Farmingdale Special Education

Donald Cassidy, Director
Susan Dorfman, Chair Grades 6-12

516-752-6591
516-752-6667

Announcements

SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

The New York State Education Department's (NYSED) Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) has initiated a Special Education Quality Assurance Review in Farmingdale Public Schools during the 2006-2007 school year. The purpose of this IDEA Effective Instructional Practices Focused Review is to assess the district's compliance with selected federal and State laws and regulations governing the education of students with disabilities as well as its abilty to meet key performance indicators indicated by NYSED. The review will be conducted by VESID's Special Education Quality Assurance office and staff from the Special Education Training and Resource Center (SETRIC) and will include representatives from the school district. The review will involve a review of school records of selected students with disabilities, classroom visitations and staff interviews. In addition, several meetings of the Committee on Special Education will be observed. Further information may be obtained by contacting VESID's Special Education Quality Assurance office in your region and/or by contacting your school district.

The Farmingdale School District is committed to the development and implementation of an appropriate education for students with disabilities who reside in the district. The Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE), and the Committee on Special Education (CSE) and appropriate Subcommittees on Special Education are established for the purpose of evaluating students suspected of having disabilities and for placement of students with disabilities in appropriate programs. The CPSE and CSE provide a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for resident children between the ages of three (3) and twenty-one (21) or until a regular high school diploma has been achieved by the student, whichever shall occur first. Students with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in school district programs to the maximum extent appropriate to the need of each student, including access to general education curriculum and extracurricular programs and activities, which are available to all other students enrolled in the public schools of the district.

THE MISUNDERSTOOD CHILD

I am the child that looks healthy and fine.
I was born with ten fingers and toes.
But something is different, somewhere in my mind.
And what it is, nobody knows.

I am the child that struggles in school,
Though they say that I'm perfectly smart.
They tell me I'm lazy - can learn if I try
- But I don't seem to know where to start.

I am the child that won't wear the clothes
Which hurt me or bother my feet.
I dread sudden noises, can't handle most smells,
And tastes - there are few foods I'll eat.

I am the child that can't catch the ball
And runs with an awkward gait.
I am the one chosen last on the team
And I cringe as I stand there and wait.

I am the child with whom no one will play
- The one that gets bullied and teased.
I try to fit in and I want to be liked,
But nothing I do seems to please.

I am the child that tantrums and freaks
Over things that seem petty and trite.
You'll never know how I panic inside,
When I'm lost in my anger and fright.

I am the child that fidgets and squirms
Though I'm told to sit still and be good
Do you think that I choose to be out of control?
Don't you know that I would if I could?

I am the child with the broken heart
Though I act like I don't really care.
Perhaps there's a reason God made me this way -
Some message He sent me to share.

For I am the child that needs to be loved
And accepted and valued too.
I am the child that is misunderstood,
I am different - but look just like you.

Kathy Winters/2003

I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon- if I can. I seek opportunity- not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.
- Henry Viscardi, 1967

Homework Tips for Students With Disabilities

Establish the Environment;It is important that all family members agree to the importance of homework. Establish rules for reducing distractions, no friends over, tv and stereo turned off or volume is low, no video games, limit telephone calls. Limited distractions provides and mood and environment for learning.

Agree on who will assist with the homework;Your mood can reflect on your approach and patience with your child. Not everyone has the required ability to be patient, fair, flexible or objective everyday. It is best to decide prior to the homework session, who is going to assist. If it is a single parent home, perhaps enlisting the aid of an older sibling or tutor to assist on designated days.

Establish a routine and set goals; Designate a homework area and time, this establishes routine for the LD child and reduces poor organization and procrastination habits. Identify what parts of the assignment the child can do independently and what will require assistance. You as a parent know your child's tolerance levels better than anyone, set sessions goals according to what you know your child can handle.

Start sessions with success;You have already determined what part of the assignment the child can do independently, so start there. This gives the child the confidence to tackle the more challenging task of the assignment. Next step is to tackle the parts where something is known, if your child can do single digit addition but struggles with then go back and review how single digit addition relates to double digit addition. It is important to reinforce relationships between tasks to help the student generalize what they just learned.

Accept all responses as effort;The LD child isn't any different from any other child. A long day at school, what they had to eat, not enough sleep, not feeling well can influence performance levels. Accommodations like reading the assignment to the child or working the problem out together is a more productive approach with the LD child. Being creative in altering the usual assignments is far more conductive approach to homework completion than disciplining the child.

Be careful how you say it;All too often we say thinks to our children in hopes of making them feel better about themselves, but sometimes what we say can shift the task at hand to the child's self worth. "Your just like me, I can't spell very well either" or "How do expect to go to the next grade if you don't know how to multiply?" These are parental fears and are very normal, but voicing them during homework sessions does not encourage successful completion of assignments. Try saying things like "I know it was difficult but you stuck to this assignment very well, I'm proud of you." This type of comment doesn't imply that the child knows that material or can complete assignment independently but they do point out the child's strengths and that is encouraging.

