The Special Education IEP and the Parent Underdog

Are you a parent of a child with a learning disability? The deck is stacked against you for achieving a quality, special education IEP. Learn how to get the best possible program for your child.

What is an IEP?

The special education IEP (Individualized Education Program) process was created by the Federal law called IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) to ensure that students with learning disabilities would receive an appropriate education. The IEP process can be confusing, stressful, and sometimes terrifying to parents. The process comes to a head at the IEP meeting, so this is often the most stressful part of the IEP process.

Why is this process so difficult for parents? Through a series of 3 articles, we’ll look at the IEP process, why the deck is stacked against parents, steps to take to even the odds, the IEP success method to follow for an effective IEP meeting, and how to prepare for IEP 911.

What are the IEP Process Steps?

Identify that a problem exists and it cannot be solved

Educate yourself about the IEP process

Assess and test the student

Analyze the test results

Prepare for the meeting / get and give input in advance

Meet to review information and create (or deny) an IEP

Evaluate the plan and alternatives

Execute the plan or alternative

Monitor progress

Manage transitions

Negotiate changes

Repeat the process, at least annually

The IEP – Why are Parents at a disadvantage?

1. You are usually outnumbered.

2. The other attendees are speaking a language that is difficult for you to understand-educationese, legalese, and medicalese.

3. Your child is one of many students. This is their job, but your child. This sets you up for emotional reactions.

4. Because you are emotionally involved, it is harder to be objective. You feel you have more to lose; it’s easy to become defensive or lose your temper.

5. The people sitting across from you are people you learned to respect, obey, and / or fear as a child. Principals, medical people, teachers. You may not see yourself as an equal.

6. You are asking for something. It is implied that anything you ask for will take away from another student.

7. Some of these people attend dozens of IEP meetings every month. You may go to one or two a year. They have experience on their side.

8. The school personnel earn a salary while they attend these meetings. You may give up some salary to attend.

9. The school district has an attorney. You may know of an attorney!

10. If the school rejects the IEP, you may feel as if you have just lost your lifeline.

11. If you have argued before, threatened legal action, complained about an IEP and on and on, the relationship inside the room might have moved over to confrontational or adversarial. The above are true even if you are in a cooperative, collaborative meeting and all working together. You can continue the list from here if you have moved over to an adversarial meeting!

12. You may not be sure what is “wrong” with your child.

13. You have no way of judging if the school’s recommendations will help your child or not.

14. If your child attends the meeting, hearing certain things may upset your child, then you.

How do you even the odds?

1. You need to prepare for the IEP meeting and review test results before the meeting.

2. You need to be organized and to have everything written down.

3. You need to study negotiating before the meeting.

4. You need to bring a short list of topics you want to discuss such as a particular teacher / problem, etc.

5. You need to come ready with a written plan (See Part II and III).

6. You need to cite or quote the evidence and experts as proof of the validity or correctness of your plan and follow the IEP Success Method in Part II.

7. You need to understand the legal basis for what you are asking for.

8. You need to stay calm and bring someone with you to take notes so you can focus on the meeting.

9. If the meeting focuses on negatives, you need to redirect the meeting by pointing out your child’s strengths. Discuss successes your child had outside of school.

10. If necessary, you need to bring an advocate or a relative with you who can be less emotional but is acquainted with your child.

11. If you are confused or not happy with the entire IEP, you need to remain calm and state that you need time to review the IEP before you sign.

12. If there is any area you are unsure of, you need to postpone decisions you are unsure of until you do the research.

Sufficient Impacts on the History of Special Education

Special Education, over the years, has grown and improved substantially. The history of it contains many admirable historical figures and events that have defined and impacted Special Education. I, however, picked 4 people and one event that I thought had a great impact on Special education. Without these people, special education would not be where it is today. I believe Jean Itard, Edouard Seguin, Helen Keller, Samuel Howe and the Brown Vs. Board of Education, were all important highlights in the history of Special Ed. Although they are not the only ones that should be commended for doing an outstanding job in improving the status of Special Ed, education would not progress as much without them.

