Special Education

According to the United States Assistive Technology Act of 2004, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, the definition for assistive technology is divided into two component parts: Assistive Technology Device and Assistive Technology Service.

Assistive Technology Device means access to or provision of any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability.

Assistive Technology Service means any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device, or maximizes accessibility for children with disabilities. Assistive technology enables children with disabilities to participate more fully in all aspects of life (home, school, and community) and helps them access their right to a free appropriate, public education in the least restrictive environment.

Regional Day School Programs for the Deaf (RDSPD) in Texas were instituted by the Texas Education Agency to provide quality services to all students in Texas who are deaf or hearing impaired. Due to the low incidences of hearing impairment, students may come from several districts to a central school location for education services, or be served by teachers who are certified to work with students who are deaf/hard of hearing on their home campuses.  The Wichita Falls RDSPD is established as a shared services arrangement between 36 neighboring school districts; with WFISD as the fiscal agent.

Educational Diagnosticians are part of a multidisciplinary team which is comprised of professional from several different backgrounds who utilize their particular skills and areas of expertise to work collaboratively to help identify students with specific learning disabilities and other handicapping conditions in compliance with IDEA and TEA criteria [Code of Federal Regulations 300.301 (c)(2)]. Frequently, they are also key campus support personnel who consult with students, teachers, parents, etc., on student progress as well as disability related, individualized, educational needs.

• Serve as a member of students' interdisciplinary team Responsible for initial and ongoing psycho-educational assessment.
• Work collaboratively with other assessment personnel, such as speech/language therapists, occupational and physical therapists, school psychologists, counselors, and social workers to make ARD committee recommendations concerning eligibility for special education services.
• Provide input to the ARD committee regarding student's academic strengths and weaknesses based on psycho-educational testing.
• Interpret results of psycho-educational testing in relation to students' educational placement and programming to parents, teachers, administrators, and students.
• Monitor students' educational progress in relation to IEP goals and objectives, recommending appropriate modifications and accommodations to curricular content and instruction, as needed.
• Provide ongoing consultative services to school, community, and parents regarding student's educational needs.

Homebound services are designed to provide continuity of educational services between the classroom and the home setting for students whose medical needs make regular school attendance impossible. In cases of documented chronic illness, homebound services may also be used to supplement the classroom program through intermittent services for health impaired children whose conditions may interfere with consistent attendance. Homebound services may be considered for all students.

Homebound services is intended to be temporary, and the temporary designation is based on the requirement that instruction should take place in the regular school setting, or least restrictive environment, to the fullest extent possible. The inability to attend school must be documented by a physician licensed to practice medicine in the state of Texas.

Once homebound services are in place, progress is monitored by the teacher and coordinator, and a time-line for return to the school setting is written. Continuity of educational services for the student while receiving homebound services is essential. The program's success is based on coordination between the home campus, parent/guardian, student, homebound teacher, and home homebound coordinator. The WFISD curriculum is utilized, including textbooks, supplemental materials, and on-line programs of the home campus. Specific assignments from the home campus are tailored to meet the student’s needs based on physical ability as determined by the medical status. The goal of homebound services is to facilitate the student’s return to the current classroom setting.

School-based occupational therapists (OTs) and certified occupational therapy assistants (COTAs) use meaningful activities (occupations) to help students participate in what they need and/or want to do in order to promote physical and mental health and well being in the educational environment. Occupational therapy addresses the physical, cognitive, psychosocial and sensory components of performance in the areas of play and leisure, social participation, self-care skills (ADLs or Activities of Daily Living), and transition/ work skills. Occupational therapy’s expertise includes activity and environmental analysis and modification, with a goal of reducing barriers to participation.

When to refer:
When students have deficits in sensory processing, fine motor/ handwriting skills, upper extremity coordination/strength, or self-care skills limiting their success in the educational environment.

Factors for referrals include: 

• The deficits significantly interfere with the student's ability to benefit from his/her educational program.
• Appear to be primarily motor or sensorimotor based.
• Documented previous attempts to alleviate problems have not been successful.
• Potential for change in the student's performance through intervention appears likely (change unrelated to maturity).
• The expertise of a therapist is required.

What OT addresses:

• Fine motor skills: hand development, hand strength, dexterity, scissor skills shoulder/trunk strength and stability.
• Handwriting: provide adaptive paper or equipment, pencil grasp, grasp patterns, adaptive equipment to improve legibility.
• Self-help skills: manage clothing in the school setting (i.e. backpacks, buttons, zippers, snaps, and tying shoes), feeding skills/independence in the cafeteria, toileting, and adaptive equipment.
• Sensory awareness and processing: recommend sensory strategies to optimize student’s learning potential and decrease sensory overload from the environment (i.e. meltdowns, aversion to tactile/auditory stimuli, constant rocking).
• Education: provide education to students, staff and parents via handouts, staff meetings, or one on one consultation.

