***Volusia, FL: Number of autistic students TRIPLES IN 10 YEARS; old parents/bad genes blamed

Aug 10, 2019, Daytona Beach (FL) News Journal: Autism in schools: Volusia ‘no man’s land’ of autism education https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190810/autism-in-schools-volusia-no-mans-land-of-autism-education The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Volusia County school district for allegedly discriminating against students with autism spectrum disorder and Florida’s education system has struggled to provide the extra resources needed for students with autism to succeed. … …On the bad days, he might punch a hole in the living room wall, bolt out the front door or throw something down the storm drain outside of his family’s Deltona home. Then he’ll look to his mom and ask, “I’m a good boy, right Mommy? Tell me I’m a good boy.” Chris has autism spectrum disorder, an umbrella term that refers to challenges with social, behavioral and communication skills. He was one of 1,122 students with autism enrolled in Volusia County schools last year — a number that’s more than tripled in the past 10 years even as resources to serve them have failed to keep pace. Now the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Volusia County school district for allegedly discriminating against students with autism. While the DOJ continues to contact local officials for more information, a representative wouldn’t say when the investigation will conclude. The News-Journal spent four months digging into the same issues. Interviews with parents, experts and educators showed that as the number of children with autism has risen, federal funding to provide extra services for students with disabilities has stagnated, and the state and district have struggled to provide the extra resources needed for students to succeed when they are included in general education classrooms. Among the newspaper’s findings: • The number of paraprofessionals, or teacher aides, in general education classrooms has stayed almost the same, despite the increase in students with autism. • School personnel — including teachers — are not required to complete any specific training before working with students with autism. And the district has only two people who specialize in autism education, who work with those 1,100 students and support their teachers in about 70 schools. • Teachers who are certified in exceptional student education account for some of the highest number of vacancies every year in Florida. In Volusia, one-third of the school district’s vacancies in July were for ESE teaching spots, which exceeds the state’s average. • With federal funding for students with disabilities unchanged over a decade and state funding levels that have left Volusia facing major deficits in each of the past two years, the district has been limited in finding the money to provide the extra services needed…. Research shows the disorder is likely caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, like advanced parent age, complications with pregnancy and birth or multiple pregnancies less than one year apart. Despite popular conspiracy theories and misinformation online, scientists, researchers and doctors are clear on one thing: autism is not caused by vaccinations. Nationally, the number of children with autism has doubled over the past 10 years. In the Volusia school system, the number of students with autism has more than tripled — although they accounted for fewer than 2% of the district’s 63,000 students in 2018. But researchers can’t really explain why there’s been such increased prevalence of the disorder. Experts like Shawn Ullman, the senior director of national initiatives for The Arc, an advocacy organization for people with disabilities, say it’s partially because of an increased awareness of the disorder and more early diagnosis. … Three-quarters of the students with disabilities in Volusia are being serviced in the general education classroom — which still lags behind the state’s goal of 85%. Some other districts have separate schools for students with significant disabilities or behavioral issues, but Gilliland said it’s a conscious choice in Volusia not to have such a school or offer disability-specific courses in order to mainstream those students as often as possible. … “Volusia County is the no man’s land of autism education,” said Katie Kelly, a civil rights attorney from Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida who works with 30 to 50 Volusia families at a time, most of whom are struggling to get services from the schools. “We really are. We are the Death Valley of autism education.” … “There is a national issue,” Ullman said, “and, unfortunately, I don’t think Volusia County is unique or special when it comes to ... putting services in place for students with autism.” … Federal funding for students with autism has stagnated The Volusia County school district is only getting slightly more federal funding for students with disabilities today than it did in 2008. This is the money the district can spend on extra services to support students with disabilities. … Experts say many students with autism in regular classrooms would benefit from the one-on-one or small-group support a paraprofessional or additional ESE-certified teacher could provide, but without more funding that’s a need the district has been ill-equipped to provide. In the past decade, the number of students with disabilities, ESE teachers and paraprofessionals have all gone up by about 10%. At the same time, the number of students with autism has tripled. … “The schools are not prepared for these kids, they are just not prepared,” she said. “They have to train the people who are on the front lines with these kids on how to handle these behaviors.”… But many parents of students with autism, even if they’re happy with their child’s school and teachers, are frustrated by the byzantine process they have to go through to get the services their children need. … “What happens when they turn 18?” Benjamin Graybeal asked. “What happens when services get even harder?” And teachers worry that the problems they face in the classroom will only become more common unless something changes. “We’re getting more and more students with higher needs and I don’t know how much longer we can handle all of that without more support — from behavior specialists, guidance counselors, therapists and outside mental health,” said the teacher who spoke anonymously to The News-Journal. “We have very limited resources.”…