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IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 

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IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 

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This is the direct link to the U.S Department of Education's website regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

SPECIAL EDUCATION POLICY/LAW

Through the IDEA (government website), I found information for parents on finding funded centers for their children with disabilities. I found the information given very helpful and useful as it is the child's right to have an appropriate education.

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.

The IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to more than 8 million (as of school year 2022-23) eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.

Infants and toddlers, birth through age 2, with disabilities and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth ages 3 through 21 receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.

Additionally, the IDEA authorizes:

Formula grants to states to support special education and related services and early intervention services.

Discretionary grants to state educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and other nonprofit organizations to support research, demonstrations, technical assistance and dissemination, technology development, personnel preparation and development, and parent-training and -information centers.

Congress reauthorized the IDEA in 2004 and most recently amended the IDEA through Public Law 114-95, the Every Student Succeeds Act, in December 2015.

In the law, Congress states:

Disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to participate in or contribute to society. Improving educational results for children with disabilities is an essential element of our national policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.

Other Laws for Children with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) provides additional resources of interest for individuals with disabilities and their families.

OCR does not enforce the IDEA; however, OCR does enforce the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title II rights of IDEA-eligible students with disabilities.

To learn more, visit the OCR's Frequently Asked Questions About Section 504 and the Education of Children with Disabilities.

Visit OCR's website for additional resources.

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About IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

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The IDEA is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.

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For any parent who may feel overwhelmed not knowing exactly who to call or what to do, this is a wonderful resource for that parent.

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Center for Parent Information & Resources 

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Center for Parent Information & Resources 

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Although this website is based for parents of those who fall under IDEA, I found a lot of information to help teachers. Another fun fact about this website is they have their information in Spanish as well. This is perfect for students whose first language is Spanish and their parents.

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As a teacher in training, IEPs to coincide along with a disability is intimidating. This breakdown of what IEPs must contain, prompting questions to help guide conversation regarding IEPs and a guide to help report to parents is very helpful. For a teacher who is new and is nervous this has a very nice 1,2,3 step.

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Being new to working with students who fall under IDEA, I took this project in learning more about specific disabilities that I am unfamiliar with.

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Definition

The Education of the Handicapped Act (P.L. 94-142), includes "hearing impairment" and "deafness" as two of the categories under which children with disabilities may be eligible for special education and related services programming. While the term "hearing impairment" is often used generically to describe a wide range of hearing losses, including deafness, the regulations for IDEA define hearing loss and deafness separately.

Hearing impairment is defined by IDEA as "an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance."

Deafness is defined as "a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification."

Thus, deafness may be viewed as a condition that prevents an individual from receiving sound in all or most of its forms. In contrast, a child with a hearing loss can generally respond to auditory stimuli, including speech.

Incidence

Hearing loss and deafness affect individuals of all ages and may occur at any time from infancy through old age. The U.S. Department of Education (2002) reports that, during the 2000-2001 school year, 70,767 students aged 6 to 21 (or 1.3% of all students with disabilities) received special education services under the category of "hearing impairment." However, the number of children with hearing loss and deafness is undoubtedly higher, since many of these students may have other disabilities as well and may be served under other categories.

Characteristics

It is useful to know that sound is measured by its loudness or intensity (measured in units called decibels, dB) and its frequency or pitch (measured in units called hertz, Hz). Impairments in hearing can occur in either or both areas, and may exist in only one ear or in both ears. Hearing loss is generally described as slight, mild, moderate, severe, or profound, depending upon how well a person can hear the intensities or frequencies most greatly associated with speech. Generally, only children whose hearing loss is greater than 90 decibels (dB) are considered deaf for the purposes of educational placement.

There are four types of hearing loss. Conductive hearing losses are caused by diseases or obstructions in the outer or middle ear (the conduction pathways for sound to reach the inner ear). Conductive hearing losses usually affect all frequencies of hearing evenly and do not result in severe losses. A person with a conductive hearing loss usually is able to use a hearing aid well or can be helped medically or surgically.

Sensorineural hearing losses result from damage to the delicate sensory hair cells of the inner ear or the nerves which supply it. These hearing losses can range from mild to profound. They often affect the person's ability to hear certain frequencies more than others. Thus, even with amplification to increase the sound level, a person with a sensorineural hearing loss may perceive distorted sounds, sometimes making the successful use of a hearing aid impossible.

A mixed hearing loss refers to a combination of conductive and sensorineural loss and means that a problem occurs in both the outer or middle and the inner ear. A central hearing loss results from damage or impairment to the nerves or nuclei of the central nervous system, either in the pathways to the brain or in the brain itself.

Educational Implications

Hearing loss or deafness does not affect a person's intellectual capacity or ability to learn. However, children who are either hard of hearing or deaf generally require some form of special education services in order to receive an adequate education. Such services may include:

regular speech, language, and auditory training from a specialist;

amplification systems;

services of an interpreter for those students who use sign language;

favorable seating in the class to facilitate lip reading;

captioned films/videos;

assistance of a notetaker, who takes notes for the student with a hearing loss, so that the student can fully attend to instruction;

instruction for the teacher and peers in alternate communication methods, such as sign language; and counseling.

Children who are hard of hearing will find it much more difficult than children who have normal hearing to learn vocabulary, grammar, word order, idiomatic expressions, and other aspects of verbal communication. For children who are deaf or have severe hearing losses, early, consistent, and conscious use of visible communication modes (such as sign language, fingerspelling, and Cued Speech) and/or amplification and aural/oral training can help reduce this language delay. By age four or five, most children who are deaf are enrolled in school on a full-day basis and do special work on communication and language development. It is important for teachers and audiologists to work together to teach the child to use his or her residual hearing to the maximum extent possible, even if the preferred means of communication is manual. Since the great majority of deaf children (over 90%) are born to hearing parents, programs should provide instruction for parents on implications of deafness within the family.

People with hearing loss use oral or manual means of communication or a combination of the two. Oral communication includes speech, lip reading and the use of residual hearing. Manual communication involves signs and fingerspelling. Total Communication, as a method of instruction, is a combination of the oral method plus signing and fingerspelling.

Individuals with hearing loss, including those who are deaf, now have many helpful devices available to them. Text telephones (known as TTs, TTYs, orTDDs) enable persons to type phone messages over the telephone network. The Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), now required by law, makes it possible for TT users to communicate with virtually anyone (and vice versa) via telephone. Dial 711 to access all TRSs anywhere in the United States. The relay service is free.

Resources

Luterman, D.M. (2002). When your child is deaf: A guide for parents (2nd ed.). Parkton, MD: York Press. (Telephone: 800.962.2763. Web: www.yorkpress.com/index.html)

Medwid, D.J., & Weston, D.C. (1995). Kid-friendly parenting with deaf and hard of hearing children: A treasury of fun activities toward better behavior. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press. (Telephone: 800.621.2736; 888. 630.9347 (V/TTY). Web: http://gupress.gallaudet.edu)

Ogden, P.W. (1996). The silent garden: Raising your deaf child (Rev. ed.). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press. (See contact information above.)

Schwartz, S. (Ed.). (1996). Choices in deafness: A parents' guide to communication options (2nd ed.). Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House. (Telephone: 800.843.7323. Web: www.woodbinehouse.com )

So your child has a hearing loss: Next steps for parents (n.d.). (For copies fax, email, or call Karen Anderson, EHDI Project Audiology Consultant Karen_Anderson@doh.state.fl.us (850)245-4444 X226 Fax (850)921-8138 or Janet Evans, Unit Director, Early Intervention Programs, at Janet_Evans@doh.state.fl.us (850)245-4200)

Organizations

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
3417 Volta Place, NW
Washington, DC 20007
202.337.5220 (V); 202.337.5221 (TTY)
E-mail: info@agbell.org
Web: www.agbell.org

American Society for Deaf Children
P.O. Box 3355
Gettysburg, PA 17325
800.942.2732 (V/TTY); 717.334.7922 (V/TTY)
E-mail: ASDC1@aol.com
Web: www.deafchildren.org

American Speech-Language Hearing Association
10801 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
301.897.5700 (V/TTY); 800.638.8255 (V/TTY)
Web: www.asha.org

Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
KDES PAS-6, Gallaudet University
800 Florida Avenue N.E.
Washington, DC 20002-3695
202.651.5051 (V/TTY)
E-mail: Clearinghouse.InfoToGo@gallaudet.edu
Web: http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/InfoToGo/index.html

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Information Clearinghouse
1 Communication Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20892-3456
800.241.1044 (V); 800.241.1055 (TTY)
E-mail: nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov
Web: www.nidcd.nih.gov/

Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH)
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1200
Bethesda, MD 20814
301.657-2248 (V); 301.657.2249 (TTY)
E-mail: info@hearingloss.org
Web: www.hearingloss.org

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curriculum for children with disabilities

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Comprehensive Overview of Hearing Impairments

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Child Hearing Impairments - National Association of Special Education Teachers

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Speech Language Therapy with Caroline Bowen Am PhD

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Speech Language Therapy with Caroline Bowen Am PhD

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Within this article I learned the importance of self-monitoring with those who have hearing impairments/deafness. Bowen has a list of strategies and activities to help encourage positive development of self-monitoring.

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Information for Families: Encouraging Speech Development in Children with Phonological Disorders

Details

Created: Saturday, 03 December 2011 15:35

Updated on Tuesday, 24 November 2020 13:31

Cite this article as:
Bowen, C. (2011). Information for Families: Encouraging speech development in children with speech sound disorders. Retrieved from http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/ on [insert the date that you retrieved the file here].

As adult speakers we constantly make little mistakes when we talk, and then quickly correct them, almost without noticing. This process of self-monitoring and self-correcting is called making revisions and repairs.

Children with phonological disorders are usually not very good "self-correctors", partly because it is hard for them to self-monitor their speech.

The following strategies and activities can be used in order to encourage the development of self-monitoring and the ability to make revisions and repairs.

For example: You might say to your child, "If I said 'yam' when I should have said 'lamb', I would have to fix it up. So if I said, 'Mary had a little yam', I would have to fix it up and say, 'Mary had a little lamb'".

For example: You might say to your child, "It is too wet to mow the yawn...uh oh...I mean 'lawn'. That was a fixed-up-one. First I said 'yawn' and then I quickly fixed it up and said 'lawn'. Too wet to mow the lawn'".

Do this by drawing attention to them and commenting when they are made spontaneously (i.e., without adult prompting). For example: You could say to your child, "That was a good fixed-up-one. First you said 'tar', and then you fixed it up all by yourself and said 'car'. The best thing was that you reminded yourself!"

When you use labelled praise, be very precise about what you are praising. For example: Making very specific comments such as, 'I like the way you said 'shoe' with a good 'sh' in it' will be more powerful reinforcers than general comments such as, 'You said that nicely'. Labelled praise can be used for reinforcing clear speech attempts, and to encourage children to make spontaneous revisions and repairs. Labelled praise can be used also when the child makes an improved attempt at pronouncing a word: For example:

Adult: What colour is that?
Child: Bat.
Adult: Mmm?
Child: Berlat.
Adult: That sounded more like black. I like the way you fixed it up.

