CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Forget six feet apart: How LADACIN reopening brings special-needs students together

Asbury Park Press - 9/21/2020

Toms River 5-year-old Teagen Hanley started kindergarten last week, and one day he came home with a real eye-opener for his mother.

"He was trying to do sign language," Caressa Pirrone said. "I was so surprised."

Teagen has spastic quadriplegia, the most severe type of cerebral palsy, and is non-verbal. He attends Lakewood'sLehmann School, which is part of the LADACIN Network for children with multiple physical and developmental disabilities. (LADACIN is short for Lifetime Assistance for Developmental and Challenging Individual Needs.)

"It's really good that he's back," Pirrone said. "Remote learning, they did a great job with it, but it's still hard because he needs the technology they have for him there. He needs that interaction and socialization with the teachers and his peers."

That's how he picked up on sign language.

"There is no substitute for in-person teaching," Pirrone said, "not even mom."

<!-- 5830506002 -->

<strong style="margin-right:3px;">Shore schools are back: Here is how they had to up their game

Parents everywhere would agree after the coronavirus pandemic closed school doors for the past six months. That's doubly true for LADACIN's students, and that's why Lehmann and its sister campus, Schroth School in Ocean Township, reopened last week with four full days of in-person instruction for those who wanted it (all-virtual remains an option).

Half of the students are back in person, and just about all of the teachers, therapists and staff members returned.

<strong style="margin-right:3px;">Back to school: Toms River schools planning younger students to return in early October

"Things can't happen at home via Zoom as naturally as they do in person," Schroth School principal Amy Cerulo said. "The person-to-person contact is really important for our kids. We're very hands on."

Social distancing is impossible at these schools. You can't do the job six feet apart, and not every student can wear a mask.

"I can't stand in front of the classroom and have everyone in desks sitting still," said Lexi DiFiglia, a teacher at Schroth School. "Most of our kids are in chair devices. A lot of them are non-verbal. We have to feed them, change them."

<style>.oembed-frame { width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0; border: 0; }</style> Want more education news and updates? Consider purchasing a digital subscription to APP.com and downloading our mobile app today.

<strong style="margin-right:3px;">NJ private schools are reopening: Here's how they're doing it without the angst

Other precautions are in place, of course -- vigilant cleaning, separating small-group cohorts, revamped air filtration systems, the staff's use of personal protective equipment -- but the primary protocol is dedication. The LADACIN schools' reopening is a poignant reminder: Where there's a will, there's a way.

"They truly love these children and adore them," said Adrienne Campion, whose 6-year-old daughter Skyler attends Schroth School. "It's not just a job for them."

Squealing with excitement

Like the rest of the education world, the LADACIN schools transitioned to virtual learning last March. Despite everyone's best efforts, it was suboptimal.

"We can't provide for them the way these teachers and therapists provide for them," said Adrienne Campion, a Point Pleasant resident who spent the past six months juggling Skyler's needs with those of her two siblings (ages 5 and 3). "It was very hard for her to do the work at home. At school she's with her friends and she's more determined to pay attention."

The first day of in-person school felt like a family reunion.

"One of our students was squealing when he got off the bus, he was so excited to see his teacher," Cerulo said.

"It was one of the best days of my career," said DiFiglia, who has been a teacher for 16 years. "These kids use switch devices to activate the mouse on their smartboard (something they don't have at home). We got everybody their switch and they immediately started tapping on them -- they were ready to go. It was awesome."

Already, there is progress.

<strong style="margin-right:3px;">Coronavirus costs: NJ families fear funding cuts as coronavirus increases need for youth mental health help

"Seeing the breakthroughs I see on a daily basis, when you ask them something and that voice comes out, or you get a facial expression, to some it might not be the biggest thing, but for us it is," Lehmann school teacher Sara Kahl-Winter said.

There have been adjustments. DiFiglia has a mask with a see-through window, so students can watch her facial expressions.

"I have a child who is an emergent speaker," she said. "She needs the constant reinforcement of how to move her mouth to produce the letters and words."

Human nature had to be tweaked, too.

"Of course there's no hugging, which is hard because we're all huggers here," Lehmann School principal Roseatta Darcy said. "We always give high fives -- now it's air high-fives."

A priceless gesture

A crucial, cutting-edge technology employed at LADACIN's schools is the Tobii Dynavox Eye Gaze System, which enables students to communicate with their eyes. There are up to 60 pictures that convey a range of thoughts and emotions, and when a student locks eyes with one, that message is passed along to those in their presence.

These systems stay in school. During the six-month closure, Skyler Campion had six pictures to help her communicate -- happy or sad, yes or no, hungry or thirsty. Now a much bigger menu is available to her.

Teagen Hanley is three grades behind Skyler, but he's learning to use the eye-gaze system now.

"Everyone's worked very hard on it," Kahl-Winter said. "It takes a lot of time and patience."

Those still learning from home aren't at a total disadvantage. Some get patched through to their classroom on a big screen, so they can interact with peers and teachers in real time. Juliette Gerbino, a nonverbal second-grader from Old Bridge who has cerebral palsy, is doing just that as she recovers from a hip fracture.

"I was so bummed when she couldn't go back, but in the meantime it really does feel as if she's part of the classroom," said mom Melissa Gerbino, who teaches seventh- and eighth-grade math in Holmdel. "I'm happy they worked so hard to be able to open. Thank God they did."

<style>.oembed-frame { width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0; border: 0; }</style> The trusted place to find the best home service providers. Find local pros.

On the first day of school, DiFiglia noticed a priceless gesture from a student. Upon seeing a friend who was patched in on the big screen, the student activated her eye-gaze system and broadcast a message.

"She said, 'Hello,'" DiFiglia said. "This was the first time they'd seen each other in six months. It was a beautiful moment."

Back to school never felt so good.

"That's why we're here," DiFiglia said. "That's why we need to be open for these kids."

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore's interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Forget six feet apart: How LADACIN reopening brings special-needs students together

___

(c)2020 Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.)

Visit the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.) at www.app.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.