Opinion
Special Education Letter to the Editor

Autism-Program Study Is Said to Be Flawed

April 22, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

While research on autism is to be commended, the Policy Matters Ohio study of the Autism Scholarship Program exhibits some serious flaws (“Analysis Criticizes Ohio Vouchers Targeting Students With Autism,” April 2, 2008).

The study fails to uncover even obvious reasons for the observations of its author, Piet van Lier. For example, it criticizes the scholarship program for paying for services in a nonschool setting. But when approximately half of the scholarship recipients are preschoolers who need effective early intervention, why should they necessarily be in a classroom setting before they’re of school age?

Likewise, in the rush to identify potential “inequities,” the study fails to look meaningfully at whether these students’ individual learning needs are being met more effectively because of the scholarship program. High parental-satisfaction rates and a yearly participation-growth rate of 50 percent suggest that students are in fact succeeding because of this program.

The study rightly recognizes the need to boost teacher training in public schools. But improving them can be done without blasting the other options available. Criticizing a private educational option has never improved a public school. But, as one parent points out in your article, this scholarship and the competition it has fostered have actually helped motivate public schools to improve their offerings for students with autism.

The Autism Scholarship Program is a step in the right direction because it empowers parents of students with autism and levels the playing field so that families across the economic spectrum can have access to appropriate services for their children.

Rather than offer fewer choices to students with autism, Ohio should work to make this opportunity available to all children with disabilities.

Chad L. Aldis

Executive Director

School Choice Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

A version of this article appeared in the April 23, 2008 edition of Education Week as Autism-Program Study Is Said to Be Flawed

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reimagining Grading in K-12 Schools: A Conversation on the Value of Standards-Based Grading
Hear from K-12 educational leaders and explore standards-based grading benefits and implementation strategies and challenges
Content provided by Otus
Reading & Literacy Webinar How Background Knowledge Fits Into the ‘Science of Reading’ 
Join our webinar to learn research-backed strategies for enhancing reading comprehension and building cultural responsiveness in the classroom.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Innovative Strategies for Data & Assessments
Join our webinar to learn strategies for actionable instruction using assessment & analysis.
Content provided by Edulastic

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Quiz
Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About End of Year Assessments?
Answer 8 questions about special education compliance.
Content provided by n2y
Special Education What the Research Says How Do You Sign 'Pi'? New Sign-Language Terms Could Boost Scientific Literacy
Scientists are developing a sign-language lexicon of scientific terms for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
3 min read
Second graders Drayden Ayers, left, and Breeanna Runde work with Megan Johannsen, a teacher of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Dubuque, Iowa on Sept. 25, 2015.
Second-graders Drayden Ayers, left, and Breeanna Runde work with Megan Johannsen, a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing with the Dubuque Community School District, at Carver Elementary School in Dubuque, Iowa on Sept. 25, 2015.
Jessica Reilly/Telegraph Herald via AP
Special Education Obituary Judy Heumann, a Powerful Advocate for Special Education and Disability Rights, Dies at 75
The renowned activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of disabled people, has died at age 75.
3 min read
Judy Heumann, center, is applauded during her swearing-in as U.S. Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Service by Judge Gail Bereola, left, in Berkeley, Calif., in June 1993. Standing at left is Berkeley Mayor Loni Hancock with sign language interpreter Joseph Quinn, and Julie Weissman, right. Heumann, a renowned disability rights activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of disabled people, has died at age 75.
Judy Heumann, center, is applauded during her swearing-in as U.S. Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Service by Judge Gail Bereola, left, in Berkeley, Calif., in June 1993. Standing at left is Berkeley Mayor Loni Hancock with sign language interpreter Joseph Quinn, and Julie Weissman, right. Heumann, a renowned disability rights activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of disabled people, has died at age 75.
Susan Ragan/AP
Special Education Some ADHD Medications Are in Short Supply. Schools Are Feeling the Fallout
A nationwide shortage of Adderall or its generic version has families and school nurses scrambling.
4 min read
Illustration of 3 adderall pills
DigitalVision Vectors