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CAMPS&SCHOOLS Breaking Down IEPs BY ALLISON EICHLER editorial@antonmediagroup.com
It happens every year. A child comes home from school and says their classmate was taken out of the room during a subject lesson or they were taking a test and their classmate was able to have an extra 20 minutes to work. The child wonders why their classmate is getting special treatment. These accommodations in the classroom occur because of a student’s Individual Education Program (IEP). In other words, the student is receiving a special education because they have some sort of disability.
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What is an IEP?
n IEP is the product of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which promises that, within every school district, children with a disability are entitled to a free and appropriate public education. Part of this education includes an IEP. “Every year, when the child is eligible and receiving special education, the parents and teachers and whoever else is involved with working with the student sit down and have a meeting and talk,” said Julie A. Yindra, Director of Student Access Services at Hofstra University. “[The IEP] outlines what the specific goals are for the student…and the whole idea
is that it’s the document that binds the school to the agreement of ‘this is what we’re going to work on with the student.’” Along with including a student’s individual goals, the IEP also includes any sort of therapy and other accommodations that must be made for the student during the school day. The document is rewritten with each academic year to include new sets of goals and expectations. The goals made for the student are broken up into smaller benchmarks so teachers can have “a guideline for what they’re doing with the student to make sure that [the student is] making progress toward the goal at the end of the year.”
How does a student become eligible to receive an IEP?
Before writing and integrating the IEP into their education, the student must first be deemed eligible for special education. Either a parent or teacher may notice that something isn’t quite right with the student’s progress in the classroom, and then the parent will contact the school or the school will contact the parent. There is a referral process in which “somebody has to determine that the student is struggling in some way in the school setting,” Yindra said. In the case of an obvious physical disability, eligibility is near automatic. For something like a learning
see IEPs on page 23A
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CAMPS & SCHOOLS • OCTOBER 25 - 31, 2017
Forcing Apologies
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When a child is involved in a conflict, as a reflex many parents will offer this directive: “say you’re sorry.” While the intention may be to repair the situation, it does not always teach the lesson intended. Encouraging apologies teaches social skills. Forcing an apology can have an adverse effect. A forced apology does not change behavior. If children only say they are sorry to get out of being in trouble, they do not learn what an apology is really supposed to accomplish—remorse and repair. The chances that the child may be less likely to commit this act are low when apologies are forced and insincere. Young children typically have an underdeveloped “theory of mind,” and, therefore, may not have a clear understanding of the perspective of others. “Theory of mind” is the ability to understand one’s owns beliefs, desires, and knowledge and to understand that those of others may be different from one’s own. Children may be forced to apologize when they do not yet have the capacity to understand how they have made others feel and, therefore, forcing an apology is forcing a child to lie. Furthermore, when forced to apologize, children learn to say what is expected versus learning to act on what they authentically feel. This impedes the development of a healthy sense of self.
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Support your child in brainstorming how to repair the situation. Ask him what he could do to help his friend feel better or to make things better with him. Some repair attempts include offering a hug if the other person is receptive; helping to rebuild the creation that was knocked down; sharing the item that caused the disagreement; drawing a picture for the friend to show he feels bad. These gestures help children learn to correct mistakes and repair relationships. Ask your children how they think the negative act/words made the other person feel. Ask them to recall a time someone hurt them. Ask the children to remember that feeling and to think about how they now have made the other person feel the same way. Offer them suggestions about what they could do differently next time. Help your children communicate feelings and needs and teach them how to listen to what the other person says and feels. Offer your children the opportunity to calm down before
PARENTING MATTERS Graziella Simonetti repairing or apologizing. Model for your children how to offer sincere apologies. If you offer mindless apologies, children will learn to do the same. When you apologize in front of, or to, your children, look the person in the eye and say: “I am sorry for....” and explain the act that warranted the apology. Apologize for making the other person feel sad. You can demonstrate empathy by making a statement such as: “I feel sad when someone yells at me, so I should not yell at you.” Offer additional repair attempts such as offering to do an activity together or offering to help the other person.
