March 1, 2024 • 18 mins
This week, we have the privilege of engaging in a conversation with Beyond the Spectrum’s school psychologist, Dr. Valerie Roth. Together, we delve into recommendations and insightful tips tailored for both educators and parents. Dr. Roth not only sheds light on essential information for parents navigating the dynamics of a public school setting but also provides us with self-regulation techniques designed specifically for neurodivergent students. Dr. Roth also introduces the Community Insight Series, an enriching monthly meeting hosted at Beyond the Spectrum. This series features seasoned professionals who will cover various topics, offering guidance and addressing the unique needs of individual parents. One common example the Community Insight Series will cover is “how to navigate a dinner outing with your student." This initiative aims to create a supportive space for parents seeking practical solutions and a deeper understanding of their child's neurodiversity. Dr. Valerie Roth is a certified and licensed school psychologist in the state of Florida. She has her Doctorate in Psychology with a specialty in School Psychology. Dr. Roth is also an adjunct faculty member of Nova Southeastern University, teaching graduate level school psychologists about academic assessments. Currently, Dr. Roth is a part-time contractor for various school districts alongside Children's Psychological Solutions, and has 10 years of experience. She is well versed with school district requirements for educational intervention and planning. Timestamps:
00:00 Introducing Dr. Valerie Roth
02:25 What has been your experience at Beyond the Spectrum?
03:40 Recommendations for teachers (zones of regulation, modeling, routines)
05:40 Autism and multiple diagnosis
09:15 Recommendations/tips for parents
10:45 Introducing the Community Insight Series
13:20 Self regulation techniques for students
15:05 Steps to take in the public school system
17:15 What else should people working with neurodivergent students be aware of
Join us every month for a new episode of Helping Families Go Beyond. Visit beyondthespectrum.org for more information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome back to Helping Familiesgo beyond the podcast by Be the Spectrum.
(00:04):
I'm your host, Loryn Carpenter, and I'msuper excited about today's discussion.
We are going to be interviewingour school psychologist, Dr.
Valerie Roth, This is her third yearat Beyond the Spectrum.
And as a licensed school psychologist,she helps our students individually
and in a group setting.
And she also owns Children'sPsychological Solutions.
(00:26):
And so I'm excited to get her insighton the students that are at her school.
And I'm really looking forward to hearingwhat kind of advice she has for families.
And I'm also going to be asking herabout some really cool developments
she has going on at the schoolalongside our BCBA, Ms.
Dawn. And so let's get right into it.
(00:48):
Well,
thank you for joining us on the podcasttoday.
We're excited to kind of hearyour expertise and get to know about your
experience.
And so if you could just sharea little bit about your background,
working with the school settingand working with our population.
Sure.
So my background isI have a doctorate in psychology
(01:09):
with a specialty in school psychology.
And before that,I have my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
from the University of Delaware.
So my whole focus has been on students
and children and learning their social,emotional needs, academic and behavioral.
And I started working in the schoolsetting,
actually in 2007 at a school in Delawarecalled the Delaware Autistic Program.
(01:33):
And that's where I started as a para,just to teach them
how to learn life skillsand function within the community.
And that school was really coolbecause it had various levels of students.
So there were somewho just stayed on campus,
and we're learningmore of their life skills
while others were mainstreamedand more inclusive into a school.
(01:55):
So I got to see a variety of studentslike that.
And since going further in my education,I've worked
at all levels in the school systemfrom pre-K through high school.
And a lot of the schoolsthat I've been at have different units
for eitherautism or emotional behavioral disorders.
And just helping those students,
you know, be the best they can in in lifeand in school.
(02:18):
Yeah. Yeah.
And I know you've worked so hard withour students here at Beyond the Spectrum
and doing their social skills classesand doing the one
on one counseling with them as neededand so on.
What's been your experience hereat Beyond the Spectrum?
Yeah, so at Beyond the Spectrum,I absolutely enjoy coming here.
I love this school.
(02:39):
And so when I come, I'm working on socialskills classes with certain programs
that you have here, and we'll just workon identifying their emotions.
What does it feel likewithin their bodies?
