Related Services

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The Early Intervention Program offers playgroups and assessments for children turning three years of age who may display developmental delays or may be at risk for learning problems.

Our Early Intervention Program encourages parents to be active participants during the assessment process. A nurse, social worker, psychologist, and speech pathologist work closely with families to ensure a positive and comfortable transition into early childhood services.

Free developmental screenings for children age birth to 33 months are offered to families who live in District 15, and are held at the John G. Conyers Learning Academy, 2800 Central Road in Rolling Meadows.

DATES:

• Wednesday, October 23, 2024
• Wednesday, January 29, 2025
• Wednesday, April 30, 2025

TIME: 9:30-11:50 a.m. (by appointment only)

To make an appointment or for more information, contact Genna Guttman, guttmang@ccsd15.net at 847-963-3434.

The Early Childhood Developmental Enrichment Center (ECDEC) program is for 3- and 4-year-old students identified as being at risk. Children who qualify for the ECDEC program exhibit delays of six months or less. The program is funded through a state grant. The grant provides funding for staff salaries and equipment; District 15 provides classroom space. ECDEC and District 15 staff screen preschool students. Screenings take place at CLA. Parents can call (847) 963-3450 to set up an appointment for screening for their child.

Preschool for All

D15 offers families with children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old who are not eligible for Kindergarten an opportunity to participate in age appropriate activities, to make friends, and to learn academic skills. 

The first step is to complete both the ASQ-3 and the ASQ-SE Developmental Screening Tool

To screen your birth to 2-year old child for FIND:  

Visit our ASQ Screening website at:

• ASQ-3 English : https://www.asqonline.com/family/0633d3
• ASQ-3 Spanish: https://www.asqonline.com/family/c8d6f7

To screen your 3-5 year-old child for ECDEC Preschool:

Visit our ASQ Screening website at:

• For English screening: https://www.asqonline.com/family/b6b29e/chain_start
• Para evaluation en español: https://www.asqonline.com/family/37bb09/chain_start     

If you have any questions or prefer to complete paper copies of the screening paperwork, please contact Noemi Nova at (847) 963-3450 or nnova@ecdec.org.

If you are interested in learning more about ECDEC and FIND please check out our website at http://www.ecdec.org/

The Early Childhood Special Education Program serves children three to five years of age with special education needs. These children have identified developmental delays or disabilities in one or more of the following areas: speech and language, social-emotional, motor, or intellectual. Children are referred to the program by their parents, pediatricians, or outside agencies who request screening and assessment. A case study evaluation is completed, and an individualized educational plan is developed with the parents. Services for children with disabilities are mandated at age three and are initiated as soon as possible following the assessment process. The program provides appropriate early education by attending to the needs of individual children in a secure, accepting environment.

Because parents are the most significant factor in a child's educational success, it is essential that parents and school specialists work together as a team to plan for the child's educational program. Each member of the team approaches the child's unique needs with special expertise which is integrated into the goals and objectives established for each child.

The Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) is regularly updated, and each child's program is continuously monitored for necessary revisions. In most classrooms, children are included with typically developing peers. Support services are integrated within the classrooms. The child's learning is seen as a dynamic process where the child is an active explorer and initiator. The classroom provides opportunities for interaction and group activities tailored to the individual needs of each child and designed to enhance overall development.

A speech/language pathologist looks at several areas when determining if a child has communication impairment.  Those areas are speech, language, fluency, and voice.  Speech refers to the production of sounds that make up our spoken words and sentences.  Language refers to the use and understanding of words and sentences to convey ideas, including form, content, use and organization of language.  Fluency refers to the way connected speech is produced.  Voice refers to pitch, loudness, and quality of the speaker’s voice.

Errors Needing Therapy at age:
Phonemes	3 years	4 years	5 years	6 years	7 years
	/m/   /h/  /w/ /p/  /b/ /n/	/t/  /d/   /g/  /k/ /f/  /v/ /ng/	/y/	/l/ l-blends	/r/  /s/  /sh/ /ch/ /th/ /zh/ /z/  /wh/  /j/ s-blends r-blends
Phonological Processes	Vowel distortions Deletion of Final Consonants Deletion of Initial Consonants Stopping of Fricatives and Affricates	Any 3-year-old pattern and … Fronting Palatals Fronting Velars Cluster Reduction Syllable Reduction Deaffrication	Any 4-year-old pattern and … Lateral Distortion of Sibilants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potential Communication Concerns

1. Little or no talking.
2. Little or no understanding of instructions or information.
3. Limited receptive and expressive vocabulary (words that a child understands and uses).
4. Difficulty recalling known vocabulary (word retrieval).
5. Difficulty paying attention and remembering information heard.
6. Grammatical mistakes in a child’s oral language that interfere with communication.
7. Frequent interruptions in the flow of speech (stuttering).
8. Speech sound errors which should have developed at an earlier age.
9. Voice quality which interferes with daily communication.
10. Inappropriate pragmatic skills during conversation (eye contact, turn taking, off topic responses).

