Teaching Children with Special Needs

Guest Blog: Terri Mitchell - Talking to Parents about IEP Goals

2012-05-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

This post is authored by Terri Mitchell; a HighScope field consultant who currently serves as the Early Childhood Administrator in Canyons School District in Sandy, Utah. Terri is a certified teacher in special education and early childhood special education. She has contributed her experience with instructional coaching, assessment, and systems change to the development of several high-quality early childhood programs. She co-authored the book I Belong: Active Learning for Children with Special Needs (HighScope Press).

Talking to Parents about IEP Goals

Sharing with parents how their child’s Individual Education Program (IEP) will be implemented in the classroom can help alleviate their concerns about how their child’s goals and development will be supported and monitored.

In this article, we’ll look at information a teacher shared with the parents of a child named Alysia. The teacher explained how Alysia’s parents’ communication goals would be supported and embedded within the daily routine of the classroom.

A Conversation with Alysia’s Parents

The teacher begins by confirming that one of Alysia’s communication goals is to use a two- to three-word phrase. The parents agree and ask, “When can Alysia practice this in your classroom, and how will you practice this with her?” The teacher responds, “Alysia will have many opportunities to communicate within our daily routine.”

Then the teacher walks the parents through each part of the day and shares the following examples:

• Greeting Time: “We sing a greeting song every day and discuss what is written on the message board. Often children call out the messages and say what they think they mean. I will encourage Alysia to share her own ideas, whether it is by a single word or gesture, or even repeating what one of her classmates has stated, as a way of helping her understand how verbal and nonverbal communication carries meaning.”

• Planning Time: “Alysia will be able to use a variety of props, photos, and drawings to share her choices. For example, she might indicate where she plans to play by choosing a toy from that area. As she becomes more comfortable using words, I will encourage her to describe the materials and how she plans to use them.”

• Work Time: “This is the time Alysia is able to carry out her plans and interact freely with adults, peers, and materials in the classroom. Adults will be supporting and expanding the words Alysia uses. For example, if she says, ‘book,’ I might say, ‘You want me to read you this book.’ Later Alysia herself might be able to say, ‘Read book’ or ‘Read me a book.’ I can also help with interpreting for peers as needed. For example, if Alysia says ‘red’ and points, I might say, ‘Jonah, I think Alysia is asking you to move the red crayon closer to her.’ Suppose Jonah does this and Alysia smiles in response — the two of them are then forming their own bond. At a later time, Alysia may use a short phrase when addressing Jonah directly. Moreover, if Jonah speaks to her in short sentences, she might be motivated to do the same with him. Sometimes, children learn more from one another than they do from adults!”

• Cleanup Time: “Alysia is very good at matching pictures — she will be able to help her peers put items away by matching the labels on the toys with the labels on the shelves. By adults and children occasionally attaching words to the labels (for example, I might say, ‘you put the puzzle on the shelf’), Alysia will gradually learn new words and simple phrases.”

• Recall Time: “This is when Alysia can share what she did during work time, including talking about the materials she used and peers she interacted with. Again, she can use the words she has but I will have props and pictures to support her communication.”

• Snack Time: “Often at snack time children continue their conversations about what they have done at work time. This is also a wonderful time to initiate new conversations. Children share the responsibilities of passing out napkins, cups, and milk, and they talk about what they are doing with one another. We eat together family style, which provides a nice atmosphere for conversations. You can help me involve Alysia by telling me things that Alysia has done recently at home, and I can introduce those ideas into conversations. You’ve already told me some of her favorite foods. By serving these at snack time now and then, she might comment on the fact that she likes them or eats them at home.”

• Large-Group Time: “Everyone meets together as a whole group in our block area. We sing songs and move in different ways. Children who want can take turns being leaders in these activities. We encourage children to change the words in songs and will ask Alysia for her ideas. We will also encourage Alysia to name and demonstrate movement ideas, for example, patting their shoulders. We can provide picture cards of the movements until she is able to name the movements.”

• Small-Group Time: “This is when children work in small groups to explore materials, practice skills, and form concepts. As I move among the children, I will also have the opportunity to work one-on-one with Alysia. Alysia will have many opportunities to describe the materials and how she is using them, as well as to exchange ideas with me and her peers. These activities will support her vocabulary growth, and gradually she will begin to combine the new words she is learning into short phrases and then simple sentences.”

This example illustrates how focusing on parents’ concerns about their children with special needs within the context of the daily routine and learning environment can help to create a vision for family members that their young children can participate, belong, and thrive in a HighScope classroom!

From: Extensions Newsletter (p.9) authored by Terri Mitchell, Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press. © Year High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. Used with permission.

Don Peek: Reading - The Most Important Skill

2012-05-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

This post is authored by Don Peek, a former educator and past president of the training division of Renaissance Learning. He now runs The School Funding Center, a company that provides grant information and grant-writing services to schools. To learn more, or to subscribe to the School Funding Center Grant Database, go to schoolfundingcenter.

Reading – The Most Important Skill

In my last post I discussed the merits of a skills-based curriculum. I firmly believe in that concept, especially for students with disabilities. Out of the many possible skills that we teach children in school, I don’t believe any is as important as reading. When children master the skill of reading, the world truly opens up for them.

That is especially true today with high-speed Internet available to almost everyone. Once a person learns to read and comprehend what he/she reads, all of that information in books and on the Internet, every idea or concept ever imagined becomes accessible. That wasn’t true just 25 years ago. Our world has truly changed.

Only a very small percentage of our students lack the mental capacity to learn to read well. Other students may struggle, battle with dyslexia, or have other difficulties, but in the end, if we concentrate on teaching them this one very important skill, they can master reading and change their lives forever.

I taught remedial reading myself at the middle school level, and my wife taught 1^st graders to read for 34 years before she retired. I can’t say it’s an easy task, but it is worth every bit of the time and effort you put into it. Some students can’t hear the vowel sounds properly. Some students aren’t seeing the same symbols on the page that you see. But the key to reading well that so many educators ignore is that once students have obtained even the most basic reading skills, the way for them to improve is by practicing their reading.

Worksheets may be helpful for students struggling with blends, vowel sounds, prefixes, suffixes, or compound words, but in the end, if a child doesn’t practice reading in a real book written by a real author, those minor skills they pick up on worksheets are not going to stick.

When I was a principal in Northeast Texas, we moved our reading scores from less than 50% passing the state reading test to more than 90% passing the state reading test in two years. Every teacher in that middle school became a reading teacher. Students practiced independent reading an hour each day (broken down into two 30-minutes segments) in library books appropriate to their own individual reading levels.

Yes, we used Accelerated Reader (a commercial product from Renaissance Learning that helps educators monitor independent reading) to help monitor and motivate our students. I won’t apologize for that for one main reason. It worked. It worked for us, and it worked for our students. When we first started our program, our students were reading an average of two grade levels below the national norm. After two years, they were reading on grade level.

Their grades went up in all subjects. Why not? They could now read and understand their textbooks in science and social studies. Many of our learning disabled students were dismissed from our special education program. Even if they had really had a legitimate reading disability when they started our program (such as dyslexia), they were able to overcome it by learning to recognize the reading symbols they were seeing and practicing their reading an hour each day at the appropriate level for them.

Next time I will discuss our balance of reading to students, reading with them, and having them read independently.

In this blog, I just want you to know that if you were forced to teach only one skill to your students, disabled or not, that skill should be reading. No other single skill can have the impact on their lives that reading does. Make sure your students can read at the highest possible level, and you can change their lives forever.

