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Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling
Bringing Special Education Services Into A School



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amother
Aquamarine


 

Post Sun, Oct 04 2015, 2:20 am
I am working to bring special education resources into my local Jewish elementary school. Right now, the project is incredibly broad and undefined.

In your opinion (either as a parent or a teacher), what sorts of resources would you want to see offered by your local school? Do you know of any Jewish schools with, in your opinion, a particularly good model for special education services? Do you know any organizations that offer consulting/support on how to bring special education services into a school, or how to better equip faculty to provide existing resources?

Thank you for your help!

(Amother due to identifying details.)
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SRS




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 04 2015, 2:56 am
I think your first step is to do a survey within your school as to what service is most needed. Survey teaching staff, parents, and students that have been identified as needing services. There are so many special needs and you cannot serve all of them. I'd then concentrate on where you can make the most difference within the constraints and resources you have.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 04 2015, 3:22 am
Yes, that is pretty broad and undefined... what do you have in mind? Are you working with others who can help formulate a more tangible vision?

I'm not an organization but I've been involved in providing special ed services within mainstream schools. FWIW I could tell you what I've seen work better and worse. Preferably not in public, though. I haven't yet seen a Jewish school get it all right, though there's been a lot of progress, but there are non-Jewish schools that we can learn a lot from as well.
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amother
Aquamarine


 

Post Sun, Oct 04 2015, 3:45 am
seeker wrote:
Yes, that is pretty broad and undefined... what do you have in mind? Are you working with others who can help formulate a more tangible vision?

I'm not an organization but I've been involved in providing special ed services within mainstream schools. FWIW I could tell you what I've seen work better and worse. Preferably not in public, though. I haven't yet seen a Jewish school get it all right, though there's been a lot of progress, but there are non-Jewish schools that we can learn a lot from as well.


A tangible plan is in the works, based on community interest (both parents and faculty/staff). I posted more to see what interests _other_ parents and teachers, in order to gain additional ideas and hopefully learn from their experiences.

Thank you for offering to share your perspective! What is a good means for contacting you? Also, are you comfortable posting links to schools/programs that you think are worth researching?
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Kugglegirl




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 04 2015, 8:32 am
Special education requires:

Assessment
Individualized planning for specific student needs
Case management
Specialized professional staff
Administrative oversight/supervision
On going professional development for all staff in the building
Inclusion support

Physical resources such as:
Small rooms for resource and individual instruction
Specialized materials
Adapted materials
Adaptations to make buildings, play grounds and classrooms accessible

Some areas of learning needs found in children in day schools, and children who's families would like to send them to day school:

    ADHD- this is a high incidence learning disability & I guarantee that there are children in your school right now who are struggling because the school does not have good resources to support them.
    Dyslexia
    Dysgraphia
    Auditory processing disorders
    Sensory Integration Disorder
    English Language Learners (ELL) -- this can included children of Israeli families who speak Hebrew at home
    Autism Spectrum Disorder
    Anxiety and mental health needs which affect children's ability to learn
    Cognitive impairment- including children with Down Syndrome
    Asthma
    Other medical conditions which can affect stamina and ability to complete work by hand, or to carry out all the physical demands of the typical school setting- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and the low muscle tone that are part of Down Syndrome are included in this.
    Allergies, including life-threatening allergies
    Physical impairments including CP
    Hearing Impairments, including children with Cochlear Implants
    Visual Impairments
    Tourette syndrome
    Other low incidence learning needs and impairments.


Please feel free, anyone to add to the list.

Also, can someone add a list of the professionals who a school will need to provide services for children with special learning needs?
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 04 2015, 10:01 am
amother wrote:
A tangible plan is in the works, based on community interest (both parents and faculty/staff). I posted more to see what interests _other_ parents and teachers, in order to gain additional ideas and hopefully learn from their experiences.

Thank you for offering to share your perspective! What is a good means for contacting you? Also, are you comfortable posting links to schools/programs that you think are worth researching?