As opportunities arise, talk about words, and the need to say the right word so that people know what we mean. For example: You could say to your child, "You couldn't say, 'I eat my dinner with a walk', could you? People would get mixed up if I said that. I really should say, 'eat it with a fork'".

For example: You could say to your child, 'When you do a fixed-up-one all by yourself it means that you are learning to remind yourself to make your words sound right just like I have to when I make a mistake myself'.

Modelling is simply giving a clear example with no additional instructions, explanations or demands. When you notice a deviation from the normal pattern (e.g., using the wrong sound or omitting a sound) involving a sound pattern being worked on in therapy, repeat the word correctly yourself, once, twice or three times in the context of the conversation. For example:

Child: That's a tunny one.
Adult: Yes, a very funny one. A funny, funny one.

When making modelling corrections, remember:

1. Not to distort the sound or word by over-emphasising it. It is better to draw the sound or word to the child's attention by saying it repeatedly.

2. Not to ask the child to repeat the word back to you correctly. All you have to do is say the word clearly yourself several times, in a way the child will notice (e.g., as part of a conversation that you are both enjoying).

Bowen, C. (1998a). Developmental phonological disorders: A practical guide for families and teacher s. Melbourne: The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd.

Bowen, C. & Cupples, L. (1998). A tested phonological therapy in practice. Child Language Teaching and Therapy. 14(1), 29-50.

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speech sound disorders; speech-language pathology; evidence based practice; ebp; speech and language therapy; communication; phonological disorder; childhood apraxia of speech; cas; developmental verbal dyspraxia; articulation; lisp; slp; slt; caroline bowen

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Information for Families: Encouraging Speech Development in Children with Phonological Disorders

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Trustworthy SLP/SLT information with a focus on children's speech sound disorders / clinical phonology.

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I found this website easy to navigate through and packed full of information regarding literacy for children and youth impacted by visual impairments.

As I am going through website I realize they aren't the most user friendly looking for information. Paths to Literacy in bold has activities & strategies listed.

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We invite you to explore foundational information and find dynamic ideas from the field. This site is designed for teachers, families, and others interested in literacy for children and youth with visual impairments, including those who are deafblind and/or have multiple disabilities. Browse these practical activities and resources, and join our community!

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Paths to Literacy | For Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

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Literacy activities and resources for children who are blind, visually impaired or deafblind, or multiple disabilities. Braille literacy, tactile books.

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I learned something new with visiting Paths to Literacy with January being Braille Literacy month! Within this blog it covers the history of Braille, "what is" Braille, and how we can be more aware of Braille (displaying books, speaking, etc.)

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Let January be a month where we spread braille awareness and promote braille literacy. Braille should be everywhere and it's not just for the blind. Encourage sighted classmates and family members to be a part of the fun!

Ask your library to display braille books, tactile books, and maybe even a braille machine.

Have your local teacher of the visually impaired (TVI) come to your school to present about braille.

If there are students in your school that are learning braille, ask them if you could learn too!

What is braille?

The Braille Cell

Braille is a system of reading and writing by touch. Braille is a tactile system. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone devices. It consists of arrangements of dots which make up letters of the alphabet, numbers, and punctuation marks. The braille cell consists of six dots arranged in the formation of a rectangle, three dots high and two across.

To learn more about the braille code and to play games to learn braille go to APH Braille Bug.

Who invented braille?

Louis Braille is a Frenchman who lost his sight as a result of a childhood accident. In 1824, at the age of fifteen, he developed the braille code based on the French alphabet as an improvement on night writing.

Louis Braille was born on January 4th, 1809, therefore we now celebrate National World Braille Day on January 4th in honor of his legacy. We invite you to play the Louis Braille Timeline Game and sing the " Louis, Louis " song in celebration! Download the game and lyrics in print and braille to share with your students.

The 4-minute video below by Academy Adventure is designed to give children a brief introduction to the life of Louis Braille.

Resources

Click here for free worksheets to do in braille for the sighted to learn

Use braille stickers around the house and classrooms to encourage others to learn and have access to braille.

FREE braille posters and nemeth reference sheets

Make some braille in your print writing

⠠⠇⠑⠜⠝⠊⠝⠛⠀⠃⠗⠁⠊⠇⠇⠑⠀⠊⠎⠀⠋⠥⠝⠖

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January is Braille Literacy Month - Paths to Literacy

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Paths to Literacy January is Braille Literacy Month. For teachers, families, and others interested in literacy for children and youth with visual impairments

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Up until starting this class I did not realize there was an association for gifted and talented students. I'm from a small rural community, where we don't have a lot of advanced programs so we typically take the same classes as each other.

National Association for Gifted and Talented students is to support "...Children with advanced abilities in accessing equitable opportunities that develop their gifts and talents."

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National Association for Gifted Children | NAGC

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NAGC is the nation’s leading organization focused on the needs of gifted and talented children. Dedicated to uplifting and empowering those who support children with advanced abilities, NAGC provides energizing professional learning, impactful research, and inspiring advocacy to ensure all children have equitable opportunities and support to develop their gifts and talents.

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This was a very insightful article from a past students' perspective on being gifted and now as a parent. Reading this you can see how the gifted students feel differently in a regular school setting, and how teachers (not always good) have responded to them.

It also outlines different laws, and testing for students with higher IQs.

This article really does make you think through "someone else's eyes".

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Ron Turiello's daughter, Grace, seemed unusually alert even as a newborn.

At 7 months or so, she showed an interest in categorizing objects: She'd take a drawing of an elephant in a picture book, say, and match it to a stuffed elephant and a realistic plastic elephant.

At 5 or 6 years old, when snorkeling with her family in Hawaii, she identified a passing fish correctly as a Heller's barracuda, then added, "Where are the rest? They usually travel in schools."

With a child so bright, some parents might assume that she'd do great in any school setting, and pretty much leave it at that. But Turiello was convinced she needed a special environment, in part because of his own experience. He scored very high on IQ tests as a child, but almost dropped out of high school. He says he was bored, unmotivated, socially isolated.

"I took a swing at the teacher in second grade because she was making fun of my vocabulary," he recalls. "I would get bad grades because I never did my homework. I could have ended up a really well-read homeless person."

Turiello, now an attorney, and his wife, Margaret Caruso, have two children who attend a private school in Sunnyvale, Calif., exclusively for the gifted. It's called Helios, and it uses project-based learning, groups children by ability not age, and creates an individualized learning plan for each student. For Turiello, the biggest benefits to Grace, now 11, and son Marcello, 7, are social and emotional. "They don't have to pretend to be something they're not," says Turiello. "If they can be among peers and be themselves, that can really change their lives."

Estimates vary, but many say there are around 3 million students in K-12 classrooms nationwide who could be considered academically gifted and talented. The education they get is the subject of a national debate about what our public schools owe to each child in the post-No Child Left Behind era.

When it comes to gifted children, there are three big questions: How to define them, how to identify them and how best to serve them.
1. How do you define giftedness?
One of the most popular definitions, dating to the early 1990s, is "asynchronous development." That means, roughly, a student whose mental capacities develop ahead of chronological age. This concept matches the most popular tests of giftedness: IQ tests. Scores are indexed to age, with 100 as the average; a 6 year old who gives answers characteristic of a 12 year old would have an IQ of 200.

But there are problems with this framework. No 6-year-old is truly mentally identical to a 12-year-old. He or she may be brilliant at mathematics but lack background knowledge or impulse control.

In addition, IQ tests become less useful as children get older because there is less "headroom" on the test, especially for those who are already high scorers. "It's like measuring a 6-foot person with a 5-foot ruler," says Linda Silverman, an educational psychologist and founder of the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development.

Recent intelligence research de-emphasizes IQ alone and focuses on social and emotional factors.

"There's research that these other things like motivation and grit can take you to the same exact academic outcomes as someone with a higher IQ but without those things," says Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist who studies intelligence and creativity at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of the book Ungifted. "That's a really important finding that is just totally ignored. Our country has a narrow view of what counts as merit."

Of course, as the definitions get broader, the measurements get more subjective and thus, perhaps, less useful. Some centers for gifted children put out checklists of "giftedness" so broad that any proud parent would be hard-pressed not to recognize her child. Things like: "Has a vivid imagination." "Good sense of humor." "Highly sensitive."
1(a). How many students should be designated gifted?
It can be useful for education policy purposes to think about giftedness as it relates to the rest of the special education spectrum. Silverman argues that just as children with IQ scores two full standard deviations below the norm need special classrooms and extra resources, those who score two standard deviations above the norm need the same. By her lights, the population we should be focusing on is the top 2.5 percent to 3 percent of achievers, not the top 5 to 10 percent.

Scott Peters disagrees. He's a professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater who prepares teachers for gifted certifications. He says the question that every teacher and every school should be asking is, "How will we serve the students who already know what I'm covering today?"

In a school where most children are in remediation, he argues, a child who is simply performing on grade level may need special attention.
2. How do you identify gifted students?
The most common answer nationwide is: First, by teacher and/or parent nomination. After that come tests.

Minority and free-reduced lunch students are extremely underrepresented in gifted programs nationwide. The problem starts with that first step. Less-educated or non-English-speaking parents may not be aware of gifted program opportunities. Pre-service teachers, says Peters, typically get one day of training on gifted students, which may not prepare them to recognize giftedness in its many forms.

Research shows that screening every child, rather than relying on nominations, produces far more equitable outcomes.

Tests have their problems, too, says Kaufman. IQ and other standardized tests produce results that can be skewed by background cultural knowledge, language learner status and racial and social privilege. Even nonverbal tasks like puzzles are influenced by class and cultural background.

Using a single test-score cutoff as the criteria is common but not considered best practice.

In addition, the majority of districts in the U.S. test children for these programs before the third grade. Experts worry that identifying children only at the outset of school can be a problem, because abilities change over time, and the practice favors students who have an enriched environment at home.

Experts prefer the use of multiple criteria and multiple opportunities. Portfolios or auditions, interviews or narrative profiles may be part of the process.
3. How do you best serve gifted students?
This is the biggest controversy in gifted education. Peters says many districts focus their resources on identifying gifted or advanced learners, while offering little or nothing to serve them.

"There are cases where parents spend years advocating for students, kids get multiple rounds of testing, and at the end of the day they're provided with a little bit of differentiation or an hour of resource-room time in the course of a week," he says. "That's not sufficient for a fourth-grader, say, who needs to take geometry."

While this emphasis on diagnosis over treatment might seem paradoxical, it's compliant with the law:

In most states the law governs the identification of gifted students. But only 27 percent of districts surveyed in 2013 report a state law about how to group these students, whether in a self-contained program, or pulled out into a resource room for a single subject or offered differentiation within a classroom. And almost no states have laws mandating anything about the curriculum for gifted students.

In addition to a need to move faster and delve deeper, students whose intellectual abilities or interests don't match those of their peers often have special social and emotional needs.

