Secrets parents should know about the integrity and effectiveness of SPED/IEP services

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Many students don't actually get the services written in their IEP consistently and/or effectively regardless of how professional or caring the educator seems when speaking with you. Keep in mind, the integrity and quality of services depends on the school district, child's school and SPED Rep. A parent must be vigilant about their child's services, while being careful not to risk annoying educators who often will take frustrations with you out on your child. Its sad but true.

Trust your instincts as a mom who knows your child and their needs, parents often have the answer their searching for but just want confirmation that they unfortunately may not receive accurately or truthfully by school reps. As a School Psychologist I made it a point to value the parent and teachers opinions and concerns. While working as an Intern I remember a parent who kept insisting that her daughter did not have Autism or Mental Retardation as previously documented within her most recent IEP as her eligibility label. At the time, I was administering her 3-year evaluation. Because of information provided by her mother I decided to explore alternative assessments further to possibly validate her mother's beliefs. Unfortunately, many school psychologists and educators don't take the time to explore inconsistent findings. Since I put forth the extra effort, sure enough I discovered that this child did not have either disability. Instead, she had a very severe Speech & Language Impairment (i.e., almost no memory for verbal information), which caused educators to think she had other disabilities because she was unable to remember the names of simple words and letters. However, this little girl had a visual memory like a genius. Therefore, she couldn't possibly be mentally retarded and her display of autistic characteristics were actually the result of her S&L Impairment. Can you imagine how relieved and validated this mother felt after not being heard and disregarded concerning her thoughts and feelings for several years?

In addition, many parents think that it is best for their child to not miss any classroom instruction due to being pulled out for sped services in a small group setting. Depending on the needs of the child, remaining in the classroom might be the best choice. However, sometimes having all sped services provided in the primary classroom are not as effective as being pulled out because the child does not get the individual attention they need to work on certain skills. This option sounds good but often times is not, such as collaborative settings offerred in Middle/High school. In collaborative settings some teachers use that service option as an opportunity to tag teach where they alternate days for teaching and breaks instead of helping your child by focusing on their individual needs written in their IEP.

To help avoid these neglectful practices, ask your child if they received services on specified days and what they worked on, do classroom observations, and volunteer at school. Do what it takes to get to know the type of educators and environment your child is working with. These strategies will help you determine the integrity of services provided, which is most important to your child's success.

Parent Question: Should my child receive Occupational Therapy (OT) at school or outside agency?

As a certified school psychologist turned educational advocate, in my experience even the most severe of cases needing OT did not get more than 30-min per week, which I didn't think was enough to be effective.  Instead, the burden of practicing OT skills learned to ensure success was on the parent working with their child outside of school.

My child needed speech therapy and because I was not pleased with services I witnessed provided in school systems within my state (Georgia), I took him to a hospital for weekly therapy where I could see with my own eyes the services being provided. Because OT services are so minimal and rarely provided by schools in comparison to other SPED services, I had very little interaction while working as a school psychologist with OT's. However, if I had the time, money or insurance coverage I would access OT, S&L, and other specialty services through outside agencies.

DOES RETAINING A STUDENT REALLY HELP? NO!!!

 

 

I believe it hurts rather than helps. Retention is a devastating blow to a child’s self-esteem. It makes a child feel like a failure without any hope. Students I’ve known who were retained tended to give up on school, lose motivation, fall into depression and perform worst academically than the year before. It is shameful to be left back when all of your peers are moving forward; because of this, many students endure constant ridicule. These kids are usually the oldest and tallest in their class and/or grade level, which may also cause them to stick out like a sore thumb and feel embarrassed. After being retained, some students become behavior problems at school and home. Boys in particular exhibit anger, agitation and hostility, which are signs of depression in children and adolescents. These students feel isolated and lonely although they may have friends, their friends can’t relate to what they’re going through. The emotional well-being of a child has a significant impact on their school performance. Just like adults, what we think and feel influence our behaviors.

When a school or educator recognizes a child’s struggles, interventions and support should be provided to the child immediately. This is usually offered by the teacher first by way of afterschool tutoring, differentiated instruction strategies, and suggested online resources that may be used at home. If there is little to no improvement at that point, the student should be referred by the teacher to the school’s student support team (SST), where other interventions are implemented and the student’s progress is monitored. After several different interventions have been tried and the child still has not made adequate progress, the student should then be referred to the school psychologist for a psycho-educational evaluation to determine if the student has a disability that requires special education services through the development of an IEP or a 504 Plan. More than likely, this is frequently the case.

Unfortunately, this is not what usually happens to struggling students. It’s sad to say that many inner city students in particular are often retained more than once as a first line of defense, although it may be clear as day to an educator that the student’s academic struggles are beyond their control. This has to stop! Students who have lived this reality sometimes become so discouraged and self-defeated that they drop out of school, become a teenage parent who now has to depend on the government for assistance, turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with their failures, and develop mental health disorders from prolonged feelings of stress, anxiety and/or depression that go untreated; as well as get involved with gangs in order to feel a sense of belonging and respect, have difficulty finding a decent paying job, become homeless, hustle for money in the streets, live a life a crime, and end up in jail or the grave. Who knew that retaining a student could lead to all of this?

 

If your child is facing retention, Crystal Calhoun, Educational Advocate and Founder of Heart & Soul Psycho-Educational Advocacy Services, Inc. may be able to help save your child from this self-defeating reality. Call 404-692-4334 or view our website at www.HeartAndSoulAdvocacy.com for more information.

 

We have your child's best interest at HEART & SOUL...

HEART & SOUL ADVOCACY HAS CONTRACTED SERVICES WITH STANDARD OF CARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.HeartAndSoulAdvocacy.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heart & Soul Psycho-Educational Advocacy Services, Inc.

 

 

 

 is now contracting services with 



 

 

 

Standard of Care Psychological Services, LLC.


















www.StandardofCarePsychological.com







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a result, Crystal now offers the following additional services:

• Counseling (children & families)

• Psychological Evaluations

• Psycho-Educational Evaluations​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Call for more information or to schedule an appointment with Crystal at

  

 

 

 

 

 Standard of Care Psychological Services, LLC.

 

 

 

 

678-973-2491

 

 

 

 

3915 Cascade Road, Suite T-90, Atlanta, GA 30331

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following insurance is accepted for Testing and Therapy​:

• Aetna

• Amerigroup

• Blue Cross/Blue Shield

• Cenpatico

• Coventry

• Medicaid

• Medicare

• Tricare

• Wellcare

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For information about Educational Advocacy Services call Crystal at

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heart & Soul Psycho-Educational Advocacy Services, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

404-692-4334

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.O. Box 52, Union City, GA 30291



Behavior Modification Technique: How to get rid of problem behaviors in ...

GOD IS MY SOURCE!

I was a school psychologist for 7 years and loved it until I moved to Georgia where I witnessed corruption within the school system against students, parents and educators, including myself. I began to hate my job, cry/pray over situations ...where students w/special needs were being neglected from receiving needed support, parents taken advantage of due to their lack of knowledge and educators like myself targeted for attack when they speak out against the unethical and illegal practices that plagued the school system. I felt trapped, physically sick, stressed out, overwhelmed with a heavy workload, and of no value to anyone who needed my help (including my own children). My job was destroying my spirit until God revealed my purpose through all the adversity I went through while repeatedly telling me in a still small voice, "that job is not your source, I am." Although I was riddled with fear, I resigned and started my own biz as an educational advocate where I now use my knowledge, training and experience to help parents of students with disabilities or at-risk for failure obtain the necessary support services from school. I now earn significantly less, my income is unstable, and I provide free services to many people who can't afford my fees, but I've learned to trust God for my needs to be met and he has never let me down. In reality I should have lost my home, car and been living on the streets with my children, but my faith in God is more powerful than anything I see, hear or feel on this earth. Nothing I've done makes logical sense to most people in the world, but it makes faith. God is my source, with him all things are possible!

You Are Predestined by God.

God is the designer of your destiny. No one else can dance your dance, sing your song, or write your story. You’re an original; one of a kind; his master piece in the making. Take comfort in knowing, the work he has begun in you, he will definitely complete. So stop looking at your circumstances and place your eyes on his anointed word. What you see in the world may deceive you into believing a lie, but his word is always true and real. Walk by faith and not by sight!