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Grant Info:

Grant Name: Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring

Funded by: National Science Foundation

Description: The PAESMEM Program seeks to identify outstanding mentoring efforts that enhance the participation of groups (i.e., women, minorities, and persons with disabilities) that are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The awardees serve as leaders in the national effort to develop fully the Nation's human resources in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This program provides educational opportunities for undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, k-12 educators.

Program Areas: Math, Science/Environmental, Technology, Disabilities

Recipients: Public School, Privates School, Higher Education

Proposal Deadline: 6/6/2012

Average Amount: $10,000.00 - $100,000.00

Contact Person: Richard A. Alo

Email: ralo@nsf.gov

Telephone: (703) 292-4634

Website: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5473&org=NSF

Availability: All States

Don Peek; Promoting a Skills-Based Curriculum

2012-04-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Promoting a Skills-Based Curriculum

It’s nice to know all the states and capitals in the United States. It’s great to be able to list the Presidents of the United States in order. Unfortunately, most students don’t get a lot of use from this information once they leave school. Well --- unless they get to be a guest on Jeopardy.

I taught at the middle school level for eight years before I became an administrator of one kind or another for twelve more years. I then worked as a public speaker for six years. I did staff development in hotels and in schools for both teachers and administrators.

One of my favorite parlor tricks was to give a short quiz to my audience so they could quickly understand how much time we sometimes waste in schools. Here are a few of the questions:

What were the beginning and ending years of the Civil War?

Write down the Pythagorean Theorem?

What was the real name of the famous American writer O. Henry?

What is the capital of South Dakota?

What is the formula for common table salt?

Write the rule for punctuating a sentence if a subordinate conjunction comes in middle of a sentence.

Those are 6 questions from my 10 question quiz (answers are at the bottom of this blog). How many did you get right? The average score in my seminars was 3 or 4 out of 10 at the most.

Most of you reading this blog have one or more college degrees. You’ve had to memorize the information above at least once during your career as a student. Yet you probably did no better on this quiz than my seminar attendees.

Students spend countless amounts of time in school memorizing information when, in reality, they should be learning and practicing skills. Reading is a skill. Keyboarding is a skill. Using the computer as a research tool is a skill. Speaking in front of an audience is a skill.

Skills may get rusty if you don’t use them often enough, but you won’t lose them the way you do when you memorize information. If you were ever able to ride a bike, you still can. Your skill level may fade a bit, but with a little practice, it comes right back to you.

Learning as many skills as possible is important to every student, but it is especially important to students who are learning disabled or have other disabilities. It’s important that they read and understand at the highest level possible, that they can read and interpret every type of warning sign, that they can use computers to access information and also to entertain themselves, and that they can communicate effectively. The list of skills they need goes on and on.

Will students at times have to memorize information to use these skills effectively. Yes, they will, but that’s really the only valid reason to have student memorize most information.

Employers these days don’t really want to know what you know. They want to know what you can do with what you know. In other words, they want to know a potential employee’s skill set.

Unless we’re trying to create the world’s greatest Jeopardy contestants, it’s time to move our schools toward skills-based curricula rather than spending so much time on memorization.

Answers to the quiz: 1. 1861-1865, 2. a² + b² = c², 3. William Sydney Porter, 4. Pierre, 5. NaCl (sodium chloride), 6. If a subordinate clause comes at the beginning of a sentence, place a comma after the clause. If the subordinate clause comes at the end of the sentence, you do not need a comma.

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Grant Info:

Grant Name: Patterson Foundation Grants

Funded By: Patterson Foundation

Description: The foundation provides resources to programs and to nonprofit organizations in the areas of oral health, animal health, and occupational and physical rehabilitation. The foundation also supports educational programs, and programs for youth and for the economically disadvantaged. It also provides educational scholarships for dependents of Patterson Dental Co. employees. Grants are made nationwide and in Canada.

Program Areas: Disabilities, Family Services, General Education, Health/PE, Math, Reading, Science/Environment, Social Studies, Special Education

Recipients: Public School, Private School, Higher Education, Other

Proposal Deadline: 5/1/12

Average Amount: $2,000.00 - $20,000.00

Telephone: 651-686-1929

Email: information@pattersonfoundation.net

Website: http://www.pattersonfoundation.net

Availability: All States

Anna Reyner - The Fine Art of Scribbling

2012-04-09T12:16:00.002-07:00

This post is authored by Anna Reyner, a registered art therapist and licensed marriage and family therapist. Anna is a nationally recognized arts advocate that has conducted over 500 hands-on art workshops for learners of all abilities. Follow Anna’s blog at Art and Creativity in Early Childhood Education.

The Fine Art of Scribbling

Children’s scribbles were once conceived of simply as practice for “real drawing,” but educators today recognize that scribbling is an important step in child development. Scribbling is the foundation of artistic development and is intimately linked with language acquisition. Young children love to scribble and adults will enjoy it too, if you give them permission to “let loose with a crayon".

Scribbling reflects a child’s physical and mental process. When toddlers first pick up a crayon and make a mark, they experience a pleasurable moment in which they use a tool and produce a result. They don’t realize they are taking the first step of a long journey, a journey that will culminate around the age of 8 with a mastery of line that is remarkably controlled. They only know that in this powerful moment, something they did with their body created a visible result and that feels very exciting.

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This scribble drawing is from Mona Raoufpour’s 4 year old classroom at Pressman Academy in Los Angeles. Mona artfully links children’s early drawings to language and literacy. Early in the school year, many of her students are immersed in the scribble stage or just moving into more representational drawings. Mona takes meticulous dictations and mounts them directly onto children’s scribble drawings as shown here. Without this detailed dictation, who would ever know that Noah, this young artist, has a story in his mind about a “big monster who ate broccoli then fell down and broke his face and arm and leg.”

Mona has her 4 year olds work on long term book making projects that include scribble drawings with dictations. Children are indeed natural storytellers, and scribbling is how their visual story telling begins.

No study of scribbling would be complete without mention of Rhoda Kellogg. Kellogg was a pioneer in the study of analyzing children’s art. Over the course of 20 years, Rhoda Kellogg collected and analyzed over 1 million children’s drawings from children ages 2-8. In 1967, she published an archive of 8000 drawings of children ages 24-40 months, focusing on scribbling and the early “ages and stages” of child development. Kellogg concluded that children need plenty of time for free drawing and scribbling to develop the symbols that will later become the basis for all writing and drawing. Before Kellogg, scribbles were considered nonsense. Children were discouraged or even forbidden from scribbling, and encouraged to copy adult models (sounds ghastly and misguided, but this shows how far we’ve come in understanding child development.).

Stages of Scribble
Here's something creative to do with scribble drawings - check out the "Stages of Scribbles" created by children at the Alpert Jewish Community Center in Long Beach, CA. Assistant Director, Alayna Cosores, asked teachers to contribute examples of scribbles and compiled them into an Ages & Stages frame that hangs in their Early Childhood Office. Not only is it colorful and fun to look at, "Stages of Scribble" reminds parents that scribbling is an important process to encourage at home. Why not try something like this in your own center, it costs so little to put together and will provide years of stimulating conversation.

Last but not least, scribbling is not just for kids…it can also be liberating for adults! Scribbling is a physical process that emphasizes freedom of movement. It can help us relax and get into the sensory mode of our bodies as well as the creative, right hemisphere of our brain. With this in mind, I often begin Teacher Trainings with some form of a scribble warm-up. My favorite is a paired up exercise called a “Scribble Chase.” Click here for the printable lesson plan from my book Smart Art Ideas 2. While the original lesson plan used Colorations® Liquid Watercolor for the top layer, I’ve come to enjoy it even more using Colorations® No-Drip Foam Paint.

Scribbling is it’s a great way to energize a room. I suggest you try “grown-up” scribbling sometime soon.

