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www.mathworksheetsland.com

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https://dpi.wi.gov/sped/program/autism

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http://padlet.com/gmederos/paraprofessional

http://padlet.com/gmederos/takeaways3

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marrero
Bluelakes1

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https://www.speechtechie.com/
https://www.itcannotbecontained.com/

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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1hPKxMtvmkbs-ZlpL3fnRz19vNpWQH46rgBWHI_x2DGI/edit#slide=id.p

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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ATWebCQbo0fxyp4yK0ayRS0sQ-mXZCknKH-aLu3sb5U/edit?usp=sharing

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http://ehandbooks.dadeschools.net/policies/235.pdf

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http://ehandbooks.dadeschools.net/user_guides/74.pdf

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http://ehandbooks.dadeschools.net/policies/93.pdf

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https://padlet.com/lauriflores/DistanceLearning1

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Communication Matrix gives free assessment

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Communication Matrix gives free assessment

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Free Communication Assessment at www.communicationmatrix.org
The Matrix Is Free
The Communication Matrix is one of a kind; it’s the only free online communication assessment for individuals in the beginning stages of communication. We keep it free because we believe in its power to help people. Try it for free now.

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Minutes/Subject in Student Progression Plan

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Minutes/Subject in Student Progression Plan

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http://ehandbooks.dadeschools.net/policies/93.pdf

See Page 54 and on

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https://padlet.com/fdlrsnefec/CIAP_materials

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CUM Folder Organization Checklist by VPerez

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CUM Folder Organization Checklist by VPerez

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This is the form I created to help me organize the cumulative records for the entire year.

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https://padlet.com/tmcalpin/uv2td8qzd73y

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https://padlet.com/sarango/ESEToolkitforLEARepresentatives

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Notes collection from V

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For Annual IEPs:

you must bring a copy of the previous BIP and be prepared to review current data and graph in order to add it to the current IEP

you must bring a copy of the ATIP and review progress and document the last sheet with date of current IEP

you must bring current assessment data

you must draft the entire IEP prior to the meeting

you must notify the SLP to update their corresponding section

you must notify the OT/PT (send email !) with sufficient time so that they may provide you with FM 6884 to be reviewed with the parent at the IEP

you must distribute the following forms:  (Access Points Form (modified curriculum students), Medicaid Form, and Non Discouragement Form ) TWICE to the parent (1. In Person and 2. Sent Notification) and add responses for each distribution

You must draft the Matrix prior to the meeting to ensure the cost factor remains the same unless services are being reduced or increased. If that is the case the SLP/OT/PT must attend the meeting.

No therapies can be dismissed without a meeting with the Staffing Specialist.

For Interim IEPs:

you must bring a copy of the previous BIP and be prepared to review current data and graph in order to add it to the current IEP

you must bring a copy of the ATIP and review progress and document the last sheet with date of current IEP

you must bring current assessment data

you must draft the entire Interim  IEP prior to the meeting

if the parent is concerned about progress in Speech and/or Language, the SLP must be added to Notice of Meeting and present with data to discuss progress

if the parent is concerned about progress in OT or PT, the therapist must be added to Notice of Meeting and  present with data to discuss progress

you must distribute the following forms:  (Access Points Form (modified curriculum students), Medicaid Form, and Non Discouragement Form ) TWICE to the parent (1. In Person and 2. Sent Notification) and add responses for each distribution.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are prepared for your meetings.

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Revised Forms for Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)/Response to Intervention (RtI) Process

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Revised Forms for Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)/Response to Intervention (RtI) Process

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Guidelines for Permitting Private Service Providers in the Educational Setting

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Guidelines for Permitting Private Service Providers in the Educational Setting

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Briefing ID #: 20154

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Procedures for Receiving and Processing Private Psycho-Educational Evaluations for Exceptional Student Education (ESE) or Gifted Programs

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Procedures for Receiving and Processing Private Psycho-Educational Evaluations for Exceptional Student Education (ESE) or Gifted Programs

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Briefing ID #: 23409

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Best Practices for Modified Curriculum Teachers- December

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4/26/19, the following procedures will be  followed.  might have changed

ACADEMIES - ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL OF STUDENTS

Parents park in Academies Campus parking lot for arrival and dismissal or students in the Academies Campus.

Students are to be walked into the building every morning and into the classroom by the parents.

The classroom doors will open by 8:25am. Instruction will begin promptly at 8:35am. All parents must leave the building at that time.

Students arriving at school after the 8:35 am bell to the Academy Campus are considered tardy and must report to the Academies Campus main office to receive a pass to enter their classroom. Parents need to sign the tardy book indicating the reason for tardiness. The teacher or paraprofessional will come to pick up the child. Parents are not to walk to classroom if arriving late. (Middle School Building).

At dismissal, students will be walked to the main entrance of the school by the teachers. Parents are to wait outside the building in that area. No parents are to walk to the classrooms for dismissal.

Parents who need to pick up students prior to dismissal times MUST report to the office to sign the child out of school. Please be prepared to show proper identification to have your child leave school before the scheduled dismissal time. Students WILL NOT be released to anyone who is not authorized by the parent and listed on the student emergency contact card. It is the parent’s responsibility to notify the office in writing if any names are to be added or deleted from the list of those authorized to take your child from school.

Due to distractions and interruption of the learning process, no student will be released within the final thirty (30) minutes of the school day unless the principal determines it is an emergency as per School Board Policy.

Copies of the parent handbook will be given to each teacher and are to be sent home today.

If you have any questions, please see me or Mrs. Del Rio.

Carol M. Espinosa, MS.Ed.

SPED Program Specialist

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optimize webpages forPrint and PDFformat, so you save money and the environment

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Teaching Students with Disabilities Workshop

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Teaching Students with Disabilities Workshop

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Also Available at: http://www.fl-pda.org/

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https://www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2007/1203_Velleman_Shelley_3/
file:///C:/Users/307096/Downloads/1203_Velleman_Shelley_3.pdf

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https://padlet.com/middleswartj

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Imagine that you show up to an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting, whether you are a parent or a professional, and you see a goal like this:
"Bonnie will learn the letters of the alphabet."
What would you think?

I hope you would think, "What does that even mean??". What exactly is she supposed to learn? What they're called? What sounds they make? How to sing the song? And how will you know that she has "learned" them? And when does she need to have this done by?

All in all, this is a terrible goal.

So how does one write a decent IEP goal? Well, I'm going to explain it to you and give you the formula. If you're a professional (such as a speech therapist), this will help you in writing goals for your student. If you are a parent, this will help you understand what types of goals should be written for your child and know how to ask for clarification if the goals you find in your child's IEP aren't up to these standards.

Click the Player to Listen to This Content, Or Scroll Down to Keep Reading:
For More Productivity Hacks for Speech Therapists, Click Here!
Step One: Identify the Areas of Concern

The first step for writing any good goal is to identify the area of concern. These concerns should be written in the "Present Level of Academic Performance" area of the IEP (some schools/states name that area something slightly different). You can figure out what areas are of concern by using standardized tests, developmental checklists, common core curriculum benchmarks/standards, or any other skills assessments that you have access to. This section should also include information on how that area of concern impacts the child in the educational setting.

