• programming for gifted and talented students including honors and advanced placement courses in the high school
• full time certified guidance counselors and nurses in all schools
• before and after school child care in many elementary school sites
• on-site wellness center at William Penn (contingent upon parental permission), which provides health care services including diagnosis, treatment and referral
• remedial services based upon demonstrated need —including Title I (elementary) and Special Education (pre-kindergarten through grade 12)
• school psychologists, speech/language therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and early childhood programs are available to students who have been determined eligible under IDEA or Section 504.
• comprehensive peer mediation program instituted in almost every Colonial school
• variety of services for students and their families who have been identified as fitting the criteria for homelessness
• Section 504 services for students with mental or physical impairments
• Child Find Services for persons age 0-21 who are not attending public school

Student Services Division
c/o Colonial School District
318 East Basin Road
New Castle, DE  19720
Jon Cooper, Director
Phone: (302) 323-2872
Fax: (302) 323-2748

Section 504 services are provided through a federal statue that prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities who are a part of any program receiving federal funds.

Each school in the Colonial School District has a team of staff members who have been assigned to address 504 referrals and issues.

To qualify for services, a student must have a diagnosed or documented mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more life activities in the school setting.  A determination for services is made after parental permission has been given to do a thorough school review of a student’s academic progress to date.  The main focus of this review is to address if and how the documented disability limits access to the regular curriculum.

Students who qualify must have an accommodation plan developed which addresses any modifications needed to assist with accessing the regular curriculum.
For further information, contact your child’s school office and ask for the 504 coordinator or contact the district coordinator at (302) 323-2952.

Online resources for parents
ldonline.org
540idea.org
ed.gov

The Colonial School District provides a variety of services for students and their families who have been identified as fitting the criteria for homelessness.  These services are school based and are geared towards providing academic and school stability during the time of homelessness.
Homeless students/families are those who lack fixed, adequate and regular housing.  These housing situations usually result in some families having to move to a motel or an emergency shelter.  Other families are forced, due to economic reasons, to move in with friends or relatives.  Some families are also forced to live in other inadequate situations such as cars, parks and public stations.
Student meeting the homeless criteria are entitled to school services such as free lunch and breakfast, feasible transportation and school supply assistance.  In order to support academic and school stability, students are allowed to remain at their home school (school of origin) if the loss of a home results in the need for a school or district change.
Each school in Colonial has an assigned building homeless liaison that, along with the district homeless coordinator, ensures services are provided to homeless students.
To obtain more information on homelessness, contact your child’s school office or the district coordinator at (302) 323-2952

Online resources for parents
nlchp.org
serve.org

What is Child Find?
Child Find is a federally funded project in the State of Delaware which locates, identifies and provides educational services to persons ages 0 – 21 who are not attending public school.  In the Colonial School District a Child Find team is involved in screening, evaluating and recommending specific services for referred children.

Preschool Children
Parents of preschool children may contact the Child Find Coordinator with questions or concerns about their child’s development.  An evaluation will be administered in the areas of communication, motor, thinking, self-help, and personal/social skills.

If your child is eligible for special education services based on testing and observations, services will be provided free of charge.  These include early childhood education, speech/language therapy, and occupational/physical therapy if needed.  Services are offered in a variety of settings using direct intervention and collaboration.  To request an evaluation call 323-2951.

School Age Children
If your child attends private school and is experiencing academic problems, you may request an evaluation to determine if they are eligible for special education.  To request an evaluation, call 323-2830.

Referral Sources

• Parents
• Guardians
• Day Care Providers
• Preschool Teachers
• Physicians
• Mental Health Workers
• Public Health Workers
• Social Workers
• Child Development Watch
• Private School Staff
• Private Service Providers (Easter Seals, Nurses N Kids)

Screenings
Developmental screenings are provided for incoming kindergarten students through the Child Find Office.  Children are scheduled for appointments during kindergarten registration.  Screenings are also provided at day care and Head Start Centers within the Colonial School District.
The screening determines whether the child has a potential delay as compared to others of the same age group.   They are screened in the areas of motor, concepts, and language development.