"I believe that every single day in school a gifted child has the right to learn something new - not to help the teacher," Silverman says. "And to be protected from bullying, teasing and abuse."

Helping gifted students may or may not take many more resources. But it does require a shift in mindset to the idea that "every child deserves to be challenged," as Ron Turiello says.

That's why, paradoxically, many of the gifted education experts I interviewed didn't like the label "gifted." "In a perfect world, every student would have an IEP," says Kaufman.

As it happens, federal education policy is currently being reconfigured around some version of that idea.

"The whole NCLB era, and really back to the first Elementary and Secondary Education Act in the 1960s, was about getting kids to grade level, to minimal proficiency," says Peters. "There seems to be a change in belief now - that you need to show growth in every student."

That means, instead of just focusing on the 50 percent of kids who are below average, teachers should be responsible for the half who are above average, too. "That's huge. It's hard to articulate how big of a sea change that is."

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Who Are The 'Gifted And Talented' And What Do They Need?

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Ron Turiello's daughter, Grace, seemed unusually alert even as a newborn. At 7 months or so, she showed an interest in categorizing objects: She'd take a drawing of an elephant in a picture book, say, and match it to a stuffed elephant and a realistic plastic elephant.

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National Center on Improving Literacy is considered to be a "toolkit" for parents, families and school districts to obtain an array of knowledge on literacy for all students including students with disabilities. Their categories include, but not limited to: Dyslexia, screening, Beginning Reading, Interventions, Advocacy.

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This toolkit, developed in collaboration with the Idaho State Department of Education, helps parents and families use everyday time together as an opportunity for learning and building reading skills.

You will learn:

This toolkit includes:

Explore More Toolkits

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This toolkit, developed in collaboration with the Idaho State Department of Education, helps parents and families use everyday time together as an opportunity for learning and building reading skills. You will learn: This toolkit includes:

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Autism Speaks had a beautiful list of virtual activities for students with Autism. This list could also be used for other disabilities as well as it wasn't limited. With this link there are different websites within a click, with different categories of games!

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Looking for at-home ideas to keep busy? Browse activities by area of interest by clicking on a link below. While many of these resources offer courses for those with special needs, this is not a list of exclusively autism-friendly programming. Thanks to Autism Behavior Consultants and Los Angeles Unified School District, which together curated many of the activities listed. Thanks also to New England Center for Children, Gateway Learning Group, Helping Hands Family, Kadiant, Neurabilities and Early Autism Services for contributing resources.

Learning Activities:

123 Homeschooling - Homeschooling worksheets. Free.

ABCya! - provides free educational games organized by grade and subject area

All Kids Network! - Resources for children's crafts, worksheets, coloring pages, mazes, dot-to-dot, and more. Free.

Amazing Educational Resources - Resource guide of educational companies offering free subscriptions due to the school closures.

BrainPOP - Educational website with over 1,000 short animated movies for students in grades K-12, together with quizzes and related materials, covering the subjects of science, social studies, English, math, engineering and technology, health, and arts and music.

Boom Cards - premade or customizable flashcards for skill building/maintenance (utilizes discrete-trial training format)

Daily Science Project from Easton Children's Museum - easy-to-do-at-home science experiments

Crash Course - A YouTube channel offering engaging educational videos suitable for high school students. The channel features a wide range of subjects, from anatomy to world history.

Edgenuity - For students to access core curriculum. Each student has an individual code that will allow them to access lessons in English language arts and mathematics. Science and history/social science lessons are available for and high school students.

Highlights Kids - Online magazine with activities, games, recipes.

Kids Activities Blog - List of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closing.

KidsKonnect - printable worksheets for teachers & homeschool parents

Math Play - provides online math games organized by grade level, content and game type

Math Worksheets 4 Kids - provides Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social studies printable materials

The Math Worksheet Site - provides Mathematics-related printable materials

Mystery Doug - posts a new video every week answering scientific questions

Mommy Poppins Poppins at Home - e-learning, crafts, activities and games for a range of ages. Topics include cooking, gardening, STEM, crafts, languages story time and more!

Nassau County Museum of Art - engaging kids on the autism spectrum

PBS SoCal, KCET, and PBS - Free, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans for at-home learning. Available for students in through .

LA Parent Magazine - Activities and information on remote learning for children and families.

Originator - List of educational mobile and tablet applications for children and families. Fees apply.

Reading A-Z, RAZ kids and Vocabulary A-Z - provides leveled books, passages, comprehension printable materials, quizzes for interactive reading practice and vocabulary word lists/lessons with online practice. Subscription

Scholastic Learn at Home - Allows open access to daily learning journeys divided into four grade spans: , , , and , covering ELA, STEAM, science, social studies, and social-emotional learning. Free.

Starfall - provides Reading and Math games, movies, books and music

Universal Class - Classes to guide parents and teachers to build their own unit study courses for homeschool purposes. Free access with a Los Angeles Public Library card (which can now be obtained online).

Virtual School Activities - A collection of sites to live webcams, virtual tours/tips, and other miscellaneous fun educational sites for homeschooling.

www.EdHelper.com - provides Reading, Grammar, Math and Science printable materials. Subscription

www.Education.com - provides Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies printable materials as well as Reading and Math online games. Subscription

www.EnchantedLearning.com - provides Writing and Science printable materials. Subscription

www.mathworksheetsland.com - provides Mathematics-related printable materials. Subscription

Art and Crafting:

Games:

Movement and Mindfulness:

Music:

Amped Guitar + Gibson - 3 month free trial of Amped Guitar lessons through Gibson Gives.

Carnegie Hall - Resources and teaching videos for teachers and K-5 students.

Fender Play - 3 months of free online guitar, bass and ukulele lessons to the first 500,000 to sign up for Fender Play.

- The Inkshed team creates art, writing, music, and theater video lessons to share their love and passion for the arts.

Music and the Brain - Video tutorials and keyboard instruction for K-12 students.

New York Philharmonic- Watch the famous Young People's Concerts at home.

Prodigies - Video library of engaging musical activities and curriculum for kids ages 2-12.

Save the Music Foundation- A list of free and low-cost music instruction and performances.

Soundfly - Free video courses about producing, playing and writing music taught by industry professionals and educators.

Outdoors and Animals:

American Museum of Natural History - Their Ology science website provides games and activities for kids and covers a range of science topics, including archaeology, paleontology, astronomy, and marine biology.

Center for Discovery - Safe indoor and outdoor activities for families in the time of the coronavirus.

Explore Mars from NASA - Explore the real surface of Mars, recorded by Nasa's Curiosity rover.

Google Arts & Culture and National Parks - Google has teamed up with five national parks in the US so people can enjoy the beauty of the natural world virtually: Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska), Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii), Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico), Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah), Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida).

Live Science - Breaks down stories behind the most interesting news and photos on the Internet, while also digging up fascinating discoveries that hit on a broad range of fields, from dinosaurs and archaeology to wacky physics and astronomy to health and human behavior.

Los Angeles Zoo - Videos of animals.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute - Resources from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute introduce students to the impacts of climate change on marine habitats; explain the adaptations of animals that live in the deep sea; and present the challenges faced by ecosystems invaded by nonnative species, such as the so-called zombie shrimp.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - Tour marine sanctuaries and ocean habitats with a collection of virtual dives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

San Diego Zoo - Videos, activities, and games from the San Diego Zoo.

Smithsonian's National Zoo - Animal webcams at the zoo.

The Nature Museum in Chicago - How do butterflies eat? What's the difference between frogs and toads? The Nature Museum in Chicago has videos and activities to acquaint kids with the natural world and to inspire their curiosity about the plants and animals in their own backyards.

Virtual Field Trips - Videos to explore the world, organized by curriculum, by grade, by location, for grades .

Yellowstone National Park - Virtual tours of some of Yellowstone National Park's main attractions around the park.

Reading:

Audible - Free audiobooks for kids and teens.

CommonLit - Free reading passages and literacy resources in all literary and nonfiction genres for .

LA County Library - Sign up for a Digital Library Card to get free access to all of the Library's digital offerings, including ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, movies, TV, homework help, online classes, and more.

PJ Library - sign up to receive free books and participate in virtual storytimes.

Storytime at Los Angeles Public Library - Recorded storytime with the Los Angeles Public Library staff. There are also guided storytimes so that families can create their own version at home.

Time for Kids - For elementary and middle school students, digital subscriptions are free for the duration of the school year. This is the first time that the magazine is fully accessible at home.

Tumblebook - An online collection of animated, talking picture books, which teach young children the joys of reading. Books available in seven different languages. Free trail available.

Sports:

Baseball - Baseball - A Film by Ken Burns.

Basketball - Free preview of NBA League Pass.

Football - Complementary access to Game Pass.

Hiking - A custom program designed by PopFit!

Hockey - 'Pause Binge' replays of archived games.

Swimming - A custom program designed by PopFit!

Technology:

Scratch (MIT Media Lab) - Learn to code for ages 8-16, but used by people of all ages. Program your own interactive stories, games, and animation and share with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.

Theater:

The Met Opera Stream - Each day, a different encore presentation from the company's Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming.

Playbill - Guide of Broadway plays and musicals available to watch online.

Shakespeare's Globe Theater - Theater lovers can browse a range of classroom activities and plays by Shakespeare.

Virtual Field Trips:

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Looking for at-home ideas to keep busy? Browse activities by area of interest by clicking on a link below. While many of these resources offer courses for those with special needs, this is not a list of exclusively autism-friendly programming. Thanks to Autism Behavior Consultants and Los Angeles Unified School District, which together curated many of the activities listed.

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This has a very simple, yet very informative article and layout of students with blindness or low vision rights and IEP information. I personally liked how it was straight to the point.

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Once your child has been found eligible to receive special education services because of their eye condition, determining your child's individual needs begins. The document outlining these needs and services is the Individualized Education Program (IEP). You can think of it as the blueprint or roadmap for the appropriate services that your school system will provide for your child.

The IEP process, its principles, individuals writing it, and essential elements are defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which oversees special education. For infants and toddlers receiving services, the document outlining these services is the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Children older than three years of age if qualified will have an IEP. The IEP is developed by your child's educational team, including you as a key member. It details your child's services for a year and is updated annually. Before drafting the plan, the team assesses your child's strengths and service needs.

Essential Elements of the IEP

When you meet with your child's educational team to write the IEP, you will find that the plan has a number of different sections. The following elements all need to be explained or identified in the plan. You may find the terminology-which comes from the law that created the IEP-confusing at first, but it will be helpful to become familiar with it ahead of time.

Present Levels of Educational Performance

This section describes your child's current status, what your child can do, and what your child knows at the time the IEP is written. This includes describing how your child's blindness or low vision affects the involvement and progress in the general curriculum.

Measurable annual goals

Measurable goals focus on key priorities enabling your child to progress in the general curriculum and learn independently. They address educational needs arising from your child's disability, often referred to as the expanded core curriculum. Annual goals outline your child's expected learning for the year and are designed to be measurable, allowing you to track their achievement

Services Included

Special education, related services, and supplementary aids and services, program modifications, and supports for school personnel. This section describes the supports and services your child needs to attain annual goals. These are included so that they can progress in the general curriculum and the expanded core curriculum and participate with other children without disabilities in school activities.

