The Connection

Our mornings are finally giving us a hint that cooler weather is around the corner! This edition of The Connection has many opportunities that you don't want to miss! There are parent trainings being offered on supporting you as a parent with managing behaviors at home as well as a Transition Planning & the IEP parent training. You will find info on Visual Supports and how to use them, a fun, local even at our Florence County Museum, The Imagination Ball, an amazing parent resource, Family Connection SC, and more!!

We hope you'll take some time to read through these resources, and don't forget that if you need a question answered or just aren't sure where to turn, you can contact our Parent Liaison, Erika Chapman, at 843-292-1008 or echapman@f1s.org. She would love to connect with you!

Our Programs for Exceptional Children teachers and assistants participate yearly in a behavior management and crisis intervention training called Safety Care. This program teaches strategies and skills in de-escalation, behavior management and helping our students in self-regulation.

We are offering a similar training for our parents! It is powerful when our students see both their parents and teachers using the same strategies to model and help them manage their own behavior.

When: Wednesday, October 25th from 9:00am-11:00am

Where: McClenaghan Bldg, 500 S Dargan St, in 3rd floor conference room

We would love for you to join us for one of these monthly 2 hour sessions. Please fill out the registration form below if you would like to be scheduled for the October 25th session. These will be taught in small groups by Kelly Long, our Autism Coordinator and Erika Chapman our Parent Liaison.

Family Safety Care Parent Training Registration

Learn all about what visual supports are and why they can be helpful from this post at BIAS (Behavioral Interventions and Supports) by Dana Howell.

"Visuals are cues that provide information about an expectation, routine or activity. They typically consist of items, pictures, symbols, drawings, and/or printed words. Visual supports can help increase your child’s ability to comprehend verbal instructions. As adults, we utilize visual strategies throughout our daily lives. These visuals come in the form of calendars, checklists, reminders, etc....

Visual supports can assist with a variety of things such as: preventing challenging behavior, easing the anxiety associated with “unknown” situations, support expressive and receptive language skills, increase understanding of rules and expectations."

If you would like help making visual supports for your classroom like the ones in this blog post, reach out to Erika Chapman at 843-292-1008 or echapman@fsd1.org.

Visual supports can be used to increase understanding of language and assist with expressive communication.

Benefits of using visual supports

Increases: Understanding, Flexibility, Independence

Decreases: Behavior, Anxiety

Visual supports can assist with:

• making choices
• developing concepts of time
• supporting comprehension
• preparing for changes

Everyone uses visual supports!

Visual supports help to make abstract informaiton more concrete. Some forms of visual supports that we use everyday are:

• to-do lists
• calendars
• road signs

There are many types of visuals that can support language and learning.

These include:

• emotion symbols
• choice boards
• timers
• key phrases "I want"
• safety
• schedules
• labels
• first/then statements
• task sequence

Remember to make visual supports protable, durable, and easily accessible. Pair visuals with verbal language for a multi-sensory approach.

Don't forget: Teach students to use the visuals by modeling expectations and reinforcing desired behaviors!

Would you like some help with teaching your child some new skills and positive behaviors at home? We would love for you to join us at our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Parent Training!

Join us on Thursday, September 28th from 1:00pm-3:00pm

in Room 213 at the McClenaghan Bldg at 500 S Dargan St

for a Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports at Home parent training

led by representatives from the Federation of Families.

We would love to see you there! Register here: PBIS Parent Training Registration

Join the F1S Programs for Exceptional Children for a parent training on

Transition Planning & the IEP!

Transition begins in the life of an IEP when the student will turn age 13. They then start receiving transition services & begin working with their IEP team to plan for their future after high school. Kandee Shelor, F1S Transition Coordinator, will share more about the transition process. Learn more about Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, Vocational Rehabilitation, the Employability Credential and Project Search!

When: Tuesday, October 17th at 9:30 am and 6:30 pm

Where: Southside Middle School, 290 W John Paul Jones Rd.

Contact Erika Chapman at 843-292-1008 or echapman@fsd1.org with questions.

Struggling to keep your child focused during homework time? Try these effective strategies:

1️⃣ Remove Visual Distractions: Clear the workspace of distracting items or visuals.
2️⃣ Provide Auditory Blockers: Use headphones or soft music to drown out background noise.
3️⃣ Visual Blocker: Create a focused zone with a simple poster board barrier.
4️⃣ Fidget Toys: Offer tactile tools to help channel restless energy.
5️⃣ Yoga Ball Chair: Bounce away excess energy while working.
6️⃣ Visual Timer: Set clear time limits for tasks.

Follow @Lisa_ot_specialist for more expert tips to support your child's learning and development! 🌟

Do you have questions about healthcare, insurance, or resources to support you as a parent of a child with special needs?

Each state has a federally funded Parent Training and Information Center to help provide families with information, support, education and referrals. South Carolina's Family Information Center (FIC) is Family Connection of South Carolina.

Their mission is:

Changing lives by making connections, raising awareness, and promoting inclusion for those with disabilities and special healthcare needs.

They have a family portal on their website that is an easy way to find providers in your area. Their dedicated, professional staff are available by phone to assist families and many of them are parents themselves of children with disabilities or special healthcare needs.

You can contact them at 1-800-578-8750 or check out their website to access their calendar with training events listed and many more resources.

Let your creativity flow at the 5th Annual Florence County Museum Imagination Ball, a costumed event for the whole family. Enjoy an evening of creative hands-on activities, music, food, costume contest and more on Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 6:00pm - 8:30pm!

Tickets are $10 per child or $40 per family. Accompanying adults attend free. Tickets can be purchased at the Florence County Museum or through our website.

All proceeds will be used to fund educational programming at the Florence County Museum. Presented by Florence County Museum Foundation.

Get your tickets here: http://www.flocomuseum.org/imagination/

Erika Chapman is the Florence One Schools Parent Liaison for our Program for Exceptional Children. Erika serves as a liaison between teachers, parents, students, support staff and the community regarding educational programs, services and student issues in areas of Programs for Exceptional Children.

You will receive our PEC parent newsletter, The Connection, twice a month. It's full of helpful information, announcements and the dates for all upcoming parent training events. Erika can help parents/guardians to connect to resources both within and outside of the district; as well as get connected to agencies like DDSN, fill out paperwork for Medicaid and understand your child's IEP.

The Parent Liaison website also has lots of helpful resources for families. On the website you can find all past PEC newsletters and helpful webinars on Understanding Your Child's IEP and All About Resources in the Florence area. Check it out!

Please feel free to reach out to Erika if she can assist you in any way! Her email is echapman@fsd1.or and her phone number is 843-292-1008.

Do you want to know what your student's school is offering for breakfast and lunch during the month of September? Find out here!

We would love to hear from you! If you have a question or comment you can contact our Parent Liaison, Erika Chapman, at echapman@f1s.org or 843-292-1008 or visit the Parent Liaison website for helpful resources.

You also can contact us at exceptionalchildren@f1s.org or at 843-673-1161.

Email: exceptionalchildren@f1s.org
Website: f1s.org
Phone: (843) 673-1161