ADD/ADHD and Child Resilience

• ADD/ADHD
• ADD
• Child resilience and ADHD

Learning Disabilities

• National Center for Learning Disabilities
• Learning Disabilities

• Parenting skills/child behavior
• Parent education/learning
• Delaware Parent Information Center
• Family Education
  

• Delaware Department of Education
• Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic
• The Reading Treehouse
• Council for Exceptional Children
• Discovery Channel Education Resources
• Child Development Institute
• Education – US Government
• Special Education
  

Physical therapy services are provided as a "related service" under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) to assist students with disabilities to benefit from their special education program. Working collaboratively on a team with educators, parents, and other related service personnel, the physical therapist (PT) is responsible for providing educationally related therapeutic programming for students whose disabilities interfere with their educational program.

The emphasis of physical therapy is to promote the student's physical development, motor proficiency, and functional motor abilities as part of the overall learning process. The PT's primary concern is motor function and concentrates on the child's ability to maintain his or her body in a position to facilitate learning and to move as independently as possible in the context of the school program and environment. With expertise in the gross motor area, the PT can assess individual student needs and provide specialized input in mobility and movement strategies, adaptive equipment, assistive devices, and gross motor development so that the student can be successful in the school program. The PT can also enhance the student's program through consultation and training for staff members and parents regarding a student's specific disability.

Physical therapy is a prescriptive process. The PT evaluates the child's abilities in areas such as postural control, balance, muscle strength and control, physical development, orthopedic alignment, gross motor skills, mobility, positioning and seating, and use of assistive devices when necessary. With collaborative input from other staff members, these functional abilities are then analyzed as to how they impact the child's ability to function in the school environment and participate in the specific educational program. Interpretation of the evaluation examines how the delay or impairment affects the student's school program in terms of motor skill function, health and safety, need for individualized positioning and facilitation of movement, need for environmental modifications, equipment and adaptations, and a need for communication within the school and community environments.

Treatment may include facilitating gross motor development and motor skills, mobility and gait training, remediating motor deficits that impair function, managing orthopedic problems, using compensatory strategies to overcome motor impairments, adapting equipment or the environment for improved function, and preventing further impairment. Treatment can be direct, where there is one-to-one contact with the student or a group of students, or indirect, which involves consultation and monitoring. Many times, a continuum of services provides the best method of intervention for students with disabilities, where consultation is provided in addition to direct treatment where necessary.

Performance of carryover activities in the classroom and school environment is critical for students with disabilities to achieve their goals in motor areas. Physical therapy consultation with classroom staff is necessary for this to occur. Direct treatment by a PT can provide the student with specific strategies and improved motor mechanisms, but daily repeated, guided practice will assist the student to learn specific motor skills in specific environments. Embedding specific motor activities within the classroom or various learning situations greatly assists with carryover and improved student learning. Students with physical disabilities need movement throughout their school day in order to prevent further physical deterioration and to improve basic mobility skills.

Some examples of the PT consultative role may include: collaborating with staff regarding transfers in and out of equipment; providing recommendations for positioning students out of their wheelchair or in other classroom equipment; instructing staff and parents in use of adaptive equipment necessary to position and support the student for various learning activities; planning for and helping implement opportunities for independent and assisted mobility; instructing staff on appropriate ways to physically handle and assist students in mobility and transfers that makes it easier on the staff while encouraging greater participation and independence from the student. In a more general consultative role, the PT can assess accessibility issues and work with the staff to solve problems in this area. The PT can also provide specific information on the student's disability and how it can impact on the educational environment. The PT can also be of assistance with transportation and fire evacuation issues.

Please refer to Focus on Educational Significance of Physical Therapy (excerpted from "Physical Therapy Practice in Educational Environments, Policies and Guidelines," American Physical Therapy Association, 1990), which describes functional areas, PT services provided, and their relationship to education. This is located in the Appendix of this manual.

Definition of Physical Therapy
The following definition of "physical therapy" is from the Delaware Physical Therapy Practice Act.