Don Peek - Is Your Tool Belt Missing a Few Items?

2012-03-22T12:34:00.001-07:00

Is Your Tool Belt Missing a Few Items?

I don’t know how handy you happen to be around the house. I’m not exactly a master carpenter myself. I do like to fix things when I can. One lesson that I’ve learned repeatedly over the years is this: You have to have the right tools to do a job properly.

And it’s not that you just need a screwdriver. You need the right size and type of screwdriver for the particular screw you’re using. You can use a manual screwdriver, but sometimes it takes as much as 10 times as long as it would with an electric one. Putting up curtains can be a real chore. If you have the right tools, the job is so much easier.

I’m not a professional carpenter. Can you imagine the number of specialized tools real carpenters need to do their best work?

Now, let’s go to the classroom. You’re not working in wood. You’re working with the hearts, minds, and hands of students with learning disabilities and physical disabilities. Having the right tools is absolutely essential. A concept that might take days to grasp can sometimes be grasped in minutes if you’re using the right materials.

Let’s take reading. You’re teaching an LD reading class with 12 students. Only 5 of those students are on the same level. You may need books on 7 different levels. Some students may require large-print books. One needs an audio book.

You may be teaching one 4^th grade LD reading class, but essentially you need the right tools for 7 different jobs. Do you have the tools you need to teach your students the skills they need?

Since I’ve started writing this blog, I’ve spent some time studying the various types of materials and tools available to special education teachers. I’d have to say, I’m amazed. Proper tools are available to teach almost any skill at any level these days.

I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to write this blog for Achievement-Products.com. I’m even more pleased when I look through their offerings and see essentially every tool, every type of material, every piece of equipment you might need in your special education classroom.

Does your budget allow you to purchase all the tools you need for your classroom?

I know budgets are getting cut right and left. It may even get worse before it gets better. That’s why I am also pleased to include a grant opportunity each time I write this blog. Some will apply to your school and your situation. Others won’t. You should always take a look at the grant, however, to see if your situation is a fit.

Getting the exact tools you need to do your best job with every student is essential. I hope you let this blog, the grant postings, and Achievement-Products.com help you to get those necessary tools. They won’t make you a better teacher, but they will certainly make you a more efficient one.

Grant Info:

Grant Name: Let’s ALL Play

Funded By: National Inclusion Project

Description: Let’s ALL Play brings an inclusive recreational experience to children with disabilities. Through training, staffing, and scholarships, Let’s ALL Play gives children with disabilities the same experience as those without. Children with disabilities and their peers who are typically developing come together to participate in recreational activities such as swimming, arts and crafts, community service, physical fitness and more.

Program Areas: Disabilities, Special Education

Recipients: Public School, Private School, Higher Education, Other

Proposal Deadline: 9/15/12

Email: aronhall@inclusionprojects.org

Website: http://www.inclusionproject.org/level_2.php?id=3

Availability: All States

Don Peek - I Don't Vent Often, But...

2012-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Special Needs Topics with Don Peek

I Don’t Vent Often, But…..

A blog is a great thing. It gives a really even-tempered, laid-back guy like I am a chance to vent his frustrations to the public. At least my venting will be on topic. You see, I have a big gripe. Ever since disabled people got some rights, I believe that creators of parking lots have gone way overboard. There are so many handicapped spots at some Wal-Mart and Target stores, I believe they could handle small handicapped conventions.

But, you know what? That’s not why I’m using this blog to vent. I’m venting because people who are not handicapped in any way whatsoever park in those spaces depriving real handicapped people from using them. It makes me crazy, and it should you, too.

Handicapped people have two perks that most of us non-handicapped people don’t have. Depending on their age and circumstances, they may receive a regular check from the government. The second is that they get to park close to stores and activities in special handicapped parking spaces. I think stealing a parking space is almost on the same level as stealing one of those checks.

My mother-in-law had a heart attack and a stroke about 15 years before she died. She had little or no feeling in one hand and one leg. She still drove her own car sometimes, but my wife and I drove her to the store fairly often. All too often, we found that the places closest to the stores were already taken. No handicapped tag on the car. No special license plates. No little sign hanging from the rearview mirror.

That’s not all. Sometimes the cars had the little hanging signs, but the people using them were very obviously not handicapped. That would have been easy enough for my wife and me to do. We could have hung the little sign up and been right at the Wal-Mart door. We often had one in our glove compartment even when my handicapped mother-in-law was not with us. I don’t remember ever considering it.

For many, many years handicapped people got very little consideration from most of us. Narrow doorways, no elevators, no special restrooms, no special curricula, no close parking spaces. It just really irritates me when people with no physical problems go out of their way to steal the few rights to which handicapped people are entitled.

If you are legitimately handicapped, go to the doctor and get a sign. If you have someone with you who has a back problem, is extremely overweight, has weak knees, or some other problem, drive them to the entrance and let them out while you park in a proper space. If you see people parking in handicapped spaces and their vehicles have no handicapped sticker or sign, turn them in. If you absolutely believe they are not handicapped and their car does have a sticker or sign, turn them in.

All too few fines are paid for this offense. I don’t see the police patrolling too often to make sure the law is followed properly. I truly believe that if most offenders had to pay just one fine, they would not consider using a handicapped parking space again unless they truly qualified to do so.

Let’s get angry people. Let’s make sure handicapped spaces are open for use by handicapped people.

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Grant Info:

Grant Name: Finish Line Youth Foundation Grants

Funded By: Finish Line Youth Foundation

Description: Giving on a national basis in areas of company operations, supporting organizations involved with athletics and youth development. Special emphasis is directed toward programs designed to promote active lifestyles and team building skills; and camps designed to promote sports and active lifestyles, and serve disadvantaged and special needs kids.

Program Areas: After-School, Disabilities, Health/PE, Special Education

Recipients: Public School, Other 501(c)(3)

Proposal Deadline: 3/31/12

Average Amount: $1,000.00 - $75,000.00

Contact Person: Micca Stewart, Program Director

Email: youthfoundation@finishline.com

Website: http://www.finishline.com/store/youthfoundation/guidelines.jsp

Availability: All States

Don Peek - Learning Disabilities

2012-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Special Needs Topics with Don Peek

Learning Disabilities

The term learning disability is a classification used to describe students who have difficulty learning in the usual ways. This type of disability is caused by unknown factors which affect the ability of the brain to receive and process information. Almost 13% or about 6.5 million students are enrolled in special education classes. Of those students, approximately 2.5 million are identified as learning disabled.

However, it is not enough just to know that a student is learning disabled. You need to know the type of disability. There are four different types:

1) Reading disorder – difficulty with accurate and fluent word recognition, word decoding, reading rate, oral reading, and/or reading comprehension. Many students who have a reading disability are dyslexic.

2) Writing disorder – difficulty with handwriting, spelling, organization, and/or composition. Writing disorders are also referred to as dysgraphia.

3) Math disability – difficulty with concepts, memorizing facts, organizing numbers, and/or understanding how to organize problems. A math disability is termed dyscalculia.

4) Nonverbal learning disability – shows up as clumsy motor skills, poor visual-spatial skills, poor social relationship skills, problems with math, and poor organizational skills.

While these learning disabilities cannot be cured, skills can be learned that help some students cope with or overcome their disabilities almost entirely. Like many others disabilities, being learning disabled is not a black or white situation. Some students have a severe learning disability. Others have a mild disability. That makes it more difficult for teachers to find the type of activities and skills that best fit each student’s disability level.

When LD teachers step into their classrooms, they might be facing students with up to four types of learning disabilities, and those disabilities could range from very mild to very severe. Obviously, it is helpful to have a small number of students in each class and also the help of an aide whenever possible.

