Letter to the Editor -- Jane Altman-Dwan

Newport-Mesa Unified School District does need to revamp the way it

thinks regarding education for the kids with special needs (“Changing

special education programs could save money,” Feb. 4). The fact that they

are starting to “shake the tree” is encouraging. However, it is not

enough that they have set their sights on cost-saving measures for the

most severely handicapped.

Agreed, this small group of students plays the most havoc with the

school’s budget. Their education is time and cost intensive. Because this

segment of student education pushes the budget inkwell into the red, it’s

important.

But I would like to take a moment to shine light onto another group of

students with disabilities who have been forgotten. This group of

students is far more reaching in numbers and their handicap less severe.

Because this group of students is easily hidden in the folds of a typical

classroom, they only cause a little disruption, the district sees them as

a minor interference. Not important.

Heck, some of these students even go undiagnosed because the only

visible signal is disruption and lack of interest in classes. In fact,

the principle of my kid’s elementary school even made a point to

reprimand teachers who suggested their students be tested for these two

disorders.

Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder are

both very real and very debilitating. I have heard numerous stories about

how people think this disability came about. The truth is that it is an

inherited disorder. It begins to show itself about the age of 5 and

typically attacks highly intelligent kids. It effects the frontal lobes

of the brain, causing them to malfunction. The result is the loss of

important functions of the brain.

The frontal lobes equip us with working concentration, memory,

motivation, a sense of time, planning, self-control, verbal thoughts,

ability to learn from mistakes, linear (mathematical) thinking and

complex language production.

These students also require concerted effort to move from the part of

the brain that allows free flowing thought to speech/writing. Since they

lack the concentration for this transition, they need more time than the

average student to process thought. Believe me, the most frustrating

thing for educators and parents of these students is that the students

never seem to perform to their capabilities.

The real shame in our educational system is that the district has

known for decades that this large group of kids will never be capable of

stellar performances within the system as it stands today. What this

translates to in high school is that they will not be able to choose from

the “better” job list. Many will never qualify for the job of their

dreams. One child I know of right now lives to be a fighter pilot.

Because of the district’s choice not to accommodate this kid, she will

not have the grade-point average necessary to achieve the goal. Another

kid I know is beaten down enough that he no longer dreams of college. He

used to.

The cost to accommodate this group of kids is very, very minimal. It

would require revamping the class schedule into a total block schedule.

The same type of schedule used in colleges -- semesters. One group of

classes the first semester, the other group the next semester. Voila.

Less change, more time to think.

JANE ALTMAN-DWAN

Newport Beach