Highlights of the Week

On the ongoing theme of teaching pupil transporters about their special needs riders, Bright Hub has an interesting rundown on Muscular Dystrophy. The site offers some tips for educators in working on IEPs for students with the conditions, but the lessons could well apply to pupil transporters.

"Teachers need to work closely with therapists to ensure they understand the progress of the condition, and how it impacts on classroom activities, and particularly on safety for the student."

Meanwhile, one California school district is focusing on keeping students in the loop when it comes to their classmates with special needs with a class designed to teach them about their peers.

"I realize that I never thought about that people have so many challenges in their lives." 10-year-old Francesca Ferraro.

A Virginia paper examines the rising use of taxis in school transportation, something we looked at last summer. The service is expensive, but needed given the lack of services available for homeless and special needs students, administrators say.

"These are students who already have a tumultuous life ... So the point of providing taxicabs is to make sure they have as much consistency as possible in terms of where they go to school every day." Amy Carlini, spokeswoman for Alexandria City Public Schools

Special Needs Driver Goes 'Above and Beyond' In Winter Storm

A Cincinnati station tells the story of a special needs school bus driver whose bus was caught in the snow for five hours. Driver Sherry Robinson gets special praise from the station for keeping her cool with five students on board. Robinson described the situation:

"I got two crying. I got a parent calling me concerned. she's worried about her baby. I got a little bitty one, a kindergartner. And then I got a little girl who needs medicine because she has seizures. I got a little boy who wants his mommy and his mommy wants her son, a lot of people calling me wanting to know what's going on."

No surprise, she gets plenty of thanks from commentators on the site. See a video below

Special Needs and the Economy

Recently, we highlighted how pupil transportation could provide "recession-proof" jobs in 2009. A number of contractors say nationwide job loss is helping them with driver recruitment and retention. But before the yet-to-be-passed stimulus package can bolster school and special needs funding, some districts are making cuts, including one Indiana district that recently decided to cut school bus aides. As expected, the news has prompted considerable comment and discussion. In California, it seems some non-classroom employees are expecting budget cuts as well.

Billions More for Special Needs, Schools in Democratic Stimulus Bill

Initial version of the economic stimulus bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives contains billions for education and special needs. But the bill will likely face many changes. More at STN

Autism Round Table @ Education Week

Education Week posts a transcript [free subscription required and well worth it] from a round table on working with students with autism. Steven Shore, author of Understanding Autism for Dummies and Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome talks with teacher and consultant Paula Kluth (also an author) and Marcie W. Handler, director of home and school consultation at the May Institute. Little specific discussion of Autism on the bus, but Kluth points to some great resources and discusses the "social stories" method.

... you should create the stories, share them regularly, teach the child to get them out when stressed or when he needs them. Some teachers are even creating auditory social stories and letting kids listen to them on the bus on their iPod. Carol is even teaching about video social stories now so check out her website to learn more.

On a similar note, NPR reports on how Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen (brother of Borat actor Sacha Baron-Cohen) has helped develop a DVD series that helps autistic children learn to read faces, something many traditionally have trouble with. According to the report, the DVD, which is now available for American children, incudes Sally the cable car, Barney the tractor, and Charlie the Tram. Unfortunately, no Sammy the school bus.

Structuring the Ride for Autistic Students

In our forthcoming February issue, we look at the hunger for special needs training amongst pupil transporters, including Tourette's Syndrome. Today, one blogger discusses how best to structure the learning environment for children with autism.

Autistic children may not welcome change in their routine schedule during the school day. For example, they may want to sit in a particular seat, work with a particular pen.

The article isn't terribly specific and doesn't touch on the transportation services many special needs students rely on. But we can begin by asking some questions: What do you know of your riders' disabilities and their characteristics? Is their ride structured towards their needs? If you've found 'techniques that work' have you shared them with your colleagues?