Jean Itard is perhaps best defined as “the Father of Special Education” Although he was not aware that his work would have been defined as Special education, his work had a profound effect on future generations. Itard was educated to be a tradesman. However, during the French Revolution, he joined the army to become an assistant surgeon. After the war, he took upon a new and challenging project called Victor. Victor was a wild, animal- like boy that was found running around in the forest. In 1800 he was bought to Paris for observation. When Itard saw the wild, uncivilized boy, he assumed that he had been recently abandoned by his parents. Like a wild animal that does not like to be caged, Victor escaped a couple of times from a widow’s bedroom window. He was normally deficient, but Itard believed he could educate the boy through experience. During Itard’s time, it was a common belief that mentally disabled people were uneducable. The remarkable guru spent five years trying to “cure” him. After 5 years, Victor could read and speak a few words, and could also show affection towards his caretakers. Unfortunately, he never reached normality. Itard thought he had failed as a teacher, but his experience with Victor taught others that in order to achieve the smallest success, he had to accept Victor as a person. His work implemented the most important truth of all, and that was that education had to be in harmony with the dynamic nature of life.

The next important historical figure was not a teacher, but a remarkable student. Helen Keller had an illness which left her blind and deaf. As a young child, she suffered through severe retardation. She made animal like sounds, ripped her clothes off, and was not toilet trained. It was apparent that she lacked civilized traits. Many years later, even she said “I was an animal.” Poor Helen had become a very difficult child. She terrorized the house hold, and often endangered the people in it. The Kellers were advised to visit an expert on deaf children. This was the well known Alexander Graham Bell. Bell suggested that the family seek an instructor from Perkins University.

On March 3rd, 1883, she met her teacher and caretaker, Miss Anne Sullivan. During the first meeting of theirs, Anne spelled out the word d-o-l-l on her arm. After writing the word on her arm, Anne gave Helen a doll, to show her what “doll” was. The next word she was spelled out was “cake” Although she could quickly repeat the same finger movements, Helen never really understood what the words meant. While Anne was struggling to help her understand the meaning of a word, she also was struggling to try to control Helen’s undesirable behavior. Making her educated and civilized was a great challenge for Anne. After a month, her behavior did improve. It was that initial month that the bond between Anne and Helen was established. After that month was the time that people referred to as the “miracle. It was not until 1887, that Helen began to grasp an understanding of the words. Anne pumped water on to Helen’s hand, and spelled out the word on her hand. Something about this activity helped Helen understand the meaning of the words.. Helen progressed as an individual over the years.

10 Signs That You’d Make a Great Special Education Teacher

It takes a certain type of person to become an excellent special education teacher. Not everyone can handle the day to day stresses of this kind of work so it is important that you have the right personality traits before you pursue special education as a career. Here are some of the top traits you should posses.

Being a special education teacher is a unique task and it’s not for short-tempered people. If you are the kind of person who manages to keep a smile when everyone else is complaining, then perhaps you possess the qualities required to be a special education teacher. Here are some of the virtues you require:

A good special ed teacher is passionate about her students and knows this is what she is meant to do. You should cherish your students despite the setbacks and if you possess a real passion for teaching special education kids then this should not be difficult at all. A lot of people go in to it thinking they were called to do it but after spending some time with the kids and experiencing the ups and downs that come with the job, they quit because they can’t handle the pressure.

You should also possess a uniquely creative mind. Many of the times during classes, you will require creativity to explain subject matters to the kids and this can greatly improve their responsiveness. A lack of creativity could have you talking to yourself because the kids may not always understand your frame of mind.

You should be organized. A special ed teacher needs structure and organization skills a lot more that the regular teacher because special needs students take time to familiarize and be comfortable with their surroundings. You should be able to provide a stable environment for them and some stability by being on time, preparing the lessons ahead of time and maintaining anything else that helps the students be more at ease with you.

You should be accepting of others. This is regardless of their condition. Special ed teachers understand this better that anyone else. You should be able to see to the inner person in every student and bring out the best in them, while allowing yourself to form a bond with every one of your students. In the process, you will find that you begin to appreciate them more.

A special education teacher should be even tempered. A lot happens when dealing with special education students and it is upon you to handle the situation firmly but with tenderness, because a lot of the times you’ll be dealing with kids with emotional dysfunctions, among other problems, and everyone of them expects a certain level of attention which if not given they end up snapping at you.

Patience and optimism is key when dealing with special needs people. Simple projects which ideally would be done within an hour in a normal class could take ages to finish in this kind of setting, so without the patience and optimism to keep you going, you could end up being frustrated. Keep a straight head and believe in your students and you will be surprised by just how much both you and them can achieve.

Another important quality to have is confidence. Without confidence, you will not be able to make much of an impact on your students. Many of these students can distinguish between weak and strong characters, and respond differently to both. Without the self-belief and confidence needed, you might have a difficult time being obeyed.

