A Note from the Director:

It has been a busy fall and winter for the ISRC.

The ISRC experienced a roller coaster of events

last spring, from the threatened demise of the

agency to a restoration of full funding. Since

receiving the welcome news, on the cusp of the

new fiscal year, that ISRC would be allowed to

stay open, we have received an increase in

requests for service.

In addition to providing technical assistance/

consultation on behavioral issues for students with

a hearing loss, this year the ISRC has assisted in

the establishment of Behavior Teams in 21

programs serving students with a hearing loss.

Training on Functional Behavioral Assessments

and Behavioral Intervention Plans has helped

build the capacity of these programs to keep these

students in the Least Restrictive Environment.

The ISRC has been collaborating with other

statewide technical assistance grants to ensure

coordination of services and to participate in the

development and implementation of a common

data collection/evaluation platform.

We are grateful for the support the ISRC has

received this year, and the opportunity to continue

to provide service to the educational teams and

families working with the unique population of

students who have both a hearing loss and

behavioral challenges.

Cheri Sinnott, LCSW

ISRC Director

Ad grandmother

Illinois Service Resource Center A T e c h n i c a l A s s i s t a n c e C e n t e r o f t h e I l l i n o i s S t a t e B o a r d o f E d u c a t i o n

S e r v i ng Ch i ld r en W i th A Hea r i ng Los s And Emotional/Behavioral Challenges

8 4 7 - 5 5 9 - 8 1 9 5 V o i c e 8 4 7 - 5 5 9 - 9 4 9 3 T TY 8 0 0 - 5 5 0 - 4 7 7 2 H e l p l i n e ( 2 4 H o u r ) Em a i l : i s r c@ i s r c . u s I n t e r n e t s i t e : www . i s r c . u s

Fall 2005/ Winter 2006 Edition

Review

Behavior Teams Established For HI Programs/Schools

Programs and schools serving students with a hearing

loss were invited in the fall to establish Behavior Teams

to participate in quarterly training workshops provided

by the Illinois Service Resource Center.

These training workshops focus on Functional

Behavioral Assessments (FBA) and Developing

Effective Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIP). The

Orientation/ Introduction Session was held on January 9,

2006 in Tinley Park. There were 21 teams from across

the state in attendance.

The next session, to be held March 13, 2006, will focus

on Data Collection and Interpreting Data. Subsequent

sessions are scheduled for September and November,

with the same quarterly schedule in 2007.

Scheduled presenters include Dr. Rick Van Acker from

the University of Illinois, Chicago, Dr. Terry Scott from

the University of Florida, Dr. Dale Mers from Oregon,

and Dr. Linda Mathias-Kaskel from Evanston, IL.

Feedback from the first training indicated an immediate

increase in participant knowledge base regarding FBA

and BIP. Several participants noted that they have been

developing BIPs without conducting FBAs beforehand.

Prior to the training, participants completed a

questionnaire to evaluate current levels of ability and

compliance with federal recommendations. This form

will be completed again after a year of training to

evaluate the progress of Behavior Team members.

The goal of this training effort is to build the capacity of

local schools and programs to meet the behavioral needs

of students with a hearing loss.

In This Issue

Page 2. ISRC Coordinates With ISTAC

Page 3. Training Workshops Available

Page 4. Psychological Consultation Team

ISRC Coordinates With IL Statewide Technical Assistance Center

The Illinois Service Resource Center has been collaborating with other Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)

statewide technical assistance projects to ensure coordination of services and to participate in the development and

implementation of a common data collection/evaluation platform.

Four of the statewide technical assistance projects comprise the Illinois Statewide Technical Assistance Center

(ISTAC). These four agencies are Illinois Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Network (PBIS), Children

Have Opportunities in Inclusive Community and Educational Environments (CHOICES), Illinois Autism Training

and Technical Assistance Project (IATTAP) and Parent & Educator Partnership (PEP). The two other statewide

technical assistance projects are the Illinois Service Resource Center (ISRC) and Project Reach of the Phillip Rock

Center and School for Deaf/Blind Students. The Directors of these six projects meet quarterly with ISBE

representatives to review progress and establish future goals.

