Autistic Program
Autism is a lifelong neurological disability that affects a person’s ability to communicate, understand language, play and participate in social relationships. Autism is classified as a developmental disability because it interferes with the typical rate and patterns of childhood development. The first signs of autism usually appear as developmental delays before the age of three. Diagnoses closely related to autism include Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Asperger’s syndrome and Rett’s syndrome. These diagnoses are included in the category of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Resources for parents of students with Autism:
Autism Today, a privately-funded organization with information for parents and people living with autism
NICHCY, Resources from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.
Autism & PPD Support Network
Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing
A student who is deaf or hard-of-hearing has a hearing impairment that gets in the way of how information is processed and communicated to others. The hearing impairment affects developmental skills, academic achievement, vocational-career skills, or social-emotional adjustment. The degree of hearing loss may range from mild to profound. Although deaf or hard-of-hearing students may wear a hearing aid, the aids do not enable them to hear as well as we do.
Resources for parents of students who are hearing impaired:
The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, an information source for parents and students regarding all things related to hearing impairment (Gallaudet University is a publicly funded secondary school for students with hearing impairments).
Auditory-Verbal International, a non-profit organization promoting listening and speaking for children with hearing impairments.
NICHCY, Resources from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.
Dual-Sensory Impaired
Students, who have dual-sensory impairments affecting both vision and hearing, are seriously impaired in their abilities to acquire information, communicate, or function within the environment unless special instruction, materials, adaptations or counseling are provided. Eligibility for this special program may also include students who have a degenerative condition that will lead to a dual-sensory impairment.
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Emotionally Handicapped
The student with emotional handicaps exhibits persistent and consistent maladaptive behavior, even after receiving supportive educational assistance and counseling services. Intellectual, sensory or health factors that get in the way of the student’s learning and ability to build and keep social relationships cannot explain such behavioral disabilities. A serious emotional handicap exists over an extended period of time, and in more than one situation; may result in a general mood of unhappiness or depression; and the student may develop physical symptoms, pains or fears associated with personal or school problems.
Florida Administrative Rule for Emotionally Handicapped Students
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Gifted Program Information
The Gilchrist County School System is dedicated to providing students with programming that will promote their unique cognitive, social, and emotional potential. Students with gifted abilities exist in all ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic groups. Continuous search and nomination will ensure that all students participate in an appropriate learning environment. Cooperation and collaboration among parents, schools, delivery models to maximize the potential of our gifted population. Continuous staff development and program evaluation will ensure quality programming. Students exiting our program will be prepared as independent, lifelong learners and leaders in our ever-changing society.
Who is the Gifted Student?
The gifted child is defined in Florida as "One who has superior intellectual development, is capable of high performance and requires expanded educational challenges from the regular school population." Gifted students tend to learn things more easily and quickly and to engage in advanced thinking processes. These students also have unique social and emotional needs which require attention.
How Does a Child Qualify for the Gifted Program?
A student is eligible for special programs for the gifted if s/he demonstrates the following:
• Superior Intellectual Development - An intelligence quotient of two standard deviations or more above the mean on an individually administered standardized test of intelligence.
• A majority of characteristics of gifted children according to a standard scale or checklist.
• A need for a special program for the gifted. This need is based on established criteria such as achievement levels or social behaviors. These behaviors may be exhibited in positive and/or negative ways.
Who Can Refer a Child for Evaluation for Possible Gifted Placement?
Nominations for screening and evaluations for the gifted student program can be made by the child's teacher or other staff member, the parents/guardians, or in some cases by the child him/herself. The process begins at the school level in the guidance department with the district screening procedure. Nomination forms must be filled out and returned to the child’s guidance counselor at each school.
When Can a Child be Referred for the Gifted Program?
Are There Pre-School Programs?
Florida does not formally recognize programs for gifted students until they are of school age (kindergarten). Most gifted referrals do not begin until the latter part of kindergarten or during the first grade year and the years following. No testing is done on pre-school students.
How are Services Provided to a Gifted Child?
A variety of service options are available to serve the diverse needs of the gifted learner. Generally, the gifted student is served through part-time enrichment, pull-out classes. Through Gilchrist County 's Gifted Student Program, students are taught advanced skills in communication, logical and critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, human relations, leadership, goal setting, group dynamics, product development, service learning, independent study, self-awareness and self-evaluation techniques.
Which Schools Offer Programs for Gifted Students?
All of Gilchrist County’s schools offer programs for gifted students.
How Long is a Child Eligible to Receive Services in the Gifted Program?
A student identified for gifted services is eligible to continue to receive these services through high school graduation as long as the student continues to exhibit a need for the services. However, lower than expected achievement levels or lack of responsiveness to the instructional program are not to be considered automatic reasons for dismissal or temporary withdrawal from the gifted program. Unless a specific reason arises, students are generally not re-evaluated on the standardized, individual test of intelligence.
For further information please contact Mrs. Lisa Rowland, Project Coordinator at (352) 463-4407.