Be dedicated to your students. Many of the students you will be teaching may be having you as the first dependable partner in their life, and this will definitely create an attachment. Try and be a strong dedicated teacher for them, it will go a long way in boosting their confidence and independence because if you show them they can believe in themselves, it makes them stronger.

How To Pursue A Special Education Degree

If you are looking to get yourself a special education degree, then you need to be able to understand a few things first. This is a job that can be very demanding and stressful. You will need to make sure that you are emotionally as well as mentally prepared for the tasks at hand with this type of job.

Many people find that this career path can prove to be too much and they must find another way to use their degree. Be sure that you understand not only what you have to do to obtain a special education degree but also what you will have to do to prepare yourself for the actual job.

State Requirements

While all states are different with what they will require from their teachers you will find that all states will require that you are licensed. This is something that is going to involve the completion of a bachelor’s degree at the very least. You may also need to have a master’s degree as well. There are some special education degree programs that are going to require a personal statement that will divulge in both your life and your work experiences.

You will also need to state your goals that you have within the actual program as well as your professional philosophies. You will also need to make sure that you have your PRAXIS scores. While these scores are not required in all states they will be needed in most of them. There are 2 different types of PRAXIS tests. There is a pre professional skills test. This test will measure the writing, reading and mathematics skills of the test taker. The other test will measure your comprehension of different subjects going from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Personal Requirements

It is important that you understand what will be needed from you personally in order to succeed in this particular field. You are going to need to understand the importance of your job and the patience you will have to have. You will also need to be able to know how to spot a problem with a child that has not yet been noticed or is being tested. You have to understand that this can sometimes seem like a very thankless job so don’t go in expecting to get a lot of recognition all of the time.

What to Expect

Whenever you are trying to get masters in special education you will need to be able to provide counseling in education as well as diagnose and recognize different learning disabilities. Being able to teach special education to children of all ages is a necessity as well. You are also going to need to be able to make yourself familiar with the different policies and applicable laws within the state you are teaching in.

Individual education plans will need to be tailored by you as well. These are just a few of the things that you will need to make yourself familiar with so that you will be able to be successful and help to shape and mold lives.

4 Parenting Tips to Help You Enforce Special Education Law

Do you have a child with a disability who is receiving special education services?

Are you frustrated because it is hard to get needed educational services, for your child? Would you like a few parenting tips, to help you make sure that special education personnel follow IDEA? This article will discuss 4 parenting tips, that will help you in enforcing, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

IDEA enforcement by law is to be the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), which is part of the Department of Education. They are responsible in making sure that states, are in compliance with special education law. States are responsible for making sure that individual school districts comply with IDEA.

The reality is that parents are the main enforcement mechanism of special education law. Below are 4 tips to help you ensure that your school district is complying with IDEA, for the benefit of your child.

1. Develop a working knowledge of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. By doing this, you will know where to look when you need a particular section of the law. For Example: If you would like to look at what is required for a free appropriate public education (FAPE), you would look under 300.101. Or Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) at 300.115.

2. Develop a working knowledge of your state regulations on special education (This is how the state is going to comply with IDEA). Some states regulations are actually better for children and parents, than federal law. By understanding these, you will be able to use them to ensure that your school district is complying with the educational law. You can get a copy of your state regulations from your state board of education.

3. Bring copies of the laws with you to any IEP meeting for your child, and place them on the table. You will be able to look up certain sections during the meeting, in case you need them.

By bringing up the special education laws that apply, you will make sure that you school district is following them. You also want to make sure, that the special education personnel in your district understand that you know the laws, and that you will be making sure that they follow them.

Also, when you write letters to school personnel, always quote IDEA or the state regulations, for special education when you can. This will help bolster your case, for whatever you are asking for.

For example: IDEA states, that my child has the right to a free appropriate public education, which I believe that she is not receiving at this time. In order for my child with a learning disability to receive FAPE, she must receive the appropriate amount of reading remediation, using simultaneous-multi sensory reading program such as Orton-Gillingham.

4. If your school district is in non compliance with the procedures of IDEA, consider filing a state complaint. The state complaint is filed with your state board of education; special education department.

The complaint should state the violation, the number in IDEA that is being violated, what your evidence is of the violation, and also the proposed resolution of the violation. Also, you can put more than one violation in a complaint, but number them for easier reading and tracking.

Special Education Advocates Role in Advocating For Children With Disabilities

Are you the parent of a child with autism or other disability? Would you like to know what an advocate does in the special education process? Do you wonder if a special education advocate could help you in fighting for needed services, for your child? This article will explain what the role of a special education advocate is, and whether they could help you advocate for a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for your child.

