This Month’s Recommended Resource:

 

Disaster Preparation for People with Disabilities

September is National Preparedness Month, a time to encourage people to prepare for natural disasters or other emergencies.

People with disabilities may have unique needs in case of a disaster or emergency; advance planning can be key to maintaining their safety. TxSpot’s Resource of the Month for September 2024 is a pair of resources about emergency planning for persons with disabilities. These resources can help families to be prepared in case of a disaster or emergency.

From the Red Cross:  Disaster Safety for People with Disabilities  

From Ready.gov:  People with Disabilities | Ready.gov   (Information available in 11 different languages.)

 

Resource of the Month

2024 

This Month’s Recommended Resource:

The Dyslexia Handbook

Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders

2024 Update

 The Texas State Board of Education has updated the Dyslexia Handbook.

 The updated handbook was made effective on June 30, 2024. It is designed to align with the         requirements of Texas House Bill (HB) 3928 from the 88th regular legislative session.  Local   Education  Agencies (LEAs) are required to follow the guidelines outlined in the Handbook for   screening and evaluation of students for dyslexia.

 The Handbook includes a chapter on dysgraphia. 

      The English version of the Handbook is available here: Dyslexia Handbook 2024

      The Spanish version of the Handbook is available here: Manual Sobre Dislexia

  For a summary of the updates made to the 2024 Dyslexia Handbook, follow this link: 

        Dyslexia Rule and Handbook Effective June 30 | Texas Education Agency

Resource of the Month

2024

Fun Things to Do in the Summer in Texas!

The following is a list of some fun summer activities in Texas for kids with special needs and their families.

Beaches – Info about accessible beaches and beach wheelchairs:

            Texas Beach Accessibility Guide

 Galveston, TX Beach Wheelchair Program | Visit Galveston

 Handicapped Beach Accessibility / South Padre Island, Texas (myspi.org)

 Corpus Christi Beaches with Wheelchair Accessibility (visitcorpuschristi.com)  

Accessible and Inclusive Playgrounds:

             

             Accessible and Inclusive Playground Directory| Accessible Playgrounds - Texas

             Play For All Park - City of Round Rock (roundrocktexas.gov)

             Bear Branch Park – the Woodlands, Texas

Wheelchair Friendly Attractions in Texas:

Morgan’s Wonderland Theme Park - Where Everyone Can Play       

Riverwalk, San Antonio - a beautifully landscaped waterfront lined with restaurants and shops.  

Space Center, Houston  - immerse yourself in the past, present and future of space exploration.

The Alamo, San Antonio – where Texas history is brought to life. 

SeaWorld, San Antonio – marine mammal park, oceanarium and animal theme park.

            SeaWorld Accessibility Information 

Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington – the original Six Flags theme park.

            Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington Accessibility Information

Texas State Aquarium, Corpus Christi  - largest aquarium in Texas with over 300 animal species

            Texas State Aquarium, Corpus Christi Accessibility Information

Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas – contemporary installations, paintings, and sculptures.

The Wortham Theater Center, Houston – performing arts center in downtown Houston.          

Accessible State Parks:

State Parks for Kids with Special Needs

National Parks and Museums – (free or reduced admission):

National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Access Pass

Museums for All

Adaptive Sports and Recreation:

FUNdamental Sports -- Special Olympics of Texas

RISE Adaptive Sports – Adaptive. Recreation. Sports. (Grapevine, TX)

Adaptive Sports for Kids – 100% free of charge to help kids with special needs participate in sports  (Nederland, TX)

Day Trips and Staycation Ideas:

Family Day Trips and Staycation Ideas Around Houston | Kids Out and About Houston

Family Day Trips and Staycation Ideas Around Dallas | Kids Out and About Dallas

Family Day Trips Around San Antonio | Kids Out and About San Antonio

Family Day Trips and Staycation Ideas Around Austin | Kids Out and About Austin

 

 

Resource of the Month

2024

This Month’s Recommended Resource:

Texas Autism Conference

In Person | June 20-21

Virtual | June 20-22, 2024

Family Day | June 22, 2024

  

The 32nd annual Texas Autism Conference is sponsored by the Texas Education Agency and coordinated by the Texas Statewide Leadership for Autism Training (TSLAT) and the Region 13 Education Service Center (ESC). The goal of the conference is "to promote increased awareness and understanding of evidence-based practices, interventions, standards, and services in the area of autism.” It will provide opportunities for professional development and networking for educators (including related service providers), for administrators, and for students with autism and their families.

The in-person sessions will be held at Region 13 ESC in Austin, Texas on June 20–21. The sessions on June 20 & 21 will also be available to attend virtually. All sessions will be recorded and available on-demand through August 21, 4:00 PM.

Family Day will be held on June 22 and will be virtual only; Registration for Family Day is free.

Registration Deadline:  June 12, 2024, at 4:00 pm.

