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Oregon mom fears her daughter with developmental disability will regress with distance learning

Sarah Taber says her 9-year-old daughter Caroline benefits from therapy, most of which she gets in school.

CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. — Most parents across Oregon worry about their children and their ability to learn during the pandemic, but Sarah Taber and other parents of kids with developmental disabilities have an extra layer of concern.

Taber's daughter, 9-year-old Caroline, has been diagnosed with autism and with Cri-du-chat Syndrome, which means she's missing part of her fifth chromosome. Caroline is non-verbal, and benefits from all kinds of therapies, mainly held in school.

Newly-released guidelines from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) say, "limited in-person instruction can be offered ... on skills that are difficult to teach through distance learning ... and with students that are unable to effectively access instruction through distance learning."

Taber said it gives districts the option, but doesn't require they offer in-person learning, and worries kids like Caroline will fall dangerously behind. 

"We were getting emails with activities via PowerPoint that the teacher would send and that the therapist would send different exercises and things to do," Taber said. "But just none of that is realistic for what our world is. You can see that technology is not awesome because it's more of an attention tool than a work tool. And then trying to communicate with those specialists and therapists via Zoom or email just isn't isn't enough for her and it isn't going to cut it... regression [is my fear]. She learns a skill and it can be there one day and gone the next. And without someone working with her all the time, you just don't know what's gonna stick and what's not. And what opportunities are going to be lost."

KGW reached out to several school districts, including North Clackamas and Portland. So far, none have said they'll be doing any kind of in-person learning for kids like Caroline. 

Representatives with ODE stand by their guidelines.

In the meantime, Taber says she'll keep advocating for Caroline.

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