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SWMetro provides services in the area of low incidence disabilities and Special Education related services. These services are provided to students attending SWMetro schools and at schools in member districts. 

DEAF & HARD OF HEARING (D/HH)

All services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing are provided in the student’s home district.  We serve students birth through 21 years old who live in or attend school in one of our member districts. 

We work together with families and district staff to create the best learning experience possible. 

Our educational audiologists help identify students who need support in the classroom, facilitate listening and communication, manage assistive hearing technology, and monitor personal hearing instruments.  

D/HH teachers support and advocate for students with hearing loss by providing direct services to students in the areas of academics, communication, self-advocacy, and social-emotional learning.  

MOTOR TEAM

Our SWMetro Motor Team helps support and provide interventions for students to engage in school activities, achieve independence and meet educational goals. We work with students with physical limitations, developmental delays, learning disorders, speech concerns, hearing and visual impairments and behavior and emotional difficulties. Our team serves students from birth through 21 years old. 

SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS (SLP)

SWMetro's Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) team provides services to students who qualify under Minnesota Department of Education’s eligibility criteria as having a speech/language impairment as “a communication disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation, language impairment or a voice impairment that adversely affects a student’s educational performance.”

Minnesota Rule 3525.1343 outlines the specific categorical requirements and criteria for speech or language impairments eligibility in Minnesota.

  • Fluency disorder means the intrusion or repetition of sounds, syllables, and words; prolongation of sounds; avoidance of words; silent blocks; or inappropriate inhalation, exhalation, or phonation patterns. These patterns may also be accompanied by facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak.

  • Voice disorder means the absence of voice or presence of abnormal quality, pitch, resonance, loudness, or duration.

  • Articulation disorder means the absence of or incorrect production of speech sounds or phonological processes that are developmentally appropriate (e.g. lisp, difficulty articulating certain sounds, such as l or r). 

Language disorder means a breakdown in communication as characterized by problems in expressing needs, ideas, or information that may be accompanied by problems in understanding.

The Speech Language Pathologist is responsible for:

  • conducting evaluations

  • identifying needs

  • implementing adaptations to curriculum and environment

  • providing direct or indirect instruction 

  • providing inservice to other staff as appropriate  

BLIND/VISUALLY IMPAIRED (BVI)

SWMetro's blind/visually impaired (BVI) team provides services to students who qualify under Minnesota Department of Education’s eligibility criteria as blind/visually impaired. Our team consists of teachers for the blind/visually impaired and certified orientation and mobility specialists. We serve students birth through 21 years old. 

The teacher for the blind/visually impaired is responsible for:

  • Conducting evaluations.

  • Identifying needs.

  • Implementing adaptations to curriculum and environment.

  • Providing direct or indirect instruction. 

  • Providing in-service to staff as appropriate.

BOARD CERTIFIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSTS (BCBA) 

Our SWMetro BCBA Team helps support and provide interventions for students who require behavior intervention. They directly work within our SWMetro programs, as well as provide consultation to our member districts per request.

Within SWMetro programs, the BCBA is responsible for:

  • Consult and team with school professionals to analyze student behavior, treat challenging behavior, increase academic performance and/or develop class-wide management systems for students of all ages 
  • Design and oversee highly specific positive behavioral interventions designed to reduce inappropriate behavior while enhancing adaptive (replacement) skills
  • Provide professional development and coaching to special education case managers and para-educators 
  • Assist in the evaluation process in developing a Functional Behavioral Assessment and collaborate with the IEP team on developing a Behavior Intervention Plan.

Within our member districts, the BCBA is responsible for:

  • Conducting observations of the student.

  • Interview staff working with the student.

  • Write up an assessment for school staff that identifies need areas, and recommendations to meet those needs (i.e.adaptations to curriculum and environment, replacement behaviors, structured supports, etc).

  • Can provide in-service for staff as appropriate and upon request.

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS

SWMetro's School Psychologists are uniquely qualified members of school teams that support students' ability to learn and teachers' ability to teach. They apply expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior, to help students succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally.

Some of the responsibilities for Psychologists are:

  • Conducting and leading evaluations (behavioral and intellectual).

  • Identifying needs.

  • Understanding and implementing Assessment tools and interpreting the data collected. 

  • Key players within the mental health support teams and Restrictive Procedure teams within buildings.