Reference: www.specialed.about.com

Fun Ideas You Can Do at Home to Practice Handwriting

You can do several fun activities at home to encourage handwriting practice. A few are listed below:

•While your child is in the bathtub have them draw letters on the wall of the tub in shaving cream or soap paint. Ceramic tiles work well as slates/ gray blocks!
•Trace a letter on your child's back and have them guess and write the letter on a piece of paper. Take turns and have them trace a letter on your back.
•Finger paint letters.
•Write letters on the sidewalk with chalk.
•Trace letters in the snow or sand.
•Forms letters out of play dough or clay.
•Make cookie letters. Having your child form the letters by rolling the dough and putting the pieces together.
•Form letters out of French Fries.
•Make letters with pipe cleaners.
•Draw letters with your finger on the carpet.
•Decorate a letter collage using glitter, puffy paint, and markers.
•Use different types of pencils for writing practice (gel pens, colored pencils, scented markers, crayons, etc.)
•Have your children write your shopping lists.
•Use a flashlight and make letters on the wall. You or your child has to guess the letter that was made. You can also cut out letter templates to place in front of the flashlight.
•Put letters on a die and have your child roll the dice and they have to write a word that starts with the letter.
•Fish for words. Place cut out fish in a shoebox. Write words or letters on the fish. Attach paper clips to the fish and adapt a small pole with a magnet. Whichever fish the child gets, they have to come up with a word or sentence using what is on the fish.
•Have children write with icing tubes.

...if the next generation is to face the future with zest and self-confidence, we must educate them to be original as well as competent.
-Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

GETTING ORGANIZED

1. Keeping Track
*Make a checklist of what must be done before leaving for school. You might tape it to the door or fasten it with a magnet. Include things like: lunch packed, teeth brushed, homework, permission slips, money to turn in, etc.
*When your student brings home a schedule, locker combination, etc., make a copy right away, and keep it in a file. If it is lost or forgotten, you'll have the information at your fingertips.
*Help your child learn to use a planner. Ask her to write home- work down even if it's completed in school. This will help at the end of the term or at test time.

2. Managing Time
*Assemble all books, notes and other items that need to go to school before bedtime. A special, color-coded bin or box near the door works well.
*Set up a "focus time" for studying. A regular routine helps anyone get the job done -whether it's doing homework or paying bills. This time should be free from distrac- tions - no phone calls or TV.
*Have you child use a calendar to record due dates for projects, sports events, special school programs and other activities. This helps avoid conflicts and keeps him aware of planning require- ments.

3. Handling Homework
*Have a "homework place." For young students it may be at the kitchen table. Older ones may prefer their own quiet spot, away from the family.
*Identify a "buddy" in each class whom your child can phone to ask about a misunderstood or forgot- ten assignment.
*Keep supplies on hand. Include pencils, pens, scissors, glue, paper, ruler, stapler, calculator, markers, highlighters, sticky notes and so forth. Buy extra poster boards when they're on sale.

4. Setting Goals
*Help your student identify major goals and break them into compo- nents. For example: "What career do I hope to have?" then "What schooling will I need?", "How many math courses must I take?", "What do I need to do to pass Algebra I?", "How can I work on turning in my homework?"
Begin with the end in mind. Steven Covey
*Use backward planning for long- range projects. Break big assign- ments or tasks into chunks and set a "due date" for each portion or step.
*Encourage your child to keep a "to do" list where she writes down all the little things she needs to accomplish. Before you know it, the bigger goal will be closer than ever.

5. Staying in touch
*Keeping open lines of communica- tion is one of the most important things you can do to help your child succeed. Attend meetings, go to school programs, volunteer, get involved in your child's school.
*Make a note on your calendar to call your child's teacher. Check to see how things are going before a problem can begin.
*Attend parent conferences. Make a list of questions to ask. Your child's teacher is your partner in helping him succeed.

Resources:
"Handwriting Without Tears"
"Getting Organized"

Special Education Resources

	"One Child at a Time...A Parent Handbook and Resource Directory
	2004 IDEA Federal Regulations
	Autism Speaks Website
	Cody Center for Autism Research
	Council for Exceptional Children
	Diploma Requirements Chart
	Disabilities Books Resource
	Early Intervention Birth to Age-3
	Family Education Network
	Federal Resource Center for Special Education
	Informacion para padres de alumnos preescolares con incapacidades
	LD Podcast
	Mental Health News Website
	National Association of Special Education Teachers
	NYSPTA and NYSUT Guide to Special Education 2007
	NYSUT Guide to Special Education
	Office of Voc & Ed Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID)
	Part 200 Regulations Of The Commissioner of Education
	PreSchool Special Education - Parents Guide
	Procedural Safeguards Notice
	Rick Lavoie's Web Site
	Special Education District Plan 2004-2006 (151 Pages)
	Stuttering Help for Parents and Teachers
	Testing Modifications
	The Family Center on Technology and Disability (FCTD)
	The National Center for Fair and Open Testing
	U.S. Department of Education: OSERS
	Uniquely Gifted
	Wrights Law