Revision [5578]
Last edited on 2007-05-03 11:44:52 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
5/3: I was at my practicum for 4 hours today. It will be my last official day as I have finals next week. I plan on continuing to work with Amy after graduation to continue getting the experience. We went and observed at a Day Care on Broadway. This little boy will be in kindergarten next year and the teacher is concerned about his cognitive delays. He scored in a lower range on the K-BIT 2 however he just seems immature (he's still 4 years old). We went back to 26 and did paperwork and discussed cases until I left.
Revision [5569]
Edited on 2007-05-01 13:09:35 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
5/1: I was at my practicum for 4.5 hours. We reviewed a case that Amy had just gone to see. After this, we worked on our podcast. I recorded a section regarding depression including the types of depression and signs and a description of suicide.
Revision [5554]
Edited on 2007-04-27 08:25:02 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
4/27: I went to my practicum for 1 hour for a CSE meeting. A 5 year old was placed into a therapeutic school aged program at Gateway Longview to aid his acting out behaviors and he was also labelled emotionally disturbed.
Revision [5552]
Edited on 2007-04-26 12:12:21 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
4/26: I was at my practicum for 4.5 hours. I first went to Builds Academy to see "C" and he was having issues with his reading teacher when I arrived. I got him settled down and began working on his reading work right away. He then was able to turn himself around and do well with the reading teacher for the rest of the class. After this, I went to observe a 4 year old that is being labelled emotionally disturbed as a kindergartner and he had been pulled out of the regular classroom because a substitute could not handle him. At the time of the visit he was under control, however the teacher informed me of what he had done throughout the day. Then I went to 26 and read CSE reports and read through IEP goals regarding this little boy's behaviors.
Revision [5544]
Edited on 2007-04-24 12:27:35 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
4/24: I was at my practicum for 5 hours. I spent time scoring a behavior rating scale. We then went to lunch with Mark Mecca, another school psychologist and discussed a podcast on depression. I am going to research the what depression is (relating to teens) and give the DSM definition along with the different types of depression. I also am going to give a short background on suicide. After lunch, I spent some time doing some research. We then met to discuss the possibility of placing a preschooler into an agency kindergarten program (vs. 6-1-1 special education in Buffalo public schools). This was very informational to learn the differences between the programs.
4/23: I was at my practicum for 1 hour today working on my behavior modification plan with "C." I spent time keeping him on track during math and just positively reinforcing his good behaviors.
4/23: I was at my practicum for 1 hour today working on my behavior modification plan with "C." I spent time keeping him on track during math and just positively reinforcing his good behaviors.
Revision [5538]
Edited on 2007-04-19 18:41:06 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
4/19: I was at my practicum for 2 hours today. I went to see "C" and spent about an hour and a half with him working on reading assignments. He had gotten into trouble with the reading teacher that day (which he told me was because of another girl but I'm unsure if it's true or not) so I was trying to talk to him about it in a nonthreatening manner. Then, I went to a Head Start program near Builds Academy. I observed a 4 year old with behavior issues. All of the little preschoolers had fun asking me why I was there and what I was doing. She actually was not that interested.
Revision [5537]
Edited on 2007-04-18 19:51:05 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
4/18: I was at my practicum for 1.5 hours. I attended two CSE meetings where both preschoolers were classified as speech and language impaired. It was interesting because the mom, dad, and two young kids attended the meeting and the boy was very hyperactive and the mom, teachers, etc. all want him to be tested for ADHD. I enjoy being able to sit in on these meetings and learn from many different experienced people within school systems.
Revision [5535]
Edited on 2007-04-17 12:37:52 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
4/17: I was at my practicum for 5 hours today. I spent time refamiliarizing myself with the cases for the CSE meeting tomorrow. Then, I pre-conferenced with the coordinator for the meeting tomorrow while Amy went to see two of the kids that she was unable to see before break for tomorrow. I then met Amy at Bethel Head Start on Michigan Ave. I observed Amy test a 4 year old and then we observed in the classroom. He was a very cute, active boy that specifically has speech problems but seems cognitively aware and socially adjusted.
