Students with apraxia usually have speech challenges. This happens because their brain has trouble getting the lips, tongue, and jaw to move properly for talking. This means even when students with the disorder know what they wish to say, they fail to coordinate the muscle movements required to make the syllables, sounds, and words.

Apraxia symptoms can differ widely. Apart from speech problems, students with apraxia may also have:

·         trouble with motor skills and coordination

·         other language delays

·         sensitivity problems with their mouths, like an apprehension toward eating crunchy foods or brushing their teeth

·         problems when learning to spell, read, and write

Students with apraxia may need to sit in the front of the class and require alternative communication methods or assistive devices to help them follow the proceedings. These students tend to feel frustrated or nervous when asked to speak in class. Since they may miss class time and assignments due to their frequent physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy sessions, steps should ideally be taken to bring these students up to par with their peers. 

Since students with apraxia are at risk of being bullied, teachers need to keep a close eye on them and intervene if they notice such incidents. Teachers may also try to create opportunities for friendships and collaboration with classmates, which will reduce the risk of bullying.

As apraxia can adversely affect several aspects of a student’s academic performance, teachers should work with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and families to ensure the students get appropriate support. Teachers should keep these students involved in the classroom and give them extra time to communicate their needs or finish the assignments. Since students with apraxia may be troubled by coordination problems, getting some extra time will help them feel at ease and persuade them to be active participants in classroom activities. Teachers can also integrate a multi-sensory approach in classrooms where they use auditory, visual, and tactile-kinesthetic methods for their lessons.

The post Apraxia: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on The Edvocate.

Students with ADHD, learning disabilities, cognitive challenges, emotional disorders, autism, visual impairment, developmental delay, hearing impairment, language or speech impairment, and physical disabilities may qualify for the IEP. However, the mere presence of a disability doesn’t automatically guarantee a student will get support services.

To be eligible, the disability must have an effect on functioning at school. Usually, a multidisciplinary team of professionals assess the student based on their own observations; how the child performs in standardized tests; and everyday work such as quizzes, tests, classwork, and homework, to decide eligibility. Depending on the student’s specific requirements, the multidisciplinary team can include a physical therapist, psychologist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, hearing or vision specialist, special educator, and others.

After the team members finish their individual assessments, they’ll create a CER (comprehensive evaluation report) that compiles their findings, provides an educational classification, and charts the skills and support the student will need. Next, the parents will get a chance to review the CER before the IEP is developed. Parents who disagree with the report will have the chance to work together with the school to develop a plan that best addresses the student’s needs.

Typically, an IEP includes:

·         The participation and progress of the student with a disability in the general curriculum.

·         All related services for which the student is eligible.

·         Suitable educational accommodations essential for the student’s success.

·         The student’s current academic performance levels.

·         Assessable yearly goals and objectives for the student’s education.

The objectives and services summarized in an IEP can be provided in a regular school setting. They can be carried out in the regular classroom or a special resource room. A group of students with similar requirements can be brought together for help in the resource room. However, for teaching students requiring intense intervention, a special school environment may be better than the standard school setting. The classes in such special schools have fewer students per teacher, which facilitates more individualized attention. 

Additionally, the teacher usually has specialized training in helping students with special educational needs. In such settings, the students spend most of their day in a special classroom and join their peers in regular classes for non-academic activities (like gym and music) or academic activities in which they don’t require additional help.

The post Individualized Education Program (IEP) : Everything You Need to Know appeared first on The Edvocate.

In 1975, IDEA was passed for the first time. Then, it was called the EAHCA (Education for All Handicapped Children Act). Before IDEA, states used to put children with disabilities either in separate schools or in separate classrooms away from their peers. As a result, their education was usually underfunded and poor, which explains why academic expectations from them were low. 

Typically, these children with thinking and learning differences failed to receive the help they required to thrive in school. To change this situation, Congress passed IDEA. Over the years, Congress has updated IDEA several times, the last update being made in 2004. Most recently, Congress amended the IDEA through Public Law 114-95, the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act), in December 2015.