Related services are additional services required to help your child benefit from special education, such as transportation, hearing services, physical therapy, counseling, and the like.

Supplementary aids and services would include assistive technology, adapted materials such as braille or large-print textbooks, or help from a paraeducator.

Program modifications include accommodations and modifications that may need to be made in teaching or testing your child.

Supports for school personnel include training for your child's classroom teacher and other school personnel that will, in turn, benefit your child's learning.

Services Details

Beginning of the services and the anticipated frequency, location, and duration of those services and modifications. This statement includes the projected date for the beginning of services. It includes how long and where your child will receive each of the special education and related services. Additionally, accommodations and modifications, support, and supplementary aids and services that are needed are outlined.

Participating in General Education Classes

The extent of your child's non-participation with nondisabled peers in general education classes and school activities must be documented. This is because IDEA mandates that students with disabilities should join nondisabled children in regular classes as much as possible. Any deviation from this norm requires clear documentation.

Testing Accommodations

This statement addresses any accommodations your child will need in taking state- or district-wide tests of students. If the IEP team decides that your child will not participate in a particular test, the abatement must include the reason why and how the alternate assessment will occur.

Progress

How progress will be measured and how the child's parents will be regularly informed. The IEP should specify the measurement of your child's annual goals and the schedule for periodic progress reports. You'll receive these reports at least as frequently as report cards are issued for children without disabilities. However, you might prefer receiving updates more often, and you can request the school to do so.

Your child's IEP is the key document governing all the special services received during the school year. Being part of the team that writes the IEP lets you share your knowledge of your child's abilities and needs. Understanding the IEP process and its parts helps you collaborate effectively with the school. This ensures your child gets the necessary educational services

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Individualized Education Program (IEP) Advice for Parents of Children with Blindness or Low Vision

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Discover IEP & IFSP for kids with eye conditions under IDEA. Learn about the process, team, and annual updates in special education.

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Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training...

I'm a bit ashamed to admit but I never thought of the impact of chronic health conditions such as cancer, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and more can impact a students education. Chronic health conditions impact their learning, performance, and class attendance. Listed below an informative article are tools to help teachers with teaching strategies, assessments, and related sources to help students with chronic health issues.

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A wide range of health conditions may impact on students' learning, assessment performance, and class attendance. These conditions include epilepsy, asthma, diabetes, kidney disorders, cystic fibrosis, cancer, hepatitis, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and HIV/AIDS. While some of these conditions are lifelong, others, such as CFS, will be unpredictable and episodic.

These conditions may be related to other disabilities: students with neurological diseases may also have mobility and/or vision impairment; students with epilepsy may have damage to the part of the brain which affects speech. Some conditions will diminish balance and coordination, or cause severe headaches, backache, joint pains, blurred vision, weakness or numbness in limbs, and breathlessness triggered by stress.

Students receiving treatment for cancer may have long and debilitating periods of nausea and fatigue. Respiratory and cardiac diseases may affect mobility and impair the strength, speed, endurance, coordination and dexterity necessary for writing and manipulating equipment. Symptoms may vary in severity over quite short periods of time. Some health conditions are progressively degenerative; the course of others can be highly unpredictable.

Impact of Chronic Health Conditions

The impact of a chronic health condition on learning will vary according to the disability. Students may be affected in the following ways:

Some conditions leave students vulnerable to a wide range of infections and viruses, and frequent absenteeism owing to hospitalisation and/or medication changes may be the first indication that teaching staff have of the existence of a medical condition.

There may be striking inconsistencies in performance. Some students may have difficulty persisting with tasks especially when physical discomfort is an issue. There may be intolerance to extremes of heat or light, and to some chemicals.

Some medications may result in lethargy and difficulty with concentration. This may mean that students do not participate actively in tutorial discussions. Participation may also be affected when energy levels are low and for those whose speech is affected by the disability.

Mood swings and depression may be associated with chronic health conditions.

Students may sometimes exhibit extreme anxiety, particularly if there is a history of unexpected 'episodes' in public.

Some students will have had gaps in their educational experience as a result of these periods of being affected by the health condition.

Teaching Strategies

There are some specific strategies that are useful in teaching students with chronic health conditions:

Students who tire easily may find it difficult moving about within the constraints of lecture timetables. Absence or lateness may be a result of the distance between teaching venues, so at the end of a lecture you may need to recap any information given at the beginning.

Some students may need to use a tape recorder or note-taker in lectures.

Extra time is involved in processing information acquired through a tape recorder or note-taker. It is common practice in some departments to routinely tape all lectures. This is a practice which will assist a variety of students, including those who may be absent from time to time because of their health condition.

Students may need extensions to deadlines for work involving locating and using library resources. Provide reading lists well before the start of a course so that reading can begin early.

Social and academic isolation may be an issue for students who are unable to participate regularly in some class activities. One-to-one sessions with a tutor may help fill this gap in participation.

Because of gaps in schooling or lengthy periods of hospitalisation, students initially may be very unsure of the level at which to pitch their work. They may set unrealistically high standards for themselves, and you therefore may need to help them focus on more realistic and achievable standards and goals. This process will be assisted if you make your expectations clear and explicit.

Students may have frequent or unexpected absences from class. Flexible delivery of teaching material via electronic media is particularly helpful for these students. Consider taping your lectures so that students who are absent do not have to rely on other students for their learning materials.

Students who are frequently absent will benefit from advance notice of topics to be covered and assignments to be completed. You may need to be flexible about attendance rules and deadlines.

Assessment Strategies

Students with chronic health conditions may need particular adjustments to assessment tasks. Once you have a clear picture of how the disability impacts on learning you can consider alternative assessment strategies.

In considering alternative forms of assessment, equal opportunity, not a guaranteed outcome, is the objective. You are not expected to lower standards to accommodate students with disability, but rather are required to give them a reasonable opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.

A reader or an oral examination (either presenting answers on tape or participating in a viva voce) are alternatives to the conventional written paper. An oral examination is not an easy option for students. Give the same time for an oral examination as for a written exam, but allow extra time for the student to listen to and refine or edit responses. In your assessment, allowance should be made for the fact that spoken answers are likely to be less coherent than written answers.

For some students the combination of written and oral examination will be most appropriate. Allow students to write answer plans or make outline notes, but then to answer the question orally. Your assessment should be based on both the notes and the spoken presentation.

Provide extra time in examinations for students who have reduced writing speed. Some students may need rest breaks.

Consider extensions to assignment deadlines if extensive research involving physical activity (e.g. frequent trips to the library or collection of data from dispersed locations) is required.

Consider redistributing the weighting of assignments. For example, you might set six assignments for a semester, but inform students that only the best four marks will be counted. Students who have been unwell will thus have some choice about what and how many assignments to submit.

Take-home examinations may be an option, particularly for students with kidney disease, cancer etc. It is important for these students to be in an environment where they can use their usual support systems.

When a health condition enters an active phase, any assessment should be postponed. If the cut-off date for withdrawal without fail has passed, students should be counselled to seek advice from their provider's disability adviser about their situation.

Further Reading and Resources

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A wide range of health conditions may impact on students' learning, assessment performance, and class attendance. These conditions include epilepsy, asthma, diabetes, kidney disorders, cystic fibrosis, cancer, hepatitis, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and HIV/AIDS. While some of these conditions are lifelong, others, such as CFS, will be unpredictable and episodic.

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Associate for Supervision and Curriculum Development had a very interesting article regarding bilingual students, and whether or not they should be in Special Education. This article looked at both sides and had valid points on the difficulties bilingual students have, but are we doing enough for them to help transition to English? I enjoyed reading this perspective.

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Vol. 61

No. 2

Abstract

Disproportionate Representation

The Challenge

Prospective Solutions

The LD Definition and the Exclusionary Clause

The Challenge

Prospective Solutions

Inappropriate Testing Practices

The Challenge

Prospective Solutions

The Challenges Ahead

How can we avoid the inappropriate provision of special education services to culturally and linguistically diverse students?

Abstract

Disproportionate Representation

The Challenge

Prospective Solutions

The LD Definition and the Exclusionary Clause

The Challenge

Prospective Solutions

Inappropriate Testing Practices

The Challenge

Prospective Solutions

The Challenges Ahead

In recent years, schools have made progress in meeting the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students with special education needs. Even so, a number of longstanding issues still plague this field. Researchers and practitioners today express concern that culturally and linguistically diverse students are disproportionately represented in special education (Baca &amp; Cervantes, 1998). Research offers some helpful insights into the inappropriate assessment and placement practices that lead to these discrepancies.

Our discussion here of some of the current challenges in special education for culturally and linguistically diverse students takes place within the larger context of increasing minority 1 enrollment. In schools across the United States, the percentage of students of diverse cultures is growing. The U.S. Department of Education (2003) estimates that more than 3.5 million students in U.S. schools have limited English proficiency. In 2000, 42.6 percent of the school-age population in California and 32.4 percent in Texas spoke a home language other than English. The figure was more than 20 percent in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Rhode Island, and more than 10 percent in 12 additional states (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003). Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic group in U.S. schools, having passed African Americans as the largest minority group in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003).

Many cultural minority groups-Hispanic students in particular-continue to underachieve at alarming rates. Hispanic students have higher dropout rates than non-Hispanics (National Center for Education Statistics, 2000). In 1998, only 63 percent of 18- to 24-year-old Hispanics had finished high school or earned a GED, compared with 85 percent of the total population (U.S. Department of Education, 2003). Although the achievement gap between Hispanics and whites narrowed in the 1970s and 1980s, it widened in the late 1980s and 1990s and remains large today (Lee, 2002).

Disproportionate Representation

The Challenge

Educators have been concerned for more than three decades about the overrepresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in certain special education categories (learning disabilities, mental retardation, and emotional disturbance) and their underrepresentation in programs for the gifted and talented (Artiles, Trent, &amp; Palmer, in press). The phenomenon has recently come under closer scrutiny, however, with the publication of reports by the National Research Council (Donovan &amp; Cross, 2002) and the Harvard Civil Rights Project (Losen &amp; Orfield, 2002).

Although nationally, Hispanic students are only slightly overrepresented in the learning disabilities category and not at all in the mental retardation or emotional disturbance categories (Donovan &amp; Cross, 2002), national data do not reflect the wide variability at the level of individual states and school districts. As Donovan and Cross explain,The nationally aggregated data have been interpreted to suggest no overrepresentation of either black or Hispanic students in LD [learning disabled]. But state-level data tell a more complex story. For black students, for example, the risk index 2 ranges from 2.33 percent in Georgia to 12.19 percent in Delaware. For Hispanic students, the risk index ranges from 2.43 in Georgia to 8.93 in Delaware. Clearly, there is overrepresentation for these two minorities in the LD category in some states. (2002, p. 67)

This extensive variation in placement rates across states (Artiles &amp; Trent, 2000) and within school districts (Losen &amp; Orfield, 2002) occurs chiefly in the three "judgmental" categories of special education: learning disabilities, mental retardation, and emotional disturbance. These conditions are usually identified after a child starts school and are diagnosed by school personnel rather than by medical professionals. School clinicians typically exercise wide latitude in determining whether a student is eligible for services in one of these categories (Gottlieb, Alter, Gottlieb, &amp; Wishner, 1994). In contrast, Hispanics and African Americans are not overrepresented in low-incidence, nonjudgmental disability categories, such as visual, auditory, or orthopedic impairment (Donovan &amp; Cross, 2002).