We talk about how to express
their wantsand needs to a peer or to a teacher.
We also work on just social communication
(03:00):
turn taking patients, self-control,all of those,
you know, important skillsfor when you're talking with others.
What else do we do?
I also work with individual students.
I could do that.
We are starting the parent series.
That's something we're working here
also with staff and doing stafftraining to help them learn
(03:22):
and figure out all of the studentswithin their class and the behaviors
and how to help them manage behaviorsin the classroom.
Yeah. Work with all of that.
Yeah, that's wonderful.We've loved having you here.
Thank you.
Working with everybody in our buildingand making an impact on them.
And so when you're working with teachersand doing those trainings,
(03:43):
do you have any recommendationsor advice for them?
If you're wanting themto have a more inclusive classroom
or practices that they can kind ofbring into their room for their students?
Sure. Yes.
So a lot of times when I'm workingwith the teachers, we talk about the
the student as a student first.
So what do you want them to learnand be able to do
(04:05):
academically, behaviorally and socialemotionally within their classroom?
And then how can you make that classroominclusive for them?
Because they are a student
and they mighthave different disabilities,
but we want to treat themas the student first.
So here at the on the spectrum,I know we use a lot of zones of regulation
and we use a lot. Of.
Modeling and routines,
(04:25):
putting visuals, schedules into place.
the classrooms hereare set up really great.
And there's you know,
there's a quiet corner, there's wiggleballs, there's beanbag chairs.
So it fulfills our sensory input ofwhere do I want to sit,
where do I want to learn?How do I where do I go to take a break?
And having all of those structuresand routines in a classroom
(04:46):
and the teacher teachesthat and models it to the student,
they know what to expectand so they know how to
utilize their classroom in the facility,which is really nice
because if the student doesn't knowwhat they're supposed to do, then
they're a little bit more disregulatedwith their
their feelings and their emotions.
So having all of those structuresand routines in place is first important
(05:10):
and then also just having a classroomthat can accommodate their needs.
I see some with the wiggle ballsand somewhat
the the corners and the chairs,which is also very helpful.
Visual schedules.
They're using calm down strategiesand also just teaching the teacher
that it's okayto let them all have a different calm down
strategy because the same thingdoesn't work for everybody.
Yeah, so it's mainlyabout like meeting them where they're at.
(05:33):
Exactly. Yeah. Okay.
Yeah, that's wonderful.
And something that I've been curiousabout, Because with my brother Scotty,
I know he alongsidehis autism, he's also got OCD.
And so I was just wondering,
with your experience,if you've seen any co-morbidities
that can be seen alongside autismor if you've noticed any kinds of
(05:56):
emotional or behavioral diagnosesthat come alongside that?
Sure. Yes.
So autism is a very large
spectrum.
Yeah. And there are a lot of behaviors
that other disordersalso fit into the spectrum.
And so they might be diagnosedwith multiple diagnoses.
(06:18):
So a lot of times I'm noticing anxiety
is or ADHD, OCD, depression.
And so the student does have, you know,autism are they are diagnosed with that.
But within that, they might also showsome of these behaviors, such as OCD.
And you have to kind of figure outif it's co-occurring
or if it's one versus the other.
(06:40):
Or a lot of times with autism,there's a lot of co-occurring.
So a student might be anxious for,especially social.
They maybe they've been teased beforeand they don't want to go to that social.
Or maybe it's just sensory overloadfor them if they're going out to a store
and they would rather just avoid it.
So we don't want them to do that.
(07:00):
We also want to teach themthe skills to get out there and cope
with going to a storeand being able to be okay with it.
And if they need a break at the storeto take a step out, that's okay too.
But also just getting them, you know,
facing that anxietythat they have within them.
So I do see a lot of the ADHD as well,
(07:20):
the impulsivity,the hyperactivity inattentive
with the studentswith autism and also with the
the behaviors.
And someof them might have a lot of repetitive
behaviors, restrictive behaviors
that could be the OCD, it could be autismand figuring out the difference.
(07:42):
Right. Yeah, exactly.
