School Counselors’ Role in Special Education

Julie Vazquez Dixon

Branden HackneyMegan Kingsley

IDEAIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act

Ensures individuals suffering from disabilities receive appropriate education in least restrictive environment

Requires public schools to develop Individualized Education Plans (IEP) that outline specific special education and related services to meet needs of individual students

IEP Must be developed by team of

knowledgeable persons and reviewed annually

If parent disagrees with IEP, they can request a due process hearing or appeal a state’s decision

504 States that no individual in US with a

disability should be excluded from, denied benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal funding

Considers child as having a disability if that child functions as though disabled

Differences between IDEA and 504 504 is a civil rights statue; IDEA is federal

programmatic statue IDEA receives federal funds; 504 does not All students who qualify for IDEA are

automatically covered under 504 Some students do not qualify for IDEA but

do qualify for 504 Students who qualify for 504 receive

accommodations in regular classroom

IDEA Eligibility

Autism Deaf-blindness Developmental Delay Emotional Disturbance Hearing Impairments Learning Disabilities

Mental Retardation Multiple Disabilities Orthopedic Impairments Other Health Impairments Speech or Language

Impairments Traumatic Brain Injury

504 Eligibility Child must have identified physical

or mental condition that substantially limits major life activity: Walking Seeing Hearing Speaking

Breathing Learning Working Caring for self

504 Examples Includes:

communicable diseases temporary disabilities allergies asthma illness due to the environment

School Counselor’s Role Defined by ASCA:

Advocacy Transition planning Behavior modification Counseling parents Making referrals to specialists Improving self-esteem Working as part of the school multidisciplinary team Teaching social skills Serving as consultants to parents and school staff

Consultation Role Multidisciplinary team approach Mandated by IDEA when identifying students

with special needs Team members must include:

parents, classroom teacher(s), the special education teacher, a school psychologist (or an individual who can interpret evaluation results), an administrator with the authority to make decisions

may include: speech and language clinician, a physical and/or

occupational therapist, a school counselor, and other professionals.                    

Offering “Related Services” Example: If social skills are inhibiting

academic progress, then social skills should be identified on the Individualized Education Program (IEP) as the skill area affected by the disability.

IDEA does not require that a student obtain a psychiatric diagnosis to be eligible to receive related services. Counseling is referred to as a related service under IDEA

Duplication of Services Students with disabilities who are involved

in counseling activities are getting double services, once from special education and another time from the counselor.

Some school counselors make it a point not to actively counsel students with disabilities because they feel that they are already getting services from special education and that special education students are not on their caseload

Case Study- ADHD A first year teacher comes to you in

despair because of the behaviors of an extremely hyperactive student in her classroom. She has tried to be patient with the student but is at her whit’s end. She has not contacted parents yet and the student has not been tested for ADHD but you think it might be a good idea.

What do you do? What strategies do you suggest for the teacher?

Working with ADHD Students Remember, you can NOT suggest

that the child be tested for ADHD… you and your school could be sued and have to pay for the testing/treatment

Functions of ADHD related behaviors Avoid/escape tasks Gain adult or peer attention Gain access to an object or activity Sensory stimulation

DePaul, G & Eckert, T. (1997). Interventions for students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: One size does not fit all. School Psychology Review, 26, 369-382.

Strategies for ADHD Students Establish clear rules 1-2-3 Warnings 2 minute notices Behavior Picture Catch good behavior Time Limits

http://www.familyeducation.com/whatworks/item/group-index/0,2554,1-9126,00.html?detoured=1

Case Study- Autism Michael is a high-functioning student with autism in the

7th grade. He is currently being mainstreamed and receives resource services through his Language Arts class (a resource teacher in addition to the regular ed. teacher). Recently, the regular ed. teacher Ms. Kingsley reported to you that Michael has been retreating into his own world more and more. This is not new behavior but it seems to be occurring more often and it is starting to affect his performance in class. The resource teacher Ms. Dixon reports that he is a very bright student, but has difficulty making friends because he is lacking in social skills. In fact, the science teacher Mr. Hackney reports that Michael eats lunch with him every day.

What do you do? What strategies do you suggest for all of the teachers involved with Michael?

Suggestions for Social Stories Social Stories should…

Be in the first person, and if possible, use the client as the main character.

Be specific to the situation a child is facing.

Be succinct Include what not to do (behavior that is

occurring) and options for what they can do instead.

Social Stories The use of social stories was developed

by Carol Gray for use with children with autism spectrum disorders including Asperger’s Syndrome. These stories are used to teach children appropriate social behaviors (safety, self-care, manners, behavior in specific settings, sharing, etc.) by providing them with real life social situations and appropriate responses.

Case Study- Transitions Branden is beginning his senior of high school.

Since 4th grade he has been attributed accommodations do to an IEP. As he grew in the educational system, his accommodations also progressed to reflect new needs. Entering high school, a meeting was set up to once again assess his IEP.

Now in his senior year, Branden is preparing for college and is concerned about his disability. He and his parents have scheduled an appointment to speak with one of his teachers, Mrs. Vasquez, and his school counselor, Ms. Kingsley. What should they do?

Important Aspects

Facilitate the development of a plan of action

Help with understanding the disability Empowering the student to seek help and

to advocate for himself Be accessible to advocate or facilitate

understanding between all involved parties (family, student, the future place of higher education).