Special Education
TIMOTHY GRAVES
Superintendant of Special Education
Phone: (705) 472-8170 ext.7031
ALISON CLARKE
Principal of Special Education
Phone: (705) 472-8170 ext.5073
KIM GIGNAC
Special Education Coordinator (North)
Phone: (705) 472-8170 ext.5017
LISA PARADIS
Special Education Coordinator (East-West)
Phone: (705) 472-8170 ext.6000
Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) is the non-punitive, non-adversarial, trauma-informed model for supporting students with challenging behaviour that the Near North District School Board uses. It is based on the work of Dr. Ross Greene and described in his various books, including The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Lost & Found, and Raising Human Beings. The following are the Guiding Principles for Supporting Students with Challenging Behaviours that the NNDSB has developed, based on Dr. Greene’s evidence-based approach:
SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIOURS
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
- All students do well if they can.
- Challenging children are challenging when the demands or expectations being placed upon them exceed the skills they have to respond adaptively.
- Behaviour is an indicator of lagging skills and unsolved problems.
- Discipline approach is focussed on solving problems.
- Problems are prioritized.
- Problem-Solving is collaborative and pro-active.
- Problem-Solving involves the student.
- Concerns of students and staff are voiced and clarified.
- Solutions are focussed on the child.
- Solutions are mutually agreed to by staff and student.
For more information see: Lives in the Balance
Policy/Program Memorandum No. 140 is a Ministry of Education Memorandum that establishes a policy framework to support incorporation of ABA methods into school boards' practices throughout Ontario. The use of ABA instructional approaches may also be effective for students with other special education needs.
Applied behaviour analysis (ABA) uses methods based on scientific principles of learning and behaviour to build useful repertoires of behaviour and reduce problematic ones. In this approach, the behaviour(s) to be changed are clearly defined and recorded. The antecedents of the undesirable behaviour(s) are analysed, as are the reinforcers that might be maintaining the undesirable behaviour(s) or that might be used to help develop adaptive behaviours.
Interventions based on behavioural principles are designed to develop appropriate behaviours. Progress is assessed and the program is altered if necessary (adapted from Perry and Condillac 2003). ABA can be used with students of every age. It can be applied in a variety of situations, and it can be used for very limited and specific purposes, such as the development or reduction of single behaviours. ABA can also be used for broader purposes, such as the development or reduction of sets of behaviour (for example, to improve relaxation skills, to teach more effective social skills, or to enhance community living skills). ABA can be used for students with ASD, and it can be used for students who have varying degrees of intensity of ASD along a learning continuum.
ABA methods can support students with ASD in a number of ways. For example, ABA methods can help a student to:
- develop positive behaviours (e.g., improve the ability to stay on task, improve social interaction);
- learn new skills (e.g., comprehensive skills, including language skills, social skills, motor skills, academic skills);
- transfer a positive behaviour or response from one situation to another (e.g., from completing assignments in a special education class to maintaining the same performance in a regular class).
ABA methods can also be used to limit the conditions under which problematic behaviours occur – for example, to modify the learning environment so that students are less likely to injure themselves.
The Near North District School Board proudly supports Coordinated Service Planning in the districts of Muskoka, Nipissing and Parry Sound. To learn more about Coordinated Service Planning in our area and to see if it’s right for your family, please visit the Coordinated Service Planning website for Muskoka, Nipissing and Parry Sound found here: www.cspmuskokanipissingparrysound.ca
The Near North District School Board believes that all students have the potential to learn and that all students should progress to the best of their ability.
The Education Act requires that school boards provide special education programs and services for their exceptional pupils. Every effort is made to address the needs of students in a regular classroom in their community school. Some students will need a variety of program modifications and accommodations to their educational program. Other students may require more specialized educational programs and services in order to assist them to reach their full potential.
Parents are important partners in their children’s education. You are encouraged to meet frequently with the school team to discuss the educational program being planned and delivered.
Services By Department
The central Behavioural Support Services team is currently comprised of BMS Consultants, BMS Coaches, Behaviour Assistants, a Behaviour Analyst and Mobile Team Teachers. The Behavioural Support Services Model includes referral, intake, service delivery and service closure.
ROLE OF ITINERANT SPECIALIST TEACHER
The Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing provides support and services to students attending their home school:
- Consults with parents, principals, teachers and resource/support personnel regarding programming needs and student support
- Provides direct service to students with mild, moderate, severe and profound hearing losses, based on their listening, language and learning needs
- Provides indirect service to schools by sharing information regarding audiological reports; types, use and troubleshooting of amplification devices (hearing aids, personal and classroom amplification systems); acoustical treatment of the classroom and teaching strategies/accommodations for deaf and hard of hearing students
- Offers awareness workshops and classroom presentations regarding hearing loss and its implications
- Provides input to Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)
- Assists with the development of Individual Education Plans (IEP)
- Assists with Special Equipment Amount (SEA) funding applications
- Monitors, manages, repairs and distributes equipment to students with hearing losses and those having central auditory processing difficulties
- Coordinates and manages trials with amplification equipment
- Consults with other professionals in order to co-ordinate services and transition supports to and from other agencies (i.e. Cochlear implant teams at CHEO or SickKids, auditory-verbal therapists, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, behavioural therapists, occupational therapists, Infant Hearing Program, Provincial Schools’ preschool and school age programs)
- Coordinates with the student, the school team and the parents to identify post-secondary goals and appropriate activities to achieve those goals
Direct Service involves individualized supports for a student and may include:
- Language intervention
- Speech/articulation/listening skills development
- Self Identification and Self Advocacy Skills
- Academic/classroom support
- Sign Language development
The PsychologicalServices Team consists of one Psychologist and three Psychoeducational Consultants. They are accessed through a referral process available at each school.