For example, you could say "Jimmy is not able to stand on his head for more than 3 minutes." That is definitely an area of concern for poor Jimmy. However, it is not educationally relevant. That is to say, his lack of head-stand skills is very unlikely to cause him problems in the classroom. Unless, of course, there is a head-stand competition and his grade depends on it...but let's assume that's probably not going to happen. For that reason, Jimmy's head-stand disability should not be included in the present level of academic performance.

Instead, we should be writing things like "In spontaneous speech, Jimmy does not include any grammatical markers in his utterances. This makes his speech sound 'telegraphic' which causes him to be very difficult to understand. This impacts Jimmy's ability to communicate his wants and needs with teachers and peers, participate in classroom discussions, and initiate and maintain appropriate relationships with peers."

The key to this section is to write what the child is having difficulty with (specifically) and then how it impacts him in the classroom.

Here are a few examples of how communication delays may impact a child in the classroom:

Difficulty being understood by teachers and peers

Difficulty communicating basic wants and needs to teachers and peers

Difficulty initiating and maintaining relationships with peers

Difficulty participating in classroom discussions

Making it difficult for teachers to assess knowledge and skill acquisition

Difficulty understanding classroom texts and reading

Difficulty following directions to complete educational tasks

Difficulty following routines

Difficulty understanding and retaining new concepts presented in class

Difficulty attending to auditory/verbal stimuli

Difficulty retelling past events in a logical manner or forming narratives

Step Two: Each Area of Concern Should be Addressed in the IEP

Ok, here's a big takeaway guys. If you write a concern in the Present Level of Academic Performance, you need to address it somewhere in the IEP. That means, you can write a goal for how you will help the child overcome that concern. You could also write an accommodation or modification that will address the area of concern (such as sitting a child closer to the teacher to accommodate for attention or hearing problems). Just keep in mind that each area needs to be addressed. You can't just say that something is a problem and then never say what you're going to do about it.

FOR PARENTS: As you are reading your child's IEP, make sure that each area of concern is addressed somewhere in the IEP. I like to take notes when they are going through the Present Level and make a bullet point for each concern. Then, I mark off that concern when they address it in the IEP. At the end of the IEP meeting, if I still have concerns on my list that haven't been marked off, I ask about how they will be addressed.

Step Three: Choose an Area of Concern and Write a Goal

Ok, so now that you know all of the areas you are going to write goals for, you need to sit down and write the goal. Don't stress, I'll help you! Here is a general framework that will help you think about your goals. Maybe you've heard of it, it's called "S.M.A.R.T. Goal-Writing". Every goal you write should be:

Let's break it down:

S pecific: Each goal should specifically state what the child will do. It should be so specific that a substitute could walk in, read the goal, watch the child, and then know exactly if the child can do that skill or not. Your goal should include what the child will do, in what setting he will do it, what accuracy he should do it with, and what kinds of support he should need.

FOR PARENTS: When reading a goal in your child's IEP, make sure that you understand what that skill is. If you don't understand it, ASK!! If you don't understand everything in your child's IEP, you won't be able to help him/her! No one will think you're dumb for asking questions. They are supposed to be writing in language that parents can understand so if you don't understand, then they didn't do their jobs.

M easurable: Each goal should specifically state how the skill will be measured. Make sure that you state not only how data will be collected but exactly what percentage/accuracy will be attained. You should also write this section so a substitute could come in and assess it without you explaining how.

FOR PARENTS: Based on what this goal says, could you collect data on if your child had met this goal if you had the correct materials? If not, ask for the goal-writer to clarify how data will be collected. This is important because if your child moves to a new speech therapist, teacher, or other professional halfway through the IEP cycle (which often happens), you want to make sure that the second person will collect data in the same way that the first person did.

A ttainable: Make sure that the goal you set is something that you reasonably expect that the child will accomplish in the given time frame. I know this can be hard to do if you're doing an evaluation and don't know how quickly the child will progress, but take a good guess. The IEP can (and should) be revised halfway through the IEP cycle if the child is making faster or slower progress than expected.

FOR PARENTS: If the goal seems too hard or too easy, ask when and how progress will be monitored and ask when a revision will happen if the child is making faster or slower progress than expected.

R elevant: The goal should be relevant to each child's individual needs. This means, you can't just use the same goal for everyone on your caseload. Each goal should be customized to what that child needs. Also, the goals should be relevant to the child's educational needs. We can go back to our example of head-stands as a goal that would not be relevant to a child's educational needs.

FOR PARENTS: For each goal, ask this question in your head: "So what?". If you know the answer to why this goal is important or helpful for your child, then it's probably pretty relevant. If not, ask the goal-writer, "How will this goal help my child?". Perhaps you just need an explanation of how learning grammatical markers will help him with his writing or reading assignments.

T ime-Bound: Each goal should explicitly say what time frame it will be achieved in. You can say things like "by the end of the IEP cycle..." or "in one year..." or "by ___ date...". This allows you to specify if this is a goal that will take the child all year to accomplish or if you expect it to be mastered and knocked out of the way early on to leave time for working on harder skills.

FOR PARENTS: If a goal doesn't specifically say when it will be achieved by, ask the goal-writer. You can't just assume that every goal will take the whole year. Sometimes, a goal-writer makes a goal that they only expect to take a few months to master. It is important to know how long it should take so you know if they are on track or not.

The Formula for Writing Goals:

We've talked about all of the things that should be included in an IEP goal, but that's a little wordy, so let's simplify it. Here are the parts of the formula that need to be included in a good IEP goal:

Bam! There it is! Each of those 6 boxes is one thing that you must include in your goal although you can arrange them in any order that you like. Here are the parts written out in case you can't read the graphic:

By _____ (When the child will master the goal by: by the end of the IEP cycle, by a certain date, in six months)

Student will _______ (Write the specific skill that the child will do)

In ______ setting/context (Where will the skill be measured? In the classroom? In the therapy room? In conversational speech? At the sentence level? During peer interactions?)

As measured by ______ (How will progress be measured? With data collection? By teacher report? A language sample? A checklist? A tally sheet?)

With ____ accuracy (How accurate must the child be? Examples: 80% accuracy, in 4 of 5 trials, on 3 of 4 observed opportunities, on 5 consecutive data collection days)

With ____ supports (Can the child have any supports and still be considered to have met the goal? Examples: Independently, with reminders, with verbal prompts, with physical prompts, with partial physical assistance, with visual cues)

Here is an example of how this may look:
By the end of the IEP cycle, Johnny will correctly produce the pronouns "he" and "she" when retelling a story that has just been read aloud in the speech therapy room as measured by data collection with at least 80% accuracy and no more than 2 reminders as needed.
Ok, I know that is quite a mouthful. But when you break it down, it has all of the information we need. These are not designed to be great conversational pieces. They are designed to convey enough information that if you passed your IEP on to another professional, they could pick up with exactly what you were intending to do. And remember, many children change schools or move mid-IEP cycle so that very well could happen to you! If you get a new kiddo, you're going to want his goals to be written like this as well.

