Tag Archive for 'autism'

Anna Bullard, Candidate, Toombs County BOE, District 6

Published on October 21, 2008 in Podcast. 15 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Anna Bullard is an up and coming politician here in Toombs County. I have interviewed her many times about autism. Her daughter is autistic, which lead to Anna’s first-hand involvement in the benefits and deficiencies of special education in our schools. I am sure that most people who are exposed to the stress of dealing with the special education maze would support change, but Anna is not satisfied with sitting back and supporting someone else. She is an avid proponent of change and wants to bring change to the Toombs County Board of Education.

What you might not know is that Anna is the neice of Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams. She grew up with my kids, same church and church school. Familiarity aside, Anna is full of the excitement of youth, the enthusiasm of a personal calling, the compassion of a person who lives their faith and the passion of a mother and citizen wanting the best for all children.

Anna takes education seriously. She knows it is work. She expects the system to work, but understands that parents need to be vigilant and persevere, if they are to get the full benefit of the programs that our public schools offer. Too often, our public school administrations erect obstacles for parents seeking information and services, particularly when it comes to special education kids.

Anna would be a great asset to any organization, especially the Toombs County Board of Education. If elected, parents will find in Anna an advocate who is not afraid to speak up for what is right.

Anna Bullard, Candidate, Toombs BOE [ 29:54 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (449)

Autism and the Failure of Special Education

Published on July 6, 2008 in Podcast. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

This is my second interview with Anna Bullard. In her first interview we discussed her efforts to organize an Autism Awareness group here in Toombs County. In this interview Anna provides insight into the difficulties that parents of autistic children encounter in dealing with Special Education programs of our public schools.

Anna estimates that almost 100 children in Toombs County and Vidalia public schools fall within the autistic spectrum. That’s a lot.

Anna emphasizes that behavior modification is the only effective program that deals with the core problems faced by autistic children. And yet, when her child was first evaluated by the school system, she was seen by individuals who had very little understanding of the needs of autistic children. The school system did not employ a behavior analyst.

Many county school systems don’t employ a behavior analyst. The one that serves her child comes from South Carolina. Instead, school systems send someone in special education to a program that lasts a few days and they consider them to be trained. Anna considers this inadequate. What is needed is a trained behavior analyst who knows what to do for autistic children. Chatham County has 5 behavior analyst who write programs for autistic children.

One of the biggest problems is getting the school systems to understand that early intervention is the key to success in providing an autistic child with the tools and training needed to participate in mainstream education. As we all understand, public organizations tend to ignore problems until they become bad enough that they have to be dealt with. Such is plight of autistic children.

Anna says that Georgia is about 10 years behind other states, like South Carolina. In South Carolina Medicaid pays for the early intervention needs of autistic children.

Anna’s advice to parents of autistic children: Learn your rights and make the public school provide what your child needs. It is hard work, but in the end it is worth it. The problem is that many parents don’t have the time, the money or the ability to fight this battle. As a result, many autistic children that could benefit from early intervention, don’t get it. They become misfits in society and in many instances dependent upon public support all their lives. The opportunity to make the difference early in their lives was lost.

Sad, but true. At least our taxes are low here in Georgia. Don’t it make you proud?

Anna Bullard, Autism Awareness [ 28:14 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1124)

Autism Awareness: Coming to A Family Near You!

Published on March 25, 2008 in Podcast. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Anna Bullard tells a story that only a mother could tell. For those of us who had children who were fortunate enough to have developed normally, it is hard to imagine a toddler wrapped in silence 24 hours a day. Anna’s reward for a mother’s perseverance was hearing her daughter’s first word: Mama! But it came years after it should have.

If it is hard to comprehend that your child is different and needs help, it is harder still to hear Anna describe her struggle with doctors just to get an accurate diagnosis of her daughter’s problem. You get the idea that a lot of doctors have never heard of autism. A lot of them apparently don’t know it when they see it.

Anna tells of other battles as well, particularly of a parent fighting to get their child the special attention they need for their special needs. But Anna is a fighter and her story is one of victory over that amorphous beast that is Public Education’s Special Education. Anna learned the law, learned the rules and regulations and was not bluffed by bureaucrats into abandoning her child’s rights. Anna made sure her child got everything that she was entitled to–and it made all the difference!

Anna testifies to the benefits of behavior modification in breaking through the barriers of autism to establish communication with her daughter. The key: early diagnosis and intervention. A child who is not fortunate to have a parent as determined as Anna stands a real risk of being ignored during the early years, reducing the likelihood of a normal, productive life. With intensive therapy many of these children can attend school with their non-autistic peers.

The sad thing is that our society and our educational system is not attempting to identify these children early and initiate effective therapy. In many ways, this failure dooms many of these children to a non-productive, disabled, low-functioning life living off a government check.

This is not the only example where our desire for tax cuts and low budgets is counter productive, but it is one of the most shameful. Listen to the interview. It is well worth the time.

Anna Bullard, Autism Awareness [ 30:39 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1138)

Dr. Tony Attwood, expert on Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome

Published on November 14, 2006 in Podcast. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Dr. Tony Attwood, expert on Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, tells us about Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Attwood is a doctor of clinical psychology from England who has been studying autism since 1971 and is recognized as one of the foremost experts in the world.

Standard Podcast [ 27:28 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (642)

Interview with Sheila Wagner

Published on August 29, 2006 in Podcast. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Sheila Wagner is the Assistant Director of the Emory Autism Center and Monarch Program Coordinator. Sheila discusses developments in identifying autism and in providing treatment.

Standard Podcast [ 27:55 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1087)