Regular Meeting: Please be advised that the date of the regular board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, June 11, 2013 has been changed to Tuesday, June 18, 2013. Executive session will begin at 5 p.m. The regular public meeting will begin at 7 p.m. |
Parent Resources
little league challenger league
The Stafford Little League will once again be running a Co-ed Challenger baseball / t-ball team. We would appreciate it if you pass the information to the CST and appropriate students. The league is designed for any boy or girl grades K-6 that could not play regular little league or softball due to their physical or mental disability. Sign-up for the league will be Saturday, April 14th 12:30 at the baseball complex snack stand located on Doc Crammer Road. Registration will be $25 dollars. Practice/Games will be every Sunday at 10:00am starting Sunday June 3rd and ending Sunday July 29th. The team will also play a game under the lights at Blue Claws stadium Friday, June 22nd. If any parents need additional info they can contact me directly 609-597-5573 or jdipietro@srsd.net.
OCEAN COUNTY FAMILY SUPPORT IS PLEASED TO ANNOUCE OUR NEW
STATEWIDE PARENT ADVOCACY NETWORK (SPAN) FAMILY RSOURCE SPECIALIST
Donna Milanowycz will be starting at our offices at 35 Manchester Avenue, Suite 202, Forked River on Wednesday, March 28th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will be in our office every Wednesday. Feel free to contact her at 609-693-4121 X19 to set up an appointment or ask any questions.
For further information, please contact Janet Simmons, Community Outreach
Coordinator at 609-693-4121 X16.
RESOURCE FAIR AT JACKSON LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL
APRIL 16, 2012 7:00 PM TO 9:00 PM
Local resources in Mental Health, Social Skills Groups, Life Organizers, Transition,
Financial Planning, and Advocacy Resources & Information
Hosted by Jackson Parent 2 Parent
www.jackson.org and click on Special Education link for directions
Head Start for Special Needs Children Preschool children with special needs may include children with: visual impairment, blindness, hearing impairment, deafness, emotional disturbance, physical disability, developmental disability, health impairment, speech and language impairment, and Downs Syndrome. Our program offers a variety of options: full day, half day with transportation, modified full day and Home Based.
Ocean County Head Start locations include: Toms River, Lakewood, Barnegat, Manchester, South Toms River, Brick, Lakehurst and Tuckerton!
For more information, contact Renee Cogan, Special Needs Manager for Head Start, at OCEAN, Inc. at 732-244-5333 x918 or visit http://oceaninc.org/headstartchilddevelopmentprogram.html
OCEAN COUNTY FAMILY SUPPORT ORGANIZATION
PARENTS EMPOWERING PARENTS 1
2ND AND 4TH TUESDAY OF THE MONTH- 6:30 TO 8:30 P.M.
REGISTRATION IS APPRECIATED 609- 693-4121 X 10
OCEAN ACADEMY, 160 ATLANTIC CITY BLVD., BAYVILLE, NJ
PARENTS EMPOWERING PARENTS 3
2ND WEDNESDAY MONTHLY- 6:30 TO 8:30 P.M.
OCEAN PARTNERSHIP, 1610 RTE. 88, 3RD FLOOR, BRICK, N. J.
FREE DINNER AND CHILDCARE - 609-693-4121 x 10
NEW GRANDPARENTS GROUP
4TH TUESDAY MONTHLY 10:00 A.M. TO 12:00 P.M.
OCFSO OFFICE, 34 MANCHESTER AVE. SUITE 202, FORKED RIVER, NJ
PLEASE REGISTER 609-693-4121 X 10
INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN (IEP) CLINIC
3rd Wednesday monthly from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
OCFSO Office, 34 Manchester Ave., Suite 202, Forked River, N. J.
Registration Required - coffee/tea and light snack - no childcare
609-693-4121 x 10
UMDNJ Launches 24-Hour Helpline for Moms (or Dads) of Children with Special Needs
"Mom 2 Mom" is a 24-hour helpline for mothers of children with special needs that was recently launched by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The women who serve as peer counselors when answering calls have their own children with special needs.
Mothers with special needs children are at-risk for depression and related disorders (Reuters, 4/18/2008). Studies show parents of special needs children have significantly higher divorce rates than those with typically developing children. Medical illness, financial stressors, faith based issues, and employment struggles often accompany the challenges of being a primary caregiver of a special needs child.
