2023 Behavior Post
November Notes From Your ESC6 Behavior & Autism Specialists
Gratefulness or Thanksgiving?
(An excerpt from a PMC article)
So how do you know if you are operating from a spirit of gratitude? As already mentioned, gratitude is an important part of keeping a healthy psychological outlook, but it is closely related to thankfulness. So, what are the differences?
- Thankfulness fades - Gratitude remains: Gratitude often begins as thankfulness, but the difference happens when you keep your focus on everything that remains as thankfulness fades. Gratitude will stay with you.
- Gratitude deepens our inner connections - Thankfulness is external: We feel thankful when something happens externally. When we practice gratitude, we rely on our inner voice to stay positive and remain appreciative in all circumstances.
- Thankfulness is about the present interaction - Gratitude improves the long-term relationship: You may feel thankful to someone at the moment, but gratitude is an ongoing showing of appreciation in your relationships. Practicing gratitude in your relationships will bring you closer to the ones you love.
Although gratitude and thankfulness are closely related, gratitude provides you with a longer-lasting feeling of satisfaction and improved well-being. Practicing gratitude has proven to offer many benefits to individuals.
The Post is driven by gratitude for each opportunity, and each person we are honored to live and learn from. We appreciate the many unsung heroes in our midst. Thank you so much for all you do! November is more than Thanksgiving, so check the many reasons to celebrate. November is also designated as the National Native American Heritage Month.
November 6-10 is National School Psychology Week! The National Association of School Psychologists states School psychologists are uniquely qualified members of school teams that support students' ability to learn and teachers' ability to teach. They apply expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior, to help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. School psychologists partner with families, teachers, school administrators, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments that strengthen connections between home, school, and the community. Thank you! I am happy to celebrate this amazing profession.
Last but not least, our hearts break for the many people who are experiencing great suffering. For those who are providing assistance to them, here is a Multilingual Trauma Resource provided by The Child Institute. Violence is harmful in all languages. TEA has also prepared a resource for teachers to utilize when speaking about the Israeli-Hamas war. Our hearts are heavy for the innocent war victims all over the world.
Upcoming Trainings
Gratitude
November 2 - Student Discipline and the Law (Chapter 37) - 9:00 am - 3:30 pm - $100 (lunch provided) - Hybrid Event # 538393 (see flyer below)
November 3 - Ages, Stages and Behaviors - presented by Dan St. Romain - 9:00 am -3:30 pm - face-to-face $60 Event #532466
November 7 - The Dangerous or Disruptive Student: Maintaining a Safe Campus While Complying with IDEA - Toolbox 4.2 - presented by Jim Walsh - 9:00 am - 4:00 pm - $60 - Event # 535186
November 10 - Speech-Language Pathology Statewide Learning Series:
Mental Health and Social Insights for Speech Professionals providing services for Students with ASD - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm - free virtual Event # 539773November 13 - Behavior Specialists Network: Accessing Mental Health - presented by Stephanie Duer - 3:30 - 5:00 pm - free and virtual Event # 538256
November 14 - Project TEDD: Training Educators in Dual Diagnosis: How To Best Serve Students with IDD and Mental Health Needs - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm - free Event # 535518
November 16 - MTSS/TIER: Interconnected Systems of Support: Getting Started at the District/Community Level - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm - presented by Fabiana Bezerra- free and virtual Event # 536509
Hope
December 4 - Brown Bag Spotlight: The School Discipline Fix: Changing Behavior Using the Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach - presented by Fabiana Bezerra - free and virtual, from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Event #535299
December 5 - Supporting Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities - Eyes on the "A" of ABA: Antecedent-Based Interventions that Work - presented by Lisa Rogers - 4:00 - 5:00 pm free and virtual Event #535655
December 6 - Christian Moore - founder of WhyTry? and author of Resilience Break Through will be speaking on Supporting Students' Mental Health & Resilience - 1:00 - 3:00 pm - Hybrid Event # 547544 - signed book copies will be available for those attending face-to-face.
December 7 - MTSS/TIER Behavior & Mental Health Modules: Interconnected Systems Framework: Getting Started at the School Level - presented by Fabiana Bezerra 9:00 am -12:00 pm free and virtual Event #536510
December 12 - Restorative Discipline Practices Support Group: Tier 2 Practices - free and virtual Event #537836
New Beginnings
January 18 - Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) Best Practices with Dr. Gail Cheramie & Dr. Ginger Gates - $60 - 9:00 am - 4:00 pm face-to-face $60 Event # 548157
Januray 25 - Project TEDD: Training Educators in Dual Diagnosis: How To Best Serve Students with IDD and Mental Health Needs - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm - free face-to-face Event #535520
January 29 - Brown Bag Spotlight: Reimagining School Discipline for the 21st Century Student Engaging Students, Practitioners, and Community Members - presented by Fabiana Bezerra - free and virtual, from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Event #535300
January 30 - AS+K About Suicide to Save a Life - Basic Gatekeeper Training - presented by Bezerra, Naylor & Ybarra - 9:00 - 12:30 pm - free and virtual Event # 547887
Additional Trainings
Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma (ALMA)
Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma (ALMA): Addressing Mental Health Needs among Latina Immigrant Women in Washington State
Wednesday November 15th — 10 - 11:30 AM Pacific
Latina immigrant women are at increased risk of depression and anxiety symptoms, due to the many social and economic stressors they face, as well as significant barriers to accessing quality mental health care. Join us as Dr. India Ornelas, professor of health systems and population health at the University of Washington School of Public Health, presents results from the Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma (ALMA) intervention studies, including efforts to disseminate the program to Latinas living in the Yakima Valley of Washington State.
Virtual Program: Intersecting SEL, Social Justice & Equity
Cohort 8: November 2nd & 16th, 2023, 4:00-6:30 PM
Please register now to ensure yourself a spot.
Join us for this virtual, interactive, two-session program that will focus on helping individuals and teams from schools, districts, and other youth-serving organizations develop a shared understanding of the intersections of SEL and social justice.
Participants will:
- Develop a clear rationale why successful SEL implementation depends upon this intersection
- Assess the current state of leveraging SEL in service of social justice and equity in your community, including strengths, gaps, resistance, and opportunities
- Leave with new insights and resources for implementation
Program Format
- Two 2.5 hours sessions via Zoom
- Participants are encouraged to attend with other team members from your school, district, or community organization
- Participants will meet in the same cohort configuration for both sessions, so as to develop a sense of community and strengthen networks of support
Addressing Overidentification of Autism in Asian American Students
Students identified with disabilities have lower academic outcomes, decreased interaction with peers who do not have disabilities, and decreased postsecondary outcomes compared with peers who do not have disabilities. Educators must constantly work to ensure that identification of disability conditions is accurate and free from racial and cultural bias. Federal and state policies mandate that identification of a disability is not due to racial or cultural differences. Identifying racial or cultural differences as disability conditions has negative repercussions for both the student and the local education agency. In December of 2016, Title 34, Section 300.646, of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations ordered states and local education agencies (LEAs) to collect and examine data in disability identification by race and ethnicity. This initiative was aimed at preventing racial discrimination in special education referrals. The regulations acknowledged that overidentification can lead to special education services for students when these services are not actually needed. This course explores a trend which may have been unexpected but accounts for the largest category of overidentification of a specific disability condition by race/ethnicity in Texas. This category is the overidentification in Asian American students with autism, a disability condition which the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines as significantly affecting verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and social interaction. Overidentification of autism in Asian American students is a concerning trend which can be reversed with the use of evidence-based practices in the evaluation of culturally and linguistically diverse students.
As a result of this session, participants will
1. Identify what the research says about overidentification of disability conditions in specific racial and ethnic categories.
2. Identify effective methods for reducing disproportionality.
3. Design informal evaluation measures including parent interviews and dynamic assessments.
This is an intermediate course, and participants will earn 0.3 ASHA CEUs.Session ID: 1765088
Schedule: Nov 7, 2023
ESC4
TIER Online Courses Available Now
All Texas educators may access these courses for free on the TEALearn website and earn Continuing Professional Education (CPE) hours.
Information & Inspiration
What's up with Reading and Behaviors?
Caution:
- This document is meant to serve as a general guide for what you can expect at each grade level in reading skills and is based on Common Core standards, as well as Fountas and Pinnell’s reading levels.
- Each grade level builds upon the previous level. For example, a second-grade student should be capable of the skills listed at the kindergarten and first-grade level, as well as the second-grade level. • These behaviors represent end-of-year expectations, so there should be definite progress made toward them throughout the school year.
- Some of these skills can be taught via explicit instruction methods, but others will happen more naturally through whole group modeling and think-aloud.
Here is the link to the PDF doc titled Common Reading Behaviors.
Reading for Understanding in
Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade - A What Works Clearinghouse Resource
can empower everyone to take action and play a role in creating
safer schools and communities. Published by SchoolSafety.gov
The School Health Program awards funds to Texas schools and school districts for projects that improve or promote health.
Restorative Justice-Practices
in Philly Public Schools
This is a product by Elevatus
Parents Corner
Sounds for Your Pleasure
For More Information
Fabiana Bezerra, LSSP, NCSP
ESC 6 Behavior & Autism Specialist for Special Education
Email: fbezerra@esc6.net
Website: https://www.esc6.net/
Location: Education Service Center Region 6, Montgomery Road, Huntsville, TX, USA
Phone: 936-4350-8252
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Region6ESC
Twitter: @escregion6