The School Counselor's Guide to Helping Students with Disabilities

Acknowledgments xi About the Authors xiii Preface xv PART ONE COUNSELING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: THE BASICS 1 Possibilities and Practicalities 3 The Role of the School Counselor 6 Promoting Genuine Inclusion 8 Looking Out for Students 9 Addressing the Needs of Stakeholders: Parents, Teachers, and Students 10 Fostering Resilience 13 Amplified Needs 14 The ASCA National Standards Amplification of the Needs of Students with Disabilities 15 2 The Art of Helping Students with Disabilities 23 Everyday Distortions of People with Physical Disabilities 24 Spread and Global Evaluations 24 Typecasting 25 Distorted Perceptions of Students with Nonvisible Disabilities 28 Global Evaluation and Invisible Disabilities 30 Diagnosis and Perception 31 Possibilities: Seeing What Cannot Easily Be Seen 33 Possibilities: Predicting the Future 34 Seeing the Student in the Environment 35 Effective Helping Orientations: Social-Minority Versus Medical Models 37 Help That Is Helpful 39 Getting Comfortable 42 Logistics 44 Talking About a Student’s Disability 44 3 School Counseling Programs: Genuine Inclusion 47 The Foundation 48 Inclusion 49 Sameness Is Not Fairness 50 Ableism 50 Delivery System 52 Management 52 Accountability 53 From Theory to Practice 53 Targeted Advocacy 54 Systemic Advocacy 55 4 Protective Legislation and the School Counselor Role 57 How We Got Here: A Glimpse Back in Time 59 The Spirit of the Law Versus the Letter of the Law 62 Legislation and the School Counselor’s Responsibilities 63 Students Who Qualify for Special Education 64 Review of the Process That Culminates in the IEP Meeting 71 Importance of the IEP 72 Defining the Least Restrictive Environment 72 Behavior and Discipline: Special IEP Factors 73 Functional Behavior Assessment 74 Behavior Intervention Plan 75 The Transition Plan 75 Translating It All into Action 77 Section 504 and 504 Plans 78 NCLB and IDEA 80 Claudia’s Story 80 5 Partnering with Parents 85 A Glimpse of Common Parental Experiences 86 Stereotypes About Parents 89 Parental Stress 90 Neglectful and Abusive Parents 91 Partnering with Parents and Caregivers 92 What Parents Value in Helping Relationships 93 Responding to Parents’ Needs for Support and Empowerment 94 Common Barriers to Developing Collaborative Relationships with Parents 98 Critical School Transitions and Developmental Stages 98 Elementary School 99 Middle School or Junior High School 99 High School 99 Preparing for Transition 99 PART TWO MEETING THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WITH  DISABILITIES: ADDRESSING THE AMPLIFIED ASCA DOMAINS 6 Meeting Students’ Academic Needs 111 The Purpose of Education and Academic Success 111 The Role of High-Stakes Testing 112 The Purpose of Inclusion 113 Amplified Academic Needs 114 Negative Academic Self-Concepts of Students with Disabilities 116 Twice-Exceptional Student Issues 118 Promoting Positive Academic Self-Concepts with Students with  Disabilities 119 Academic Interventions 119 Counseling Interventions 121 Modeling Self-Advocacy 122 Promoting Inclusion 123 Mind-Sets that Resist Inclusion and Responses to Challenge Them 125 Identifying Useful Accommodations and Technology 130 Including Families and Other Natural Supports 134 Promoting Academic Resilience 136 7 Meeting Elementary Students’ Personal and Social Needs 139 Fostering Social Integration in the Classroom 141 Creating a Classroom Climate Conducive to Social Integration 142 Resiliency and Self-Concept 156 Social Integration Beyond the Classroom 157 Critical Social School Environments Outside Class 158 Facilitating Social Integration: Fostering Social Skill Development 163 Social Integration, Resiliency, Social Skills, and the IEP 164 8 Meeting Adolescent Students’ Personal and Social Needs 167 Identity and Self-Esteem 169 Self-Esteem Development 169 Forming Identity 171 Sexuality Issues 174 Personal Self-Determination and Self-Advocacy 176 Social Skills: Basic and Specialized 178 High-Risk Activities 182 Substance Abuse 183 Unwanted Pregnancy and Sexual Abuse 183 Juvenile Delinquency 184 School Dropout 184 Dignity of Risk and Resiliency 185 Dignity of Risk 185 Resiliency 186 Integrating Personal and Social Competencies 187 9 Meeting Students’ Career-Planning Needs 189 Amplified Career Development Needs 190 What Is Realistic? 193 Expansive Realism in Action 195 Other Career Development Issues 196 Role Models and Mentoring 197 Standardized Career Assessment Instruments 198 Self-Determination and Self-Advocacy: Critical Assets in Career Planning 199 Transitional Planning 200 State and Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Services 201 Centers for Independent Living 203 On Your Own Without a Net 203 Transition to Work After High School Ends 204 Students with Disabilities and the ADA 204 Supported Employment for Students with Significant Disabilities 205 Transition to Postsecondary Education 206 Entrance Exams 206 Disclosing Disability Status 207 Choosing a College or University 208 Planning 209 The Intangible Benefits of Work for Students with Disabilities 209 PART THREE DISABILITY-SPECIFIC  INFORMATION: IMPLICATIONS AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder 213 Anxiety Disorders 219 Asthma and Allergies 224 Autism 229 Bipolar Disorder and Depression 234 Cancer 239 Cerebral Palsy 243 Cystic Fibrosis 247 Deafness and Hearing Disorders 251 Degenerative Orthopedic Diseases (Muscular Dystrophy) 256 Diabetes  261 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome  266 Learning Disabilities  271 Mental Retardation  276 Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder  280 Other Orthopedic Impairments  284 Seizures  289 Speech and Language Disorders  294 Spina Bifida  300 Traumatic Brain Injury  303 Visual Impairments  308 Conclusion 313 Notes 317 References 331 Index 349