Professional Background and Experience of an Interviewee
I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. B, who worked in Regan Schools for 12 years, ten years as a middle school teacher, and two years as an elementary teacher before becoming an LDTC (Learning Disability Teacher Consultant). She holds a bachelor’s degree in media studies and journalism, an elementary teacher certification, a master’s degree, and a special educator certification.
Composition and Roles within the Child Study Team
The Child Study Team at her school includes her as the LDTC, the school social worker, and the school psychologist, who attends every meeting. In addition, the special education teacher, the general education teacher, and the student herself are sometimes present as needed. Related services professionals, such as speech, occupational, and physical therapists, are invited to attend the meetings if the student receives these services. The student’s parents are also invited to this meeting. Sometimes, the administration wants to participate in individualized education program (IEP) meetings; if the student has medical needs, the principal, vice principal, and school nurse may do this.
Process Description
At the school in question, the principal and vice principal wish to be invited to all IEP meetings, and they attend when possible. Additionally, the school nurse is invited to determine if the child is taking medication or has any underlying medical issues. Thus, she usually attends the initial meetings where children are first referred to get information about their medical conditions.
The general education teacher may refer the student to the IRS (Intervention & Referral Services) team if the student requires classification (Fabiano et al., 818). The IRS team then develops an intervention plan; if it does not work, the results are referred to the Child Study Team. Once CST is complete, the staff conducts an initial eligibility meeting to determine if the student requires evaluation for special education services. Sometimes, parents can refer their child directly to the Director of Special Services. In this case, there is no IRS team to counsel the child. If there are speech, OT, or PT problems and this referral is made, the related services team will conduct a classroom observation before the first meeting and then inform the members whether they believe the student should attend the meeting.
Influence of School Districts on LDTCs
The school district where Ms. B teaches has switched to Encore. Letters are completed on their end based on the student information entered into these databases. In Ms. B’s district, her school has 120 classified children and only three Child Study Team members assessing their caseloads, compared to other districts, where some CST members have caseloads of 20.
The caseloads are huge in other places, such as Riverside school districts and large districts. In large districts, LDTCs are limited to testing and reporting, rather than case management. It is different in every district. Nevertheless, the essence remains the same: there is an LDTC, a child school psychologist, and a social worker, but depending on the district, the meeting responsibilities vary.
Responsibilities of an LDT Consultant
Ms. B is in charge of the entire process, which includes setting up the IEP, contacting the teachers, arranging a suitable time for them to meet, sending reminders to the teachers to attend the meeting, and then having the school psychologist and social worker submit their reports. The school psychologist conducts either a reevaluation or an initial evaluation, which includes a cognitive evaluation. The school psychologist conducts a cognitive assessment, which estimates the child’s IQ and other areas, such as visual-spatial and verbal reasoning.
The social worker presents the social history report. The team then comes together and reports the results first to each other and then to the parents. At the meeting, each member of the CST summarizes their assessment. Regarding related services, occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech therapy (SP) services will take place in a school setting.
Purpose of Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy aims to help children with special needs participate more fully in school by improving their fine motor skills and enhancing their success in daily activities. Physical therapists assist students with disabilities in overcoming physical challenges and achieving their educational goals. A significant focus of the specialists’ work with children with disabilities is communication.
In elementary school, it is different from independent children. However, in the case of a child on a field trip or a child with inclusion at Biffano School, both teachers are part of the team. The Annual Review and Reassessment are the longest meetings if they are initial meetings.
LDTC specialists are concerned with the educational impact on students with disabilities in and out of the classroom. The LDTC is responsible for administering Woodcock-Johnson Method testing in reading, writing, and math. First, basic reading skills, reading comprehension, and reading fluency are assessed; then, math fluency, including math facts, problem-solving skills, and computation, is evaluated.
Team members coordinate the results to decide if special education is an option. Ms. B believes that when team members have diverse educational backgrounds, it provides different perspectives and aids in decision-making. Children who come to many districts as dyslexic have private reports that they have dyslexia. As LDTC specialists on the Child Study Team, the specialists do not diagnose dyslexia.
However, if a parent concludes that their child has dyslexia, the child requires a specific type of reading instruction program, such as the Orton-Gillingham or Wilson method. Once clients are categorized, they do not receive the resources and support of RTI. Ms. B concluded by stating that she intends to change how the funds are used and increase accountability from the state to ensure that the district’s schools are using the resources for their students.
Work Cited
Fabiano, Gregory A., et al. “Special Education for Children with ADHD: Services Received and a Comparison to Children with ADHD in General Education.” School Mental Health 14.4 (2022): 818-830. Web.