Conclusion
Apologizing is an important social skill. Sometimes, apologies become a ritual. The goal is to have these apologies become sincere, to help children understand the meaning, and to encourage children to express genuine remorse. Experts believe that what is most important is helping children learn to take responsibility and to repair relationships. Graziella Simonetti is a parent educator for EAC Network’s Long Island Parenting Institute and works as an early childhood social worker for the New York City Department of Education. She holds an advanced certificate in parent education from Adelphi University and is a NYSPEP credentialed parenting educator. Simonetti is a former kindergarten teacher.
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CAMPS & SCHOOLS • OCTOBER 25 - 31, 2017
IEPs from page 21A
school?’ That’s when they make the determination about placement in special education.” When looking for a diagnosable disability, the committee looks for carryover in multiple environments; they look for a consistent pattern of lack of educational attainment that has no other explanation.
disability that must be diagnosed, the student must be referred for an evaluation. A committee within the school, usually consisting of special education professionals, the school psychologist, regular education teachers and an administrator, will meet and review the referred student’s case. The committee will screen the student for sensory issues such as vision and hearing problems. Once those issues are ruled out, the committee will recommend that the teacher try new teaching strategies or provide an accommodation to help the student perform better in the classroom. If at this point the student is still not doing better, more extensive testing is done. An IQ test and a test of academic achievement will be done to measure how well the student is doing in subjects taught in the classroom in comparison to their peers. “They start looking for holes, they start looking for things that might be causing a problem,” Yindra said. “Once all the testing is done everybody gets together and looks at all of the results, all of the observations done by teachers. Then they look at the evidence and say, ‘is there evidence that there’s a diagnosable disorder here? Is there evidence that he should be provided with some additional support services in order to help him do better in
Where does the student go for testing?
The student doesn’t need to go outside of the school to receive testing. If the school psychologist is licensed to do so, they will administer the IQ test. Achievement testing may be performed by a teacher or special education teacher.
How does the student receive special education?
During the IEP meeting when the goals for the student are decided on, placement of the student is also determined. It may be agreed that the student will be in their regular classroom for the entire day, or arrangements may be made to have the student pulled out with a specialist for instruction during certain subjects. Placement is dependent on the extent of the needs of the student. Yindra said that today the most common method of administering
special education is the inclusion model. “The inclusion model is a general education teacher in a regular classroom who team teaches with a specially trained teacher in special education, and they work together to make sure that all of the students’ needs are met within the regular classroom.” At some point in the student’s academic career it may even be decided that they no longer need special education. “Students exit in and out of special education all the time,” Yindra said. “It doesn’t mean that they’re cured; it means that they’re functioning independently in the environment without any special considerations.”
How early in life should the student be referred? Early recognition and intervention
is very important for the student. Getting them the help that they need as early as possible is crucial to helping them learn and keep up with their peers. It is especially important for parents to be involved as soon as they notice something is amiss and to reinforce positive behavior from the classroom. If a teacher is using a gold star system to encourage proper behavior from the student, the parents should be cooperating with the teacher by utilizing that system at home in order to keep the message to the student consistent. Getting children the help they need is essential to their success, so Yindra stressed that parents must not be afraid to reach out. “Part of the problem…is that parents are reticent to engage in the referral process and the identification and the eligibility process,” she said. Yindra also stressed the importance of not being afraid of disability and its associated labels and the blame that parents may put on themselves when their child receives a diagnosis. “Disability is not inherently a bad thing,” she said. “What’s bad is our environment is not designed for everybody to have equal access. That’s the problem. Disabilities are simply part of the spectrum of human condition.”
