u/sisyphus-333

I work in a school setting with nonverbal students with severe disabilities who all have AAC devices.

Per their IEP goals, we need to contrive situations where they will functionally use their AAC to tell us it's too loud or that they need space. The problem is that its difficult to come up with good scenarios for this

Therefore we end up just like sitting next to a student inching closer and closer and getting aggressed at and saying "Hey... I wonder if you are upset because I'm so close to you... Look, you can tell me you need space". Or asking them to take off their headphones real quick, doing some phonological teaching, then belting out some Moana till they tell me it's too loud

Sometimes I find this job to be a little ridiculous. Not in a bad way, it's just funny

I'm finishing up the first half of one of my summer courses and just submitted an 8 page research paper on barriers that prevent people with complex disabilities from accessing communication devices.

I had about 3 pages worth of bibliography, and one of my references was a primary source- an actually disabled person writing about their experiences with the topic. But because this person, a significantly disabled, nonspeaking adult, does not have any credentials, I was marked down on my paper.

Is this normal? I only started grad school back in January. I would assume that, if writing a paper about a certain group, it would be encouraged to include voices from that group. I saw this individual was cited in multiple peer-reviewed articles, so I was surprised to find that my professor took points off my grade for including it as well.

Do all citations in a grad school paper need to be research articles? Is there no place for primary sources?

Edit: This is what the professor said when grading the paper: "Research papers should focus on peer-reviewed journals and papers written by people with professional standing.  While I did not specifically specify the type of references, I made the assumption grad students would know that."

I find that condescending considering the individual who I cited does not have professional standing, but is a doctoral student and the only disabled voice to be included in this paper about disability, and has been referenced in multiple peer-reviewed sources.

Last month my apartment building was bought by a new company. I had just signed the lease, which goes until May of next year. The lease says its 1750 a month.

But today I recieved a letter from the new property management saying rent will be increased to $2000 a month, and if I do not sign the new lease, I will have to vacate by the last day of July.

Is this normal? Is it legal? Do I have any options other than move out because me and my roommate cant afford it?

Two years ago I probably would have said Id rather die than wear a fanny pack. Now, I do it unironically every day and I need to share my gospel with yall, especially those who are center or school based.

I gotta keep my badge on me but I dont always have belt holes? Clip it to the fanny pack.

I'm losing at least 3 pens a day? Keep 5 in the fanny pack. And hella whiteboard markers in there too.

Need the kid to stop getting into edibles? Hide em in the pack

Found a pica risk and theres no trash can? Just stuff it in the fanny pack.

About to aid with a physical management and have stuff in my pockets? Throw it all in the pack and toss it on a table

Fanny packs are lowkey the most popular accessory at my workplace, to the point where there's even company branded ones. They're so damnn helpful and they actually dont make you look as ugly as youd expect

Anyone else use these?

I work in Special Ed with students with severe disabilities. I just completed my first semester in grad school to become a special education teacher.

However, at my current workplace, I see what the lead teacher can do, and I see what the SLPs can do. I am very passionate about AAC devices and alternative communication for students with intellectual disabilities. I often find myself going to the SLP at the school where I work advocating for them to adjust the communication devices to better meet the student's needs (adding pictures instead of text for students who cant read, adding icons for requests such as "its too loud" "lights off" or adding icons that correspond to student interests.

What is the process of becoming an SLP? Given my specific interest in communication devices/intellectual disability in particular, is it worth going towards SLP as a career? I dont have too much interest in things like stuttering or speech impediments, but I really feel passionate about teaching functional communication to students with severe disabilities

Edit: if you're downvoting this post, I'd love to know why! I'm here to learn, not to be judged

I'm wondering- are there communities or support groups for ABA/Special Ed workers who regularly have to implement physical management? (I work with severe/profound disabilities; please don't assume we do this willingly)

I don't enjoy it, I don't want to have to do it, but with students who bash their heads into hard surfaces when escalated, sometimes they'll be in holds all day until admin decides to call crisis. (Crisis doesn't even do anything- they're just a paper trail to prove in the future that this student needs a different placement). It's hard to do, it's hard to see, it's hard on my muscles and on my heart. We used to do a fixed release at 15 minutes, but it wasn't sustainable because so many staff were getting injured. Now we release at 5 minutes, whether or not calm has been achieved, and we often have to go right back in.

I'm autistic and have my own "challenging behaviors". Sometimes I'll bite my arm as a way to regulate myself during a long hold. Outside of my workplace, I don't think I've talked to anyone who knows what it's like to be in a 6 person hold for 15 minutes and then have to go right back to academics with your own student like everything is okay.

Is there anyone else who goes through this? How do you cope after a hard day/week/month? I'd love to chat with others who understand