Referrals that may not result in a Speech/Language Screening

1. A child (Kdg, 1^st, 2^nd grades) who is exhibiting developmental speech errors.
2. A child whose speech sounds are distorted due to temporary orthodontia or missing teeth.
3. A child who qualifies for bilingual services but placement has been refused.
4. A child with typical dysfluencies that shows no awareness or concern (particularly in Kdg, 1^st, 2^nd graders).
5. A child who is exhibiting vocal nasality due to colds or allergies.

Student must demonstrate an adverse effect in order to be eligible for special education.

Expected Language Skills

Note: Clinical judgment may necessitate modification of guidelines.

CLA Speech/Language Pathologists

Kim Chung, SLP, ChungK@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3446
Brenda Eberline, SLP, MullanB@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3447
Julia Cygnar, SLP, cygnarj@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3444
Annice Coughlan, SLP, coughlaa@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3442
Georgia Petersen, SLP, peterseg@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3440
Estelle Torok, SLP, toroke@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3481
Gemma Skokna, SLP, skoknag@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3445
Heather Duran, SLP, duranh@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3447
Brittnay Milford, SLP, milfordb@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3441
Nimra Burney, SLP, burneyn@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3447

References:

Phoneme Norms: Adapted from the Missouri State Plan for Special Education 2007. Norms based on the Nebraska Replication of Iowa Norms (Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, Vol. 55, 779-798, November 1990, Table 7, page 795).

Phonological Processes: Adapted from Missouri Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Kwiatkowski, J., & Shriberg, L.D. (1993) Speech Normalization in Developmental Phonological Disorders Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools Vol.24 10-18.

Secord, Wayne (2003) Intervention-Based Assessment of Articulation and Phonology: When Enough is Enough!

Selected Language Norms: Adapted with Permission from Schaumburg School District 54.

www.talkingchild.com/speechchart.html (retrieved November 2009) Adapted from Sander JSHD 1972; Smit, et al JSHD 1990 and the Nebraska-Iowa Articulation Norms Project.

Directed toward a goal of good health and based on the belief that health and learning are connected, student health services are provided within the district schools. The health services staff consists of a Health Services Coordinator and registered nurses at every school. Services that are provided include the following:

Care of Illness and Injury

Students with any of the following symptoms cannot be at school and will be sent home:

• a fever of 100 or greater
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• undiagnosed rash
• communicable diseases such as chicken pox, measles, etc.
• pink eye (conjunctivitis)

Ill or injured students who are sent home will only be released to the parent/guardian or emergency contact provided by the parent/guardian. Before returning to school after an illness, a child must have completed 24 hours of antibiotics or be 24-hour free of:

• fever
• diarrhea
• vomiting

In the event of a public health crisis, the district will adopt the recommendations of public health officials.

In the event of a serious or life-threatening injury or illness, EMS services/911 will be called.

Medication and Health Care Treatment Administration

The administration of medication to a student at school is discouraged unless it is absolutely necessary for the student's academic participation. The Board Policy, in accordance with the Illinois State Board of

Education recommended guidelines, is as follows:

All medication (including over-the-counter) requiring administration at school must:

• have a Medication/Health Care Treatment Administration Form containing the Parental Authorization and Physician Order.
• be prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner.
• be in the original container and have an appropriate label.
• be administered under the supervision of the registered nurse.
• be renewed annually if long-term administration is required.
• be stored in the health office, with the exception of some asthma medications and epinephrine. (Students may carry these medications within the school properties, if consent forms are on file.)

Health Records Maintenance

Health Examination and Immunization

Illinois health requirements consist of health examinations, immunizations, dental examinations, eye examinations and proof of immunizations specific to grade and age.

Communicable Diseases Management

Control of communicable diseases is managed within the district in accordance with the Illinois Department of Public Health mandates. Students who exhibit symptoms of communicable disease are excluded from school until a physician indicates they can safely return.

Vision and Hearing Screenings

Screenings for vision and hearing deficits are provided in accordance with the Illinois Department of Health and District guidelines. Vision and hearing screenings are required before starting case studies to rule out deficits impacting learning.

Allergy Awareness

Health services staff maintain a list of students with allergies with the recommended actions for treatment of an allergic reaction. Health services staff notify school staff of students requiring epinephrine administration (Epi-pen®) for severe allergic reactions. (911 is called following the use of epinephrine/ Epi-pen®.)

Individualized Health Planning

Health data is collected for initial case studies and updated as needed for re-evals.

Health Information Survey

A parent/guardian completes this survey for students in Kindergarten, 2nd and 6th grades or new to the school.