Including Baselines:

Some schools and states require that baselines be included in each IEP goal so it is clear where the child started and how far they've come. If you want or need to include baseline, you can add it to the above formula by replacing your "Student will", "supports", and "accuracy" sections with this:
"...student will increase/decrease ______ from a baseline of ____ accuracy with ____ supports to ____accuracy with _____ supports..."
An example goal would look like this:
By the end of the IEP cycle, Johnny will increase correct production of the pronouns "he" and "she" when retelling a story that has just been read aloud in the speech therapy room from a baseline of 57% accuracy with 3 reminders to at least 80% accuracy with no more than 2 reminders as needed.
You also may want to change the location of the goal from your baseline as well. For example, you could say that the child will go from doing a skill in the speech therapy room with 80% accuracy to in the classroom with 80% accuracy.

Step Four: Including Benchmarks:

So what are benchmark goals for? Benchmark goals are "mini" goals that are the steps leading up to a bigger goal. Think of these as the skills that the child will need to learn before he can do the larger goal. For example, if a child is going to answer a variety of "where" questions about a story read aloud, then some benchmark goals may be to answer "where" questions by pointing (where's the ball) and then answer "where" questions verbally about the location of objects immediately present (such as "where is the block? Under the table).

The key here is to include time stamps on when you expect these benchmark goals to be met by. If you do this right, you'll be able to easily see if the child is making adequate progress to meet the overall goal.

Let's take my example above and assume that your school district tracks and updates progress once per trimester. If that were the case, you could write the following goal and benchmark goals to get you there:
Overall Goal: By the end of the IEP cycle, Juliet will independently answer "where" questions about a book that has been read aloud in the therapy room with 80% accuracy as measured by data collection. Benchmark 1: By the end of the first trimester of this IEP cycle, Juliet will independently answer a "where's the ___" question by pointing to the correct object in the therapy room with 80% accuracy as measured by data collection. Benchmark 2: By the end of the second trimester of this IEP cycle, Juliet will independently answer a "where's the ____" question by verbally describing the location of the object in the therapy room with 80% accuracy as measured by data collection.
As you can see, the benchmarks follow the logical progression of skills that the child will need to learn how to answer "where" questions and can easily by measured by you or anyone else looking at the IEP. You'll easily be able to tell at progress-reporting time if she's on track to meet the goal. If she's not, you can modify the IEP accordingly (during a formal IEP meeting!).

How About Some Examples!

Whew! That was a lot to cover. If you would like some examples of this, please click the button below and I will send you my sample goal bank for speech therapists. I do not currently have any goal banks for other professionals as this is a speech therapy website, but hopefully they will give you some ideas that you can work from.
For More Productivity Hacks for Speech Therapists, Click Here!
More Resources for Speech-Language Pathologists:

Looking for more therapy ideas and resources to help you provide the BEST services to your clients? Join us in The SLP Solution, our membership program for speech-language professionals! Inside the membership, you'll find:

Step-By-Step Guides for teaching a variety of speech/language/communication skills

Pre-Made Worksheets and Therapy Activities for hundreds of different topics

Training Videos for dealing with difficult disorders or problems

Answers to Your Questions in our exclusive SLP community

Tools and Resources to help you with your paperwork and admin tasks

Continuing Education through our monthly webinars and webinar recordings

To join us in the full SLP Solution, or to snag a free membership, click on the button below!

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How to Write IEP Goals: A Guide for Parents and Professionals

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Imagine that you show up to an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting, whether you are a parent or a professional, and you see a goal like this: "Bonnie will learn the letters of the alphabet." What would you think? I hope you would think, "What does that even mean??".

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modifiedteacher.wikispaces.com has moved to www.modifiedteacher.com

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https://padlet.com/rodriguez003

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List of "Measurable" Verbs by Skill Area

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List of "Measurable" Verbs by Skill Area

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What is a sensory diet?

Just as your child needs food throughout the course of the day, the need for sensory input must also be met. A "sensory diet" (coined by OT Patricia Wilbarger) is a carefully designed, personalized activity plan that provides the sensory input a person needs to stay focused and organized throughout the day. Just as you may jiggle your knee or chew gum to stay awake or soak in a hot tub to unwind, children need to engage in stabilizing, focusing activities too. Infants, young children, teens, and adults with mild to severe sensory issues can all benefit from a personalized sensory diet.

Each child has a unique set of sensory needs. Generally, a child whose nervous system is overaroused and too wired needs more calming input, while the child who is more underaroused and too tired needs more alerting input. A qualified occupational therapist can use her or his advanced training and evaluation skills to develop a strong sensory diet for your child-or you-but it's up to you and your child to implement it throughout the day.

The great news is that the effects of a sensory diet, combined with professional intervention, are usually immediate AND cumulative. Activities that perk up your child or calm him down are not only effective in the moment; they actually help to change your child's nervous system over time so that he or she is better able to:

tolerate sensations and situations that are challenging

regulate emotions, alertness and increase attention span

reduce unwanted sensory seeking and sensory avoiding behaviors

handle transitions with less stress

Creating a Sensory Diet: The Ingredients

It is strongly recommended that you work with an occupational therapist who has a solid understanding of sensory processing issues. One of the trickiest aspects of sensory difficulty is recognizing when a child is overreactive or underreactive in any given moment, and then calibrating sensory input to meet him where he is and provide a "just right challenge" to help him move forward into a "just right" state of being. That's why it's so important to partner up with knowledgeable help. Our comprehensive book, Raising a Sensory Smart Child, which includes the Sensory Checklist you can print here, is geared toward building your "sensory smarts."

Print out these sensory diet activities to get started. You'll need to modify them depending on your child's age, arousal level (does she to rev up or relax?), whether she is in school, at home, or away, and whether or not you have special equipment available. See our Toys and Equipment page for items that provide valuable sensory input. Also check our Working with Schools page regarding sensory diet at school.

Proprioception

Proprioceptive input (sensations from joints, muscles and connective tissues that underlie body awareness) can be obtained by lifting, pushing, and pulling heavy objects, including one's own weight. A child can also stimulate the proprioceptive sense by engaging in activities that push joints together like pushing something heavy or pull joints apart like hanging from monkey bars.

Toddlers and Preschoolers

Make a "burrito" or "sandwich." Firmly press on your child's arms legs and back with pillows or make a "burrito" by rolling her up in a blanket.

Push and pull. She can push her own stroller, and a stronger child can push a stroller or cart filled with weighted objects such as groceries.

Carry that weight. Your child can wear a backpack or fanny pack filled with toys (not too heavy!).

School-age Kids

Jump! Have your child jump on a mini-trampoline or rebounder or play hopscotch.

Push and pull. Have him vacuum, carry books from one room to another, help wash windows or a tabletop, and transfer wet laundry from the washing machine to the dryer.

Teenagers and Adults

Heavy lifting. Without straining, teens and adults can shovel snow or lift free weights.

Push, pull, and carry. Rake leaves, push heavy objects like firewood in a wheelbarrow, do push-ups against the wall, wear a heavy knapsack (not too heavy!) or pull a luggage cart-style backpack, or mow the lawn with a push mower.

Reassuring pressure. Get a firm massage, use a weighted vest or lap pad from a therapy catalog, or place light weights in the pockets of a fishing, athletic or regular type of vest. (Please see Raising a Sensory Smart Child for weighted wearable recommendations and precautions).

