Staying off the ‘slide’
Program aims to prevent summer declines for students with disabilities in smaller towns
CIRCLEVILLE — Educational services designed to put the brakes on the “summer slide” —a loss of academicground so common it has a nickname — can be tough to come by for students with developmental delays and disabilities.
When those kids live in small cities and rural communities, options dwindle further.
“I see the loss that occurs,” said Carrie Wilhelm, a special-education interventionist who works in Ross County during the school year.
So Wilhelm has high hopes for the latest effort by the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio to expand its Summer Learning Academy program, which began in Columbus in 2012 and now operates at seven sites across six counties.
Shetook a position at the new five-week academy at Circleville Elementary School and is helping kids with Down syndrome and other disabilities stay on track during summer break.
“It can look fun, and I’m not saying we’re drill sergeants,” saidkari Jones, president and CEO of the association. “But we are working on academics. We’re following (Individualized Educational Program) goals.”
Jones has been trying to expand the association’s reach, starting additional programs outside of Franklin County as well as working to engage more minority families in urban areas. She and others say it’s important to make sure disability support organizations capture both the diversity and needs of families throughout central Ohio.
“I think we’ve done a decent job of serving Franklin and also Delaware County,” Jones said. “But we haven’t done the best expanding to others.”
At the same time, opportunities for students with disabilities to receive academic instruction during the summer are limited at best and more often non-existent. According to national research cited by the association, many children — not just those with disabilities — lose a few months of math and reading skills each summer.
“The whole program stems from families calling us and saying, ‘We have nothing,’” Jones said.
Jeff Davis, director of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, and state schools Superintendent Paolo Demaria visited the learning academy in Circleville this week and said the classroom model looks promising. The disabilities department contributed about $60,000 this year to help fund the expanded projects, which are open to students with disabilities other than Down syndrome.
“It’s not a light switch,” Davis said. “But we’d like to see if there’s a way to ingrain some things like this. I’d love to see this across our counties.”
Connor Cummins, an 11-year-old with Down syndrome, was having a pretty good time at the program on Tuesday, even as all the extra visitors left him feeling shy. Before singing and snack time, Wilhelm had him identifying numbers by clipping a clothespin next to the correct answer.
“I like this activity because it’s math and it uses their fine motor skills,” Wilhelm said.
Chrissy Johnson, an aide who helps with the students’ care, said consistency is a big deal for kids like Connor. She’s eager to see how much faster program participants hit their strides when classes resume next month.
“After breaks and summer vacation, you really have to work to get them back into a routine,” Johnson said.
The Down syndrome association’s summer learning academies also are operating in Franklin, Fairfield, Licking, Knox and Muskingum counties. “What we’re excited to see are good partnerships,” Demaria said, “and finding ways to meet the particular needs children have.”