Special Education Programs
- CO-TEACH
- FACILITATED SUPPORT
- RESOURCE
- BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PROGRAMS (BIP)
- PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF LIFE SKILLS (PALS)
- MPS SPEECH AND LANGUAGE PROGRAM
- PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
- PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT
- PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAM
- CHILDREN
- HOMEBOUND SERVICES
- SUMMER TRANSITION PROGRAMS
Educators are seeking instructional methods to meet the needs of a diverse group of students in the general education classroom. This instructional model utilizes a general education teacher and a special education teacher to provide instruction services that include all students. This powerful instructional model supports both teachers and impacts all students through a shared partnership. Students with disabilities become an integrated member of the class without the distraction and fragmentation of leaving the classroom for parallel services. As a result, all students benefit from the wide range of instructional opportunities that a classroom with two teachers can provide.
334-269-3808
Addressing the diverse needs of students presents unique challenges to educators, facilitated support services utilizes the general education teacher as the main provider of instruction paired with a special education teacher or paraprofessional to assist students with disabilities in the classroom. Special education staff assists students and general education teachers on a limited basis as determined by the IEP team.
334-269-3808
Resource is a structured special education program for students identified, through the referral/assessment process, as having a disability. The special education teacher provides instruction through an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The focus of the classroom is to build on/improve skills.
334-269-3808
BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PROGRAMS (BIP)
The MPS Behavior Intervention Program (BIP) is a highly structured classroom setting designed for students with emotional and behavioral difficulties. The purpose of the class is to help students learn school behaviors, which will enable them to be successful in a less restrictive classroom setting (i.e. resource class or general education class). Although the primary focus is on teaching appropriate behaviors, academic instruction is also emphasized. Instruction is individualized according to student’s behavioral and academic functioning levels in accordance with their Individual Education Plans. A low student-teacher ratio helps ensure success.
There are four main components of the AB Program:
- Set rules and consequences
- Encouragement and praise
- Positive self-esteem and decision-making skills
- Daily communication with parents/guardians about behavior and work skills
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF LIFE SKILLS (PALS)
PALS is an acronym for “Practical Application of Life Skills.” The purpose of the PALS program is to prepare students with severe disabilities to participate/function as productively and independently as possible in critical natural environments. The goal for these students is to achieve maximum independence while participating in integrated community, domestic, recreational and vocational activities. Students with disabilities attend schools in their community in an integrated and age appropriate school. The school provides structured opportunities for social and academic interaction between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers in order to promote socialization. Participation in school and community events is planned. Parents work with educators to evaluate, plan and set goals for their child.
334-269-3808
MPS SPEECH AND LANGUAGE PROGRAM
WHY SPEECH THERAPY?
A communication disorder is present when a person’s speech or language:
- Interferes with effective communication
- Calls attention to itself
- Causes emotional distress
Communication is disordered when listeners pay more attention to the method of communication than to the message.
TYPICAL COMMUNICATION DISORDERS MAY INCLUDE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Articulation problems
- Delayed or disordered language skills
- Voice quality disorders
- Fluency problems
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL YOUR CHILD WILL LEARN.
MPSl speech and language services provide remediation for a variety of communication disorders that may have an impact on the student’s ability to participate in the educational process. MPS also offers speech and language services for private school students, students involved in our Preschool program and for preschool speech only students.
WHAT ARE COMMUNICATION DISORDERS?
Communication disorders can be grouped in two main categories:
- People with Hearing Disorders do not hear sounds clearly. Such disorders may range from hearing speech sounds faintly, or in a distorted way, to profound deafness.
- Speech and Language Disorders affect the way people talk and understand. These disorders may range from simple sound substitutions to not being able to use speech and language at all.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF A COMMUNICATION DISORDER?
Hearing: Hearing loss might be suspected when a person does not always hear sounds like a telephone or doorbell ringing, turns his or her ear towards the source of sound, frequently asks the speaker to repeat, turns the TV or radio up too loud, or shows obvious signs of confusion or misunderstanding of speech.
Speech and Language Disorders might be present when a person’s speech or language is different from that of others of the same age, sex, or ethnic group; when a person’s speech and/or language is hard to understand; when a person is overly concerned about his or her own speech; or when a person frequently avoids communicating with others.
ARE COMMUNICATION DISORDERS SERIOUS PROBLEMS?
Yes. The ability to communicate is our most human characteristic. Human communication is essential to learning, working, and social interaction. Impaired communication can affect every aspect of a person’s life.
COMMON COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
Hearing
Conductive: sound is not conducted efficiently through the outer and/or middle ear, causing speech and other sounds to be heard less clearly or to sound muffled. This kind of hearing loss can often be medically or surgically corrected.
Sensorineural: caused by damage in the inner ear or nerve pathways to the brain. Certain sounds are heard less distinctly than others, causing distortion and reduced understanding of speech. While this kind of hearing loss is usually not medically correctable, people with sensorineural hearing loss can often be helped by using a hearing aid or other amplification device.
Mixed: a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
Language
Delayed Language: a noticeable slowness in the development of the vocabulary and grammar necessary for expressing and understanding thoughts and ideas.
Aphasia: the loss of speech and language abilities resulting from stroke or head injury.
Speech Disorders
Stuttering: an interruption in the rhythm of speech characterized by hesitations, repetitions or prolongations of sounds, syllable, words, or phrases, for example, cow . . . boy, tuh-tuh-tuh-tuh-table, sssssun.
Voice Disorders: inappropriate pitch (too high, too low, never changing or interrupted by breaks); loudness (too loud or not loud enough); or quality (harsh, hoarse, breathy, or nasal).
Articulation Disorders: difficulties with the way sounds are formed and strung together usually characterized by substituting one sound for another (wabbit for rabbit), omitting a sound (han for hand), or distorting a sound (shlip for sip).