The IDEA oversees how states, along with public agencies, provide early intervention, special education, as well as related services to over 7.5 million (as of the school year 2018-19) eligible toddlers, infants, children, and young adults with disabilities.

For infants and toddlers (from birth to 2 years of age) with disabilities and their families, IDEA Part C has provisions for early intervention services. Under IDEA Part B, children and young adults aged 3 through 21 can get special education and related services. In addition, the IDEA authorizes:

·         Formula grants to states to sustain early intervention services and special education and related services.

·         Optional grants to state’s higher education institutions, educational agencies, and other nonprofit organizations to support demonstrations, research, technical assistance and distribution, personnel preparation and development, technology development, and parent-information and -training centers.

IDEA puts two significant responsibilities on the states and their public schools. Firstly, school districts must provide a FAPE (free appropriate public education) to children with disabilities. Additionally, these children must be allowed to learn side by side with their peers as much as possible in the LRE (least restrictive environment).

Secondly, schools have to engage the parents in their child’s education. At every point in the process, IDEA has procedural safeguards to give parents particular rights and protections. For instance, one safeguard is that a school must get permission from parents before providing services to children.

The post The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Everything You Need to Know appeared first on The Edvocate.

A student’s IEP (Individualized Education Program) describes his/her special education and associated services. The IEP also has to address LRE. And the IEP has to explain if and why a kid is being placed outside of a general education classroom.

The IDEA has two vital requirements for a kid’s placement:

·         A kid with an IEP should be with children in general education to the maximum extent that’s appropriate.

·         Separate schools, removal from the general education class, or special classes should only happen when a kid’s thinking or learning difference is so acute that supplementary aids and services cannot provide the kid with an appropriate education.

Here, the word “appropriate” means what’s right or suitable for children. Sometimes, a specific program or service cannot be provided in a general education classroom.

IDEA doesn’t explain the LRE for each kind of disability. There isn’t only one “right” environment for all children. Sometimes, it might be better or more suitable for a kid to learn separately. The objective is to ensure that children who get special education are placed in the general education classroom as frequently as possible.

Here’re some common least restrictive environment scenarios.

·         A kid spends the whole day in a general education class and receives support and services such as assistive technology, a teacher or aide, accommodations, or related services.

·         A kid spends part of the day in a general education class. The kid receives some small-group or individual instruction in a special education class or is withdrawn from the class for some services.

·         Special education class is a program with specialized instruction for children with similar learning needs.

·         There’re also specialized programs that occur outside of the school district.

The post Least-Restrictive Environment (LRE): Everything You Need to Know appeared first on The Edvocate.

It’s important to note that while the government pays for the education of children with disabilities, families need to pay the same additional school fees. For instance, they need to pay club and sports fees that all students pay.

FAPE requires an institution to do the following:

·         Provide special education to fulfill the unique needs of a kid. For instance, a student with reading challenges may be taught using a multisensory reading program.

·         Provide associated services to help the kid benefit from special education. These services may include counseling, speech therapy, or even transportation.

·         Provide these services for free, at zero cost to parents or caregivers.

·         Provide modifications and accommodations that help children learn and participate in the general education curriculum.

·         Develop an IEP (Individualized Education Program). This is a written plan for a kid’s special education experience at school. By law, an individualized education program has to include things like progress monitoring, services, annual goals, and more.

·         Teach children in the LRE (least restrictive environment). As much as possible, children with IEPs should be learning alongside their peers. Putting children in separate classes is only allowed if it’s required to fulfill their unique needs.

FAPE doesn’t require an institution to do the following:

·         Provide the best services for children or maximize their potential. Rather, the law requires that institutions provide reasonably calculated services to aid kids in making progress.

·         Provide a specific class setting or program that a parent/caregiver wants for a kid. Parents are members of the team that develops the IEP, and they can provide inputs. However, FAPE doesn’t require institutions to offer a certain educational program. The IEP team is the final decision-maker based on the needs of the kid.

·         Guarantee a kid a spot in sport or an extracurricular activity. But the school has to give all children an equal opportunity to participate.

At times, families and schools may disagree on what FAPE requires for a kid. They may disagree on the amount or type of services. When there’s a disagreement, it’s vital to work together to figure out a solution.

