Special Education Services

Infants & Toddlers

The Queen Anne’s County Infants and Toddlers Program, a program with QACPS, Queen Anne’s County Department of Health, and Queen Anne’s County Department of Social Services. It is a 12-month program that provides services to children aged birth to 36-months of age. The students have, or may have, developmental disabilities, delays, or special health needs. For each child found eligible, an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is developed to determine the services needed to meet the needs of the child and the family. 

Many children receive multiple services including special instruction, related therapies, and health services. A service coordinator is responsible for supporting the family and ensuring that services are given as they are written on the IFSP. 

QACPS participates in Maryland’s Extended IFSP option.  This option allows families of children, who have received Infants and Toddlers services and are eligible for preschool special education services, the choice to continue to receive services through an IFSP or to begin receiving services through an IEP.  If the family chooses to continue services on an IFSP, the family may choose to continue to receive those services until the child turns four, providing that the child remains eligible.

Child Find

Child Find services is a process through which all children with disabilities, from birth through 21 years of age, in the State who are eligible for early intervention or in need of special education services are identified, located, and evaluated. In Queen Anne’s County, this service is provided through the Infants and Toddler’s Program for children aged birth to 3 and for children ages 3 – 21 by the Queen Anne’s County Public School System (QACPS).

Blended/Inclusive Pre-School Program

Students with IEPs in need of a special education preschool/pre-kindergarten are those students who demonstrate significant delays that impact their ability to learn in the areas of cognition, communication, social/emotional, motor, and adaptive skills. Students may become eligible for these services after their third birthday. Services offered include: a highly structured learning environment, use of developmentally appropriate practices, specialized instruction as identified by a student’s IEP team, and related services.

Inclusion Support

Students requiring these services have varied disabilities and multiple needs that can be met in the general education setting with support and related services. Services offered in the student’s home school may include: 

• Consultation or indirect support: Provides the general educator with appropriate strategies for instruction, behavior management, data collection, observation and feedback in the general education setting.
• Direct service within the general education classroom: Provides support for students through team teaching, co-teaching, individualized/small group instruction, the provision of adaptation or modifications to the general education curriculum and assessments.

Resource Support

Students requiring these services have academic and/or emotional needs that significantly impact their ability to learn in the general education environment. Services offered in the student’s home school may include direct service outside of the general education classroom. This service provides supports for students through the use of intensive or multisensory instruction, specialized strategies and techniques in a small group, and/or a pullout (self-contained) environment. When indicated on the IEP an alternative curriculum, more specific skill training, or behavioral interventions are utilized.

Academic Core Excellence (ACE)

Students participating in this program struggle with mastery of concepts in core academic areas of math and reading. Individual student strengths and weaknesses are identified and used to lead to a unique and personalized multi-sensory, multi-modal instructional approach. Students are exposed to core Maryland College and Career Readiness standards using instructional level content that is infused with concepts rooted in Reading, Math, Science and Social Studies. Mastery of targeted standards encourages advancement towards a high school diploma using individualized strategies and curricula. Specially designed instruction is coupled with intervention and organizational support to encourage academic excellence. 

Program for Emotional & Academic Learning Support (PEALS)

Students requiring these services are those whose emotional/behavioral disabilities impact their ability to be successful in the general education setting in school. Students that need these services usually have intelligence within the average range but may not be achieving academically due to emotional and behavioral difficulties. Services offered may include: a structured learning environment, behavior management system, implementation of behavior intervention plans, social skills instruction, counseling, conflict resolution, and availability of crisis intervention.

Program for Academic and Community Success (PACS)

Students with IEPs in need of these services are those with complex communication, academic, learning, and adaptive needs. Services offered may include: a highly structured learning environment, use of explicit instruction, emphasis on the development of communication and social skills, use of sensory processing techniques, the development of individualized behavioral strategies, and instruction in activities of daily living.

Promoting Adult Achievement in Transition and Health (PAATH)

The PAATH program is a collaboration between Queen Anne’s County, Talbot County, Kent County and Chesapeake College for High School students (ages:18-21). Students receive instruction in an age-appropriate setting to prepare them for college, career, and community. Classes in the area of Life Centered Education (LCE), life and wellness, and work-based learning are the focus of this program.

Decisions on whether students need additional support services are made by IEP teams based on the services needed to implement individualized education programs (IEPs) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Below is a description of each related service available within Queen Anne’s County Public Schools.

Audiology

Audiology services consist of complete hearing screenings and assessments. Audiology services also include the recommendation, distribution, and monitoring of Assistive Listening Devices (ALD), such as FM systems and sound field systems for the classrooms. As a member of the IEP team, an audiologist may also recommend acoustical modifications and accommodations within the classroom. Support services are provided to students, staff, and parents regarding hearing loss, hearing status, and equipment.

Interpreting Services

Interpreting/transliterating services are provided for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Interpreting/transliterating services for students include sign language interpreters, oral interpreters, and cued speech transliterators, based on an IEP team recommendation. Interpreting services are provided to students during the instructional day, for extra-curricular activities, as well as for parents and teachers who are deaf and hard of hearing at education-related activities and events.

