Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
By October 1, 2025, all candidates for an endorsement as a
Multiple Disabilities Specialist will be required to complete a program aligned
to the Initial Specialty Set for Physical, Health, and Multiple Disabilities
(2015), published by the Council for Exceptional Children, 2900 Crystal Drive,
Suite 1000, Arlington VA 22202-3557, and available at
https://exceptionalchildren.org/standards/specialty-sets-specific-practice-areas.
(No later amendments to or editions of these guidelines are incorporated.) The
standards effective until September 30, 2025 are as follows:
a) Foundations - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist understands the philosophical, historical, and legal
foundations of special education.
1) Knowledge
- The competent multiple disabilities specialist understands:
A) ethical issues regarding treatment of
individuals with medically fragile conditions;
B) in-depth knowledge of legislation,
policies, and litigation regarding rights of individual students to education,
guardianship, and community supports; and
C) the process of policy change in advocating
for individuals.
2)
Performance - The competent multiple disabilities specialist:
A) advocates for rights and services based on
established legislation, policies, and litigation;
B) advocates for change in service delivery
systems and policy;
C) demonstrates
a commitment to the belief that all students can learn; and
D) demonstrates a commitment to the belief
that all students can live, work, and recreate in inclusive community
settings.
b)
Characteristics of Learners - The competent multiple disabilities specialist
understands the impact that disabilities have on the cognitive, physical,
emotional, social, and communication development of an individual and provides
opportunities that support the intellectual, social, and personal development
of all students (ages 3-22).
1) Knowledge -
The competent multiple disabilities specialist understands:
A) the identification of problems related to
physical and medical procedures;
B)
the impact of terminal illness and its effect on individuals and families;
and
C) the difference between
physical disabilities and cognitive disabilities.
2) Performance - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist:
A) monitors and
communicates potential problems or concerns related to a student's physical or
medical conditions to appropriate personnel (e.g., school nurse, parents);
and
B) performs special health care
procedures such as feeding, positioning, suctioning, etc., under supervision of
appropriate medical personnel.
c) Assessment - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist understands the educational assessment process and uses
various assessment strategies to support the continuous development of all
students.
1) Knowledge - The competent
multiple disabilities specialist meets the standards set forth in Section
28.100(c)(1).
2) Performance - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist:
A) designs and
implements informal assessment procedures that distinguish physical and
cognitive abilities in individuals with multiple disabilities across age groups
and combinations of disabilities;
B) designs and implements informal assessment
procedures that assess both physical and cognitive abilities in the context of
priority skills across age groups and combinations of disabilities;
C) designs informal assessment procedures
that incorporate principles of partial participation across age groups and
combinations of disabilities;
D)
develops and conducts informal assessments of assistive technology needs and
services across age groups and combinations of disabilities; and
E) develops and conducts informal assessments
focused on ongoing effectiveness of assistive technology.
d) Planning for Instruction - The
competent multiple disabilities specialist understands how students differ in
their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are
adapted to diverse learners. The specialist understands instructional planning
and designs instruction based on knowledge of the discipline, students,
community, and curriculum goals.
1) Knowledge
- The competent multiple disabilities specialist understands research that
supports treatment approaches for persons with multiple disabilities.
2) Performance - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist:
A) develops
longitudinal, outcome-based curriculum for students with multiple disabilities
using a top-down, ecological inventory-based approach across age groups and
combinations of disabilities;
B)
uses information about the student's strengths and needs and desired
educational outcomes to select appropriate scope and sequences in language arts
and math (e.g., generalized, activity-specific);
C) utilizes community settings to instruct
educational priorities across all curricular domains and age groups;
D) develops a community program (e.g., work
sampling) designed to increase knowledge about vocational possibilities for
students with multiple disabilities;
E) creates and implements a strategic,
progressive series of experiences and learning opportunities that meet the
complex needs of individuals with multiple disabilities in order to ensure
long-term community-based employment outcomes;
F) develops programs that take into account
preferences and choices for all ages of individuals with multiple disabilities,
in the context of all instructional interactions and educational
curricula;
G) develops scope and
sequences that promote self-determination across all curricular areas;
and
H) considers an individual's
medical and physical characteristics and needs in developing a schedule to
maximize active learning throughout the school day.
e) Learning Environment - The
competent multiple disabilities specialist uses an understanding of individual
and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that
encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and
self-motivation.
1) Knowledge - The competent
multiple disabilities specialist understands:
A) knowledge of components of positive
behavioral support plans; and
B)
knowledge of strategies to socially validate target behaviors, interventions,
and effects of behavior interventions.
2) Performance - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist:
A) conducts
functional assessments and functional analysis of problem behavior of
individuals with multiple disabilities across age groups;
B) identifies socially valid problem
behaviors and interventions across age groups;
C) maintains ethical standards in selection
of treatment interventions, considering the vulnerability of individuals with
multiple disabilities; and
D)
identifies behaviors that are functionally equivalent to problem behaviors when
designing functional communication programs.
f) Instructional Delivery - The competent
multiple disabilities specialist understands the central concepts and methods
of inquiry; uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students'
development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and performance skills; and
creates learning experiences that make content meaningful to all students (ages
3-22).
1) Knowledge - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist meets the standards set forth in Section
28.100(f)(1).
2) Performance - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist:
A) provides
community-referenced and community-based instruction;
B) develops programs to facilitate mobility,
including head and trunk control, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, and
wheelchair use in the context of meaningful activities; and
C) uses individualized assistive devices to
enhance learning outcomes across curricular areas for students with multiple
disabilities.
g) Collaborative Relationships - The
competent multiple disabilities specialist uses knowledge of effective written,
verbal, and visual communication techniques to foster active inquiry,
collaboration, and supportive interaction among professionals, parents,
paraprofessionals, and students.
1) Knowledge
- The competent multiple disabilities specialist meets the standards set forth
in Section
28.100(g)(1).
2) Performance - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist:
A) teaches and
supervises paraprofessional staff implementing physical and medical procedures
for students with multiple disabilities;
B) collaborates with families, related
service providers, and support personnel in identifying appropriate evaluation
and intervention strategies;
C)
initiates and assumes responsibility for coordinating multiple services
provided to individual students with multiple disabilities;
D) identifies needs for equipment revision or
new services and initiates contact with families and appropriate service
providers;
E) collaborates with
administrators and medical personnel in developing policies and procedures for
meeting the physical and medical needs of individuals with multiple
disabilities; and
F) collaborates
with appropriate personnel and family members in developing a written,
individualized plan to address special health care needs.
h) Professionalism and
Ethical Practices - The competent multiple disabilities specialist understands
teaching as a profession, maintains standards of professional conduct, and
provides leadership to improve student learning and well-being.
1) Knowledge - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist has knowledge of consumer and professional
organizations, publications, and journals relevant to individuals with multiple
disabilities across all ages.
2)
Performance - The competent multiple disabilities specialist incorporates
current information from professional literature into all teaching and related
activities.
i) Reflection
and Professional Growth - The competent multiple disabilities specialist is a
reflective practitioner who continually evaluates how choices and actions
affect students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community and
actively seeks opportunities to grow professionally.
1) Knowledge - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist meets the standards set forth in Section
28.100(i)(1).
2) Performance - The competent multiple
disabilities specialist participates in the activities of professional
organizations relevant to individuals with multiple
disabilities.