Vestibular

Vestibular input (the sense of movement, centered in the inner ear). Any type of movement will stimulate the vestibular receptors, but spinning, swinging, and hanging upside down provide the most intense, longest lasting input. If your child has vestibular (movement) sensitivities, please work closely with a sensory smart OT who can help you recognize and prevent signs of nervous system overload.

Toddlers and Preschoolers

Swing. Encourage her to swing on playground swings, trying various types of swings and movements, such as front to back and side to side.

Spin. Have him spin using a Sit n' Spin, Dizzy Disc Jr., or office chair. Let her run in circles, and ride a carousel. Hold your child's arm and spin in a circle as he lifts off the ground, or play airplane by holding one of his arms and the leg on the same side of his body as you spin in place (only if he does not have low muscle tone).

School-age kids

Get upside down. Have him hang upside down from playground equipment, do somersaults, or ride a loop-de-loop rollercoaster.

Swing and roll. Encourage her to use playground swings and roll down a grassy or snowy hill (which good proprioceptive input as well).

Spin. Encourage her to go on amusement park rides that spin, have a Dizzy Disc Jr..

Teenagers and Adults

Swing and spin. Swing on a hammock, use playground swings or merry-go-round (you're never too old!).

Move that body! Do cartwheels, swim (doing flip turns and somersaults in the water), do jumping jacks, and dance.

Tactile

The tactile sense detects light touch, deep pressure, texture, temperature, vibration, and pain. This includes both the skin covering your body and the skin lining the inside of your mouth. Oral tactile issues can contribute to picky eating and feeding difficulties.

Toddlers and Preschoolers

Food and drink. Let your child drink plain seltzer or carbonated mineral water to experience bubbles in her mouth (you can flavor it with a little juice or with lemon, lime, etc.).

Messy play with textures. Have her play with foamy soap or shaving cream, and add sand for extra texture. Have her fingerpaint, play with glitter glue, mix cookie dough and cake batter, and so on. Let your child use the playground sandbox or create your own at home, filling a bin with dry beans and rice or other materials and small toys. Cover and store the bin for future use.

Use child-friendly modeling material such as Play-Doh, Model Magic, and Sculpey (the classic Play-Doh Fun Factory provides excellent proprioceptive input as well). Never force a child who is unwilling to touch "yucky" substances. Let him use a paintbrush, stick, or even a toy for cautious exploration.

Dress up. Dress up in fun costumes to get used to the feel of unfamiliar clothing,

School-age kids

Food and drink. Provide your child with frozen foods (popsicles, frozen fruit or vegetables) and mixed temperature foods (hot fudge sundae, hot taco with cold toppings, etc.).

Get in touch with nature. Encourage him to walk barefoot in the grass (avoiding pesticide applications), sand, or dirt. Have him garden and repot indoor plants.

Play dress-ups. Encourage play with make-up, face painting, and costumes, putting on a play or making a mini movie with a video camera.

Teenagers and Adults

Tactile hobbies. Sculpt, sew, weave, crochet or knit. Create a scrapbook (which involves lots of pasting and working with different textures). Use sandpaper to smooth a woodworking project. Make things out of clay, and try using a potter's wheel.

Auditory

Auditory input refers to both what we hear and how we listen, and is physiologically connected with the vestibular sense. In addition to various types of recorded and live music, here are some ways kids and adults can get calming and organizing auditory input.

Get outside and listen. Go to the beach or sit still and listen to the rain, thunder, and so on. If you hear birds singing, try to identify what direction a given bird is calling from.

Listen to natural sound recordings. There are many recordings of rain falling, ocean waves, bird songs, and so on. Sometimes natural sound recordings also feature light instrumentation with flutes, keyboards, etc. Some children and adults find they sleep better if they play such music.

Play a listening game. You and your child sit very quietly and try to identify the sounds you hear (traffic, the hum of the refrigerator, a door shutting, etc.) and where it's coming from.

Find calming, focusing music. Listen to music specially engineered to promote calm, focus, energy, or creativity. Keep in mind, of course, that musical preference is highly idiosyncratic, so this will take some experimentation. The music you love may distress your child, while the music he finds so soothing may drive you up the wall.

Encourage musicianship. Provide your child with a musical instrument and encourage him to play and even take lessons.

Give him some control. For a child with auditory sensitivity, predicting and controlling sounds can be very helpful. Encourage him to turn on the vacuum cleaner, help him pop the balloons after a birthday party, anticipating the noise. Try Sound Eaze and School Eaze CDs that desensitize children to everyday sounds such as flushing toilets, thunder, barking dogs, alarms, and other sounds many kids find distressing.

Create pleasant sounds. Get a white noise machine, tabletop rocks-and-water fountain, or aquarium.

Visual

Visual input can often be overstimulating for a child with sensory issues. Think about ways you can simplify the visual field at home or school for a calming, organizing effect. Alternately, if the child seems "tuned out" and doesn't respond easily to visual stimulation, add brightly colored objects to encourage visual attention. For example, a child who has trouble getting aroused for play may be attracted by a brightly painted toy chest filled with toys in appealing colors. A child who seem unable to watch a ball as it rolls may be able to watch it if the ball lights up or makes noise as it moves.

Avoid excess visuals. Hide clutter in bins or boxes or behind curtains or doors-a simple, solid-color curtain hung over a bookshelf instantly reduces visual clutter. In rooms where the child spends a lot of time, try to use solid colored rugs instead of patterned ones. Solid-colored walls in neutral or soft colors are less stimulating than patterned wallpaper in bold colors.

Seat him elsewhere. Have your child sit at the front of a classroom where there is less distraction. He may also need to sit away from the window to avoid the allure of the outdoors. Some children do best sitting in the back of the room so they can monitor what other kids are doing without constantly turning around. Work with the teacher and an OT to see which seat placement works best.

Be color-sensitive. Avoid toys, clothes, towels, etc., in colors that your child find distressing.

Smell

Olfactory input (sense of smell) comes through the nose and goes straight to the most primitive, emotional part of the brain. So if your child is upset by something being stinky, it's no wonder. Certain odors can stimulate, calm, or send him into sensory overload.

Smell stuff! Explore scents with your child to find ones that work best to meet your goal (to soothe him or to wake him up). Everyone has different preferences, but vanilla and rose scents are generally calming. Peppermint and citrus are usually alerting. Let's say your child needs help staying calm and loves vanilla. You can use high-quality vanilla soap and bath oils at bath time, vanilla candles or essential oils in an aromatherapy machine at bedtime, and vanilla body lotion. Avoid synthetic scents.

Caution: Some kids, teens, and adults do not tolerate strong scents well. For them, use unscented laundry detergent and shampoos, and other unscented roducts.

Scent play. Play a smelling game with your child. Have her close her eyes or wear a blindfold and try to identify smells such as citrus fruit, flowers, spices such as cinnamon, and so on.

Taste

Taste input is perceived by our tongue but how we interpret or experience it is strongly influenced by our sense of smell. As an experiment, chew some gum until the flavor is gone, then hold a lemon under your nose; the gum will taste like lemon. Help your child with to broaden the tastes he tolerates or likes, and use strong tastes he enjoys to help arouse his sluggish system.

