Pennsylvania School Law, Section 1402, mandates physical and dental examinations in certain grades. The state encourages parents to have the family physician or dentist do the examinations since these doctors are aware of the student’s health status and history.  Examinations by the family physician or dentist are at the parent’s expense. 

If you prefer, the school district’s physician or dentist will provide the appropriate exams during the school year. There is no charge for the school exam. 

Physical Examination Grade Requirement	Kindergarten	6	11
Dental Examination Grade Requirement	Kindergarten	3	7
Scoliosis Screening Grades		6	7
Universal Blood Lead Level Testing* *Effective January 1, 2018	Test prior to entry into Kindergarten or before the child is six years old, whichever is sooner.

• Medical examinations are required for all children entering school (kindergarten or first grade), and all children enrolled in sixth and eleventh grades. The school medical examination may be provided by either a private physician at the family’s expense, or by a physician provided by the school district.
• Each child is given a vision test annually by the school nurse.
• Each student in kindergarten and grades one, two, three, seven, and eleven are given a hearing screening.
• Height and weight and BMI measurements are taken once a year by the school nurse.
• The school health record is initiated at the time of school admission and becomes a part of the cumulative health record throughout the child’s school career.
• Dental screening occurs in kindergarten, first, third, and seventh grade. The kindergarten children are screened as part of the dental health educational program during the school year. The screening may be completed by the family dentist or by the school dentist.

Authorization for Administration of Inhaler at School

Authorization for Administration of Over-the-Counter Medication at School

Authorization for Administration of Prescription Medication at School

Children's Health Insurance Program

Dental Form

Health Services Permission Form

Physical Form

7th Grade Scoliosis Form

Lead Level Testing Record

Parents are encouraged when at all possible to dispense medications for their children at home. We realize that some students will need to take medications at school. For the safety of the students, no medications will be administered to students by school personnel unless:

1. Medication is in properly labeled container with student’s name, dosage, and time schedule for administration of medications.
2. Physician’s directions for administering medication are clearly stated if the medicine is prescribed.
3. Directions for administering commercial medication are clearly stated by the parent.
4. Parent’s written permission including a full waiver releasing the school district and school personnel from all liability has been obtained.

Please contact the school nurse for appropriate forms and instructions on the administration of medications for your children.

Pennsylvania Code (28 Pa. Code Ch. 23) requires students to have the following immunizations prior to and while attending school:

Tetanus, Diphtheria, Acellular Pertussis:	4 doses – one dose on or after 4th birthday
Polio	4 doses - 4th dose on or after 4th birthday
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)	2 doses before entering Kindergarten
Hepatitis B	3 doses before entering Kindergarten
Varicella	2 doses before entering Kindergarten or evidence of immunity
Hepatitis B	3 doses
Varicella	2 doses on or after 1st birthday
Meningococcal (MCV)	1 dose before entering 7th grade and 12th grade
Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis (TDAP)	1 dose before entering 7th grade

If record of immunizations is not provided prior to entering school or within the first five (5) days of the school year, a student WILL be excluded from attending school until a medical plan from a doctor is provided.

These requirements allow for the following exceptions: medical reason, religious belief, or philosophical/strong moral or ethical conviction. Even if your child is exempt from immunization, he or she may be excluded from school during an outbreak of vaccine preventable disease.

Effective January 1, 2018 all children are required to have their blood lead level tested prior to entry into Kindergarten or before they are six years old, whichever is sooner. Please click on the link below to see answers to frequently asked questions about this new regulation.

Parents who object in writing on religious grounds or on the basis of a strong moral or ethical conviction similar to a religious belief can opt out of blood testing.

Allegheny Country Health Department's FAQ about the new requirement.

Lead Level Testing Record Form

CHIP provides quality, comprehensive health insurance for routine doctor visits, prescriptions, dental, eye care, eyeglasses, mental health, and much more. CHIP covers uninsured kids who are not eligible for Medical Assistance. For most families, CHIP is free – for others, it is low cost.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability  that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. There is often nothing about how people with ASD look that sets them apart from other people, but people with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives; others need less.

A diagnosis of ASD now includes several conditions that used to be diagnosed separately: autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger syndrome. These conditions are now all called autism spectrum disorder.

Signs and Symptoms

People with ASD often have problems with social, emotional, and communication skills. They might repeat certain behaviors and might not want change in their daily activities. Many people with ASD also have different ways of learning, paying attention, or reacting to things. Signs of ASD begin during early childhood and typically last throughout a person’s life.