When you become a mother it is often a miraculous experience in your life. When your child is identified as having special needs, it is potentially the most devastating experience of your life. As the primary caregiver, mothers try to "fix" everything for their child. Some challenges cannot be fixed, but rather adapted to. The "MOM 2 MOM" Peer Support Helpline Program answers the need.
An abundance of resources for children with special needs have been established with a focus on advocacy, education, and financial support for those loved ones. The missing link, however, has been the recognition for the needed services for the primary caregiver's mental health and wellness, specifically a service for mothers.
By dialing 1-877-914-MOM2 (1-877-914-6662), a mother or father of a child with special needs will receive the following services:
Mom 2 Mom Peer Support- M2M Peer Supporters will be available to provide telephone peer support to callers in need. Moms of special needs children trained in peer counseling and crisis support will offer peer support, explain resources, and explore your needs. Mom 2 Mom peer support is also available through our website for a live chat experience.
Mom 2 Mom Clinical Assessment - M2M Clinicians will be on the helpline as part of the team of clinical professionals available to do telephonic assessment and gauge the depression, anxiety, and family and marital issues, and so forth, that may be impacting your life.
Mom 2 Mom Network- A M2M database of specially trained service providers will be available for referrals for your mental health needs.
MOM 2 MOM Support Groups- Within your communities, Mom Peer Supporters will be available every month for Mom 2 Mom support groups.
Cub Scouts - Grades 1 - 5
Boy Scouts - Ages 10 to 18
Venturing - boys & girls ages 14 to 21
Contact: Wayne Holmes whomes@jerseyshore-bsa.org
or Todd Lamison tlamison@jerseyshore-bsa.org
Toms River Clayton Service Center, Toms River, NJ
Citta Scout Reservation, Barnegat, NJ
WORKSHOPS FOR STAFF & PARENTS
The Long Beach Island School District has joined the Regional Professional Development Academy. Our membership provides access to the workshops for our staff and parents.
These workshops are free for our Long Beach Island staff and parents. Please check out the offerings at: www.lehsd.k12.nj.us/rpda/welcome.html
Pre registration is required.
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FREE FAMILY WORKSHOPS
BIRTH TO 14 YEAR OLD CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Have you been wondering what the future holds for you and your family member with a developmental disability? At this session you will learn about the different systems that may touch your life,what each has to offer, and what some of the similarities and differences are among them. Come discover what your next steps might be to help your child and your family. Join other families, become empowered and engaged in life’s journey!
For more information and to register:
Family Support Center of NJ
Phone: 800-372-6510
Fax: (732) 528-4744
Register Online at: www.fscnj.org
Parents/Guardians of children from birth to age 14 are encouraged to attend! Please let us know if you need special accommodations when you register Please register as soon as possible as seating is limited
The New Jersey Consortium of Deafblindness
Center for Assistive Technolofy & Inclusive Education Studies
www.njcdb.org Phone: 609-771-2768 Fax: 609-637-5144
Workshop information is available on the website
Location: The College of New Jersey, Dept. of Special Education, Language & Literacy P. O. Box 7718, Ewing, NJ 08628-0718
Parents Empowering Parents (PEP) - First & Third Wednesdays
Little Egg Harbor Senior Center, 641 Radio Road, Little Egg Harbor
Registration Required - Call Annie 732-281-5770 or Pat 609-204-2800
Food and Childcare is Provided.
Children Inter-Agency Coordinating Council (Family CIACC)
Go-between local and state agencies for children's behavioral health services. 4th Tuesday of every other month at 7 PM. Food & Childcare.
Call: Annie 732-281-5770 X 16
ATLANTIC RIDING CENTER FOR THE HANDICAPPED (ARCH)
206 Asbury Road, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234-7121
609-926-2233 Fax - 609-926-1930 www.ARCH206.ORG
Email: ARCH206@aol.com
Individual Weekly sessions: half hour once a week.
Little Egg Harbor Senior Center, 641 Radio Road, Little Egg Harbor
Registration Required - Call Annie 732-281-5770 or Pat 609-204-2800
Food and Childcare is Provided.
Children Inter-Agency Coordinating Council (Family CIACC)
Go-between local and state agencies for children's behavioral health services. 4th Tuesday of every other month at 7 PM. Food & Childcare.
Call: Annie 732-281-5770 X 16
New Jersey's youth and young adults.
We are here to help you find solutions to the problems that you face at home, at school or at play. You can call 2NDFLOOR at (888)222-2228. And, if you aren't ready to talk but are looking for support, post a message at 2NDFLOOR stuff. The message board will provide you with ideas, thoughts and insight from 2NDFLOOR staff as well as from your peers.
