Aloha Notes was created to share my experiences as a School Psychologist in Hawaii. The motivation behind this blog is to provide my personal lessons, ideas, and educational resources for teachers, parents and school psychologists (student/professional).
SELF STIMULATING BEHAVIORS AT SCHOOL. Underwear Matters. Trust me on this. Over the past couple years, I have had numerous teachers shyly approach me for consultation, looking for strategies on for their students who are engaging in "self-stimulation" during class, at school, and even on field-trips. In one case, just finding the appropriate pair of underwear solved the problem. Basketball shorts and no underwear was not working out so well... but once discussed, it was a trail and error and a simple fix. Many times, the teachers biggest concern is how to discuss the problem with the parent. Sometimes the behavior is suspected but not as obvious... But it is always better to have a conversation with the parent as soon as possible. To ignore the issue can be extremely problematic and can create habits that later will be difficult to break. I think it is important to be mindful of parents cultures when bringing up the topic with them. Initially, it's easier w
I had no idea what a complex school psychologist meant or how it would be different than my training in California...but it's really not as "complex" as you may think. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- District: The statewide school system is divided into seven administrative districts, including Oahu’s Honolulu, Central, Leeward and Windward districts; the Big Island’s Hawaii district; Maui District has Maui, Molokai and Lanai; and the Kauai district. Within each district, smaller areas are divided into 'complex' areas, based on the high schools and all the feeder schools . Honolulu School District: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Complex: The complex I work in is called Kaiser Complex and is in the East side of Oahu. There are four elementary sc
The IEP court case of Doug C. vs. Hawaii When a student is found eligible for special education, an individual education plan (IEP) is developed and updated annually. Special education teachers have traditionally sworn by those dates, allowing no room for flexibility. However, a landmark case (Doug C. Vs Hawaii DOE) in Summer of 2013, courts ruled that parent involvement is more important than exceeding timelines for annual or reevaluation deadlines. The case began when a parent requested a meeting to be rescheduled due to illness but because of the school was going to go over timeline, school staff met without him present and made decisions about their child's program. The IEP team told parents that they had decided that their 18-year old son with autism was to transition from a private placement to the public home school. Parents went and lost at due process but found victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Despite Hawaii's Department of Ed
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