The post Free and Appropriate Public Education: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on The Edvocate.

Some common accommodations that can be considered as possible options for students include:

Presentation accommodations: These alter the way information is presented. Some examples include:

·         Learning content from digital media, audiobooks, videos, etc. rather than reading print versions

·         Listening to audio recordings rather than reading text

·         Hearing instructions spoken aloud

·         Recording a lesson rather than taking notes

·         Working with fewer items per line or page

Response accommodations: These alter the way students complete tests or assignments. Some examples include:

·         Dictating answers to a scribe who types or writes

·         Using a digital spellchecker or spelling dictionary

·         Capturing responses on an audio recorder

·         Using a word processor to give answers or type notes in class

Setting accommodations: These change the learning environment for students. Some examples include:

·         Taking a test or working in a different setting like a quiet room for students with ADHD

·         Using special acoustics or lighting

·         Sitting where students learn best

·         Taking tests in small group settings

Timing and scheduling accommodations: These refer to changes to the time that students take for a task. Some examples include:

·         Having additional time to process spoken directions and information

·         Taking a test over several days or in several timed sessions

·         Taking a test at a certain time of day

·         Taking more time to finish a project

Accommodations in the schools are authorized by three main laws. These include:

Americans with Disabilities Act: The ADA authorizes public accommodations and offers accessibility for students in the community and in schools.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act: This act authorizes necessary accommodations in schools on the basis of the disability and needs of the student.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: The IDEA authorizes accommodations for students who’re in special education. These accommodations let a student have a FAPE (Free and Appropriate Public Education).

All students, who’re in special education, are automatically eligible for receiving accommodations. However, they don’t qualify for all kinds of accommodations. They’re qualified based on their disability, individual needs, and present levels of performance.

The post Accommodations: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on The Edvocate.

These disorders are different from issues involving vision. Difficulties with visual processing affect the way visual information is processed or interpreted by the brain. An individual might have 20/20 vision but still fail to distinguish between two objects.

Difficulties can appear in different ways, and no two children might experience the same challenges. Some may struggle with the ability to evaluate the size, orientation, and color, whereas others might have difficulty judging distances.

There’re different types of visual processing disorders, and an individual might have more than one type of difficulty. Some common areas of difficulty include:

Visual discrimination – The child might confuse or misunderstand written symbols or have difficulty differentiating similarly shaped numbers and letters (example: 6/9, b/d).

Spatial difficulty – The child might experience trouble understanding the location of symbols and objects in relation to one another. Spatial difficulty affects reading skills but might also impact performance in maths.

Visual sequencing – The child might face difficulty distinguishing or seeing the order of words, symbols, or images.

Visual-motor processing – The child might have trouble using feedback from the eyes for coordinating the movement of other body parts.

Short- or long-term visual memory – With short-term visual memory issues, the child might struggle to remember something seen very recently, while long-term visual memory issues make it difficult for them to recollect something seen some time earlier.

Because in a typical classroom, most of the information students learn is received via the eyes, visual processing disorders often affect learning significantly. Students might have trouble focusing and be distracted easily. They might also struggle with reading, writing, art, music, physical education, and sports.

While treatments are available for visual processing disorders, teachers also need to implement classroom accommodations so that the child doesn’t fall behind. As no two students might have the same symptoms, teachers should customize each approach for the individual child. These can include communicating information in different modalities, providing dotted paper for writing, encouraging utilizing an object to guide the eyes when reading, practicing reading books with large prints, etc.

The post Visual Processing Disorder: What You Need to Know appeared first on The Edvocate.

Vocational rehabilitation programs are federally-funded, state-run programs and offer a wide range of services. These include vocational evaluation and assessment, refresher courses, training, upgrading of general skills, career counseling, employment searches, on-the-job training, and consulting with existing or potential employers. As these are individualized programs, services might vary depending on the needs of an individual.

To qualify for vocational rehabilitation services, an individual must have a mental or physical condition that presents a significant barrier to their employment and be able to benefit from the services so that they can get a job. Individuals who receive SSI (Supplemental Security Income) or SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) automatically become eligible for vocational rehabilitation unless they’re too disabled to benefit by participating in such a program.