Children or adults with ASD might:

• not point at objects to show interest (for example, not point at an airplane flying over)
• not look at objects when another person points at them
• have trouble relating to others or not have an interest in other people at all
• avoid eye contact and want to be alone
• have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings
• prefer not to be held or cuddled, or might cuddle only when they want to
• appear to be unaware when people talk to them, but respond to other sounds
• be very interested in people, but not know how to talk, play, or relate to them
• repeat or echo words or phrases said to them, or repeat words or phrases in place of normal language
• have trouble expressing their needs using typical words or motions
• not play “pretend” games (for example, not pretend to “feed” a doll)
• repeat actions over and over again
• have trouble adapting when a routine changes
• have unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel, or sound
• lose skills they once had (for example, stop saying words they were using)

Learn more about symptoms »

Learn about developmental milestones that young children should reach »

Diagnosis

Diagnosing ASD can be difficult since there is no medical test, like a blood test, to diagnose the disorders. Doctors look at the child’s behavior and development to make a diagnosis.

ASD can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger. By age 2, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable.¹ However, many children do not receive a final diagnosis until much older. This delay means that children with ASD might not get the early help they need.

Learn more about diagnosis »

Treatment

There is currently no cure for ASD. However, research shows that early intervention treatment services can improve a child’s development.^{2, 3} Early intervention services help children from birth to 3 years old (36 months) learn important skills. Services can include therapy to help the child talk, walk, and interact with others. Therefore, it is important to talk to your child’s doctor as soon as possible if you think your child has ASD or other developmental problem.

Even if your child has not been diagnosed with an ASD, he or she may be eligible for early intervention treatment services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) says that children under the age of 3 years (36 months) who are at risk of having developmental delays may be eligible for services. These services are provided through an early intervention system in your state. Through this system, you can ask for an evaluation.

In addition, treatment for particular symptoms, such as speech therapy for language delays, often does not need to wait for a formal ASD diagnosis.

Learn about types of treatments »

Causes and Risk Factors

We do not know all of the causes of ASD. However, we have learned that there are likely many causes for multiple types of ASD. There may be many different factors that make a child more likely to have an ASD, including environmental, biologic and genetic factors.

• Most scientists agree that genes are one of the risk factors that can make a person more likely to develop ASD.^{4, 19}
• Children who have a sibling with ASD are at a higher risk of also having ASD. ^5-10
• Individuals with certain genetic or chromosomal conditions, such as fragile X syndrome or tuberous sclerosis, can have a greater chance of having ASD. ^{11-14, 20}
• When taken during pregnancy, the prescription drugs valproic acid and thalidomide have been linked with a higher risk of ASD.^15-16
• There is some evidence that the critical period for developing ASD occurs before, during, and immediately after birth. ¹⁷
• Children born to older parents are at greater risk for having ASD. ¹⁸

ASD continues to be an important public health concern. Like the many families living with ASD, CDC wants to find out what causes the disorder. Understanding the factors that make a person more likely to develop ASD will help us learn more about the causes. We are currently working on one of the largest U.S. studies to date, called Study to Explore Early Development (SEED). SEED is looking at many possible risk factors for ASD, including genetic, environmental, pregnancy, and behavioral factors.

Learn more about CDC’s research on possible causes and risk factors for ASD »

Who is Affected

ASD occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, but is about 4 times more common among boys than among girls.

For over a decade, CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network has been estimating the number of children with ASD in the United States. We have learned a lot about how many U. S. children have ASD. It will be important to use the same methods to track how the number of children with ASD is changing over time in order to learn more about the disorder.

Learn more about CDC’s tracking of the number of children with ASD »

If You’re Concerned

If you think your child might have ASD or you think there could be a problem with the way your child plays, learns, speaks, or acts, contact the school district and/or your child's physician.

If you or the doctor is still concerned, ask the doctor for a referral to a specialist who can do a more in-depth evaluation of your child. Specialists who can do a more in-depth evaluation and make a diagnosis include:

• Developmental Pediatricians (doctors who have special training in child development and children with special needs)
• Child Neurologists (doctors who work on the brain, spine, and nerves)
• Child Psychologists or Psychiatrists (doctors who know about the human mind)

 

PaTTAN Autism Initiative Applied Behavior Analysis Support: Introduction to Teaching Procedures

Speaking: Amiris Dipuglia, Mike Miklos

8/16/2010

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are a group of complex neurological developmental disabilities characterized by problems with communication, social interaction, and patterns of interest and behavior.

