The Sound Card System
The Sound Card System, increasing speech intelligibility through a
multi-sensory approach
Presenter: Erin Bernett, M.S., CCC-SLP
DATE: Saturday – August 27, 2011
TIME: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
LOCATION: Dee Kelly Alumni & Visitors Center – TCU, 2820 Stadium Drive,
Ft. Worth, TX 76109
<http://pcpinstitute .org/pdf/ PCP-Registration -Fall2010. doc>
COST: Free
What is the Sound Card System?
The Sound Card System (SCS) is a step-by-step method of introducing sounds
to children through seeing, feeling, moving and hearing.
Each sound has a picture, a name and a visual cue that assists a child in
developing a clear motor-plan for sounds in words.
The SCS is a simple tool that can be used by parents, teachers and others in
any setting; home, school, and community.
Children are taught to use hand cues in a way that promotes independence.
Changing the verbal cue, “say the word” to a visual cue helps a child
correct a word(s) with success.
Don’t Miss This Opportunity!
Participants will learn how to use the SCS to prompt children for clearer
speech intelligibility.
You will leave with a complete set of sound cards, knowledge of how to use
the system and a clear plan of how to get started.
SPACE IS LIMITED, RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!
Call (817) 834-7700 or Email: arcnetc@att. net
Please provide your name, phone number and session title when making a
reservation.
CEU’s available for SLP’s at no cost upon request.
Attachment(s) from cindipaschall@sbcglobal.net
Help with Pictures!
shared by Noah Knows! from the Texas Autism Advocacy Site
Sounds strange but, try this. Take a box, cut off the flaps and cut a
window out of the bottom. It is best if the inside of the box is plain as
possible. Show your picture in the window of the box with the open side
facing eyelevel with the child. The space around the picture focuses the
attention on the picture itself. You usually don’t have to use the box long
but can transition to a cutout in a piece of cardstock, and then just the
picture. In the same theme, we conquer concrete questions with a similar
system. A clipboard with a piece of cardstock cut with a flapped opening
big enough for a photo or card to show through. On the cardstock, I wrote
the question; “What is it?”, or “Where is this?” Put a picture under the
flap, and ask the question then open the flap for the answer for the child
to identify. After that is mastered with a number of cards/photo, reverse
the verbal request by asking the child to say the written question herself,
then the flap is opened to show the answer for you to say. This is good
practice of getting the child to ask questions. My son reads well, so we
use words but getting him to ask the questions is something we have top
practice. Of course this works easiest with non-abstracts that can have a
visual.
Angela
Special Education Clinic
Description: The Special Education Clinic consists of pro bono attorneys and advocates from the local community who meet with parents of children with disabilities who need assistance with the special education process. There are two parts to the Clinic:
- Part 1: A training for parents that includes a brief overview of IDEA, with emphasis on the evaluation process, ARD meetings, and development of IEPs. Length of time: approx. 1 – 1.5 hours.
- Part 2: Following the training, parents are provided an opportunity to meet with an attorney and/or advocate to receive advice and information about their specific problem. Length of time: approx. 30 – 45 minutes.
How to Sign Up: The Clinic is hosted by Advocacy, Inc. at the United Way Building located at 50 Waugh Drive, Houston, TX 77007. The Spring Clinic schedule is as follows: Thursday, February 3rd from 11:00am – 2:00pm; Wednesday, March 9th from 4:00 – 7:00pm; Thursday, April 7th from 11:00am – 2:00pm; and Thursday, May 5th from 4:00 – 7:00pm. If you are a parent of a child with a disability who would like to sign up to attend the Clinic, please call our intake line toll free at (800) 880-0821.
We are also offering to bring the Clinic to other locations throughout Houston and the surrounding areas. If you or your organization would like us to bring the Clinic to you, please contact attorney and Equal Justice Works Fellow, Sarah Bellinger Beebe, at (713) 974-7691 to schedule a date/time.
