Quick Tips to Support Learning in the Home

Here are some simple things to do at home to promote a positive learning environment in your own home.

1. Remember how important nutrition and sleep are to children to both their physical development and their cognitive/brain development. Limit sugars. Do not allow caffeine after dinner time (2 pm really). Set a consistent bed time. On average, toddlers and preschoolers need 11-13 hours of sleep. Five to twelve year olds need 10-11, and teenagers need 9-10. In general, children who get the proper amount of sleep and proper nutrition will be more attentive, have better memory skills, and are more available for learning.
2. Set aside a quiet, consistent spot for children to do their work.
3. READ to children---often. A good rule of thumb is 15-20 minutes each day. Do this as part of a bed time routine to help structure this time and slow the child down before bed.
4. Model reading yourself. Keep books, magazines, and newspapers in the house. Children should see you reading in a number of different settings.
5. Talk to children about the world around them, the environment, their school day, etc. Encourage questions and exploration.
6. Foster problem solving skills in children at a young age. Don’t do things for children all the time---let them figure out how to put on their shirt, or answer their own questions by responding “What do you think”.
7. Limit TV and video games. Encourage interactive board games and outside play.
8. Expose children to a variety of life experiences. Go to parks, go for nature walks, visit museums, libraries, grocery stores, etc.
9. Be consistent with expectations and discipline, and follow through.
10. When praising a job well done, be specific..ie. “I like how you cleaned your room up right away when I asked you to” or “I like how you did your math homework carefully and corrected your work”

Remember, consistency and structure are key!!!!

Be SMART!!!

So, we know that developing the IEP (Individual Education Program) is one of the most important steps in the special ed process, but how do we develop an appropriate one? Many school districts and special ed teachers struggle with this step. Many parents get frustrated at this point in the process because of “the cookie cutter” IEP approach…the one size fits all IEP. Special education is supposed to be individualized instruction in order to meet the unique needs of the child, yet many parents find themselves signing off on the same IEP year after year.

The fine folks at Wrightslaw have written a great book, called “From Emotions to Advocacy”. It is an excellent resource, and I recommend that everyone involved with special education…either a parent or teacher or advocate, read this book and learn from it. One of the things they talk about, in chapter 12, is writing SMART IEPs. S=Specific, M=Measurable, A=Action words, R=realistic and relevant, and T=Time limited.

IEP goals and objectives need to be specific in nature and measurable. How are we going to measure progress if we don’t know specifically what we are going to work on and how we are going to assess it? Many IEP goals are very vague and open…..as a parent you need to avoid that. An IEP needs to include Action Words….that means it should reflect what the school and the child will actually be able to do…nice strong verbs that describe the desired outcome. Goals and objectives also need to be realistic…can the child realistically work toward that goal and reach it during the current school year. In order to be relevant, the goals need to connect to the real world and to the current curriculum in the classroom, and move the child from their current level of performance to the desired level of performance. IEPs also need to be time limited…objectives need to be completed within a time frame…the first quarter, semester, half a year, the full year.

With these types of goals, the school team can be held accountable for their actions and their implementation. A parent can ask for measurement or assessment of each goal…how far has the child come? If the child has met an objective, then that item can be taken off of the IEP and a new objective can be put in to replace it. Using this method, if a child is making progress, then IEPs should be different each year. If the child is not making progress toward the goals, then the IEP and programming needs to be reviewed. A child with the most significant disabilities should be able to show progress in some area, even if it is a small amount of progress. If assessment reveals no progress is being made at all, go back to the drawing board and rework the IEP. The programming is most likely inappropriate if there isn’t any progress being made.

Questions?? Let me know!

Pet Peeve!

Some very interesting research came out of UNH’s Carsey Institute last week, based on something that is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. I have a very hard time with school districts’ use of out of school suspension as a disciplinary tactic for kids. For some instances, out of school suspension is a very appropriate strategy, especially when other things have been tried, or when the offense is very serious—such as assaultive behavior, etc, BUT…..many many schools in NH (and I would assume in other states as well) use out of school suspension for other grievances that are not very serious, and for things such as truancy. How does this make any sense? So a child has, for whatever reason, a difficult time getting to school or attending regularly, we finally get him to school, and the punishment for missing school is out of school suspension…….so……wait a minute…..do we want the kid in school or not? How is out of school suspension going to help a student who has difficulty staying in school? It makes absolutely NO SENSE!

What are some other strategies we could employ to assist these kids who have trouble staying in or getting to school? Well, if you must suspend, let’s first look to an in school suspension, where a child could be supported to get work done in an educational environment. Cut off his social ties for the day, keep him away from friends, etc, as the deterrent piece, but let him be in school getting some work done in a supportive environment. Besides suspension, let’s look at appropriate programming. Many kids who struggle with this issue are those involved with the special education system, or the courts, or have other environmental issues or school based struggles. Let’s try to adjust and individualize the child’s program so that he or she is GETTING WHAT THEY NEED. Most kids act out or skip school for a reason….let’s look a little deeper and see how we can improve their overall educational experience. Maybe they need more vocational training and options, maybe they need more help in learning to read, maybe they need to be placed in an alternative environment. There are MANY options to exhaust before we suspend kids out of school.

Some things found in the Carsey research:
•Out-of-school suspensions were 59 percent of the
total suspension incidents reported.
• The out-of-school suspension rate of 8.3 percent was
higher than the national rate of 6.9 percent reported
by the Office of Civil Rights for 2006.
• Sixty-eight (19 percent) of the schools reporting outof-
school suspensions reported rates higher than the
state rate of 8.3 percent.
• Ninety-two (29 percent) of the schools reporting
in-school suspensions reported rates higher than the
state rate of 5.7 percent.
•Verbal behavior and violence against persons accounted
for 31 percent of the suspensions reported
statewide.
• Tobacco, alcohol, and other drug-related offenses
were 7 percent of the suspensions in the state.
• Fifty-nine percent of suspensions were categorized by
schools as “other.”
•Schools with the highest rates of FRL-eligible (free and reduced lunch) students
averaged more than four times as many discipline incidents
(20.6 percent) as schools with the lowest rates (4.9 percent).
•Out-of-school suspension was used more than
in-school suspension for all categories of incidents
except “other drugs,” where they were applied equally.
•Over one-third (36 percent) of the total 84 expulsions
in the state were due to offenses related to drugs
other than tobacco and alcohol and weapons-related
offenses.
•The second most frequent (18 percent) reason reported
for expulsion was “other.”
• The least reported reason for expulsion was firearms,
the only offense for which expulsion is mandatory.
•The large percentage of both suspensions and expulsions
reported by the schools as “other” raises the question as to
what type of incidents are included in this category.

The last point is VERY INTERESTING. What exactly is "other"....we have no way of knowing...and "other" can mean different things in different school districts. And, some school districts might not be as objective when using the "other" category when suspending a student as other districts might be. Seems unfair, and a little too ambiguous for me.

Read the Carsey research and let me know what you think.

Let's Talk IEPs!!

Let’s talk IEPs!
Last time I blogged about the very beginnings of the special education process, through the evaluation step. This time, let’s talk about determining eligibility and developing the Individual Education Program (IEP). IEP development is one of the most important, if not the most important step, of the whole process. Without a solid IEP, we can have inappropriate services and placements, both of which can cause real problems for kids, families, and school districts.
First off, we need to look at the evaluation information and determine whether or not a child qualifies, or is eligible, as educationally disabled. There are two prongs to this decision. The team first looks at whether or not the child has a disability, such as a learning disability, ADHD, an emotional disturbance, or a speech and language impairment. Then, the team must consider whether or not the disability impacts the child’s ability to learn and whether or not the child needs “specialized instruction” and “related services” in order to learn. If the child has both a disability and the need for specialized instruction, then the child will qualify as educationally disabled under the federal special education law (IDEA 2004, or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act).
Once the team makes the decision that a child is eligible, the next step is developing the IEP. The school has 30 days, once the parent signs agreement to the eligibility decision, to create the IEP. (of course, at any time, if the school and parents disagree, there are dispute resolution mechanisms that families and/or school districts can pursue….I will talk about those in upcoming posts)
So what is an IEP, exactly? Here is the quick version:
IEP stands for “Individualized Education Program”. The IEP is the document that the team creates that describes the strengths and needs of the student, current levels of performance, the goals for the year for the student---what the team thinks the child needs to work on and improve, and the objectives—shorter term benchmarks to measure progress toward the bigger goal. The IEP also includes the services and related services that the school will offer as support and instruction to the child. The IEP will outline things such as whether or not a child will have a one on one aide, whether or not the child will work with other specialists such as a reading specialist, speech and language pathologist, or occupational therapist, and whether or not any special equipment is needed, such as a computer, an FM transmitter system, or books on tape, etc. The IEP also lists any special accommodations or modifications the child needs in the classroom or during the school day. Things like a quiet room to take a test in, having modified homework requirements, having the teacher use a lot of visuals, readings provided at the student’s level, use of a skeletal outline to take notes, etc. A decision about ESY (extended school year) is also a section of the IEP, and one of the most important things in an IEP for older students is the Transition Plan. This HAS to be included in the IEP in NH of a student who is 16 and up. The transition plan, which I will devote a whole other post to later, needs to include activities and supports to prepare students for the world after high school---whether that might be the world of work, college, the military, etc.
Once the team drafts the IEP, a parent has 14 days to sign or consent to the IEP. I always recommend that parents take their time in making the decision on the IEP. Parents shouldn’t be pressured to sign it right away. Parents can sign that they agree to the whole document, they can agree to the IEP with exceptions, or they can disagree with the whole document. Once parents signs the IEP, a decision about the student’s placement will then be made.
Lots of questions and discussion can be had in meetings about IEPs. What makes a good IEP? What are appropriate services? What does the school need to offer to make sure the child has access to FAPE (free appropriate public education)?
Creating a solid, appropriate IEP is paramount in the special ed process. What are your questions surrounding IEPs? More details on how to develop an IEP coming up……..

What is Special Education anyway????

In simple terms, special education is specialized instruction and related services that a school district provides to children who qualify as educationally disabled. A child could have a learning disability, an emotional disturbance, an other health impairment, or a number of other “educational disabilities”, and if the team agrees that the student is eligible, then an Individual Education Program (IEP) will be developed. All of this is to be paid for by the school district at no cost to the parent. It is a school district’s obligation to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) to children, regardless of a disability, for children 3 to 21 or graduation, whichever comes first.

This sounds like it should be simple, right? But the process is really anything but simple. The special education laws are confusing to even the most seasoned professionals, it seems. It is amazing to think that average families and parents make it through the process unscathed.

So what exactly is this process??? I will go through it briefly here for you. The Parent Information Center has a great document that goes over all the details…find it here……Parent Information Center publication

First off, there is a “child find” process….it is the school district’s responsibility to find kiddos from 3-21 who might have a disability. This is where preschool screenings and kindergarten screenings come into play. The other way a district “finds” a child with a disability is through the REFERRAL process. Anyone who knows the child and thinks that there is an educational disability issue can refer a child to the special education department at the child’s school or district. This referral should be in writing and describe what the problem is and it should request further evaluation. Once the school district receives this referral, it has 15 days to “dispose of the referral”. This means that the special education team gets together to review all existing school information (like report cards, assessments, teacher comments, etc) to see if further evaluation is required. At this point, the school district might say that they don’t feel a full blown special education evaluation is needed and that they will try some other classroom interventions, etc. Or, they might say that they do believe more information is needed to make a decision regarding whether or not special education is needed, and they would then propose an evaluation and ask parents to consent to some further testing.

Once the parent(s) sign(s) consent, the school district has 45 days to complete the EVALUATION. During this time, the school psychologist will most likely complete an intellectual evaluation (IQ test) and some achievement tests to see if the child is doing as well as he could be, or if there are other things going on that are getting in the way of the child’s achievement. Other professionals, such as occupational therapists or speech and language pathologists might do some assessments too, depending on the suspected areas of disability. After the testing is completed, the professionals write reports and recommendations and then an evaluation review meeting is held. Once the results are reviewed, the team can discuss whether or not the child is eligible for special education services based on whether the child is found to have an educational disability or not. Remember, this is all supposed to happen within 45 days in NH…..the school district may request one extension of this time frame, up to an extra 15 days…bringing the total to 60 days.

