Presented by Donna Lynne, Technical Assistance Coordinator, and Kim Zeigler, Family Services Coordinator, University of Kentucky Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Kentucky Deaf-Blind Project, July 28, 2007
Presentation Objectives
To provide participants with the tools they need in order to pull together an effective team that can:
- Identify specific medical and health issues that impact the child’s learning;
- Identify specific OT, PT, SLP, Vision and Hearing issues that impact the child’s learning;
- Identify specific communication needs that impact the child’s learning;
- Identify what works and what doesn’t work, thereby
- Developing a wholistic education plan that addresses a child’s unique learning needs
IFSP/IEP Meeting …Realities
- Time is often limited …So completing paperwork becomes the number one objective
- People in attendance give their separate reports …but little attention is given to viewing the child from a wholistic perspective
- Assistants, paraprofessionals, other family members, students/friends are usually not at the meeting and often receive information from the meeting second hand or in fragments
- Each individual leaves with his/her designated goals/objectives (assignments)
- Goals/objectives are written in such a way that they are carried out in isolation, out of context and easily become non-functional
- The family leaves with a completed document that contains a great deal of information that may or may not include:
- WHAT the child will learn
- WHERE the child will learn and
- HOW the child will learn
Challenges To Meet …. Because
- Teachers are very, very busy …hard to find time to meet with them
- The paraprofessionals are the ones who have the most contact with the students
- Misunderstandings and fragmented information impedes the best intentions
- People working with the student do want to do their best and be a positive influence …but, often they don’t know how
What Team Members NEED to Know
- The child’s unique learning characteristics specific to the seven sensory systems
- Strategies for calming or arousing the child in order to bring him/her to the optimal state for learning and engagement
- How to read the child’s regulatory state“Ready, Set, Go” for learning
- The child’s Expressive communication including both form and function
- The child’s Receptive communication including both form and function
- How to gain the child’s attention (which should precede all other receptive functions)
- How to greet the child
- How to let the child know that you are leaving
- The daily schedule of routines and activities for home and school (the context for instruction)
- Task analysis of each routine/activity that reflects all four (4) parts of the routine/activity
- Initiation, Preparation, CORE, Termination
- If the schedule needs to be modified it should include a balance between high energy and low energy activities
- The individualized calendar or schedule system the child requires
- Protocol for implementing the system
- Most current and updated information on vision and hearing
- Toileting routines
- Characteristics of CHARGE syndrome as they are manifested in the individual child
Determine which pieces of information need to be included as part of Specially Designed Instruction!
Strategies for Sharing
- Videotaping
- Document progress over time across environments
- Share between home and school
- Share during formal meetings to elaborate on key points
- To educate/inform new personnel
- To share with family members
- Customized Communication Form
- To share information between all team members, including home and school
- Addresses specific information based on family priorities and concerns
- Utilizes a format agreed upon by all team members
- Customized Communication Form
- Facilitates ongoing communication
- Disseminated using a variety of formats, including e-mail
- Electronic Communication
- Distribution list of all team members
- Keeps everyone in the loop
- Facilitates sharing of a variety of information
- Ability to share info including daily communication form
- Team Meetings
- Needs to be agreed upon and documented in the IFSP/IEP Conference Summary
- Needs to be planned for in advance, regular and consistent versus reactionary
- Must be purpose driven (agenda disseminated prior to meeting)
- Determine who needs to be included
- Assigned roles (ex: facilitator, recorder)
- Request PD hours for staff
- Development of Action Plan at end of each meeting
- Agree upon date for next meeting before leaving
- The Action Plan incorporates collaboration strategies for participation of all team members
