Jan 22, 2019, Inforum, Fargo, ND: Regional center for Fargo, West Fargo students with behavioral problems is task force's top choice https://www.inforum.com/news/education/956428-Regional-center-for-Fargo-West-Fargo-students-with-behavioral-problems-is-task-forces-top-choice In an effort to address the growing problem of students with severe behavioral or mental health problems in the Fargo and West Fargo school districts, a 50-member task force was formed and its report was presented Tuesday , Jan. 22, to a joint meeting of school boards from the two school systems…. The issue has been of concern as classes have been interrupted and entire schools affected in some instances. Some of the students that could be considered for the special programming would be those exhibiting complex behaviors such as violence or be identified as emotionally disturbed or on the autism spectrum. … The top choice of the group, although there wasn't a clear consensus, was to have a special program at a regional center that wasn't attached to a current district building. … What the diverse task force also wanted to see as the No. 1 goal was to address the academic, social and emotional needs of each child and monitor progress so they could return to a less restrictive environment. In fact, the name of the task force was the "Least Restrictive Environment-Behavior Task Force." The other two top alternative plans as voted on and ranked by the task force were a special program within the district attached to an existing school or a regional center with part of the programming contracted with an outside mental health or behavioral agency. … Currently the Fargo district has a special program for middle school students with a higher level of behavioral problems but nothing for elementary students. There had been plans last spring to create a small elementary school for students with severe behavioral needs in the Agassiz facility in south-central Fargo, but concerns from staff and parents drew that to a halt and the task force was formed in September.
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Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
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