All services are provided by our licensed audiologist, Jana Wahlen.

Adapted P. E.     Back To Top

Adapted Physical Education adapts, modifies and/or changes a physical activity so it is as appropriate for the person with the disability as it is for a person without a disability. The Kankakee Special Education Cooperative provides educators who, in cooperation with district staff address the individualized needs of children and youth who have gross motor developmental delays. Assessment and instruction by qualified personnel gather assessment data and provide valid Physical Education instruction. The Adapted Physical Educator writes goals and objectives that are measurable. These goals and objectives are reflective of the Physical Education instructional content and monitored/evaluated according to district policy to ensure the best interests of the students. This is a direct service and is developmentally appropriate Physical Education. In addition, the Kankakee Special Education Cooperative supplies consultation services assisting Regular Education staff with students participating in Physical Education Programs.

Behavior Intervention     Back To Top

Behavior Intervention Services provide in-service trainings for staff with topics including Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), legal issues in Special Education, the process of Functional Behavior Assessment, and the development of Behavior Intervention Plans.

Behavior Intervention Services meet individually with a staff team to strategize behavior management techniques specific to individual students or groups of students. Observations, identification of function of behaviors, and recommendations for individual students demonstrating behavioral issues are provided in attempts to provide students with the appropriate intervention needed for their academic success. These services assist and communicate with staff to problem solve and provide creative solutions to difficult student situations.

CHARACTER COUNTS!     Back To Top

In the 2009-2010 school year KASEC will implement a program called CHARACTER COUNTS! into its curriculum. Each month one of the Six Pillars of Character will be emphasized throughout the program. It is believed that the incorporation of character education will aid in the growth of academic and personal success.

About CHARACTER COUNTS!

CHARACTER COUNTS!, created by Josephson Institute, is the most widely implemented approach to character education, reaching millions of youth. CHARACTER COUNTS! is:

* A framework based on basic values called the Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
* Embraced by thousands of schools, communities, public agencies and nonprofit organizations for a simple reason - it works.
* Nonprofit, not religious or political (though used by both secular and faith-based groups, and supported by public officials of both major parties).
* Not a curriculum or add-on, but a powerful means to advance curricular and behavioral goals.

TOKEN ECONOMY     Back To Top

One of the most often used behavior management techniques, especially in settings for students who have learning or behavioral difficulties, is the token economy system. A token economy involves awarding tokens, chips, stickers, check marks, points, or other items/markings to students who demonstrate desired behaviors identified. Students attending the Alternative Day School Program at KASEC may periodically exchange earned tokens for rewards, which are items or activities desirable to them.

Token economies are often quite effective for students who are resistant to other types of motivational or behavior management techniques. Other benefits of this system are ease of administration, the use of immediate reinforcement (tokens) while teaching delayed gratification (holding tokens until trade in time), lack of boredom or satiation for the student due to the availability of a variety of back-up reinforcers, and lack of competition between students as they compete only against themselves.

More info about token economy click here.

Occupation Therapy     Back To Top

Occupation Therapy in the school provides therapy to a variety of children who have difficulties in the following areas, but not limited to: fine motor, visual motor and sensory processing. Delays in these areas could lead to difficulty in writing, coloring, cutting, and using small manipulatives.

Occupational Therapy also provides teachers and students assistance in modifying the classroom and or academic work to meet each student's needs for them to be successful within the classroom environment.

A licensed Occupational Therapist performs the evaluation and establishes the treatment goals. A licensed OTA and or the OT provides the school based therapy at your child's school during his/her school day.

Physical Therapy     Back To Top

Physical Therapy in the school setting provides gross motor training to those students whose abilities are delayed secondary to a birthing injury, disease process, genetic abnormality, traumatic brain injury, or other diagnosis that impact the child's gross motor skills. During the physical therapy evaluation, strength, range of motion, balance, coordination skills, and the ability to walk are all examined.

Based on the findings, the PT looks to see if the child shows a delay that impacts his/her ability to access their education. These areas would include walking in a hall, up/down stairs, handling a ball, and overall balance in various positions.

A licensed Physical Therapist and/or licensed Physical Therapy Assistant provides the therapy for your child at his/her school during school hours in the event your child qualifies for services.

School Social Work     Back To Top

School social workers assist in assessment, intervention, and prevention services to students. Assessments of a student's adaptive behavior skills, cultural background, and socioeconomic situation help in the evaluation of behavioral, emotional, social, and attention-span concerns which can interfere with a child's achievement of the maximum academic benefit from educational opportunities.

School social workers provide intervention services through direct counseling of individual students and groups of students, as well as through consultation with school personnel, family, and representatives of outside resources involved with supporting students' learning. School social workers help students understand themselves and others, develop self-control, cope with stress, take responsibility for their actions, and develop decision-making skills. School social workers are in a position to understand educational systems and processes as well as the psychological and social forces that affect behavior. Their training allows school social workers to intervene in ways that take into account the many factors which affect the student at school in order to support the student's academic improvement.

School social workers provide services which are designed to prevent school failure, school violence, and dropping out of school. These services include positive programs which teach character development, conflict resolution skills, social skills, and substance abuse prevention skills to prepare students for productive citizenship.

Vision Impairment     Back To Top

Itinerant vision services are offered to students who have a diagnosed visual impairment. Itinerant teachers are teachers that travel to multiple schools within a district or designated area. A certified special education teacher with an emphasis in low vision and blind education provides necessary accommodations in order for students to access their educational environment and materials. Services may include individual instruction in the use of specialized equipment to compensate for the vision loss, integrated instruction in the classroom, and consultation with appropriate staff.

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT DEFINED

Students with visual disabilities are those who have disorders, in BOTH the structure within the ocular pathway AND function of the eye that with the best correction and medical treatment, interfere with learning. These students would exhibit one or more of the following conditions:

     •Reduced visual acuity, usually 20/70 or less in the better eye after best possible correction.
     •Restricted field of vision, to the degree that it affects the student's ability to function academically.
     •Progressive and/or permanent eye conditions as noted by an eye specialist on an ocular report.
     •Temporary eye conditions such as post-operative retinal detachment where placement for a limited time is recommended.
     •Medically diagnosed cortical visual impairment.