Give strong-tasting foods before introducing new ones. Strong tastes can stimulate the mouth of an undersensitive child and make him more willing to try new foods. Before presenting new foods, let the child have one peppermint, sour gummy bear, or other strong-flavored food.

Play a taste game. If your child does not have a strong negative reaction to refined sugar (becomes very "hyper" or sleepy), get an assortment of flavored jellybeans. Eat one at a time, and have her guess which flavor it is. If you wish to avoid sugar (and artificial color and flavor in most candies), you can play this game with slices of fruit, or another healthier snack.

Involve him in food preparation. Children are more likely to taste something if they help make it. Let your child help you grow fruit, vegetables, and herbs, and plan dinner and shop. Give him a sense of control: let him choose between chicken or fish, string beans or sugar snaps, potato or rice. Then let your child put the meat in the baking pan, break off vegetable tips and dump in water, and so on. Let him help you arrange food on each plate so it looks nice.

Play with your food. A so-called picky eater may be more willing to eat "rocks and trees" than meatballs and broccoli. Fun arrangements such as some vegetable sticks and grape tomatoes placed in a smiley face pattern on a plate encourage kids to taste something new.

Sample Sensory Diet

Here is a sample sensory diet, created for a second grade child with sensory processing disorder. We've used the annoying term "as directed" to avoid providing a cookbook recipe. Activities must be individualized for each child and modified frequently to meet changing needs. A separate program was worked out for this child with the school, including frequent movement breaks, an inflatable seat cushion for wiggling while remaining seated, and providing crunchy/chewy oral comfort snacks at handwriting time.

In the Morning

Massage feet and back to help wake up

Listen to recommended therapeutic listening CD

Use vibrating toothbrush and/or vibrating hairbrush

Eat crunchy cereal with fruit and some protein

Spin on Dizzy Disc Jr. as directed by your OT or PT

Jump on mini-trampoline as directed

After school

Go to playground for at least 30 minutes

Push grocery cart or stroller

Spinning as directed

Mini-trampoline. Add variety: have him play catch or toss toys into a basket while jumping.

Massage feet to "reorganize," use therapy putty, make "body sandwiches," wheelbarrow walk

Do ball exercises as directed

Listen to therapeutic listening CD

Oral work - suck thick liquids through a straw, eat crunchy and chewy snacks, or chew gum before and/or during tabletop activities

At dinnertime

Help with cooking, mixing, chopping, etc.

Help set table, using two hands to carry and balance a tray

Provide crunchy and chewy foods

At night

Family time: clay projects, painting projects, etc.

Warm bath with bubbles and calming essential oil

Massage during reading time

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A "sensory diet" is a personalized activity schedule that provides the sensory input a person's nervous system needs to stay focused and organized throughout the day.

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Good Morning _______ from ____School,

I am writing to invite you or a representative of _____ High School to attending an articulation meeting next ____day __/__/20__.  The meeting will be held in Room __ of ________School at __:__. The M-Team will be representing our 8th grade student (ID # and initial). This student will be transitioning to 9th grade and is needing a Self-Contained ASD Program for 2018-2019 school year.  Kindly reply to confirm attendance. Should you need additional information regarding this meeting, you may also reach me at this email: ______

I look forward to speaking with you.

Thank you,

________

Exceptional Students Education Teacher
Blue Lakes K-8 Center
Autism Intensive Communication Academy
Phone 305-271-7411
Fax 305-279-5103

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by e-mail.  If you have received this e-mail by mistake, please delete this e-mail from your system. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.

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For Annual IEPs:

you must bring a copy of the previous BIP and be prepared to review current data and graph in order to add it to the current IEP

you must bring a copy of the ATIP and review progress and document the last sheet with date of current IEP

you must bring current assessment data

you must draft the entire IEP prior to the meeting

you must notify the SLP to update their corresponding section

you must notify the OT/PT (send email !) with sufficient time so that they may provide you with FM 6884 to be reviewed with the parent at the IEP

you must distribute the following forms:  (Access Points Form (modified curriculum students), Medicaid Form, and Non Discouragement Form ) TWICE to the parent (1. In Person and 2. Sent Notification) and add responses for each distribution

For Interim IEPs:

you must bring a copy of the previous BIP and be prepared to review current data and graph in order to add it to the current IEP

you must bring a copy of the ATIP and review progress and document the last sheet with date of current IEP

you must bring current assessment data

you must draft the entire Interim  IEP prior to the meeting

if the parent is concerned about progress in Speech and/or Language, the SLP must be added to Notice of Meeting and present with data to discuss progress

if the parent is concerned about progress in OT or PT, the therapist must be added to Notice of Meeting and  present with data to discuss progress

you must distribute the following forms:  (Access Points Form (modified curriculum students), Medicaid Form, and Non Discouragement Form ) TWICE to the parent (1. In Person and 2. Sent Notification) and add responses for each distribution

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Provide Notice of Meeting in the mailbox of the general education teacher for every single IEP meeting, EP and Section 504 Plan meeting.  Make sure you highlight the date and time.  Also, make sure you verbally speak to them before the meeting to remind them about their required participation.
They need to plan ahead and be ready to attend.

They are required members of the team.
They are required to attend the entire meeting and give their input.
They are required to sign all documents.
There are times when the parent excuses them prior to the meeting being over, but that is entirely up to the parent.

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Visual Perceptual Skills

Here is a home/ class program for visual perceptual accommodations

Some good websites to check out are:

www.eyecanlearn.com. It has good visual activities.

You can find some visual perceptual activities in the shop as well.

Visual Spatial Relations: The ability to determine that one form or part of a form is turned in a different direction than the others.

Can cause problems with:

difficult for the child to plan actions in relation to objects around him/her;

difficulty with spatial concepts such as "in, out, on, under, next to, up, down, in front of.;"

difficulty differentiating between "b, d, p, q;"

leads to poor sight vocabulary;

contributes to difficulty reading charts, maps and diagrams;

results in inconsistent symbol reversals and transposing numbers or letters

losing place on a page;

difficulty finding what is being looked for,

attending to a task,

remembering left and right,

math computations if more than one digit;

forgets where to start reading.

Activities to do:

navigate through an obstacle course

copy 3-D block designs

place plastic letters into a bag, and have the child identify the letter by "feel"

identify numbers or letters that have been made incorrectly in several places, and the child has to identify each place the letter has an error (you can do this on a chalk board and the child can erase the errors and correct them).

Compensatory Strategies:

graph paper can help with spacing of letters or math problems

papers with raised lines can help with finding the space of letters or margins.

visual cues of colored lines on margins or a sticker can be used.

you can use a "glue" raised line on the margins of a cutting task to help them "feel" where to cut.

Use visual cues (e.g., colored dot) to indicate place on a map or chart, or puzzle pieces.

Draw directional arrows to help with directions or placement (e.g., for letter formation).

Wear something on one arm to indicate direction (e.g., watch on left arm to indicate left direction.

Allow oral arithmetic.

