• Child Study Team members, specialists in the area of disabilities, school personnel, and parents are responsible for identification, evaluation, determination of eligibility, development and review of the individualized education program, and placement.

    The Child Study Team is a multidisciplinary group of professionals that provide parents and teachers with a variety of learning related services. Federal and state law emphasizes the importance of parents as key decision makers in the educational process. The model is a team approach in which separate professionals assess the impact of a child’s learning, behavioral, emotional, social, community, health, communication and language functioning. The Child Study Team provides students and parents with the most comprehensive and reliable method of assessing children’s needs and recommending appropriate  educational and related services.

    The Child Study team members include: School Psychologist, Learning Disabilities Teacher/Consultant (LDT/C), Social Worker and Speech Language Specialists. These educational specialists are responsible for conducting evaluations for determining eligibility for special education and related services for students with disabilities. 

     

    Meet Alexandria's CST Members and Speech and Language Specialists:


    Joy Dominic, CST Supervisor, L.D.T.C.  

    The LDT/C functions in the school environment as an educational diagnostician, instructional programmer and CHild Study Team member. The LDT/C is required to be dually certified as a teacher. The LDT/C uses their understanding of classroom functioning , effective teaching and adaptive instruction to help students maximize their learning potential and provide practical assistance to their teachers. Additionally, the LDT/C provides student/teacher consultation, preventative pre-referral intervention, assessment, coordination of services, and program development. The LDT/C communicates effectively with parents and school personnel. An educational assessment shall be the responsibility of the LDT/C employed by the district Board of Education. The assessments shall include standardized assessments, review of student’s work samples and the student’s records, classroom observation, interviews of teacher and other relevant parties, evaluation and analysis of the student’s academic performance and learning characteristics.

     

    Andrea Damboise, CST Secretary
     
    Kimberly Glucksman, School Psychologist and Anti-Bullying Specialist 
     
    The School Psychologist is a specialist with training and experience in psychology, as it applies to education. They use their training and skills to collaborate with parents, educators and other professionals to ensure that every child learns in a safe and supportive environment.The School Psychologist tailors their services to the particular needs of each child and each situation The School Psychologist is trained to assess and counsel students with behavioral, emotional, or educational concerns through consultation, prevention, intervention, crisis management, evaluation and program development. A psychological assessment shall be the responsibility of a School Psychologist employed by the district Board of Education. The psychological assessments shall include standardized and functional appraisals of a student’s current cognitive, intellectual, adaptive, social, emotional and behavioral status in the context of their environment.

    Kerrie Eisenhardt, BCBA

    Services are provided based on a student’s individual needs.The Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) works in cooperation with the Child Study Team and Intervention Team  to develop a positive behavior intervention program for students. The BCBA consults with administration, staff, and parents to develop appropriate learning strategies and positive behavior interventions in order to support students to access instruction and make academic progress in the least restrictive environment.

    Amy Murray and Sara Slack, Speech and Language Specialists

    Speech- Language Specialists: Speech-Language Specialists are experts in all areas of communication who make assessments, analyses and classifications of students’ communication competencies and characteristics. As a member of the educational team, the Speech Language Specialists participate in the planning of the educational programs for children with communication disorders. Speech Language Specialists plan, prepare and deliver treatment programs for children with speech and language deficiencies. They also serve as resource persons in the area of speech and language development for parents and school personnel. A Speech and Language assessment shall be the responsibility of the district’s Speech/Language Pathologist. The assessment shall include observations of the student in other than a testing session, consultation with the classroom teacher, communication with the parent(s)/guardian(s), and an evaluation and analysis of speech and language development. Speech and Language services are often delivered in a variety of school settings according to an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
     
    Therapeutic Intervention Services, Occupational Therapy
     

    Occupational Therapy: Services are provided based on a student’s individual needs, not the disability or special education classification. School based occupational therapy (OT) is provided when a student needs therapy to function in an educational environment. School based OT helps students develop skills necessary for a student to function at school, which may be different from medically based services. 

    Students who may require occupational therapy services are identified through the use of formal and informal assessments. OT services can be delivered in a variety of ways depending on the child’s strengths and areas of difficulty. Direct OT services consist of group or individual sessions provided in class or out of class where the child’s specific goals are addressed through hands-on purposeful activities. Indirect services such as consultation and/or monitoring are provided to those children who have achieved specific goals or require more adaptation rather than remediation.

    When a student makes progress, the amount of OT that the student receives may be decreased. When a student reaches all of their goals or the student has reached the highest expected functional level, OT is usually discontinued.

     

    Physical Therapy: Services are provided based on a student’s individual needs, not the disability or special education classification. School based physical therapy (PT) helps students accomplish gross motor activities. These are the large muscle groups including walking, jumping, carrying heavy or multiple items, amongst other things. The school PT works on school related goals to help students benefit from their educational programs. These may include increasing access to school resources, classroom mobility, or increasing a student’s ability to safely maneuver in the school’s hallways. For young children, PT also includes self-help skills and gross motor skills on the playground and in physical education class. Therapy may be provided individually or in small groups. Collaborating with educational staff to modify the child’s environment and daily school activities is also a part of school therapy.

    The need for therapy is determined through an evaluation that consists of formal and informal assessments. The amount, frequency, and duration of therapy is determined by the PT and reviewed annually.Changes in these services may be made in accordance with the student’s needs at that time. A student may be discharged from school based therapy services when they reach all of their PT goals or the student has reached the highest expected functional level.

     
    NJDOE Parental Rights In Special Education