Collaborative Partners

Leander ISD’s Special Programs Parent Liaison, Ashley Anderson, is joined by Special Education Early Childhood Coordinator Erica Metcalf for an engaging conversation about early childhood education services and how families can create meaningful learning experiences at home.

Ashley starts by asking  Erica to share a little about herself and her roles in the  district  (00:46). Later, Ashley and Erica  have a conversation centered around:

• Early Childhood Services (2:37)
• Parents as Teachers (3:50)
• Parent Questions (5:25)
• Attending School for the First Time (14:46)
• Fostering Learning at Home (16:48)
• Ways for Families to Collaborate (17:03)

Resources

• ⁠Collaborative Partners Question Form⁠
• ⁠Special Programs Handbook⁠
• ⁠Early Childhood Education Services⁠
• ⁠Parents as Teachers⁠

Leander ISD’s Special Programs Parent Liaison, Ashley Anderson is joined by Area Superintendent, Paul Johnson for an insightful conversation on fostering campus collaboration and building strong support networks to help families plan for the future.

Ashley starts by asking Paul to share a little about himself and his roles in the  district  (00:52). Later, Ashley and Paul  have a conversation centered around:

• Campus Collaboration (3:03)
• Parent Questions (10:53)
• Medicaid Waiver Lists (13:25)
• Community Connections (14:46)
• Life After Exiting Service (16:48)
• Ways for Families to Collaborate (24:10)

Resources

• Collaborative Partners Question Form
• Special Programs Handbook
• District Leadership
• Destination Life
• Medicaid Waiver Lists
• Guardianship and Guardianship Alternatives
• 18+ and Individualized Skills and Socialization Provider (ISSP) Tours

Leander ISD’s Special Programs Parent Liaison, Ashley Anderson is joined by Assistive Technology Specialist, Cici Fritts to talk about the supports available for families.

Cici starts by asking Ashley to share a little about herself and her role in the district (00:44).  Later, Cici and Ashley have a conversation centered around:

• What Questions are Parents Asking? (4:26)
• Advice for Parents Feeling Overwhelmed  (7:25)
• Parent Questions (9:40)

• Ways for Families to Collaborate (19:27)

Resources

• Collaborative Partners Question Form
• Special Programs Handbook

• Family Workshop Conference
• Destination...Life
• Special Programs Family Advisory Council (SPPAC)

Leander ISD’s Special Programs Parent Liaison, Ashley Anderson  is joined by Child Find Coordinator, Monica Kaloustian to discuss Child Find

Ashley starts by asking Monica to share a little about herself and her role in the district   (00:35). Later, Ashley and Monica have a conversation centered around:

• Child Find  (01:46)
• Parent Questions (3:27)
• Student Involvement in Meetings (7:24)
• Ways for Families to Collaborate (13:33)

Resources

• ⁠Collaborative Partners Question Form⁠
• ⁠Special Programs Handbook⁠
• ⁠LISD Child Find⁠

Leander ISD’s Special Programs Parent Liaison, Ashley Anderson  is joined by Lead Speech Language Pathologist, Jenny Blackmon to discuss speech services.

Ashley starts by asking Jenny to share a little about herself and her role in the district   (00:35). Later, Ashley and Jenny have a conversation centered around:

• Speech Pathologist in the School Setting (01:23)
• The Difference between School and Community Speech Services (02:04)
• Speech Development and Language Skills (3:33) 
• Child Find (5:15)
• Parent Questions (6:08)
• Supports for Multilingual Families (8:05)
• Ways for Families to Collaborate (11:12)

Resources

• ⁠Collaborative Partners Question Form⁠
• ⁠Special Programs Handbook⁠
• ⁠Speech and Language Development⁠
• ⁠Speech Strategies and Resources⁠

Leander ISD’s Special Programs Parent Liaison, Ashley Anderson  is joined by 504 Coordinator, Angela Patrick to discuss supports for our students served under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Ashley starts by asking Angela to share a little about herself and her role in the district   (00:35). Later, Ashley and Angela have a conversation centered around:

• Understanding Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (01:47)
• The Difference between Special Education Services and 504 Plans (02:46)
• 504 Evaluations  (4:31) 
• Parent Questions (7:45)
• Helping Student's Leverage their Strengths (9:10)
• College Accommodations (10:58)
• Ways for Families to Collaborate (12:16)

Resources

• ⁠Collaborative Partners Question Form⁠
• ⁠Special Programs Handbook⁠

Leander ISD’s Special Programs Parent Liaison, Ashley Anderson is joined by Senior Transition Coordinator, Denise Geiger to discuss transition support and services.

Ashley starts by asking Denise to share a little about herself and her role in the district (00:41). Later, Ashley and Denise have a conversation centered around:

Resources:

Leander ISD’s Special Programs Parent Liaison Ashley Anderson is joined by Behavior Specialist Bonnie White to discuss behavioral supports available for students.

Ashley starts by asking Bonnie to share a little about herself (00:36) .

Later, Ashley and Bonnie have a conversation centered around:

(03:22) Student Successes 

(05:21) Parent Questions 

(06:29) Requesting an Evaluation for Services

(07:19) Behaviors Across Settings

(11:11) Behavior Supports at School

(13:30) Ways for Families to Collaborate

Leander ISD’s Special Programs Parent Liaison Ashley Anderson is joined by Low Incidence Disability Coordinator Lisa Robertson to discuss Special Programs resources and ways to connect with your community.

Ashley starts by asking Lisa to share a little about her backstory as a person and a professional (00:40).

Later, Ashley and Lisa have a conversation centered around:

(14:29) Ways for Families to Collaborate 

(01:37) Low Incidence Disabilities

(02:34) Individualized Community Academic Program aka ICAP 

(03:15) Parenting Neurodivergent Children 

(06:12) Getting Support for Your Family

(7:05) Preparing for Your Admission Review and Dismissal aka ARD Meeting  

(9:26) Parent Questions 

(11:55) Language Around Disabilities 

Resources

In the inaugural podcast for the Special Programs' department – Collaborative Partners – Ashley Anderson, the Special Programs Parent Liaison, is joined by Assistive Technology Specialist Cici Fritts to discuss Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness.   

(00:45) Ashley starts by asking Cici to share a little about her backstory as a person and a professional.

Later, Ashley and Cici have a conversation centered around:

(01:25) Communication Board Project

(02:10) Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

(03:13) How Parents Can Find Out How Their Child Would Benefit From Assistive Technology

(04:13) Challenges of Using AAC

(5:56) Parent Questions

(10:23) AAC Devices for Home

(11:27) Ways Families to Collaborate

Resources