Revision [5525]
Edited on 2007-04-05 09:18:40 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
4/5: I was at my practicum for 3 hours today. Again, we started out at Children's Early Childhood Program to again observe the 4 year old discussed in my last post and to give him a short cognitive exam. Because of his language deficits, he had a hard time with matrix reasoning but was eager to name every picture shown him, he just could not process specific questions very well. Next I went to Builds Academy and "C" was finally back! He told me that his grandmother had been stabbed so he was out of school because he had to go to the hospital every day. I stayed with him in his reading class and sat and read with him and kept him on task. The reading teacher said that he thrives with the one-on-one and it really helps with his disruptions. This little boy will hopefully be back in school when spring break is over and I plan to work with him 2 times a week for however much time he earns. My plan is set-up in 15 min. increments and every 15 min that he is on task and behaving he gets a star. So far he had earned 10 stars that day. I told him that today I was just going to work with him and he would start "cashing in" his stars after break.
Revision [5524]
Edited on 2007-04-03 13:43:39 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
4/3: I was at my practicum for 5 hours today. I started out at Children's Early Childhood Program to observe a 4 year old who is labelled a preschooler with a disability and needs to be transitioned into elementary school. He will apparently qualify for speech, however the teacher would like to see him receive more support as he has problems with many children in a class (he was originally in a Head Start program). This boy was very enthused about his routine however we did see him throw a few temper tantrums when he was convinced that a toy was his. This class was fabulous; I especially enjoyed the structure and unity of the teacher and aids. This classroom involved many songs and routines. After this observation, we went back to 26 and looked through cases from the next meeting date (set for April 27th). These are also preschool evaluations. One little boy is being evaluated for his emotional problems and because of his family situation. This boy is currently in foster care and was severly neglected and physically and sexually abused at a young age. He has severe acting out behaviors that need counseling services.
Revision [5523]
Edited on 2007-03-31 04:56:57 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
I am doing my practicum in the Buffalo Public School System with Amy Van Buren, a district-wide school psychologist. I will be with her on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10ish-3.
3/30: Today we had CSE meetings all day. I was able to attend 3 of the 5 meetings and was there for 2.5 hours. The first two meetings were at Waterfront concerning two kindergarten children who were qualified for speech services. The last meeting was very long and complex as the parent was there (which was great to see!), a speech therapist, the teacher, and a visually impaired teacher. Everything went very smoothly and I again was able to witness the collaboration of a team.
3/30: Today we had CSE meetings all day. I was able to attend 3 of the 5 meetings and was there for 2.5 hours. The first two meetings were at Waterfront concerning two kindergarten children who were qualified for speech services. The last meeting was very long and complex as the parent was there (which was great to see!), a speech therapist, the teacher, and a visually impaired teacher. Everything went very smoothly and I again was able to witness the collaboration of a team.
Deletions:
Revision [5522]
Edited on 2007-03-29 11:22:20 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
3/29: I was at my practicum for 3.5 hours. I went to Builds Academy to again see "C" and again he was absent. The teacher is planning to call the mother and see if he is alright and when he will be returning to school. I then went to observe a little girl at Montessori for our meetings tomorrow. She was going on a field trip so I was only able to talk to the teacher again. This school incorporates 3 year olds to 6 year olds and is not very structured. They only have reading for 1 hour a day so it was very interesting to even see. After I went to 26 and discussed some of the cases and looked over the reports for tomorrow morning.
Revision [5515]
Edited on 2007-03-27 12:59:27 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
3/27: I was at my practicum for 4.75 hours. I went straight to School 26 and we discussed one of the little girls that Amy evaluated on Friday or Monday. We had planned a business lunch with Mark Mecca to discuss collaboration with him on a podcast project but he forgot about our appointment. We then spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing new cases and files for the next meeting. All of these children are preschoolers with disabilities who are being evaluated for placement within special education in kindergarten.
Revision [5513]
Edited on 2007-03-22 12:05:21 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
3/22: I was at my practicum for 4.75 hours. I went to Builds Academy to work with the little boy "C" however he had been suspended almost immediately after I left on Tuesday so I will return on Monday and try talking to him again. I then met Amy at Waterfront Elementary school where I completed the educational testing for the little girl who I had tested on Tuesday (we had two sub-tests left) and then Amy did her psychological evaluation. This little girl has severe problems with spelling and writing however she is borderline having a learning disability or not. We also learned a lot about this little girls background including that she "lives in the hood." We then returned to 26 to score both her achievement and psych evaluations.