There is currently no certification for special education advocates! This is the reason why it is sometimes difficult to find one that is knowledgeable, and has expertise in special education.

The role of a special education advocate is to:

1. Have a working knowledge of state and federal laws that cover special education, and know how to use them to advocate for children. Federal law is Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Each state is required to have a law that must comply with IDEA.

2. Understand different types of disabilities and have experience advocating for children of different disabilities

3. Take time to know the child, and work with the parent to determine what services and placement a child needs, and advocate for them! This may require the parent getting an independent educational evaluation with a qualified evaluator.

4. Educate parents as to research based practices, as well as best practices. IDEA requires, that curriculum and programs be scientifically research based, which parents need to understand.

5. Have knowledge of different school districts and also how to advocate with different personalities of special education personnel. People are all different and the advocate must understand the best way to deal with the different personalities.

6. Act in a professional manner, whenever possible, to help parents get needed special education services and placements for their child. A good advocate is firm and refuses to back down when intimidated by special education personnel.

7. Teach parents advocacy skills so that they may learn how to advocate for their child!

A special education advocate can be extremely helpful in advocating for your child. If you think an advocate could help you check out your local disability organizations, and see if they have an advocate on staff. Check organizations such as a Center of Independent Living, Parent Training and Advocacy Centers (available in all states). If you hire a private advocate make sure you check their credentials, and make sure that they have experience with children with your child’s type of disability. This will ensure that the advocate understands what your child needs, and will be able to advocate for them.

Special Education Teaching Job Interview – What to Expect

Because a special education teacher’s job requires far more than just teaching, administrators will seek candidates who are true specialists in the field. If you’re hoping to be hired as a special ed teacher, you need to be an expert at the art of adapting lessons, an active advocate for student needs, a professional IEP writer, a wealth of information on student disabilities, and a dedicated individual who is 100% committed to doing whatever it takes to help all students reach their fullest potential.

As with any teaching interview, I recommend you familiarize yourself with possible questions beforehand. This will make the interview questions seem familiar so you’ll be more comfortable answering them. You will be asked a series of general teaching questions as well as questions that specifically relate to special ed.

Below are a few thoughts on ways to be prepare for the special education questions that will be asked.

1. Be prepared to comprehend and respond to all of the jargon, acronyms, and special requirements of special education. You should know exactly how an IEP and/or CSE meeting is conducted. You need to speak and act as though you are very familiar with IEP meetings, CSE meetings, child study meetings and any other special education committees the school may have. Understand how least restrictive environment works. Know what services and support the school district does and does not offer.
2. Be sure you understand and are able to talk about a wide range of disabilities. Familiarize yourself with Asperger’s/autism, ADHD, emotional disorders, processing delays, speech disorders, physical handicaps, and every other common disability children may be classified with in the district.
3. Emphasize your ability to work cooperatively with colleagues. Special education teachers are usually required to work closely with and/or team teach with regular education teachers. They’ll also be communicating regularly with special education administration, social workers or counselors, PT/OT teachers, and resource teachers. There’s a lot of specialized teamwork involved in educating children with special needs. You need to understand your role in acting as an advocate for each of your students and in meeting their social and academic needs.
4. Know how to utilize support staff. Oftentimes special education students will have teachers’ aides or assistants. Be sure you know how to use the support staff in a professional way the benefits the student. You don’t want the child to become dependent on a teacher’s aide for doing simple tasks that he/she can perform himself. On the other hand, you want to be sure the student is receiving the full support he/she needs.
5. Be sure you’re an expert in differentiation. While all teachers should differentiate their lessons based on their students’ needs, special education teachers need to be especially confident in their ability to adapt lessons to meet the very unique needs of their students. You simply can’t teach a concept and expect every child to be doing the same work, the same way. You need to individualize instruction so that it is presented in a way that all of your students can learn. You will not be able to look at the school’s curriculum or instructional materials and use them as-is. You’ll need to show that you can adapt your resources to meet the learning needs of your students.

Final thoughts: To succeed in a special education interview, you need to be able to talk-the-talk, understand how to be an advocate for special needs students, fully understand responsibilities associated with the job, and be willing to go above and beyond to meet the unique instructional needs of classified students.

Do I Have To Sign This Medical Release Form For Special Education Personnel?