Department of Aging and Disability Services
Listing of the services DADS offers and what the criteria for eligibility
are:http://www.dads. state.tx. us/providers/ community_ options.pdf
Lecture Series / Workshop
Children and Violence
Sponsored by:
Beal Counseling Associates
and
The National Association on Counseling African American Families
Speaker:
Joye M. Carter, MD
Forensic Pathologist
February 28th
University of St. Thomas
Crooker Center / Ahern Room
9:00am – 12:00noon
$ 35.00 includes Continental Breakfast
CEU’s 2.5 hours
For More Information and to Register online visit: www.bealcounselingandconsulting.com,
email: bealcounseling@aol.com or call (713) 337-2457
Parking, $2 (cash only), is conveniently located in the Moran Center Parking Garage locate at West Alabama & Graustark
What is the difference between the school-based model of OT and PT
intervention and the clinical or medical model?
School-based therapy provided under an IEP must relate specific educational outcomes to the interventions recommended by the therapists. Therapy provided under the medical model tends to focus on discipline-specific goals that may not have a direct relationship to educational performance. For example, a clinically based physical therapist may have lower extremity strengthening as the ultimate goal for a child who exhibits weakness. Improving muscle strength does not have a direct link to educational performance.
Although PTs and OTs who work in educational environments remain concerned about the underlying components of a child’s motor disability, they must (under the law) be able to describe how these limitations affect the child within the context of the school environment.
More specifically, therapists must articulate how a limitation in fine or gross motor function inhibits a child’s ability to benefit from special education. This is the principle of determining educational relevance. If the OT or PT believes that a child’s need for therapy extends beyond the child’s educational goals, the therapist has a professional obligation to inform the parents or legal care providers so that medically (or clinically) based therapy can be provided through another funding source.
OTs and PTs must extend the application of particular therapeutic techniques [i.e., neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT) or the sensory integration (SI) model] beyond the traditional medical model approach and adapt them to meet the needs of the child in the context of the school environment. The focus of intervention is directed away from achieving isolated motor skills that are practiced in one-on-one therapy away from the classroom, and directed toward the achievement of functional tasks required to participate and benefit from special education placement (Dunn, Brown, & Duigan, 1994). For example, an OT may recommend specific techniques for improving hand dexterity with the educational outcome being improved handwriting legibility. In the same vein, a physical therapist may recommend specific use of a piece of adaptive equipment that would allow more independent mobility within the school environment. Without these stated educational outcomes, the intervention would be more medically based.
Providing educationally relevant intervention extends beyond academic performance to the larger school environment. School-based therapists should recognize that educational performance for young children also includes self-help skills, mobility in the classroom and on the playground and physical education.
In making a decision to provide either occupational or physical therapy within the school environment, IEP teams must ask the following questions:
First and foremost, what does the child need to learn?
Which strategies facilitate this learning?
How should intervention be provided (i.e., direct or consultative model)? (Hanks & Place, 1996.)
Many times, physicians and other service providers who have worked with the child make specific recommendations for therapy. These recommendations need to be considered, but decisions must be made in the context of the child’s educational needs. Therefore, the IEP may not always reflect the amount of services recommended if some of these are not related to the child’s educational needs.
Using information available in the diagnostic summary, IEP teams need to decide what services and level of services are needed. Many routine classroom activities directed by teachers and paraprofessionals help develop a young child’s fine and gross motor skills (cutting with scissors, playing games with balls or bean bags, drawing, etc.). Sometimes these routine activities, without the aid of an OT or PT, may be sufficient to meet the child’s needs. In some cases, the team may determine that an OT or PT may need to provide consultation so that a teacher or paraprofessional can more effectively implement strategies to improve the child’s motor skills that relate to the educational needs. Sometimes Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTAs) or Physical Therapy Assistants (PTAs) working under the supervision of an OT or PT may be able to address the individual child’s IEP needs.