THE PSYCHOLOGIST/PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT:
- provides assessments for referred pupils;
- administers tests conforming to established standards and procedures for psychological testing and completes related documentation;
- provides recommendations for programming based on assessment results;
- participates in case conferences and parent interviews;
- acts as liaison with outside agencies, as required;
- serves on committees at the board, central or area level;
- provides in-service to school staffs and community agencies as requested;
- assists with interpreting reports from other professionals;
- performs other duties within the boundaries of the above role definition as requested by the principal of special education or the superintendent of schools and program
PSYCHOLOGIST ONLY
- formulates and communicates diagnoses and provides supervision for psychoeducational consultant assessments resulting in diagnoses, in accordance with the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario regulations and guidelines and undersigns reports as necessary.
SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY SERVICES
Students experiencing difficulties with communication may benefit from the services of our Speech Language team which includes Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) and Communicative Disorders Assistants (CDA). Examples of communication difficulties could include:
SPEECH SOUND PRODUCTION DIFFICULTIES:
- Mild-Moderate articulation: pronouncing sounds correctly (e.g., ‘tup’ for ‘cup’; ‘wion’ for ‘lion’, etc)
ORAL LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES:
- Weaknesses in vocabulary
- Difficulty with language comprehension (e.g., following directions, answering WH-questions)
- Difficulty speaking in complete sentences with correct grammar (e.g., verb tenses, pronouns)
- Difficulty clearly expressing their ideas and thoughts
- Difficulty using language appropriately in social situations (eg., interrupting, respecting the turn-taking of conversation, staying on topic)
SERVICES PROVIDED:
- An assessment is completed by the Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
- Direct individual or group therapy may be offered. Therapy is typically implemented by a Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA) with the programming of the supervising SLP.
- Consultation with caregivers, teachers and other school personnel as well as outside agencies when appropriate (e.g., physiotherapists, occupational therapists)
- Workshops and staff training
- Home programming so that caregivers can support the development of ongoing communication goals at home
HOW TO REFER
If there are communication concerns, the student is discussed at a school support team meeting. If a referral is appropriate, the Resource Teacher will send a referral package to the caregiver that includes a consent form and questionnaire. Once returned, the student is placed on a waiting list for an assessment. Please be patient. We will do our best to see the student as quickly as possible. Once the assessment has been completed, a report will be sent to the student’s caregiver(s) and school. If therapy is needed, the student will be included in the next available therapy block. Written progress reports will be provided on a regular basis to keep caregivers/teachers updated.
Note: Early intervention is the focus of our Speech-Language Pathology services. Therefore, students in kindergarten through grade 3 will be prioritized. However, services are provided to our older students up to grade 6 on a case-by-case basis.
The Speech Language Team consists of four Speech Language Pathologists and eight Communicative Disorders Assistants. They are accessed through a referral process.
The NNDSB employs Itinerant Specialist Teachers to provide educational and access support to students who are blind, low vision, or have multiple disabilities requiring vision support.
The roles and responsibilities of an Itinerant Specialist Teacher for Students who are Blind/Low Vision include the following:
CONDUCTING FUNCTIONAL VISION ASSESSMENTS
- Test of Visual-Motor Integration (TVMI)
- Test of Visual Analysis Skills (TVAS)
- Visual Efficiency Scale (VES)
- Learning Media Assessment (LMA)
- LEA Symbols for Near and Distance Acuities
- Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) Range Assessment
- In-class observations
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING & INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLANS
Through observation and consultation, recommendations are made for educational accommodations for students who are blind and low vision in the following areas:
- Classroom
- School environment
- Outdoors
- School trips
- Transition planning
In collaboration with the School Team, these recommendations are used in the development of Individual Education Plans.
TEACHING OF THE EXPANDED CORE CURRICULUM (RESOURCE WITHDRAWAL OR INTEGRATED SETTING)
The Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) teaches essential skills beyond the standard Ontario Curriculum to support students with visual impairments in accessing curriculum and developing independence.
- Compensatory Access or Functional Academic skills, including communication modes
- Sensory Efficiency
- Use of Assistive Technology
- Coordination of Orientation & Mobility (O&M) training, and reinforcement of O&M skills
- Independent Living
- Social Interaction
- Recreation and Leisure
- Career Education & Transition Planning
- Self-Determination
PRE-SCHOOL TRANSITION PLANNING
- In cooperation with Family Resource Center; One Kids Place; CNIB; Infant Development Program, W. Ross McDonald Resource Services.
INTERVENTION LEVELS
- Monitor - two to four visits per year
- Indirect – one to four visits a month
- Direct – up to five visits a week
REFERRALS
Families should speak to their school DLRT if they have concerns about their child’s vision and/or if they have a documented visual impairment for referral to the Vision Resource Program.
