Resources for Special Education Leaders and Related Services Professionals

Collaborative strategies for children from 18 months to 8 years of age Instilling a sense of fun can help create a life-long love of reading. We know that early language and literacy skills form the foundation for success throughout school. But how can adults help those pre-readers develop a love of reading? In this eBook, Dr. Shari Robertson shares strategies for involving young children in reading, and making the experience stress free for kids and adults alike. Ideal for parents, teachers, early interventionists, and SLPs!

School districts around the country have responded to a nationwide wakeup call for greater access to behavioral interventions and mental health services for their students. Evidence shows that this commitment to multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) improves both student and school outcomes. However, this commitment comes with challenges including capacity, skyrocketing caseloads, an overwhelming demand for assessments, a lack of specialized expertise, and scheduling conflicts. Online access to highly qualified mental health professionals helps districts realize returns on their investment in mental health. Learn how.

Realistic and specific tactics to help children with autism reach their potential Ever rising rates of ASD combined with overburdened school systems and high state standards for language and communications skills have created an even greater sense of urgency for educators and families to find the best strategies to help students with autism reach their potential in the classroom and in their lives. This eBook provides practical advice from one of autism’s greatest advocates.

OT is so hands on. How can you do it online? Online occupational therapy helps schools address therapist shortages, provides greater flexibility, decreases travel time, and reduces distractions and missed classroom time. But what does it look like? How does it work? And which students can be served online? Highly qualified and experienced occupational therapists these questions and many more in this eBook.

Don’t let misconceptions about online services prevent your students from getting the help they need. Many special educators agree that online speech therapy works for some students, but are skeptical that it will work in their schools. This eBook dives into the myths surrounding online delivery of speech therapy and arms you with the facts about an effective and efficient option for augmenting your programs. A must read for administrators, staff, and parents.

For the First Time, a Research-based Solution is Available to Address a Persistent Gap in Schools’ Ability to Comply with Federal Mandates Half of all special education directors say their school psychologists struggle to keep up with the volume of psychoeducational assessments required during the school year, on top of their ever-expanding intervention workloads. This white paper looks at the causes and consequences of this problem, describes how remotely delivered assessments work and effectively relieve this burden, and details the research showing the equivalency of assessments delivered onsite and online.

Which States Have It & How Your State Can Get It Teletherapy alleviates much of the difficulty school districts face in hiring and contracting hard-to-find speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and mental health professionals to provide crucial services to their students with special needs. But why haven’t more than 50% of U.S. states taken advantage of Medicaid reimbursement for teletherapy? In 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made it easier than ever to do so by approving teletherapy services for Medicaid and creating a streamlined method for submitting online therapy claims. This guide: Describes how teletherapy helps districts provide services despite a shortage of licensed and credentialed professionals Outlines which (if any) teletherapy services are approved in each state Provides guidance on how…

A path to culturally responsive classrooms from Dr. Frances Stetson Despite decades of legislation and a focus on inclusion, there has only been a small increase in the percentage of students who spend 80% or more of their day in the general education classroom relative to the amount of work that has been done to improve this measure. What’s more, students of color are disproportionately represented in special education programs and have higher rates of suspension and expulsion than their white peers. This new paper based on a webinar by the same title by Dr. Frances Stetson explores issues of inclusion and cultural proficiency, addresses audience questions, and equips educators with a set of worksheets and resources to create culturally responsive classrooms and help struggling…

Expert tips from Julie Weatherly that can save your district a fortune Innocent mistakes and casual remarks can turn into a big legal headache for your district. In this paper, Julie Weatherly, Esq. provides must-read advice for everyone on your staff involved in developing and implementing IEPs. Practical advice, real-world cases and sample scenarios will help you and your team develop strategies to avoid common errors.

Our expert speakers answer educators’ most burning questions In 2015, more than 30,000 special education leaders, teachers, parents, and related services professionals registered for our professional development webinars. Throughout the year, we explored the need for change in education: change in the ways we manage classrooms, change in the ways we collaborate with families and our peers in general education, and change in the ways we support our students’ mental and emotional needs. After each webinar, we sat down with experts like Dr. Marty Burns, Dr. Barry Prizant, Dr. Frances Stetson, and more to discuss top questions from the audience. This new paper combines these conversations in one downloadable resource.