SOCIAL SKILLS GROUPS - 10 WEEKS - CHILDREN & ADOLESCENTS
SOCIAL SKILLS GROUPS ARE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR CHILDREN TO FEEL CONNECTED AND SUPPORTED BY PEERS IN A SAFE AND NURTURING ENVIRONMENT. THROUGH SUPPORTIVE GUIDANCE, ROLE PLAYING, MODELING, AND FEEDBACK, CHILDREN CAN FEEL MORE CONFIDENT WHEN INTERACTING WITH OTHERS AND WILL BEGIN TO MAKE BETTER CHOICES IN THEIR DAILY LIFE FOR ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL SUCCESS.
CHERYL KASPER, MSW, LCSW
732-600-0971
10 ALLEN STREET SUITE 2A
TOMS RIVER, NJ 08753
www.OceanCountySocialSkills.com
http://www.nj.gov/education/lrc/pd
There is a wide variety of workshops available.
Tutoring
Georgian Court University - Community Learning Center
School of Education, Raymond Hall West, Lakewood, NJ
Remedial or Enrichment Services (classified & non-classified) K - 12
Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Study Skills $25.00 per hour
Certified Elementary, Special Ed or Reading Specialists
Tuesday & Thursday Sessions:
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
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DYSLEXIA - INFORMATION:
Classifying Dyslexia
In the field of special education, dyslexia is classified as a common learning disability but its very nature has never been studied until late in the 20th century. Prior to extensive research studies about dyslexia, this condition was just a last resort description of a child who could not manage to read despite the absence of obvious causes such as poor eyesight and poor hearing. A child, who appears to have average or sufficient intelligence but could not read or spell correctly is considered dyslexic. Additional researches revealed that dyslexia has a neurological basis. The National Institutes of Health described it as an inherited condition that is linked to the 6th chromosome. Today, after further studies of the brain, dyslexia is not just hereditary. It is the absence of phonemic awareness. A phoneme is the smallest unit of speech or spoken word. Without the ability to understand, distinguish and manipulate phonemes, a child could not link sounds to letters. The absence of phoneme awareness is the major and root characteristic of dyslexia. With this knowledge about dyslexia, there are now three types of dyslexia. These are trauma dyslexia, deep dyslexia, and developmental dyslexia.
Trauma Dyslexia
Trauma dyslexia, which is also referred to as acquired dyslexia, is the rarest type of this learning disability. It is not inherited at all. It is caused by a brain injury or a serious illness that has adverse effects on the functions of the brain. The child, before suffering from trauma dyslexia, had the ability to read and comprehend written words. But due to a brain disease or an infarction to parts of the posterior cerebral artery, the ability to make sense of words disappears. In younger children, the frequent cause of trauma dyslexia is called "glue ear." It is a conductive hearing loss that is due to flu, cold, or other ear infections. The loss of the ability to hear spoken words prevents the child from acquiring phonemic awareness.
Deep Dyslexia
Deep dyslexia, which is also known as primary dyslexia, is the hereditary type of this condition. It runs in families and the identified culprits are in chromosomes 6 and 15. The affected hemisphere of the brain is the left, resulting in what scientists described as an "unusual wiring." There seems to be a disorganized architecture of the brain with neurons appearing in areas where they don't usually go. In a deep of primary dyslexia, the left hemisphere could not be utilized efficiently, forcing the child to compensate with the right brain. This is why some of signs of this type of dyslexia include left-handedness, above average athletic and artistic abilities, and intuitive interpersonal skills. Unfortunately, the accompanying dyslexia symptoms include allergies, recurrence of intestinal problems, and various immune disorders.
Developmental Dyslexia
Developmental dyslexia, which is also called as secondary dyslexia, occurs during the developmental stages of the fetus. There were problems in the development of the brain leading to impaired neurological abilities in word recognition and spelling. The good news about this type of dyslexia is that the severity of the condition decreases as the child grows older. The child may continue to struggle with the dyslexia symptoms throughout his or her puberty but may perform well in college if there were early interventions, especially in phonics instructions.
DYSEIDETIC DYSLEXIA:
Dyseidetic Dyslexia
If a child has difficulty in reading and/or spelling because he or she is unable to remember whole irregular sight words (also known as eidetic words) this condition is known as Dyseidetic Dyslexia. Someone with Dyseidetic Dyslexia does not face any problem in understanding phonics but s/he cannot recapitulate the nature of the word.