"Physical therapy" means the evaluation, instruction or treatment of any person to detect, assess, prevent, correct, alleviate or limit physical disability from injury or disease and any other physical and/or mental condition, by the utilization of the effective properties of physical measures, activities and devices such as heat, cold, light, air, water, sound, electricity, massage, mobilization, therapeutic exercises and rehabilitative procedures, including training in functional activities, with or without assistive devices. Physical therapy also includes the supervision of physical therapy activities, physical therapy consultation and the establishment and modifications of physical therapy programs.

The physical therapist is a health care professional licensed to practice physical therapy in the State of Delaware, according to Delaware Physical Therapy Practice Act, 24 Del. C., Ch. 26, and the Delaware State Examining Board of Physical Therapy Rules and Regulations (December 1977, 1:6 Del.R.714). State licensing requirements can be obtained from the State of Delaware Department of Professional Regulation in Dover, DE (Physical Therapy 739-4522).

The pediatric physical therapist is a licensed physical therapist who concentrates on the assessment, treatment, and prevention of medical and developmental conditions as the conditions uniquely affect children. This includes management of traumatic, developmental, and systematic disorders and encompasses all appropriate evaluative, habilitative and rehabilitative procedures used in clinical practice. (American Physical Therapy Association, Section on Pediatrics Bylaws, March, 1978).

The physical therapist practicing in the school setting is a licensed physical therapist who provides services for students with identified physical disability, motor deficiency, and/or developmental delays which interfere with the student's ability to benefit from special education.

State of Delaware Department of Education Certification
A physical therapist must meet specific requirements in order to become certified as a school physical therapist in the State of Delaware. School employees should check with the Colonial School District Personnel Office and the State of Delaware Professional Standards and Certification Office in Dover, DE (302-739-4686) for further information. The certification requirements are included in the Appendix.

Physical Therapy Job Description

The Colonial School District does not have a specific job description for a school physical therapist. Readers are directed to the Job Description for School Physical Therapist contained in Appendix A of Guidelines for Physical Therapy Practice in Educational Environments in the State of Delaware (Dec., 1990). This job description has also been included in the Appendix of this manual.

Occupational Therapy (OT) Services are provided as a related service under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to enable students to participate and function to the best of their abilities in their educational program/setting while working toward the Delaware State Content Standards or Functional Curriculum standards.

OT services can be provided on an individual, group or consultative basis both in and out of the student's classroom. During individual sessions and consultation time, OT may address the following areas in order to help the students increase their independence in their school setting:

Activities of Daily Living

• Dressing, Feeding, Organization skills, Toileting

Sensorimotor Processing

• Sensorimotor processing is the ability to receive, process and use sensory information such as vision, hearing, proprioception, vestibular and tactile input.
• Sensorimotor processing is important in the development of the following school related skills: attention to task, development of fine and gross motor skills, body awareness for playground and gym class walking in the halls, acceptance of touch/touch discrimination for social interactions / tool manipulation

Functional Fine-Motor Skills

• This is the ability to use hands and fingers to perform small motor tasks throughout the school day including the ability to: activate a switch or a computer, manipulate toys, pencils, scissors, utensils, use of two hands together (bilateral hand skills) for construction toys, math cubes, or doing fasteners on coat

Functional visual-motor and/or visual perceptual skills

• Visual-motor skills involve coordinating what the eyes see while using the hands and visual perceptual skills relate to understanding what the eyes see
• Skills related to classroom functioning include: drawing, pre-writing, handwriting, copying from the board, reading, coloring and cutting skills

Adaptive Equipment

• Adaptive equipment may be developed or used to help a child be more independent with tasks in their school day. For example, a hand splint may be made to better position the hand for more independent feeding or a pencil grip may be given to promote better grasp on a pencil when writing.

Occupational therapy services provided in the Colonial School District support the Colonial School District's goal: "Improve the academic achievement of all students" by enhancing the student's ability to fully access and be successful in their educational setting.