Although state departments of education collect data about the ethnicity of students in special education, they typically do not accumulate information about students' language proficiency. Thus, we know little about the representation of English-language learners (students not fully proficient in English) in special education programs. Emerging evidence from urban districts in California, however, suggests that this population is overrepresented in high-incidence disability categories, and that those English-language learners classified as lacking proficiency in both their first language and in English are heavily overrepresented (Artiles, Rueda, Salazar, &amp; Higareda, 2003).

Prospective Solutions

Professional groups and the U.S. federal government have given more attention and invested more resources in recent years to understand and address disproportionate representation. For example, the U.S. Department of Education recently funded a technical assistance center to address disproportionate representation: the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (see www.nccrest.org ). New tools and resources for practitioners have been published (for example, see National Association for Bilingual Education &amp; ILIAD Project, 2002). In addition, recent amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have strengthened nondiscriminatory mandates and regulations in the prevention, identification, assessment, and treatment of disabilities (Hehir, 2002).

The LD Definition and the Exclusionary Clause

The Challenge

IDEA's definition of learning disabilities contains an exclusionary clause stipulating that before a school determines that a student has a learning disability, it must ascertain that the student has had sufficient opportunity to learn-including adequate instruction in a language that the student can understand. Yet school personnel involved in placement decisions tend to disregard this exclusionary clause, paying insufficient attention to the influence of a student's native language, ignoring the ecology of the student's regular education classroom, and only sporadically implementing prereferral strategies (Klingner, Harry, Sturges, Artiles, &amp; Wimes, 2003).

Ochoa, Rivera, and Powell (1997) surveyed 859 school psychologists who had conducted psychoeducational assessments of bilingual students. These psychologists indicated that they considered a variety of factors in their efforts to ascertain that students had had sufficient opportunity to learn, but frequently omitted consideration of the student's native language and the number of years of English instruction that the student had received-two crucial factors. Only 6 percent of psychologists reported asking about the student's home language, and only 1 percent attempted to determine whether a learning problem occurred in both English and the student's home language. The researchers called these findings "especially disheartening" (1997, p. 165). Disregard for the potential influence of language and culture on students' school performance can increase the incidence of false positive diagnoses, with devastating consequences for culturally and linguistically diverse students.

In an ethnographic study of the referral processes in 12 schools, we found that members of child study teams and Individualized Education Program (IEP) committees gave little weight to factors related to language acquisition when making decisions about special education eligibility and placement. Even for students who were not yet considered fully proficient in English and who had been tested bilingually, only English test results were typically included in psychologists' evaluation reports or discussed at IEP team meetings. The teams did not address the possible influence of second-language acquisition on the students' performance (Klingner et al., 2003).

We also found that the teams paid almost no attention to the ecology of the classrooms from which students were referred. Although many students were referred by teachers with weak instructional and classroom management skills, frequently neither the evaluating psychologist nor anyone else on the IEP team conducted classroom observations. From the start, team members seemed to assume that the student must have an internal deficit of some kind and that classroom observations were unnecessary. When asked whether she observed students whom she assessed in their classrooms, one psychologist said that she rarely did, noting,The whole morning with them [spent testing] gives you a good idea; you know it does. And you rely on the teacher's comments.

Some psychologists did indicate that they would like to conduct classroom observations but had insufficient time in their busy schedules. Without classroom observations, evaluation teams cannot know whether a student has had adequate opportunity to learn in an appropriate, culturally responsive environment.

In addition, we found that school personnel were inconsistent in their use of prereferral interventions designed to provide students with additional assistance before evaluating them for special education. Generally, this step in the referral process was not taken seriously by teachers, many of whom felt that these strategies were "just what we do anyway," or "something checked on a form to meet referral requirements." Similarly, in an investigation of the schooling characteristics of 46 Hispanic elementary students with limited English proficiency referred to or participating in bilingual special education in New York City, Carrasquillo and Rodriguez (1997) found that few prereferral interventions had been tried with students prior to their placement.

Prospective Solutions

We recommend a three-pronged approach for addressing this problem. First, schools should provide professional development to enhance professionals' understanding of the exclusionary clause, the factors that school personnel must consider in determining whether a student has received adequate opportunity to learn, and how to implement meaningful prereferral strategies.

Second, a professional with expertise in English-language acquisition should be present when IEP committees meet and when child study teams discuss prereferral interventions and eligibility evaluations (Klingner et al., 2003; Ortiz, 1997). This person should be knowledgeable about language and cultural issues and able to point out when language could be contributing to a student's difficulties.

Third, the child study team and IEP team members should consider classroom context when discussing students' behavior and learning (Harry, Klingner, Sturges, &amp; Moore, 2002). To ensure that the student is receiving an adequate opportunity to learn, evaluators should conduct observations in the student's regular classroom and other settings. Someone other than the classroom teacher should complete these observations to ascertain whether the student's difficulties are being exacerbated by ineffective or culturally insensitive instruction.

Inappropriate Testing Practices

The Challenge

The assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse students is fraught with theoretical misunderstandings and flawed practices. Schools that use the same few tests with most students and fail to take language proficiency into account are setting up diverse students for assessment failure.

The test performance of culturally and linguistically diverse students may be affected by their differential interpretation of questions, lack of familiarity with vocabulary, limited English language proficiency, and issues of language dominance (Garcia &amp; Pearson, 1994). Even students who have demonstrated English fluency on oral language measures may not be ready to demonstrate their achievement on tests at higher cognitive levels in English.

When is an English language learner ready to be tested only in English? We have not yet developed a test of language proficiency that can adequately answer this question (Ortiz, 1997). Even students who demonstrate English proficiency on language assessment measures typically demonstrate a low verbal IQ/high performance IQ profile (Figueroa, 1990).

If a school transitions a student prematurely from a bilingual or ESOL program to a regular classroom, the student's achievement and scores on tests of intelligence will likely suffer. English-language learners are often moved to English-only programs after one or two years, when they have attained basic interpersonal communication skills but have not yet developed the cognitive academic language proficiency required for demanding learning tasks, which often takes from four to seven years (Cummins, 1984; see MacSwan, 2000, for a critique of Cummins's distinction between cognitive and interpersonal skills).

Many standardized tests (for example, intelligence, oral language proficiency, and achievement tests) yield valid scores for most students but tend to underestimate the potential of culturally and linguistically diverse students (Abedi, 2002). This limitation was documented in a longitudinal study that compared students' grade point averages, standardized reading scores, and standardized math scores in 1982 with their 1972 scores on the Full-Scale WISC-R, an IQ test (Valdez &amp; Figueroa, 1994). Students who achieved at higher levels than predicted by their IQ scores were considered to be "overachievers"; those who achieved at lower levels than predicted were considered to be "underachievers." Hispanic students who in 1972 had scored at or below the mean on the WISC-R were more likely than their Anglo counterparts to show above-expected school grades and achievement, thus placing them in the "overachiever" category, especially if they lived in homes where Spanish was spoken. Valdez and Figueroa (1994) concluded that decisions based on IQ tests can lead to inaccuracies in decision making for Hispanic pupils.

Prospective Solutions

Moll (1990) recommends looking for the cultural, linguistic, and social resources-funds of knowledge-that students and their families bring to the school setting and viewing these as strengths on which to build problem-solving abilities. Harry and colleagues (2002) suggest acknowledging the arbitrariness of assessment and placement decisions, which would pave the way for more useful, less expensive, and less stigmatizing ways of helping students with learning and behavioral difficulties.

One prospective solution that the reauthorization of IDEA may promote is to stop using IQ tests and discrepancy formulas to determine who qualifies for special education services (Fletcher et al., 2002). Instead, students would be found eligible using a response to intervention model that provides students with increasingly intensive levels, or tiers, of support (Fuchs, Fuchs, &amp; Speece, 2002; Gresham, 2002).

In three-tiered models, the first tier consists of high-quality instruction in a general education classroom. Students who do not reach expected curriculum benchmarks then receive intensive second-tier assistance, either through tutoring or in small groups, still as part of a general education support system. Students who continue to struggle are provided with a third tier of assistance, which many would consider to be special education. Linan-Thompson and colleagues (2003) are investigating the three-tiered model with English-language learners, with promising results.

This approach may solve some of the problems associated with the biased testing of culturally and linguistically diverse students, but only if we ensure that the interventions offered to students are culturally and linguistically appropriate. Like previous eligibility criteria, this model seems to assume that if a student does not make adequate progress, he or she must have an internal deficit. As with earlier identification criteria, this model must be based on students having received an adequate opportunity to learn.

Schools should also find alternative procedures for conducting linguistically and culturally sensitive assessments, such as portfolios (for example, Brown, Campione, Webber, &amp; McGilly, 1992; Gonzalez, Brusca-Vega, &amp; Yawkey, 1997; Rueda, 1997).

The Challenges Ahead

The special education referral process for culturally and linguistically diverse students remains a complex and challenging task. The field has not yet adequately determined how to distinguish between disabilities and normal second-language learning development, nor have we discovered how to assess students' true learning potential rather than knowledge acquired through previous home and school experiences.

The special education profession needs to overcome the widespread tendency to view culturally and linguistically diverse children from a deficit perspective. This shift holds the key to building a knowledge base and a professional culture that account for the role of culture in learning and for the complex historical contexts within which educators, students, and families live and labor.

References

U.S. Department of Education. (2003, June). Key indicators of Hispanic student achievement: National goals and benchmarks for the next decade. Washington, DC: Author. Available: www.ed.gov/pub/hispanicindicators

End Notes

1 We use the term minority interchangeably with culturally and linguistically diverse. We recognize, however, that some U.S. ethnic or linguistic groups have become the numerical majority in some regions. The term minority signals the continued -alized status of these groups.

2 The risk index is calculated "by dividing the number of students in a given racial or ethnic category served in a given disability category by the total enrollment for that racial or ethnic group in the school population" (Donovan &amp; Cross, 2002, pp. 42-43).

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When Should Bilingual Students Be in Special Education?

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How can we avoid the inappropriate provision of special education services to culturally and linguistically diverse students?

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Week 9: Reviews: Helping Students Cope with Traumatic Events 

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Week 9: Reviews: Helping Students Cope with Traumatic Events 

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As I am in my second semester of being a JCC intern, and continuing to be a substitute teacher I realize there are a lot of students with behavioral issues. This was a good educational article that outlines how to help students with behavioral issues, and why they might be acting out.