I believe two major problems exist when we try to teach learning disable students. First, some special education and many regular education teachers have low expectations for some students identified as learning disabled. If they do not fully understand the nature of the learning disabilities of their students, they might make the mistake of feeling that their students are learning disabled in areas where they have no disability at all. All teachers who teach learning disabled students need to be aware of the exact nature of each student’s disability.

The other problem is the exact opposite of the first. Teachers have expectations that are too high for the learning disabled student. Material is not presented in a manner or at a rate that is manageable for the student. When the student fails, the teacher often sees that student as lazy or uncooperative. In reality, the student simply needed the material presented in a different way, at a slower pace, or both.

These two problems should not occur if thorough assessments are done on learning disabled students, and both weaknesses and proper teaching strategies are listed in each student’s individualized education program. These IEP’s should, of course, be shared with the student’s special and regular education teachers.

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Grant Info:

Grant Name: DonorsChoose.org Grants

Funded By: DonorsChoose.org

Description: DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers register, and then submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals choose projects to fund.

Program Areas: Disabilities, Special Education, All Other

Recipients: Public School

Proposal Deadline: None

Register: Teachers must register and create an account on the website below

Website: http://www.donorschoose.org

Availability: All States

John Funk - Logic and Reasoning

2012-02-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

This post is authored by John Funk, the Educational Programs Manager for Excelligence Learning Corporation and a clinical instructor at the University of Utah.

How and Why Do We Teach Logic and Reasoning to Young Children?

When my oldest son was about 15, we were having a ‘discussion’ about something he wanted to do for which I had refused permission. As things were becoming just a little bit too emotional, I remember saying to him, “I’ve never been the parent of a 15-year-old before. I’m trying to do what I think is right, but there are no directions for how to do this. I’m sorry you have to be the test case.” My son stopped and stared at me -- and then said, “I never thought about that. Now I understand why you screw up sometimes.”

While that was not the answer I wanted to hear, my comment and his response brought some logic and reasoning into the discussion, and the emotions disappeared. That is usually what logic and reasoning can do for a situation. When you are having an emotional disagreement with someone, not much gets accomplished while emotions are in the way. When everyone has calmed down, logic and reasoning usually reappear, and a thoughtful discussion can occur. I feel very strongly that if we don’t help children to develop these critical skills, they will not be able to function successfully and truly get along with other people.

The basis of logic and reasoning is the ability to search for clues, determine what makes sense, and make decisions based on concrete information. Forcing children to know the correct answer and be prepared to regurgitate it on a test does not develop the thinking that creates logic and reasoning. However, allowing children to explore with materials to make decisions about the timing and organization of a project, and, most important, to make mistakes will create the resilience that children need to be logical thinkers.

The Excelligence Product Development Team knows I like open-ended products that promote divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is when we take one idea and go many different directions with it. From one concept or product, we can get many different outcomes or possibilities. Think about our Biocolor or Liquid Watercolor. With one of these products, a child can create a myriad of projects. The possibilities are endless. Some of my favorite teaching products are blocks, dough, crayons and paints. I like them because they provide endless opportunities to promote learning, and they promote divergent thinking.

I also like products that promote convergent thinking. Convergent thinking is using many different ideas or data points to lead to one necessary conclusion. Think of all the products we have to help children learn the alphabet. Identifying the letters is the ultimate goal, but there are many different pathways that can lead to that knowledge. As we provide more products for supporting curriculum standards, it is important that our products allow the child and teacher to explore different avenues to help the child learn each standard skill.

My son, who is now 35, said to me the other day when we were discussing his 10 year-old daughter, “It is really hard being a parent. Sometimes you just don’t know what to do.” That comment brought us full-circle and reaffirmed to me that justice is alive and well in our lives, and I suggested that he discuss it with his daughter. Hopefully, logic and reasoning will find its way into every generation of parenting.

Don Peek - Are You Protecting your Students

2012-02-16T14:15:00.000-08:00

Special Needs Topics with Don Peek

Are You Protecting Your Students?

It seems that bullying is standard practice for some of our students these days. The spectrum runs from just being obnoxiously rude to physical assault. Unfortunately, special education students are far too often the targets of this abuse. Do you have procedures or a program in place to protect your students?

It is fine to provide students with the very best academic program possible, but if schools fail to teach their students to get along with one another, stand up for the weak, and promote fairness and equality, have we really done our jobs as educators?

Not as many parents are doing a good job in this area. Not as many students attend church and follow religious principals which might prevent this type of abuse. It is one more job that has fallen on the shoulders of teachers, administrators, and counselors. That may not be fair, but it is the reality of the situation.

Unfortunately for disabled students, bullies actively seek out those who are different in any way and especially those who are least able to defend themselves. A first step in any school is to make it known to the entire population that bullying will not be tolerated. However, if you only use negative consequences to fight bullies, you may not be as effective as you think. In fact, it could work against you. Some bullies will get a rush from the attention and the risk of being caught and punished.

Don’t misunderstand me. I believe we should monitor those who tend to bully others, catch them in the act as often as possible, and punish them for their cowardly acts. Were they adults, many of them would end up in jail on assault charges.

I just believe that you also need a positive program to teach students tolerance and the joy of giving. When regular students bond with special education students, it produces positive results for both groups. Special education students get included in many activities they might otherwise miss, and regular education students learn how to take responsibility for others. They get attention in positive rather than negative ways.

Unfortunately, we have to be aware that there is bullying even within the ranks of special education. Students who are physically stronger than others may try to take advantage of their weaker classmates. Good social skills simply need to be taught to all of our students.

Several companies have packaged programs for dealing with bullying. If you find one that fits your school, it may save you a lot of time and energy, but don’t feel that you have to go out and purchase a program. You can develop your own.

I believe that every school should have a strong academic program for every student, regardless of the student’s abilities. I also believe that it has become imperative that schools teach proper social skills. A good place to start is to teach regular education students to treat those who may have disabilities with respect. Not only will that help to protect our special education students, it will make all of our students better people.

Grant Info:

Grant Name: U-Act Grants

Funded By: Red Robin Foundation

Description: U-ACT, which stands for Unbridled Acts, or random acts of kindness, is a character-building initiative specifically for grades K-8, which aims to inspire and encourage students to be kind to others. The goal of the Red Robin Foundation U-ACT Program is to create a sense of neighborliness inside and outside of school settings and eliminate bullying through Unbridled Acts. Through monthly monetary grants, the Red Robin Foundation U-ACT Program honors schools that exemplify kindness to others and show support in their community through Unbridled Acts. If your class or school is between the grades of K-8 and you want to implement a program to encourage kindness among your students, and receive a grant for doing so, then you can submit a request! Simply come up with an idea of how you would encourage and implement kindness in your class or at your school and send it to the Red Robin Foundation.

Program Areas: At-Risk/Character, Community Involvement/Volunteerism, Disabilities, General Education, Math, Reading, Science/Environment, Social Studies, Special Education

Recipients: Public School, Private School

Proposal Deadline: 3/1/12

Average Amount: $150.00 - $2,500.00

Email: foundation@redrobin.com

Website: http://www.redrobin.com/rrfoundation/uactprogram.aspx

Availability: All States

Julie Fraser - The Water Cooler

2012-02-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

I'm Julie Fraser the senior buyer for Achievement Products and I watched the Super Bowl last weekend, along with the millions of others who tuned in. Though I had no particular allegiance to either of the teams playing, the game was certain to be a big topic of conversation over the next few days and I didn’t want to feel left out. Even at an age where I should know better, I want to fit in around the water cooler!

