Aloha Notes: My career as a School Psychologist in Hawaii

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 Depar...

Most teachers would describe a student who has ADHD as hyperactive and restless, always fidgeting, interrupting others, running around the classroom, and always getting into trouble. These are typical characteristics-- of boys with ADHD. ADHD in GIRLS.  Half of girls who have been diagnosed with ADHD are the "predominantly inattentive" type, which is described as forgetful, easily distracted, they appear to be in their own world, and often do not follow directions and make careless mistakes. Girls who have symptoms of hyperactivity are less likely to run around the classroom and more likely to be constantly chatting . Compared to boys who have ADHD, girls are often less defiant Girls are less likely to receive the help that they need . What can parents do? Team up with your child's school teacher and school level supports:   Develop a communication plan with your child's classroom teacher in order to have a consistent reinforcement plan at ho...

What do Honolulu School District school psychologists do over summer when classrooms are mostly empty and  students are enjoying their time at the beach?   May 2013 The last week of school at any school is always chaotic and for Kaiser High School, it was no different--seniors were getting ready to graduate, teachers were busy preparing and grading exams, and counselors and administrators were frantically wrapping up the school year. In the middle of the end of the year madness, the counselors and I got word that we all had to pack and move our offices....  (((Ah! Really?!)))  You really don't realize how much stuff you have in an office until you have to pack it all up and move. It really wasn't so bad though considering i was moving one building over. By mid June, I had packed my office and unpacked my files into their new home. Being a 12-month employee, I don't get summers off like my fellow school psychologists in California (iusd). Summers a...

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 elemen...

Beginning my career as a School Psychologist. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I will never forget the feeling I had walking off that plane last year. It was a Thursday in late July, 2009 and I was terrified, excited, and well...lost (in more ways than one ).  I didn't know one person in Hawaii, only friends of friends.  I got off the plane with two large suitcases. That's it. No one was there to pick me up or greet me...   I didn't know where I was going to live and was relying entirely on a craigslist.org housing ad for shelter... Honolulu School District introduced me to the "Spirit of Aloha" when they sent Lynette, Honolulu's head School Psychologist. She met me at the airport, helped me with my car rental (my first time EVER renting a car), and then I followed her to the address I had found online (craigslist) to a room I was potentially going to move into.   I was astounded..where else you...