Do you know if they're usuallylike an age of onset
for those kinds of co-morbidities?
Like, what do youwhat do you do to kind of notice those
or find those in students?
I think it varies based on what diagnosisit is.
So, you know,autism can be diagnosed very young,
(08:04):
but something like ADHD, a lot of timesit can be diagnosed young.
But most of the timewe're looking at six or older
just because that'swhen they're able to regulate a little bit
and decide social awareness,like the impulsivity.
You're seeing it in the classroom.We're seen across
settings more than the agebecause there's more opportunity.
So but then moreanxieties could be a little bit older.
(08:27):
It kind of really depends.
So it's things that you just have tolook at within the student.
Are you noticing a change in them?
Are they becoming more withdrawn?
They don't want to be with their friendsas much.
They don't want to go to school.
So you're noticing a lot of those trendsand maybe they're falling into slight
depression or they're not wantingto go out to these places anymore.
(08:47):
They're showing a lot of worries.
Maybe they're saying their stomachhurts, their head hurts more,
maybe they're being a little bitmore anxious.
So we have to just take noand make sure that we're paying attention
to all of the behaviors the child is doingbecause it can it can grow.
It can vary.
Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
And it can probably Yeah.
Depend on each student and their ownupbringing, their own experience. So.
(09:11):
Exactly. Yeah.
Do you have any kind of recommendationsfor parents if they're seeing those kinds
of behaviors come up or if they're seeingany kinds of signs of that
or if they're dealing with any behaviorrelated complications at home?
Do you have any tips or recommendationsthat they can be guided by?
(09:34):
Sure.
So there's some resources out there
that they can look up on their ownif they are wanting to,
you know, search the Internetbut find something that's reliable.
So some of the really good websites,you know, Autism Speaks is out there,
face autism.
Here in Florida,we have the USF Card Center,
and they have a lot of resourcesfor parents.
(09:55):
So they can use the parent can also look
at different therapies outside of school.
They can ABA therapy.
There's individual,
there's group, and it depends on wherethe student is with their functioning.
So if they are looking for a social group,
some providers in the area offer Peersgroup, which is a great relational skills
(10:16):
group for students, and it teaches themhow to interact with peers.
How how should I trademy information with somebody?
So it really depends onwhat the parents are looking for.
But the main thing is to also find
people who
is going to give you that good knowledgeand make sure that they also have
(10:37):
a background in students with autism sothey know how to interact with that child.
Yeah, and that's kind of what you and Ms.
Dawn, our school BCBA are working on toowith the Community Insight series
and so can you.
That's going to actually be happeningon the 28th of February or very first.
And then that's going to bea monthly thing, I think, for you guys.
(11:00):
Yes, monthly.
And so that's going to befor kind of everybody.
Right.And talk a little more about it. Yes.
So it's for everybody parents, caregivers,anyone who just wants to comment.
We're going to hold it monthly.
We're trying to keep it to around an hourduring a lunchtime.
And the goal is to just provideinformation and knowledge
from us to help parents and caregiversnavigate the community
(11:25):
One of our plans is to have the parentsbe able to tell us some specific barriers
that they might have. And so we're goingto walk through it with them.
And we know some of the big onesare taking a student out to dinner.
So we were going to say, well,if you do take them out to dinner
and they show a behavior that'smaybe not the most favorable for the place
you're at, what can you do as a parentand what does it look like for the child?
(11:48):
And we're hoping that other peoplein the audience will also have
similar barriers so we can help,even though it's one specific,
you know, instance, what can you do
if this were to happen to you andhopefully others will also have the same.
Yeah, they can just havethat shared experience because
it can be different for other people,but then they can bond over that
(12:12):
just having almost like a shared fear
almost when that kind of when they worryabout something like that happening.
And dinner tends to beparents want to go out to dinner.
They like every now and then to go out.
But they're very afraid ofwhat if my child
does this as this screams, runsout of the booth?
(12:32):
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, then what do you what are we goingto do to help get them back in there
and regulated or what are you going to dofor them at the dinner table?
Are you going to keep them engaged?
What's your conversation going to be like?
