalatine ILfrom 3pm to 5pmIf you have any questions about the lecture, NAAR or Walk FAR for NAAR feel free to contact Steve Timothy via e-mail at [email protected] or call 888-777-6227 (NAAR).
Location: Lake Zurich, IL
The R.A.C.E. School will be opening its doors soon.
We are preparing to open in May/June 2003.
2003 -- Autism Solutions provides services to families and their child with Autism, PDD, or related developmental disorders. We provide intensive supervision of ABA programs. Our therapy is based on the work of Ivar Lovaas at UCLA. His therapy approach is the only one with controlled follow up studies.
Jeni Camfield, President of Autism Solutions was formerly the Clinic Director of Illinois Early Autism Project (branch of Wisconsin Early Autism Project). She has years of quality experience working with children on the spectrum and designing programs to meet their specific needs. Since each child is completely different, she develops programs that may include other approaches such as, Greenspan’s Floor Time or augmentative communication approaches including PECS. She is passionate about addressing social deficits using techniques such as video modeling, social stories, and Peer Play. She firmly believes that therapy MUST be fun for both the child and the therapist.
To request further information
please e-mail Jeni at: [email protected]
The
Justinian Society, a group of Italian-American lawyers in Chicago,
held a dinner on January 16, 2003, to present a $500 check to the
Giant
Steps program for autistic children. When the Giant Steps representative
thanked them and told the Giant Steps story and the needs of the children,
one lawyer said, "$500 is not enough," and quickly wrote out a personal
check. More followed. By evening's end, the home had collected
$5,000. Bravo!
"In terms of programs, though, those for children with special needs appear to be among the most-targeted for the cutting block.Note: The consultants figure the total cost of District Special Education to be $38 million. By "subsidize," the consultants mean that the District spent $30,228 per 1,434 estimated Special Education population. The $30K figure includes direct costs of $26,669 and $3,559 allocations for pro rata building and "indirect" costs. After State and Federal aid, they calculate the pro rata costs per SpEd student was $17,000. They calculated the District spends about $7K for nonprogram students, which after State grants, is $4,105. Thus, according to their math, SpEd students cost $12,895 on average more than nonprogram children. For 1,434 SpEd population, the total is $18 million. The consultants have never supported their conclusion that the District spent $30,228 per student with disabilities. In fact, they included in the Special Education budget some services such as psychologists and nurses which benefit the whole student population, regular ed and special ed. The conclusion is also suspect since it would mean that the Disctrict pays twice as much as the the national average!
Consultants suggested Tuesday night that about $20 million be cut from special education, bilingual education, early childhood and alternative education programs, collectively.
The financial consultants said they couldn't assess the educational value of the programs, but they said that in terms of finances, special education and bilingual education appeared too expensive.
Last school year, U46 subsidized its special education program — which enrolled 1,434 children — by nearly $18.5 million. When compared against other districts, the school district should be able to cut about $8 million from the program, the consultants said.
Cole and one of his partners, John Russo, believe that the bilingual education program, which enrolled more than 6,000 students last school year, could be pared down by $4 million to $5 million from a subsidy last year of more than $8 million.
They also suggested that the school district's early childhood education program, offered free to certain students with disabilities or language needs, should pay for itself.
The district, which subsidized the program by nearly $7 million last school year, should consider passing actual costs on to the parents of mainstream students who are enrolled in the program, the consultants said.The new superintendent told board members that over the next few weeks, reduction proposals would be created and layoff notifications to affected workers would begin in March.
No estimates were made Tuesday night about how many employees could be let go."
PaceParents reports:
Due to the change in location, the Rally that was planned after the meeting will be postponed. If you are interested in what dates the Rally has been rescheduled for please contact one of the people listed below.We still have the opportunity to let our voice be heard at the ISBE Meeting. If you are planning on attending the ISBE Meeting please call or email one of the people listed below so we can get an idea of how many people will be coming and give you the details regarding time and parking.
PACE is still collecting stories to take to the ISBE Meeting. If your child with special needs has
been abused in the special education system send us your story and we will make sure your voice gets heard.
Where:
Chicago Board of Education
125 South Clark Street, 5th Floor Board Chambers
Chicago, Illinois 60603
When: August 20, 2003
If you plan to speak at the meeting you need to sign up at 11:00 a.m. The actual time that you will be speaking is after 1:45 p.m. The Board is scheduled to take their lunch break at 12:15 p.m. and the meeting reconvenes at 1:15 p.m. If you are coming to observe we will meet in the entrance area between12:30 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
For more information contact:
PACE: Leigh Tumpack, PACE Coordinator [email protected] (815) 370-3553Jeff Williams 815-239-1588 [email protected]
Bill Kienzle Executive Director
SAIL-Soyland Access to Independent Living
2449 Federal Drive, Decatur, IL 62526 1-800-358-8080 or 217-876-8888
According to a report (see it below) by the US Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) dated 12/31/02, Illinois continues to struggle with compliance issues in the areas of: Provision of a Free and Appropriate Public Education; Related Services; Least Restrictive Environment; Transition Services; Transition Meeting Participation; State Monitoring of Local Education Agencies; LEA Correction of Deficiencies.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was first enacted in 1975 on the premise of providing access to a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities.
A large crowd is expected considering there are over 287,000 children in Illinois educated under the IDEA regulations.
The rally will coincide with the regularly scheduled State Board of Education meeting. Organizers plan to attend the ISBE meeting and provided public statements to the Board identifying problem areas across the state. Additionally, parents are urged to provide public comment on their respective local school district's compliance with sate and federal statutes.
For additional information, contact Jeff Williams at 815-239-1588
or [email protected]
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