Experience

The Elaine Clark Center & Heart of Hope Academy

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Lead Special Education Teacher

  • Aug 2007 - Present

  Special areas of teaching; communication, behavior, social/emotional, sensory dysfunction and processing disorders.Duties: • Curriculum Developer: responsible for designing and incorporating the educational instruction for all students enrolled in the program: PEP (Personal Education Plan).• Create and enforce child-based, hands-on activities to promote student interest and receptive/active learning.• Design lesson plans focusing on age and level-appropriate material.• Work with a one to one ratio and in a small group setting among children ranging from 6 yrs. to 22 yrs. that display social, emotional, cognitive, and communication challenges.• Daily practice of research-based innovative strategies and state-of-the-art models integrated with highly structured methodologies to support a collective language package designed to facilitate communicative exchanges based on independence, spontaneity, and social experiences.• Develop the social and emotional standards within the curriculum based on collective information from parents, students, teachers, and therapists: A cooperative professional community. • Perform student background observations to develop tailored lessons based on individual needs.• Serving as a resource and support coach for parents, teachers, and the community at large.• Staffing and scheduling.• Manage and maintain a verbal/written monitoring feedback system from parents regarding classroom instruction and learning achievements.



Gwinnett County Public Schools

• Primary and Secondary Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Therapy Technician and Visual/Communication Support Specialist

  • Aug 1995 - Jul 2005

  Duties:• Developed individual communication and behavior systems throughout the county, utilizing visual support strategies, such as: PECS, Teacch Structure and ABA/Discrete Trial Methodologies.• PECS- (Picture Exchange Communication). PECS is designed to teach functional communication with an initial focus on spontaneity. It has been and continues to be implemented in a variety of settings (home, school, community) so users have the skills to communicate their wants and needs within a social context. • TEACCH- (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped Children). The TEACCH method provides the individual with structure and organization.• ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) ABA is a fundamental way to teach. Applicable program for anyone who wants to improve, manage, or reduce behaviors. Additional Duties:• Analyze selected classrooms in need of a structured classroom management. Create a program using collective information from the professional team to increase communication opportunities in all functional activities. Perform a similar evaluation procedure with the family designed for the home and community environment.• Assist staff with writing specific communication IEP (Individual Education Plan) goals to teach children critical expressive and receptive communication skills.• Assess common difficulties with communication implementation and generate solutions accordingly.• Utilize an analytic orientation, applying "hand over hand" training when introducing new visual support procedures and instructional techniques with targeted individuals/students.• Classroom set-up and data collection: construction of all materials necessary for incorporating effective visual strategies on behalf of each student along with comprehensive instructions on collecting data.• Conducted professional training/in-services for the schools and home cultures within my professional community.