Research & Policy News

More than 2,000 foster children in Cuyahoga County have no family to call their own. Each year, roughly 200 youth turn 18 and “age out” of the foster care system, many with few connections or resources to begin living on their own. Often separated, siblings grow up in the foster care system with differing experiences and paths. Sometimes Hope is Enough is an original play written by Michael Oatman about the moving and emotional journey of three siblings who come together to say their final goodbyes to their brother Thunder. After years of separation, the brothers push though the issues of their past to find the strength of family and discover that with help, “sometimes hope is enough.”

Following the performance, a panel of experts will discuss the research and policy implications of the realities portrayed in the play. Bridging the arts, research, practice and policy, this event will create a powerful vehicle for the Cleveland community to dialogue about the challenges facing young people in foster care, and the need for parents, mentors, and the cultivation of other connections and support systems.

Theater is a powerful tool for education. On April 19, the Schubert Center, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences and Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services will host Sometimes Hope is Enough, an original play developed by Cleveland's Karamu House about three adolescent siblings "aging out" of the foster care system. After the performance, a panel of experts from Case and the community will discuss the research, practice and policy implications of the issues portrayed in the play. Register for this event.

On April 5, the Schubert Center, the Department of Anthropology and the Phi Beta Kappa Society hosted Richard A. Shweder, PhD, cultural anthropologist and the William Claude Reavis Distinguished Service Professor of Human Development at the University of Chicago. Dr. Shweder gave a lecture titled, "When Cultures Collide: The Moral Challenge in Cultural Migration," which addressed the challenges liberal democracies face in their increasingly multicultural societies. Dr. Shweder's recent books include Thinking Through Cultures: Expeditions in Cultural Psychology and Why Do Men Barbecue? Recipes for Cultural Psychology.

Dr. Shweder spoke about Wisconsin v. Yoder, a 1972 Supreme Court case on whether compulsory school attendance laws violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. The case involved a group of Amish families who argued that Wisconsin laws requiring children to attend school through high school violated their right free exercise of religion. The Court found that compulsory secondary education did infringe upon the Amish parents' sincere religious beliefs and that Amish children continued their education after leaving school though vocational training in their communities. The decision also formed the basis for the legality of homeschooling. Dr. Shweder used the case as an example of how cultural pluralism can come into conflict with the policies of liberal democracies. In an world with increasing migration and multicultural states, many governments are challenged with finding a legal and moral balance between respect for cultural practices and what they regard as universal human rights.

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A recent release from the CDC estimates that 1 in 88 American children born in 2000 has been identified as having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a 23% increase since their 2009 report. They attribute at least some of the increase to greater awareness and diagnosis, especially among minority children. However, increased screening and diagnoses do not account for all of the increase. Among the sample population, 44% of children had Autistic Disorder, 47% had Autism Spectrum Disorders/Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and 9% had Asperger Disorder. ASDs affect almost five times as many boys as girls. No single cause of autism is known, although children born prematurely or to older parents are at slightly higher risk.

Another study identified ten signs of possible autism in children between six and twelve months, including rarely smiling at caregivers and poor eye contact. Common signs among older toddlers include not playing "pretend" games by 18 months, delayed speech, and having trouble understanding others' feelings. Current recommendations are that all children be screened for autism by age 2, as early diagnosis and intervention can lead to better outcomes.

A study of children born between 1992 and 2001 found that around 10% children with the diagnosis, labeled "bloomers", move from low functioning in early childhood to high functioning after puberty, with some even no longer fitting the diagnosis for ASD. These children were more often diagnosed before age 3, more likely to have higher-educated, non-minority mothers, and were less likely to have a intellectual disability than children of other trajectories. These findings support other research that some children diagnosed with ASDs will grow out of the diagnosis. The authors suggest that these children might be able to advocate for intervention services for their children.

The Case Western chapter of Autism Speaks U lit up the Peter B. Lewis Building blue on April 2 for National Autism Awareness Day.

Read the CDC's Community Report.

Read a Washington Post article on the report.

Read a New York Times article on the report.

Each year, the Schubert Center hosts the Experiential Learning in Child Policy (CHST 302) course, as part of the Childhood Studies Minor. The course is designed to interactively teach a small group of undergraduate students the complexities of the policy-making process, particularly pertaining to child policy. During spring break in March, four students traveled to Washington, DC with Child Policy Director and course instructor Gabriella Celeste and Assistant Director Sarah Robinson to meet with important policy players including think tanks, legislators, executive agencies, and advocacy groups. The group also made time to tour the Capitol building and US Supreme Court on their final day in DC.

The course met with representatives from the following organizations:

• First Focus: a nonpartisan child advocacy group, where students learned about the role of advocacy in child-related legislation
• US Congressional Budget Office (CBO): a legislative budget development and analysis agency that discussed calculating the costs and benefits of proposed federal programs
• Brookings Institute: a public policy think tank, where students learned about the role of research in policy making
• Government Accountability Office: a nonpartisan agency that advises the government on cost and efficacy of federal programs, where students learned about the interaction between the GAO, executive agencies, and congress
• Society for Research and Child Development (SRCD): a nonprofit professional society that promotes the role of research in policy creation and the importance of distributing facts and research to Congress and the general public
• The Presidential Bioethics Commission: a governmental commission that advises the President on issues related to ethics in research and biotechnology; students learned about the process of investigating research conducted by Americans in Guatemala during the 1940s 
• The Health and Human Services Office of Planning Research & Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families: a government agency that provides guidance to the Assistant Secretary for Family and Children where students learned about conducting research on children and families, and the role of evidence in policy evaluation
• CATO Institute: a nonprofit, libertarian think tank where students learned their child-related advocacy and ideas about the role of federal government in child-related programs
• Office of Speaker John Boehner (R-OH8): students met with legislative assistants and spoke about issues affecting Ohio, as well as Representative Boehner’s experience as Speaker of the House
• Office of Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH11): students met with a senior legislative assistant and spoke about child-related issues and the role of legislative assistants
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP): a governmental agency administered by the Department of Justice that provides national resources to reduce juvenile crime and victimization where students learned about implementing and funding federal programs at the state level, including the Youth PROMISE Act and the Defending Childhood Initiative
• Campaign for Youth Justice and Justice for Families: advocates for incarcerated youth who taught students about injustice in the juvenile justice system and the importance and effectiveness of advocacy.
• Heritage Foundation: a conservative think tank where students learned about correlations between marriage and child poverty 
• Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP): nonpartisan think tank that encourages policy makers to consider the needs of low-income families and individuals where students learned about the federal budget and the effects of past and current policies on rising national debt
• Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO): students met with the senator and a legislative assistant to discuss child-related policy issues including education and juvenile justice
• Office of Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS): students met with two legislative assistants and discussed issues related to both Kansas and children, in addition to their experiences as legislative assistants
• Office of Representative Steven LaTourette (R-OH14): students met with a legislative assistant to discuss child-related issues and collaborative processes among legislators
• Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH): students attended Senator Brown’s weekly constituent coffee and briefly spoke with the senator, followed by discussions with staff members about child-related issues, Congress, and what it means to be a constituent from Ohio
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): an executive agency that provides guidance to ameliorate substance abuse and mental illness where students learned about the impact of these issues on our country and spoke with Administrator Pamela Hyde to discuss challenges and SAMHSA’s goals

Check out more photos from the trip on our Facebook page!