The emphasis of school-based physical therapy is to help students access the academic environment and participate in educationally related activities. Physical therapists are responsible for evaluating and treating students with disabilities, recommending adaptive equipment, environmental accommodations, or assistive technology.

When to Refer

To Physical Therapy:
When students have deficits in gait, frequent falls, lower extremity coordination and strength, and are unable to access their environment without adaptive aids and equipment limiting their success in the educational environment.

Factors for referrals include: 

• The deficits significantly interfere with the student's ability to benefit from his/her educational program.
• Appear to be primarily motor or sensorimotor based.
• Documented previous attempts to alleviate problems have not been successful.
• Potential for change in the student's performance through intervention appears likely (change unrelated to maturity).
• The expertise of a therapist is required.

What Physical Therapy Addresses 

• Ambulation: Functional mobility skills (independent and/or assisted), architectural accessibility, utilize appropriate assistive devices, transfers, positioning.
• Gross Motor tasks: visual motor, positioning, pre-vocational tasks, play and leisure activities, activities that support students in general education environment.
• Education: Staff in-service and professional development, and provide assistance in environment adaptations, acquiring, or modifying equipment or devices.

Wichita Falls Independent School District employs Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSP) who work primarily with the Special Education Population. WFISD typically utilizes the LSSP as evaluation personnel when there is suspicion of the presence of Emotional Disturbance, Autism Spectrum Disorder and confirmation of Other Health Impairment: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. In specific cases, the LSSP may also be called upon to assist the ARD committee determining if a student’s inappropriate behavior is a manifestation of their disability under one of the above identifications. Finally, in particularly confounding situations for staff and/or students, the LSSP may be asked to help determine causes of specific problematic behaviors, or lack of appropriate behaviors, and offer recommendations for assistance with solving these issues. If you believe your student would benefit from these psychological services, please contact your student’s principal to discuss your concerns.

The primary function of a school social worker is to conduct home visits. The social worker is available to assist a family in finding appropriate community services. He/she is also available to conduct home visits with teachers or other district staff.

Role of the Social Worker

• To assist a new family to the area that is not aware of available community services
• To assist a parent that states they are in need of some type of social service assistance
• To assist a child that needs medical, dental, vision, psychiatric care, etc., and the family advises they do not have the resources to provide this service
• To keep abreast of local, community services, in order to refer families to the most appropriate resources

Appropriate Social Worker referrals could include the follwoing but is not limited to the following:

• A child in need of on-going counseling services from a community professional and the family needs assistance in obtaining these services
• A family who reports they are homeless and does not have the resources to meet their needs
• A family has no phone and there is a real need to contact them regarding their child
• Assisting a school with communication between the school and social service type organization

Speech or language impairment means a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

The multidisciplinary team that collects or reviews evaluation data in connection with the determination of a student's eligibility based on a speech impairment must include a certified speech and hearing therapist, a certified speech and language therapist, or a licensed speech/language pathologist.

Speech therapy is available at all campuses throughout the district for students eligible to receive services.

Special education counseling, a related service provided by licensed/certified mental health professionals, is designed to assist special education students with an emotional, social or behavioral disability that negatively impacts school performance. The counseling services enable students to benefit from specially designed instruction inherent to special education. Provision of counseling as a related service is an ARD committee decision. The committee utilizes evaluation data, recommendations from the LSSP, and information about student progress following behavioral interventions to determine the need for this service.

Special education counselors serve as part of an interdisciplinary team and provide time limited individual and/or group counseling. Sessions address intense well-defined emotional concerns, coping problems in response to identifiable stressors, crisis management and social deficits. Additionally, counselors provide consultation, training and collaboration with school personnel, families, and community professionals. Special education counselors work closely with the social worker in providing information about wrap around community services available to students and their families.

A student who has a visual impairment is one who has been determined by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist to have no vision, a serious vision loss after correction, or a progressive medical condition that will result in no vision or a serious visual loss after correction.

The visual loss should be stated in exact measures of visual field and corrected visual acuity at distance and near in each eye. The report should include prognosis, if possible, and exact eye measures of acuities, if possible. If acuities are unable to be measured, the eye specialist must state best estimates.

1. A Functional Vision Evaluation must be performed by a Certified Teacher for Students with Visual Impairments. The evaluation must include performance of tasks in a variety of settings utilizing both near and distance vision; and

2. A Learning Media Assessment must be performed by a Certified Teacher for Students with Visual Impairments. This assessment must include recommendations of specific learning medias: visual, auditory, and tactual. The determination will be made for ongoing evaluations in these areas.

• A Student with a visual impairment who is functionally blind, based on the Functional Vision Evaluation/Learning Media Assessment may use tactual media, including Braille, as a primary tool for learning. This may allow for communication in both reading/writing at the same level of proficiency as other students of comparable ability.

3. An Orientation and Mobility Evaluation must be completed as part of the Functional Vision Evaluation by a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist.