Special Programs & Services News
October 2022
In This Issue
Parent Education Events
This month our Family Education Night will be on Wednesday October 19, 2022 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm at Reed Elementary School. Limited Childcare will be available for students 5th grade and younger. Students of all grades are welcome to attend the sessions and ask questions alongside their families. Our Coffee Chat will be held on Friday October, 21 from 10:00am-11:00am on zoom.
All previous Parent Night presentations are housed on the Parent Meeting Archive for asynchronous access.Support Group Survey
We are excited to have our parent nights back underway, and we need your help! We are surveying families to see what kind of support groups you all would like to see happen this school year. Our support groups are great opportunities for our families to come together, talk to one another, share resources and experiences. The survey form will close on Friday, Oct. 21st. Support Group meeting dates will be announced in the November Special Programs newsletter.
Copia Consulting
In 2019, LISD engaged with COPIA consulting to identify areas of improvement for our department. We received 7 recommendations that were adopted and targeted efforts were implemented. This Fall, we have invited COPIA Consulting to return to LISD for a progress update as well as identify next steps for us. A series of Parent Symposiums will be conducted to gather information from parents regarding your experiences with Special Education services in Leander ISD. Click here to learn more about the Parent COPIA symposiums.
Department Spotlights
Did you know that providing access to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can actually have a positive impact on the development of spoken language?
Cici Fritts and Candace Hayden, the Assistive Technology Team at LISD, are here to support our AAC users! We want all of our students to be able to say whatever they want, to whoever they want, whenever they want! And if we want our students to be successful communicators, we need your support!
What can you do? Pick one word you can model on the device during your regular daily routines. Talk about the places you "GO," the things you "LIKE," ask for "HELP," and "GET" the things you need. Keep it fun and don't require a response!
If you would like more information, training, or coaching, be sure to reach out to Cici (cici.fritts@leanderisd.org) or Candace (candace.hayden@leanderisd.org), or join us at the monthly Family Education Nights.
A Homecoming to Remember
It's Homecoming Season! As Kylie Schafer has been preparing to tackle her senior year at Cedar Park High School, our teachers of the Visually Impaired and Orientation & Mobility Department pulled together to help make this Homecoming special!
Lazer Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser!
Support our LISD Lazers Special Olympics Program by stopping by Mighty Fine in Cedar Park Saturday, October 29th 7:30-9:30am! The funds raised will go towards equipment, uniforms, and rental fees. Tickets are $10 and must be purchased online. Online ticket sales will begin October 1st on the Lazer Website. We appreciate your support!
Raising Awareness
White Cane Day
The President of the United States annually recognizes White Cane Day by the Blind Americans Equality Day Proclamation on October 15th to acknowledge the abilities of people who are blind and to promote equal opportunities as any other American. The mission of White Cane Day is to educate the world about blindness and how the blind and visually impaired can live and work independently while giving back to their communities, to celebrate the abilities and successes achieved by blind people in a sighted world and to honor the many contributions being made by the blind and visually impaired.
Leander ISD is coming together to celebrate White Cane Day with families of students with visual impairments. If you are interested in joining the celebration contact your Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments.
Dyslexia
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin and affects around 15-20% of the world’s population. Some of the characteristics of Dyslexia include:
Difficulty reading words in isolation
Difficulty accurately decoding unfamiliar words
Difficulty with oral reading fluency (slow, inaccurate, or labored without prosody)
Difficulty with spelling
Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person’s life. Our Special Programs Coordinators have created a parent presentation that focuses on the various characteristics and risk factors of Dyslexia and Related Disorders. Parents may ask for a meeting with the campus to discuss their concerns and/or to request a full individual evaluation for dyslexia or a related disorder at any time. This request can be made in writing to their child’s teacher, campus administration, the campus counselor, or the diagnostician.
For additional information and/or related resources, you can visit LISD Dyslexia Services website.
Down Syndrome
October is also Down Syndrome Awareness Month. People who have Down Syndrome have a unique triplication of their 21st chromosome. Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas (DSACT) is hosting a variety of events in the community to help raise awareness and celebrate those with Down Syndrome.
Community Resources
- October is AAC Awareness Month and AAC apps are on sale from October 11th-17th! If you are interested in having your own copy of your student's communication app on your home device, these discounts are available through the app store, no coupon code needed.
- Any Baby Can offers a variety of free classes to guide first-time and experienced parents through the journey of parenthood. This fall they are offering virtual and in-person Nurturing Families and Fatherhood Classes this fall. Click here to visit their website and learn more.
Important Notes
Upcoming SELF Program Tour
Self-Determination Skill of the Month
This month's Self-Determination skill is Goal Setting. Goal Setting helps promote leadership skills and responsibility in our students. It is important for students to be able to set achievable, realistic goals to follow through. At home you and your student can create simple, short-term goals that can be achieved in one week. While setting short term goals, it's important to identify at least 3 action steps that can help the student achieve that goal. Identifying action steps will allow them the opportunity to monitor their progress on the goals and celebrate successes. View the poster of the month to learn more about goalsetting. You can also visit our Self-Determination page to explore the other skills.