Week Four

Little to nothing is known about Arturo’s biological family or origins. Arturo’s mother speaks little English and has managed to subsist on the little cash she gets from her migrant labor – that and an informal network of people who assist her here in the States. All that we know is that Arturo was born in the U.S. and was taken from his mother by Social Services. His mother visits with him once a month for 2-3 hours when she is able to find work in the local area.

The foster family lives in a relatively rural area and is in the lower range of middle income. The foster mother works in food service at a local university and the father owns a small trucking company. Both have completed high school and have lived in the local area all of their lives. They have been able to arrange for one of them to care for Arturo most of the time, and when one of them is not available, they have been able to leave Arturo with the mother’s mother who lives next door. Joel, the foster father, was ambivalent about taking in Arturo given his country of origin. He knew, however, that the family needed the money, so he reluctantly agreed. Tina, the foster mother, had been wanting a child ever since she miscarried just after the two were married. She didn’t care that Arturo was from Mexico and loved him like she was his own flesh and blood. There are no other children that live nearby.

Arturo’s hearing has come to test out in the “highly impaired” range. Since he is in foster care and is technically in the custody of the state, he qualifies for Medicaid. Now at age four, Arturo has been able to participate in some therapeutic services, and he has been developing in his use of sign language. His spoken language has been much slower to develop, and he struggles to articulate basic sounds.

Behaviorally, Arturo is a willful child and has a strong sense of initiative. He seems to “know what he wants when he wants it.” Pediatricians long ago ruled out any other disorders, and Arturo appears to be otherwise happy and healthy with the exception of his hearing loss which is thought to have been caused by early and frequent ear infections from the time he was an infant. Arturo sometimes gets on Joel’s last nerve with what Joel considers to be his “refusal to mind” him. This is frustrating to Joel, and more than once he has restrained himself from using corporal punishment with Arturo. Add that to the fact that Joel has his prejudices about “foreigners,” and, even though he agreed to take the boy in, his patience is wearing thin. Tina has noticed that her husband has a much shorter fuse with Arturo than she does, and she doesn’t like it. She knows that taking Arturo in was her idea, and the placement has lasted a lot longer than they both thought. Still, she loves Arturo and wants the best for him. The foster care social worker has asked the two about adoption, but Joel hasn’t been open to considering it.  

1) Describe services that Arturo might have received and might receive under IDEA Parts B and C. Describe the transition between the parts of IDEA that takes place and the age at which it does so.

2) In a small town, are support groups available for parents who have foster children? What services are provided for these parents? (You may use Harrisonburg as an example of a small town/rural area).

3) Cite research that presents evidence of the dangers of corporal punishment. Is there any research to support it? Is corporal punishment generally recommended for children in foster care? Why or why not?

4) How might Arturo receive assistive technology devices through Medicaid? Does Medicaid pay for such devices? How does a child qualify?

DECISION POINT ::: Do Joel and Tina adopt Arturo?