The desire to fit in is part of us at any age, but of course it is felt most strongly by teenagers. Over the past couple of years I have participated at conferences and expos focused on children with special needs, and I continually heard from the therapists and special education teachers of teens with special needs that, while those teens benefit from the same type of help and support directed to younger children, it is vital to offer this help and support in a way that recognizes the maturing interests and expanding horizons of the teens placed in their care. And at Achievement Products, we took that message to heart.

We reviewed our catalog’s content with a number of therapists who helped us identify products ideally suited to support teens in the following areas:

Core Strength - products that stimulate a teen’s natural motivation to move, while strengthening limb coordination, balance, judgment, and visual perception skills.

Life Skills & Socialization - products that assist with management of everyday life skills.

Academics - adaptive products to support classroom performance.

Art & Creativity - items that encourage creative experiences for self-expression and collaborative

socialization.

Self-Regulation - options to engage in self-regulating behavior in a socially accepted manner.

Teen Cave - options for teens to individualize their sensory environment, to provide a space uniquely theirs to relax in and un-wind.

And we have had a wonderful response, particularly to items such as the weighted Denim OTvest™ (AP5763, AP5764, AP5765); Chewnoodles™ (AP75318, AP11002, AP11003, AP11004); High Back Beanbag Sofa (AP92372, AP923730); Foam Fountain™(AP1155); and Short Reach Slant Board (AP429).

We invite you to take a look at our entire teen collection, and we want to hear from you at this ‘Water Cooler’ that is our blog site! Please share what resources, services or products have helped the teens in your care to succeed as they grow, mature, and expand their horizons.

Don Peek - How Many Disabled Students Do We Have?

2012-02-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

Special Needs Topics with Don Peek

How Many Disabled Students Do We Have?

In my last post I discussed the different disability levels that might be assigned to students. These levels were: none, mild, moderate, and severe. Those levels make it more difficult for the classroom teacher to address the specific disability of each student. Why? It would be difficult enough if a teacher had only one disabled student, or even a group of students with the same disability. That’s not the case. Most teachers have to contend with several disabled students at the same time. Most often those students have different disabilities, and even when two of their students have the same disability, those disabilities are often diagnosed to be at different levels.

This makes many special education classrooms much like the old one-room schools. Teachers doing their jobs properly might be teaching different subjects at different levels with different materials. Most regular education English, math, or science teachers would tell you that such a task is impossible--- and even if it were possible, not to expect any great results.

That is why special education classes are often small and a teacher’s aide is found in the classroom alongside the teacher. Small class size and extra personnel units make special education very expensive. A huge amount of money is often spent for very small academic, emotional, or physical gains. Specialized materials and equipment are also expensive and run up the cost of special education services.

How could the cost be so high when there are such a small percentage of disabled students in the United States? I think you might be surprised. At last count, the U.S. had 6,483,000 disabled students between the ages of 3 and 21 years of age. That was more than 13.2% of the total enrollment. Of those, 95% were served by public schools.

Listed are the thirteen types of disabilities and the approximate number of disabled students in each category:

Specific learning disabilities – 2,476,000

Speech or language impairments – 1,426,000

Intellectual disabilities – 478,000

Emotional disabilities – 420,000

Hearing impairments – 78,000

Orthopedic impairments – 70,000

Other health impairments – 659,000

Visual impairments – 29,000

Multiple disabilities – 130,000

Deaf-blindness – 2,000

Autism – 336,000

Traumatic brain injury – 26,000

Developmental delay – 354,000

In the old days, many of these students would never have gone to public school. Some of them would have even been locked away in their own homes. Fortunately, we live in a country that doesn’t allow that. We know that special education is expensive, but we also believe it is the right of every child to get a free education. That education can help many of these disabled students become productive citizens, but we need our best teachers, our best materials, and our best equipment on the job helping these students to make all the progress they can.

Grant Info:

Grant Name: Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Educational Grants

Funded By: Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation

Description: Giving on a national basis, with emphasis on areas of company operations; giving also to national organizations to support programs designed to advance the independence, productivity, and community of young people with disabilities. Special emphasis is directed toward programs designed to have a national scope and impact, with preference to those that are inclusive of youth with and without disabilities. No grants to individuals, or for endowments, capital campaigns, equipment or devices for individual users, fund raising events, controversial social or political issues, or local activities without national impact; no loans. No support for religious organizations not of direct benefit to the entire community, intermediary organizations, fraternal, labor, political, or lobbying organizations, discriminatory organizations, or individual schools or school districts.

Program Areas: Community Involvement/Volunteerism, Disabilities, General Education, Math, Reading, Science/Environment, Social Studies, Special Education

Recipients: Public School, Private School, Higher Education, Other

Proposal Deadline: 6/1/12

Total Annual Amount Given: $657,000.00

Telephone: 703-276-8240

Website: http://www.meaf.org/

Availability: All States

Tickle Your Senses!

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Special Needs Application:

Children explore sensory and tactile play while learning important lessons of imaginative and symbolic thinking, enhancing motor skills, safely expressing emotions and communicating in a non-verbal format.

Messy Art is fun and provides a delightful way to learn about the world and it's physical properties. Most children love to get their hands into paint and other gooey materials that "tickle their senses." Messy art lets children discover the emotional pleasures of sensory and tactile play while they learn important lessons of cause and effect and the material properties of matter. What’s more, messy art develops important cognitive, social-emotional and multi-sensory skills. Self directed learning with fluid, sensory and tactile art materials is especially important in early childhood and continues to have benefits for older children as well.

What exactly is "messy art" – is it simply fingerpainting? A lot more, actually. Messy Art is a friendly description for art experiences that involve paint and other fluid materials that change with ease as you manipulate them. These fluid "sensory art" experiences provide children with exciting physical contacts that motivate exploration. The fluid nature of paint provides for dynamic and rapidly changing explorations of color, shape and textures on paper. Children often feel very powerful when painting, because the cause and effect of their actions becomes apparent very quickly. Painting allows children to make decisions rapidly, and to operate more independently than they are usually accustomed to. Paints continuously move and blend, creating new combinations and secondary colors. With just a few swift brushstrokes, an entire painting can change and transform into a new creation. Painting is indeed, a powerful process!

Messy Art activities are one of the best ways to promote early childhood learning. Preschool and Kindergarten provide an especially important opportunity for hands-on, self-directed learning. As children grow and advance through elementary school, art continues to provide opportunities for mastery and learning. Art teaches critical thinking, self-expression, problem solving, individuality, creativity and self-esteem.

Messy Art experiences, those that rely on fluid and tactile art materials, provide children with great reward for their efforts. Not only do children often find it exciting to have the freedom to "get messy," but child development theory teaches us time and time again that tactile and sensory experiences are one of the best ways children learn. So designate an area of your room to messy art, cover tables and floors with newspaper if necessary, and find time to tickle your senses!

Don Peek - Determining a Child's Disability Level

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Special Needs Topics with Don Peek

Determining a Child’s Disability Level

While properly categorizing a child’s disability does not in and of itself help the child directly, proper classification can be useful in determining just how much help parents and teachers need to provide a child. Usually disabilities are divided into four levels: none, mild, moderate and severe. An understanding of the level of a child’s disability is absolutely essential when preparing that student’s IEP (individualized education program) or when helping the child to develop new skills.

It’s not enough just to know that a child has a problem seeing. The problem might be so slight that nothing needs to be done by the school other than making sure the child sits near the front of the room so he/she can easily see material on the board. A mild seeing problem might be remedied by wearing glasses or contacts. A moderate problem might be dealt with by ordering large print books for the child to use. A severe problem could entail mostly using auditory materials or actually having the child learn Braille. In other words, the degree of the disability largely determines the amount and type of assistance the child will need.