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Hospital / Homebound
A homebound or hospitalized student is a student who has a medically diagnosed physical or mental condition that is a chronic illness. Such a condition or illness confines the student to home or hospital and restricts his/her activities for an extended period. A licensed physician qualified to assess the student’s physical or mental condition shall make the medical diagnosis. The Hospital/Homebound program follows the regular school curriculum as closely as possible, taking into account the student’s physical and mental health.
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Mentally Handicapped
Students with a mental handicap develop at a significantly below average rate and have difficulty in learning and social adjustment. They can and do learn, but they learn slowly and with difficulty. A student with a mental handicap may be eligible in one of three areas. The three areas are based on the student’s ability to learn and to be independent and socially responsible.
Educable Mentally Handicapped: The measured intelligence and adaptive behavior of an EMH student generally falls below that of other students of the same age and socio-cultural group. The EMH student is a student who is mildly impaired in general intellectual functioning and his/her development reflects a reduced rate of learning.
Trainable Mentally Handicapped: The TMH student is a student who is moderately or severely impaired in intellectual and adaptive behavior and whose development reflects a reduced rate of learning. The rate of progress in school compares to the rate of mental development. The mental age is usually one-fourth to one-half of the student’s chronological age.
Profoundly Mentally Handicapped: The PMH student is a student who is profoundly impaired in intellectual and adaptive behavior and whose development reflects a reduced rate of learning. These students have limited response to most social stimuli and are sometimes unaware of their environment. Communication is often limited and they may display temper tantrums, self-injurious behaviors, and self-stimulation. Many of these children have other serious medical problems.
The ARC, information for parents raising children with mental handicaps
CDC's information site on mental handicaps and related chronic conditions
Federal government's information site for developmental disabilities
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Occupational Therapy
OT is a service for a student with disabilities that will help to develop mental or physical well being in daily living skills, academic learning skills or adaptive social or emotional behaviors.
AbleData, information about assistive technology and rehabilitation equipment
Kids OT, information resource collection developed by an experienced Occupational Therapist
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Physical Therapy
PT is treatment for a student with disabilities that will help to maintain, improve, restore, or develop the use of bones, joints, muscles, and nerves.
Physio-net.com, good source of general information about physical therapy (though the source is in Australia)
Physically Impaired
The term PI includes students who are orthopedically impaired, students who are other health impaired, and students with traumatic brain injury. The impairment has a negative affect on the student’s education performance.
National Institute of Health's Traumatic Brain Injury information site
TBI Resource Guide, professional resources on Traumatic Brain Injury
NICHCY, resources from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
CHADD, national non-profit organization representing children and adults with AD/HD and ADD
National Institute of Mental Health's informational booklet on ADD and AD/HD
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Specific Learning Disabled
The student with a learning disability has near average, or above average intelligence, but may not achieve at that level. Problems with learning are not primarily due to emotional disturbance, physical impairments, environmental disadvantage or lack of previous school experience. The student with a learning disability has the ability to learn, but because of problems such as receiving, organizing, remembering and/or expressing information, he/she may have difficulty in school. Individuals may also have dyslexia, which is difficulty with processing written language. Students with learning disabilities may have SOME of the following characteristics:
• Strong in one area (such as math) and a disability in another area (such as spelling and/or reading)
• Good listening skills, but unable to read the subject material
• Difficulty remembering multiple-step directions and carrying out an assignment
• Ability to read on grade level and have good verbal reasoning skills, but unable to do the required written work
• Strong in mechanical fields, art, music, or sports, but with weaknesses in academic areas
Resources from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
Learning Disability Association, an educational site intended to help parents work with their children who have learning disabilities.
The Learning Disability Institute is a Florida-based, national, non-profit organization which seeks to determine and disseminate successful educational approaches for people with learning disabilities.
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Speech and Language
Impairments in speech and language can interfere with learning, vocational training, or social adjustment. The Speech and Language services are offered to students who have problems in communicating so that they can be understood, or in listening, so they can understand what others are saying. Speech and Language programs are designed to assist students with communication problems to function as well as possible and independently. Instruction in communication is provided to improve academic, social, and vocational success.
Resources from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
Visually Impaired
A visual impairment is defined as a disorder in the structure and function of the eye that, even with the best correction and treatment, interferes with a student’s ability to function in an educational setting. The degree of visual ability is different among visually impaired students. Partially sighted students (acuity of at least 20/70 with correction) are those who after the best possible adjustments, use their remaining vision for learning. Blind students have no useful vision and rely on tactile or auditory senses for learning. Both groups of students require the use of special materials and/or equipment such as large print, Braille and tape recorders.
Free national library of Braille and audio materials for the blind and physically handicapped.
Blindness.org, a national, non-profit organization which disseminates information about many diseases which cause blindness, and raises funding to drive research to cure these diseases.
American Foundation for the Blind's Braille Bug, a fun site for kids with visual impairments, and for other kids to learn about visual impairments and Braille.
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