Yeah, I'm excited for that because we'vealready gotten so many RSVP for it.
really? Gotten the good. Yeah, people are.
Lots of other groups in the areaare excited about that.
(12:54):
I know Dawn and I are excited
and we going to let kind ofgive it an open for a question and answer.
What would you like to ask?
And if no one has any, we do have contentthat we're going to each
month will be something different.
I think that'll be great for them.
It'll give them a chanceto kind of bring up their own questions
and things that they're needing guidanceon. Right.
(13:14):
So, so many different needs.
Yes. Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
And speaking of regulation,what we were just talking about earlier,
you were mentioningthose specific techniques
for self-regulation, like breathingor maybe a change of environment.
And so if you could go over thoselike some that might be helpful
for anyone wondering. Yes.
(13:36):
So breathing techniques, there's varioustypes of breathing techniques, foursquare,
breathing, flower breathing, big bellybreathing.
There's a lot of different techniques.
So what I tend to do hereis I show various ones
and then the student can pickthe one that they like the best.
But there's other thingsother than breathing.
There's, you know, change of environment,maybe taking a walk outside.
(13:59):
So you're removing yourself from what's
bothering you,making you agitate and making you angry.
And that separationand just being outside,
looking around the mindfulness of it.
We also talk about and groundingtechniques are another great one.
So looking around the room and how can Iground myself into this moment right now
to get outside of my,you know, whatever it is you're thinking,
(14:22):
if it's fear is anxiety is sador overwhelmed in the class,
how are you able to use those at school?
And that's what we focus on a lot too,is there's tons of strategies,
but what's going to work best for youis different than maybe the person
next to you, right?
And then what's allowableand okay to do in a school.
Right? Because truebathroom breaks are great ones.
(14:44):
If you can't walk outside,you can go to the bathroom.
Maybe you'd like take a sip of water.
Water supposed to be really, reallycalming and breathing
is supposed to help with our brainsand calms down.
So but it's whatever works for you.
And we just kind of go over different oneshere.
Yeah, that's fantastic.
Are there any other stepsthat parents can take?
(15:07):
Maybe if they're in like a public schoolsystem setting where they can maybe
like for advocacy, are there any avenuesthey can go down or any places of support
if they're maybe in a systemthat's not as accommodating?
Definitely.
So if they're in a public school system,
the one most important thingis to make sure that they're getting
(15:28):
the correct knowledgefor that school system or school district.
There are a lot of websites out therethat say certain things,
but really you have to go to the sourcefor the web, for the school district.
So each district has their own policiesand procedures for what
they're going to usefor looking at different eligibility.
Is there's FLDOE.org and that'll give you
(15:51):
all of the Florida regulationsfor different things.
But if a student is at a public school,then the parent is their best advocate
and the first stepis typically the counselor
or the psychologist within the school
to see, you know,what is the area of difficulty?
Is it the behaviors?
Is it the academics? Is it both?
And then they're goingto go through a system to get them up.
(16:13):
We're at the school level, and that couldlook very different based on the child.
But they're going to either putin behavioral interventions into place
or academic interventions or both to tryto get the student up to where they need.
But if also they're still strugglingafter getting all of these interventions,
the next steps are to look atindividualized education plans or ideas.
(16:35):
So in order to get there,
you have to go through that whole processin the public school system,
and the eligibilitycan be a little bit lengthy at times.
And they just want to make sure
that they're looking at everythingto qualify a student.
So knowing all of that knowledge
as a parent is extremely helpfulbecause it's not necessarily
you go into a public schooland you say, I need all of these things.
(16:57):
They're going to follow the law,
they're going to do leastrestrictive environment idea and faith
and go through the whole processto make sure they're providing
what they can at the school. Right.
So it sounds like there's a lot of stepsto it.
Definitely. Okay. Yeah.
this was just something I was thinking of.
But alongside families and teachers,is there anything that maybe
(17:18):
someone like me as a staff member,like administration,
is there anything that they can bemore aware of if they're maybe
if they're bringing in a new studentthat has special needs or
anything that they should be aware ofand they're part of the school?
Sure.