Job Coach Services

Job coach services are provided to students that need support in employment situations and are required as part of transition services. Job coach interventions provide one-on-one or small group support and training to students and business staff. The increased supervision assists the student in developing appropriate work behavior and interpersonal communication skills. 

Occupational Therapy

The goal of occupational therapy services is to enable students with disabilities to be functional participants in their educational environment. Occupational therapy services are provided directly and/or indirectly (through consultation) to students as indicated in their IEP. 

Occupational therapy services include: (1) Identification, referral, assessment, intervention, and consultation; (2) Adaptation of the environment, and selection, design, and fabrication of assistive and orthotic devices and other technology to facilitate development and promote the acquisition of functional skills; and (3) Preventing or minimizing the impact of initial or future impairment, delay in development, or loss of functional ability as it relates to educational goals.

Physical Therapy

The goal of physical therapy service is to enable students with disabilities to achieve functional independence in the school environment. Physical therapy services are provided directly and/or indirectly (through consultation) to students as indicated in their IEP. Physical therapy addresses the ability to move parts of the body, to assume and maintain postures, and organize movement into functional gross motor skills. Physical therapists work with students to build strength and endurance for functional mobility (e.g., climbing stairs, opening doors, moving about the school, carrying materials, accessing the playground, participating in field trips).

Speech Language Services

The purpose of the speech and language program is to provide service to students who have significant communication problems that affect their ability to access the curriculum. Speech language pathologists (SLPs) are assigned to all schools in the county based upon individual student needs. Speech language pathologists use a continuum of service delivery models including consultation, individual, small group, and classroom collaboration as determined by the students’ IEPs.

Transition

Transition services are designed to assist students with disabilities to move from public school into post-school activities such as training, college, employment, and/or independent living. During transition planning, the team identifies the need for transition goals in the areas of employment, social/emotional, daily living/health, recreation/leisure, community access, mobility, and communication. Transition services must be addressed in the student’s IEP when a student reaches 14 years of age. The transition facilitator assists the team in determining appropriate transition services and providing information for anticipated services and support services beyond the school system. The student must also be involved in the decision making process.

School Psychology Services

School psychologists provide 12-month consultation, observation, assessment, and interventions services to support student achievement in the prevention and/or remediation of educational, emotional, or behavioral problems. Comprehensive school psychological services are comprised of diverse activities in concert with the activities of teachers, administrators, school counselors, and other school staff. These activities complement each other and are most accurately viewed as being coordinated rather than as separate services. 

As members of the IEP Team, school psychologists: (1) provide consultation to school staff and parents on issues involving psychological principles related to curriculum development, learning, and student development; (2) conduct Functional Behavioral Assessments and develop Behavior Intervention Plans for behaviors significantly interfering with learning; (3) review/conduct psychological assessments of cognitive, behavioral, social/emotional, adaptive and academic functioning; (4) determine educational disabilities, write IEP goals/objectives, and develop IEPs; (5) provide counseling and evidence-based interventions on a consultative, individual, or group basis with students to support attainment of academic goals/objectives; and (6) provide staff development to improve learning and behavior within inclusive school environments.

School Social Work Services

School social workers provide consultation, observation, and interventions services to support student achievement in the prevention and/or remediation of educational, emotional, or behavioral problems. School social workers expand the level of services delivered in schools to provide a continuum of mental health services for children and adolescents through the development of strong school-family-community partnerships. 

These services may: (1) involve school-employed and collaborating community mental health professionals working together in schools to implement a full array of prevention, mental health promotion, early intervention and treatment programs; (2) result in the delivery of mental health services provided outside of the school setting by providers who are linked to the school.

Itinerant Vision Services

Itinerant vision services are provided to students, who are blind or who have vision impairments, by certified teachers of the visually impaired. Itinerant teachers of the visually impaired teach specific skills, e.g., Braille, so that the students can participate in the general education curriculum and assist with the modifications and accommodations, including technologies that are identified in students’ IEPs.

Itinerant Hearing Services

Itinerant hearing services are provided to students with a hearing loss, by certified teachers of the hearing impaired. Itinerant teachers of the hearing impaired provide specialized instructional strategies so that the students can participate in the general education curriculum and assist with the modifications and accommodations, including auditory listening devices (ALDs) that are identified in students’ IEPs. Communication modalities may be supported by an oral interpreter, as identified in students’ IEPs. 

The following disability category codes may be helpful to you as you navigate Special Education services available through QACPS.

01 INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

02 HEARING IMPAIRMENT

03 DEAFNESS

04 SPEECH/LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT

05 VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

06 EMOTIONAL DISABILITY

07 ORTHOPEDIC IMPAIRMENT

08 OTHER HEALTH IMPAIRMENT

09 SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY

10 MULTIPLE DISABILITIES

12 DEAF/BLINDNESS

13 TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

14 AUTISM

15 DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY

Dr. Dawn Fraser
Program Director
dawn.fraser@qacps.org

Ms. Joeleen Smith
Supervisor of Special Education
joeleen.smith@qacps.org