You’re at your child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting. The special education teacher reviews your child’s school placement, and says that for your child to receive FAPE, they need to stay in the LRE…. what?!
I’m helping you crack the code of these acronyms! Special Education has many acronyms, representing many important decisions for your child.
Has your child’s doctor told you to request a 504 plan or Individual Education Plan (IEP) for your child in school? Or maybe a friend has mentioned that their child has one, and you are wondering if that is the right route for your child? Maybe you are looking for ways to support your struggling learner in the classroom.
But what does 504 or IEP even mean? How can they help your child or teen? I’m here to help break down the differences for you.
Behavior charts can be an effective tool in the classroom that can help teachers manage and promote positive behavior.
Behavior charts provide a visual representation of student behavior, allowing both teachers and students to track progress and work towards specific goals.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month!
Dyslexia means that someone has significant problems with reading and spelling. I like to tell students that I work with that their brain is wired differently… not bad… just different! Having dyslexia does not mean that someone will not learn to read. It just means that they might need a different approach to learning to read!
As a School Psychologist, I work with educators and parents who have children with significant behavioral, cognitive, and communication needs. Research indicates that as many as 25-37% of people with significant cognitive disabilities do not use oral speech.
I am sharing communication strategies that are evidence based, and have been proven to support students with their communication needs. I HIGHLY recommend having a Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP), and possibly even an Augmentative and Adaptive Communication specialist as part of your child’s care team.
In my job, I work with students with complex communication, academic, and behavioral needs. I have built up a toolbox of strategies to support my students over the years, and I am going to share one of my favorites, creating a task analysis!
Social skills are the tools and skills that help people to listen and communicate with each other, solve conflicts, empathy, demonstrate positive friendship behaviors, make friends, get our needs met appropriately, share and receive, and interact with others in a positive way.
Children who are behind in social skills may benefit from extra practice, teaching, or direct instruction in social skills, often referred to as social skills training.
Social skills training is a direct way of teaching social skills. Directly teaching social skills has been proven to improve social skills in children and teens.
Executive functioning is an umbrella term that includes: short-term and working memory, planning and finishing tasks and projects, managing emotions, paying attention, and sustaining attention to tasks.
Executive functioning skills are an essential set of skills to help with classroom and life success.
Executive Functioning Coaching can help improve Executive Functioning Skills.
Transitioning from the carefree days of summer to the structure and demands of school can be a challenging time for both parents and their children.
However, with the right strategies and preparations, you can help ensure a smooth and successful transition. In this blog post, I’m sharing my favorite tips and advice to help you and your child navigate the back-to-school season with confidence and ease.
Visual supports are a powerful tool that has shown remarkable results. These evidence-based intervention strategies utilize visuals and visual cues to enhance communication, comprehension, and reduce anxiety, and increase overall engagement for children with disabilities.
As a School Psychologist, I work with educators and parents to support children with behavior challenges. Behavior challenges can take many forms including defiance, aggression, off-task behavior, and eloping, among others. I want to share with you my 5 most recommended, evidence based interventions.
To determine if a child qualifies for special education services, a free and comprehensive special education assessment is required as part of the process. Through the evaluation, the suspected areas of disability are evaluated, and then eligibility for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is determined. If a student is eligible for special education services, they will be eligible under one of the 13 eligibility categories outlined in this post.