Legislature(2011 - 2012)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
03/16/2011 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in School | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 16, 2011
8:02 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Kevin Meyer, Co-Chair
Senator Joe Thomas, Co-Chair
Senator Bettye Davis, Vice Chair
Senator Hollis French
Senator Gary Stevens
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS IN SCHOOL
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
CINDY ANDERSON, Director
Special Education
Anchorage School District
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave an introduction on the impacts Fetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) has on children and adults
nationwide and in Alaska and answered questions regarding FASD
in schools.
MARY ANDREWS, parent of child with FASD
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Shared her son's story and emphasized the
importance of early intervention.
MONICA LEINBERGER, FASD Behavior Specialist
Lower Kuskokwim School District
Kuskokwim, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Shared her perspective, as a teacher, in
working with students who have FASD and the importance of early
intervention.
MINDY CASON, Student
University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Shared her experiences as a young adult with
FASD.
JEANNE GERHARDT-CYRUS, parent of child with FASD
Kiana, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Shared her daughter's story and emphasized
the importance of early intervention.
DEB EVENSEN, Consultant
FASD Education Statewide
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions from the committee
regarding the impacts of FASD and the systematic changes that
need to be put into place regarding prevention and education.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:02:58 AM
CO-CHAIR KEVIN MEYER called the Senate Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:02 a.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators French, Stevens, Co-Chair Thomas and Co-
Chair Meyer. Senator Davis arrived shortly thereafter.
^Presentation: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in School
Presentation: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in School
8:03:25 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER announced the order of business would be to hear
a presentation on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) by the
Alaska FASD Partnership.
8:05:26 AM
CINDY ANDERSON, Director, Special Education, Anchorage School
District, said FASD includes a range of disabilities caused when
a developing fetus is exposed to alcohol. It is preventable.
FASD is a lifelong disability and can manifest in a variety of
ways, including: learning disabilities, memory problems, poor
judgment, impulsivity, attention deficit, physical issues,
cognitive impairments, and severe emotional disturbance. She
noted that Alaska has the highest per capita rate of FASD in the
United States.
She said that she wanted to give a few parents the opportunity
to share their stories with the committee.
CO-CHAIR MEYER noted that Commissioner Hanley has joined the
committee for the day's hearing.
8:07:20 AM
MARY ANDREWS, parent of a child with FASD, said she is here
today with her son, Terrell, who is diagnosed with a
neurobehavioral disorder. She explained that she knew all along
that he would have problems because of prenatal exposure to
alcohol. She said that she is here today to share his story and
ask for the committee's support in FASD.
She said that as an infant Terrell cried constantly. As a young
child Terrell could not communicate well and would cry out of
frustration. In school he was behind in many ways and by 4th and
5th grade he was no longer bringing homework home. She explained
that during this time she began attending FASD meetings where
she found support from other parents and received training.
Terrell is doing much better through this support and
medication. She explained that while Terrell does not
communicate the way that she wishes he would through early
intervention she has the gained the knowledge to help him in his
every day challenges.
8:10:06 AM
MONICA LEINBERGER, FASD Behavior Specialist, Lower Kuskokwim
School District, said her district is fortunate because many
districts in Alaska are not able to have a special education
teacher focused on this population of individuals. Prenatal
exposure to alcohol affects every individual differently and it
is life-long. This means that, within the classroom, it is
important to change the classroom so that they can succeed. She
explained that in the classroom students like Terrell can't
multitask, they have to do one task at a time. She emphasized
that as a special education teacher she wants children with FASD
to be able to point out what is upsetting them. It is important
to change the environment around these students in order to help
them succeed.
8:14:17 AM
MINDY CASON, Student, University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), said
her story begins in elementary school when she was diagnosed
with learning disabilities. She noted that she knew that
something more was going on. She explained that, as a child, she
was seen as defiant and with a lack of drive. As a teenager she
opted not to receive special education services because it was
difficult for her to be taken out of regular classes and be
singled out by her peers. She struggled with the high school
qualifying exam and had to take the SATs eight times before
receiving the minimum scores to attend college. While taking a
break from school she worked in prevention and intervention with
Volunteers of America. During a training class on FASD, she said
that "every bullet point spoke to me." She explained that her
mother had substance abuse issues but it was not until she was
21-years-old that she realized she had FASD. She explained that
within those 21 years she damaged relationships, made poor
decisions and did not follow directions because she did not
understand the directions. She returned to school in 2009 and
will graduate on May 1, 2011 with a bachelor's degree. She has
decided to apply for a master's degree at the school of
psychology at UAA. She stressed the importance of early
intervention for children with FASD. She explained that if she
had received more screening when she was screened for learning
disabilities as a young child, she could have received more
support and been taught the coping skills that she had to teach
herself. These skills took her many years to acquire.
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked what group she was last in Juneau with.
MS. CASEN replied with the Youth Summit.