Persons with Dyseidetic Dyslexia can easily spell the words that are phonetic but will be at a loss reading or writing words that are non-phonetic such as: the, what or does. It is said that a straight phonics approach does not work well for children with Dyseidetic Dyslexia. In other words, phonics-based reading approach is not for the individuals with Dyseidetic Dyslexia. Dyseidetic Dyslexia is also called ‘Visual Dyslexia’ or ‘Surface Dyslexia’ because it’s all about viewing symbols and processing them effectively into written words.
There is strong evidence that Dyseidetic Dyslexia, is genetic, and that it is passed down to each generation in varying degrees regardless of the gender of the child.
While there are many theories about how to treat Dyslexia, there is in fact no actual cure for it. The school has to develop a plan with the parent to cope up with the child's deficiency.
DYSPHONETIC DYSLEXIA:
Auditory dyslexia, also known as dysphonetic dyslexia, is a disorder that affects a person's ability to distinguish individual letter sounds within words. Usually there is nothing wrong with the person's hearing, but the brain is unable to correctly process the sounds it receives. While visual dyslexics can have trouble identifying written letters, auditory dyslexics have the same kind of problems hearing letter sounds. Some of the symptoms are:
- Difficulty understanding verbal instruction or directions
- Slow to respond in conversations
- Says "Huh" or "What" a lot
- Speech problems. Confusing some word sounds like "R" and "L" sounds
- Need for information to be repeated
- Slow to learn to speak
- A very poor speller
The most prominent symptoms in auditory dyslexia are difficulty remembering letter sounds, identifying individual sounds in words and combining these sounds into words. Vowel sounds may particularly be troublesome, since each vowel can have several sounds.
It is important to note that these symptoms can also be caused by hearing problems or other issues and not necessarily by dyslexia. If someone is exhibiting any of these symptoms, an important first step is to have their hearing tested. There is also some evidence that chronic ear infections in a child's first two years may be linked to auditory dyslexia. As with any indication of dyslexia, it is important to have an evaluation done by a competent team of professionals to confirm a diagnosis. While there are online tests available, they should only be used to help decide on professional testing.
Teachers can be an important resource when diagnosing dyslexia. They often have a better opportunity to observe a child as they are trying to learn. A discussion with a child's teachers should be one of the first steps taken when you are trying to determine if a child has a problem. Child psychologists and teachers who specialize in teaching the learning disabled are other excellent choices to include in the discussion during the diagnostic stage. These professionals can be found through contact with international, national and state organizations for dyslexia or learning disabilities. They can also provide testing and other resources and tools for dealing with dyslexia. Often, online forums can be a good place to discover where others found help. They can also provide support for both you and the person suffering from dyslexia.
While auditory dyslexia is less common than other forms of dyslexia, it is still a serious disorder. As with all forms of dyslexia, there are many tools and teaching methods that can be used to cope with this disability. While there is no cure, people who live with dyslexia every day should investigate and pursue those options.
In the field of special education, dyslexia is classified as a common learning disability but its very nature has never been studied until late in the 20th century. Prior to extensive research studies about dyslexia, this condition was just a last resort description of a child who could not manage to read despite the absence of obvious causes such as poor eyesight and poor hearing. A child, who appears to have average or sufficient intelligence but could not read or spell correctly is considered dyslexic. Additional researches revealed that dyslexia has a neurological basis. The National Institutes of Health described it as an inherited condition that is linked to the 6th chromosome. Today, after further studies of the brain, dyslexia is not just hereditary. It is the absence of phonemic awareness. A phoneme is the smallest unit of speech or spoken word. Without the ability to understand, distinguish and manipulate phonemes, a child could not link sounds to letters. The absence of phoneme awareness is the major and root characteristic of dyslexia. With this knowledge about dyslexia, there are now three types of dyslexia. These are trauma dyslexia, deep dyslexia, and developmental dyslexia.
Trauma dyslexia, which is also referred to as acquired dyslexia, is the rarest type of this learning disability. It is not inherited at all. It is caused by a brain injury or a serious illness that has adverse effects on the functions of the brain. The child, before suffering from trauma dyslexia, had the ability to read and comprehend written words. But due to a brain disease or an infarction to parts of the posterior cerebral artery, the ability to make sense of words disappears. In younger children, the frequent cause of trauma dyslexia is called "glue ear." It is a conductive hearing loss that is due to flu, cold, or other ear infections. The loss of the ability to hear spoken words prevents the child from acquiring phonemic awareness.
