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If you are a child who has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) you have a complex developmental disability that causes problems with social interaction and communications.
If you have Down Syndrome you have a condition that causes delays in physical and intellectual development.
These and other birth conditions can place you under the coverage of the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). You will then be entitled to an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) which is designed to address your particular educational needs, possibly in a Special Education Classroom (SEC). You will have a specially trained teacher and probably a PCA (Personal Care Attendant), who is a specially trained assistant to your teacher. That PCA and teacher will be supported by PaTANN (Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network), an agency of the state government that provides special education and support for local school districts.
If you are a special needs child in the City of York, you are in the school district that is quality ranked 492nd of the 498 school districts in Pennsylvania. Schools' ranks are based on standardized tests administered regularly by the schools.
In 2011, the school district of York city sunk to Corrective Action II 4th Year status due to its persistently low student academic achievement -- for the fourth consecutive year. The district has about 6,000 students, 25 percent of whom are categorized as special education students. The district takes $5 million of the total $1 billion distributed by the state to local school districts for special education, and this amounts to about $3,500 per York city special education student. Not much. The district is always in financial trouble, as you have read many times in this newspaper.
So where is the jewel in this mess of acronyms and underperforming schools and budget woes?
It is in the three classrooms at the elementary levels at Devers school that are taught by Denise Lehman, Susan Kotchish and Nicole Musser, who have taught special education for 31, 20 and three years, respectively. They start each formal day with breakfast with their little charges at about 8:15 and end it by putting them back on their bus at 3. But they come to work an hour before breakfast and stay until 5, often later.
During each day they teach relentlessly and ferociously because lessons do not come easy to autistic, Downs and other special-ed kids. They need repetition, intense scheduling, hand holding, tantrum calming, rewards, reinforcement, physical support, bathroom assistance, diapers, feeding at lunch, special art class, speech therapy, physical therapy, and reminders to not sneeze in your face or throw food. They need help with tooth brushing as much as help with lining up to go down the hallways. The PCAs, such as Monica Reese and Shelby Reisinger, are on the front line for all of these special needs. They are supported by PaTANN, which provides forms, flash cards, special training, printed materials and moral support for the endless demands on the job.
There are some other innovative programs at Devers. Some, like Buddy Readers, happen when the class migrates down the hall to a regular education classroom. There the kids are paired and the regular student reads books to an autistic or other special needs kid. The special kids also paint with their art teachers at hallway tables and put their Halloween or other seasonal art up on the hallway walls or windows for all the students to enjoy.
The principal at Devers, Delores Penn, calls these kids her "love bugs." She says that her special education teachers and PSAs are precious people with a calling. They have to use every resource they have to reach these students. Parents often ask teachers what they can expect in the future for their seriously challenged children. The answer is often, "What do you want?"
It is impossible to predict the future and know what these kids can achieve. They learn and grow by fits and starts. They can seem resistant to a lesson for months, and then suddenly vault ahead with new knowledge and abilities. They can suddenly start to use language, to understand a story, to sing a song on their own. But they need constant support and effort from both school and family. Learning does not come to them easily.
The teachers give a lot on their own, beyond just doing their job. They buy and bring a special toy -- like a revolving and vibrating light ball that calms or distracts a fretful child. They routinely bring things that are needed but amazingly not supplied at the school -- batteries for toys and puzzles, straws for drinking chocolate milk at lunch, wet wipes, toaster or a used microwave to heat lunches. Maybe the class needs a screwdriver or pocketknife, a soft cloth, toothpaste, bubble makers, nail clippers or other stuff not found in the supply room.
These students do not show up in the performance statistics that go towards rating the whole school district. They are not able to take math and reading tests. Devers is the only school in the York district that serves K-8 children with these special needs or children who have emotional or other behavioral needs that require a separate classroom. The four Devers classrooms (one serves middle school children) have about 6 to 10 students in each room. Each room has a few PCAs in addition to the teacher.
If you are a parent, relative or friend of any of these special students, these love bugs at the Devers school, please show your interest and your support for the job that these teachers and PCAs do day in and day out in your community. They are very welcoming to all visitors. Why don't you just visit the school, sit in the classrooms and talk to them? If you listen and watch, you just may discover some techniques that will help you at home with that child.