Three children with IQ scores indicating mental retardation may lead widely different lives depending on their disability levels. The one who is mildly retarded may live independently as an adult, hold a job, and manage his life adequately in all but crisis situations. The one afflicted with mild retardation may be partially self-supportive in a sheltered workshop environment but will always needs supervision and need to live with family or in a group setting. The one who is severely retarded may contribute some in a limited way to self-care, but will always need supervision and help with daily routines and will never be able to work.

We should not be surprised by these categories when applied to disabilities. Most medical problems are classified in this same way. While a woman will never be mildly, moderately, or severely pregnant, she could certainly have different levels of the flu, shingles, or pneumonia. Also, as with disabilities, these ailments may call for very little in the way of medicine or assistance, or they may require visits to the emergency room or stays in intensive care. The more severe the condition, the more help that is required by the sick person or the disabled person.

Naturally, when schools or schools with the help of doctors diagnose disabilities, it is always a difficult task to be highly specific as to the disabled person’s exact position on the spectrum. The gauge may list none, mild, moderate, or severe as the only four categories, but there is a great deal of overlapping. What is important with testing is to get a starting place for each individual and to treat the person with a disability as an individual. You may have two mentally challenged students in the same classroom, but you can rest assured that they will not have the exact same skill set regardless of how close their IQ scores seem to be.

Please remember this as you work with students that have disabilities. Every disabled person is an individual and may be very different even from others diagnosed with the very same disability. It is vitally important that you recognize the degree of disability of each person and work with the person at that level.

Grant Info:

Grant Name: Monell Foundation Educational Grants

Funded By: The Ambrose Monell Foundation

Description: Giving on a national basis to improve the physical, mental, and moral condition of humanity throughout the world. Giving largely for hospitals and health services, scientific research, museums, performing arts, and other cultural activities, and higher and secondary education; support also for social services, research in political science, mental health, and aid to the handicapped. No grants to individuals.

Program Areas: Adult Literacy, Disabilities, General Education, Health/PE, Math, Reading, Science/Environment, Social Studies

Recipients: Public School, Private School, Higher Education, Other

Proposal Deadline: 4/30/12

Average Amount: $5,000.00 - $500,000.00

Telephone: 212-245-1863

Email: info@monellvetlesen.org

Website: http://www.monellvetlesen.org/

Availability: All States

Smash Painting

2012-01-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

Special Needs Application:

Perfect for children with impaired fine motor skills.

Try a new technique that kids and adults both have fun with - it's called "smash painting." Smash painting releases lots of energy and let's active children have fun making dots of splashing color. When you use a completely washable paint like Colorations® Liquid Watercolorthere's no worry about making a mess.
How to begin? First get yourself some sponge tip plastic bottles (called bingo bottles) and a variety of Colorations® Liquid Watercolor paint. Fill each bottle with a different color. You'll need white construction paper, and if you want to make a portrait like the one pictured here, you'll need markers for the details in the portrait itself. Smash painting is used for the background in the example shown.

Next, practice smash painting and develop some skill with it by experimenting on a piece of scratch paper. Simply turn your bingo bottle upside down and bang it lightly onto your paper, creating a dot with splash marks coming out from the sides. Try banging the bingo bottle lightly, then harder, and watch how your result changes. Switch colors and overlap splash marks, creating a pattern. Now try making lines and shapes with your bingo bottle and experiment with different effects you can achieve by simply dragging your bingo bottle slowly across the page. Once you've practiced and gotten a feel for your materials, you're ready for your final picture.

The picture or portrait shown here combines watercolor markers in the more controlled figure drawing, with smash painting in the background. The contrast of these two techniques makes an interesting self portrait. To create a portrait like this, first present your class with markers and have them create a central drawing of their choice - in this case, a portrait of themselves. Then demonstrate the smash painting technique and suggest they use this technique for their background. First spend practice time with smash painting. The have children return to their self portrait and smash painting the background. The painting shown here was done with a group of first grade students during one 45 minute art session.

Don Peek - Gift Giving and Special Needs Children

2011-12-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

Special Needs Topics with Don Peek

Gift Giving and Special Needs Children

While it’s true that many people who have a mild disability come much closer to being hindered rather than incapacitated, I can assure you that for most disabled people, their disability is much more than a hindrance. Many live lives that revolve around their disabilities, and whether they are limited either physically or mentally, they are ashamed of their limitations. I didn’t say they should be. They will seldom admit that they are, but trust me on this one, they are.

It doesn’t matter if you are the last to be chosen in a pick-up basketball game or the worst oral reader in your class, being below normal hurts, and it typically hurts deeply.

I mention all of this to give you a word of caution when you purchase or make gifts during this holiday season. Giving gifts to people with disabilities that draws attention to those disabilities can be extremely hurtful.

I guess the best example of this would be buying board games, toys, or video games for a mentally challenged middle school student when it clearly states that it for ages 3 and up. True, that student might not be able to handle Monopoly or Risk (at least without hours and hours of help and explanation), but he can certainly read that small signal for age-appropriateness on the box and be highly offended by it. To him it is a “baby’s game” and far beneath his dignity, especially when opened in front of others.

You can certainly make a mistake on the other side by buying gifts that are obviously too advanced for a mentally challenged person. When you buy a really neat magic set for a young girl who likes Harry Potter, but she can’t read the directions well enough to even get started or doesn’t have the eye-hand coordination to begin to do the simplest sleight of hand, your gift will be a real ego crusher.

Living every single day of your life with a disability is tough. Don’t make it tougher on the person by giving gifts that draw attention to that disability or make them feel worse than they would had you given them no gift.

What would be my gift suggestions? I’d try to concentrate on gifts that are popular within the person’s age group and yet totally appropriate for the disabled person. You might give the girl who likes Harry Potter the complete set of Harry Potter DVD’s, or at least her favorite ones. You could give the boy who doesn’t want Candy Land either Jenga or Electronic Battleship. Be sure to let him know that these are some of your favorite games, and you want to play them with him as soon as he likes. I can assure you that the time you spend will be worth far more to him than the gift itself.

It’s always nice to give people gifts during the holidays. For the most part, they are appreciated for the effort if not the content. Just be especially careful when giving to children with disabilities that you don’t draw attention to their disabilities or embarrass them in any way with your gift.

Grant Notice:

Grant Name: USGA Alliance Grants

Funded By: National Alliance for Accessible Golf

Description: Grants support organizations which provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to learn and enjoy the game of golf and its inherent values. The Alliance and the USGAshare the belief that the game of golf is exceptionally well-suited to allow individuals with disabilities to participate in a recreational or competitive activity with participants who have various types of disabilities as well as those who do not have disabilities. We encourage inclusive programming - opportunities that allow participants with disabilities and participants without disabilities to learn and play the game side by side.

Program Areas: Disabilities

Recipients: Public School, Other

Proposal Deadline: None

Average Amount: Up to $20,000.00

Telephone: 812-320-1126

Email: grants@accessgolf.org

Website: http://www.accessgolf.org/grants/alliance_grants.cfm

Availability: All States

Personalized Placemats

2011-12-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

Special Needs Application:

In addition to fostering imaginative and symbolic thinking, enhancing motor skills, and providing an opportunity to manage sensory issues, art activities support a full range of social emotional benefits particularly as they build self esteem. And what better way to build self esteem than “framing” a child’s work of art!

I stopped in my tracks when I saw these super adorable placemats at the Hollywood Los Feliz JCC. They gave me such a smile! What is it about these clever placemats that draws you in to take a closer look? Is it the playful expression on the children's faces? Or the colorful freestyle painting behind each photo? Or is it the solid construction paper background that frames it all and makes it pop out from the page? I think it's "all of the above"! By using a laminator or clear contact paper to cover each picture, you can use your placemats for the whole year.