For more details about the conference agenda and to register, go to

Texas Autism Conference 2024.

 

  Resource of the Month

2024

 This Month’s Recommended Resource:

The TEA/ATIA Online Course Program Portal

The Texas Education Agency has partnered with the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) to offer FREE, UNLIMITED access to ATIA online courses for all educators, support staff, and parents serving students across Texas.  

The programs include live and recorded sessions by national experts on a variety of topics. Stand-alone sessions are available as well as Texas-specific bundles designed to meet the professional development needs of special educators, general educators, related service providers, parents, and more! 

Online courses are 60 to 90 minutes in length, and continuing education units (CEUs) are available once a course is completed.

TEA makes available a state subscription to the ATIA for all educators and families of students with disabilities within the state of Texas. Those who meet this requirement can visit the Texas ATIA subscription page and use the access code provided there to take advantage of these resources through 8/31/2024. 

This Month’s Recommended Resource:

 

American Physical Therapy Association’s

Factsheet:

School Emergency Management Planning for Students with Disabilities

April’s Resource of the Month is the new Factsheet from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA): School Emergency Management Planning for Students with Disabilities, published in March 2024.

 

Schools are expected to keep children safe from emergency events. The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends the creation of an Emergency Operations Plan. School administrators should ensure that the plan meets the needs of all students, including those with disabilities.

 

The Factsheet: School Emergency Management Planning for Students with Disabilities was developed by a volunteer workgroup of the APTA Pediatric Physical Therapy’s School Special Interest Group. The Factsheet provides guidance to initiate and/or improve emergency management planning in the school setting. Although developed as a guide for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, it is meant to be shared and discussed with the educational team.

This Month’s Recommended Resource:

 

The CDC’s Developmental Milestone Checklists

and  

Everyday Evidence: Updated CDC Developmental Milestone Checklists

(a podcast from the AOTA)

The Resource of the Month for March 2024 includes two items: the CDC’s Developmental Milestone Checklists and a podcast from the AOTA: Everyday Evidence: Updated CDC Developmental Milestone Checklists.

1. The Developmental Milestone Checklists from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have been updated using evidence-informed methodology.  The revision of the 2004 Developmental Surveillance Milestone Checklists was made available in 2022. The Checklists use plain language to make clear what most children (75% or more) are expected to do at a given age.  

CDC's Developmental Milestone Checklists can assist school-based therapists to be knowledgeable about what pre-school and kindergarten age students are expected to be able to do socially, emotionally, communicatively, cognitively, physically, and self-help-wise. This knowledge can help school-based therapists to partner more effectively with educators and to advocate for the needs of young children.  

2. The AOTA’s podcast, Everyday Evidence: Updated CDC Developmental Milestone Checklists, discusses the updated CDC Developmental Milestone Checklists with two OTs who are ambassadors for the CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. program. They discuss the changes to the checklists as well as principles of developmental screening, surveillance, and monitoring.

 

 

This Month's Recommended Resource:     

The Texas Education Agency’s

Related Services for Students with Disabilities - Questions and Answers

The document, Related Services for Students with Disabilities - Questions and Answers, from the Texas Education Agency was revised in March 2023 and has answers to 13 questions the agency has received about related services. Some of the questions are:

• What is meant by the term “related services?”
• Is a student with a disability who needs only a related service but no special education eligible for related services under the IDEA?
• What is meant by the frequency, location, and duration of a related service?
• Can students being served under Section 504 receive related services and support?

For the answers to these and nine other questions, go to

Related Services for Students with Disabilities – Questions and Answers

Dr. Patty Laverdure will be the guest speaker at our January 11 Occupational Therapy Leadership Group Meeting, 12:00 Noon – 12:30 PM. She will discuss the topic, Quality Indicators for School-Based Practice, including some recent information about how school-based practitioners are using quality indicators in their practice. 

(Register to attend the Jan. 11 Occupational Therapy Leadership Group meeting)

 

In honor of Dr. Laverdure, January’s Resource of the Month is:

A podcast from AOTA:

Everyday Evidence: Quality Indicators for School-Based Practice

This Everyday Evidence podcast features Patty Laverdure, assistant professor and program director of Occupational Therapy at Old Dominion University School of Rehabilitation Sciences in Virginia. In it, she shares her work regarding quality indicators for school-based practice, outlining a systematic review on occupation and activity-based interventions for children and youth to improve performance of activities of daily living, play, and leisure.

Link to: Everyday Evidence: Quality Indicators for School-Based Practice 

(Workshop)

Behavior and the Impact on the Daily Life of a Student

Presented by Audra Hastings,

Licensed Board-Certified Behavior Analyst

Livestream January 24, 2024, 8 AM – 3:30 PM

or

On-Demand until March 20, 2024

Workshop Brochure: Behavior and the Impact on the Daily Life of a Student

To Register:  https://tinyurl.com/3btzm34w 

or Audra Hastings Workshop Registration

 

For more information, contact Chelsa Linsey at Chelsa.Linsey@hcde-texas.org  or 713-696-8236.