In other cases, the team may determine that a child’s needs are such that he/she really needs direct therapy from an OT or a PT in order to implement the IEP goals and objectives because of the level of expertise required. If direct OT or PT is shown as the service on the IEP, it needs to be provided by that professional. Also, the code of ethics for each of these professions needs to be followed in terms of
> roles and levels of supervision. In any case, it is very important that the IEP clearly indicates how services will be provided, (consultation, group, individual) so that the parents and all members of the team know who will be doing what. This can be summarized in a narrative fashion or by specifically listing these types of related services.
If the therapist is providing services in a consultative model, does that mean the child will receive less intervention from the PT or OT? One of the myths of consultation is that it will automatically decrease the level of services that the child is receiving. It will decrease the amount of time that the therapist pulls the child away from the natural setting of the classroom, but it may, in fact, increase the opportunities for the child to practice teacher/therapist-designed strategies throughout the school day. The consultation model, if applied correctly, asks that teachers and therapists truly collaborate to develop more effective functional strategies that all the staff facilitates during the course of a child’s day.
Do all physical and occupational therapists have training in school-based practice as a part of their professional education? No. School administrators, teachers and other learning specialists should be aware that just because someone is an OT or PT does not automatically mean that they have been trained to be practitioners in educational settings. When schools are contracting or hiring these specialists, they may look to the following list of important skills for therapists to function more competently in an educational environment:
Knowledge of disabling conditions of children;
Knowledge of federal and state regulations, due process and local policies and procedures pertaining to special education and Section 504;
Ability to evaluate the functional performance of students within school environments;
Ability to participate in group decision-making and plan appropriate intervention;
Ability to integrate related services within IEP/IFSP objectives;
Knowledge of major theories, intervention strategies and research relating to educational implication for schools;
Ability to implement and modify activities for therapeutic intervention within the school setting;
Ability to document progress and intervention results and to relate this information to the child’s goals and objectives;
Ability to interpret the role of the therapeutic intervention within the educational setting to educational personnel, administrators, parents, students and the community. (Virginia Department of Education, 1991)
In some areas of the state there is a shortage of OTs and PTs. Nevertheless, it is important for school administrators to communicate these needs to the agencies or individuals who propose to contract with or seek employment with them. Many therapists who lack school-based experience are willing to develop new skills to help provide appropriate school-based services.
References
Dunn, W., Brown, C., & Duigan, A. (1994). The ecology of human performance: A framework for considering the effect of context. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 48(7).
Hanks, B., & Place, P. (1996). The consulting therapist: A guide for occupational and physical therapists in schools. San Antonio , TX : Therapy Skill Builders.
Virginia Department of Education. (1991). Handbook for Physical and occupational therapists working in school settings.
The major content of this article was provided by Kim Nevins, Registered Physical Therapist,
Columbia Public Schools.
Texas Autism Resource Guide for Effective Teaching
This is a must read for families!
-developmental- disabilities/
Advice from a Sibling to Parents (Developmental Disabilities)
Posted by kate fialkowski on November 26, 2010
A friend of mine asked me what I thought about a residential placement
option he saw. He’s thinking of the future for his children with
Developmental Disabilities. After a very long-winded response email, I
decided “Hey I should put this to perspective to greater use.” How bout a
little advice from “the other side.” Honestly, let’s put it out there. Your
number one worry is “what will happen to my child with developmental
disabilities after I’m gone?” And the follow-up “how can I ensure their
safety.” Yeah, many of you talk about big dreams for children but really, in
your guts, you think “safety.” ( Some of you, secretly are going one step
further and you’re thinking “surrogate.” After all, no one can love them
like you do, right? How can you find a place that will care enough?) As a
sibling after 15 years I can tell you that I wonder “what if I should die
before my brother?” And “how can I ensure his safety?”
From the vantage point of 16 years AD (after death). Knowing what I know
now, here’s what I wish I could have told my parents. Mom, Dad, there are
certain rules of nature that you simply have to acknowledge. I know it’s
hard because of the implications. But they’re real, let’s talk about them.
The rules of nature
1.There is no permanency. Whatever solution you find – residential, day
program, employment, etc – it cannot be permanent.
2.There are no guarantees. However much you plan, the unexpected will
emerge.
3.Walls do not protect. They hide.
4.Even children with the most severe disabilities will have to cut the cord.
Ultimately they will leave the nest.
5.Risk exists for everyone. There is no way to eliminate all risk for your
child. You have to get comfortable that there is a level of risk you must
take.
6.I am a sibling. Stop worrying about giving me an “obligation” or a
“burden.” You have given me a brother. Family takes care of family.
7.Given these rules of nature I cannot promise you that I will keep
everything just the way you set it up. I’m sorry. I’ll keep it that way as
long as possible but then at a certain point I am going to have to make
changes. I promise to be mindful of your values and David’s needs and
desires.
Given all of the above.. As parents, its expecting to much of yourself to
find the “golden solution.” It’s not feasible. So, let’s go with you’re
finding the best solution today. What is the most important thing to do?
Develop a “circle.” Develop a multi-generational social circle surrounding
your child. Ensure that you are not the only person in your child’s life who
is not paid to be there.
Take it from me. It took me 15 years to understand this simple point.
Inclusion isn’t about a house or a trip to the park. It is not about how
many times you “get into” the neighborhood. Its not something I can write 5
goals for on an IDT plan. It simply means that an individual is not alone.
That they have their own “community/ies” (friends, family, people with
shared interests and goals). These people are not paid to be part of the
community. To be disenfranchised? To be on the outside of communities
versus on the inside? This is what makes a person invisible. Being invisible
makes a person vulnerable.
Surely, as a parent, you can understand this. You’re worried about who could
possibly replace you? NO ONE CAN REPLACE YOU. It will take a village of
people to care as much as you care. To replace the eyes on the back of your
head. The one thing you can do (do early, do often, never stop doing) is
build the village. If your child grows up living within the village you
build, they will always be a valued member of the community and a derivative
fact is they will be less at risk, more fulfilled, and reach their full
potential.
What parent wouldn’t want that? Start building now.
Special Education Communication Tips for Educators: Lessons from the Law
Here are some lessons I have learned — often, the hard way.
1. There is nothing sacrosanct, or automatically acceptable, about a form letter. If the letter is confusing, that confusion will be blamed on the person who signed the letter, not on the person who created the form. Therefore, when using a format handed down from elsewhere, a district should make sure that its communication is clear.
2. The pace at which a district responds to a possible need for special services is a “child find” issue. Therefore, a district should make clear whether it suspects a disability.
3. Child find problems (including the slow pace of completing an evaluation) are the most expensive kind of problem because EVERYTHING that happens during and after a delay can be attributed to the slow pace of the school’s response. Therefore, districts (These are the words of a federal judge (E.D.Pa.) in a September 28, 2007 opinion in the special education case of L.S. and C.S. v. Abington School District ) “should not lose control over the pace of correspondence regarding internal and external evaluations. Rather, districts should do whatever is necessary to keep things moving along.”
4. The dividing lines between a mental health problem, an attitude problem, and an emotional disturbance (as defined by the IDEA) are not so clear that an individual teacher should make those distinctions, by themselves, in silence. Therefore, a district should be careful, and should work internally as a team, before communicating about something that an individual staff member believes is beyond the scope of a district’s responsibility.
5. The last thing you want a hearing officer to think about you is “they didn’t act because they didn’t care enough to act.” Therefore, a district should demonstrate in writing that it is paying attention and that it cares.
6. Another thing you don’t want a hearing officer to think about you is “they didn’t act because they did not think it was their job.” Therefore, a district should not be quick to suggest that some service is not the district’s job.
7. All problems that affect a student’s participation or success in education are the school’s problem. Therefore, a school district should show that it “owns” an attendance or achievement problem.
8. The failure to pursue a solution is never the parents’ failure. Therefore, where some useful step is being thwarted by’ a parent, a district’s correspondence should include efforts to press forward with what is needed.
9. If it is needed, it should not be optional.
10. It’s not about them; it’s about us.
11. The number of things for which a school district needs to provide notice may be more than you think, but the number of things for which a school district needs to get consent maybe less than you think.