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Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders

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Violence permeates our world. It is a fact. However, when violent acts occur in the midst of normal everyday events they put people on a heightened state of alert and cause justifiable levels of stress and anxiety. Students are likely to feel most vulnerable when these situations occur. It is the responsibility of adults to help them feel safe. Educators can help students understand what is happening factually, how events do or do not impact their lives, and how to cope with their reactions.

Educators need to assess what level of support students in their care need. The following suggestions may help them cope.

Assess student needs. Talk to colleagues to help. Share your ideas and concerns. This will help you manage your own anxieties as well as determine the needs of the general student body and individual students. Also take cues from what your students do and say. Know who has family who has experienced trauma or another risk factor.

Potential student reactions to trauma. Most students will be able to cope with their concerns over current events with the help of parents and teachers. However, some students may be at risk of more extreme reactions because of personal circumstances. Symptoms may differ depending on age. Adults should contact a professional if children exhibit significant changes in behavior or any of the following symptoms over an extended period of time.

Preschoolers: Thumb sucking, bedwetting, clinging to parents, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, fear of the dark, regression in behavior, withdrawal from friends and routines.

Elementary School Children: Irritability, aggressiveness, clinginess, nightmares, school avoidance, poor concentration, withdrawal from activities and friends.

Adolescents: Sleeping and eating disturbances, agitation, increase in conflicts, physical complaints, delinquent behavior and poor concentration.

Beyond these specific indicators of worried and anxious reactions, some students will simply show differences in their patterns of behavior. The student who is normally talkative may be quiet. The student who is normally friendly may be withdrawn or show atypical angry responses to others. The student who usually turns in assignments may be late or the work may be less than satisfactory. A good rule of thumb is that if you see any differences in behavior, those differences are expressions of concern.

What about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? PTSD is a significant, and often delayed, response to an event that is experienced as traumatic. The individual may show a number of symptoms, including agitation and inappropriate responses to normal events. For example, the individual experiencing PTSD may show startle responses to sudden noises, avoidance of certain places or people, or a high level of defensiveness or aggression, out of character with their normal behaviors. One of the more difficult aspects of PTSD is that the individual may not show symptoms for an extended period past the triggering event(s). So six months later the symptoms may occur, and it may be difficult to connect them to the event(s).

Identify vulnerable populations. The degree to which students are affected will vary depending on personal circumstances. Most vulnerable are students who:

Live in proximity to past traumatic events or "high" target areas.

Live in 'violent' neighborhoods.

Have suffered a personal loss from or been exposed to terrorism, violence or military actions.

Have parents currently in the military or on active duty in the reserve forces.

Have parents who fought in past or ongoing conflicts like the Iraq War or are currently in Afghanistan.

Have parents involved in emergency response or public safety.

Are of non-U.S. origin and may feel threatened by intolerance or racism.

Experience Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, depression or other mental illness.

Create a positive school environment and culture. The best things schools can do to ensure students and others in times of crisis and trauma that they are safe is to have built an environment and culture that is positive and welcoming. Infusing a caring climate and maintaining that through trauma and crisis invites students to share their thoughts, feelings and emotions which helps them to get through it.

Remain calm and reassuring. Students will take their cues from you, especially young children. Acknowledge that the threats and uncertainty are unnerving but the likelihood is that you and your students will be okay. There is difference between the possibility of danger and the probability of it affecting them personally.

Acknowledge and normalize their feelings. Allow students to discuss their feelings and concerns and encourage any questions they may have regarding this event. Listen and empathize. An empathetic listener is very important. Let them know that others are feeling the same way and that their reactions are normal and expected. Set aside time to discuss the topic and then stick to the normal routine of the school day as best as possible given the circumstances and what seems to be appropriate.

Empathic listeners help individuals feel comfortable with their thoughts. One of the most important things to do for an individual is to make it safe to share both simple and complex feelings. Simple questions such as, "That sounds really scary! Were you scared? Do you think about it a lot? If that happened to me, I would be." The listener isn't doing "therapy" but is making it safe for the individual to say what they are thinking and feeling. The act of getting thoughts and feelings "out" is healing and preventive.

How far do you go in these "normalizing" conversations? Generally you ask basic questions, listen intently, avoid over-interpreting, and go as far as the individual seems comfortable going. And for some students, the "conversations" may take other forms, including art, music, and writing.

Courage, compassion, and helpfulness. In the midst of frightening and tragic events, one often sees examples of courage, compassion, and helpfulness. As in the events in Boston over the past week, it is helpful to also discuss how people step in to help others. This aspect of a difficult event adds to the sense of hope, that in the midst of tragedy, there are ways to bring out the best in people.

Take care of your own needs. Take time for yourself and try to deal with your own reactions to the situation as fully as possible. You will be better able to help your students if you are coping well. If you are anxious or upset, your students are more likely to be so as well. Talk to other adults such as family, friends, faith leaders, or a counselor. It is important not to dwell on your fears by yourself. Sharing feelings with others often makes us feel more connected and secure. Take care of your physical health. Make time, however small, to do things you enjoy. Avoid using drugs or alcohol to feel better.

Maintain a normal routine. Keeping to a regular schedule can be reassuring and promote physical health. Stick to the school routines as much as possible.

Emphasize people's resiliency. Focus on students' competencies in terms of their daily life and in other difficult times. Help them identify what they have done in the past that helped them cope when they were frightened or upset. Also remind them that the country has weathered many other crises, including terrorism, natural disasters and war, and has emerged stronger and more united each time.

Be optimistic. Even if something does happen, most people will be fine physically and will recover from any emotional reactions to the event. Resiliency studies following September 11 indicate that people who coped best were comfortable expressing strong emotions, surrounded by caring family and friends, kept a positive view of the future, and utilized problem solving skills.

Be a good listener and observer. Let students guide you as to how concerned they are or how much information they need. If they are not anxious or focused on current events, don't dwell on them. But be available to answer their questions to the best of your ability. Young children may not be able to express themselves verbally. Pay attention to changes in their behavior or social interactions. Most school age children and adolescents can discuss their concerns although they may need you to provide an "opening" to start a conversation. Don't push, but ask what they think about current events. Even if they don't want or need to talk now, they may later and they will know you care what they think and feel.

Discuss events in age-appropriate terms. Share information that is appropriate to their age and developmental level. Update them as information changes. Young children may require repeated reassurance during the day. Tell them they are okay and that adults will always take care of them. School age children can understand details and reasons behind specific actions, such as increased security but cannot absorb intense or frightening information. Adolescents may want to discuss issues related to violence, terrorism or war as well as safety issues.

Stick to the facts. Answer students' questions factually and include a positive element to the answer (e.g., "Yes we are on high alert, but we have been here before. It does not mean that something bad will definitely happen.") Don't speculate about what could happen.

Remind students not to ridicule people or ideas just because they are different. The issues of terrorism are complicated. Students, particularly younger ones, will tend to view them in absolute terms, with good guys and bad guys. Reinforce that most people are good and ultimately care about the same things: safety, freedom and opportunity. Remind them that people who support certain ideals also care about protecting innocent lives and that people who oppose ideals care deeply about the United States and the safety of others.

Help students explore and express their opinions respectfully. Explain that opinion is not the same as fact. Fact is what actually happens. Opinions are how we feel about what happens.
Everyone has a right to their opinion and discussing different views can deepen children's students' understanding of the world. Addressing the intolerance that leads to conflict and aggression can also help students regain a sense of control.

Be willing to discuss the concept of death. Students may be more concerned about dying or their loved one dying, particularly given the intense focus on death in the wake of terrorist attacks. Talking with them is important. Outside resources can be very helpful (e.g., books geared to different ages that explore death and dying, grief and hospice organizations, or faith community, if part of a student's family life). If a student comes from a home with a resilient belief system or faith, it will likely provide a powerful source of support when it comes to dealing with these issues.

Communicate with your students' families. Communicate to families what the students are learning. Encourage families to share with teachers including if they have a family member on active duty. Let families know that schools are providing extra support to students and that educators may also have loved ones who are called to active duty and/or trying to cope with their own personal reactions to events.

Make time for class discussion (or other activities if the children are young). Be sure to have a map or globe. Be prepared to answer questions factually or to guide discussion about difficult issues. Seek the help of your school psychologist or counselor if you are unsure of what to say. Be careful of large group discussion about terrorism if your students have strongly differing opinions. Such discussion can turn adversarial when emotions are running high. If need be, hold discussions in smaller, more homogenous groups or individually. Again, your school psychologist or counselor can help.

Stop bullying or harassment immediately. Remind students not to pass judgment on groups of people or other people's ideas just because they seem different. Finding ways to address the intolerance that leads to conflict and aggression can be one way to help students regain a sense of control over this situation.

Encourage students to talk to you or another caring adult. Emphasize that you are there to help and that they should let an adult know if they or a friend feels overwhelmed for any reason.

Do something positive with students to help others in need. Making a positive contribution to the community or country helps people feel more in control and builds a stronger sense of connection.

Resources

There are many organizations and agencies with helpful information about helping students and families cope with the stress of violence, terrorism and other crises:

( This document was adapted from a document originally created by NASP, 2003; http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/helpingchildrencope.aspx.)

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Helping Students Cope with Traumatic Events

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When violent acts occur in the midst of normal everyday events, they can put students on a heightened state of alert and cause justifiable levels of stress and anxiety. Educators can help students understand what is happening factually, how events do or do not impact their lives, and how to cope with their reactions.

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Forms, Tables, Checklists, and Procedures for Special Education Teachers

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Week 9:Forms, Tables, Checklists, and Procedures for Special Education Teachers

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Week 9:Forms, Tables, Checklists, and Procedures for Special Education Teachers

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As we are learning about all the jobs a Special Education teacher does, I always thought it was a bit overwhelming. I found this section of the website very helpful, and learned more about the procedures Special Edu teachers go through.

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Forms, Tables, Checklists, and Procedures for Special Education Teachers

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Checklists * Adapting the Classroom Environment * Adapting Curriculum Presentation * Adapting Page Set-Up and Devices Used in the Curriculum * Adapting Evaluation Strategies Used in Curriculum Checklists * Assessment Plans/Parent Consent for Evaluation Checklist * Required Members of the Multidisciplinary Assessment Team for an Initial Evaluation-Checklist * Student Behavior

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Week 9: "What is Assistive Technology" by Gia Miller 

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Week 9: "What is Assistive Technology" by Gia Miller 

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This is another great article about assistive technology from the perspective of Gia Miller. It outlines seven points of interest, including "Making assistive technology work for your child." This is useful information for teachers and parents.

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When Evonne Dunn's son finally received assistive technology in seventh grade, it changed his life. Diagnosed with dysgraphia, speech expressive disorder, ADHD and dyscalculia, he'd struggled in school and was now struggling with school-related anxiety.

