Typical Services in Cheltenham

You’ve had your child evaluated and you now know that he/she is in need of special education services.  The question becomes, what services will best help your child and how can you receive them?  The following is a list of services that have been included in children’s IEPs or 504 plans in the School District of Cheltenham.  If you already have an IEP or 504 plan that includes services not listed here, please contact us so that we can add them to this page.  We will preserve your confidentiality.

(Please note:  This is not an exhaustive list of available services.)

Related Services (For IEPs only)

• Speech and language therapy
• One-to-One assistant
• Occupational therapy

Program Modifications and Specially Designed Instruction (For IEPs or 504s)

• Group counseling (small group and/or large group)
• Individual counseling
• Preferential seating near the teacher to help refocus child’s attention 
• Cues/prompts to refocus attention
• Close teacher proximity when giving directions and/or presenting a group lesson
• Have child repeat directions to make sure he understands what is being asked
• Provide opportunities for movement throughout the day, especially during longer lessons/activities
• Worksheets given one at a time
• Use of stimulus reduction techniques (windows, index cards to guide attention, reduced numbers of items on a page)
• Provide extended time for the completion of assignments, projects and tests
• Positive, specific praise, feedback and reassurance
• Make frequent checks for progress of classwork
• Use multi-modality lessons/activities
• Utilize concrete objects when teaching to give meaning to what child is learning and to enhance the learning process
• Use of checklist to remain organized
• Use role play to help child learn and internalize appropriate social skills with peers
• Use of large rubber band or similar means of channeling child’s energy (note: rubber band is connected to child’s desk so that child can manipulate it with feet during class)
• Encourage child to keep desk clear of unnecessary materials
• Individualized support for redirection and focusing
• Prioritize assignments
• Introduce and utilize organizational system
• Establish and post schedules and routines in the classroom
• At the end of each school day, an adult will meet with child to assist in organizing materials to go home
• Multi-Sensory diet approach
• Give child the choice to work independently during partner or small group activities
• Child cannot miss recess as a consequence
• When experiencing frustration or marked reduction in focus, child has the opportunity to express his/her competency on tests, projects and/or assignments by alternate means (e.g. share responses orally; dictate response to a scribe)
• Provide support for the copying of text and work from the board (e.g. having it copied by a partner or aide)
• Prepare child prior to an assignment that may cause anxiety or frustration by reminding child of successful strategies that have been used in the past and can be applied again
• Provide child with a “pep talk” prior to an assignment to motivate him/her
• Gain child’s attention prior to presenting material, giving directions or engaging in any form of communication (such as a greeting)
• Provide close monitoring of progress and completion of assignments
• Provide a space free of distractions when child is having difficulty completing an assignment because of a distracting environment (including specials)
• When presented with a long assignment, chunk the work and space it over several periods
• Provide advance notice and strategies to child prior to transitions which may cause anxiety or stress
• School social worker/counselor to provide a social skills development program to model, role play, and process in small and large groups to demonstrate various targeted social skills as they relate to positive peer relationships and self esteem.  Some topics to be covered are the understanding of body space, identifying feelings of self and others and responding to them, conversing appropriately with peers and adults, and negotiating problematic social situations
• Provide opportunities for peer interaction within structured and unstructured environments
• Encourage child to appropriately communicate concerns to the adults and peers in his/her school community after allowing him/her time to “cool off.”
• Utilize verbal and visual cues and prompts to elicit desired results in social and curricular areas.
• Ongoing communication between the staff working with child and his/her parents in the manner that is needed as child progresses during the school year or as changes occur
• Provide cues to refocus and redirect child
• Provide child with additional time to respond to verbal questions
• When child’s performance is inconsistent, teacher can take into account past demonstrations of achievement as a basis of measurement
• Provide individualized aide support to help with direction and redirection during academics, specials and recess
• Schedule a time for child to meet with his next year’s general education teacher and inclusion teacher prior to the first student day of the next school year
• The school social worker will collaborate and communicate with all staff who work with child to create a list of common language to be used.  This common language will also be shared with parents to use at home to help child integrate strategies needed to reduce frustration and oppositional behavior