WHAT CAUSES COMMUNICATION DISORDERS?
Hearing: Some of the causes of hearing loss are chronic ear infections, heredity, birth defects, health problems at birth, certain drugs, head injury, viral or bacterial infection, exposure to loud noise, aging, and tumors.
Speech and Language: Some of the causes of speech and language disorders are related to hearing loss, cerebral palsy and other nerve/muscle disorders, severe head injury, stroke, viral diseases, mental retardation, certain drugs, physical impairments such as cleft lip or palate, vocal abuse or misuse, and inadequate speech and language models; frequently, however, the cause is unknown.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU SUSPECT A SPEECH, LANGUAGE, OR HEARING PROBLEM?
A thorough evaluation by a speech-language pathologist or audiologist is needed to determine a person’s communication strengths and weaknesses. After this evaluation, the speech-language pathologist or audiologist will be able to provide a plan for meeting individual needs.
WHAT IS A SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST?
A speech-language pathologist is a professional educated in the study of human communication, its development, and its disorders. By evaluating the speech and language skills of children and adults, the speech-language pathologist determines if communication problems exist and decides the best way to treat these problems.
334-269-3808PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
Eligibility
A student who is visually impaired is one who:
- has been determined by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist to have no vision or to have a serious visual loss after correction, and
- has been determined by a functional vision evaluation and a learning media assessment, conducted by a certified teacher of the visually impaired, to have a need for special services
Direct Instruction/Consultative Services
Qualified students who have entered school continue to receive services from a certified teacher of students with visual impairments. Many students benefit from individualized instruction to address educational needs, which are unique to students with visual impairments. Direct instruction may be required to teach concepts, use of functional vision, Braille reading and writing, abacus, use of low vision aids, keyboarding skills, use of Assistive Technology, and organizational skills. Other students are more appropriately served through consultative services. In this model, the teacher of students with visual impairments works with the multidisciplinary team to ensure that the curriculum, materials, and methods are adapted for each student’s individual needs.
Orientation and Mobility
Instruction in orientation and mobility enables the student to move purposefully in any environment, familiar or unfamiliar, and to function safely, efficiently, and independently. Instruction may focus on environmental concepts, spatial awareness, sighted guide technique, use of clues/landmarks, cane techniques, street crossings, residential/business travel, and bus travel. It is essential that each student assume responsibility for his or her own travel needs at school and in the community. Due to the nature of this service, the student may receive regular instruction on and/or off campus.
334-269-3808PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT
Eligibility
A student who is hearing impaired is one who has an impairment, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both deaf and har-of-hearing.
Direct Instruction/Consultative Services
Qualified students who have entered school receive services from a certified teacher of students with hearing impairments. Hearing impaired teachers maximize their student’s auditory skills by focusing on auditory processing and auditory discrimination skills; communication needs including expressive oral and written skills; receptive language skills; and working cooperatively with sign language interpreters when appropriate. Teachers have the expertise to work with a variety of hearing losses, students with cochlear implants, state of the art hearing amplification technology, as well as classroom amplification.
334-269-3808The Preschool program in MPS is designed to serve children ages 3 through 5 years who have been identified as disabled and determined to be at-risk of not achieving academic and life skills without intervention.
Referral
Referrals for children are made through the Department of Special Education located at the Bellinger Hill Center, 1153 S. Lawrence St., Montgomery, AL 36104; Yolanda Gracie, phone (334) 269-3808. Intake information is obtained from the parent(s) and the information is given to the preschool department. Comprehensive evaluations are scheduled at the Children’s Center. Parents are encouraged to make the referral call two to three months prior to their child’s third birthday.
Eligibility
Children are eligible if they are determined by a multi-disciplinary team to meet state criteria as a child with a disability. The disabilities are: orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, auditory impairment, visual impairment, deaf-blind, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, learning disability, speech impairment, autism, multiple disabilities, developmentally delayed, and traumatic brain injury. There is no fee for services.
Services
Services for children in Preschool may include instruction in the area(s) of language (expressive and receptive), cognitive, social/emotional, motor (fine and gross motor), and self-help skills. Additional services may include transportation, assistive technology, occupational, physical, or speech therapy, if recommended by the IEP team.
Some children who only need speech services may be recommended for speech services without the entire Preschool program. For example, a child might come to the school two times a week for thirty minutes each session. These services are provided at the child’s home campus.
Curriculum
The Preschool curriculum contains five major areas—Cognition (thinking and perception skills), Communication (language development), Self-help, Fine/Gross Motor, and Social/Emotional (development of self-awareness and
responsibility). The curriculum is designed to meet the wide variety of needs in young children. Activities are aligned with the state’s preschool standards.
334-269-3808
Children’s Center and McInnis School are specialized placements for students with severe cognitive, behavioral, and medical needs. Placement is determined by the student’s IEP.
334-262-4850 Children’s Center
334-288-2280 McInnis
Homebound Services are designed to enable students with disabilities to continue their coursework while temporarily unable to attend school. The IEP team considers homebound services for students who are currently enrolled in school and will be confined to a home or hospital setting for (4) or more consecutive weeks as per a licensed physician’s statement. Request for Homebound Services should be initiated at your child’s campus through the special education office.
334-269-3808
Students gathered for the Summer Transition Program sponsored by the Montgomery Public Schools. This year’s program features the theme, What the World Needs Now”. The sixty two students in the Summer Transition Program come from the systems junior and senior high schools’ Community Based Programs. Students are engaged in activities that include swimming at the YMCA, Exercise and Nutrition Training at AUM, Bowl Quest at Brunswick/Woodmere Lanes, Functional Academics, Daily Living Skills, Employment Skills, and Self-Advocacy exercises.
334-269-3808
Summer 2008 Transition Program