Deep dyslexia, which is also known as primary dyslexia, is the hereditary type of this condition. It runs in families and the identified culprits are in chromosomes 6 and 15. The affected hemisphere of the brain is the left, resulting in what scientists described as an "unusual wiring." There seems to be a disorganized architecture of the brain with neurons appearing in areas where they don't usually go. In a deep of primary dyslexia, the left hemisphere could not be utilized efficiently, forcing the child to compensate with the right brain. This is why some of signs of this type of dyslexia include left-handedness, above average athletic and artistic abilities, and intuitive interpersonal skills. Unfortunately, the accompanying dyslexia symptoms include allergies, recurrence of intestinal problems, and various immune disorders.
Developmental dyslexia, which is also called as secondary dyslexia, occurs during the developmental stages of the fetus. There were problems in the development of the brain leading to impaired neurological abilities in word recognition and spelling. The good news about this type of dyslexia is that the severity of the condition decreases as the child grows older. The child may continue to struggle with the dyslexia symptoms throughout his or her puberty but may perform well in college if there were early interventions, especially in phonics instructions.
If a child has difficulty in reading and/or spelling because he or she is unable to remember whole irregular sight words (also known as eidetic words) this condition is known as Dyseidetic Dyslexia. Someone with Dyseidetic Dyslexia does not face any problem in understanding phonics but s/he cannot recapitulate the nature of the word.
Persons with Dyseidetic Dyslexia can easily spell the words that are phonetic but will be at a loss reading or writing words that are non-phonetic such as: the, what or does. It is said that a straight phonics approach does not work well for children with Dyseidetic Dyslexia. In other words, phonics-based reading approach is not for the individuals with Dyseidetic Dyslexia. Dyseidetic Dyslexia is also called ‘Visual Dyslexia’ or ‘Surface Dyslexia’ because it’s all about viewing symbols and processing them effectively into written words.
There is strong evidence that Dyseidetic Dyslexia, is genetic, and that it is passed down to each generation in varying degrees regardless of the gender of the child.
While there are many theories about how to treat Dyslexia, there is in fact no actual cure for it. The school has to develop a plan with the parent to cope up with the child's deficiency.
Auditory dyslexia, also known as dysphonetic dyslexia, is a disorder that affects a person's ability to distinguish individual letter sounds within words. Usually there is nothing wrong with the person's hearing, but the brain is unable to correctly process the sounds it receives. While visual dyslexics can have trouble identifying written letters, auditory dyslexics have the same kind of problems hearing letter sounds. Some of the symptoms are:
- Difficulty understanding verbal instruction or directions
- Slow to respond in conversations
- Says "Huh" or "What" a lot
- Speech problems. Confusing some word sounds like "R" and "L" sounds
- Need for information to be repeated
- Slow to learn to speak
- A very poor speller
The most prominent symptoms in auditory dyslexia are difficulty remembering letter sounds, identifying individual sounds in words and combining these sounds into words. Vowel sounds may particularly be troublesome, since each vowel can have several sounds.
It is important to note that these symptoms can also be caused by hearing problems or other issues and not necessarily by dyslexia. If someone is exhibiting any of these symptoms, an important first step is to have their hearing tested. There is also some evidence that chronic ear infections in a child's first two years may be linked to auditory dyslexia. As with any indication of dyslexia, it is important to have an evaluation done by a competent team of professionals to confirm a diagnosis. While there are online tests available, they should only be used to help decide on professional testing.
Teachers can be an important resource when diagnosing dyslexia. They often have a better opportunity to observe a child as they are trying to learn. A discussion with a child's teachers should be one of the first steps taken when you are trying to determine if a child has a problem. Child psychologists and teachers who specialize in teaching the learning disabled are other excellent choices to include in the discussion during the diagnostic stage. These professionals can be found through contact with international, national and state organizations for dyslexia or learning disabilities. They can also provide testing and other resources and tools for dealing with dyslexia. Often, online forums can be a good place to discover where others found help. They can also provide support for both you and the person suffering from dyslexia.
While auditory dyslexia is less common than other forms of dyslexia, it is still a serious disorder. As with all forms of dyslexia, there are many tools and teaching methods that can be used to cope with this disability. While there is no cure, people who live with dyslexia every day should investigate and pursue those options.
