Shawboro Elementary EC

Newsletter
November, 2017
 Visual Schedules
(Can be used as an intervention)

What are visual schedules?

Many individuals with special needs benefit from visual schedules in written and /
or picture form because they have trouble processing verbally delivered
information, initiating activities, staying focused, completing every step within a
task, and shifting focus between one activity and the next. Visual schedules can
increase independence and also reduce anxiety for many individuals. Visual
schedules are often vital to the individuals performance in school, vocational,
self-care, and leisure activities.

See examples:
https://docs.google.com/a/currituck.k12.nc.us/document/d/1dYjixa6FyueyyMQfbH_5sJIOsZjygQMDEPehFHDU7bk/edit
?usp=sharing ~Sue Giordano, Speech/Language Pathologist/Compliance
Example of Visual Schedules used in a multi-grade level classroom
 Speech/Language Services
Can a child be eligible for speech-language services from a private practitioner and not eligible for services in
schools?
SLPs in private practice provide a broad spectrum of communication services based on their education and experience. These
services range from treating disorders of language, speech sound production, voice, and fluency to addressing accent reduction and
literary skills, to name a few. SLPs in private practice are not held to the same eligibility guidelines and can treat disorders that may not
be addressed in a school setting.

In school settings, speech-language pathology services must conform to federal regulations created to implement the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a law designed to ensure that all students receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE).

Determination of eligibility for services in schools is a multi-step process that includes screening, evaluation, observations from
teachers, information from parents, and review of the student's work samples. The school-based individualized education program
(IEP) team considers all of this information to answer these questions:

Is there a disability? If so, is there an adverse effect on educational performance resulting from the disability?
If so, are specially designed instruction and/or related services and supports needed to help the student make progress in the general
education curriculum?

In some cases, parents may want services beyond what is determined appropriate in the school setting. Parents may obtain services
from an SLP in private practice at their own discretion and cost. ~Sue Giordano, Speech/Language Pathologist/Compliance
 AD/HD and Dyslexia
How are AD/HD and dyslexia diagnosed? AD/HD and dyslexia are diagnosed differently. An evaluation for AD/HD is
carried out by a physician or a psychologist. This evaluation should include the following:
1. complete medical and family history
2. physical examination
3. interviews with parents and child
4. behavior rating scales completed by parents and teachers
5. observation of the child
6. psychological tests to measure intellectual potential, social and emotional adjustment, as well as to assess for the
presence of learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.
Although AD/HD has been given numerous names since it was first identified in 1902, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th
Edition (DSM-IV), describes different subtypes. These subtypes are as follows:
1. AD/HD predominantly inattentive type is characterized by distractibility and difficulty sustaining mental effort and
attention.
2. AD/HD predominantly hyperactive impulsive type is characterized by fidgeting with hands and feet, squirming in ones
chair, acting as if driven by a motor, interrupting and intruding upon others.
3. AD/HD combined type meets both sets of inattention and hyperactive/impulsive criteria.
https://dyslexiaida.org/attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder-adhd-and-dyslexia/ Doug Towle, Director of Exceptional Childrens
 Facts About Dyslexia
Myth: Students with dyslexia see words and letters backwards.

Fact: Symptoms sometimes include flipping or reversing letters. But reversing

letters isnt always a sign of dyslexia. Young children who dont have dyslexia
often do this too. Nor is it the only problem associated with dyslexia. People
with dyslexia may have trouble with a number of skills, including writing,
spelling, speaking, and socializing (Lapkin, 2015).

~Jamie Reed, School Psychologist

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Exceptional Children Division, Revised November 25, 2015
 Motivational Writing Tips
Put Graphic Organizer on an interactive whiteboard during the prewrite section of a Process
Writing Lesson and complete it as a class activity.
Motivate students writing by establishing a storytelling festival in your school or classroom
where students can read or perform their compositions in front of an audience.
For students with visual-motor integration difficulties, (poor eye hand coordination) you want
to strike a balance between remediation (making them practice the physical act of writing) and
accommodation (freeing up the physical burden by using bypass strategies so they dont get
held up on developing good written expression).
 Touch Math
Why is touch math so great?
It is great for visual learners

Its rules are governed which is great for those

that like patterns and routines.

It is very structured
http://theautismhelper.com/touchmath/
Preschool - Play Based Assessments
Over the last 10 years, there has been increasing focus in both research and practice on the relevance of natural environments to assessing and
treating children with special needs, and on the importance of play in child development. Informed by this research and experience, pediatric
professionals from a number of disciplines have sought to improve their methods of assessment by incorporating play and taking advantages of
opportunities to assess child performance in more natural contexts. This has led to the creation of a number of play scales and to the use of play as
a medium in which to gauge child development in the early years.

The Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment, by Toni Linder, Ed.D is one of those tools created to allow a team to create an accurate,
intricate, dynamic portrait of a young child, using play as a medium for the observation and assessment of cognitive, social-emotional,
communication, language, and sensorimotor skills and performance.

Currituck County Schools Exceptional Preschool Program has begun the process of developing an assessment team as a District wide initiative and
will conduct assessments at 2 schools for the District. Griggs Elementary and Shawboro Elementary were chosen in relation to distance for families.
We will be setting up a play-based assessment room in your school and are excited and grateful that Mrs. Nelson has agreed to allow us to conduct
these assessments in your building. We are in the beginning phases and as the process becomes streamlined and smooth I will keep you informed.
Preschool referrals have increased steadily over the last couple of years and as families are moving into our county, we are seeing a number of
referrals relating to sensory and emotional/behavioral needs increase. We are in the process of opening a new Exceptional Childrens preschool
classroom at Central Elementary as our current classrooms are at capacity. Again we are excited to be able to assist families of students with
challenging needs and wanted to keep you informed as some of these students will eventually transition to Shawboro Elementary as their home
school.

Sincerely, Deidre Simmons, CCS Preschool Director