Online Resource
www.aota.org

Activities That Help Develop Fine-Motor and Visual-Motor Hand Skills

• Activities such as word finds, hidden pictures, mazes, color by number, dot to dots etc...
• Puzzles, Perfection, Memory
• Construction toys such as legos, kynex, model toys, build and copy designs with blocks
• Hide items in playdough or silly putty and find them (pennies or buttons)
• Craft activities that involve cutting, coloring and pasting
• String beads, macaroni or buttons and copy a pattern
• Draw and make letters in different media such as sand, dirt, with chalk outside, magna doodle and shaving cream
• Practice drawing and writing on a vertical surface (easel or wall)--working on a vertical surface helps to develop strength in the shoulder/wrist and encourages proper grasp Use small pieces of crayon and chalk to encourage more mature grasp
• Pick up small objects with tweezers such as cotton balls and put into a container
• Put clothespins onto a coffee can or clothes line, play card games like go-fish and clip cards together using clothespins
• Pick up 5 coins one at a time keeping the other ones in your hand (don't let your other hand help) and then bring them out one at a time to put into a slot without dropping the other ones
• Practice fasteners: buttons, snaps, zippers and tying. Try two different colors on laces to tie
• Practice cutting shapes, lines or curves. Can cut index cards or playdough /silly putty to improve strength
• Put common objects under a towel or into container of rice/sand. Without using eyes have child feel for an object and try to ID it
• Play "Finger Tug of War": Have your child tightly grip a plastic lace, coffee stirrer etc. between their index finger and thumb, then challenge them to resist your tugging from the other end
• Trigger toys: any toys like squirt bottles, water guns, gripper toys making sure the child is using index and middle finger to squeeze/squirt while holding the bottle/toy with their ring and pinky finger

Suggested Commercial Games / Toys:

• Ants in the Pants
• Legos
• Don't Break the Ice
• Tinker- Toys
• Cooties
• Play Dough or Silly Putty
• Perfection
• Pick-up-Sticks
• Operation
• Etch-a-Sketch / Magna Doodle
• Hi-Ho Cherry-O
• Don't Spill the Beans

Regular Education Classrooms
Students are instructed by a regular education teacher and have access to the general education curriculum.  Modifications and/or accommodations to instruction and materials may be provided as documented by the IEP.  Class size may range from 20 to 35 for academic classes and larger for some elective classes such as Physical Education.

Inclusion Classrooms
TAM Classrooms:  A regular education teacher and a special education teacher share the teaching responsibilities and often times, both teachers are in the classroom at the same time.  Students have access to the general curriculum.  One-third to one-half of the students are identified as having a disability while the other one-half to two-thirds of the classroom is comprised of regular education students.  Since two teachers are assigned to the classroom, class size range from 30 to 40 students.

Resource Room Classrooms
Students are instructed in a special education classroom with a certified special education teacher.  All students have an identified disability.  Students have access to the general curriculum to the greatest extent possible with supplementary and off-grade level materials being utilized when appropriate.  Small group and individualized instruction are provided.  Class size may range from 8 to 20.

Self-Contained Classrooms
Instruction is provided by a certified special education teacher for all academic subjects.  The student may have the same teacher for all academic subjects or may have a teacher of special education teachers that provide instruction.  Transitions throughout the day are kept to a minimum.

Integration Programs
Students participating in this program are in need of a more functional, life skills curriculum.  The curriculum focuses on the development of basic self-help skills, communication, applied academics and daily living skills.  As the students enter their middle and high school years, vocational skills development becomes a major focus of the program.  The goal of this program is to provide the skills necessary for the student to achieve increased independence in the home, school community and employment settings.

Intensive Learning Center Programs
The Intensive Learning Center is an alternative program that provides the student with a highly structured program.  Academic and behavioral issues are addressed.  Point systems are utilized to encourage appropriate behavior and students are rewarded for their efforts.  The classroom consists of a special education teacher, a paraprofessional and 8-12 students.  Students receive specialized instruction for all academics and non-academic classes.  The elementary Intensive Learning Center (Grades K-5) is housed at the McCullough Elementary School.  The secondary Intensive Learning Center (Grades 6-12) is a segregated program that is located at the Commodore School in St. Georges, Delaware.