Important tip: In NH, the days are CALENDAR DAYS….not business days or school days….this is an important distinction, as a school district can not delay due to vacations or holidays, etc. So, if someone refers a child on June 15, the school district can not say that they can’t do anything until the next school year. The school district has to start the special education process, and if they don’t have people in house to do the testing, or whatever, they will need to contract with someone to get it done. A school district should not ask a parent to sign a waiver extending the time frames in order to get through a vacation period.

Check back soon for more about the next steps: determination of eligibility and IEP development!

Ocotober is Parent Involvement Month in NH

NH’s Parent Involvement survey results are in…go to the DOE website to get the results! Approximately 15% of school age parents responded to the survey. There is lots of research to show that parent involvement is one of the most important factors in children’s academic success. Do you feel that the staff at your child’s school promotes parent involvement? Do you feel that your child’s special education team values your opinion as a parent? Look at the items on the survey and see how you respond and see if your school truly promotes parent involvement!

NH’s Parent Involvement survey results are in…go to the DOE website to get the results! Approximately 15% of school age parents responded to the survey.

There is lots of research to show that parent involvement is one of the most important factors in children’s academic success. What exactly is parent involvement? It means different things to different people. For some, it is the fact that they attend all of their children's extracurricular events. For others, it is that they attend all of their child's IEP meetings.

Do you feel that the staff at your child’s school promotes parent involvement? Do you feel that your child’s special education team values your opinion as a parent? Look at the items on the survey and see how you respond and see if your school truly promotes parent involvement!
Quick tips to become a more involved parent and improving communication:
Parent Involvement

NH’s Parent Involvement survey results are in…go to the DOE website to get the results! Approximately 15% of school age parents responded to the survey. There is lots of research to show that parent involvement is one of the most important factors in children’s academic success. Do you feel that the staff at your child’s school promotes parent involvement? Do you feel that your child’s special education team values your opinion as a parent? Look at the items on the survey and see how you respond and see if your school truly promotes parent involvement!

NH’s Parent Involvement survey results are in…go to the DOE website to get the results! Approximately 15% of school age parents responded to the survey.

There is lots of research to show that parent involvement is one of the most important factors in children’s academic success. What exactly is parent involvement? It means different things to different people. For some, it is the fact that they attend all of their children's extracurricular events. For others, it is that they attend all of their child's IEP meetings.

Do you feel that the staff at your child’s school promotes parent involvement? Do you feel that your child’s special education team values your opinion as a parent? Look at the items on the survey and see how you respond and see if your school truly promotes parent involvement!
Quick tips to become a more involved parent and improving communication:

1. Introduce yourself to the classroom teacher as soon as possible and discuss with them any special circumstances with your child.
2. Attend and participate in open houses, parent teacher conferences, IEP meetings and back to school nights.
3. Volunteer in the classroom if at all possible.
4. Check in with teachers using short chats, phone calls, or written notes.
5. Be proactive—if there is something going on with the child that will affect school performance let the teacher know before hand.
6. Take part in Parent Associations.
7. Be a chaperone of school events or field trips.
8. Attend your child’s sporting events, concerts, plays, etc.
9. Ask questions—find out all the information and don’t jump to conclusions and overreact to situations. There are 2 (sometimes more) sides to every story.
10. Communicate with school about both positive and negative things. Don’t contact school only about the bad things.
11. Use of a communication log or book for students with special needs can help teachers and parents understand what has happened with the student during the day or evening.
12. Ask questions and address situations right away. Don’t ignore problems or wait for the issues to build up before discussing them. The school won’t know if there is a problem if you don’t mention it, and they may be caught off guard with a huge issue that could have been “nipped in the bud” right away.

Education in the News!!

Some very interesting stories hit the newspapers this past week. The two I was most interested in were in the Union Leader, and hit on two very important points for parents of children with special needs and for those concerned with the needs of “regular ed” kids…..class size and appropriate programming for kids with “emotional disturbance”.