So one main thing is just be patientand observe
(17:40):
the student,go at their pace and their comfort level.
If they are looking timid or scared,
maybe don't walk right up to them, have
introduced them to something
they like first, or talk about somethingthey might like get on their level
because you don't want to overwhelm themas soon as they step through the door.
(18:01):
Right? Yeah, exactly.
I think that covers everythingthat I've wanted to ask you.
I think you've provided us with somereally great information for our families.
So I appreciate everythingthat you've talked about today
and thank youfor coming on to the podcast.
Thank you so much for having me
and I'm happy to answer any questionsyou have after you.
(18:22):
So thank you.
Yeah, we're I'm excited to get this outand share this information
and we're looking forwardto the Community Insight series, too.
So thank you. Yes, you're welcome.
Thank you so muchfor joining us here today
and helping families go beyond the podcastby be on the spectrum
for more resources or information, visitour website at Beyond the Spectrum.org.
Welcome back to Helping Familiesgo beyond the podcast by Be the Spectrum.
(00:04):
I'm your host, Loryn Carpenter, and I'msuper excited about today's discussion.
We are going to be interviewingour school psychologist, Dr.
Valerie Roth, This is her third yearat Beyond the Spectrum.
And as a licensed school psychologist,she helps our students individually
and in a group setting.
And she also owns Children'sPsychological Solutions.
(00:26):
And so I'm excited to get her insighton the students that are at her school.
And I'm really looking forward to hearingwhat kind of advice she has for families.
And I'm also going to be asking herabout some really cool developments
she has going on at the schoolalongside our BCBA, Ms.
Dawn. And so let's get right into it.
(00:48):
Well,
thank you for joining us on the podcasttoday.
We're excited to kind of hearyour expertise and get to know about your
experience.
And so if you could just sharea little bit about your background,
working with the school settingand working with our population.
Sure.
So my background isI have a doctorate in psychology
(01:09):
with a specialty in school psychology.
And before that,I have my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
from the University of Delaware.
So my whole focus has been on students
and children and learning their social,emotional needs, academic and behavioral.
And I started working in the schoolsetting,
actually in 2007 at a school in Delawarecalled the Delaware Autistic Program.
(01:33):
And that's where I started as a para,just to teach them
how to learn life skillsand function within the community.
And that school was really coolbecause it had various levels of students.
So there were somewho just stayed on campus,
and we're learningmore of their life skills
while others were mainstreamedand more inclusive into a school.
(01:55):
So I got to see a variety of studentslike that.
And since going further in my education,I've worked
at all levels in the school systemfrom pre-K through high school.
And a lot of the schoolsthat I've been at have different units
for eitherautism or emotional behavioral disorders.
And just helping those students,
you know, be the best they can in in lifeand in school.
(02:18):
Yeah. Yeah.
And I know you've worked so hard withour students here at Beyond the Spectrum
and doing their social skills classesand doing the one
on one counseling with them as neededand so on.
What's been your experience hereat Beyond the Spectrum?
Yeah, so at Beyond the Spectrum,I absolutely enjoy coming here.
I love this school.
(02:39):
And so when I come, I'm working on socialskills classes with certain programs
that you have here, and we'll just workon identifying their emotions.
What does it feel likewithin their bodies?
We talk about how to express
their wantsand needs to a peer or to a teacher.
We also work on just social communication
(03:00):
turn taking patients, self-control,all of those,
you know, important skillsfor when you're talking with others.
What else do we do?
I also work with individual students.
I could do that.
We are starting the parent series.
That's something we're working here
also with staff and doing stafftraining to help them learn
(03:22):
and figure out all of the studentswithin their class and the behaviors
and how to help them manage behaviorsin the classroom.
Yeah. Work with all of that.
Yeah, that's wonderful.We've loved having you here.
Thank you.
Working with everybody in our buildingand making an impact on them.
And so when you're working with teachersand doing those trainings,
(03:43):
do you have any recommendationsor advice for them?
If you're wanting themto have a more inclusive classroom
or practices that they can kind ofbring into their room for their students?
Sure. Yes.
So a lot of times when I'm workingwith the teachers, we talk about the
the student as a student first.