12. DO NOT PROVIDE LESS THAN YOU THINK IS RELIABLY APPROPRIATE JUST BECAUSE THE PARENTS WANT LESS. “Trial and error” will be recorded as the error of the school district, not as an error of the parent or the student; nor will it be recorded as a good-faith trial by the district. Therefore, when a parent wants less than a district recommends, a district should be explicit about whether that “less” is, or is not, FAPE.
13. “Respecting” the student by offering services, but not making sure he actually accesses them, does not always lead to FAPE. Therefore, some “offers” in IEPs should be a matter of mandatory scheduling, not student options. (If you are asking, “But doesn’t the family have some responsibility here?” the answer is “no.“)
14. When a physician says anything, it is the district’s job to follow up and either:
(a) ask for more specifics about how it affects education, or (b) determine the effect, actively, for itself. Therefore, a district should follow up in an observable way whenever a doctor opines. (If you see the doctor as the enemy, then remember: “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.”)
15. UNDER THE I.D.E.A., THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A “TIME OUT” FOR MEDICAL INTERVENTION, particularly for a student who has, or might have, an emotional disturbance. Therefore, a district should not react to a medical crisis with silence.
a. If a child is out of School and under-the care of a psychiatrist because of emotional issues, do NOT say to yourself ”we will do the evaluation after the medical crisis is over.”
b. If you hold off an evaluation for a few weeks because of a “good” reason, and then wait for another few weeks for a “good” reason, and then stand back again for a “good” reason, these are no longer good reasons. Ironically, three good reasons equal one big bad reason. The cumulative effect will be difficult to justify, no matter how good the reason was on anyone day.
c. If you are holding back on an evaluation or other intervention because you figure that things are bad now but will change soon, figure differently. Assume that nothing will improve without your intervention, and then decide what to do.
d. The child find obligation does not cease when the child is not at school or not physically in the district. All that matters is whether the parents still live in the district.
16. If you are having trouble getting a response from a physician or a clinic or a school, let the parents know, incessantly. Corollary: If you abstained from doing your own evaluation because the family was doing its own, but if you are having trouble getting their evaluation, you may have to go back and do your own.
17. Is there a clear chain of communication by which the Director of Special Education is made aware of requests for evaluation and delays in evaluation?
18. Is there sufficient communication between the special education office, the person who deals with truancy, and the person who deals with home schooling affidavits?
19. Have front-line staff been trained to “own” the delays even when they did not cause the delays?
20. Any time you rely on an outside evaluator or provider of information, you are at the mercy of their timeliness. You need to “own” that problem and work around the outside person by using district resources when “owning” the delay becomes a problem and/or hound the outside evaluator again and again.
21. Whenever a student leaves district programming (for home schooling, for religious school, etc.) and the student was less than fully successful for reasons that might later be attributed to emotional or other possible disability-related reasons, send a “ball-in whose-court” letter that offers evaluation and services.
22. When there is an unspoken reason that would explain a lack of a specific service, notwithstanding some data indicating a need for the service, make that reason explicit in the IEP (e.g., “Based on the most recent information, the members of the IEP team do not anticipate that Jess will have attendance problems if his level of anxiety in school is dealt with.”)
23. When there is an unspoken assumption that explains why an approach will deal with an arguably separate problem, make that assumption explicit (e.g., “Because the Team believes that Jess will maintain school attendance through reduced stress while in school, the following stress-reduction services will be provided.”)
24. Whenever a form does not tell the complete story about what is being offered or what is not, transmit it through a cover letter that does tell the complete story.
McNees Wallace & Nuri’ck LLC, Attorneys at law
Lancaster Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13
February 13, 2008, Jeffrey F. Champagne, ichampagne@mwn.com
Partners Resource Network PATH PROJECT • 1090 Longfellow Dr. ; Beaumont, TX 77706 Toll Free: 800.866.4726 • FAX: 409.898.4869 • website: www.partnerstx.org
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