   

This Month’s Recommended Resource:

 Caseload to Workload Resources

 

The Resource of the Month for November 2023 is a set of 4 resources about

      Caseload to Workload

 

1. Joint Document from AOTA, APTA, and ASHA: Workload Approach: A Paradigm Shift for Positive Impact on Student Outcomes
2. A one-hour continuing education course from AOTA: Caseload to Workload: Overcoming Barriers in School-based Practice

This course will help you better understand the differences between Caseload and Workload approaches. It will highlight evidence supporting the transition to a workload approach for therapy services in the school setting.

3. From AOTA: Tips to consider if you would like to adopt a workload approach
4. November 9, 12:00 Noon – 12:30 PM – Combined Occupational Therapy Leadership Group (OTLG)  and Physical Therapy Leadership Group (PTLG) meeting, featuring guest speaker, Jean Polichino, OTR, MS, FAOTA, discussing the Workload model.

This Month's Recommended Resource:

An Internal Journey: Practical Social Thinking Strategies to Support Students with Emotional Dysregulation, Alexithymia and/or Challenging Behavior

-------------

An online workshop presented by Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC-SLP, founder and CEO of Think Social Publishing, Inc.

Available on demand through January 3, 2024, with registration closing December 15, 2023.

(Brochure)      (Register at https://tinyurl.com/5axj6bza)

Were you unable to attend the in-person

TOTA 2023 OT & PT Service Delivery in Schools conference?

Seven recorded sessions are now available on-demand in the

TOTA Learning Management System:

Keynote: Continuum of Services for Students with Disabilities in Schools

   Speaker: Kristin McGuire, MPA, TEA Senior Director of Special Education Programs and Policy

 

Every Moment Counts: Promoting Mental Health Throughout the Day

     Featured Speaker: Susan Bazyk, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

 

Optimizing Collaboration to Maximize Student Outcomes: Inter-agency Process and Product

        Speakers: Jessica Barreca, PT, DPT and Amy Schlessman, PT, DPT, DHSc

 

Practical Strategies to Transition from a Caseload to a Workload Model in School-Based Practice

        Speakers: Francine M. Seruya, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA and Mindy Garfinkel, OTD, OTR, ATP

 

Primitive Reflex Assessment/Intervention addressing Learning Differences

   Speakers: Beth Goodrich, OTR, ATP, PhD, FAOTA; Lois Goodin, DPT; Kathlyn Reed, PhD, OTR, MLIS, FAOTA

 

OT Focus Breakout Session: Dysgraphia - What's my Role?

    Speaker: (TxSpot’s own) Amy Collins, OTR, MOT

PT Focus Breakout Session: The Diagnosis and Treatment of Gait Deviations in Cerebral Palsy

     Speaker: Edward A. Wright, MD

Link: TOTA 2023 OT & PT Service Delivery in Schools on demand sessions

The School-Based Therapy Services division of

Harris County Department of Education

is sponsoring

School-Based Leadership Groups

 School-based personnel meet via Zoom to discuss topics, exchange information and ideas, discuss strategies, explore solutions, and connect with other interested individuals. The 30-minute meetings are held online during lunchtime.

 

​Physical Therapy Leadership Group

Meeting content will be focused on school-based physical therapists and physical therapist assistants

Meeting Time:  12:00 Noon – 12:30 PM

    Meeting Dates:  September 19, October 17, November 14, January 16, February 20, March 19, April 16, and (newly added) May 1

                Register in advance for this meeting:

https://hcde-texas-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtd-yqqTMtGdCPzqRLwxomAIxvUPmatrwo

      (After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.)

 

And our NEW

Occupational Therapy Leadership Group

Meeting content will be focused on school-based occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants

Meeting Time:  12:00 Noon – 12:30 PM

   Meeting Dates:  September 28, October 19, November 9, January 11, February 8, March 7, April 11

                Register in advance for this meeting:

https://hcde-texas-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pd--grT8rHtLPs5QrGsBmoZZb6ePTLnPK

              (After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.)

TxSpot's Resource of the Month for July 2023 is the upcoming conference for school-based physical therapy.

The conference is offered by the APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy's School Special Interest Group. It will highlight advanced practice issues as well as foundational information for school-based practice. The sessions will provide information on decision-making and educationally relevant physical therapy services to support students with disabilities in their educational programs. Nationally recognized speakers will address federal laws, assessment, service provision, clinical education and mentorship, as well as innovations in practice.

Advance registration for the in-person conference closes on

July 7th

(The Foundational track [Friday, July 28] will be available virtually for a separate registration fee later in the year)