Tag Archives: Special education

Is Therapy on Hold?

Will children who are three years old on December 31st enter pre-kindergarten programs?

The rule in Early Intervention is that children are about to age out. Given that COVID19 is here and that the “aged-out” age group of toddlers have no current vaccine of which to take advantage at the writing of this blog post, there are some parents who will be opting to keep them home. They will not have their children in school and remote treatment options may not be available. If you are a parent of a disabled child who may be in this position there is something that you can and should be doing, Research shows that 90% of the brain develops in the first five years of life.

What Can Be Done????

The whole basis of the early intervention, no matter where you are located is that activities can be embedded into daily routines. Hopefully, if your child was enrolled in the program you came to understand that you as an adult are your child’s first teacher. You have learned the “tools” for how to teach language within the context of daily routines.

Toys! These are the tools for children to learn from so if you have blocks, balls, boxes, unisex doll houses, mini brooms and dusters, babies or action figures, teach your children how to use them in imaginative ways.

Target - Melissa & Doug Let's Play House! Dust, Sweep & Mop 6pc Set
Target - Tinkertoys Classic Retro Building Set
Hey! Play! Dollhouse for Kids – Classic Pretend Play 2 Story Wood Playset with Furniture Accessories and Dolls for Toddler...

I personally loved blocks, as a child. You can learn so much from them (and don’t forget the wooden family figures too!!) Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs and blocks teach children counting, balancing, colors, size concepts, prepositions so they know where things are in space

Board games can teach basic concepts

Guess Who teaches children to use descriptive terms and answer/ask questions. It facilitates problem solving and reasoning.

Guess Who?

Hi Ho Cheerio teaches preschoolers (three years and up) turn taking, counting, following directions.

HiHo! Cherry-O Game by Hasbro

Chutes and Ladders: When playing this game, your child is working on counting, prepositions, turn-taking, social skills, and following directions.

Reading Skills – preschool aged children learn phonics. Phonics is essential for children to become successful readers and spellers/writers in the early years of schooling and beyond. Introductions to phonics through engaging learning experiences can start from the ages of 3 and 4.

They can also look at magazines and should be exposed to “real” (non-electronic) books. Some resources, aside from the public library are Books Scholastic book Highlights Magazine

I hope that these suggestions are helpful. The situation we are faced with due to the pandemic is nobody’s fault; but it has its consequences. I hope that this blog will empower you and leave you with knowledge of some ideas for helping your child grow. If you have any questions or additional ideas that may be helpful to share, please leave them in the comments section below. Stay well!

Back to School???

In a matter of speaking … yes! Wow!!!   Blended learning students in grades 9-12 return to buildings beginning 03/22 (at least in NYC). Speech-language pathologists help others with organizational skills so in that spirit here are some reminders

Get back into that routine now! Resume the routine bedtime, preparing lunch the night before, laying out clothing etc. Whatever the routine – especially with students who are special needs, that will be important. Since we are talking about older students returning, maybe a chart as below with their routine would be helpful to write out now.. 

Self-care daily routine schedule for tweens. Gentle reminder for your tween to establish a good daily routin… | Daily routine schedule, Daily routine, Night routine

Once your son or daughter is back – in-person.. 

  • Please communicate face to face if possible – not through facetime; but in-person and it will be important to show up with your son or daughter’s paperwork in hand.  I’d suggest that you hand it to the special education supervisor as soon as your high school student enters the door.  They may be pulling away during their adolescent years; which we’d typically expect. However, they won’t tell you – you are needed!  Just like at the beginning in September – here is a checklist:
  • Set up a meeting or call your child’s lead teacher and introduce yourself. If possible go to school in person as it is the parent who makes themselves known that gets the help!  
  • Make sure that your child’s therapy schedule is in place as times may change ..???  perhaps…  
  • If your son or daughter needs any adaptive equipment – communication boards or FM systems and these are typically at school – make sure they are there and also any eyeglasses!

***If your son or daughter can help with the very last item above it may be wonderful so that you guide them in self advocacy skills!

Remember that it is not just your child who needs the help.  Your child's teacher needs the support from the school therapist so that they know how to support him or her and they need you too as the "team leader". Your son or daughter needs guidance too!


Resources: The impact that changes in kids since the pandemic necessitated social distancing cannot be understated.

Back to School?

What a challenging prospect in times of a pandemic.  It’s a tough decision in terms of how to educate your child whenever schools open up. Both kids and parents will have feelings. Nobody seems to be considering that, in my opinion.  There are novel CDC guidelines. In case you missed them, here is a link CDC Guidelines   Other thoughts are outlined by the  American Academy of Pediatrics. 

For starters:  How do you explain coronavirus?  In very simple terms

Your child is entitled to additional services in terms of having lost much therapy time if they have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)? Check with the school special education supervisor and/or the principal.

and finally, how do you deal with the emotions that kids may experience when potentially planning for the first day back if that is your decision?  There are some ideas below:

Resources:

Know Your Rights for a Special Needs Child https://www.familyequality.org/2020/03/30/special-education-rights-during-covid-19-pandemic/

Dealing With Anxiety-Helping Kids Cope:

For Toddlers: Worries Are Not Forever (Best Behavior®)
Give toddlers tools to ease anxieties and worries and feel better again. It’s normal for toddlers to worry and feel anxious—they have enough …
 
For older children
 
 

COVID-19 Parents

Sick woman looking at a thermometer.

