Special Education Unit Remodeled to Offer Better Training

Christie Almeida

The Special Education Unit in the Ministry of Education has been undergoing a remodeling of sorts to maximize the training that teachers receive in special education, as well as the lessons that children who need those services receive. Today, Program Coordinator of that unit, Christie Almeida shared what priority areas have been identified and already addressed as a part of that transition.

Christie Almeida, Special Education Program Coordinator, MoECST

“We’ve been doing a lot of remodeling with the Special Education Unit. You’ve noticed we’re not really using NARCIE anymore. We’re using Special Ed because we’re really just focusing on making some significant changes. One of the requests from families is the lack of services in the country. They need speech therapy, they need behavior therapy. That’s really hard when we only have one speech and language pathologist in this country where, you know, we don’t have certified B.C.B.As or occupational therapists. So we signed a Memorandum of Agreement a year ago with Therapy Adventures, and they sent therapists who are based here for about six months. They have the option to sign on for a year. And this started last year, January. So we are on our third cohort of teams and we remodeled our Special Education Unit. So now there are little cubicles to do behavior therapy. There’s an O.T. gym and they work there. We have to triage. It’s not enough to reach the entire country, so they evaluate kids and those who are at the most extreme needs sort of get in first. There’s a wait list, but these therapists have been really doing good about providing support across the country. So our speech and language pathologist, for example, does sessions every single Monday on Zoom to encourage all the families who are using the tablet to talk for those kids who are have limited or no communication. So every Monday at six o’clock, these parents who’ve gotten the tablet have the app with their kids. Teachers who their kids are in the classroom using it can sign in every single Monday to work with that. The behavior therapist is offering a Zoom course to teachers and parents across the country on Thursday. So we are trying again to just do as much with what we have. We’re really trying to work smart. So now this is not just the Special Education Unit, but there is a clinic where we’re trying to provide some services for our kids.”