ISBE encourages local school districts to utilize the services of these statewide technical assistance grants to

achieve the goals of the State Performance Plan and improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities.

The grants are funded with federal discretionary dollars from Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

In December, 2005, ISBE submitted to the U.S. Department of Education the Illinois State Performance Plan, Part

B for 2005-2010. Improvement Activities cited in the plan include recommendations to:

• “Utilize technical assistance projects such as ISRC to provide training, technical assistance and support to

school districts to increase effective behavior support plans to increase ongoing access to education.”

• “Utilize ISTAC technical assistance projects to:

- Increase data-based decision-making about behavior interventions and supports across all school

settings in target schools and districts.

- Increase use and effect of research-based behavioral strategies among school staff at school-

wide, classroom, and individual levels.

- Reduce use of reactive discipline measures in schools (i.e., office discipline referrals, detentions,

suspensions and expulsions) for all students.”

ISRC Appreciates Support From Educators, Parents

Our thanks goes out to those of you who were among the hundreds who sent letters to the governor’s office

and state legislators last Spring in support of ISRC. Your efforts made the difference.

We are particularly grateful for the efforts of the following individuals:

Following the announcement of funding cuts in early March, 2005, Dr. Patricia Scherer, President of Mental

Health and Deafness, Inc. and the International Center On Deafness and the Arts, led a group of interested

parties to attend a meeting of the Illinois State Board of Education in Springfield. Her testimony, along with

that of parents and professionals, made an impact on ISBE and the governor's office.

Elliot Regenstein, Director of Education Reform for Governor Blagojevich, provided guidance and assistance

throughout the process.

Dr. Steve Vaupel of the ISRC led the letter writing campaign and traveled the state visiting with state

legislators.

- ISRC Review Page 2 -

ISRC Library Includes

Valuable Resources

The Illinois Service Resource

Center library offers over 500

items, including books, games,

video tapes, audio tapes and

psychological testing kits.

The materials are available at

no charge to individuals who

work with students who have a

hearing loss and face behavioral

and mental health challenges.

In addition, there is a wide

variety of resources for parents

and children.

Items are mailed, with return

postage included. Materials

may be checked out for a period

of three weeks.

Some categories of resources

include: AD/HD,

Administration, Autism,

Behavior Intervention,

Counseling, Deaf Culture,

Medication, Parents, Sensory

Integration, Sign Language and

Social Skills. Several of the

materials are available in

Spanish.

To view the entire library

bibliography visit:

www.isrc.us

Data On Illinois Students Published In American Annals Of The Deaf

Illinois students were highlighted in an article in American Annals of the Deaf, Summer 2005, Volume 150. The

article, Characteristics of the Population of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students With Emotional Disturbance in

Illinois was co-authored by Cheri Sinnott, Director of the Illinois Service Resource Center, and Thomas Jones,

Professor of Education at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.

Information for this article was obtained from a database of the Illinois Service Resource Center that was established

to identify and track students in Illinois with both Hearing Impairment and Emotional Disturbance listed on their

Individual Educational Plans. Data was collected in the Behavioral,

Educational, Audiological and Demographic domains.

The data indicated that these students were more likely than students in the

general population of students with a hearing loss to have been born

prematurely, to have had a prenatal trauma, to have had a later onset of hearing

loss, to live in single-parent homes, to belong to an ethnic minority, to live in

an urban area and to qualify for low-income health care.

Training Workshops Available Through ISRC

The Illinois Service Resource Center offers a variety of training workshops

for educational teams and families of students with a hearing loss. Training

workshops are available on site at schools and agencies, at parent group

meetings, at the ISRC office or offsite at a variety of locations.

Some of the workshop topics available through ISRC include:

Designing Effective Behavioral Intervention Plans – Learn how to design

and write behavioral intervention plans that will not only help meet the

individual needs of your students, but will also meet the requirements of

state and federal regulations. You will learn how to conduct a functional

behavioral assessment, match intervention to behavioral function and write

effective behavioral intervention plans.