So what do you want them to learnand be able to do
(04:05):
academically, behaviorally and socialemotionally within their classroom?
And then how can you make that classroominclusive for them?
Because they are a student
and they mighthave different disabilities,
but we want to treat themas the student first.
So here at the on the spectrum,I know we use a lot of zones of regulation
and we use a lot. Of.
Modeling and routines,
(04:25):
putting visuals, schedules into place.
the classrooms hereare set up really great.
And there's you know,
there's a quiet corner, there's wiggleballs, there's beanbag chairs.
So it fulfills our sensory input ofwhere do I want to sit,
where do I want to learn?How do I where do I go to take a break?
And having all of those structuresand routines in a classroom
(04:46):
and the teacher teachesthat and models it to the student,
they know what to expectand so they know how to
utilize their classroom in the facility,which is really nice
because if the student doesn't knowwhat they're supposed to do, then
they're a little bit more disregulatedwith their
their feelings and their emotions.
So having all of those structuresand routines in place is first important
(05:10):
and then also just having a classroomthat can accommodate their needs.
I see some with the wiggle ballsand somewhat
the the corners and the chairs,which is also very helpful.
Visual schedules.
They're using calm down strategiesand also just teaching the teacher
that it's okayto let them all have a different calm down
strategy because the same thingdoesn't work for everybody.
Yeah, so it's mainlyabout like meeting them where they're at.
(05:33):
Exactly. Yeah. Okay.
Yeah, that's wonderful.
And something that I've been curiousabout, Because with my brother Scotty,
I know he alongsidehis autism, he's also got OCD.
And so I was just wondering,
with your experience,if you've seen any co-morbidities
that can be seen alongside autismor if you've noticed any kinds of
(05:56):
emotional or behavioral diagnosesthat come alongside that?
Sure. Yes.
So autism is a very large
spectrum.
Yeah. And there are a lot of behaviors
that other disordersalso fit into the spectrum.
And so they might be diagnosedwith multiple diagnoses.
(06:18):
So a lot of times I'm noticing anxiety
is or ADHD, OCD, depression.
And so the student does have, you know,autism are they are diagnosed with that.
But within that, they might also showsome of these behaviors, such as OCD.
And you have to kind of figure outif it's co-occurring
or if it's one versus the other.
(06:40):
Or a lot of times with autism,there's a lot of co-occurring.
So a student might be anxious for,especially social.
They maybe they've been teased beforeand they don't want to go to that social.
Or maybe it's just sensory overloadfor them if they're going out to a store
and they would rather just avoid it.
So we don't want them to do that.
(07:00):
We also want to teach themthe skills to get out there and cope
with going to a storeand being able to be okay with it.
And if they need a break at the storeto take a step out, that's okay too.
But also just getting them, you know,
facing that anxietythat they have within them.
So I do see a lot of the ADHD as well,
(07:20):
the impulsivity,the hyperactivity inattentive
with the studentswith autism and also with the
the behaviors.
And someof them might have a lot of repetitive
behaviors, restrictive behaviors
that could be the OCD, it could be autismand figuring out the difference.
(07:42):
Right. Yeah, exactly.
Do you know if they're usuallylike an age of onset
for those kinds of co-morbidities?
Like, what do youwhat do you do to kind of notice those
or find those in students?
I think it varies based on what diagnosisit is.
So, you know,autism can be diagnosed very young,
(08:04):
but something like ADHD, a lot of timesit can be diagnosed young.
But most of the timewe're looking at six or older
just because that'swhen they're able to regulate a little bit
and decide social awareness,like the impulsivity.
You're seeing it in the classroom.We're seen across
settings more than the agebecause there's more opportunity.
So but then moreanxieties could be a little bit older.
(08:27):
It kind of really depends.
So it's things that you just have tolook at within the student.
Are you noticing a change in them?
Are they becoming more withdrawn?
They don't want to be with their friendsas much.
They don't want to go to school.
So you're noticing a lot of those trendsand maybe they're falling into slight
depression or they're not wantingto go out to these places anymore.