These classrooms and teachers and PCAs and kids are the jewels in the box of rocks.
http://www.ydr.com/letters/ci_22099391/special-education-jewel-box-rocks
If you have Down Syndrome you have a condition that causes delays in physical and intellectual development.
These and other birth conditions can place you under the coverage of the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). You will then be entitled to an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) which is designed to address your particular educational needs, possibly in a Special Education Classroom (SEC). You will have a specially trained teacher and probably a PCA (Personal Care Attendant), who is a specially trained assistant to your teacher. That PCA and teacher will be supported by PaTANN (Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network), an agency of the state government that provides special education and support for local school districts.
If you are a special needs child in the City of York, you are in the school district that is quality ranked 492nd of the 498 school districts in Pennsylvania. Schools' ranks are based on standardized tests administered regularly by the schools.
In 2011, the school district of York city sunk to Corrective Action II 4th Year status due to its persistently low student academic achievement -- for the fourth consecutive year. The district has about 6,000 students, 25 percent of whom are categorized as special education students. The district takes $5 million of the total $1 billion distributed by the state to local school districts for special education, and this amounts to about $3,500 per York city special education student. Not much. The district is always in financial trouble, as you have read many times in this newspaper.
So where is the jewel in this mess of acronyms and underperforming schools and budget woes?
It is in the three classrooms at the elementary levels at Devers school that are taught by Denise Lehman, Susan Kotchish and Nicole Musser, who have taught special education for 31, 20 and three years, respectively. They start each formal day with breakfast with their little charges at about 8:15 and end it by putting them back on their bus at 3. But they come to work an hour before breakfast and stay until 5, often later.
During each day they teach relentlessly and ferociously because lessons do not come easy to autistic, Downs and other special-ed kids. They need repetition, intense scheduling, hand holding, tantrum calming, rewards, reinforcement, physical support, bathroom assistance, diapers, feeding at lunch, special art class, speech therapy, physical therapy, and reminders to not sneeze in your face or throw food. They need help with tooth brushing as much as help with lining up to go down the hallways. The PCAs, such as Monica Reese and Shelby Reisinger, are on the front line for all of these special needs. They are supported by PaTANN, which provides forms, flash cards, special training, printed materials and moral support for the endless demands on the job.
There are some other innovative programs at Devers. Some, like Buddy Readers, happen when the class migrates down the hall to a regular education classroom. There the kids are paired and the regular student reads books to an autistic or other special needs kid. The special kids also paint with their art teachers at hallway tables and put their Halloween or other seasonal art up on the hallway walls or windows for all the students to enjoy.
The principal at Devers, Delores Penn, calls these kids her "love bugs." She says that her special education teachers and PSAs are precious people with a calling. They have to use every resource they have to reach these students. Parents often ask teachers what they can expect in the future for their seriously challenged children. The answer is often, "What do you want?"
It is impossible to predict the future and know what these kids can achieve. They learn and grow by fits and starts. They can seem resistant to a lesson for months, and then suddenly vault ahead with new knowledge and abilities. They can suddenly start to use language, to understand a story, to sing a song on their own. But they need constant support and effort from both school and family. Learning does not come to them easily.
The teachers give a lot on their own, beyond just doing their job. They buy and bring a special toy -- like a revolving and vibrating light ball that calms or distracts a fretful child. They routinely bring things that are needed but amazingly not supplied at the school -- batteries for toys and puzzles, straws for drinking chocolate milk at lunch, wet wipes, toaster or a used microwave to heat lunches. Maybe the class needs a screwdriver or pocketknife, a soft cloth, toothpaste, bubble makers, nail clippers or other stuff not found in the supply room.
These students do not show up in the performance statistics that go towards rating the whole school district. They are not able to take math and reading tests. Devers is the only school in the York district that serves K-8 children with these special needs or children who have emotional or other behavioral needs that require a separate classroom. The four Devers classrooms (one serves middle school children) have about 6 to 10 students in each room. Each room has a few PCAs in addition to the teacher.
If you are a parent, relative or friend of any of these special students, these love bugs at the Devers school, please show your interest and your support for the job that these teachers and PCAs do day in and day out in your community. They are very welcoming to all visitors. Why don't you just visit the school, sit in the classrooms and talk to them? If you listen and watch, you just may discover some techniques that will help you at home with that child.
These classrooms and teachers and PCAs and kids are the jewels in the box of rocks.
http://www.ydr.com/letters/ci_22099391/special-education-jewel-box-rocks
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