New to Special Education? See if any of the information here can help you.
How do you get a student qualified for special education?
Individual Education Plan Goals-What are they and how do they work?
Accommodations and Modifications
IEP Stories
Paraprofessionals
Post High School Education Options for Students with Disabilities
Technology for Students with Disabilities
Thank you to Special Education Staff
Functional Goals for Students
Autism
LRE? What’s That?
Getting Organized-Parents
So much information coming at you so fast, technical terms, paperwork, what are you to do?
Learning Disabilities-Part 1
Interview with Wolfgang
Wolfgang became disabled at a young age and started into the Special Education system of the time. It was then discovered that, although he could read, his spelling needed extra support and he was given time in special ed to help him out with that.
Learning Disabilities Part 2-Dyslexia
Learning Disabilities Part 3-Dyslexia
Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia Part-2 Word Problems
I apologize for the sound difficulties in volume. I am working on it.
Word problems-we all dreaded them, but what happens when you also struggle with basic calculations due to Dyscalculia? And what if you have both dyscalculia and dyslexia?
History of Special Education Law
Teach Me to do it Myself-Montessori activities for you and your children by Maja Pitamic.
Due Process: What is it? When can I use it?
Due process is a legal procedure you can take when you feel your rights are violated. However, it’s not that simple.
I refer to books:
-The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child by Attorney Lawrence M Siegel
-The Complete Special Education Guide to Special Education by Linda Wilmshurst, Ph.D. & Alan W. Brue, Ph.D.
-2020 Lawyer’s Reference Guide: Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) Regulations as of February 14, 2020 by U.S. Department of Education
IEP/IFSP Goals-One Way to Write Them
Classroom Teaching Stories 1
Community Based Instruction (CBI)
Jobs 1
Oh my
Are Teachers the Problem?
What Happens to our Multiply Disabled Kids After Age 22?
IDEA PART C: IFSP
Listening and IEP Teams
Burned Out Teachers
Shoutout to Paraprofessionals & Specialists and Ever Hear: “You Must Be So Patient”
I always want the world to know para’s are underpaid angels of the IEP and classrooms.
Specialists often end up with overwhelming caseloads. Often they can barely get to all of the students they are supposed to get to. Is it their fault though? I don’t think so. I believe the districts have much to do to make the jobs of the specialists easier so the students get the full benefit of appropriately assigned caseloads.
And, of course, how many times have you heard, “You must be so patient?” I know I have spent my entire career hearing that on a very frequent basis. Have you?
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What is ABA and FC? How Does It Work?
ABA is Applied Behavior Analysis. FC is facilitiated communication. These techniques are often used with students who have autism/on the spectrum/mentally divergent. I found they worked with many students who had some behavior that needed to change for safety and/or socially appropriate.
IEP IFSP TRI and INITIAL in Special Education
There are so very many parts to Special Education! This part of special ed, despite it’s different names, is relatively similar..sort of. IEP’s and IFSP’s are annual meetings to put together the in’s and out’s of the child’s needs while an Initial is assessing to see whether or not a student qualifies as a special needs student. A Triannual is done every three years to see if the student continues to qualify for special education. Sometimes these things are done with very little fuss, but sometimes things get heated. What does your student need? Well, it depends.
Age Appropriate Behaviors and Skills
What would you, upon instinctive first reaction, think if you saw a 16 year old playing with Duplo Blocks or kissing a doll or eating with their fingers? Of course, there are always exceptions to just about every rule, but, in general, certain things are accepted at certain ages and not much longer afterwards. Now we all collect things from our youth, but they are not toys, they are objects in our collections. I even had a relative who, dead serious, had over one hundred dolls in her collection. That’s all it was, though. A collection.
If we are trying to help our students interact with their peers, then we need to make sure they won’t be bullied by others and letting them play with toys too young for them will accomplish that. By not bringing up certain hygeine tasks or other daily living skills because we don’t want to hurt their feelings will result in them being shunned. Everybody is an individual and how this gets approached needs to be coorndinated with their families. Families need to work with the school staff, but school staff need to make sure to explain why this is such an important area to work on. As always, I promote team work on accomplishing the student’s goals.