(08:47):
They're showing a lot of worries.
Maybe they're saying their stomachhurts, their head hurts more,
maybe they're being a little bitmore anxious.
So we have to just take noand make sure that we're paying attention
to all of the behaviors the child is doingbecause it can it can grow.
It can vary.
Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
And it can probably Yeah.
Depend on each student and their ownupbringing, their own experience. So.
(09:11):
Exactly. Yeah.
Do you have any kind of recommendationsfor parents if they're seeing those kinds
of behaviors come up or if they're seeingany kinds of signs of that
or if they're dealing with any behaviorrelated complications at home?
Do you have any tips or recommendationsthat they can be guided by?
(09:34):
Sure.
So there's some resources out there
that they can look up on their ownif they are wanting to,
you know, search the Internetbut find something that's reliable.
So some of the really good websites,you know, Autism Speaks is out there,
face autism.
Here in Florida,we have the USF Card Center,
and they have a lot of resourcesfor parents.
(09:55):
So they can use the parent can also look
at different therapies outside of school.
They can ABA therapy.
There's individual,
there's group, and it depends on wherethe student is with their functioning.
So if they are looking for a social group,
some providers in the area offer Peersgroup, which is a great relational skills
(10:16):
group for students, and it teaches themhow to interact with peers.
How how should I trademy information with somebody?
So it really depends onwhat the parents are looking for.
But the main thing is to also find
people who
is going to give you that good knowledgeand make sure that they also have
(10:37):
a background in students with autism sothey know how to interact with that child.
Yeah, and that's kind of what you and Ms.
Dawn, our school BCBA are working on toowith the Community Insight series
and so can you.
That's going to actually be happeningon the 28th of February or very first.
And then that's going to bea monthly thing, I think, for you guys.
(11:00):
Yes, monthly.
And so that's going to befor kind of everybody.
Right.And talk a little more about it. Yes.
So it's for everybody parents, caregivers,anyone who just wants to comment.
We're going to hold it monthly.
We're trying to keep it to around an hourduring a lunchtime.
And the goal is to just provideinformation and knowledge
from us to help parents and caregiversnavigate the community
(11:25):
One of our plans is to have the parentsbe able to tell us some specific barriers
that they might have. And so we're goingto walk through it with them.
And we know some of the big onesare taking a student out to dinner.
So we were going to say, well,if you do take them out to dinner
and they show a behavior that'smaybe not the most favorable for the place
you're at, what can you do as a parentand what does it look like for the child?
(11:48):
And we're hoping that other peoplein the audience will also have
similar barriers so we can help,even though it's one specific,
you know, instance, what can you do
if this were to happen to you andhopefully others will also have the same.
Yeah, they can just havethat shared experience because
it can be different for other people,but then they can bond over that
(12:12):
just having almost like a shared fear
almost when that kind of when they worryabout something like that happening.
And dinner tends to beparents want to go out to dinner.
They like every now and then to go out.
But they're very afraid ofwhat if my child
does this as this screams, runsout of the booth?
(12:32):
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, then what do you what are we goingto do to help get them back in there
and regulated or what are you going to dofor them at the dinner table?
Are you going to keep them engaged?
What's your conversation going to be like?
Yeah, I'm excited for that because we'vealready gotten so many RSVP for it.
really? Gotten the good. Yeah, people are.
Lots of other groups in the areaare excited about that.
(12:54):
I know Dawn and I are excited
and we going to let kind ofgive it an open for a question and answer.
What would you like to ask?
And if no one has any, we do have contentthat we're going to each
month will be something different.
I think that'll be great for them.
It'll give them a chanceto kind of bring up their own questions
and things that they're needing guidanceon. Right.
(13:14):
So, so many different needs.
Yes. Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
And speaking of regulation,what we were just talking about earlier,
you were mentioningthose specific techniques
for self-regulation, like breathingor maybe a change of environment.
And so if you could go over thoselike some that might be helpful
for anyone wondering. Yes.
(13:36):
So breathing techniques, there's varioustypes of breathing techniques, foursquare,
breathing, flower breathing, big bellybreathing.
There's a lot of different techniques.
