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Why should I seek your help?
What other Educational
Consultation Services do you offer?
After the evaluation is
complete, how will you help?
What is an educational
advocate?
What kind of tutors do
you recommend?
What is a
multisensory or
Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, or Lindamood-Bell approach to
reading/language instruction?
What is a Learning
Disability?
What is a Reading
Disability?
What is Dyslexia?
What are some Early
Warning Signs of a Learning Disability?
What is ADHD?
What is an IEP or PPT
Meeting?
What is an IEP?
What is a 504
Accommodation Plan?
Acronyms Frequently Used
in Special Education
How can I contact you?
Why should I seek your help?
The most obvious reasoning is of course
that your child is not successful in school and needs an
evaluation to determine if there is something interfering
with their ability to learn. There are many other reasons
why a child should be evaluated, including:
-
My
child was evaluated by the school and was not identified
to receive special services and is still not doing well
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You
feel that your child is bright yet not doing as well you
think they should in school
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Your
instincts tell you that your child is much more capable
-
Displays processing delays
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Spends an excessive amount of time completing their
homework
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Struggles with attention and concentration
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Think they might be gifted
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They
work very hard yet are always just below grade level
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Does
poorly on the state mastery tests
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Struggles with reading
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Displays weak writing or reading comprehension skills
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Your
child hates school
Other reasons to seek support:
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The school district
refused to evaluate your child.
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You feel that the local
school district might have made a mistake in the
evaluation.
-
You are concerned that the
school is not doing everything they can for your child.
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Are you wondering if the
school district made the correct interpretations
involving your child's testing data
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The modifications,
accommodations, or recommendations made at the IEP or
504 meeting don’t seem to be meeting your child’s needs.
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You felt that there were
too many terms or procedures that you didn't understand
at the meeting.
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You didn’t feel listened
to at the meeting are not sure your child’s needs are
being met.
What other Educational Consultation Services do you offer?
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Consultation to organize and implement an educational
plan to meet your child’s needs
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Assessment and testing
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Advocacy
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Making sure your child has appropriate access to school
services and programs
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Referrals to tutors and therapists specializing in
working with challenged learners
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Public and private primary, elementary, and high school
selection assistance
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Performing a thorough review of your child’s school
records to make sure that the records are current,
accurate, and understood by you.
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Working with you so you gain a clear and comprehensive
picture of your child’s learning challenges, school
issues, or disabilities.
-
ADHD assessment and
consultation to improve effectiveness in task and
activity management
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Performing classroom
observations to assess the learning environment for your
child.
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Forming a plan with you for IEP or 504 team discussion,
documentation and implementation.
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Helping parents prepare
for multidisciplinary conferences, eligibility team
meetings, IEP and Section 504 development meetings.
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Attending school meetings
with parents.
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Ongoing consultation and
support, as needed.
After the evaluation is complete, how will you help?
Most importantly, I will thoroughly go
over your child’s test results and help you to understand
how your child learns. I will provide you with both a
comprehensive report and many detailed recommendations for
home, school, and curriculum. I help people clarify
problems, solve them and coach parents in applying solutions
in the real world. With that information, I will teach you
how to be your child’s own best advocate in order to obtain
programs and services for your child in a positive manner.
If needed, I can help you access school support, attend
school meetings, find tutors, and so on. My support does not
end with the evaluation. Families often have me review
goals, attend school meetings, or seek phone or email
support throughout their child’s academic career.
What is an educational advocate?
An educational advocate is someone who
assists you in many ways to change, update, and improve the
process that provides you or your child with education,
taking the learning disabilities into account. They can do
this by reviewing your child’s goals and objectives,
supporting you at school meetings, or just by providing you
with a consult on different situations that may arise. Just
because your child receives special education services does
not mean they are getting the right kind of support. Dr.
Capanna-Hodge can help you navigate the educational maze by
providing you with insight into of the process of accessing
school support and the federal laws that govern this.
What kind of tutors do you recommend?
I refer to
tutors that are certified special education teachers and/or
specialized reading teachers. Specifically, the reading
teachers need to be trained in an Orton-Gillingham, Wilson,
or Lindamood-Bell approach to reading instruction. These
types of tutors are trained to work with diverse learners.
They have a “bag of tricks” so to speak and are great at
individualizing instruction to meet the needs that learn
differently. Most students with learning challenges work the
times harder than their peers usually without a successful
result. It is important that students learn strategies that
work for them so they can learn in a more efficient manner.
Specialized reading instruction and learning study skills
are only two of the many ways that these tutors can assist
your child.
