Services for Students

Adapted Physical Education (APE) is an alternative physical education program that involves modifications and/or accommodations to the regular physical education program. Adapted PE programs are usually provided directly in the general education PE class.

Schools must provide physical education opportunities for students with disabilities that promote the following:

• Development of physical and motor skills
• Development of fundamental motor skills and patterns (throwing, catching, walking, etc.)
• Skills in aquatics 
• Skills in dance and individual and group games and sports (including intramural and lifetime sports)

District 65 currently has two full-time APE teachers whose responsibilities include the following:

• Evaluations completed per the recommendations of the IEP teams
• Provide therapy in pull-out and collaborative service models
• Provide technical support to staff regarding student needs, such as sensory diets, assistive technology, and adaptive methods
• Write evaluation reports, therapy notes, and data collection analysis
• Attend eligibility and annual review conferences
• Provide input and consultation at RtI meetings
• Participate in professional development
• Perform other duties as assigned by principals and supervisors

Adapted Physical Education Resources

• Adapted Physical Education National Standards
• National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability
• P.E. Central: Adapted Physical Education Resources
• P.E. Central: Parent Link
• Special Olympics

School Health Services are provided by a qualified school nurse to enable a student with a disability to receive a free, appropriate public education as described in the child's IEP.

*Note: Health services are available to all District 65 students. They become a related service when the student with an IEP requires the service in order to be able to benefit from their special education program.

Some examples of health-related support include the following:

• Special feedings
• Clean intermittent catheterization
• Suctioning
• The management of a tracheostomy
• Administering and/or dispensing medications
• Planning for the safety of a child in school
• Ensuring that care is given while at school and at school functions to prevent injury (e.g., changing a child’s position frequently to prevent pressure sores)
• Chronic disease management
• Conducting and/or promoting education and skills training for all (including the child) who serve as caregivers in the school setting. (U.S. Department of Education, 2003) 

Health Services Resources

• District 65 Health Services Department
• Illinois State Board of Education: School Health Issues

Occupational Therapy (OT) is designed to help students with disabilities improve, develop, or restore functions impaired or lost through illness, injury or deprivation; improve ability to perform tasks for independent functioning if functions are impaired or lost; and prevent, through early intervention, initial or further impairment or loss of function.

OT services, provided by a qualified occupational therapist, can enhance a child's ability to function in his/her educational program and may include the following:

• Self-help skills or adaptive living, such as eating and dressing
• Functional mobility, such as moving safely through school
• Positioning, such as sitting appropriately in class
• Sensory-motor processing, such as using the senses and muscles
• Fine motor performance, such as writing and cutting
• Gross motor performance, such as walking and athletic skills
• Life skills training/vocational skills
• Psychosocial adaptation

District 65 currently has nine Occupational Therapists whose responsibilities include the following:

• Evaluations completed per the recommendation of the IEP teams
• Provide therapy in pull-out and collaborative service models
• Provide technical support staff regarding student needs, such as sensory diets, assistive technology, and adaptive methods
• Write evaluation reports, therapy notes, and data collection analysis
• Attend eligibility and annual review conferences
• Provide input and consultation at RtI meetings
• Attend school and department meetings
• Participate in professional development
• Perform other duties as assigned by principals and supervisors

Occupational Therapy Resources

• Developmental Problems in Children
• Occupational Therapy In School Settings
• The American Occupational Therapy Association

Physical Therapy (PT) is a related service provided by a qualified physical therapist that addresses a child's posture, muscle strength, mobility, and organization of movement in educational environments.

Physical therapy may be provided to prevent the onset or progression of impairment, functional limitation, disability, or changes in physical function or health resulting from injury, disease, or other causes.

District 65 currently has two full-time physical therapists that serve students in the following ways:

• Evaluations completed per the recommendation of the IEP teams
• Provide therapy in pull-out and collaborative service models
• Provide technical support to staff regarding student needs, such as sensory diets, assistive technology, and adaptive methods
• Write evaluation reports, therapy notes, and data collection analysis
• Attend eligibility and annual review conferences
• Provide input and consultation at RtI meetings
• Attend school and department meetings
• Participate in professional development
• Perform other duties as assigned by principals and supervisors

Physical Therapy Resources

• Providing Physical Therapy Under IDEA Fact Sheet
• American Physical Therapy Association
• Physical Therapy in School Settings
• Providing Physical Therapy in School Settings Under IDEA

Psychology or Psychological Services are delivered by a school psychologist as a related service when they are necessary to help a child with a disability benefit from their educational experience.