 

In addition to PATTAN developed materials, a wealth of lectures and tutorials that have been presented at the National Autism Conference held in State College, PA as a collaborative effort of PATTAN and Penn State University is available via the following link: https://autism.outreach.psu.edu/about/archives

Families are children’s first teachers and essential to promoting social and emotional learning (SEL) throughout a child’s life. When educators and families work together, they can build strong connections with each other that reinforce social and emotional skills developed in the home, in schools, and in their communities.

Through supportive relationships and home environments, families model and practice SEL with their children. As experts in their children’s development, interests, cultures, and strengths, families are also important advocates for SEL at their child’s school. Families and caregivers can also be critical partners in shaping SEL implementation in schools.

SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities.

The Impact of Social Emotional Learning

https://youtu.be/YMDp8FHvZt0

All of Who I Am is the foundational report of the How Learning Happens research series. The report, based on a qualitative study of interviews with more than 100 young people from across the country, directly shares youth perspectives on the integration of social, emotional, and cognitive development in their own exemplar learning settings. The report’s title, drawn from a young person’s own words, encapsulates the biggest insight from the report and from the research series as a whole: that supportive learning environments are nurturing young people’s sense of themselves as valued, multi-dimensional community members. Additionally, six interconnected themes emerged from listening to the young people across the research sites. All six—relationships, belonging, meaningful learning, intentionality, agency, and identity development—are important aspects of young people’s learning experiences, both individually and working in concert with one another.

All of Who I Am Report

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1scOyWimNB9t1ZhcZglK-z9y7KP00bQaz/view?usp=sharing

 

What is MTSS?

Some students struggle with academics. Others struggle with behavioral challenges. Still others struggle with both. How do schools respond to students with challenges or struggles that interfere with their ability to learn?

Many schools use a framework of interventions and supports designed to address these behavioral and academic challenges.  This framework, known as MTSS, helps schools to identify struggling students early so that they may receive assistance quickly. But what is MTSS?

Defining MTSS

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework that helps educators provide academic and behavioral strategies for students with various needs. MTSS grew out of the integration of two other intervention-based frameworks: Response to Intervention (RtI) and PBIS.

As part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) updated by Congress in 2004, the Response to Intervention model of assessment originally sought to identify students who would benefit from more intensive supports. From these beginnings as a tool to help improve educational outcomes for students in special education, MTSS has grown to encompass all students at every level.

Key Components of MTSS

MTSS takes a proactive approach to identifying students with academic or behavioral needs. Early assessment and intervention for these students can help them catch up with their peers sooner. The key components of MTSS include:

• Universal screening of all students early in the school year
• Tiers of interventions that can be amplified in response to levels of need
• Ongoing data collection and continual assessment
• Schoolwide approach to expectations and supports
• Parent involvement

The integrated instruction model of MTSS uses collected data to assess student needs and provide them with interventions in appropriate tiers.

Three Tiers of Support

MTSS provides a method of early identification and intervention that can help struggling students to catch up with their peers. As such, MTSS uses three tiers of support to assist all students at various levels. These three tiers include:

Tier 1 – Universal or primary – Majority of students (75-90%)

As the largest tier, and the foundation for the entire framework, Tier 1 encompasses the entire school with core instructions and basic interventions. This structure helps to build positive relationships between staff and students. It includes proactive classroom management strategies aimed at creating a supportive atmosphere. Students who do not respond to these interventions may move into Tier 2.

Tier 2 – Secondary – Small groups of students (10-25%)

Some students need a little extra assistance in meeting academic and behavioral goals, and it is in Tier 2 that these individuals receive that help. Often these interventions and supports are delivered in small group settings, such as reading groups. Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) interventions are often a part of Tier 2, as well. This targeted support allows students to work toward catching up with their peers.

Tier 3 – Tertiary – Individual students (< 10%)

A subset of students has significant challenges that do not respond to the interventions and supports in Tier 1 or Tier 2. Tier 3 gives these students individualized supports and can include assistance from outside agencies such as behavioral counselors or family therapists.