Have you been asked by special education personnel to sign a consent form for release of your child’s medical records? Have you been told, that your child with autism or an emotional disorder cannot return to school, unless you sign a medical consent form? This article will discuss, whether parents must sign consent for release of medical records, to school personnel.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is silent, on parents being required to sign consent, for release of medical records. But just because IDEA is silent, does not mean that special education personnel have the right to require release of medical records. Medical records are considered private, and school personnel do not have any right to these records, unless you give them informed consent.

Many parents have trustingly released medical records, only to have school personnel, use these records against them or their child. Remember that some Doctors and nurses may not understand special education, and may say things that may be misinterpreted by school officials.

For Example: A 16 year old young man with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is in the Emergency room, because of behavioral difficulties (many children with TBI, due to there brain injuries have behavioral outbursts). He is interviewed in the Emergency room, by a doctor that is not well trained in people with TBI. The young man tells him, that he is in the hospital because he brought a gun to school. The doctor who has already spoke to the young man’s mother, knows that this is not true. Yet the Doctor still included this statement, in a medical record of the hospital visit.

The school district asked the mother to sign a blanket medical release form, which she did. (the mother did not understand that she had the right to refuse). Later when special education personnel kicked the young man out of school, and wanted to place him in an extremely restrictive residential placement, the mother found out about the hospital report. She was shocked and surprised that the statement was in the record. She was never asked by the Doctor if this statement was true or not. This record almost cost her son, his ability to live at home, though I was able to prove that it never happened.

At the end of the due process hearing, I asked the mother, what the one thing that I had taught her and she said: Do not give consent for release of medical records. Yah! She learned the right lesson!

If you are asked for copies of your child’s medical records, ask the special education personnel what authority they are basing their rights to medical records on (there is none). Also under HIPPA your child has the right to keep their medical records private.

If there is a specific record that school personnel want, and you are not opposed, this is how you should go about releasing the record. Tell the special education personnel that you will think about it, then get a copy of the record that they are interested in. When you get the record read it cover to cover. If you think, that the record contains important information, that would help your child and not hurt them, then you can consider giving them a copy of the record.

Under no circumstances should you give school personnel the right to blanket medical records. In my opinion, some special education personnel ask for these medical records, because they are looking for information to use against the child, or the parents.

By understanding the release of medical records, you will be able to protect your child’s privacy, and keep school personnel from using them against your child. Please remember your child is depending on you!

Disability Education Becoming Part of Daily Life

Cindy Wetherby buzzes around the campus of Northwestern College in Saint Paul, Minn., on a motorized cart equipped with oxygen. A lung dysfunction that left Wetherby with 27 percent less lung volume than the average person hasn’t prevented her from pursuing a college education and teaching career.

Wetherby is among 43 million Americans with disabilities, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and their presence in every day life is becoming common, accepted and even welcomed. In the last decade, Americans have broadened their horizons regarding the disabled thanks to the 1990 passage of the ADA, disability awareness education and increased inclusion of the disabled in schools and businesses.

“Christopher Reeve has been a great example of what a disabled person can do,” Wetherby says. Paralyzed from the neck down in a horse show-jumping accident in 1995, “Superman” Reeve has become an international crusader for spinal cord injury awareness and research. He’s also returned to film both as an actor and director, and has become a sought-after speaker.

Wetherby is another example, and she’s thrilled to enlighten her own little corner of the world. “I’m an education to those around me,” she says. From Northwestern, to her children’s schools to her church and neighborhood, Wetherby says, “People are curious when they see me and I want them to approach me. This way they learn about my disability and about me as a person.”

She says her outgoing personality helps create an atmosphere of comfort and ease. “I use humor. I’m always laughing and like to see people laugh. Humor breaks down some of the barriers and makes me approachable. I also watch body language, which helps me gauge how to deal with people.”

In the 13 years Wetherby has been living with her disability, she’s gleaned insights into how to approach and get to know a disabled person. “Be open; don’t be afraid to ask questions. Take the time to talk and be sure to listen. Don’t be reluctant to ask how to help in case they ever need assistance or emergency help. And please, don’t assume or be judgmental about a person or their disability. For example, some assume I was a smoker, but I wasn’t. I’m on oxygen because of a lung dysfunction.”

Since coming to Northwestern, Wetherby has discovered that her presence in classes, the library and cafeteria educates her fellow students as well as faculty and staff. “I believe God put me here so people could see me, meet me and be aware of those of us with disabilities,” she explains. “I’m here to let students know it’s okay to get to know me. I’m comfortable with this; they can be, too. A lot of students have never been exposed to a person with a disability, so it’s good that I’m here.”