8:19:06 AM
JEANNE GERHARDT-CYRUS, parent of a child with FASD, said she and
her husband are parents to multiple children with prenatal
exposure to alcohol. She said that there is a difference between
supported success and independent failure for both students and
teachers. She explained that for her daughter Ivory, her
experience in primary school was of building frustration,
diminished communication and a decreased ability to cope. She
explained that upon her daughter's removal from school she was
taken away from the social aspects of life. She said when they
have supportive success it is completely different. She said
that FASD needs to be addressed in special education
classifications, like autism. She added that now her daughter
has increased communication and accommodations, with individuals
who are trained to aid in these accommodations. She stressed
that teachers need to be trained in FASD and that they need to
be supportive. She noted that it is not just about educational
success, it is about lifelong success. Early intervention would
have been helpful for all of her children.
She read a statement from her daughter: "Hello my name is Ivory
Dominica Gerhardt-Cyrus. I never had a challenge before, but my
teachers are very nice to me."
8:24:26 AM
MS. ANDERSON agreed that the types of services provided to
students, provides success. She explained that the Anchorage
School District (ASD) hired a consultant, Deb Evensen, who
provides training and support to ASD staff on FASD. Ms. Evensen
does "talking head training" along with demonstration teaching
and mentorships which allows teachers to practice the skills
that they have learned. Next year they will continue giving as
much support as possible. These "talking head" trainings are
also filmed so that other teachers can access the trainings and
help support their students. She noted that ASD has also assured
that within their curriculum for high school students that there
is an emphasis on teaching the effects of alcohol consumption
during pregnancy. She said the hope is that students will make
better decisions as they move into adulthood and parenthood. ASD
also has a STEP [Student Educator and Parents] Center library
section on FASD, which parents, students, teachers, and
community members can check out. She stressed that there is a
need to continue that level of support and build capacity within
ASD. She noted that the district has also been training
individual schools for inclusive practices. With the right
supports in academics and behaviors, all children can be
successful in a general classroom.
She stressed that the skills gained by teachers to support
children with FASD support all students. The ability to
differentiate instruction and provide accommodations to build
success is critical to increasing test scores, meeting AYP
[Adequate Yearly Progress], and teaching skills to students for
success in life.
8:27:57 AM
DEB EVENSEN, FASD Education Consultant, said for the last two
years she has been involved as a consultant with ASD. She
explained that there are two important things that are needed in
order to increase the capacity to deal with FASD. First,
everyone needs to understand FASD. She noted that most students
with FASD are not in special education at this time. Second, the
education system needs to understand FASD. She stressed that it
is important to tweak the system from the inside so that
students can be helped in each grade level to become successful
in their adult life. She said that if there is any way for the
legislature to help get a FASD expert in each district this
would change the education system in the state. Alaska has the
ability to take the next step forward and teach the system how
to work with individuals with this disability. She noted that
individuals with FASD are out of sync chronologically with their
peers. She said that throughout Alaska they are losing many of
these students by middle school.
8:32:35 AM
MS. ANDERSON concluded that those with FASD have a higher
likelihood of depression, substance abuse, perpetuating
problems, serving time in jail, becoming homeless, or suicide.
She noted that early diagnosis allows families, schools, and
communities to work together and address prevention,
intervention, and ongoing support.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS asked if it is generally accepted that the
earlier a child's diagnosis the better the outcome.
MS. ANDERSON replied yes. She said that being able to diagnose
early and understand what the disability is is extremely
important. Currently, in order to diagnose a student there are
14 different categories of special education identification,
FASD is not one of them. She explained that trying to find the
right services for these students can be very difficult. Having
the correct diagnosis early on is extremely helpful in teaching
them the skills that will allow them to be successful.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS noted that she is discussing children who are
already in school. He asked if it is possible to make this
diagnosis right after birth.
MS. ANDERSON answered that there are assessments that can be
done early on. She explained that one of the best ways to
identify FASD is for a family to disclose that a child has been
exposed to alcohol prenatally. ASD does provide preschool
services for ages 3-5 where students can be provided additional
support and services. She noted that often what happens is
students with FASD are not identified right away, do not receive
services in preschool, and step into kindergarten without any
previous help.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS said 16.2 percent of urine samples obtained from
pregnant women in labor in Alaska tested positive for drugs or
alcohol. He asked if there is an issue with this information
being passed along or the parents counseled at that point.
MR. ANDERSON replied that this information would not be
disclosed to anyone outside of the hospital's medical staff
unless a parent agreed.
8:36:57 AM
MS. EVENSEN answered that right now there are parents that may
not have or want to get the medical diagnosis for FASD. She
explained that many parents do not want to deal with this
because they do not believe it will make a difference and will
shame them. She said that, as an educational system, they are
handicapped when they don't know what the problem is. She
stressed that when the system is ready to accept this issue,
parents will bring them this information.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS commented that this is after the situation has
already occurred. He asked what the system can do to prevent the
situation.
MS. EVENSEN replied that the individuals who are the most at-
risk of having children with FASD are typically people with
unidentified FASD. She explained that helping people who already
have FASD is the best step towards prevention.
8:39:23 AM
MS. GERHARDT-CYRUS said "without intervention we have no
prevention." She explained that individuals who are not
completing their education are more likely to become parents at
a younger age and use substances to cope with the chronic
frustration. She added that once things are going well for a
child with FASD it is important that these supports are not
taken away. FASD is a lifelong disability.
