SERGE links

SERGE (Special Education Resources for General Educators) is a fantastic website that answers many of the questions faced by general educators as they consider the many and various needs of their students.  Here are a few that I found interesting and useful.

Interventions for ADD and learning disabilities

This link to Child Development Institute has some great suggestions for classroom interventions for children who have ADD, who are cognitively impulsive, and accommodations for specific behaviors.  Some of the behaviors are difficulty following through on instructions, difficulty test taking, confusion from non-verbal cues, messiness and sloppiness, being interruptive, poor handwriting, and more. These are all things that are likely to be seen frequently in a general classroom from students who may not have an IEP, but who require specific interventions and accommodations to help them progress and be successful.

Addressing Overrepresentation of African Americans in SpEd

This link is to a report by the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association of Black School Educators that talks about the over-representation of African American students in special education. The report is quite long but talks about the pre-referral process, school climate, families, and legal issues that impact or are impacted by this disparity.  It is important to make sure students are receiving services if they need them but also make sure that the correct legal and pre-referral procedures are followed so that students are where they need to be.

ELL and learning disabilities

This part of the SERGE website talks about distinguishing whether a student's language difficulties stem from English being a second language, or language disabilities.  I found the Factual Information section to be very useful. There are also suggestions of what to try in the classroom to help the situation. 

Differentiated instruction resources

http://mindstepsinc.

Mindsteps has many great resources for helping students at varying levels. Specifically, there are tools for helping struggling students, motivation, and differentiation.  This company offers seminars, products, and online resources to help teachers.
 
Differentiated planning sheet
This is a blank planning template sheet. This a very helpful tool in designing lessons to meet the needs of a variety of learners in a class.

Four Types of Students Reference Guide
This guide describes differentiation strategies for four different learning styles in the areas of content, process, product, and environment.

Sample Differentiated plan for English
This is a good example of a lesson plan for English using the Differentiated planning sheet.

Assisted technologies

There are a number of resources found at the Utah Center for Assistive Technologies.  One is the Computer Center for Citizens with Disabilities.  Here children and adults can learn ways that technology can enhance their jobs, careers, and education. The center offers consultations, workshops, information, and help getting augmentative communication technologies.

UCAT offers personalized assistance to people with disabilities, parents, caregivers, special educators, etc.


This link is to a list of inventory of such technologies available through the UAAACT.
http://ucat.usor.utah.gov/uaaact/Inventroy%20searches/Inbox_Alph_Lst.htm  
These are devices, software, computer accessories, writing devices, etc. There is a wide range of high and low tech products available for loan.

Here is some information from the website http://nichcy.org/schoolage/iep/iepcontents/supplementary that is helpful in understanding how supplementary aids and services fit into a child's IEP. It is important to understand the legal scope and definition of this part of IDEA when considering what a child needs and what can be considered to fall under this requirement.  I thought it was interesting that staff training and support can be included. 

IDEA’s Exact Words

Again, let’s start with IDEA’s full requirement for identifying the supplementary aids and services a child will need and specifying them in his or her IEP. This appears at §300.320(a)(4) and stipulates that each child’s IEP must contain:

(4) A statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided to enable the child—

(i) To advance appropriately toward attaining the annual goals;

(ii) To be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this section, and to participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities; and

(iii) To be educated and participate with other children with disabilities and nondisabled children in the activities described in this section… [§300.320(a)(4)]

We’ve bolded the part of IDEA’s regulation that specifically mentions supplementary aids and services, because it’s important to see the context in which this term is used. It is that context, and IDEA’s own definition of supplementary aids and services, that will guide how a child’s IEP team considers what services the child needs and the detail with which the team specifies them in the IEP.

The Short Story on Supplementary Aids and Services

Supplementary aids and services are often critical elements in supporting the education of children with disabilities in regular classes and their participation in a range of another school activities. IDEA’s definition of this term (at §300.42)reads:

Supplementary aids and services means aids, services, and other supports that are provided in regular education classes, other education-related settings, and in extracurricular and nonacademic settings, to enable children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum extent appropriate …

Speaking practically, supplementary aids and services can be accommodations and modifications to the curriculum under study or the manner in which that content is presented or a child’s progress is measured. But that’s not all they are or can be. Supplementary aids and services can also include direct services and supports to the child, as well as support and training for staff who work with that child. That’s why determining what supplementary aids and services are appropriate for a particular child must be done on an individual basis.