If you already have a handle on the interests/needs of your target community, how is it relevant to hear other people's interests? Share what you're already working on and maybe we can talk about how that's been done.

You can PM or email me.

Kugglegirl gave a really nice outline of what to think about. A list of professionals as she asked for really depends what needs you're going to target and how much you want to take on (for example, many schools that service kids with special needs have a speech therapist or OT on staff, but that's not an integral need in most schools - the kids who need those services can technically go get them privately after school, though that's a much bigger pain for the parents.)
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amother
Indigo


 

Post Sun, Oct 04 2015, 7:04 pm
About specialists... As others have said, depending on the issues being handled others may be needed but Super important though:
-Speciality teachers
-Therapist (MFT, MSW, school psych) to interface with parents, kids and school. Plus many times there are other issues that are hampering the school experience, like teasing, bullying or other pressures. Some are unique to special needs students and can stop progress academically. Plus some of the typical classmates may need help adapting to their atypical classmate as well!
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amother
Aquamarine


 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2015, 2:20 am
Thank you all for your replies!

Seeker: As a newcomer to this field, I asked for others' experiences in order to gain a broader sense of "what's out there."
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2015, 2:32 am
There is a whole world out there. I don't think "what's out there" is going to get a helpful response. But hey, you never know...
Are you looking to provide additional services to children already in the school, or to invite kids with special needs to join the school which was previously inaccessible to them? Are you looking to form separate classes for special needs or have a fully integrated program?
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Kugglegirl




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2015, 8:10 am
Dear Aquamarine OP,

If you, as a newcomer to the field are serious about wanting to learn more, please PM me. I would be happy to point you in the direction of relevant resources to the children you have identified as needing support in your school.

The most important thing you can do for your school is to find some competent people IRL with experience with the special needs you need to plan for in your school, and include them on your planing committee. I see too many planning committees and school boards composed of parents and community members who have no relevant experience.

You should include the parents of children with special needs in your committee as well. Especially the parents who have been the most thorn-in-the-side to your school to this point. They are the ones who can tell you what is not working and where the problems are right now. You may have to go and make nice to some parents who left the school already to do this. I promise, you will learn a lot this way.
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2015, 11:28 am
Have you reached out to the broader Jewish community resources? Check in with Federation, Jewish Family Service, and any broad organization that supports and helps dayschool education, frum and nonfrum. Also check with other schools in your area. Maybe there is something already in existence that could be contracted to participate, or some advisory support.

Chck in with the public schools, and see what they can offer, either for individual support for qualified children, and in general.
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amother
Aquamarine


 

Post Mon, Oct 12 2015, 12:44 am
Kugglegirl wrote:
Dear Aquamarine OP,

If you, as a newcomer to the field are serious about wanting to learn more, please PM me. I would be happy to point you in the direction of relevant resources to the children you have identified as needing support in your school.

The most important thing you can do for your school is to find some competent people IRL with experience with the special needs you need to plan for in your school, and include them on your planing committee. I see too many planning committees and school boards composed of parents and community members who have no relevant experience.

You should include the parents of children with special needs in your committee as well. Especially the parents who have been the most thorn-in-the-side to your school to this point. They are the ones who can tell you what is not working and where the problems are right now. You may have to go and make nice to some parents who left the school already to do this. I promise, you will learn a lot this way.


Thank you for responding!

For anonymity purposes, I'm hoping to avoid messaging anyone with my screenname. Are any of the resources you know of links/book titles/etc. that can be posted on this thre
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amother
Aquamarine


 

Post Mon, Oct 12 2015, 12:46 am
imasinger wrote:
Have you reached out to the broader Jewish community resources? Check in with Federation, Jewish Family Service, and any broad organization that supports and helps dayschool education, frum and nonfrum. Also check with other schools in your area. Maybe there is something already in existence that could be contracted to participate, or some advisory support.

Chck in with the public schools, and see what they can offer, either for individual support for qualified children, and in general.


Thank you for responding!

We already have a good grasp on what resources are available from the local school district. Checking in with local Jewish organizations that support day school education is a great idea, thank you for the suggestion!
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