Wetherby has learned a lot in the process as well. When she began student teaching at a local middle school, she was a bit uncomfortable dealing with all her equipment and students’ reactions. “My supervisor told me to be straight with the kids and explain what happened,” she recalls. “They are naturally curious and need to know. After that, we were all just fine.”

Wetherby and other disabled students at Northwestern have an advocate in the Disability Office of Support Services (DOSS). Like similar programs in colleges across the country, DOSS offers peer helpers and tutoring, alternative testing conditions, accessibility support, study skills and strategies, room accommodations and parent advocacy among many other services.

Dr. Yvonne Redmond-Brown, DOSS director, says the department’s services are for the entire college, not just disabled students. “We encourage fellowship and connectedness of the disabled within the entire campus. We are here to help everyone learn about the everyday struggles and limitations so we all can understand and support each other.”

One vehicle Dr. Redmond-Brown has implemented is DOSS Awareness Week held each fall on Northwestern’s campus. The week provides opportunities for students, faculty and staff to focus on learning styles and challenges, college transitions and resources. Events include panel discussions, workshops, class sessions and lunchtime chats with guests who have met life’s challenges through their disabilities. “It’s an opportunity to grow through fellowship,” Redmond-Brown says.

Wetherby admits she’s had some personal challenges on campus, from sitting idle during lunch while her cart’s battery recharges to calling her teenager to bring a replacement oxygen tank to campus. “We all have disabilities, some are visible and some are invisible,” she says. “But disabilities are only as challenging as our minds let them be.”

Special Education Programs Meeting Student Needs in Nassau County

Children’s Readiness Center

Student Disability: Significant developmental delays including autism, and mental retardation

Student Age: 5 to 8 (Early Elementary)

Students who attend this state-of-the-art early education center in Long Island need a highly individualized behavioral approach and small class size (6:1:2). As part of its educational/behavioral approach, the program’s specially trained staff track results of each student’s activities in continuous documentation. Long Island school program goals include not only developing the youngsters’ communication skills and increasing their social interactions but also accomplishing individualized educational goals in preacademic and academic programs. Parents and family at this Long Island school learn behavioral and educational strategies that can be used with the children at home.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the teaching methodology used throughout the program. Skills are broken down into small steps and various teaching techniques are used to ensure skill mastery under a variety of conditions. This Long Island School uses a progressive total communication system that may include spoken words, photographs, pictures, symbols and/ or sign language, to increase communication skills. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) method involves the child initiating a social exchange to make requests or communicate.

Carman Road Preschool

Student Disability: Preschooler with a disability (multiple disabilities, physical disabilities)

Student Age: 3 to 5

The Preschool Program at Carman Road School is one of many Long Island schools that provide total educational intervention for children with multiple, physical and cognitive disabilities in a specially designed environment. All children at this Long Island school are encouraged to reach their greatest potential through many activities that stimulate growth and development while building self-confidence. Youngsters are referred to the program by their local district Committee on Preschool Education (CPSE). Once accepted, they attend full-day classes, five days a week, entering an educational environment that promotes the greatest possible achievement.

The total child perspective at this Long Island school is used to address the needs of each youngster on an individual basis. The curriculum stresses the development of physical skills and the growth of cognitive, social, emotional and language skills. Each child’s unique abilities and needs are considered in all the program’s activities.

An Engineered Aided Language Environment, using visual strategies and assistive technology, are used to encourage physical development and the growth of communication skills for children attending this Long Island school. For each child, a multidisciplinary team develops strategies and methods to meet the goals and objectives of his/her Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Children receive physical, occupational, and speech therapies as prescribed in their IEPs. Time is spent each day encouraging the growth of skills needed in activities of daily living, such as feeding and dressing. Social skills are developed in structured activities and free play. This Long Island school uses individual and group projects such as painting, cooking, coloring, planting flowers, water play and using the sand table develop motor and learning skills. The children work with specially trained teachers in the Learning Center where they begin to use assistive technology, adapted computers, specialized software, touch screens and switches. Access to the Adapted Physical Education provides opportunities for additional growth in motor skills for children attending this Long Island school.

Parents can visit their child’s classroom and observe the program. They can also talk with the classroom teacher and with members of the multidisciplinary team on these visits and throughout the year as necessary. Parents also participate in the development of the child’s IEP. Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meetings at this Long Island school cover topics that are important to education and management of children with special needs and are held monthly.