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Mobility Opportunities via
Education is used by therapists and many
teachers at Mt. Herman. The program is designed
to help students who are non-ambulatory improve
their abilities to sit, stand and walk while
participating in functional activities. Prompts,
ranging from hip belts to foot straps, are used
as necessary and faded as soon as possible.
Students are placed in a functioning sitting
position. The addition of weight bearing
activities and moving in an upright position
provides further benefits for the student.
Additional benefits of using the M.O.V.E.
program include cardiovascular fitness
improvement, improved bowel functioning and
improvement of bone health.
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Every Move Counts
Every Move Counts is a sensory based approach to
communication based upon the right of all to
express their likes, needs, and wants. The
overall emphasis of Every Move Counts is to
discover what our individual students enjoy and
want to communicate about, giving them the
opportunities
to express themselves.
The program uses the
student’s senses as a basis for determining
their likes and dislikes. Based upon what is
discovered during a sensory evaluation, one
highly preferred activity is determined to begin
their journey of learning to communicate. As one
symbol (a physical response, concrete object,
picture, etc.) for a preferred activity is
learned, others are added to begin a
communication system that is accessible and
meaningful to the student.
Classroom teachers and related personnel who
work with the student provide practice and
opportunities to use symbols throughout the day.
With consistent daily use and a team approach,
the student begins to discover the meaning and
use of symbols of things that he/she enjoys,
followed by a symbol for stop/finished, and by
symbols for activities he/she may not be so fond
of. Over time, the goal is to establish a
communication system which is portable, useful,
and understandable for everyone that the student
has contact with.
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MEville to WEville
This year students at Mt
Herman ESC have been using a curriculum
called MEville to WEville. It was developed
specifically for students with severe
disabilities by AbleNet, a company that
sells assistive technology and augmentative
communication equipment used by many of our
students. During preplanning Mary Sagsetter,
the representative from AbleNet who helped
develop the program, came to Duval County to
give an inservice on it. She has remained in
contact with the teachers via email and
regularly sends us websites that offer
activities and materials to support the
program.
The activities are
literature-based and meaningful. Unit 1
focuses on developing a sense of self and
individuality. Working with parents,
teachers have helped their students make a
special “Me” box. Parents send their child’s
favorite things to put in the box. It may be
a favorite ball, a picture of Grandma, or a
sensory item. The student shares the item
with classmates and has it to use all year
long. Some classes went on a scavenger hunt.
They had to go to other teachers’ rooms and
use voice-output communicators to ask for
specific items. One teacher made life-size
likenesses of the students, using a paper
plate for the head; and poster board and
construction paper for the bodies, and hand
and feet prints. The likenesses are hanging
in the classroom’s window. When studying the
concepts “boy-girl”, another classroom
interviewed a boy and a girl from a
different classroom. Besides talking about
favorite objects and activities, the program
teaches feelings. Several classrooms made
posters of things that made their students
happy or sad, using pictures from magazines.
The teachers who are piloting
the program meet regularly to discuss ideas
and have built up a library of materials to
share. We have found the program to be fun,
positive and meaningful – and enjoyable -
for our students.
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Multi-Sensory
Environments
Mt.
Herman
has a
multi-sensory
area
that
provide
a
relaxing,
non-threatening
atmosphere
where
students
are able
to
explore
and
participate
in
various
sensory
activities.
Students
who
spend
time in
the
multi-sensory
area
have
been
found to
decrease
self-abusive
behaviors,
have
less
stress,
increase
trust in
caregivers,
relax
muscles
of those
with
very
high
tone,
and
increase
environmental
awareness.
Unique
fiber
optic
light
sprays
gently
change
color
and
arouse
curiosity
to
manipulate,
explore
and
investigate.
Aromatherapy,
with the
use of
essential
oils, is
used to
help
calm the
hyperactive
child or
stimulate
the low
functioning
child so
that
they may
interact
within
their
environment
more
appropriately.
Music,
ranging
from
classical
to new
age to
sounds
of
nature,
provides
an
auditory
background
which
helps
students
to relax
and
enjoy
their
multi-sensory
experience.
Tactile
experiences
range
from
playing
in
pudding
to
feeling
and
rolling
bike
tires.
Exposure
to multiple
textures
helps
students
to
better
understand
their
environment.
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Mt.
Herman Exceptional Student Center