MTSS tiers help schools to organize levels of supports based on intensity so that students receive necessary instruction, support, and interventions based on need. As such, student identities are not based on tier levels. Instead, individuals are identified as students in need of supports. This helps educators to respond appropriately and provide students with the assistance they need to prosper in the classroom.

School Climate and MTSS

MTSS creates a positive environment for all students which in turn impacts school climate. Positive school climate is the leading indicator for such outcomes as increased academic achievement, increased teacher retention, and reduced discipline referrals.

The interventions and supports found in MTSS help in relationship building, which is a key factor in student success. Additionally, a supportive school environment allows each student to work through their challenges and catch up with their peers. Defined tiers of intervention for both academic and behavioral challenges enables educators to address student needs, both as a group and individually.

It’s important to note that MTSS tiers may look quite different from school to school. MTSS focuses on the overall needs of individual students, and what may be a Tier 2 intervention in one school might be a Tier 1 in another. It is up to each school to develop an MTSS framework that addresses challenges specific to that school community.

PBIS as a Part of MTSS

As part of an MTSS framework, PBIS can help educators build an awesome school culture and address behavioral challenges in a positive way. These interventions, when paired with the academic assistance found in RtI, can help students to improve in all areas. The tiered structure of a PBIS initiative helps educators to provide students with the help they need to develop the behavioral skills necessary for success. This social-emotional learning coincides with academics, and each can help strengthen the other.

Schoolwide expectations, tiered systems of supports, and consistent data analysis are all hallmarks of PBIS. These factors are critical to the success of MTSS, as well. Employing the MTSS framework helps to focus educators and students alike on positive interactions, creating a school climate focused on student success.

Additional Resources:

National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
https://www.pta.org/home/run-your-pta/National-Standards-for-Family-School-Partnerships

Intensive Intervention: An Overview for Parents and Families
https://intensiveintervention.org/sites/default/files/17-3324_NCII-Family-Overview-508.pdf

Family Engagement
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/family-engagement

Student Progress Monitoring: What this Means for Your Child
https://www.rti4success.org/resource/student-progress-monitoring-what-means-your-child

RTI Action Network: Resources for Parents and Families
http://www.rtinetwork.org/parents-a-families

Understood.org
https://www.understood.org/en

Family and Community Engagement Standards - Rubric
http://www.azed.gov/parents/files/2013/10/2012-family-engagement-standards-rubric.pdf

HUNE
http://www.huneinc.org/

What Role Do Parents Play in the RTI Process?
https://www.rti4success.org/video/what-role-do-parents-play-rti-process-including-when-do-they-become-involved-are-they-decision

 

What is Universal Design for learning?

 Universal Design for Learning (UDL) gives all students an equal opportunity to succeed.

This approach to teaching and learning offers flexibility in the ways students access material and show what they know.

   UDL also looks for different ways to keep students motivated.

To understand what UDL is, it helps to understand what it’s not. The word universal may throw you off. It may sound like UDL is about finding one way to teach all students. But UDL actually takes the opposite approach.

The goal of UDL is to use a variety of teaching methods to remove any barriers to learning. It’s about building in flexibility that can be adjusted for every person’s strengths and needs. That’s why UDL benefits all learners.

This approach to teaching or to workplace training doesn’t specifically target people who learn and think differently. But it can be especially helpful for the 1 in 5 kids and adults with these challenges — including those who have not been formally diagnosed. It can also be very helpful for English language learners.

See UDL in action in the classroom!

https://youtu.be/B7qYJY62X2s

Additional Resources:

UDL and Parent Engagement

https://www.authenticparentvoice.com/journal/2019/10/29/udl-and-parent-engagement?fbclid=IwAR1jKulhp_kKr3tEh_4MwdMf6lsrEFtEg_OrbzdByoUs0UY84z6W_rW7N0c&mc_cid=6aabf67aa3&mc_eid=[c4c1749eb7]

UDL Explained for Parents

https://guide.swiftschools.org/resource/87/udl-explained-for-parents

 

Beginning at age 14, or sooner if the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team determines that it is appropriate, transition planning becomes the foundation for the development of the IEP. Transition planning begins with exploring interests and preferences to identify the student’s goals for postsecondary training, employment, and independent living. The IEP team needs to design transition services and activities that allow students to explore careers as part of their educational program. As a parent/guardian, you provide important input and support in helping your child to explore careers and to choose a career path.

Why should my child explore careers?