Try this sometime and you'll discover a clever new way to identify each child's place setting for lunchtime or snacks. A big thank you to the creative preschool staff of Hollywood Los Feliz Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles.

Don Peek - How Good are IEP's?

2011-12-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Special Needs Topics with Don Peek

How Good Are IEP’s?

IEP, as most of the readers of this blog will know, stands for Individualized Education Program. IEP’s were mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Educators and parents who are involved with students in special education know that every single child must have an IEP on file and that each child must be evaluated and the file updated at least once each year.

IEP’s have been in place long before the latest IDEA legislation in 2004. I don’t think anyone could question the need or the benefits of having an Individualized Education Program for each student found to have a disability. In fact, the idea is so good, schools probably need to develop IEP’s for every single student in attendance. That, however, is not likely to happen for a couple of reasons. The first is that schools don’t have the money to put such a process in place. The second is that IEP’s in and of themselves don’t guarantee any improvement in the teaching and learning process.

It is true that a good IEP describes how a student learns best, how the student best demonstrates that learning, and what educators can do to help the student learn more effectively. Unfortunately, some IEP’s are drafted, agreed upon, and then placed in a drawer where they are seldom viewed until it is time for a yearly evaluation. I know this may seem strange to the teachers and administrators who use IEP’s properly, but believe me when I say that it’s true.

An IEP should be a well-worn document by the end of the school year. Teachers should review them often and should prepare lesson plans based on the IEP’s of students in their classrooms. Although special education classes tend to be smaller than mainstream classes, special education teachers still must have a separate IEP for every single student. Some lessons can cover multiple IEP’s. Others do not. Individualized instruction is difficult. It has been tried time and again in mainstream classes and often proves to be overwhelming to the teachers.

That’s why special education classes are smaller, tend to have more help in the form of aides, and often have more equipment to deal with various disabilities. All are in place so that teachers can individualize and meet IEP requirements.

If you are a teacher who reviews IEP’s regularly, uses them to develop daily lesson plans, and makes sure you are doing everything necessary for your students to meet their IEP goals, I applaud you.

If you are a teacher who is not using your IEP’s properly, I suggest you begin to do so immediately. If you are a principal, it is your responsibility to make sure IEP’s are developed and used properly. If you are a parent, I suggest that you be familiar with your child’s IEP. Look for progress reports that reference the IEP and monitor the papers and information coming home to you to make sure the IEP that was filed is being followed.

An Individualized Education Program may be one of the greatest rights of the disabled child. Unfortunately, it is no more valuable than the paper on which it is written unless it leads both teacher and students to the accomplishment of the goals it contains.

Grant Notice:

Grant Name: Walmart Foundation Grants

Funded By: Walmart Foundation

Description: Giving to K-12 Public Schools/Districts, Charter Schools, Community/Junior Colleges, State Colleges and Universities; Private schools and colleges with current tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; and Churches and other faith based organizations with propose projects that address and benefit the needs of the community at large. See the website for eligibility requirements and additional information. The grant maximum depends on the facility to which you are applying. The Community Involvement Coordinator or manager at the facility nearest you will be able to advise you as to the grant maximum for their location.

Program Areas: Adult Literacy, After-School, Arts, At-Risk/Character, Community Involvement/Volunteerism, Disabilities, General Education, Health/PE, Homeless, Reading, Safe/Drug Free Schools, Science/Environmental, Social Studies, Special Education, TAG, Technology, Vocational

Recipients: Public School, Private school, Higher Ed, Faith-Based, Other

Proposal Deadline: 12/31/11

Average Amount: $250.00 (depends on individual store)

Telephone: 800-530-9925

Website: http://walmartstores.com/CommunityGiving/9628.aspx

Availability: All States

Paper Towel Quilt

2011-11-23T13:22:00.000-08:00

Special Needs Application:

Enhances social emotional interaction and cooperation

In the paper quilt shown here we also created circular coffee filter art using the same materials and techniques. Find directions for these in the Smart Art Lesson for Coffee Filter Art shown here. Finished paper squares and circles were laid out onto a piece of white mural paper, ready to be mounted with simple white glue. This simple paper craft shows off the beautiful brilliance of color. Isn't it wonderful eye candy?

I love watching simple paper towels come to life with Colorations® Liquid Watercolor. To create this "eye popping" paper quilt, we filled bingo bottles with Colorations® Liquid Watercolor and dabbed the color onto folded paper towel squares. These detailed patterns were created by school aged children, but younger children will create more free-form patterns with equally beautifully results. For best results use "2-ply" paper towels (better quality versions) since they soak up more color than "1-ply" paper towels and give your artwork a richer result.

Special Needs Topics with Don Peek

2011-11-15T15:27:00.001-08:00

This post is authored by Don Peek, a former educator and past president of the training division of Renaissance Learning. He now runs The School Funding Center, a company that provides grant information and grant-writing services to schools. To learn more, or to subscribe to the School Fnding Center Grant Database, go to schoolfundingcenter.com

Don Peek - An Introduction

For at least the next few months I will have the rare pleasure of writing some of the special needs blogs for Achievement-Products.com. In this posting I’d like to introduce myself and explore some of the topics we will be discussing in the months ahead. I hope you’ll join me often as we explore the world of the special needs students, teachers, and parents and how those students learn and grow.

WHO: Hi, my name is Don Peek. I served in Texas public schools for 20 years as a teacher, counselor, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent. While I was principal of Pittsburg Middle School in Pittsburg, Texas, our school received one of only two awards given by the state of Texas that year for not only mainstreaming all of our special education students but also making them successful. As a teacher and administrator I attended literally hundreds of ARD meeting and was always considered a strong advocate for special needs children.

After leaving the public schools, I became president of the training division of Renaissance Learning (creator of Accelerated Reader). Whenever I did district and regional training, I always emphasized the use of Accelerated Reader with special needs children. The ability to read is a great equalizer.

Currently I am President and CEO of The School Funding Center. We provide grant information to schools throughout the United States. Of our 30 grant categories, you can rest assured that grants for special education and students with disabilities are always included in our listings.

And finally, I have a grandson who is autistic. He just turned 17 a few weeks ago. Unless we get some drastic breakthrough in the near future to help autistic children, he will probably never hold a regular job, never drive a car, or never be able to live alone.

Yes, I am very much dedicated to helping those with disabilities.

What: I will be posting to the Achivement-Products.com blog twice each month. I will cover a full range of topics dealing with special needs students. I will also discuss the interaction between teachers and special needs students and the relationship of the parents with their special needs children and parents and the school system. Special needs students are indeed special, and it is not always easy for either the school or the parents to know exactly what each child needs. Often these needs change as the child grows and matures. Most of the decisions made concerning special needs children are best made cooperatively between parents and the school.

Almost any blog is a mixture of fact and opinion. This one will be no exception. There are facts available about the various disabilities. I will include that. I will also include research information about what works best and what doesn’t, but I will also inject some of my opinions about dealing with students who have disabilities. My greatest fear is that too often we do what is easiest, but not necessarily best, for these students.

I will also occasionally include notices about grants that are available to schools and non-profit organizations that support special needs children. Look at the sample below.

When: My posts will normally be published around the 1^st and 15^th of each month. I want you to look for these posts, read them carefully, and respond whenever you get the urge. You can agree or disagree with me. You won’t hurt my feelings. Your opinions are valuable, too. The research you find may contradict something I post. I’d like to know that, too. You can reach me at: dpeek@schoolfundingcenter.net

Where: My blog is original material provided only to Achievement-Products.com. You will find it only on this site. Obviously, if you are reading this now, you found my blog at least once. You may want to bookmark this site so you can return easily. If you are starting from the home page of Achievement-Products.com, you should first click on Visit Now on the Check Out Our Free Resources! header. Then on the left of the page find Online Community. Go down until you come to Special Needs Blog. Click it, and you’re back here.
That’s it. I’ll expect to see you back here around the 1^st of December.