To apply for vocational rehabilitation services, an individual needs to contact the agency in their state that conducts the program. In some states, the department of vocational rehabilitation falls under the department of education, while in others, it comes under the health and human services agency. Recent graduates or college students can check out the WRP (Workforce Recruitment Program) to find permanent or temporary positions in a wide range of job fields.

Vocational rehabilitation programs and counselors can also help individuals who want to start their small businesses. They can help the person do the market research and to develop a business plan.

If someone wants to return to school, they might be eligible for a scholarship from the university or college they attend. However, if someone accepts a vocational rehabilitation scholarship, the person is required to work for a public rehabilitation program. For each one year of full-time scholarship money, the person needs to work for two years for the program.

Several programs are eligible for vocational rehabilitation scholarships. These include rehabilitation administration, rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation psychology, rehabilitation technology, rehabilitation of individuals with a mental illness, vocational evaluation, and work adjustment, undergraduate education in rehabilitation services, etc.

The post Vocational Rehabilitation: What You Need to Know appeared first on The Edvocate.

The Successful Inclusive Classroom

Keys to success involve:

• Learners need to be active learners.
• Kids should be encouraged to make choices as often as possible. A good educator should allow learners some time to struggle as some of the most powerful learning comes from taking risks and learning from mistakes.
• Parental engagement is crucial.
• Learners with disorders must be free to learn at their own speed and have accommodations, modifications and assessment strategies in place to meet their individual needs.
• Learners need to experience success. Educational goals need to be precise, attainable, and measurable and have some rigor to them.

What is the Teacher’s Role?

The educator facilitates learning by encouraging, and probing with good questioning techniques, like ‘How do you know it’s right—can you show me how?’. The educator provides 3-4 activities that address multiple learning styles and enables learners to make choices. For example, in a spelling activity a learner may select to cut and paste the letters from newspapers or use magnetic letters to manipulate the words or use colored shaving cream to print the words.

The educator should have mini-conferences with learners. The educator should provide learning manipulatives and opportunities for small group learning. Volunteers, who are largely made up of parents, are helping with counting, reading, assisting with uncompleted tasks, journals, reviewing fundamental ideas like math facts and sight words.

In the inclusive class, an educator should differentiate instruction as much as possible, which should benefit both the learners with and without disorders, since it should provide additional individual attention to all students.

What Does the Inclusive Classroom Look Like?

Classrooms should be a beehive of activity. Learners should be engaged in problem solving activities. The class that is kid-centered relies on learning centers to support whole group and small group instruction. There should be a language center with learning goals, perhaps a media center with chances to listen to taped stories or create a multimedia presentation on the computer. An inclusive classroom should have a music center and a math center with many manipulatives. Student expectations should always be stated prior to learners engaging in learning activities.

Efficient class management tools and routines should provide learners with reminders about the appropriate noise level, learning activity and account capacity for producing a completed product or completing the center tasks. The educator should supervise learning throughout the centers while landing at one center for small group instruction or creating “Teacher Time” as a rotation.

Learning activities at the center take into consideration multiple intelligences. Learning center time should start with whole class instructions and end with whole class debriefing and assessment: How did we do with creating an effective learning environment? Which learning centers were the most fun? Where did you learn the most?

Learning centers are a good way to differentiate instruction. Teachers should place some activities that every kid can complete, and some activities designed for advanced, on level and remediated instruction.

Models for Inclusion

Co-teaching: The tactic is used by school districts in secondary settings. Efficient co-educators help with planning, provide suggestions for differentiation across abilities, and do some instruction to give the general education educator the chance to circulate and support all the learners in a class.

Whole Class Inclusion: Many districts are placing dually certified educators in classes like social studies, math, or English Language Arts. An educator teaches the subject to both learners with and without disorders and carries a caseload of learners enrolled in a specific grade, etc. We would likely call these “inclusion classes”, and they involve learners who are English Language Learners or struggling with grades.

