From the Department of Depressing Statistics

Two stories in the special-needs news this week point up that while there is much that's inspirational about raising kids with special needs, it can still be hard and heartbreaking work. In one story, research found that families raising children with disabilities, even on middle-class incomes, are struggling to put food on the table and pay their phone bill. In the other, statistics showed that, in states that allow corporal punishment, the beatings fall more frequently on students in special education than their regular-education counterparts.

I wish I could say I'm surprised by any of that. But given all the intolerance for people with autism and food allergies and intellectual disabilities in the news these days, it's not so shocking to see families being left to struggle without help, or children being treated like all they need is stronger discipline. Depressing? Yeah. But not shocking.

"Shocked" is just what researchers from the University of North Carolina were, though, when they looked at the financial problems plaguing families of children with disabilities. They had expected to find federal programs eliminating economic hardships, but instead found that income restrictions kept many families from receiving that help, though not from going under financially. Families with incomes more than three times the federal poverty level were still unable to pay rent, and often postponed needed medical and dental care. According to a UNC News report:

The research results offer a compelling reason to expand eligibility standards for federal programs designed to assist families with disabled children .... Though more study is needed to determine how best to assist these families, UNC researchers suggest that increasing the income limits for food stamps, housing assistance and federal Supplemental Security Income, which assists low-income people with disabilities, would probably be a good start. Raising the asset limit for Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid, the federal insurance program for the poor and disabled, so that families are not penalized for saving money in case of a hardship would also help ....

The free and appropriate public education children with disabilities are supposed to get should be one area free from hardship, but for children in U.S. states where corporal punishment is allowed -- Texas and Mississippi top the list -- being in special education makes you a target. According to an Associated Press report, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union studied statistics from the Department of Education and found that, among the 200,000-plus kids who received disciplinary swats in 2006-2007, a disproportionate number were African American, Indian American, or in special education. Parents were allowed to fill out paperwork requesting that their child not be paddled, but schools often went ahead and did it anyway.

Fortunately, I live in a state where corporal punishment is not allowed. Yet there's still a reluctance to follow a behavior plan and use techniques designed to get good behavior without yelling, threats, and put-downs. The "he could do it if he wanted to" mindset remains, and that's harmful even when it's not accompanied by swats.

Has your family experienced the financial hardships similar to those found by the UNC researchers? Has your child received corporal punishment? Share your experiences in the polls, and in the comments below. Then go read some inspirational stuff again to get your hopes back up.

Read more: Special Needs News | Site of the Day | One Family's Story of Hardship and Hope