In an age with so much sickness and heightened stress, don’t forget to stay healthy.  Forgetting about maintaining health in the area of nutrition should not be forgotten. The adage of  “you are what you eat” can not be understated.

selective focus photography of pasta with tomato and basil
Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

Having a concrete list of symptoms, so you can do a self-check as part of your daily hygiene may be helpful. https://www.mayoclinic.org/covid-19-self-assessment-tool .

As a speech-language pathologist, I would be remiss if I did not mention anything about this, in an age of social distancing. There are ways to connect with families:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/coronavirusparents/

“Coronavirus Parents: Parenting in a Pandemic is a group for parents, by parents, who are committed to supporting each other through the coronavirus pandemic.
We aim to help each other navigate school closures, childcare needs, social isolation, and other pressing concerns for kids and parents.
In addition, ParentsTogether (the host of the group) mobilizes parents to take action on issues affecting families. When we see opportunities to act, especially in support of families facing hardship due to the pandemic, we will share with this group.
This group is open to any parent or caregiver in need of support around the coronavirus. As an organization, ParentsTogether has a clear point of view: We fight on behalf of all families, with a commitment to equity and justice. No matter what your point of view, all parents are welcome in this group.
This community will work when all of us commit to mutual respect and civil discourse, even when we are anxious, scared, uncertain or angry–and especially when we disagree.
Coronavirus Parents do not provide formal medical or legal advice, and none of the posts here should be interpreted as medical or legal advice.
There are many health-related questions that are likely to arise in this group; members who share health resources are urged to include sources.”
runners-silhouettes-athletes-fitness-39308
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

In closing – none of us wants to get sick so please take care!   https://parents-together.org/what-should-parents-do-if-they-contract-covid-19/

Resources to Keep You Informed

Resources for Families
Advocates for Children of New York https://www.advocatesforchildren.org/covid-19-updates?fbclid=IwAR24OaXWDMqk0SQHaOMDnlmNLzq3yDvOaP5smAW9ATb2J9FmXrJE42BgOTw

Information on Remote Learning https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learn-at-home/information-on-remote-learning

Explaining Coronavirus

These are scary times and a number of parents online are asking for guidance in terms of how to explain the reason why their children are not in school.  There are ways that you can do so and I saw an article online that will be helpful https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/   

Some have voiced online concern about what will happen to their child when school is closed.  So that you can plan,  an option may be teletherapy.

 

Considerations With regards to Teletherapy  Message for Consumers:

If you are a New York State resident receiving speech-language pathology or audiology services in New York State, your Speech-Language Pathologist or Audiologist must be licensed in New York State.speech- pathology or audiology services in this State, as long as such services are performed for no more than thirty (30) days in any calendar year and provided that such services are performed in conjunction with and/or under the supervision of Speech-Language Pathologist or Audiologist licensed under Article 159 of the New York State Education Law.

According to the American Speech-Language Pathology Association https://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/ASHA/Practice_Portal/Professional_Issues/Telepractice/Telepractice-for-Speech-and-Hearing-Services-Brochure.pdf



(a) An insurer shall not exclude from coverage a service that is otherwise covered under a policy that provides comprehensive coverage for hospital, medical or surgical care because the service is delivered via telehealth, as that term is defined in subsection (b) of this section;  provided, however, that an insurer may exclude from coverage a service by a health care provider where the provider is not otherwise covered under the policy. An insurer may subject the coverage of a service delivered via telehealth to co-payments, coinsurance or deductibles provided that they are at least as favorable to the insured as those established for the same service when not delivered via telehealth.  An insurer may subject the coverage of a service delivered via telehealth to reasonable utilization management and quality assurance requirements that are consistent with those established for the same service when not delivered via telehealth. (b) For purposes of this section, “telehealth” means the use of electronic information and communication technologies by a health care provider to deliver health care services to an insured individual while such individual is located at a site that is different from the site where the health care provider is located.


Citation: N.Y. ISC Law § 3217-H



	


	

			






	

		
Navigate Special Ed
	


	
	

		
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Navigating Special Education


So frustrating… your child enters the world and you are not aware of the hand that you will be dealt with.  You have a child – a wonderful child whom you love so much – but they have a different style of functioning. They may respond to the world differently. They may need accommodations in school so that they have an untimed exam. They may need related services such as Speech Therapy and/or a paraprofessional to provide support in the “least restrictive environment least restrictive environment


LRE continuum pyramid levels


Photo credit: https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-lre-least-restrictive-environment/?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=SocialSnap


Your child is evaluated to determine what needs they may or may not have.  You go to your local school district office to discuss the plan based on these reports and an Individual Education Plan is developed.  The law states that you have rights as a parent to both participate and agree or disagree to an outlined plan for your child.  I am not a special education advocate, but I work with children of different ages. Part of my work involves assisting parents with written reports to present at IEP meetings/CPSE meetings and speaking with professionals in terms of suggesting supports from which those whose skills I have evaluated may benefit.


You may be scheduling a meeting with educational attornies and trying to answer the question of “what’s next?” An attorney may advise you that your child is entitled to free appropriate education.  What is that? http://www.nyedlaw.com/blog/2018/02/what-constitutes-free-appropriate-public-education.html


Over the years, I have seen children fall through the cracks and not get the services that they need.  It’s in the best interests of your child to advocate on behalf of your own.


In the NYC area there are organizations such as


The Parents League   


IncludeNYC


available to help guide you as well.  Similar programs are offered in other areas so check with parents organizations supporting the needs of children such as your own.


Additional Resource https://magazine.parentingspecialneeds.org/publication/?i=646946&ver=html5&p=24


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