As part of the transition planning process, your child needs to explore and investigate many career options.  Active participation in career exploration activities will help your child become aware of the many career opportunities available and the steps needed to reach his/her career goals. Career exploration includes:

• Understanding the work environments of interesting careers;
• Exposing your child to careers he/she may have never considered;
• Discovering the various types of post-high school education and training, as well as their costs; and,
• Understanding the accommodations that may be needed to accomplish his/her career goals.

 

When should career exploration start?

Career development is a life-long process and a young person’s plans frequently change as he/she gathers more information. Career exploration begins in early elementary school and expands to become a continual process throughout the middle and high school years. Exploring careers helps your child to make decisions about his/her career direction and choices. Those decisions should be based on current and realistic information. Your child’s preferences and interests will be used to identify his/her goals for postsecondary education and training as well as employment.

 

What should career exploration look like?

The information associated with learning about and exploring careers looks different at various stages of development. Career exploration begins with the aware­ness that different occupations exist. At any stage, career exploration includes both investigation and first-hand experience. It continues with research and “trying out” several occupations. Below is an example of a “Career Development Ladder,” which offers a progression of career exploration and development that corresponds with middle school, early high school, and later high school as the student approaches graduation. This list identifies skills that students obtain at each stage in their development and includes suggestions for parents to support their son/ daughter at each stage.

 

Career Awareness

• During this phase, the student will be given support to:

• Learn the importance of work.

• Develop an awareness of parents’ and other family members’ jobs.

• Describe what parents and others do at work.

• Begin to identify areas of interest.

• Identify at least three jobs to investigate.

• Learn about how people get jobs.

• Learn what happens if adults cannot get or do work.

• Identify why people have to get along with one another at work.

• Student will visit various worksites to learn about careers.

 

How Parents Can Help

• Talk to your child about the importance of work.

• Ask your child about jobs that might interest him/her.

• Encourage your child to express his/her preferences related to career experiences.

• Discuss various occupations when traveling or watching television.

• Have your child visit your job site, or that of a family member, if appropriate.

• Encourage your child to be as independent as possible.

• Teach and model appropriate social and work-related behaviors.

• Participate actively in your child’s IEP team meetings.

 

Additional Resources:

PA Secondary Transition:  https://www.secondarytransition.org/resources/english

Pennsylvania’s Employment Site: www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us

Federal Employment Site: www.careervoyages.gov

Pennsylvania Career Zone (Online Career Interest Resources): www.pacareerzone.org

Pennsylvania Career Education and Work Standards Toolkit: www.pacareerstandards.org

O*NET Online Comprehensive source of occupation information: http://online.onetcenter.org

Holland Self Directed Search: www.self-directed-search.com/Holland

Your Child’s Career, A Website for Parents: www.yourchildscareer.org/careerplanning/careerplan_no_plan.htm

PEPNET (for students who are deaf or hard of hearing): www.pepnet.org/itransition.asp

The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (NCWD/Youth): www.ncwd-youth.info/index.html

Occupational Outlook Handbook: http://stats.bls.gov/oco/

Is Your Child Having Difficulty in School? A Guide to Communicating With School Staff.

https://www.pattan.net/Publications/Is-Your-Child-Having-Difficulty-in-School-A-Guide

MTSS, RTI, and SLD Determination in Pennsylvania FAQs

https://www.pattan.net/Publications/MTSS-RTI-and-SLD-Determination-in-Pennsylvania-FAQ

Office for Dispute Resolution Services

https://www.pattan.net/Publications/Office-for-Dispute-Resolution-Services

Parents' Rights: Understanding the Procedural Safeguards Notice

https://www.pattan.net/Publications/Parents-Rights-Understanding-the-Procedural-Safegu

PaTTAN: Ensuring Quality Education for all Students

https://www.pattan.net/Publications/PaTTAN-Ensuring-Quality-Education-for-all-Studen

Pennsylvania's Supplementary Aids and Services Toolkit: An Overview for Parents

https://www.pattan.net/Publications/Pennsylvania-s-Supplementary-Aids-and-Services-Too

SAAFP: A Worksheet for Parents of Students with Disabilities

https://www.pattan.net/Publications/SAAFP-A-Worksheet-for-Parents-of-Students-with-Dis

Special Education Resources for Families

https://www.pattan.net/Publications/Special-Education-Resources-for-Families

Special Education Timelines

https://www.pattan.net/Publications/Special-Education-Timelines