MHG Consulting

10/04/2023

A pleasure to share God's word 4 times today in rural Kenya.I love meeting new friends and leaders. Widows groups helping to feed their community. Young me building homes and others planting for others. The gospel in actions.

08/31/2023

Eating Swedish pancakes for 21st birthday brunch. With my pal, A.S.

03/20/2020

The Third Message from the Book of Mark during the period leading up to Passover, "Good Friday" and Resurrection Sunday (aka Easter). This brief message (20 minutes) deals with perspectives on fear ev

07/24/2019

You may not want to think about school in July, but it will be here before you know it. Prepare for a better year this year and review the latest IEP or 504 plan for your child to make sure it is in compliance with goals based on present levels, proper accommodations and modifications and the right mix of related services. The start of school is almost here. Get off to a better start this year!

03/15/2017

This is the time of year that parents need to ask for a full case study evaluation if they suspect that their child needs an Individualized Education Program. In Illinois, the public school/district has 14 school days (that's effectively 3 weeks to respond as to whether they will agree to conduct assessments, and must provide a written response and rationale for its decision either way.
If they decide to conduct an assessment, a "domain" meeting will be scheduled where it will be decided what assessments are necessary and who will conduct the assessments. The school district then has 60 school days to complete the assessment after the parent has signed a consent to evaluate. At this stage of the school year, there are not 60 school days left to complete the assessment. Take heart however, because the district must complete the assessments and develop a plan for a student before the beginning of the next school year if the student qualifies. Therefore, if you can get the ball rolling with the district, there is still time to make sure your son or daughter has a plan in place for fall term and the 2017-2018 school year. These timelines also apply to privately placed students, but the parent or private school should ask the Local Education Authority, i.e. the school district of residence, to begin a case study and conduct assessments.

10/30/2016

Parents of children with multiple disabilities are often forced to make a false choice when it comes to determining eligibility for special education and related services. Remind the IEP team that more than one eligibility is possible. Not only is there a possibility of a primary and secondary eligibility, but one of the recognized eligibilty categories under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the category of Multiple Disabilities.

Then, after determining the correct eligibility, make sure that the team comes up with well-formulated goals that directly align with making educational progress in the area of the child's needs. It seems obvious, but it is one of the main areas that an IEP can fall short.

09/05/2016

With school underway, it is critical for parents of children with special needs to ask the school to keep accurate data in all phases of a child's education... especially the child's goals. It is also important to keep and track data regarding behavior and sensory issues as schools often make disciplinary and related services decisions without necessary information regarding antecedents (triggers). Without scientifically acquired data, it is impossible to develop an appropriate IEP, Behavior Plan, or effectively administer a plan in a way that the child will receive an appropriate educational benefit.

05/11/2016

This time of year a lot of attention is drawn to Extended School Year (ESY) services. If a parent has a child that shows any signs of regression in any academic or related service area affecting academics, the parent should request an IEP team meeting to immediately go over the data to see if any signs of regression over Christmas, Spring, or Summer breaks have ever become evident. IDEA regulations provide for ESY, but they do not provide for a level of education that exceeds the level of regular education students. Because all students may regress somewhat over the summertime, the level of regression necessary to warrant ESY will likely have to exceed the standard of regular education students. 34 CFR 300.106(b)(1). On the other hand, the standard is that if a child needs ESY to receive FAPE, then ESY is a necessity.

03/04/2016

One of the most crucial parts of an IEP for a student is the goals and objectives section. Despite their importance goals, objectives, and associated benchmarks are often given short shrift in IEP meetings. Parents often make the mistaken assumption that the "professionals" have developed the goals individually and thoughtfully with their individual child in mind. This may be the case sometimes, but in my experience it is the exception to the more normal routine of doling out "cookie-cutter" goals that lack specificity, measurability, are realistic, and generally lacking in what the business community has often called SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-related.
If your child's IEP does not contains goals that do not fit this criteria, then your child's education lacks accountability. The school can simply say "your child is progressing on his goals" and thus justify a lack of meaningful progress. I encourage you to get educated on developing and implementing goals and objectives and hold your child's educators accountable. The good teachers won't mind and the poor ones will show their true colors if they challenge reasonable questions about goals. If you feel overwhelmed by all this then contact an advocate or attorney that specializes in special education. A good source for referrals is through the COPAA website at www.copaa.org

07/30/2015

It has been a ridiculously busy "summer break". I say that facetiously because there has been no break in the 14 hour days. Schools are cutting programs due to budget concerns and Illinois continues its dismal record (ranking #47 out of 50 states) on assisting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For the full report go to: http://cfi.ucp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/UCP_2015_CaseforInclusion_FINAL.pdf

05/08/2015

http://www.revealnews.org/episodes/law-and-disorder-part-1/

Check out this story if you want to know the real effects of zero tolerance policies.

In this episode of Reveal, we investigate why minorities and kids with special needs face criminal charges for acting out in school; we uncover how police are poisoned on the job, and trace how peo...