Sequential Memory: The ability to remember a series of forms and find it among four other series of forms; Visual sequential memory reflects a child's ability to recall a series or sequence of forms.
Can cause problems with:

ability to sequence letters or numbers in words or math problems,

remember the alphabet in sequence,

copy from one place to another (e.g., from board, from book, from one side of the paper to the other),

spell,

perform math,

retrieve words with reversals or when out of order,

remember order of events after reading (which affects reading comprehension).

The child would also tend to forget assignments and forget steps that are shown in an activity.

Activities to do:

complete word search puzzles that require you to look for a series of letters

Play games such as Bingo which require you to look for a specific form.

Visual Discrimination : Visual discrimination refers to a child's ability to differentiate between objects and forms. It gives us the ability to notice subtle differences and to identify if something does or does not belong. For example, this skill is important for identifying and exchanging money, and matching and sorting objects.
Can cause problems with:

problems in dressing (i.e., matching shoes or socks),

correcting errors in school work,

distinguishing similarities and differences in the formation of letters (i.e., letter reversal) or objects,

discriminating between size of letters and objects,

matching two dimension to three dimension such as alphabet letters.

Activities to do:

have them "grade" a paper that has letters formed incorrectly (size or shape) and circle them with a red pen. Only look for size errors first, then formation errors.

make flash cards with a correct letter on one side and an incorrectly formed letter on the other side. Have the child try to draw the letter correctly, then turn over the card to see if it is right. (Have them write in sand or with finger paint to make it more fun)

use a popsicle stick with marks on it to help the child figure out what is good sized space in his writing.

Use a green marker to make marks on the child's writing sample to indicate good spaces, and a red marker to make lines for poor spacing. When child understands, let them "grade" their own paper.

have the child identify words or numbers spaced incorrectly on the lines (above or below), and circle the errors with red pen.

work on size by having them identify words with incorrect capitals inside them.

work on margins by having the child use a 1" cardboard boarder on top of his paper to visually guide him. Have him grade a paper by marking out any letters outside of the writing margin.

Form Constancy: The ability to see a form and find it among other forms, although it may be sized different or rotated; Visual form constancy reflects a child's ability to recognize forms, letters, or words regardless of their orientation (i.e., if a form were upside down, sideways, inverted, etc.).
Can cause problems with:

would make reading difficult as the child might not recognize familiar letters when presented in different styles of print (fonts, size, or color);

result in being slower to master the alphabet and numbers;

lead to difficulty recognizing errors;

cause confusion between "p, q and g", "a and o", "b and d";

making a transition from printed letters to cursive letters;

assuming the size of objects regardless of their distance;

looking at things from an angle;

understanding volumetric concepts such as mass, amount and quantity;

recognizing things that should be familiar when environmental conditions change.

An issue with visual form constancy also reflects attention and focus, which makes it difficult to complete seatwork.

Activities to do:

Practice building block designs according to a diagram or a model.

Complete construction-type activities such as Duplo, Lego or other building blocks; K-Nex, or Erector Sets.

Compensatory Strategies:

give the child what is to be copied on a paper laying flat on their desk, rather than the board,

or copy from another child's paper

try to use the same font or style of letter on handouts as the child is used to in school. (like the "a" here is not like a D'Neilian "a".)

when learning a letter form, have the child work in the same plane as it is being taught (they need a vertical board if that's what you're using)

teach them to tilt their head or eyes if they have trouble visualizing something at a certain angle.

Visual Memory: Visual memory reflects the child's ability to store visual details of what has been seen in the short-term memory. If details aren't stored, there will also be difficulty accurately recalling, and in some instances reproducing, all of the characteristics of a given item.
Can cause problems with:

may have problems reproducing figures (letters, numbers, shapes or symbols) from memory causing the child to mix lower and uppercase letters.

Deficits also influence copying from a text or chalkboard,

replicating information on worksheets and tests,

comprehending reading,

dialing a phone number,

remembering sight words,

transferring learned words from one medium to another,

remembering what was read,

reproducing figures from memory.

The child would tend to copy only one letter or number at a time from the board, and would benefit from a visual model of the text to be reproduced (e.g., model placed on desk or on sheet above on the page that child has to copy from, alphabet strip on desk, mini word-wall on desk, etc.).

Subsequent storage of visual information in the long-term memory is important for performance areas including community mobility - identifying familiar surroundings such as a neighborhood or school campus and successfully navigating one's way

Activities to do:

playing games such as Memory.

if working on recalling formations for letters, have them try to draw it with their eyes closed to remember the shape of the letter.

Use bendable things such as pipe cleaners to form letters and shapes (because feeling a shape can help them visualize [see] the shape). The letters can then be glued onto index cards, and later the child can touch them to "feel" the shape of the letter.

Compensatory Strategies:

make verbal descriptions of the letters (m and n have humps)

placing a memory strip on his notebook or desk, or other area where he has difficulty recalling something.

if they can use a word processor, have them use spell check to help find misspelled words.

Visual Closure: Visual closure reflects a child's ability to look at an incomplete shape, object or amount, and fill in the missing details in order to identify what it would be if it were complete. This skill requires abstract problem solving.
Can cause problems with:

student's ability to write,

to use worksheets or test forms that are poorly photocopied,

copy something if he/she cannot see the complete presentation of what is to be copied,

complete partially drawn pictures or stencils,

spell,

complete assignments,

complete dot-to-dot worksheets or puzzles,

identify mistakes in written material,

perform mathematics (including geometry),

solve puzzles.

The child tends to leave out parts of words or entire words, and leaves out parts of worksheets.

Compensatory Strategies:

Have a completed project placed near the student, as well as step-by-step instructions to complete a novel project.

Arrange seat placement right in front of the chalkboard, dry erase board, or overhead projector.

Present cleanly photocopied worksheets and test forms.

Give student a "helpful hint" about mistakes in order to give him/her a second chance to correct some of the errors, due to his/her difficulty recognizing errors in written material.

Work with puzzles of any kind. Begin with simple ones and then increase the number of pieces or the type of puzzle (3-D). Make sure the child has the concept of finding and describing the sameness and differences between puzzle pieces (flat, cornered or curved edge, type of color, words or objects on the piece.)

Complete mazes of increasing difficulty

Figure Ground: The ability to perceive a form and find it hidden in a conglomerated ground of matter; Visual figure-ground refers to the ability to locate and identify shapes and objects embedded in a busy visual environment, or the ability to attend to one activity without being distracted by other surrounding stimuli.
Can cause problems with:

may have difficulty attending to a word on a printed page due to his/her inability to block out other words around it,

difficulty filtering out visual distractions such as colorful bulletin boards or movement in the room in order to attend to the task at hand,

difficulty sorting and organizing personal belongings (may appear disorganized or careless in work),

over attend to details and miss "big picture",

or overlooks details and misses important information (e.g., word recognition, locating one object within a group, finding place on the page or skips pages and sections, noticing punctuation),

difficulty copying from the board and may omit segments of words,

difficulty recognizing misformed letters and uneven spacing,

difficulty with hidden picture activities,

may lack visual search strategies,

have difficulty locating a friend on the playground or finding a specific item in a cluttered desk.

An issue with visual figure ground also reflects attention and focus, which makes it difficult to complete seatwork.

Activities to do:

Play games such as Bingo which require you to look for a specific form.