AD/HD and Deafness – This session reviews the various types of AD/HD,

along with accommodations and intervention strategies specific to students

with a hearing loss.

Anger Management – This workshop provides suggestions for the

classroom on techniques to resolve anger, for both student and teacher.

Autism and Deafness – An overview of the common characteristics of

autism, with discussion of teaching methods, strategies and

accommodations for students who have both autism and a hearing loss.

Sensory Integration Disorders – Participants will gain an understanding of

the six domains of sensation and ideas for intervention, i.e. sensory diets.

Social Skills Curriculum – This training reviews the new Illinois Learning

Standards for Social Emotional Learning and a variety of social skills

curriculum that may be used in the classroom.

Visual Strategies to Impact Communication and Behavior – Participants

will learn how visual strategies can assist with increasing student

understanding of the environment and teaching skills that impact behavior.

Additional workshops include: Transition Planning, Mental Health

Diagnosis, Understanding Psychological Evaluations, Syndromes Related to

Deafness, Structuring a Positive Classroom and others.

- ISRC Review Page 3 -

ISRC Staff

Cheri Sinnott

Director

Dr. Steve Vaupel Behavioral /

Psychological

Consultant

Chris Mayworm Consultant

Marilyn Medow Social Worker

Dr. Jim Vanderbosch Clinical

Psychologist

Alison Mansfield Data Specialist

Charles Snyder Data Specialist

Ann Sego Administrative

Assistant

Psychological Consultation Team

Available For Students Who Are Deaf

Many school psychologists have little experience testing students

with a hearing loss. When these students require psychological

testing, local school psychologists may have questions on

selecting appropriate tests for nonverbal students and interpreting

results of tests that do not have deaf norms.

The Illinois Service Resource Center has assembled a team of

psychologists experienced in testing students with a hearing loss.

These psychologists are available to provide telephone

consultation at no cost to the school district.

In addition, the ISRC has compiled a booklet, Guidelines for

Psychological Testing of Students With a Hearing Loss, and a

lending library of psychological testing kits appropriate for students with a hearing loss. To request a copy of the

booklet or a list of items available from the test kit library, contact us at isrc@isrc.us.

Learn more about services and resources available from the ISRC

www.isrc.us

Illinois State Board of Education Statewide Technical Assistance Centers

Illinois Autism Training and Technical Assistance Project Kathy Gould, Director 1500 S Grace Street Lombard, IL 60146

630-889-7398 www.illinoisautismproject.org

Illinois Service Resource Center

Cheri Sinnott, Director 3444 W Dundee Road Northbrook, IL 60062

847-559-8195 www.isrc.us

Parent & Educator Partnership

Vicki Niswander, Director P.O. Box 381

Mahomet, IL 61853 217-586-7464

www.pepartnership.org

PBIS Network Lucile Eber, Director

Forest Road East School 928 Barnsdale Rd #254

LaGrange Park, IL 60526 708-482-4860

www.pbisillinois.org

Project CHOICES Ruth Henning, Director 1500 S Grace Street Lombard, IL 60148

630-629-0551 www.projectchoices.org

Project Reach / Phillip Rock Center

Tina Lechnick, Director 818 DuPage Blvd

Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 630-790-2474

www.project-reach-illinois.org

Illinois State Performance Plan, Part B for 2005-2010

Improvement Activities cited in the plan include recommendations to:

• “Utilize technical assistance projects such as ISRC to provide training, technical assistance and support to school districts to increase effective behavior support plans to increase ongoing access to education.”

• “Utilize ISTAC technical assistance projects to:

- Increase data-based decision-making about behavior interventions and supports

across all school settings in target schools and districts.

- Increase use and effect of research-based behavioral strategies among school staff

at school-wide, classroom, and individual levels.

- Reduce use of reactive discipline measures in schools (i.e., office discipline

referrals, detentions, suspensions and expulsions) for all students.”