By Christina Leslie | Correspondent

As universal awareness of the challenges faced by special needs children increases and additional resources are developed almost daily to assist in their learning processes, school communities across the diocese are honing their efforts on the fulfillment of the students’ unique needs.

While parishioners touched by needs in their own families have spearheaded successful programs at two local Catholic schools, there is also an initiative through Georgian Court University, Lakewood, to provide targeted training to teachers and administrators in the field of special education.

“We have students with a wide variety of learning styles and needs,” said JoAnn Tier, diocesan superintendent of schools. “We have to be prepared. The range is so unique – they have language deficiencies, speech problems, and other disadvantages.”

Finding a Solution

When Jennifer DeBiase, the mother of a child with special academic needs at St. Benedict School, Holmdel, met fellow mother Jeanne Mauro, the pair recognized their common ground: the needs of their special education child were not being fully addressed in traditional classroom settings.

Motivated to keeping their children in a Catholic school setting, the women approached their pastor, Father Daniel Swift, for guidance.

 “He was very supportive,” DeBiase said. “He said, ‘We should be able to give the children what they need.’”

In February 2011, the two women formed the Academic Special Needs Advocacy Group for like-minded parents to share information on child classification and supplemental education. 

 “The Mission of the Academic Special Needs Association is to provide students and families the support they need to grow and thrive in a Catholic school setting,” the group’s website proclaims. “It also provides the administration and faculty powerful tools that better equip them to obtain the maximum performance from an academic special needs student.”

Through generous grant funding, the program hired a part-time special education teacher, and contributions from the school community allowed for funding to integrate the faith-based curriculum into the program, something that public funders would not be able to do.

Today, Melinda Alongi works part-time to assist St. Benedict students with learning challenges. And although she has her own dedicated classroom, she often moves around the school to offer supplemental instruction, modify tests, and tend to a range of academic needs among students in every grade level.

And while teachers and parish officials have been essential to the success of the organization, DeBiase said, parents also play an integral role, attending monthly meetings to brainstorm.

“During the meetings, the parents can feel like they are in a safe haven, and they can get advice from others,” DeBiase said of the closed-door sessions. “We always said we were taking baby steps, but now we are taking toddler steps.”

She said the program’s goal is to expand to serve the roughly 10 percent of the school population in need of special education services, and to have a full-time teacher dedicated to the cause.

She gave weight to the role of the Catholic faith’s place in education.

“It’s important to face the types of challenges the children have with a Catholic foundation,” DeBiase maintained, but that leads to financial difficulties. In order not to totally rely upon public agencies, the group holds fundraisers throughout the year.

“This year, we will have an even better understanding of what we are facing, use study guides and hold professional development days,” said DeBiase.

Foundation for Education

Three years ago, when Nicholas and Barbara Conforti embraced the principle of “being the change they hoped to find,” the couple founded the Healing Hands of Christ, a foundation aimed at making the gift of a Catholic school education a reality for every child regardless of their educational needs.

Members of St. Paul Parish, Princeton, the pair has three children, including one diagnosed with autism. It was their desire that their autistic child, Harrison, could join his siblings who were receiving a Catholic school education.

Following three years of dialogue and planning with school leaders, the dream has become a reality, and, through the efforts and support of the Healing Hands of Christ Foundation, a classroom for autistic children is scheduled to open in Our Lady of Sorrows School, Hamilton, in time for the 2013 school year.

Award-winning author and board certified analyst Dr. James Ball, chair of the National Board of Directors of the Autism Society and the clinical director of New York Families for Autistic Children, serves as autism consultant for the foundation, and will develop curriculum and behavioral resources.

In addition, a learning specialist will be an immediate resource to write and implement educational programs for increased student learning.

“This team will open our 2012 school year by presenting ongoing professional development for the faculty,” explained Donald Constantino, Our Lady of Sorrows School principal.

Simultaneously, the team will offer community information sessions to better inform the public about the benefits of providing broad-based educational programs. 

The self-contained classroom will be an active part of OLS, and lessons will be taught by a highly trained teacher of students with developmental needs. Individual students will be assisted by a team of instructional assistants with skill bases to match individual needs.  

The class will be an active part of the faith-based development of the school, Constantino said, and will be included in all prayer services and Masses throughout the school year. As appropriate, the students will be mainstreamed in the regular instructional day. 

“Every student benefits through this initiative,” stressed Constantino. “Catholic schools have had a long history of high academic standards.  These academic standards can only be met through a rich understanding of how children learn, along with highly effective teaching strategies. 

“Through this effort,” he added, “each of us will better understand the special gifts that are brought freely by every child as they enter school each day.”  

Teaching the Teachers

Last spring, school principals from across the diocese met with Dr. Ellen M. E. Wedemeyer, professor of special education at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, and former assistant superintendent for Special Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

With the goal of addressing the different learning styles of the diocese’s most vulnerable students, Wedemeyer led workshops and discussions to teach the educators how best to present information to children who learn differently.

Beginning in October, teachers will be offered professional development in special education through Georgian Court University, Lakewood, to continue the positive benefits of Wedemeyer’s visit.

Administrators and faculty members from each school will attend a series of courses, and they will serve as the catalysts to spark conversations among their fellow faculty members.

“This will give them all the tools they need to engage the kids, to be successful and hear the ‘light click’ in the students,” Tier said.