Special Education

Special education provides supports and services for students identified with special needs through a legal document called an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that is mandated within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Visit the BVSD Special Education Website for more detailed information on the services and supports available to all students in the Boulder Valley School District.

Resource

The Resource team at Fireside Elementary consists of two resource teachers, a school psychologist, an occupational therapist, and a speech-language pathologist. The team collaborates with general education teachers to provide support for students with needs such as learning challenges, Autism Spectrum Disorders, speech and language difficulties, physical and/or emotional disabilities. The team provides services to students identified with special needs through a legal document called an Individual Education Plan (IEP) that is mandated within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Students receive support for a variety of reasons, which may include learning challenges, Autism Spectrum Disorders, speech and language difficulties, physical and/or emotional disabilities.

According to Federal law, students are provided with support services in their regular classroom whenever possible. However, in some cases, children may need additional or alternative instruction to improve their skills outside of the general education classroom.​

AIM Program

Speech

Speech- Language pathologists (also known as speech-language therapists, speech therapists, speech teachers, etc.) help students gain the most benefit from their education by increasing their ability to access, understand, interact with and respond to the curriculum, their teachers and their peers. As it says in the name, we work specifically in the areas of speech and language. In the area of speech: we work on speech sound articulation (pronunciation), stuttering, vocal tone and quality, and more. In the area of language: we address listening and reading comprehension, following directions, understanding concepts, explaining and self-expression, attention, social skills, and more.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy uses purposeful, goal directed activities and task analysis to enable a child with a disability to benefit from their individualized education program (IEP). The focus of OT services in a school setting is to promote functional independence or participation within the educational environment. In a school setting the OT practitioner may support a student with a disability, in collaboration with other members of the IEP team, in the following areas: • self-help skills • fine, gross and visual motor skills • sensory processing and visual processing skills • positioning, functional mobility and transitions • functional communication through alternative methods • adaptive devices/equipment & using educational tools/toys.