What is a
multisensory or
Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, or Lindamood-Bell approach to
reading/language instruction?
Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham, both
pioneers in the field of dyslexia, designed the first
multisensory method used to teach individuals with dyslexia
in the 1930’s. Their method is backed by years of
neurological, psychological and educational research.
They realized that Dyslexic students
need a different approach to learning language and must be
directly taught the basic elements of their language. They
need specific instruction in the sounds and the letters that
represent them and how to put these together and take them
apart.
In
multisensory
teaching,
instructors teach in a manner that necessitates students use
visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic modalities to
learn, enabling them to rely on their strengths but more
importantly, strengthening their weaknesses. In multisensory
teaching, links are consistently made between what is seen
(visual), heard (auditory), and what can be felt or
experienced (tactile/kinesthetic). By tapping into all of
the senses, or modalities, all of these programs enable the
child with dyslexia to learn.
These methodologies all utilize phonetics and
emphasize visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles.
Instruction begins by focusing on the structure of language
and gradually moves towards reading. The program provides
students with immediate feedback and
a predictable sequence
that integrates reading, writing and spelling.
Research has shown us that children with
Dyslexia need a synthetic approach that has to be
multisensory, phonics-based, structured, sequential,
systematic, and cumulative. These methods are language-based
and success-oriented. The student is directly taught
reading, handwriting and written expression as one logical
body of knowledge. Learners move step by step from simple to
more complex material in a sequential, logical manner that
enables students to master important literacy skills. This
comprehensive approach to reading instruction benefits all
students.
What is a Learning Disability?
A learning
disability is defined as a disorder in one or more of the
basic psychological processes involved in understanding or
in using spoken or written language, which may manifest
itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak,
read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations
despite at least average intelligence. It impedes the
ability to store, process or produce information.
When someone
has a learning disability, it means that he or she learns
differently than most people, and that learning itself is
usually more difficult. A learning disability is a condition
that can affect anybody, regardless of age, ethnicity, or
gender.
What is a Reading Disability?
A reading disability is when a reader has
problems meeting reading milestones for a given age or
grade. It is when one has difficulty reading or
understanding within a reading. A child can have difficulty
with one or more aspects of the reading process. A reading
disability may also be referred to as a reading difficulty,
reading problem, reading disorder or dyslexia.
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability
that is neurological in origin. It is characterized
by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent
word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding
abilities. These difficulties typically result from a
deficit in the PHONOLOGICAL component of language that is
often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities
and the provision of effective classroom instruction.
When children learn to read, they must first become aware
that spoken words are made of these pieces of sound. After
they gain this knowledge (known as phonological awareness)
then they must be taught that letters or combinations of
letters are the way in which we represent these sounds on
paper. Most children grasp this concept easily, no matter
what method is used to teach them. Studies have found,
however, that at least 20 percent of children must be taught
this letter-sound system directly in order to learn to read
successfully. About 95% of Dyslexics MUST have a very
specific type of structured, multi-sensory
approach to reading. Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, Fast Forward,
and Lindamood reading programs are all structured,
multi-sensory reading programs.
What are some Early Warning Signs of a Learning Disability?
Early
Warning Signs:
Preschool
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Late talking, compared to
other children.
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Pronunciation problems.
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Slow vocabulary growth,
often unable to find the right word.
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Difficulty understanding
questions
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Hard time expressing wants
and desires
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Difficulty rhyming words.
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Trouble learning numbers,
the alphabet, and days of the week.
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Difficulty discriminating
size, shape, color
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Poor ability to follow or
memorize directions or routines
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Easily confused by
instructions
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Lack of interest in story
telling
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Difficulty sitting still
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Extremely restless and
easily distracted.
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Trouble interacting with
peers.
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Lack of persistence at
tasks
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Fine motor skills slow to
develop
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Trouble learning self-help
skills (tying shoelaces)
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Clumsiness
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Avoidance of drawing or
tracing
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Trouble learning left from
right
GRADES K-4
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Slow to learn the
connection between letters and sounds
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Difficulty breaking words
apart into sounds
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Difficulty blending sounds
together to make words
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Confuses basic words (run
eat, want, was)
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Difficulty pronouncing new
words and remembering them
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Makes consistent reading
and spelling errors including letter reversals (b/d),
inversions (m/w), transpositions (felt/left) and
substitutions (house/home)
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Guesses at unknown words
while reading because they can’t figure out the sounds
or blend them together
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Transposes number
sequences and confuses arithmetic signs
(+, -, x, /, =).