"We saw the impact of assistive technology almost immediately," Dunn recalls. Her son had trouble remembering what he learned in class, regularly lost papers and assignments, and was often unable to complete his homework, all of which made him anxious. "But once he received digital tools that provided him with an organizational structure and addressed his other executive functioning deficits, everything changed," she remembers. "Assignments were no longer lost, and he began completing them on his own. Then, he began advocating to complete them without modifications, and we saw his anxiety slowly melt away."

Assistive technology is any product, equipment or system that helps a person with disabilities better manage their daily life. It can help with everything from getting ready each morning to learning in school or participating in activities.

"With assistive technology, there are low-tech and high-tech options," says occupational therapist Lindsey Biel of Sensory Processing Challenges. In your home, low-tech options could include a checklist for a child's morning routine or a chore wheel to help them remember when it's their turn to walk the dog or set the table. High-tech options could include an electronic device with alarms and reminders of what to do next.

In the classroom, assistive technology allows children to learn in the way that works best for them. And it helps students regain the time they typically lose trying to accomplish a task (reading, math, writing, etc.) due to their disabilities. With assistive technology, students can be more engaged in learning and participate in lessons and activities along with their classmates.

There are low-tech and high-tech options available for children in the classroom, too. "Examples of low tech are slant boards, easels and pencil grips to assist with writing," Biel explains, "while high tech options are iPads, laptops and dictation software."

Any child who struggles to do a task or use materials in the same manner as their classmates can benefit from assistive technology. While a child doesn't need a diagnosis, there are certain challenges that benefit from assistive technology support in school, including:

Executive functioning challenges including distraction, emotional control, impulse control organization, task initiation, working memory

Writing difficulties, such as the physical ability to write or express yourself clearly, note taking

Gross or fine motor delays or impairments

Hearing and vision impairments

Speech and language impairments

Mathematical challenges

Reading difficulties including comprehension, decoding, fluency or spelling

Assistive technology can also help children manage emotional difficulties that interfere with their ability to learn or participate in the classroom. For example, if your child's anxiety is so overwhelming that they're focusing on the stressor instead of the teacher, apps like StopBreatheThink, which was designed with teenagers in mind, can recommend an activity to help ease their thoughts. It offers solutions for a variety of emotions, from frustration and resentment to self-criticism or defensiveness.

"Once children know how to use the technology and develop proficiency - because like anything else, there's a learning curve - you'll see improvements pretty quickly," says Biel. "Another thing you'll probably notice is that assistive technology tends to motivate them, and their attitude begins to improve. Suddenly, all those negative experiences are behind them, and they're able to do their work in a way that works for them."

Assistive Technology bridges the gap between what a child knows and what they're able to communicate. "It makes things easier," says speech and language pathologist Alexa Brigante who specializes in assistive technology. "When kids have the right support, you can really see more of their true potential and who they are on the inside."

For example, if a child is struggling with writing, a keyboard can help. "When handwriting is difficult, it requires tremendous concentration and is exhausting," Biel explains. "So, it's much easier for them to learn how to type than to learn all those letter formations." A keyboard allows them to have more energy for thinking and communicating.

If they struggle with the effort it takes to write math problems, Brigante says making math digital through a program like Equatio can solve the problem. "Because math is typically done with paper and pencil, and students are given a very small space to write in, it can be difficult if it's hard for them to write by hand," she explains. "But making that digital and providing them the opportunity to use either an Apple pen or their fingertip on a touchscreen so they can 'handwrite' the math onto the screen, could change everything."

Equatio, Brigante adds, can help children with other math challenges as well. "It can provide students with digital manipulatives so they can move groups around on the screen if they're unable to do the math in their head. And it also offers a variety of digital calculators, like ones for graphing or algebra, that can help students with various math challenges."

For children who have complex challenges, assistive technology can be tailored to meet very specific needs.

For example, while a child might benefit from using voice dictation because they struggle to write by hand, they might also have a speech disorder that impedes their ability to fully use that general program. One solution could be an app called TouchChat that allows them to touch various images or text (depending on their age and reading ability) to create phrases or sentences that the app then says aloud. Another program, Read&Write provides text to speech, speech to text, text and picture dictionaries, etc. to support both reading and writing and challenges.

" Co:Writer is a great program that provides word prediction and word generation for children who can type," says Brigante. "It allows students to insert the topic they're writing about so the word prediction and generation talks about the academic topic at hand. For example, if they're writing about the Civil War, there might be some language the student wouldn't normally utilize, but if they add that topic to their dictionary, they will receive specific suggestions related to that topic."

Assistive technology, though helpful, isn't a standalone solution. "Assistive technology is a bridge, but therapy builds the underlying foundational skills," Brigante explains. "These tools are part of the modifications and accommodations, but they should not replace a skill that needs to be learned or worked towards. Technology is a supplement to be used when appropriate."

Assistive technology will help your child keep up with their classmates while they continue to receive therapy, even if they are pulled from the classroom for remediation.

"While your child is learning how to read, they can listen to the book, or while they're learning to write or type better, they can use voice dictation to get their work done," says Mark Surabian, director of ATHelp, an assistive technology support program at the JCC in Manhattan, and ATTrain, which provides assistive technology training. "Assistive tech is done in conjunction with remediation so the child can participate in the classroom with their peers right now, and not wait until they've gained the skills."

Assistive technology should grow with your child. The tools kids need to succeed may change as they get older and learning becomes more complex. Kids should be reevaluated annually to make sure the tech they're using is still working, and to explore other potential tools that might be necessary or beneficial. Often, as kids get older and take more advanced courses, they need new tools to access their education.

Just like a slanted curb to accommodate wheelchairs benefits people pushing strollers or carts, assistive technology often benefits more than the student who receives it. Dunn says her son is a perfect example.

"When he was finally provided digital access, in the form of a learning management system called Canvas, that technology was rolled out to all the students and teachers on his team, not just to him," she said. "It benefited all of the students in the class, including some who may have had undiagnosed disabilities. I tell my children that you must think bigger than yourself. You can't always change the world, but sometimes you can change the world around you."
Learn how to secure assistive technology for your child here.

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What Is Assistive Technology? - Child Mind Institute

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How assistive technology, including devices like iPads and laptops, can help kids with disabilities learn more effectively, keep up with peers, and be more motivated in school.

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Week 9: "Students with disabilities often left out of popular 'dual language' programs" by Tara Garcia Mathewson

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Week 9: "Students with disabilities often left out of popular 'dual language' programs" by Tara Garcia Mathewson

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The Hechinger Report 'covering Innovation & Inequality in Education' website had a lot of interesting information, directly from the perspectives of parents. While reading this particular article I learned a lot of information regarding the viewpoints from parents of special education students on how they are being left out of dual language programs.

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Students with disabilities often left out of popular ‘dual-language’ programs

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Advocates say it’s both a missed opportunity and discrimination

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Different games, activities to help students with disabilities.

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Different games, activities to help students with disabilities.

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This particular tab from this website has communication support for teachers and students with disabilities.

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picture exchange communication system cards

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Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs

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picture communication cards, songs, games and learning activities for autism, aspergers, fetal alcohol syndrome and disabilities

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After our module this week I thought it would be appropriate to share more about stuttering. Through kidshealth.org I found a very nice, informative information with a simple yet detailed breakdown of stuttering. This information helps put stuttering into context for teachers, parents, and professionals and also how to help children with stuttering.

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What Is Stuttering?

Many young kids go through a stage between the ages of 2 and 5 when they stutter. This might make them:

repeat certain syllables, words, or phrases

prolong them

stop, making no sound for certain sounds and syllables

Stuttering is a form of dysfluency (dis-FLOO-en-see), an interruption in the flow of speech.

In many cases, stuttering goes away on its own by age 5. In some kids, it goes on for longer. Effective treatments are available to help a child overcome it.

What Causes Stuttering?

Doctors and scientists aren't completely sure why some kids stutter. But most believe that a few things contribute to it, such as a problem with the way the brain's messages interact with the muscles and body parts needed for speaking.

Many believe that stuttering may be genetic. Kids who stutter are three times more likely to have a close family member who also stutters, or did.

What Are the Signs of Stuttering?

The first signs of stuttering tend to appear when a child is about 18-24 months old. At this age, there's a burst in vocabulary and kids are starting to put words together to form sentences. To parents, the stuttering may be upsetting and frustrating, but it is natural for kids to do some stuttering at this stage. Be as patient with your child as possible.

A child may stutter for a few weeks or several months, and the stuttering may come and go. Most kids who begin stuttering before the age of 5 stop without any need for help such as speech or language therapy.

But if your child's stuttering happens a lot, gets worse, or happens along with body or facial movements, seeing a speech-language therapist around age 3 is a good idea.

Usually, stuttering lets up when kids enter elementary school and start sharpening their communication skills. A school-age child who continues to stutter is likely aware of the problem and may be embarrassed by it. Classmates and friends may draw attention to it or even tease the child.

If this happens with your child, talk to the teacher, who can address this in the classroom with the kids. The teacher also might decrease the number of stressful speaking situations for your child until speech therapy begins.

When to Get Help

If your child is 5 years old and still stuttering, talk to your doctor or a speech-language therapist. Check with a speech therapist if your child:

tries to avoid situations that require talking

changes a word for fear of stuttering

has facial or body movements along with the stuttering

repeats whole words and phrases often and consistently

repeats sounds and syllables more often

has speech that sounds very strained

Also talk to the therapist if:

you notice increased facial tension or tightness in your child's speech muscles

you notice vocal tension that causes rising pitch or loudness

you have other concerns about your child's speech

Most schools will offer testing and appropriate therapy if stuttering lasts for 6 months or more.

How Can Parents Help?

Try these steps to help your child:

Don't require your child to speak precisely or correctly at all times. Allow talking to be fun and enjoyable.

Use family meals as a conversation time. Avoid distractions such as radio or TV.

Avoid corrections or criticisms such as "slow down," "take your time," or "take a deep breath." These comments, however well-intentioned, will only make your child feel more self-conscious.

Avoid having your child speak or read aloud when uncomfortable or when the stuttering increases. Instead, during these times encourage activities that do not require a lot of talking.

Don't interrupt your child or tell him or her to start over.

Don't tell your child to think before speaking.

Provide a calm atmosphere in the home. Try to slow down the pace of family life.

Speak slowly and clearly when talking to your child or others in his or her presence.

Maintain eye contact with your child. Try not to look away or show signs of being upset.

Let your child speak for himself or herself and to finish thoughts and sentences. Pause before responding to your child's questions or comments.

Talk slowly to your child. This takes practice! Modeling a slow rate of speech will help with your child's fluency.

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Many young kids go through a stage between the ages of 2 and 5 when they stutter. This might make them: repeat certain syllables, words, or phrases prolong them stop, making no sound for certain sounds and syllables Stuttering is a form of dysfluency (dis-FLOO-en-see), an interruption in the flow of speech.

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Week 12- Breaking the Behavior Code (Child Mind Institute)

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Week 12- Breaking the Behavior Code (Child Mind Institute)

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Mental health problems can affect even the youngest of age. I thought this was a great article to put mental health even within young ages into perspective. Teachers should be aware that students might be affected by mental health issues causing behavioral issues within the classroom. This article has wonderful breakdowns of symptom, how to help, what to do and how to go forward.