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CAMPS & SCHOOLS • OCTOBER 25 - 31, 2017
Identifying And Preventing Childhood Bullying BY ALLISON EICHLER editorial@antonmediagroup.com
October is National Bullying Prevention Month and it’s a problem that affects millions of children across the nation each year. According to a study on stopbullying.gov, 49 percent of children in grades 4 through 12 reported being bullied by other students at least once during the past month. There are two modes and four types through which bullying can occur. The two modes are direct, in which the target is present, and indirect, in which the target is not present. The four types are physical, like kicking and punching; verbal, such as teasing; relational, including spreading rumors and purposeful exclusion; and digital, where mean messages or images can be sent and spread. The American Society for the Positive Care of Children (ASPCC) describes kids who are obsessed with popularity, like to be in charge of others, are aggressive or have friends who are bullies as those who are more likely to become bullies themselves. Children who think badly of others, don’t follow rules and view violence in a positive way are also more prone to becoming a bully. A lack of attention from parents,
being bullied by a sibling or witnessing parents’ inability to peacefully deal with conflict are more personal factors that can cause a child to become a bully, according to STOMP Out Bullying. In the case of your child being the bully, KidsHealth.org recommends trying to understand the reason behind their behavior. Speak firmly with them about the negative impacts their behavior is having on others. Teach that it is wrong to ridicule others because of their differences and remind them that
bullying, in any form, is unacceptable. Most at risk of being a target of bullying are those who are perceived as being different from their peers, are unable to defend themselves, are less popular, and have low self-esteem. Stopbullying.gov, an extensive resource on all things bullying-related, explains how children are often afraid to come forward and reach out for help when they are the victim of bullying because they fear a negative response from their parents or feel ashamed
that this is happening to them. If you suspect your child is dealing with a bullying issue, it is important to know how to respond. According to the ASPCC, reluctance to go to school, headaches, stomachaches, reduced appetite, anxiety, irritability, aggression and depression are just a few of the most common effects bullying can have on a child. The child will often develop a feeling of low self-esteem due to the constant attack on their sense of status and identity. KidsHealth.org recommends that parents should always have open communication with their child about bullying and to the child that being bullied, that it is not their fault and they aren’t alone. Teach them to tell a trusted adult at school and stand up to the bully by simply telling them to stop and walk away. If you suspect your child is being cyberbullied, limit their access to technology and be aware of how they spend their time online. Suffolk Stop Bullying emphasizes that if your child is a witness of bullying, it is important they know to not be a bystander. Know who your child is. The better you know their personality, the better you can address their situation and help offer a solution.
Bullying is, unfortunately, a problem that has not escaped the hallways of Long Island schools. However, there are plenty of organizations devoted to raising awareness and combating the issue specifically around the Island.
LICAB’s mission is “emphasizing the importance of bully free communities on Long Island through education, increased awareness and therapeutic outlets.” The organization offers care packages, financial assistance to those seeking therapy, works with schools to create anti-bullying programs and assemblies, and has both a youth leadership program and a peer mentoring program. To learn more, visit licab.org.
Long Island Crisis Center
This not-for-profit agency has been around since 1971 and operates as a 24/7 crisis intervention hotline. Along with its around-theclock call service, the LICC offers opportunities to volunteer as a hotline responder and offers free workshops about everything from LGBT acceptance to the warning signs of eating disorders. Visit longislandcrisiscenter.org.
BiasHELP
Long Island based, BiasHELP offers
their programs and services locally, regionally and nationally. Their goal is to prevent bias crimes, hate-related harassment, bullying and discrimination. Visit biashelp.org.
Child Abuse Prevention Center
Another non-profit organization based on Long Island, CAPS is dedicated to preventing bullying and child abuse. The group offers kids workshops for every grade level and informational workshops for parents. There are also helplines that those in need of guidance can confidentially email. Visit capsli. org, which offers an abundance of additional resources and helpful information about bullying.
Sunshine Prevention Center
Located in Port Jefferson Station, SPC offers children, teen and adult programs dealing with topics such as building healthy friendships, peer pressure, bullying, self-esteem, and anger management. The center also has youth camps during the summer. Visit sunshinepreventionctr.org.
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