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Trouble following
directions
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Slow recall of facts
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Slow to learn new skills,
relies heavily on memorization
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Difficulty with cause and
effect, sequencing, and counting
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Slow to learn new concepts
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Impulsive, difficulty
planning
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Careless errors
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Distractibility
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Organizational problems
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Unstable pencil grip
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Trouble with letter
formation
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Trouble learning about
time and other math concepts
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Difficulty finishing work
on time
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Poor coordination, unaware
of physical surroundings, prone to accidents
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Often very competent in
oral language, but not with written language
GRADES 5-8
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Reverses letter sequences
(soiled/solid, left/felt)
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Slow to learn prefixes,
suffixes, root words, and other spelling strategies
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Doesn’t know the sounds
associated with all of the letters
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Skips words in a sentence
and doesn’t stop to self-correct
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Can’t remember words;
sounds out the same word every time it occurs on the
page
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Frequently guesses at
unknown words rather than sounding them out
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Avoids reading aloud
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Poor reading comprehension
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Lack of verbal
participation in class.
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Trouble with word problems
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Difficulty with
handwriting
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Awkward, fist-like or
tight pencil grip
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Avoids writing
compositions
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Slow or poor recall of
number facts
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Failure of automatic
memory
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Inconsistency
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Poor self-monitoring
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Poor ability to discern
relevant detail
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Poor learning strategies
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Disorganization in time or
space
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Difficulty finishing work
on time
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Peer rejection
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Difficulty making and
keeping friends
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Trouble understanding body
language and facial expressions
-
Often very competent in
oral language, but not with written language
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Poor performance in tests
and quizzes despite good study skills
HIGH SCHOOL
and ADULTHOOD
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Continues to spell
incorrectly, frequently spells the same word differently
in a single piece of writing
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Avoids reading and writing
tasks
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Trouble summarizing
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Trouble with open-ended
questions on tests
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Weak grasp of information
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Foreign language problems
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Poor written expression
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Mental fatigue
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Weak memory skills
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Difficulty adjusting to
new settings
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Works slowly
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Poor grasp of abstract
concepts
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Either pays too little
attention to details or focuses on them too much
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Misreads information
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Difficulty persisting
through tasks
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May have difficulty with
planning, organization and management of time, materials
and tasks
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Often very competent in
oral language, but not with written language
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Poor performance in tests
and quizzes despite good study skills
What is ADHD?
Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a challenging condition
experienced by a number of children, adolescents, and
adults. Core symptoms include problematic levels of
impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity. It is a
biologically based disorder that when diagnosed properly and
managed effectively, one can lead a full and productive
life.
Symptoms found
in childhood that suggest the disorder include
inattentiveness, distractibility, impulsivity and for some
individuals hyperactivity.
More
specifically one might find a child:
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Failing to give close
attention to details and making careless mistakes
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Having difficulty
sustaining attention
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Not appearing to listen
Struggling to follow
through with instructions
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Having difficulty with
organizing tasks
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Avoids or dislikes tasks
that require sustained mental effort
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Being forgetful in daily
activities
One may also
find the child:
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To be excessively restless
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To fidget with hands or
feet or squirm in the chair
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To have difficulty
remaining seated when expected To run about or climb
excessively
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To talk excessively
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To create disruption in
activities in which he/she is expected to do quietly
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To have difficulty waiting
one's turn
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To interrupt or intrude
upon others
In adolescence
the symptom presentation generally shifts from the prominent
impulsivity and hyperactivity of childhood to a
correspondingly greater experience of challenges with poor
organization, forgetfulness, excessive daydreaming, poor
follow through on tasks, the needing of excessive direction,
and engaging in risky behavior.
What is an IEP or PPT Meeting?
A team of
people through a formal meeting format makes decisions
regarding special education. In Connecticut the team has
been called a "Planning and, Placement Team" or "PPT". With
recent changes to the Special Education law (IDEA), that
name will probably change to "IEP Team Meeting", so that
there is consistency of terms across the country.
A Planning and
Placement Team (PPT) is a group of people from the school
district whose responsibility is to determine whether a
student needs an evaluation, or special education and/or
related services based on the results of evaluations, and
then to plan an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for
that student. The Planning and Placement Team (PPT) must
include the parent, an administrator, a special education
teacher, and a member of the pupil personnel staff. The PPT
must also include a regular education teacher. It may also
include a speech and language specialist, a school
psychologist, the school nurse and any other staff members
who know the student or whose special background may be
helpful in interpreting evaluation results or otherwise
assisting in the PPT process. When appropriate, the child
with a disability is also included in the PPT meeting.