Revision [5509]
Edited on 2007-03-20 13:40:23 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
3/20: I was at my practicum for 5 hours. I started at Builds Academy where I am doing a behavioral plan with a 2nd grader that we labeled Emotionally Disturbed about a month ago. He has not yet been removed to a 15:1 classroom. I'll call him "C" in this blog. I devised a plan where he can earn stars every 15 minutes of class and every star he earns is one minute he spends with me either doing classwork individually or some fun activity like drawing/painting, etc. I am planning on going to see this child every Monday and Thursday and I explained to him how important it is he earns the stars otherwise I will not stay for long. He seemed very excited for this opportunity as he thrives one on one. After I explained the plan to him I met Amy at School #95 and observed her administer a cognitive test to a 6 year old. I then observed a 3rd grader who struggles with reading and administered part of the Woodcock-Johnson.
Revision [5506]
Edited on 2007-03-16 11:44:11 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
3/16: I was at my practicum for 6 hours today. We met at #26 to discuss where we would go and what we were planning for the day. We went to Waterfront, School #95, and both observed two of the three students we were assigned from that school. I observed a 5 year old boy who is being referred for speech and language services. He was painfully shy so talking to him before and during testing was difficult. I administered my first test, the Woodcock-Johnson with him. This little boy is struggling in his kindergarten classroom and is not up to par with the other students as he has difficulty sounding out and identifying letters (according to the teacher). His possible difficulties could stem from the fact that he did not attend preschool and thus was not exposed to a lot before this year. The other little girl was very talkative and cute. She is 5 years old and is being changed from a preschooler with a disability to speech impaired. We then went back to 26 and I scored the two achievement tests. I went over to Montessori Elementary school to observe another 5 year old however I was unable to because she was going to her speech class. I was able to talk to the teachers about her concerns and took note of them in order to ensure she receives the proper services (she is nearsighted and needs visual services).
Revision [5505]
Edited on 2007-03-15 12:39:01 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
3/15: I was at my practicum for 6.75 hours again today. We started by discussing some of the cases that would be discussed in our CSE meetings today. We then went and met on 5 different cases and I got to listen in on group collaboration and to again see how these meetings are conducted. I will probably speak at the next set of meetings. Between the meetings I worked on little office projects such as shredding old test protocols, etc. It was a laid back day in a sense but I learned a lot from witnessing the way CSE meetings are conducted.
Revision [5504]
Edited on 2007-03-14 12:39:51 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
3/14: I was at my practicum for 6.75 hours today. I started the day by inputing a behavior rating checklist from a teacher into the computer and scoring it for one of the kids for our meeting tomorrow. Then I began reading files for our next caseload of 5. I wrote down important information and this took a significant amount of time. Most of these kids were new evaluations so we will have to do both an educational and psychological assessment of all of them. One child, however has been labeled speech impaired however she had transferred out of the district so this is a meeting to get her services back in place. I then went and observed a 7th grade student that was being re-evaluated. His meeting is tomorrow and Amy wanted me to witness what his classroom is like, as he is in a 6:1. I observed during gym class and it was extremely interesting because he thrives in athletics and is a very sociable, likeable kid. Tomorrow I am going to attend all of the CSE meetings for our completed caseload.
Revision [5503]
Edited on 2007-03-12 11:44:00 by JaclynOstroskiAdditions:
3/12: I was at my practicum for 6.25 hours today. We started at school #26 and had a pre-conference for the CSE meetings on Thursday. These meetings are very interesting to sit in on as professionals bounce ideas off of one another and just discuss and further clarify the cases. Then I opened up old testing protocols to shred them the next time I get a chance. During this time I also got to listen to different school psychologists discuss the Buffalo public school systems, administration, etc. Then I went and observed a 2nd grade child who is classified "other health impairments" and receives a Consultant teacher for 2.5 hours a day. She shows obvious symptoms of ADHD as she is extremely fidgety and easily distracted. However, this child does well in class regardless of her attention issues. I did not like this child's main teacher as she used too much punishment with all of the children.