MS. EVENSEN noted that adult life is the most difficult for
individuals with this disability.
CO-CHAIR MEYER said he understands it must be difficult for
adults with FASD. He added that for children with FASD it must
be even more difficult, because kids are so hard on each other.
He asked how schools deal with children being pulled out of the
classroom and labeled as different.
8:42:11 AM
MS. LEINBERGER said that there are unobtrusive ways for children
to receive these services, which can also help their peers as
well. She explained that it depends on each child and where
their deficits are. For example, if a child is far below reading
than their same-age peers then they may get some pull-out
services specifically for reading. She stressed that it is
important to mold the environment around the child rather than
segregating them even further by pulling them out of the
classroom all the time.
CO-CHAIR MEYER noted that this takes a very talented teacher. He
asked Ms. Cason for confirmation that she did not know she was
impacted by FAS [fetal alcohol syndrome] until she was 21 years
old.
MS. CASON replied yes.
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked whether knowing this in junior high or
elementary school would have been beneficial.
MS. CASON replied that it would have been beneficial because she
knew that there was something else going on outside of learning
disabilities. She explained, for instance, that she had all the
steps to learn how to read, but her brain could not process
those steps. She continued that as an adult this has been
difficult as well. When it comes to basic job skills she has to
ask a lot of questions in order to understand the job. Because
of this she has been fired from a number of jobs. She noted that
if she discloses that she has a disability she often will not
receive a phone call regarding that job. She said "it's kind of
a catch-22 for me." She noted in regards to relationships as an
adult, her disability is noticeable. It is not something that
goes away. She explained that she struggles with communication
and understanding the boundaries of other individuals.
8:46:30 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked how individuals are diagnosed for FASD.
MS. EVENSEN answered that it is a medical diagnosis by a doctor
who has been trained specifically for this. It is a very
specific diagnosis that is precise and scientifically sound. She
said that "we know how to diagnose it and know what they need.
We just don't know how to do it as a system."
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked if these doctors are available in Alaska.
MS. GERHARDT-CYRUS replied that there are diagnostic teams in
Alaska. She noted that North Slope, Northwest Arctic, and Bering
Straits do not have diagnostic teams available. The Alaska FASD
Partnership is currently looking into this. She clarified that
FAS is a medical diagnosis and the other diagnoses come under
the umbrella of FASD. FAS include the lowest amount of people
that are impacted.
MS. EVENSEN noted that all of these diagnoses involve the brain
and are permanent.
MS. GERHARDT-CYRUS added that school success is not always about
academic functioning. She explained that the majority of
individuals with prenatal exposure to alcohol do not experience
mental retardation or cognitive impairment. However, it is often
through processing and behavioral issues that brings children to
light in the classroom. Once this is recognized teachers and
aides can provide the right support and teach children the
necessary skills for the classroom, the workforce, and
relationships.
8:50:19 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked what the legislature can do to help
prevent FASD and educate children before they become parents.
MS. ANDERSON replied that included in the document packet is
some priorities for the Alaska FASD Partnership. This includes
assisting families who have FASD, maintaining the family unit,
early intervention, testing, and assessments.
MS. LEINBERGER answered that alcohol is such a huge problem in
the state of Alaska. She said that starting with intervention
with the birth mothers in order to prevent future children who
are prenatally exposed to alcohol is an important start. She
stressed that it is important to continue giving support and
education to mothers who can then advocate for their children.
She continued that it is important to support teachers. She
recommended that when a teacher renews their teaching license a
mandatory class on FASD be included. Finally, it is important to
have a teacher in every district who is available year-round and
can provide training on FASD.
MS. EVENSEN added that through her experiences working in Canada
with adults living with FASD she realized that she wanted to
return to Alaska and help schools recognize FASD. She stressed
that the system needs to recognize FASD in adults and support
these individuals as well.
8:57:05 AM
MS. ANDREWS said "we don't know what they go through and how
they feel." She explained that her step son did not finish high
school and could not hold a job. Through the poor choices that
he made his life ended at a very young age. She stressed that
early intervention can really help.
CO-CHAIR MEYER said he appreciates the testifiers for educating
the committee on FASD. He recognized how challenging it is for
the teachers, the schools systems, and the students. He asked
about the Slingerland program taught at the Baxter Elementary
School in Anchorage and if this tool helps children learn how to
read.
MS. ANDERSON replied yes. She added that ASD's special education
program has purchased "The Language Program," which is one of
the top reading programs across the nation. She said there are
multiple options for teaching and they are looking at research-
based curriculum that will allow all students to be successful.
9:01:26 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Co-Chair Meyer adjourned the meeting at 9:01 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| FASD Docs 1.pdf |
SEDC 3/16/2011 8:00:00 AM |
|
| FASD Docs 2.pdf |
SEDC 3/16/2011 8:00:00 AM |
|
| FASD Docs 3.pdf |
SEDC 3/16/2011 8:00:00 AM |
|
| FASD Addendum 1.docx |
SEDC 3/16/2011 8:00:00 AM |
|
| FASD Addendum 2.docx |
SEDC 3/16/2011 8:00:00 AM |