Psychological services include the following:

• Administering psychological and educational tests and other assessment procedures
• Interpreting assessment results
• Obtaining, integrating, and interpreting information about child behavior and conditions related to learning
• Consulting with other staff members in planning school programs to meet the special educational needs of children
• Planning and managing a program of psychological services, including psychological counseling
• Assisting in developing positive behavioral intervention strategies 

District 65 currently has 14.5 school psychologists assigned throughout the district to meet the needs of our students. Their responsibilities include the following:

• Case study evaluations and re-evaluations
• Participation on the problem-solving team
• Consultation with both general and special education staff
• Counseling with individuals, group work, and classroom work with students, such as Second Step, Anti-Bullying groups, and Red Flag Suicide Prevention
• Progress monitoring students with disabilities in conjunction with special education teachers
• Building inclusion coaches
• Tier 2 check-in and check-out
• Function Behavioral Assessments using SWIS and CICO data analysis
• Data collection via classroom observations
• Crisis interventions
• Required reports and paperwork
• Attend training and staff meetings
• Provide training and/or workshops for staff and community members
• Perform additional tasks as determined by principals and supervisors

Psychology Resources

• Illinois School Psychologists Association
• NASP: Who are School Psychologists?
• National Association of School Psychologists

Social Work Services are provided as a related service in order to help a child benefit from his or her educational program. Social work acknowledges that issues or problems at home or in the community as well as a child's attitude or behavior in school can adversely affect the child's performance at school.

Social work services in schools include the following:

• Preparing a social or developmental history on a child with a disability
• Group and individual counseling with the child or family
• Working in partnership with parents and others on problems in a child's living situation that affect the child's adjustment in school
• Mobilizing school and community resources to enable the student to learn as effectively as possible
• Assisting in developing positive behavioral intervention strategies

District 65 currently has 30 school social workers across our 18 sites to meet based on our students' needs. In addition to these supports, District 65 also provides students with two mental health practitioners who support district-wide efforts to help coordinate and improve services in and outside of schools for students and families, otherwise known as "wraparound" services. The responsibilities of our social workers include the following:

• Provide services to students as indicated on their IEPs
• Complete social developmental studies as part of case study evaluations
• Provide individual, group, and classroom group sessions
• Progress monitor services and evaluate the effectiveness of the services
• Provide Social-Emotional Learning curriculum as identified by the district, such as the WHO program, Snowflake, and Steps to Respect
• Consultation to general and special education staff regarding behavioral and academic concerns
• Counseling with parents regarding student needs
• Counseling as determined by the Alternatives to Suspension contracts
• Implementation of PBIS Tiers
• Entering of SWIS and CICO data
• Crisis and behavioral interventions
• Suicide and DCFS referrals and assessments
• Referrals to and coordination with outside agencies
• Identification of homeless students and provision of services for them
• Development of Behavior Intervention Plans
• Provide professional development as directed
• Attend trainings and staff meetings
• Perform additional tasks as assigned by principals and supervisors

Social Work Resources

• District 65: Social Emotional Programs
• School Social Work Association of America

Speech-Language Pathology Services are provided by speech-language professionals to address the needs of children and youth with disabilities that affect either speech or language. Many students receive special services under the category of "speech or language impairments" alone.

Speech and language services include the following:

• Identification of children with speech or language impairments
• Diagnosis and appraisal of specific speech or language impairments
• Referral for medical or other professional attention necessary for the habilitation of speech or language impairments
• Provision of speech and language services for the habilitation of communicative impairments
• Counseling and guidance of parents, children, and teachers regarding speech impairments

District 65 currently has 24 speech speech clinicians who are assigned throughout the district to meet the needs of students as specified in their IEPs. Their responsibilities include the following:

• Evaluate and provide speech/language therapy either as speech-only services or as a related service
• Provide services in a variety of service delivery models
• Consult with teachers regarding student referrals and in-class therapy support
• Write evaluation reports, therapy notes, and collect data
• Provide technical support to staff for students with specific needs, such as assistive technology
• Attend RtI meetings when requested
• Provide therapy interventions via RtI initiatives as directed by problem-solving teams
• Attend school and department meetings
• Participate in staff development activities
• Perform other duties as directed by principals and supervisors

Speech-Language Resources

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• Building Speech and Language Skills at Home
• Speech-Language Services in the Schools