So what I tend to do hereis I show various ones
and then the student can pickthe one that they like the best.
But there's other thingsother than breathing.
There's, you know, change of environment,maybe taking a walk outside.
(13:59):
So you're removing yourself from what's
bothering you,making you agitate and making you angry.
And that separationand just being outside,
looking around the mindfulness of it.
We also talk about and groundingtechniques are another great one.
So looking around the room and how can Iground myself into this moment right now
to get outside of my,you know, whatever it is you're thinking,
(14:22):
if it's fear is anxiety is sador overwhelmed in the class,
how are you able to use those at school?
And that's what we focus on a lot too,is there's tons of strategies,
but what's going to work best for youis different than maybe the person
next to you, right?
And then what's allowableand okay to do in a school.
Right? Because truebathroom breaks are great ones.
(14:44):
If you can't walk outside,you can go to the bathroom.
Maybe you'd like take a sip of water.
Water supposed to be really, reallycalming and breathing
is supposed to help with our brainsand calms down.
So but it's whatever works for you.
And we just kind of go over different oneshere.
Yeah, that's fantastic.
Are there any other stepsthat parents can take?
(15:07):
Maybe if they're in like a public schoolsystem setting where they can maybe
like for advocacy, are there any avenuesthey can go down or any places of support
if they're maybe in a systemthat's not as accommodating?
Definitely.
So if they're in a public school system,
the one most important thingis to make sure that they're getting
(15:28):
the correct knowledgefor that school system or school district.
There are a lot of websites out therethat say certain things,
but really you have to go to the sourcefor the web, for the school district.
So each district has their own policiesand procedures for what
they're going to usefor looking at different eligibility.
Is there's FLDOE.org and that'll give you
(15:51):
all of the Florida regulationsfor different things.
But if a student is at a public school,then the parent is their best advocate
and the first stepis typically the counselor
or the psychologist within the school
to see, you know,what is the area of difficulty?
Is it the behaviors?
Is it the academics? Is it both?
And then they're goingto go through a system to get them up.
(16:13):
We're at the school level, and that couldlook very different based on the child.
But they're going to either putin behavioral interventions into place
or academic interventions or both to tryto get the student up to where they need.
But if also they're still strugglingafter getting all of these interventions,
the next steps are to look atindividualized education plans or ideas.
(16:35):
So in order to get there,
you have to go through that whole processin the public school system,
and the eligibilitycan be a little bit lengthy at times.
And they just want to make sure
that they're looking at everythingto qualify a student.
So knowing all of that knowledge
as a parent is extremely helpfulbecause it's not necessarily
you go into a public schooland you say, I need all of these things.
(16:57):
They're going to follow the law,
they're going to do leastrestrictive environment idea and faith
and go through the whole processto make sure they're providing
what they can at the school. Right.
So it sounds like there's a lot of stepsto it.
Definitely. Okay. Yeah.
this was just something I was thinking of.
But alongside families and teachers,is there anything that maybe
(17:18):
someone like me as a staff member,like administration,
is there anything that they can bemore aware of if they're maybe
if they're bringing in a new studentthat has special needs or
anything that they should be aware ofand they're part of the school?
Sure.
So one main thing is just be patientand observe
(17:40):
the student,go at their pace and their comfort level.
If they are looking timid or scared,
maybe don't walk right up to them, have
introduced them to something
they like first, or talk about somethingthey might like get on their level
because you don't want to overwhelm themas soon as they step through the door.
(18:01):
Right? Yeah, exactly.
I think that covers everythingthat I've wanted to ask you.
I think you've provided us with somereally great information for our families.
So I appreciate everythingthat you've talked about today
and thank youfor coming on to the podcast.
Thank you so much for having me
and I'm happy to answer any questionsyou have after you.
(18:22):
So thank you.
Yeah, we're I'm excited to get this outand share this information
and we're looking forwardto the Community Insight series, too.
So thank you. Yes, you're welcome.
Thank you so muchfor joining us here today
and helping families go beyond the podcastby be on the spectrum
for more resources or information, visitour website at Beyond the Spectrum.org.
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