Push In: The resource educator should come into the general class and meet with learners during center time to support their IEP goals and provide small group or personalized instruction.  Districts should encourage educators to provide a combination of push in and pull out services. Often the services are provided by a para-professional under the direction of a special education educator. Pull Out: Pull out is typically indicated with a “Resource Room” placement in the IEP.  Learners who have key problems with attention and staying on task may excel in a quieter setting without distractions.  Kids whose disorders put them at a key disadvantage with their typical peers may be more willing to “risk” reading aloud or doing math if they aren’t worried about being teased by their general education peers.

The post The Edvocate’s Guide to Class Inclusion appeared first on The Edvocate.

Back in the day, I was a huge fan of the Cosby Show and the life lessons that it taught to kids and adults alike. One of my favorite episodes was entitled “Theo’s Gift.”  Before I discuss why I loved this episode so much, let me talk a little about Theo’s character. When we first start the show, Theo is in middle school and comes across as a sweet kid. As far as school goes, he struggles at times, and his parents frequently “ground him” for doing poorly in school.

Flash forward to season 6, episode 5, and Theo is college. He studies hard for an upcoming exam and even recruits his girlfriend and dad to help him study. He knows the material, and his dad has no doubt that he will ace the exam. However, when he receives his exam score, he is shocked to find out that he failed. When he tells his parents, they are equally shocked, as his dad notes that he missed questions that he recalled easily during their study sessions.

Theo and his parents end up seeking the help of a learning specialist, and during their meeting, the learning specialist suggests that Theo should be tested for dyslexia. Dyslexia is a reading disorder in which a learner has difficulty recognizing letters and learning letter sounds, despite normal intelligence. When Theo is tested, they find out that he does have Dyslexia and the learning specialist teaches him strategies that will help him succeed academically.

The fallout of this revelation is both cathartic and hilarious, as everyone is happy that Theo finally can maximize his academic potential now that he knows he has Dyslexia and understands how to manage it. However, his sister Vanessa throws salt in old wounds by bringing up all of the times in which Theo was punished because of his poor grades, even though he always tried his best. All is well that ends well though, and the episode ends with Theo headed in the right direction.

What parents and educators should know about dyslexia

Earlier in this article, I briefly gave you a one-sentence definition of dyslexia, but I feel that a more thorough discussion of the disorder is needed. Dyslexia is a disorder that decreases the processing of graphic symbols, especially those related to language. Children who have dyslexia may experience late language development and have problems learning how to write and spell when they enter formal schooling. Symptoms include poor literacy skills, reversed letter and word sequences, and poor handwriting.

The good news is that if the student is diagnosed with dyslexia early enough, more than likely they will learn to read. Below you will find some early warning signs that may signal that a child could possibly be dyslexic. To verify that they are indeed dyslexic, they should be tested by a certified psychometrist.

• May begin talking later than most children
• May have trouble pronouncing words, i.e., busgetti for spaghetti, mawn lower for lawn mower
• May take longer to learn new vocabulary words
• May be unable to use the right word
• May have trouble with rhyming
• May have difficulties learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, colors, shapes, how to spell or how to write their name
• May have issues intermingling with peers
• May have difficulties following multi-step directions or routines
• Fine motor skills may develop more slowly when compared to other children
• May have trouble telling and/or retelling a story in the correct order
• Often have problems separating sounds in words and blending sounds to make words

Conclusion

As parents, we are human just like everyone else, which means we also make mistakes, like everyone else. When it comes to our children, we will do anything to ensure that they have access to the best education possible. This also means, that when our child experiences academic difficulties, we can can’t write it off as a lack of effort. We must be able to recognize the signs of possible learning disabilities or disorders and have them tested by professionals to find out if they are.

As we see in the case of Theo’s parents, an accomplished doctor and lawyer, even they did not recognize the signs during his PreK-12 years. Since they both were accomplished professionals who never experienced learning difficulties, they never fathomed that Theo’s learning difficulties could be caused by a learning disability. Instead, they punished him in the hopes that he would try harder. Luckily, they figured it out before it was too late. All is well that ends well.

The post What Theo Taught Me About Dyslexia appeared first on The Edvocate.