Special Education - Related Services

School Psychologists

School Psychologists work with school teams to promote student success academically, socially, and emotionally. They collaborate with educators, parents, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments for all students that strengthen connections between home and school. The practice of school psychology includes consultation and collaboration with educators and parents, promotion of prevention and intervention strategies, program development and evaluation, and data-based decision making to evaluate for special education services.

Speech and Language Pathology Services

Program Model
The speech-language pathologist (SLP) is a specialist degree in communication skills development and intervention. The SLP holds an Educational Staff Associate (ESA) certification, and usually a national certification through the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA). The speech-language pathologist provides services including screenings, evaluations, intervention, and consultative services for students with a wide range of communication needs.

Communication services are a function of special education, and students may qualify for those services through a referral and evaluation process outlined by federal law. Eligibility for services is determined by a team (i.e., teachers, specialists, administrators, parents/guardians) and is dependent upon whether the identified communication disorder adversely affects academic and/or social performance. Students qualifying for SLP services require specialized instruction, which is outlined in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) procedure.

Services
The caseload of the SLP typically consists of students with a variety of communication needs, including the following:

Language: may include, but not be limited to, the understanding and/or use of appropriate vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar skills, and pragmatics (functional/social communication skills).
Phonological awareness skills: the ability to think about and manipulate the sound system (rhyming, syllable segmentation, alliteration, sound play, etc.).
Voice: voice production characterized by hoarseness, breathiness, and/ or abnormal pitch or volume.
Fluency: speech characterized by multiple repetitions, prolongations, blocks; difficulties monitoring rate of speech; also may have physical secondary characteristics (i.e., facial grimaces).
Articulation/Phonology: speech sound production errors; oral motor difficulties, phonological processes (patterns of errors).
Referral source for hearing impairment: annual hearing screening and follow-up measures.

Delivery Models

In-class support/intervention.
Collaborative: co-therapy with other specialists (occupational therapist; school counselor, etc.)
Therapy within therapy room traditionally called “pullout services” in the form of: individual; small group; and/or large group sessions.
Team teaching with regular and/or special education teacher.
Consultation with teachers and parents.

Occupational and Physical Therapy Services

Preschool
Occupational and Physical therapy interventions in the preschool program include facilitating the developmental acquisition of fine and gross motor skills, enhancing sensory motor development, addressing neuromotor dysfunction, improving early self-care skills, and determining needs for positioning equipment, orthotics, or adaptive devices. The population served consists of children between ages three to six who have developmental delays. Interventions may occur in groups or individually within a variety of settings.

Elementary
Occupational and Physical therapy interventions at the elementary level include facilitating the developmental acquisition of fine and gross motor skills, enhancing sensory motor development, addressing neuromotor dysfunction, improving self-care skills, and determining needs for positioning equipment, orthotics, or adaptive devices. Intervention at this level typically consists of functional skills directly related to classroom and school related activities. The children served are between ages six and twelve who, according to Washington State eligibility categories, qualify for therapy services to support their success in their educational program. Interventions may occur in groups or individually within a variety of settings.

Middle School
Occupational and Physical therapy interventions at the middle school level include modifying educational activities and curriculum to address existing fine and gross motor deficits, addressing neuromotor dysfunction, improving social/adaptive skills, determining needs for positioning equipment, orthotics, or adaptive devices, and, developing prevocational skills. Intervention at this level typically consists of functional skills directly related to classroom and program/curriculum objectives. The children served are between the ages of eleven and fourteen who, according to Washington State eligibility categories, qualify for therapy services to support their success in their educational program. Interventions may occur in groups or individually within a variety of settings with the interventions embedded within the students’ natural environments.

High School
Occupational and Physical therapy interventions at the high school level include modifying educational activities and curriculum to address existing fine and gross motor deficits, addressing neuromotor dysfunction, improving social/adaptive skills, determining needs for positioning equipment, orthotics, or adaptive devices, and developing vocational skills. Intervention at this level typically consists of functional skills directly related to classroom and program/curriculum objectives. The students served are between the ages of fourteen and nineteen who, according to Washington State eligibility categories, qualify for therapy services to support their success in their educational program. Interventions may occur in groups or individually within a variety of settings.

Transition
The Transition Program is a program at the high school for students between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. Occupational and Physical therapy interventions will be included within the general curriculum of this program focus on modifications of vocational activities and daily living skills. This may include specific skills training or program planning and problem solving in the areas of work, leisure skills and in accessing the community.