Find hidden pictures in books such as Where's Waldo, I Spy, or in the Highlights Magazines.

Find objects in a cluttered room or in a cluttered picture.

Compensatory Strategies:

when working on a chalk board, make sure it is erased good so that the child has less clutter to look at

keep their desk clear of distractions

sit their desk in an area closer to the front to avoid the distractions of other students and their desks. (Use a study carrel if needed).

eliminate as much of the visually stimulating classroom wall decorations as possible, especially near their desk.

have the homework area at home in a distraction free place

keep interesting objects behind closed doors

don't have a worksheet cluttered with "cute" decorations

place a colored place mat under their materials they're working on

use a red marker to outline boundaries for coloring, mazes or cutting tasks.

place only one activity on a page

make a construction paper screen to block out most of the page, so only the one item is in view.

when working on puzzles, present one piece at a time, and cover unneeded pieces of the puzzle.

**Encourage the child to practice the habits of keeping their work area clear, use the easiest kind of paper, and block out distractions on worksheets.**

Visual Perceptual Activities

Sold By Therapy Fun Zone

Sold By Therapy Fun Zone

Sold By Therapy Fun Zone

Visual Motor Activities

Visual Perceptual Blog Posts

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Visual Perceptual Skills - Therapy Fun Zone

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Visual Perceptual Skills Here is a home/class program for visual perceptual accommodations Some good websites to check out are: www.eyecanlearn.com. It has good visual activities. You can find some visual perceptual activities in the shop as well. Visual Spatial Relations: The ability to determine that one form or part of a form is turned ...

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https://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/rd14t/resources.do write sentences

https://media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/explorermag/scout/2017-03/interactive/YOUNG-SC-March-WEBVIEWER_m23_1/wrapper.html

http://www.uniteforliteracy.com

https://www.getepic.com  read to me

https://www.getepic.com/app/ sign up for free read aloud stories

http://www.storylineonline.net/ read aloud books

http://justbooks

http://readaloud.com/

http://www.e-learningforkids.org/

http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/

http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceStudentTutorial/Preview/120348

http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/mitchell/technology/lessons/lessons.html

landforms

http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/eliot/technology/lessons/landforms/landforms.html

MONEY

http://media.abcya.com/games/counting_money/flash/counting_money.swf

http://media.abcya.com/games/learning_coins/flash/learning_coins.swf

BEHAVIOR
https://bouncyballs.org/

VIDEOS – sign up for free content

https://online.kidsdiscover.com/home

https://www.flocabulary.com/subjects/  GREAT VIDEOS WITH SONGS and quiz at the end of video

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This is the activation code for your home version of ActivInspire:

0016-2400-0502-7192-2002

Promethean site for Miami-Dade resources:

http://www.prometheanworld.com/us/english/education/miami-dade/

Link to the training videos, manuals, lesson repository and CALIBRATION tool for PC and MACS:

http://www.prometheanworld.com/us/english/education/resources/

Directions for how to download ActivInspire on your home computer:
https://support.prometheanworld.com/download/activinspire.html?custom_lang=en_US

https://promethean.box.com/howtodownloadactivinspire

Link to Orientation Manual:

https://promethean.box.com/OrientationManual

Link to Orientation Manual:

https://promethean.box.com/OrientationManual

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Split PDFs worksheets into pages

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QIEP Section 3 Handouts Intro (7-27-12) - FDLRS
PDFFDLRS › IEPDocs › Developing Quality ...

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ASD in Inclusive Setting by SuperDuper Publications

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ASD in Inclusive Setting by SuperDuper Publications

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This allows you to limit your kids to one app usage and block what you don't what them to touch.

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Word doc to edit to your liking. I copy&paste goals directly form IEP glance.

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To keep track of what goes in and out of the class

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Form 2431 Class Roster extracted from original field trip packet

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Form 2431 Chaperones Roster extracted form original field trip packet.

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https://www.ocali.org/up_archive_doc/Supporting-Literacy-in-Individuals-with-ASD-through-the-Use-of-Assistive-Technologies.pdf?1534730302

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Rethinking Learning - Define Your WHY Through Stories

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The Levels of Engagement design was created by Barbara Bray using some of the original content by Bray and Kathleen McClaskey with graphics by Sylvia Duckworth. Updated content and design is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
The original Continuum of Engagement focused on the teacher's role in engaging students. After reading more about engagement with the "Flow" theory and the differences between engagement and empowerment, I believed it needed to be clearer that engagement is about how much any learner is engaged in a task or activity and the balance between the challenge before them and the skills they have to meet that challenge. Empowerment is what the learner or someone else can do to encourage engagement. The levels are more about how the learner is engaged in learning, not about the teacher or the learning environment. Yet, teachers are learners, too and they can create experiences and environments that are compassionate, creative and innovative. This idea of levels of engagement can pertain to any of us who are defining who we are as a learner.

Defining Engagement

Engagement is the affective side of learning and has been found to be a robust predictor of learner performance and behavior in the classroom. (Martin-Kniep, 2012) Engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that learners show when they are learning. So this may mean "engagement" is about how much we learn in the classroom or anywhere we learn. I needed to explore this more so checked out the 2016 Gallup Poll.

Measuring hope and engagement, the Gallup Student Poll helps educators gauge school success beyond test scores and grades. With nearly 5 million since 2009, the 2016 survey helps educators provide a more positive school culture - one that builds engagement, creates hope for the future, fosters talent and prepares students to meaningfully participate in the economy. Gallup Student Poll measures are linked to desirable learning outcomes, including self-reported grades, the perception of school success and self-reported absenteeism.

Download the 2016 snapshot report to learn more about how to empower hope and engagement in school. From the results, it is apparent in the Gallup Study that engagement decreased over the years in school. Yet, learning can happen anywhere and at any time especially now with content available at our fingertips. Some questions for you to consider when discussing engagement:

Do we only measure learning that happens in a school?

Are teachers or a school responsible for engaging the learners?

Can teachers empower learners to want to be more engaged in learning?

Have you noticed some learners more engaged than others?

Could it be who the learners are that impacts their level of engagement?

How does the environment impact the learning?

What might keep some learners from being engaged in the learning process?

How much does the system have to do with stopping curiosity, creativity, and engagement?

What can we do to transform the system so learners are more curious, creative, and engaged in learning?

Flow Theory

When learners have a voice and choice in what and how they are learning especially if it is about something they are passionate about or interested in, they jump in and can get lost in the task or project. This is called "flow." When learners are in the flow, you can notice, see and hear the engagement. Sometimes flow is quiet.
[Source: Adapted from Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow:
The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper and Row]
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is best known as the architect of the theory of flow. Flow is when a person is fully immersed in what they are doing and there is a balance between the challenge of the task and the skill of the learner. Flow cannot occur if the task is too easy or too difficult. Csíkszentmihályi published the graph above that depicts the relationship between the challenges of a task and skills. Flow only occurs when the activity is a higher-than-average challenge and requires above-average skills. Both skill level and challenge level must be matched and high; if skill and challenge are low and matched, then apathy results. (Csíkszentmihályi, 1990)

In Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Invention and Discover (2013), Csíkszentmihályi explains why creativity is so fascinating that when we are involved in it, we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of our lives. The examples and stories in the book help the reader understand how we change when we are immersed in an activity we are passionate about.

