Special Education and Federal Programs Staff
SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES
The Admission, Review, Dismissal Process The Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) committee's purpose is to review data at least once a year to determine:
- If the student has a disability that qualifies them under TEA guidelines for special education services.
- What types of services are required in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) in order for the student to receive a Free and appropriate education.
- Review and develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that will guide the service providers.
ARD meetings may be called whenever parents or school staff has concerns, new information, or changes that need to be discussed.
A notice of the ARD meeting will be sent by the school to the parent. The notice provides the time, date, place and purpose of the meeting as well as notification of members to attend.
The ARD committee is comprised of a group of consensus members that must reach mutual consensus for services to begin. These members are:
- Parents
- Campus Administrative Representative
- Special Education Teacher
- Regular Education Teacher
- Assessment Personnel (when assessment is considered)
- Student, if appropriate
Other persons may attend and contribute to the ARD meeting that have knowledge of the student or issues being discussed. The parent is entitled to notice of additional District staff or other persons attending an ARD.
Assessment - Assessment and Diagnostic Services / Child Find Specialist
Assessment on each campus is conducted by qualified Speech/Language Pathologists, Educational Diagnosticians, and Licensed Specialists in School Psychology. Any student suspected of having a disability that will qualify them for special education services should be assessed. This group of professionals is responsible for reevaluation to determine continued eligibility for services as well as initial evaluation of students.
Procedural Safeguards -Types of Disabilities
The State of Texas allows for eligibility for Special Education services when a child is identified and meets the criteria for one or more of the specific disabilities listed below. If the child is NOT eligible for one or more of the disability categories, they may qualify for assistance through 504. If you have other questions, please call the Federal Programs Department at (281).261.9251. Please note that a diagnosis such as ADD, ADHD, or Dyslexia are not disability categories. Some of these children with these diagnoses may qualify for Special Education through one of the described disability categories listed below if they meet additional criteria.
Auditory Impairment (AI)
Hearing impairment that is so severe that student is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, which adversely affects educational performance. Determined by licensed physician
Autism (AU)
A severe form of Pervasive Developmental Disorder with onset in infancy or childhood; A child with Autism must display at least eight (8) of the following characteristics:
- No or abnormal seeking of comfort
- No or impaired imitation
- No or abnormal social play
- Difficulty making friends
- No mode of communication
- Abnormal nonverbal communication
- Absence of imaginative activity
- Speech abnormalities
- Inability to initiate or sustain a conversation
- Stereotyped body movements
- Preoccupation with objects
- Distress over changes
- Unreasonable insistence on routines
- Restricted range of interests
Deaf - Blind
A combination of severe hearing and visual losses even after best correction and is eligible for both AI and VI labels
Emotional Disturbance (ED)
Persistently exhibits very inappropriate behavior (chronic and severe) socially and/or inappropriate behavior and exhibits one or more of the following:
- Inability to learn, not explained by intellectual, sensory, or health problems
- Difficulty building and maintaining satisfactory interpersonal relationships (with peers and adults)
- General, pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
- Development of physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems
Learning Disability (LD)
Severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability
Difficulties in specific school subjects despite normal (or above) intelligence
Difficulty with processing information
Mental Retardation (MR)
Functions two or more standard deviations below the mean intellectually
Deficits in adaptive behavior
Multiple Impairment (MI)
Disability expected to continue indefinitely
Performance impaired in two or more of the following areas:
- Psychomotor skills
- Self-care skills
- Social and emotional development
- Cognition
Orthopedic Impairment (OI)
Determined by a licensed physician to have a severe orthopedic impairment
Other Health Impairment (OHI)
Determined by a licensed physician to have limited strength, vitality or alertness, due to chronic or acute health problems
Speech Impairment (SI)
Determined by a certified speech and hearing therapist to have a communication disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
A disability resulting from an injury to the brain caused by an external physical force resulting in total or partial functional disability and/or psychosocial impairment - does not include injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or brain injuries induced by birth trauma
Visual Impairment (VI)
No vision
Serious visual loss even with correction
PROGRAMS AND SUPPORT SERVICES
Adapted Physical Education (APE)
Adapted Physical Education is a diversified program suited to the capabilities, needs, and interests of students with disabilities who may not safely or successfully engage in unrestricted physical education activities. Adapted Physical Education specialists identify students through an evaluation process that focuses on motor and perceptual motor patterns. The service model may include consultative services within regular physical education to specialized physical education in small group settings with adapted physical education teachers.
Assistive Technology
Stafford Municipal School District employs a team specializing in Assistive Technology. This insures that assistive technology devices and services are provided to any student with a disability.
Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorders (AU/PDD)
Support is provided to general and special education staff in providing quality services to eligible students. Systems of support are developed to maintain students in the least restrictive environment and support services to parents, to include parent workshops, in-home parent training services and individual consultation.
Behavior Specialists
Through consultation and training, Behavior Specialists support special education teachers in providing quality education to students who have behavioral problems. The role of the Behavior Specialist is to develop systems of support to maintain students in the least restrictive environment. Individual consultations include teacher interviews, observations and assessment, and recommendations based on the function of a student's behavior or modifications needed in the classroom.
Deaf Education Services Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing are provided a wide array of support services in the district. According to individual needs, services can include consulting, direct instruction by certified teachers of the Deaf through inclusion support, resource classrooms, and self-contained classrooms, speech and language services, audiological management, and counseling. The Deaf Education Program supports a variety of communication options according to individual student needs. Both Total Communication and Auditory/Oral Communication are supported by our program.
