Anna school district announces special education services

In an effort to offer comprehensive special education services to its students, the Anna Independent School District has announced its Child Find program. This program is offered to students living in Anna with disabilities from ages 3-21. If the child has a hearing or visual impairment, the child can be included in the program from birth. For any children from birth to 3 years of age with other disabilities, they will be referred to appropriate agencies for services needed.

The Anna ISD said Child Find assures that children with educational difficulties and challenges have access to evaluations and services applicable.

All referrals are considered confidential. The services are provided at no cost to the parent/guardian. The parent or legal guardian retains the right to refuse the services, and under federal and state law, are provided other procedural safeguards.

Services include screenings in areas of suspected disabilities that might include: vision, hearing, motor skills, speech, language and general development. In school evaluations are provided for several areas, including learning disabilities, speech and language development, physical impairments, vision or hearing problems, intellectual disability, emotional disturbances, autism, health impairments or traumatic brain injuries.

There are different levels of evaluations available for the different levels of students. For preschool students, the teams use play-based assessments.

"It (the district) recognizes the importance of play as a natural context for development, and acknowledges the expertise and contributions of family members as well as of a variety of early childhood professionals," the Anna ISD website says.

The evaluation teams consist of a speech-language pathologist, an educational representative and a licensed specialist in school psychology. There might also be any of the following individuals: An occupational therapist, physical therapist, educational diagnostician, auditory impairment specialist, and visual impairment specialist.

For more information concerning eligibility criteria and referral procedures, contact the principal or counselor of the child's school or call the Dr. Wendy Stanley with the Special Education Department at 972-924-1016 or visit the Anna ISD administration building at 201 E. 7th Street Anna, TX 75409.