Burlington Early Childhood Center 123 Cambridge Street Burlington, MA Fax

Transcription

1 Burlington Early Childhood Center 123 Cambridge Street Fax

2 PROGRAM Director Deborah Clark BECC 123 Cambridge Street PROGRAM LOCATION Burlington High School Burlington Early Childhood Center 123 Cambridge St. DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION Louise D Amato 123 Cambridge St PROGRAM SECRETARY Sandy Langenfeld BECC Nurse Jessica Gearin SPECIAL EDUCATION PRESCHOOL TEACHERS Lisa Bottiglio Andrea Hayes Tiffany D Abbraccio Katie Roofe Courtney Stratton Amanda Nasta Shannon Conroy Kristin Fiorino SPECIALISTS Heidi Wall, Speech-Language Pathologist Jennifer Lonardo, Speech-Language Pathologist Laura Impemba, Occupational Therapist Kimberly Russell, Physical Therapist Naomi Abelson, Behaviorist 2

3 EI TRANSITION INFORMATION How do I prepare for my child s evaluation? Your child has been referred to the Burlington Public Schools for an evaluation in one or all of the following areas: academic, speech/language, occupational therapy, physical therapy or cognition. Once the referral has been received, the BECC director, Deborah Clark, completes and sends the Consent for Evaluation forms that identify areas of concern for specific assessments and requests parent permission to begin the proposed evaluation(s). Once this form is signed and received by the BECC Director, the evaluation process may begin. Please sign and return the Consent for Evaluation forms to the BECC. Please forward any additional information such as reports from an independent evaluations that are considered pertinent to your child s history to: Deborah Clark BECC 123 Cambridge St How do I schedule the evaluations? Members from the evaluation team will contact you to schedule the evaluations. How long does the evaluation take? A single evaluation may take between one and two hours. If your child is being referred for an evaluation in more than one area, a multi-disciplinary evaluation may be scheduled. A multi-disciplinary evaluation consists of 2 or more of the following components: a social history, a cognitive evaluation, an observation, occupational therapy evaluation, physical therapy evaluation, speech/language evaluation to determine your child s skills and abilities. Areas to be evaluated include cognition, language and communication, adaptive behavior, social-emotional, and motor development. This evaluation will be scheduled with the evaluating therapists and may be completed within one or two visits. Where does the evaluation take place? All evaluations take place at the Burlington Early Childhood Center, housed at Burlington High School. 3

4 Can I accompany my child to the evaluation? Yes. Parents are encouraged to stay during the evaluation to serve as informants and provide background and related information to the therapists. However, children tend to perform better if parents wait in the office. If your child has a difficult time separating, you can stay in the room during testing. We ask that you sit quietly and do not answer for your child or prompt your child s response. What if my child does not cooperate during the evaluation? Please do not worry. Valuable information can be obtained by watching your child play and interact in the evaluation setting. If by some chance, your child is not having a typical day, the evaluation can be rescheduled to another date. Also, the evaluating therapists may opt to observe your child in a more familiar environment, such as your home or their daycare. Arrangements can be made for these observations by the therapists with your help. What is a speech-language evaluation? A certified speech-language pathologist will assess the following through standardized tests and clinical observations: Language Pragmatic Language/social use of language. This may include eye gaze, paying attention to what a person is saying, taking turns, understanding and use of natural gestures, overall communication interactions and intents Receptive Language-what your child understands Expressive Language-the way your child communicates thoughts and needs Articulation How your child pronounces sounds Oral Motor Skills Assess facial muscles and muscle tone, lips, teeth, tongue, etc. while your child talks/eats/drinks. Does your child drool or have difficulty tolerating certain kinds of food textures? Does your child mouth nonfood items? Voice The pitch, loudness, and quality of your child s voice while talking 4

5 Fluency Smooth flow of speech including listening for sounds or words that are prolonged/stretched out, and listening for sounds or words that are repeated, hesitations and fillers ( um, uh ) What is an Occupational Therapy evaluation? A registered occupational therapist will assess through standardized tests and clinical observations the following: fine motor, self care, visual motor, sensory integration, hand strength and pre-writing skills. What is a Physical Therapy evaluation? A registered physical therapist will assess, through standardized tests and clinical observations, the gross motor skills of your child as they relate to physical functioning and safety in the educational environment. What is a Psychological /Cognitive evaluation? A series of tests completed by a qualified school psychologist that assesses the child s intellectual, social, and emotional development. Psychological/cognitive testing looks at what information a child has acquired, and how a child processes and uses information. When will I know the results of the evaluation? Written reports will be available for you to pick up at the BECC 48 hours or 2 school days before the meeting. Massachusetts law requires evaluations to be completed within 30 working days and determination of a student s special education needs be made at the Team Meeting within 45 days of consent to the evaluation. What is a Team Meeting? You will be invited by the Team to attend a Team Meeting after the evaluations have been completed. This meeting is generally scheduled on a Thursday afternoon and lasts for approximately 60 minutes. This time is set aside to determine the needs of your child with you and the Team. If your child is in need of special education services, the Team will develop an Individual Education Program (IEP) at this meeting. The IEP describes the goals the Team has set for your child for the school year, as well as any special supports that are needed to help achieve those goals. You can take an active role in 5

6 helping to develop the goals and determining which skills or areas will receive the most attention. The IEP will be reviewed annually to update the goals and make sure the levels of service meet your child's needs. Keep in mind, IEPs can be changed at any time on an as-needed basis. The IEP process is complex, but it's also an effective way to develop a plan that addresses how your child learns and functions. If you have concerns, don't hesitate to ask questions about the evaluation findings or the goals recommended by the Team. You know your child best and should play a central role in creating a learning plan tailored to your child's specific needs. Also, we encourage you to make arrangements for child care on this day. What kinds of services are available? This depends on the needs of your child. The team must consider how to provide services to your child in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) where your child can learn close to your home with other children of the same age who do not have disabilities. The continuum of services from least restrictive to more restrictive is: 1. Related Services: speech-language therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. 2. Integrated Preschool Setting: a class with preschool children with and without disabilities with specialized services provided within the context of the classroom. When will services begin? Services will begin when the IEP is completed and signed by the following team members: Deborah Clark, Director BECC Parents/Guardians You will be provided with a draft IEP at the team meeting. A final copy will be sent to you in the mail (within 3-5 business days after the meeting) for your review and signature. We are looking forward to working with you and your child. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you should have additional questions. 6