Our Early Childhood Special Education program is available at Pershing Early Learning Center for students aged 3-5 with early developmental needs.
Early Childhood Special Education Classrooms have a variety of formats. Some classrooms are structured collaboratively with general education preschool classrooms and offer opportunities for students with disabilities to be educated with typically developing children, while others are structured for more intensive services in a smaller class size. Decisions about student placements are made individually through the IEP process.
The Social/Emotional Development program is currently housed in specific schools in the Decatur School District for students grades 7-12.
This program teaches core academic subjects in a safe environment, while focusing on teaching specific social and emotional regulation skills. The program also offers a full-time social worker to address social-emotional needs. Students work on goals for self-regulation of emotions, coping skills, and peer interaction. Students earn privileges by completing assigned work in a timely manner and by adhering to the behavioral guidelines of the program.
Available in the student's home school, this program teaches adaptations for the visually impaired and braille skills for the blind.
Assistive technology is a major component of this program. Services provided include:
– Materials Adaptation (Braille-to-print, print-to-Braille, enlarged materials)
– Screen-reading Software (Zoomtext, JAWS, Kurzweil 1000)
– Materials requisition from Illinois Instructional Materials Center (Braille & large print textbooks, electronic notetakers, manual braillewriters)
For more information: reach out to Jill Hackman (jhackman@dps61.org) or Jennifer Detmers (jdetmers@dps61.org).
Available in the student's home school, the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Program teaches skills for listening and speaking, as well as sign language.
Assistive technology is a major component of this program. Here are some resources which might be helpful:
Assistive Technology Catalog
National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders
National Association for the Deaf
www.Listen-Up.org
For more information: reach out to Hannah Gray (hsgray@dps61.org).
The Life Skills Program is currently housed in specific schools in Decatur for students grades K-12.
This program focuses on alternative curriculum aligned to alternate state standards. Students are taught functional skills in daily living, community living, recreation/leisure, and vocational training.
Life Skills Curriculum to download our Curriculum Overview Power Point.
The Essential Skills Program is currently housed in specific schools in Decatur for students grades K-12.
This program focuses on skills similar to that of Life Skills, with smaller class sizes and a smaller staff-to-student ratio. Communication development is a primary focus; students in the Essential Skills Program often learn alternative ways to do so.
The MPSED Vocational Program is a vocational development program available to all high-school special education students.
The program aides in building and assessing skills needed to work within the community while enrolled in high school.
Quick Reference
Vocational Program Brochure
Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services
School-to-Work Transition Guide
Social-Emotional Learning Academy (SELA): Providing alternative placement options for students who experience difficulty with the traditional school setting.
The SELA program is located on the North side of the former William Harris School building, and is considered one of the most restrictive placements for students. Students are placed at SELA when their behavioral needs exceed the available resources in the public school. The intent of the program is to offer focused behavioral training within a highly structured curriculum to help them return to the public school successfully. Social work services are integral to helping these students meet required goals to return to the public school.
To contact the SELA office, please call 217-362-3310.