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About 10 percent of the school population-9 to 13 million children-struggle with mental health problems. In a typical classroom of 20, chances are good that one or two students are dealing with serious psychosocial stressors relating to poverty, domestic violence, abuse and neglect, trauma, or a psychiatric disorder.

These children represent the most challenging students in our classrooms today.

Their mental health problems make it difficult for them to regulate their emotions and focus on learning. Often they lack basic skills necessary to regulate their behaviors and, sometimes, to even recognize their own actions. They can be inflexible and have outbursts for no apparent reason-disrupting the classroom routine daily. They can disengage socially or be clingy, sleepy, or irritable. They can defy school personnel repeatedly and argue incessantly. They are the students who keep administrators up at night and the ones teachers dread having in their classes. Many of their stories are heartbreaking.

School staff today are under enormous pressure to show progress for every student every year. Yet they are in a bind. One disruptive child can effectively derail an entire lesson. Surveys show that coping with disruptive students is teachers' number one problem.

Our experience working in schools has taught us that to be effective and help each student reach their potential, teachers need a new approach to clearly understand what drives student behavior. Teachers also need a variety of strategies that allow them to intervene effectively before the behavior is entrenched.

Understanding the following critical concepts helps teachers choose how to intervene better with students' problematic behavior:

Misbehavior is a symptom

A student would behave if they could. If the student is displaying problematic, maladaptive behavior, it is a symptom of an underdeveloped skill. When students blow up or act out, it is a sign that they are stuck and can't cope with the situation. Some may be oversensitive to stress and have an overactive fight-or-flight response. Others may lack basic social skills that are needed to navigate an interaction with a peer, the flexibility to follow a demand like "clean up after your snack," or the self-regulation to withstand an anxiety-producing task.

Behavior is communication

Even though students' behavior can look bizarre or disruptive, their actions are purposeful and are their attempt to solve a problem. It is critical to step back and try to decipher what the student is trying to communicate and what the function (or intent) of the behavior is. With practice, teachers can learn to stop and "listen" to the message the behavior is conveying, break the behavior code, and respond in more productive ways.

Behavior is never random or aimless. Individuals would not repeat a behavior unless they were getting something out of it. Usually, it is a response from other people that fuels inappropriate behavior. Whining may work to get a teacher's attention, as does swearing. If a student repeatedly has tantrums and then gets to leave a classroom, they have learned that tantrums further their desire to escape. Teachers first need to figure out what the student is getting from inappropriate behavior, in order to find different ways to respond so as not to inadvertently reinforce the behavior.

Behavior occurs in patterns

When teachers feel they have tried everything with a student but the student is still acting inappropriately, the next step is to investigate in a systematic way. The key to breaking the behavior code is to look for patterns. These patterns can be based on time of day (they always yawn in the morning before snack), activity (they always ask to go to the nurse when math starts), people (they participate more in class when Ms. Irving is there), and many other factors. Once the pattern is discovered, the function or intent of the behavior will often reveal itself: "Oh! They refuse to speak every time an unfamiliar adult enters the room." Every behavior also has bookends: the environmental variables that occur prior to the unwanted behavior (the antecedents) and the response of the teacher and peers after the behavior. When trying to understand behavior, teachers need to notice these bookends. These are what fuel the behavior and allows it to persist.

Behavior can be changed

Although behavior plans are typically thought of as a way to improve students' behavior, good behavior plans are really a guide for helping teachers develop new behaviors so they can interact with challenging students in a more productive and preemptive way.

For some students, when the interventions are spot-on in understanding the function of the student's behavior and teaching underdeveloped skills, the student can show change quickly. If the student has been demonstrating an inappropriate behavior for years and lacks the necessary skills, it may take longer for them to change.

We've had students stop behaving inappropriately in only three weeks, whereas other students have tapered off a behavior over a three-year period. The more intensely the student is taught the underdeveloped skills and the more the environment is changed to encourage appropriate behavior, the faster the student's behavior is likely to change.

Building on an understanding of what drives behavior, we provide a framework for a different kind of behavioral intervention plan that we call the FAIR Plan. FAIR stands for functional hypothesis, accommodations, interaction strategies, and response strategies.

The goal of the FAIR Plan is to change inappropriate behavior to appropriate behavior for the long term, rather than, for example, simply "managing the behavior" until the end of the year. Achieving this type of change requires teachers to take five basic steps that use the fundamental concepts outlined above.

This means minimizing or accommodating things in the environment that tend to set off an incident of inappropriate behavior. By understanding what antecedents are problematic for a student, such as being close to other students or reading aloud, the teacher can intervene effectively and create a classroom environment that is supporting and proactive.

If a student can't tolerate academic demands without an outburst, the teacher may start by asking them to do only 10 minutes of work, reinforce them, and over time build up the student's tolerance. As the student demonstrates small attempts at self-regulation or the use of prosocial skills, the teacher will reinforce and reward them.

The student needs to be taught a replacement behavior-an appropriate behavior the serves the same function as the inappropriate behavior- to be used while they are building the skills needed to behave appropriately without accommodations. For example, instead of banging their fists on the desk when they find reading frustrating, they could be taught to ask politely, "Can I have a break, please?"

Teaching the student underdeveloped skills eventually eliminates the need for the replacement behavior. For example, the fist-banging student may need to work on reading skills, perhaps with additional support.

When prevention goes awry and incidents do occur, the teachers' response needs to reinforce the student's desired behavior, and avoid accidentally reinforcing the undesired behavior.

The Behavior Code is available from Harvard Education Press

How do you handle students with behavior problems?

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Breaking the Behavior Code - Child Mind Institute

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Behavior code: how teachers can better understand, anticipate, and respond to reduce problem behavior and increase learning for everyone.

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Week 12-Effective Vocabulary Instruction for Kindergarten to 12th grade (Council for Learning Disabilities) 

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Week 12-Effective Vocabulary Instruction for Kindergarten to 12th grade (Council for Learning Disabilities) 

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In my placement this semester, I am working in second grade. Within the class there are four students with IEPs, all for reading and writing. There is one student who has struggled all semester with his spelling tests in particular. I found this helpful to try to help him more, and have more of an insight into his struggles. I will also use this for my case study in my Literacy in the Classroom class.

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Council for Learning Disabilities | The Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) is an international organization that promotes evidence-based teaching, collaboration, research, leadership, and advocacy.

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Vocabulary Knowledge | Reading Comprehension | Council for Learning Disabilities

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Prepared by Beverly Weiser, PhD Southern Methodist University (Revised September 2013) Vocabulary knowledge is the single most important factor contributing to reading comprehension – Laflamme, 1997 The National Reading Panel of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD, 20…

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Week 12: Inclusive Classroom (Reading Rockets)

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Week 12: Inclusive Classroom (Reading Rockets)

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A nicely written and summarized article on the importance of classroom inclusion for all students. I also enjoyed the "Understanding Inclusion" inforgraph that was presented in this article. I think this is a helpful tool to understand what inclusion is, and how it looks.

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When inclusion is done well, everyone in the class benefits. It strengthens the ability of all kids to work together, understand and value different points of view, think critically, and be successful learners.

Inclusive classrooms also reduce stigma. Imagine this kind of learning community (quote from Understood ):

"Inclusive classrooms are filled with diverse learners. That lets kids talk about how everyone learns in their own way. They may find that they have more in common with other kids than they thought. This can go a long way in reducing stigma for kids with learning and attention issues. It can also help kids build and maintain friendships. "

Understanding inclusion

Inclusion is a belief that ALL students, regardless of labels, should be members of the general education community. The philosophy of inclusion encourages the elimination of the dual special and general education systems, and the creation of a merged system that is responsive to the needs of all students.

Is it inclusion?

This chart, developed by inclusion expert Nicole Eredics, can help you understand what inclusion is and isn't.

Child spends the majority of the day in the general education classroom.

Child spends the majority of the day in a special education classroom and goes to a general education classroom for one or two periods.

Child's desk is included with the other groups of desks in the classroom.

Child's desk is away from the other desks in the classroom.

Child has access to and is included in classroom lessons and activities that are adapted or modified to meet his/her special needs.

Child works on his/her own curriculum.

Child attends outside activities with the class including assemblies, field trips, enrichment classes, and recess.

Child is given alternate activities and options with other special education students.

Child is an independent, valued, and respected classroom member.

Child is looked upon as helpless, needy, and dependent.

The child's paraprofessional facilitates access to the curriculum and classroom activities.

The child's paraprofessional determines access to the curriculum and classroom activities.

The paraprofessional encourages child to complete work as independently as possible, while providing support when needed.

The paraprofessional does not provide many opportunities for the child to complete work independently and "hovers."

Child receives specialist support (therapy, speech, and language) with minimal disruption to the class routine and program.

Child is pulled from the classroom lessons and activities for specialist suport without consideration for what the child will miss.

The teacher can identify your child's strengths and areas for improvement.

The teacher refers to the specialists and paraprofessionals to identify child's development.

Child can name classmates and has many common classroom experiences.

Child does not know classmates and does not have many common classroom experiences.

The trend toward inclusive general education classrooms

Can special education students thrive in general education classrooms? Watch Carl Cohn, a former superintendent, talk about the trend toward inclusive classrooms (also called inclusion classrooms). Hear his tips on what to ask if a school suggests your child should be in a separate, self-contained classroom. Learn more at Understood, 4 Benefits of Inclusion Classrooms .

Read about a New York City public school program called ASD Nest in this article from The Atlantic: What School Could Be If It Were Designed for Kids With Autism .

Inclusive learning: everyone's in

This video, "Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child," overview is part of the Edmonton Public Schools' Inclusive Learning: Everyone's In initiative. The District was selected as a change agent for Alberta's Action on Inclusion initiative - to share information about best practices to welcome, include and support students' needs in the classroom and community. (Edmonton Public Schools, Alberta, CA) View all of the "Inclusive Learning: Everyone's In" video ›

Books about inclusive classrooms

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An inclusive classroom is a general education classroom where students with and without learning differences learn together. Inclusive classrooms are welcoming and support the diverse academic, social, emotional, and communication needs of all students. Learn more about what inclusion is, how it can benefit all learners, and how to implement an inclusion program in your classroom and school-wide.

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Week 12: 3 Things to Do to Help Your Child with Developmental Delays (Understood).

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Week 12: 3 Things to Do to Help Your Child with Developmental Delays (Understood).

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This article is not long or overdrawn, but simple and effective. As a teacher I know I will face parents who are frustrated to hear their child may be developmentally delayed. I think this article even though simple, points out there are easy, effective ways to help their child. Sometimes less is more so you can focus on the positive, and baby steps. When there is a lot thrown at parents, something like this article will help them adjust to their "new" life.

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Developmental Delays: How to Help Your Child Build Skills

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How can you help your child with developmental delays make progress? Here are three simple ways to help kids with developmental delays build skills.