Extended School Year (ESY) ESY is provided during the summer for students with disabilities when the need is determined through the ARD/IEP committee. Students who may need educational programming beyond the regular school year are those whose measured educational performance on IEP goals and objectives demonstrates a pattern of significant regression combined with excessive time for recoupment when an extended break in service occurs. It is the responsibility of the IEP committee on an annual basis to review data gathered and determine services needed during ESY.
Homebound Services (HB)
Homebound services provide instruction to eligible students who are at home or in a hospital setting. Students served through homebound have a medical condition or extended illness that prevents attendance in school for at least four weeks, as documented by a physician licensed to practice in the U.S. Instruction may also be provided to chronically ill students who are expected to be confined for any period of time totaling at least four weeks throughout the school year, as documented by a licensed physician. These services are determined by an ARD/IEP Committee decision. When services are provided in a private setting, such as a home, there must be an adult other than the student and the teacher present in the home.
Occupational Therapy (OT)
The Occupational Therapy team uses purposeful, goal directed activities to enable a student with a disability to benefit from special education services. Specifically, therapy is designed to assist in the development of skills that are prerequisites to academic learning within the educational setting. Depending on student needs, it may include improving gross and fine motor skills, coordination, adapting environments, organizing and using materials appropriately, and/or developing routines for dressing and feeding skills. Delivery of OT services in the educational setting is distinctly different from clinically based, medically necessitated treatment. Eligibility for this support service is determined by formal assessment, requested by the ARD/IEP Committee or via the diagnostician as a part of the initial evaluation.
Parent Advisory Board The Special Education department maintains a Parent Advisory Committee. The committee meets monthly.
Physical Therapy (PT)
The Physical Therapist plans and implements programs that will help students meet their educational goals and objectives and benefit from special education services. The therapist is concerned with facilitating the child's overall performance in the classroom, considering the student's developmental level and physical disability. Services are provided to enhance independent functioning and may include positioning, strengthening, modifications and adaptations to the environment. Although medical concerns are significant, rehabilitation is not the focus of school-based physical therapy. Eligibility for this special education support service is determined by assessment requested by the ARD/IEP Committee or via the diagnostician as a part of the initial evaluation
Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD)
The PPCD program provides classroom-based and support services to eligible 3, 4, and 5 year old children. Services may be provided on campus or in some cases, day care or home bound settings. Parent-professional collaboration is an integral part of the PPCD program.
Special Olympics
Special Olympics offers athletic training and competition in a variety of sports to students with mental retardation or closely related developmental disabilities. Competition opportunities occur at the local, regional, and state levels for eligible athletes. Special Olympics strongly emphasizes parental support and involvement in this extracurricular endeavor.
Speech Language Pathology Services
Certified Speech Language Pathologists provide services to students who have been identified through the evaluation process as having a disability in speech and/or language. Services are provided in both general and special education settings. In addition, the district employs two augmentative communication specialists to provide specialized consultation to staff working with students who require augmentative communication devices.
Student Records
It is the responsibility of the special education department to process, maintain and safeguard all student records. The department protects the privacy of the students and their families by implementing federal and state laws and guidelines that govern student records. All written requests for the release of student information are processed through this department.
Surrogate Parent Training Program
Students whose natural parents, for a variety of reasons, cannot make educational decisions for them may have a surrogate parent appointed. The surrogate is assigned to protect the student's rights and act as the student's advocate in the educational decision making process. Surrogates attend Admission Review Dismissal (ARD) /Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings and review educational records. The Special Education Department provides training for surrogate parents identified by the campus or for foster parents acting as surrogate parents.
Transportation
The safe and comfortable transportation of the district's special education students who ride to school and job sites in buses/suburbans is a priority of the Stafford Municipal School District Transportation Department. Special education students receive curb-to-curb services. In addition to daily routes, the department provides transportation for field trips, special events, and vocational services such as Community Based Vocational Instruction, Supported Employment and the Vocational Adjustment Class (VAC) Work Program.
Bus drivers and bus aides receive extensive on-going training in the operation of adaptive equipment, lift equipment and restraint devices. In addition, drivers and aides receive training on individual medical concerns of their students and behavior management training.
Vocational Services
Vocational training is provided to students in a variety of classes and settings. Classes provided are:
- Occupational Skills Development: This class provides opportunities to experience free enterprise by operating on-campus businesses (e.g. school store, die cutting, copy services, etc.).
- Community Based Vocational Instruction (CBVI): The classroom is extended to non-paid work sites in the community providing hands-on activities to explore careers, job shadow, and build employment skills.
- Vocational Adjustment Class (VAC):
- Supported Employment: Students participate in paid employment with the support of a job coach.
- Work Program: Students earn high school credit while participating in full or part-time employment with work progress monitored by the VAC teacher and employer.
CHILD FIND
Stafford Municipal School District Special Education staff identify and provide an appropriate education for all individuals ages three through twenty-one who qualify for the district's special education services. Early intervention services are also available for children through age three with an identified need. If you need additional information or know of a student with disabilities who needs special services, please call the Federal Programs Department at 281-261-9251.
SPECIAL EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION
Dr. Alice Thompson, Director Of Federal Programs
HELPFUL LINKS
The Arc of Fort Bend County
Advocacy Inc.
Texas Education Agency
The ABCs of Parenting
Council for Exceptional Children
Jump Start for Parents
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