See you then,
Don
dpeek@schoolfundingcenter.net

Grant Notice

Grant Name: Tommy Wilson Memorial Grant

Funded By: American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation

Description: The Tommy Wilson Memorial Grant supports recreational programs for individuals with disabilities

Program Areas: Disabilities, Special Education

Recipients: Public School, Private school, High Ed, Other

Proposal Deadline: December 1^st each year

Average Amount: $500.00 - $1,500.00

Email: AAPAR@aahperd.org/aapar/

Website: http://www.aahperd.org/aapar/

Availability: All States

Art Share: Paper Plate Faces

2011-11-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

Special Needs Application:

A good way to reinforce facial expression cues.

Try this whimsical paper plate mask:

1) Cut face holes in plate.

2) Paint with BioColor® or another bright paint.
3) Collage with tissue paper on top .

Guest Blog: Children with Food Allergies – Play Dates Encouraged, with Precautions

2011-11-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

Guest Blog Post: from our friends at FAAN

Children with Food Allergies – Play Dates Encouraged, with Precautions

There’s no question about it -- children love to get together with friends, whether at the playground or at home. For the parents of children with food allergies, playgroups and play dates can be a source of concern, and that’s understandable. But these rites of passage are manageable – with some extra precautions.

Lessons learned from being around other children are important to a child’s social development. Balancing food allergy safety and social skills in a playgroup or play date environment takes planning.

Concerns that a child with a food allergy could have a reaction under the care of a classmate’s parents are valid. You don’t know whether they know how to recognize symptoms of an allergic reaction, whether they understand the seriousness of food allergies, how to read labels, or how to administer life-saving medication.

With advance planning, however, you can address each of these concerns and have successful play dates.

· For younger children, consider hosting the play date at your house, so that you are better able to control the environment.

· Plan for play dates to occur outside of mealtimes, or work with the play date host to plan “food free” playtime.

· Teach a play date host about food allergies prior to a scheduled play date. Regardless if food is being served or not, the host should understand the symptoms of a food allergy reaction, how a reaction could occur (accidents happen!), and how to help your child if he or she has a reaction.

· Pack a safe snack for your child so that you are not relying on the play date host to read food labels and determine what is safe to feed your child. Teach your child not to accept any foods that you have not approved.

· Pack your child’s medication, including epinephrine auto-injectors, in a bag that also contains emergency information. Include a copy of your child’s Food Allergy Action Plan (see FAAN’s website for a free copy). Be sure the adult supervising the play date understands how to use all medication and the steps to follow should a reaction occur.

While it may seem easier to keep our children close to home, we have to remember the importance of balancing our child’s social needs with their emotional and physical development.

The efforts on the part of parents of children without food allergies to keep our children safe are much appreciated.

FAAN staff member Nancy Gregory, whose 8-year-old son has a peanut allergy, says she has been lucky that parents have been so accommodating when it comes to hosting play dates.

“One mom went to the grocery store before my son’s play date to make sure she had safe snacks for him, even though I would have sent him something safe to eat,” Gregory said. “I was grateful that she took such genuine care to make sure he was safe.”

This post was contributed by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). FAAN is a nonprofit organization, supported in part by membership dues. For more information about food allergies, as well membership, contact FAAN at www.foodallergy.org, or call (800) 929-4040.

Did you know that Achievement Products for Special Needs has a wide selection of allergen-free items? Check out the full list by clicking here.

Paint Outside - Jackson Pollock Style!

2011-10-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

Special Needs Application:
Jackson Pollock inspires visual and gross motor self expression!

Can't find a place to paint inside? Afraid of staining your carpets and floors? Go outside, and leave your worries behind.! Most parents are afraid to bring paint, clay, and fluid art materials into their homes for fear of creating a mess. But paints and other fluid art materials provide tremendous growth and learning opportunities, beside being lots of fun. Let's face it, there's nothing more enchanting to a child than fresh paint, and lots of it. Paints are wet and colorful, they move, mix and blend together quickly, and they plunge you into a sensory experience. No wonder they're so much fun!

Check out this handy art area I created for my own children along the side of my home. They spent hours here, and while it must have felt like a "real art studio," it was really just the fenced in driveway outside our kitchen. Often I would spread out rolls of fabric or paper and give them BioColor® to squirt on "Jackson Pollock" style. The colors were always brilliant. Sometimes we would drag small tree branches through the BioColor® or sprinkle on glitter and various odds and ends before the paint dried. There was nothing they liked more, and I could see the freedom and joy they felt with this "free-style" painting. By putting the BioColor® in squeeze bottles, I was able to provide some small control over the quantities of paint they used, which gave me a wee bit of comfort. Living in the city of Los Angeles, we have a small yard and not much space. But take my word for it...if anyone can create a home art area while living in LA, you can do it anywhere! Be inspired.

Ocean in a Bottle

2011-10-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

Special Needs Application:

Visual stimulation encourages scientific thinking.

It's summer again and the perfect time for outdoor activities. Ocean in a Bottle captivates children and leads the way to science discoveries. Simply add Colorations® Liquid Watercolor and BioColor® Shimmer Powder to plain water in any clear plastic bottle. Cap tightly and shake it up vigorously. You'll immediately discover your bottle is full of swirling "oceans" of shimmery colored waves that stay in motion long after you've stopped shaking your bottle.

What's happening here? What principle of science does this exciting project illustrate? Water molecules, or H20, are invisible to the eye. If you shake up a water bottle, the water molecules begin swirling around quickly but you can't see them move because they're invisible to the eye. In this project you are "tagging" the water molecules with color and shimmer powder (a non-toxic micro glitter) which enables you to see the water and how it is set in motion as you shake it up. There is so much to the world around us that we cannot see without a microscope. Welcome to the fascinating world of earth science!

Name Doodles

2011-09-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

Special Needs Application:

There are so many reasons a child may be shy in the early days of a new class or surrounding. The wonderfully inclusive idea below may help ease the anxiety of being in a new surrounding with new faces.

The staff from Stone Soup Afterschool Program in Los Angeles learned new painting techniques as they geared up for a new school year this week. Try this "Name Doodle" idea as a warm-up introduction during the first few days of your program. Using plain white construction paper, each person draws their name in block letters and doodles symbols about themselves onto the remaining paper. Cover your entire paper with Colorations® Foam Paint and wipe off the excess paint with a clean paper towel. Easy, colorful and it's dry right away!

Hand Stencils

2011-09-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

Special Needs Application:

Ease the concern of children who may be tactile defensive, or who do not want to get messy, by protecting their hands with latex free gloves when spraying the paint.

Do you like to spray paint? Debbie Glicksman of Los Angeles created a beautiful challah cover (shown below). Isn't it lovely? The cover began with me spraying her hands with watercolor as she held them over her fabric. You can adapt the same process easily with children.

First, gather white fabric scraps or yardage, stretch over rolled up newpapers and secure with pushpins to create a smooth working surface, then get out Colorations® Liquid Watercolor in spray bottles and begin to play. Use your hands as stencils and add other stencils you make yourself by cutting shapes out of file folders. Finish by adding details with puffy paint or permanent markers. When you paint with Colorations® Liquid Watercolor remember that it's a completely washable paint, so think fabric wall hangings and process oriented art. This is a great project for outdoor art while the weather is warm.