Confidentiality of student health records is always maintained in accordance to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

CLA Nurses

Debbie Vojack, RN, vojackd@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3402
Menchu Beladi, RN, beladim@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3449

School social work services have the mission of helping each student realize the greatest educational potential by reducing school-related, intrapersonal, interpersonal and family/community stressors that interfere with the learning process. School social workers in Community Consolidated School District 15 (CCSD15) are the vital link between home and school, interacting with all stakeholders to make schools a better place for children. School social workers are specially trained in dealing with systems, collaborating with parents, teachers, administrators, school staff and students to ensure all students are socially and emotionally available to have academic success.

In CCSD15, school social workers often focus on prevention and early intervention to build healthy, resilient children able to navigate the complexities of our multicultural society. School social workers engage in several different tasks in the course of a work day to be a positive conduit between home and schools.

A school social worker’s first priority is to deal with emergencies and crisis intervention. School social workers are often the first called upon to intervene when there is a crisis with a student or family.

School social workers also have a top priority of meeting their mandates of services, meetings and paperwork involving students referred for case studies evaluations or ongoing special education students who receive social work services.

After emergencies and special education issues, school social workers spend much time collaborating and consulting as team players in interdisciplinary school team meetings, parent-teacher conferences and community agency staffings. School social workers are key players in connecting students and families to community resources to improve family life.

From a programming perspective, school social workers often lead efforts to provide support to students grieving a loss in their families through the Rainbows program. For broader concerns, school social workers often are at the forefront of school-wide initiatives to create respectful school cultures that address bullying, conflict resolution and diversity.

School-wide programs are often the most efficient way to address prevention and intervention for character issues. When needed, school social workers bring their expertise into the classroom to deliver lessons on topics or skills that the whole class can benefit from.

For students requiring more intensive help, school social workers will work with them individually and/or in small groups. The trend has been for social workers to do more work outside of their offices when possible to focus on being proactive, continuing to promote a prevention focus in delivering service in keeping with the Response to Intervention model.

The determination of when occupational therapy and physical therapy are educationally relevant is a complex issue. Many issues are considered when determining the appropriate level of school-based and non-school-based therapy.

SCHOOL-BASED THERAPY

• is indicated as a means to attain an educational goal
• involves teaming with recommendations based on input from team
• must contribute to the development, improvement or maintenance of functional level within the educational environment
• is not intended to meet all therapy need, but rather to meet the needs to promote academic success

SCHOOL-BASED THERAPY goals aligned with ILS are created to

• eliminate barriers that hinder access to educational environment
• assist students in benefitting from the educational program by capitalizing on abilities and minimizing the impact of the disability.

If a student needs occupational therapy and/or physical therapy to address problems, but the problems do not prevent him or her from benefitting from the educational program, school-based therapy is not provided. Most non-school-based therapists do not have these criteria superimposed on their recommendations for intervention (Royeen, 1992).

OT and PT MEDICAL REFERRALS (Scripts)

Occupational Therapy: Implementation of direct occupational therapy to individuals for their specific health care conditions shall be based upon a referral from a licensed physician.

Physical Therapy: Documented current and relevant diagnosis for the purpose of this Act means a diagnosis, substantiated by a signature or oral verification of a physician.

CCSD15 Medical Referral Guidelines

1. A referral is requested prior to an evaluation, but the evaluation may continue without the referral. Include "OT and/or PT services pending medical referral" under 'additional information' in the IEP.
2. New medical referral is required at least every three years for OT.
3. New medical referral is required at least every year for PT.
4. New medical referral is always required after any hospitalization and/or surgery for both OT and PT.
5. It is recommended that BCM hand out referral forms at all annual reviews.

DEFINITIONS

Occupational therapy is the therapeutic use of purposeful and meaningful occupations or goal-directed activities to evaluate and provide interventions for individuals and populations who have a disease or disorder, an impairment, an activity limitation, or a participation restriction that interferes with their ability to function independently in their daily life roles and to promote health and wellness.

Registered Occupational Therapist (OTR) is licensed to practice occupational therapy as defined in the IL Occupational Therapy Practice Act, and whose license is in good standing.

Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) is licensed to assist in the practice of occupational therapy under the supervision of a Registered Occupational Therapist, and to implement the occupational therapy treatment program as established by the Registered Occupational Therapist.

Physical therapy is the evaluation or treatment of a person by the use of the effective properties of physical measures and heat, cold, light, water, radiant energy, electricity, sound, and air; and the use of therapeutic massage, therapeutic exercise, mobilization, and the rehabilitative procedures with or without assistive devices for the purposes of preventing, correcting, or alleviating a physical or mental disability, or promoting physical fitness and well-being.

Physical Therapist (PT) is licensed to practice physical therapy and has met all requirements as provided in the Illinois Physical Therapy Act.

Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) is licensed to assist a physical therapist and who has met all requirements as provided in the Illinois Physical Therapy Practice Act and who works under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist to assist in implementing the physical therapy treatment program as established by the licensed physical therapist. The patient care activities provided by the physical therapist assistant shall not include the interpretation of referrals, evaluation procedures, the planning of, or major modifications of, patient programs.