Levels of Engagement

Compliant

In the Compliant level, learners may appear to be bored or anxious. Some may just give up on learning and follow whatever the teacher or school requires them to do. They may be good "students" who know how to "do" school. Their grades may be good but they are not empowered to do more than they have to do for a grade. There are others that have a fixed mindset and just give up because they were not empowered to learn or do not have a voice in what and how they learn. The school system might be focusing on test scores, worksheets, and homework that are probably not relevant or meaningful for the disengaged learner. The teacher may feel they are the only one responsible and accountable for all the learning in their classroom. Sometimes learners who are compliant have other issues at home that keep them from being engaged in learning.

Commit

At the Commit level, learners are starting to take on more responsibility for their learning. The teacher is building relationships with the learners by guiding the process for them to understand how they learn best. At this level, the teacher may still be laying the groundwork for learning and determining prior knowledge but learners may be demonstrating that they are more involved in what and how they learn. The commit level is where the learners find their voice to help become better learners. When they understand why they may be anxious about learning something, they discuss this with the teacher to help them through their anxiety. Learners are also reaching out to others to help them build the skills they will need to perform a task. They commit even more to want to learn when they have time to explore what interests them. This level is where learning is personal and the student finds out more about themselves and who they are as a learner. This is also the level where the teacher realizes that some children need more time or may have other issues keeping them from learning. The teacher-student relationship is so crucial at this level for all learners to help find their voice.

Connect

In the Connect level, learners realize now that learning is social. They can expand on what they learned at the commit level by connecting with others who are at the same level or have the same interests. They are more in control of their learning but realize they can learn much more if they collaborate with others who can work together to build on their ideas. At this level, the learners are doing more of the talking than the teacher. This is where learners enjoy learning from each other and even teaching their peers. Learners are more engaged at this level when connected to real-world problems that are relevant to them. Today, learners connect with smart devices before and after school. Teachers and schools can make this level more effective if these smart devices are allowed during school hours. This is where "trust" and "letting go" of control can be so important. Our learners are using these devices and need to know the appropriate use so they can connect globally in an effective and safe way. This is the level where you notice it is getting a little noisier in some parts of the classroom.

Flow

At the Flow level, many call it "messy learning" because it may seem chaotic to some people. Learners are curious, creative, and innovative. There is no one way to capture what it might look like. A few learners might be in the hall, another on a smartphone contacting a mentor, two sitting together animated on the floor in the back of the room, a small group brainstorming in the corner, and someone presenting evidence of learning to others for critical feedback. Some learners are working quietly immersed in the task at hand where others are reaching out to others to collaborate on solving a problem. This is when learners have the skills to pursue their interests and are curious by seeking what they are passionate about. They want to challenge themselves to investigate and solve solutions to real-world problems where they can make a difference. You can hear it in their voices and actions. They want to share what they learn. The teacher is more of a mentor and coach as they guide the process. This level is when learners self-advocate for what they need or want to learn and when they have agency.

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What I did notice about the engagement is that sometimes we are in the flow because of the activity or task at hand. Other times we may not be engaged because of the activity. We may be at different levels at home or at school or in other learning environments. The engagement level can be high in a makerspace and low in a classroom depending on the activities.

Several teachers have said to me that when their kids are in the flow, "they never want to go back to the traditional way of teaching." Some questions for you to think about and reflect on:

Have you experienced flow?
How much flow did you experience in school?
Where are you in the Levels of Engagement?
What about your learners in your classroom?
Do you notice different levels of engagement with different activities?

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Resources

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990) Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York. Harper & Row.

Martin-Kniep, G. (2012) 27. Neuroscience of engagement and SCARF: why they matter to school.
https://lciltd.org/WebsitePublications/HandbookNeuroleadership_EngagementArticleGMK.pdf

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Thank You to Sylvia Duckworth @sylviaduckworth from Toronto, Canada for designing the graphics for the Levels of Engagement. Please make sure you visit http://sylviaduckworth.com A few relevant websites about moving to learner agency: for all the graphics she created and to ask her for permission to use any of her graphics.
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About the author

Barbara Bray is a story weaver capturing stories from inspirational people about insightful journeys to discover their purpose. As a creative learning strategist, speaker, coach, and disruptor, Barbara has been trying to transform teaching and learning for over 30 years. Her journey as a teacher, coach, columnist, database developer, and grant writer led to her becoming the owner/founder of Computer Strategies, LLC with its divisions, My eCoach and Rethinking Learning. From 2013 to 2017, Barbara was the past co-founder of Personalize Learning, LLC, and co-authored Make Learning Personal and How to Personalize Learning. In 2017, Barbara became the host of the Rethinking Learning Podcast where she has conversations with inspirational educators, thought leaders, and influencers! At the same time, Barbara started the #rethink_learning Twitter chat. Through all the stories and her journey, Barbara is the author of "Define Your WHY" which is all about owning your story so you live and learn on purpose.

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Levels of Engagement: Balancing Challenges and Skills - Rethinking Learning

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The Levels of Engagement explain how engagement is how a learner balances challenges and the skills needed to move from being compliant to flow.

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For FBA/BIP Consent

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https://padlet.com/esemdcps/makeandtake

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Make-and-Take for Modified Curriculum Teachers

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This padlet contains all of the resources referenced during the Make-and-Take PD for modified curriculum teachers. 

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padlet.com/esemdcps/3Rs

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sldinclusion.wikispaces.com

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Join Britt Andreatta for an in-depth discussion in this video, Welcome: Exploring the growth mindset, part of The Neuroscience of Learning.

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For RT

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The John McKay Scholarship for Students with Disabilities

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Value Added Model

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Miami-Dade County Public Schools - The nations fourth largest school district. Giving our students the world.

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Stipend Experience: University of Massachussets Lowel

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Stipend Experience: University of Massachussets Lowel

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https://www.uml.edu/tsongas/NEH/

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Emergent Literacy Training. link:  https://www.dlmpd.com/teaching-text-comprehension-anchor-read-apply/

Resources:

For all of you, the videos we reviewed are from https://www.dlmpd.com/   The core language boards and posters are from:  http://www.project-core.com/
https://login.microsoftonline.com/4578f68f-86cd-4af9-b317-93e3826ca0f5/oauth2/authorize?client_id=00000003-0000-0ff1-ce00-000000000000&response_mode=form_post&response_type=code%20id_token&resource=00000003-0000-0ff1-ce00-000000000000&scope=openid&nonce=D825DC31A5A56661D8CD9A3E5FBAC350CBAC9A2276C02DA3-A8C2974ADE1DC6EA441B258E687B364FD7EA97059C5F950F60EB86E70CC4E8CC&redirect_uri=https:%2F%2Fmiamidadeschools-my.sharepoint.com%2F_forms%2Fdefault.aspx&wsucxt=1&cobrandid=11bd8083-87e0-41b5-bb78-0bc43c8a8e8a&client-request-id=6f04d19e-d066-8000-5218-e759036a9cbe

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Tina McAlpin, M.S./CCC-SLP

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http://api.dadeschools.net/wmsfiles/61/pdfs/5949.pdf