Learn how online therapy gives you access to highly qualified SLPs, OTs, and mental health professionals Though online therapy has become an established option that helps school districts around the country serve their students with special needs, many educators have questions about how online speech therapy, occupational therapy, and mental health services actually work. This new guide answers the questions we hear most frequently as we talk to districts about new ways to access high quality services, alleviate high caseloads, and improve transparency and efficiency. This is a great resource to share with your colleagues who are unfamiliar with online therapy.

A workload approach to managing your special education resources Consultations, meetings, assessments, planning, reporting and myriad other tasks comprise a therapist’s workload. This white paper by education leaders and workload experts Barbara Moore, Ed.D, CCC-SLP, and Judy Rudebusch, Ed.D, CCC-SLP presents the case for taking a workload approach in managing resources that benefits staff – and student outcomes.

Strategies for staffing, service delivery, and more Over $100 billion is spent on special education annually, and various policies and mandates have increased this cost at the expense of investments in general education. Yet statistics continue to show discouraging results for students in special education. Based on a talk by Peter Bittel, co-founder and CEO of the Futures HealthCore, and Dr. Nicholas Young, Superintendent of South Hadley Public Schools, this white paper presents practical strategies for superintendents for staffing, service delivery and budgeting to create meaningful change in their districts.

A multi-tiered system of prevention and intervention The STOIC framework empowers general educators, special educators, and related services professionals with behavior improvement strategies for the whole school. STOIC can be effective with students of all ages.

Eliminate confusion about evaluations for everyone on your staff Evaluations can cause confusion and consternation in any special education department. Not only is the sheer volume overwhelming, a number of myths persist that lead to additional work, legal issues, and communication problems with parents. This infographic separates the facts from the fiction about evaluations for you and your team.

How technology in the classroom helps students with special needs succeed As technology in the classroom has evolved over time (does anyone else remember waiting their turn to use the sole Commodore 64 in the back of the classroom?), so too have options for the least restrictive environment. Today, assistive technology, augmentative and alternative communication applications, and the online delivery of special education services equip students better than ever to work alongside their peers. Learn all about it in our newest infographic.

Quick tips to avoid costly mistakes This infographic is a companion piece to our white paper by the same name. Julie Weatherly, Esq. describes some common dos and don’ts for your staff. This is a great resource for everyone on your school IEP teams.

Answers to common questions from administrators, educators, and parents Online therapy is becoming increasingly common across the country and districts look for new and flexible ways for their students to have access to qualified Speech-Language Pathologists, occupational therapists and school counselors, as well as to better balance caseloads for existing staff. This infographic answers common questions that educators, clinicians and parents have about this delivery option and all of its possibilities. Feel free to share with your colleagues!

Collected Research and Writings by Dr. Lori Desautels A student’s emotional, social, and academic health are all interrelated — at the individual level, class level, and even the school level. This collection of writings by Dr. Lori Desautels focuses on neuroanatomy and the science behind strategies that help students —and those who work with them — to better understand themselves and their needs, and to prime the brain for learning.

Resources for Successful Implementation Trying to modify behavior in the typical reactive mode has not proven effective. Students who need help the most benefit least from discipline as usual. The Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) model does just that. Collaborative and Proactive Solutions are described by Dr. Ross Greene in his influential books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, and the recently released Lost and Found. This resource kit is a companion piece to Dr. Greene’s webinar with PresenceLearning “Lost and Found: What Works (and What Doesn’t) for Behaviorally Challenged Students”. It provides you and your staff with the materials you need to implement CPS, including the Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems (ALSUP), a problem solving plan, strategies for drilling down into problems…

Resources to create culturally responsive classrooms and help struggling learners Helping at-risk students to achieve is a challenge for every educator. To truly help our most vulnerable student population, we often need to dig into our school culture and ask some tough questions. This resource kit includes materials from Dr. Stetson that assist educators in creating culturally responsive classrooms and provide strategies for working with struggling learners.