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Director's Update
What's Going On In Special Education In Bedford
Autism Acceptance Month
Sara McCarthy, Adjustment Counselor, SAIL Program at BHS
April is World Autism Awareness Month. Bringing awareness to Autism means hearing from the perspectives of individuals on the spectrum and their thoughts on this annual event. Unlike some other awareness campaigns, Autism Awareness month is not universally liked by the Autistic community. The Autism Society of America, and many other advocacy groups, continue to campaign to change the name to Autism Acceptance Month. Another recent shift has been with the puzzle piece symbol, which many in the community feel is too closely related to the idea of people with Autism “not fitting in” to societal expectations. The infinity symbol is now being widely embraced.
Here are some quotes from individuals on the Autism Spectrum that represent this sentiment:
“For us, ‘acceptance’ signifies acknowledgement of our differences, while ‘awareness’ suggests that they’re merely tolerated. When autistic people say we want acceptance over awareness, what we’re essentially saying is society needs to change, not us.”
“Autism is a major part of a person’s identity and treating it like a problem to be solved is demeaning. Awareness is not enough and acceptance is the conversation we need to be having”
“The most radical act you can perform as an ally to Autistic people is to accept them exactly as they are and beyond that to celebrate them and their neurotype.”
In 2023, the CDC reported that approximately 1 in 36 children in the U.S. are diagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder. Many members of our BPS community are touched by Autism, including students, staff, and community members. This month, we celebrate neurodiversity and inclusivity for all, especially those with Autism.
In an effort to highlight Autism Acceptance Month, the BHS Library will post a series of Instagram pieces that include direct words from our SAIL program students. Please follow @BedfordHSLIB and stop by the library in April, to see our Autism Awareness display.
Tero's Art
In the picture below, Tero's teachers are all wearing shirts designed by Tero! Tero is shown displaying his newest piece of artwork.
Check out Tero's art website: https://www.terosart.com/
March 17th Professional Development (PD) Day
The day was focused on three main topics:
- Understanding the Student with an SLD in Emotion Regulation
- In-District Social Emotional Programs: Skill Building and Role Definitions
- Inclusion Planning: Social-Emotional Program Development Best Practices
Feedback from staff:
- "Thanks, Marianne! Alex is wonderful - such a great use of a PD day :)"
- "This was the best PD I've had since I've been in the district!"
While this was a great opportunity for the Bridge and STEP staff, the rest of our special education staff were also busy and engaged in equally great learning opportunities.
The counselors attended Resiliency Building Training.
The preschool team engaged in PD on Fundations.
The special educators participated in PD with their peers:
Davis: The Science of Reading
Lane: Writing
JGMS: Keys to Literacy
BHS: Curriculum reviews
NEW IEP Form
Bedford's special education staff will take part in trainings during the 2023-2024 schools year before we begin using of the new form in the 2024-2025 school year. We'll be sure to keep you updated along the way.
Shout out!
The Science of Well-Being for Teens
A Free Online Course for Teens on Happiness
In this Washington Post article, Lindsey Bever reports on how the most popular course
at Yale – Psychology and the Good Life – has been retooled into a free, online, six-week course for teenagers. It uses TikTok-length videos to highlight common misconceptions about happiness and teach about the behaviors, feelings, and thoughts that produce mental well-being.
There’s an urgent need for this kind of intervention, say mental health professionals,
because U.S. adolescents are in a mental health crisis. It was in full swing before the pandemic; in 2019, 44 percent of high-school students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness, with nearly 20 percent saying they had considered suicide, and 9 percent attempting to end their lives. Covid-19 made things worse, with elevated levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, self-injury, and suicidal ideation. “The rites of passage for teenage-hood were disrupted,” says psychologist/author Mary Alvord. Young people missed out on parties, homecoming dances, graduation ceremonies, and everyday interactions with their peers.
“We’re not taking care of our young people today if we’re not giving them strategies to
navigate all the complex societal pressures that they face,” says Laurie Santos, the Yale
psychology professor who taught the original happiness course. “We need to know the
appropriate ways to listen to them and to react to them, so that we can understand the message that things like sadness or anxiety or anger might be sending and then channel them in an appropriate direction.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/01/23/yale-happiness-course-teens/
https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being-for-teens
Endicott College's FREE VIRTUAL Annual Parent Autism Confernece
Register: https://t.e2ma.net/click/7sjuoe/n57hmxkb/fr3a8m
About: Please join us on Saturday, April 29 2023 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. EST for our FREE virtual Annual Parent Autism Conference for families/caregivers of individuals with Autism, as well as for BCBAs/professionals*.
Workshop topics include parent training, identifying quality ABA intervention, helping picky eaters, toilet training, demystifying IEPS, and so much more.
Our keynote panel speakers are Brielle Williams, Audrey Vogel, and Kaelynn Partlow, and is entitled: Powerful Autistics Coming Together: Sharing Perspectives of Three Autistic Women.
W e hope to see you there!
We will send out all links for the conference via email to all registered attendees one week prior to the event
* there are no CEUS being offered for this event
P LEASE CONTACT kjohnson@endicott.edu WITH ANY QUESTIONS
Behavioral Health Resouces
The state Department of Mental Health also has a Behavioral Health Roadmap Toolkit at mass.gov/BHtoolkit with public awareness and informational materials to spread the word about the help line and Community Behavioral Health Centers. School and district leaders are asked to please share this toolkit with their communications staff, community engagement team, and anyone else who may benefit from these materials.
Special Education Advisory Council (SEPAC)
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BEDFORDMASEPAC/
Webpage: http://www.bedfordmasepac.org/