Homebound Instruction
Homebound Instruction is an alternative program provided at home, hospital or related site for children suffering from an illness or injury.  It may also be provided on an emergency basis when the IEP team determines that such placement is both necessary and temporary and is consistent with requirements for the provision of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

Reading Support for Special Education
The Colonial School District provides reading support for teachers and students involved in special education.  The 1997 reauthorization of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act mandates the public schools provide access to the general curriculum for students participating in special education.  In keeping with this mandate the foundation of Colonial’s reading program for all students is the Harcourt Brace Language Arts program.  Many students who have been identified with an educational disability benefit from or require specialized instruction to support their skill development in reading.  To support this goal, Colonial provides consultative services to the special education teachers.  Services include the following:

• Providing teachers with current research on reading disabilities and instruction strategies.
• Assessment of student’s individual reading needs.
• Providing programming recommendations.
• Training individual teachers on implementation of specialized instruction programs.

For more information contact 323-2827.

One of the primary purposes of the IDEA is to “insure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for employment and independent living.”  Transition planning is the process of preparing students for life after leaving high school, including successful participation in post-secondary education or training, employment and community living.  It ensures that students will have an educational plan in place and receive the courses of study and experiences to prepare them for adult life.  It also links students to needed post-school services, supports and programs before they exit school.

In Colonial School District, transition planning typically begins in middle school.  The law requires that beginning at age 14 or in 9th grade, students must be asked about their post-high school goals related to employment, community participation, post-secondary education and training, and independent living.  Based on the student’s goals and preferences, a statement of the student’s courses of study that will help them achieve those goals is required.  The courses of student must be reviewed and revised annually.  Some middle schools begin this discussion as early as sixth grade.  The law also requires that beginning at age 14 students must be invited to their IEP meetings.

Beginning at age 16, a statement of needed transition services for the student, including, when appropriate, a statement of the services to be provided by any other agency must included in the IEP of every student with a disability.  The school, along with the student and his or her family develop a long-range plan for adult life.  Activities and strategies are identified that need to be completed over several years to help the student prepare for the transition to the adult world.  Not all of the activities will be the responsibility of the school.  Some things will be completed by the student, his or her family, or possibly outside agencies, such as DVR (Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) or DDDS (Division of Developmental Disabilities Services).

Another requirement of transition planning is to inform parents and students at least one year before the child reaches the age of majority under state law, age 18, that certain rights will transfer to the student.  Because of this, students need to understand their disability and how it affects them in school and the community, services that are available to them, and how to participate and advocate for themselves in the IEP process.

Parents play a valuable role in the transition process. The may be the best source of information in helping the IEP team understand the skills the student has or needs to achieve his or her post-school goals.  The transition planning process may help students understand that the courses they are taking in school have a direct relationship to achieving what they want to beyond school.  Actively involving the student in this process, with the support of their family, could motivate the student to stay in school.

The Colonial School District provides a wide variety of options in serving our 3 and 4-year-old children with special needs. DECC'S Early Choices Program provides special education and related services in homes, daycare and preschool settings for mild to moderately delayed 3 year olds. (DD and Preschool Speech Delayed). For those children with personal —social and language needs, who are not enrolled in childcare, preschool, or Head Start, Early Choices also operate (50%/50%) integrated playgroups at Wallace Wallin School. Playgroups run twice weekly for 2 hours. A nominal fee is charged for typical peers. Services for 4-year-old children are provided in several ways. Itinerant services are provided at Lambson Lane, Rose Hill, and Manor Park Head Start programs, as well as other preschool locations. Services are also provided in an integrated Jump Start classroom. This program is located at the McCullough Elementary School building. Jump Start classes operate 5 days per week and are available in the morning and afternoon. Related services, such as speech/language therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy are available as needed. The fee for typical peers is $100.00 per month.

3 and 4 year old children with physical, health, and/or cognitive needs who require more intensity of services within a special school setting, may receive services in the First Friends Preschool held at the John G. Leach School. Typical peers also participate in this program.

Children who attend Nurses N Kids for daycare and are eligible for special education services, receive the services of a special educator in that setting.
For more information, please call (302) 323-2951.

Online Resources

Division of Early Childhood
Parent Talk -Preschoolers
Get Ready to Read