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Beginning Reading Programs ~ Creighton University

By on May 16, 2012 in For Kids, News, Other Events, Uncategorized

Announcing Summer Programs Offered in Omaha adn on Campus

Alphabet Skills, Reading Readiness, Phonics, Comprehension, Love of Reading

For More Information or to Register

1-800-979-9151

http://creighton.readingprograms.org/

 

 

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Here is a great resource for students with ASD and how to help with assessment and planning. Thought I would share!

By on May 15, 2012 in News, Other Events
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Organizing Your Game Plan: Your Vision of Your Child’s Future-Your Peace of Mind

By on May 10, 2012 in News, Other Events

Every parent strives to answer the question “Who will care for my child after I’m gone?” The distress in trying to answer it can feel immobilizing. First, you know best how to care for your child and how to implement that care with the right balance of tenderness and tough love. How, you might think, can my child possibly receive the same level of care from someone else? And second, planning on how to meet your child’s long-term needs after you’re gone forces confronting one’s mortality far earlier than desired.

This publication’s aim is to guide you through these issues with the goal of bringing you to a place of peace about them—to help you create a game plan that incorporates your guiding principles, experience, and quest for balance, all for the sake of providing the best care possible for your child.

So, how do you get started on organizing a game plan? Resources can vary greatly by geographic location, and it may take a while to understand what your child’s long-term needs will be. Your game plan will likely evolve over the years as you learn from your experiences and as your child’s and family’s situation changes. Here is one version on how to get started on developing your game plan:

  1. Call your state’s Parent Center, it can help you find resources and information that are relevant at various points in your child’s life. Your Parent Center can also help you connect with a disability-specific organization—there are many—that is right for you. To find a Parent Center near you: Call 952-838-9000 (Voice) or 952-838-0190 (TTY) Visit www.ParentCenterNetwork.org Write PACER Center, Inc. 8161 Normandale Blvd. Bloomington, MN 55437
  2. A referral from your Parent Center or information you find from your own research can link you with organizations that can help you get the medical and emotional support your child needs.
  3. Begin studying your health care plan. Get to know what is covered and what is not. If you don’t have health care benefits, contact the Family to Family Health Information Center in your state. Also, parents who have children with disabilities similar to those of your own child may be able to direct you to local health care benefits and resources they find helpful.
  4. Broaden your circle of connections with specialists, support professionals, friends, disability advocates, and people in your community who can help you.

Caring for your child may be an ongoing and time consuming responsibility, but after your child’s immediate care is in place, at some point you’ll want to regroup and add create a game plan that calls for taking specific actions.

Your game plan is like a journey. Making it takes time. Here are some key actions you can take over time to plan for the long-term well being of you, your spouse, your child with special needs, and other family members.

  1. Organize your paperwork.
  2. Manage your finances.
  3. Get to know what tax advantages you qualify for.
  4. Create an estate plan.
  5. Create and fund a special needs trust.
  6. Establish a conservatorship (guardianship), if necessary.
  7. Plan for your financial future..
  8. Engage your child in creating a vision of his or her future.
  9. Identify what actions you and your child need to take so the vision becomes a reality.
  10. Take the actions that allow the vision to unfold.

Guidelines

Our culture of independence and the complex emotions that surround money issues can keep us from taking the best action—in any situation. Here are a couple things to keep in mind as you create your vision of the future and set out to achieve a peace of mind about it.

  • Commit to asking for and receiving help.
  • Be willing to manage your finances with eyes wide open and a readiness to make adjustments.
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The Early Development Network (EDN)

By on May 9, 2012 in Other Events

Do you have concerns about your child’s ability to see, talk, hear, move, eat, and play? To talk to someone about your concerns, call the Early Development Network.

The Early Development Network (EDN) provides services and supports that are designed based on the needs of children birth to age three and their families with the belief that parents know what is best for their families. These services are designed to act on what families think is important for their child and family. The Network is staffed by friendly, supportive people who listen to and respect families. The Network also can connect families with other families who have had similar experiences.

You may hear several different terms that describe EDN. You may hear IDEA Part C, Part C, early intervention, Babies Can’t Wait or even special education. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are the federal law and regulations that outlines all of the components that must be implemented by each state for children with disabilities. Part C is the birth to age three section of the regulations.

Early intervention is a term used to identify the program for infants and toddlers birth to age three. Nebraska use to call the program early intervention but after some research, changed the name to Early Development Network in 2000.

Babies Can’t Wait is the Early Development’s tag line.  Research tells us that a child’s brain development occurs most rapidly during the first three years of life. Babies Can’t Wait is a call to action, to make sure that babies are screened early to identify any areas of development that may be behind and so that intervention can begin as soon as possible.

The goal of the Early Development Network is to provide coordinated services for Nebraska families as conveniently as possible. The program helps families to understand their child’s disability and provides assistance in dealing with situations that interfere with the child’s development.

The Early Development Network is a collaborative effort of the Nebraska Departments of Education and the Health & Human Services to serve infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.

Download the EDN family resource guide: http://edn.ne.gov/pdf/EDN-Family-Resource-Guide.pdf

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Top 8 Essential Parts of an Individual Education Program

By on May 7, 2012 in News, Other Events

Top 8 Essential Parts of an Individual Education Program

Understanding IDEA IEP Requirements

By , About.com Guide

The IEP1 is the basic element of every special education program for children with learning disabilities2 an other types of disabilities.  The IEP is a road map that establishes where your child is, where you want her to go, and how she will get there.  The IDEA3 specifies minimum requirements that an IEP must contain.

1. IEPs Must Have Statements of Present Levels of Educational Performance

Every IEP must include a description of the child’s skills in all areas of concern and explain how the disability affects his progress in the general education curriculum4. Statements should address academics, life skills, physical functioning, social and behavioral skills, and any other areas of concern affecting the child’s ability to learn. IEP teams typically use formal assessment5 to determine the child’s functioning and establish a baseline of performance. The team may also use anecdotal information and progress data from the child’s classroom teachers to describe the child’s skills.

2. IEPs Should Include Statements of Measurable Annual Goals

The IEP must contain statements of your child’s goals that are updated at least on an annual basis. Goal statements specify what your child is expected to learn in the coming year. Goals include academic skills and may also include functional skills as appropriate. For children who participate in functional skills programs and who take alternate assessments, the IEP must also contain measurable short-term objectives that will be used to measure the child’s progress toward reaching his annual goals.

3. Explanation of Progress Measurement is an Important Part of an IEP

The IEP must contain an explanation of how progress toward goals and objectives will be measured and describe how that information will be reported to parents.

4. Individual Education Programs Need a Description of Special Education Services

The IEP must include a description of the student’s special education program, specially designed instruction6, and related services the child will receive to help him progress toward meeting his educational goals. The amount of time he will receive services and the setting must also be described.

5. Statement of Participation in the Regular Education Program

To ensure that children are educated in the least restrictive environment7 to the greatest extent appropriate, the IEP team must consider if and how the child will participate in the general education program with non-disabled children. The IEP must specify the amount of time a child will participate in regular education programs and explain the rationale for that decision.

6. IEPs and Testing – Statement Describing Testing Adaptations and Modifications

The IEP must explain what types of testing adaptations and modifications8 will be used with the student and why they are necessary. If the child will participate in alternate assessment, the rationale for that decision must be included in the IEP.

7. Statement of Length and Duration of Services – Services Must be Explained

The IEP must include a projected beginning and ending date of services, the frequency of the services, where they will be delivered, and how long they will be provided.

8. IEP Statement of Transition – Preparations for Adult Life and Independence

Beginning no later than age 16, the IEP must include measurable goals for the student’s anticipated postsecondary program and a description of the services needed for the child to reach those goals. Transition goals and services focus on instruction and support services needed to help the child move from the school environment and into a job, advocate for herself in college9, vocational program, or other program designed to promote independent living.

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