4 Professions of Special Ed

EDL 539

School PsychologistWho Are School Psychologists?School psychologists have specialized training in both

psychology and education. They use their training and skills to team with educators, parents, and other mental health professionals to ensure that every child learns in a safe, healthy and supportive environment. School psychologists understand school systems, effective teaching and successful learning. Today’s children face more challenges than ever before. School psychologists can provide solutions for tomorrow’s problems through thoughtful and positive actions today.

The training requirements to become a school psychologist are a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours including a year-long internship. This training emphasizes preparation in mental health, child development, school organization, learning, behavior and motivation. To work as a school psychologist, one must be certified and/or licensed by the state in which services are provided. School psychologists also may be nationally certified by the National School Psychology Certification Board (NSPCB).

Il state standards for School Psych1. Data-Based Decision Making and

Accountability 2. Consultation and Collaboration 3. Learning and Instruction 4. Socialization and Development of Life Skills 5. Student Diversity in Development And

Learning 6. School and Systems Organization, Policy

Development, and Climate 7. Prevention, Crisis Intervention, and Mental

Health 8. Home/School/Community Collaborations 9. Research and Program Evaluation 10. School Psychology Practice and Development 11. Technology Standards

NASP endorses assessment practices that are:• scientifically based; • multidimensional and based on the needs of the

student; • relevant to a variety of scientifically-based

interventions; • inclusive of an examination of family and educational

systems, and home environments, in addition to the student;

• initiated by efforts to resolve the problem through early intervention;

• nondiscriminatory in terms of ethnicity, gender, native language, family or socioeconomic status;

• comprehensive and address the educational, cognitive, and mental health needs of the student;

• not limited to any single methodology or theoretical framework;

• technically appropriate and used for the purposes for which they were developed and/or validated;

• conducted so that ethical standards are maintained; and

• used only by qualified personnel.

Some interesting facts• Currently Il trains school

psychologist to work with individuals between ages birth to 21

• Birth to 3 is the most important time for students with disabilities

Some good websites• http://www.nasponline.org/ • http://www-gse.berkeley.edu/

program/SP/html/spguide.html • http://

www.nasponline.org/about_nasp/pospaper_assess.aspx

• http://www.nasponline.org/about_sp/recruitment.ppt

• http://www.nasponline.org/about_sp/careerfaq.aspx

More info on School psychologist• Some Journals

http://www.psychwatch.com/school_journals.htm

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologist#School_psychologists

Physical Therapist• Physical therapists provide services

that help restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities of patients suffering from injuries or disease. They restore, maintain, and promote overall fitness and health. Their patients include accident victims and individuals with disabling conditions such as low-back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, and cerebral palsy.

Info from The BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Education of Physical TherapistAccording to the American Physical

Therapy Association, there were 209 accredited physical therapist programs in 2006. Of the accredited programs, 46 offered master's degrees, and 163 offered doctoral degrees. All physical therapist programs seeking accreditation are required to offer degrees at the master’s degree level and above, in accordance with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

Work Outlook• 6 out of 10 work at hospitals• 155,000 jobs in 2004• Expected growth in job market by

2014

Conditions that PTs help• back and neck pain • spinal and joint conditions, such as arthritis • biomechanical problems and muscular

control • problems affecting children, such as cerebral

palsy and spina bifida • heart and lung conditions, such as chronic

obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia

• sport-related injuries • stress incontinence • neurological conditions, such as stroke and

multiple sclerosis

PT assessments• Subjective examination

(interview)• Objective assessment (physical

exam)They assess• Joint range of motion• Muscle power• Neurological assessment• Motor control• Posture

Some journals and publications• Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica • American Journal of Physical Medicine &

Rehabilitation

• Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

• Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research

• Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT)

• Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine • Neurology • Physical Therapy: Journal of the

American Physical Therapy Association • PT--Magazine of Physical Therapy • Spine

Speech Therapist • A speech therapist is a specialist with

training in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of speech, voice, and language disorders who works with people, unable to make speech sounds or cannot make them clearly. They also work with people who stutter, have fluency and rhythm problems, inappropriate pitch, or harsh voice and speech quality problems.

What it takes• An aspiring speech therapist

needs a Master's degree in Speech Pathology, 375 hours of supervised clinical experience, a passing grade on a national examination and at least nine months of post-graduate professional experience.

Job outlook• Speech Therapist are usually hired

by schools and hospitals.• Careers in this field are growing

What Speech Therapist work with• Babies with feeding and swallowing

difficulties • Children with mild, moderate or severe:

– learning difficulties – physical disabilities, language delay – specific language impairment – specific difficulties in producing sounds – hearing impairment – cleft palate – stammering – autism/social interaction difficulties – dyslexia – voice disorders

• Adults with eating and swallowing and/or communication problems following – stroke – head injury (Traumatic brain injury) – Parkinson's disease – motor neuron disease – multiple sclerosis – huntington's disease – dementia – cancer of the head, neck and throat

(including laryngectomy) – voice problems – mental health issues – learning difficulties, physical disabilities – stammering (dysfluency) – hearing impairment

Professional Organizations American Speech-Language-

Hearing Association       www.asha.org       10801 Rockville Pike        Rockville MD 20852

Occupational Therapist • Occupational therapists (OTs) help

people improve their ability to perform tasks in their daily living and working environments. They work with individuals who have conditions that are mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling. They also help them to develop, recover, or maintain daily living and work skills.

Educational requirements• Beginning in 2007 a master’s

degree or higher will be required for an educational requirements

• To obtain a license, a applicant must graduate from an accredited educational program and pass a national certification examination

• completion of 6 months of supervised fieldwork

• patience and strong interpersonal skills

Job outlook• Occupational therapists held

about 92,000 jobs in 2004. About 1 in 10 occupational therapists held more than one job. The largest number of jobs were in hospitals.

• Careers are expected to increase better than average

What do OTs do?• OT assist clients in achieving

greater independence by – Rehabilitation of neuropsychological

deficits– Motor function– Sensory function– Interpersonal skills

• Other Non traditional roles– Consulting with lawmakers– Home accessibility modifications– Ergonomic assessments

Where an OT may work• Hospitals• Nursing facilities• Schools • Outpatient clinics• Client’s homes

Who will benefit from an OT• birth injuries or birth defects • sensory processing/integrative disorders • traumatic injuries (brain or spinal cord) • learning problems • autism • pervasive developmental disorders • juvenile rheumatoid arthritis • mental health or behavioral problems • broken bones or other injuries • developmental delays • post-surgical conditions • burns • spina bifida • traumatic amputations • cancer • severe hand injuries • multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and other chronic

illnesses

Links and organizations• http://www.aota.org/ The

American Occupational Therapy Association

• http://www.wfot.org.au/ The World Federation of Occupational Therapist

• http://www.aota.org/ajot/index.asp The American Journal of Occupational Therapy

Interesting OT idea•OT tips- http://www.promoteot.org/documents/OTTipsHealthSuccess_003.pdf •National School Backpack Awareness Day 2006 a Huge Success!