School Psychologists

Who are School Psychologists?

As school psychologists, our role is to support the learning, behavior, and mental health of all children.  Whether in a general education classroom or Exceptional Children's (EC) classroom, we strive for our students to gain and generalize skills that will allow them to be successful academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally.  In order to do so, we work very closely with parents, teachers, administrators, and support staff to facilitate home, school, and community collaboration.

While we wear many hats, one of our major responsibilities is to conduct comprehensive evaluations.  These assessments and reports help the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team decide if a student has a disability that negatively affects their educational performance to such a degree that they require special education services.  Evaluations are multidisciplinary and depend on the referral concerns; therefore, they will be different for every child.  They may include measures of cognitive, academic, social/emotional, and adaptive skills in addition to assessments that would be conducted by related service providers (such as speech/language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists).  The goal of these evaluations is to create a complete picture of your child so that together, as an IEP Team, we can make the best determination regarding placement and services.

School Psychology Newsletter

Over the course of the school year we will be sharing a wealth of information about research findings, new policies, current issues, diagnoses and disabilities, local resources, and our practice in the schools.  Our goal is to keep parents and the community well-informed and up-to-date.  If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future topics, feel free to call or email one of us - we are happy to hear your feedback!

2016-2017 School Year, Quarter 2

  • Concussions in Children and Adolescents

  • Higher Education for Students with Disabilities

2016-2017 School Year, Quarter 1

  • Struggling with Homework

  • ADHD: A Guide for Parents

  • Recycling Halloween Candy

Information & Resources

Autism Speaks
Helpful resource for not only current research about Autism but also advocacy for those individuals who have been diagnosed with Autism. 

Behavioral Doctor
Strategies for children having behavioral problems as well as other behavioral interventions.

Intervention Central

National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

NC DPI Department of Exceptional Children

North Carolina School Psychology Association

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Apps & Other Fun

Name

Description

Stories2Learn

Offers parents and educators the ability to create personalized stories using photos, text, and audio messages. These stories can be used to promote an individual’s literacy, leisure, as well as social skills. With Stories2Learn an educator can quickly create a story that shows various social cues. For example, if an individual is learning a new concept such as turn taking, making improved eye contact, sharing, or other social messages, these concepts can be quickly depicted in a story created by parent or educator within minutes! The creator is able to add their own audio and write dialogue that corresponds to the photos.

Social Skills

Offers parents and educators the ability to interact with six social narratives designed to help individuals improve their social ability. With Social Skills, the stories contain targeted instruction in the following core areas: Joint Attention; Non-Verbal Communication; Greetings; Structured game play; Turn Taking; Classroom rules; and Imitation. In addition to using the specific content, users can modify the stories by adding different photos, text, as well as audio. The end results allows for the individual to look at a social photo, touch the picture for audio, and continue onto the next page!

QuickCues

A social script app that helps teens and young adults on the autism spectrum to handle new situations and learn new skills. Social scripts have been used successfully for years, but QuickCues makes these tools mobile and easy to use in everyday situations. With Quick Cues you can add four additional modules each priced at $4.99. The Communication module comes pre-installed and provides help with conversations at school or work, listening, and talking on the telephone. It also gives tips on reading body language and finding shared interests with others. Available for additional purchase via the In-App purchase are Life Skills Module, Socialization Module and the Coping Module.

Hidden Curriculum for Kids

Some people seem to learn the hidden curriculum almost automatically. Others learn it only by direct instruction. This includes children with autism spectrum disorders. These real-life based entries spur conversations about the countless “unwritten social rules” that we encounter every day and that can cause confusion and anxiety.

Everyday Social Skills

This application is designed to teach and reinforce basic social skills critical for independent living. For some, going on a shopping trip, using basic literacy skills, or understanding what to do when seeing a warning sign are very difficult tasks. The Everyday Social Skills application provides easy-to-understand information that allows users to become more capable of functioning independently at work, at home, and in the community.

Model Me Going Places

A great visual teaching tool for helping your child learn to navigate challenging locations in the community. Each location contains a photo slide show of children modeling appropriate behavior. Locations include: Hairdresser, Mall, Doctor, Playground, Grocery Store, Restaurant

Everyday Skills

Provides self-directed learning sessions for 40 important skills necessary for living independently and accessing the community based on proven content developed by the Attainment Company. Everyday Skills provides an accessible learning tool that is specifically designed to be used directly by individuals with autism, learning or other developmental disabilities at their own pace on the coolest technology platform there is – the iPad! Everyday Skills is powered by Visual Impact, AbleLink’s highly effective cognitively accessible learning tool.

Living Safely

Provides self-directed learning sessions for 27 important safety skills topics. Living Safely provides an accessible learning tool that is specifically designed to be used directly by individuals with autism, learning or other developmental disabilities at their own pace on the coolest technology platform there is – the iPad!

Our School Psychologists