Parent, guardians, surrogate parents or students have the
right to invite an advisor of their choice to the PPT
meeting (or any other individual) to act as an advocate or
just to lend support. The law always requires schools to
provide parents with their due process special education
rights, at or before thee meetings. The ideal goal of
the meeting is always to work collaboratively for the
benefit of the student.
What is an IEP?
An
Individualized Education Program (IEP) describes the
educational program that has been designed to meet that
child's unique needs. Each child who receives special
education and related services must have an IEP. Each IEP
must be designed for one student and must be a truly
individualized document. The IEP creates an opportunity for
teachers, parents, school administrators, related services
personnel, and students (when age appropriate) to work
together to improve educational results for children with
disabilities. The IEP is the cornerstone of a quality
education for each child with a disability.
The
Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legally binding
document. It establishes a plan for an individual student
who meets the following eligibility criteria: 1) Is
identified as having one or more of the 13 disabilities
defined in state and Federal laws. 2) The student is unable
to progress effectively in regular education as a result of
the disability.
The following
is a summary of what is contained in the IEP:
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The
student's disability,
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A
statement vision statement of the student's long-term
goal (1 - 5 years in future).
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Describe how the student's disability affects their
progress in the classroom.
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Short term goals, based upon the child's own learning
strengths and weaknesses,
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How the child's progress towards these goals will be
measure and how will the goals be evaluated
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Accommodations and modifications
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For
students with behavior or emotional issues that
interfere with their learning, the IEP should contain a
program designed to teach the student appropriate
behavior and social skills. All behavior management
techniques to be used.
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Summer services
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Transports needs
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Type
of placement
What is a 504 Accommodation Plan?
It is a plan
designed to accommodate the unique needs of an individual
with a disability, as required by the American with
Disabilities Act (ADA). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 is the first civil rights law guaranteeing equal
opportunity for more than 35 million Americans with
disabilities.
Children
who have disabilities, but whose disabilities do not
interfere with their ability to progress in general
education are not eligible for special education services,
may be entitled to a 504 Accommodation Plan. School
districts must ensure that students with disabilities have
meaningful opportunities to participate in all aspects of
school on an equal basis with students without disabilities.
"Handicapped person" is defined by Section 504 as a person
with a mental or physical impairment that limits one or more
major life activities, such as caring for oneself,
performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking,
breathing, learning, and working, to a substantial degree.
Depending upon the student's individual needs, a school
district may be required to provide the following:
specialized instruction, modifications to the curriculum,
accommodations in non-academic and extra curricular
activities, adaptive equipment or assistive technology
devices, an aide, assistance with health related needs,
school transportation, or other related services and
accommodations.
Acronyms Frequently Used in Special Education :
ABC --
Antecedent/Behavior/Consequence (used when assessing
behaviors of students)
AG --
Annual Goal
ADD -- Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD -- Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
APE -- Adaptive Physical
Education
ASD --Autistic Spectrum Disorder
CST -- Child Study Team
DD --
Developmental Disability/Delay
ED -- Emotional Disturbance
EMR -- Educable Mentally Retarded
ERIC -- Educational Resource
Information Center Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted
Education
ESD -- Extended School Day
ESL -- English as a Second
Language
FAPE -- Free Appropriate Public
Education
FBA -- Functional Behavior
Assessment
FC -- Facilitated Communication
GT -- Gifted and Talented
HI -- Hearing Impaired
ID -- Intellectually Disabled
(formerly Mentally Retarded)
IDEA -- Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act
IEP -- Individualized Education
Program
IEE --
Independent Evaluation
IFSP -- Individualized Family
Service Plan
ITP -- Individualized Transition
Plan
LRE -- Least Restrictive
Environment
NASP -- National Association of
School Psychologists
NEA -- National Education
Association
NICHCY -- National Information
Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities
PBIS -- Positive Behavior
Interventions
PDD -- Pervasive Developmental
Disorder
PI --
Physical Impairment
PLOP --
Present levels of performance
Section 504 -- Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act
SED -- Serious Emotional
Disturbance
SI -- Sensory Integration
S/L P -- Speech/Language
Pathologist
TBI -- Traumatic Brain
Injury
TS -- Tourette’s Syndrome
VI -- Visual Impairment
Voc Ed -- Vocational Education
VR -- Vocational Rehabilitation
How can I contact you?
Please call me
or email me. I believe it is important to give parents the
time that they need to answer their questions. If you don’t
get me directly, please leave me the best time to reach you.
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