Parents of children with special needs sometimes have difficulty working with schools around “appropriate programming”. The special education law provides for education that meets “the unique needs” of the individual. Too often, children are placed in a certain program in the school based on their identification….ie. kids who are “emotionally disturbed” attend the “ED program” at the school, as is the case in the UL article concerning behavior. But the one size fits all approach is not appropriate…….putting a bunch of kids with different needs and characteristics in a room and using the same teaching and behavioral approach with all of them does not work!!! For students with significant needs, the most appropriate program may be an out of district alternative school that can better individualize services for kids. Parents need to know that they can request that option if their child’s current program is not working and the needs in their IEP (Individual Education Program) aren’t being met.

Better, more appropriate programming benefits not only students in special education programs, but students in regular education programs as well! People always get concerned that the “special ed kids” negatively impact the education offered to the “regular ed kids”……..and that can be the case when appropriate programming is not offered. As the article shows, when a student’s needs are not being met….they will act out, they will get frustrated, and in extreme cases, they can hurt others. This does impact a teacher’s ability to teach, it does scare other students, and it is bad for everyone involved! Parents need to advocate for appropriate programming based on their individual child’s needs and they need to realize that many options exist…….something schools don’t always share!

Playing into all of this is the class size issue. Class size in and of itself is not the most important thing, as good quality teaching is probably more important….but……combine a large class size and inappropriate programming and you will have a disaster on your hands. This overwhelms even the best of teachers and can be detrimental to the learning process for everyone!

What do you think?

Who Am I and What Is This Blog All About?

Are you a parent of a student receiving special education? Are you confused? If you answered yes, you should know that you are not alone, and that there is help out there to assist you! That is in fact, the reason that I am developing this blog. I want to help every day people, just like you, who are struggling with the intricacies of special education, if at all possible!!!

I have been involved in special education in the state of NH, in some shape or form, since 1992. I began my journey by receiving my Bachelor's Degree in Communication Disorders from the University of New Hampshire, and then I became a certified special education teacher. I was then awarded my Master's Degree in Special Education, again from UNH. Go Blue!!! I have been a special education teacher at the elementary, middle and high school levels. I worked at a private independent boarding school for many years, and was the Assistant Director of the Instructional Support program there, as well as being a teacher, dorm parent, coach, advisor, and Team Leader. I was the education coordinator at a short term residential shelter for boys involved with the courts in juvenile delinquent cases. I was a Disabilities Services Specialist at a community college, working with adults with learning disabilities, and was an adjunct professor who taught special education courses. For the last few years, I have gained significant experience at the state level while working on behalf of the students involved with the courts in abuse, neglect, delinquency and CHINS (child in need of services) cases. I develop and give trainings all across the state about special education, court involved students, and parental rights. All the while long, I have done private work as a tutor and special education advocate for students and families.

My career has been dedicated to assisting children and families involved in special education, and making sure that the individual needs of each child are met in the most appropriate ways. Over the years, I have found that many school districts work exceptionally hard to do what is appropriate for kids, while there are many others that struggle to provide appropriate services, whether it be due to funding issues, inexperienced or undertrained teachers, or other system wide stressors. Some things have become crystal clear to me over this time.

The first thing is that the special education system is EXTREMELY CONFUSING to the average parent, and most schools do not do enough to assist parents with understanding it. Secondly, many parents and schools simply do not communicate well with each other. There are a myriad of reasons for this. Sometimes, the parents’ own “school phobia” gets in the way. In some instances, schools are not as empathetic as they need to be in dealing with what could be very sensitive issues for parents and their children. Another reason for this lack of communication is that parents are easily intimidated by some school district staff, and are afraid to say anything to them, even when they are in disagreement. Thirdly, many special education teachers in the field do not have a thorough understanding of the special education laws and rules, and albeit unknowingly, do and say things they shouldn’t, or lead the parents down the wrong path, etc.

Because of this, I have decided to try and assist parents and families in navigating this maze of special education, and to also try to get schools and parents to work together more smoothly on behalf of the children involved. This blog is meant to be a place for people to discuss issues, and hopefully learn some helpful hints along the way, as either a parent or a teacher/professional. Future posts will touch on IEP's, evaluations, strategies for at home, sharing resources, etc.

I would love to answer your questions, so if you have any...please send them my way. Drop an email to theeducationconsultant@gmail.com. Also follow me on Twitter at @spedconsultant. Finally, visit my website, www.theeducationconsultant.com.