New autism definition out this week, feds and Congress not yet onboard
New autism definition out this week, feds and Congress not yet onboard
By Tom Chorneau
Thursday, May 16, 2013
By Tom Chorneau
Thursday, May 16, 2013
More than two years in the making, the latest update of the national guide for diagnosing mental disorders – which includes the controversial revision for the definition of autism – is set for release this week by the American Psychiatric Association.
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, to be released Saturday at a convention in San Francisco, is expected to eliminate Asperger’s syndrome as a standalone disorder and instead include the condition as a part of the broader category of “autism spectrum disorders.”
For schools, the refinement may prove more of an academic change, experts said. That is, under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, most students who previously qualified for special education services will mostly likely continue to qualify – the only difference is the precise diagnosis used to identify the student’s condition.
But even as editors ready release of the so-called ‘bible’ of mental disorders, controversy swirls around the update as it relates to federal programs and policies.
For one, the head of the National Institute of Mental Health recently criticized the new handbook as lacking scientific
Lawmakers remain skeptical over Brown's Local Control Funding Formula
By Kimberly Beltran
Thursday, May 16, 2013
By Kimberly Beltran
Thursday, May 16, 2013
One day after Gov. Jerry Brown attempted to rally educators statewide behind his plan to restructure school finances, members of a key legislative panel Wednesday remained skeptical about some elements including adequacy of the per-pupil base grants for core programs and how districts will be held accountable for student outcomes.
While Brown’s overall school budget now includes an additional $1 billion to help schools transition to new common core standards and assessments, concerns remain that his Local Control Funding Formula will result in some education programs no longer specifically funded by the state falling by the wayside.
“I think we have a moral imperative, if you take a look at the demographics in California – we can’t leave half our students behind,” said Assembly Education Committee chair Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo. “My only concern is that if we do have accountability where the funds we’ve strengthened have to be spent on at-risk students, that leaves other districts with zero dollars to spend on textbooks, on teacher training and on other programs that are also critically important for all students, so I do think there needs to be some discussion on how districts are going to fund that because I think the assumption that they can just make cuts from where they are is not a valid assumption.”