By Dot Lucci, M.Ed., CAGS
Director of Session and Psychoeducational Companies, NESCA
Increasing on NESCA’s earlier work within the Philippines and different Asian nations, this October, NESCA’s Founder and Director Dr. Ann Helmus and I widened NESCA’s outreach and schooling all over the world, touring to Central America, particularly Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.
Throughout our time in Central America, we offered a number of full-day workshops to numerous instructional
NESCA’s Dot Lucci and Dr. Ann Helmus with a bunch of Central American Principals on the Affiliation of American Colleges of Central America Convention
skilled and administrative audiences on the Affiliation of American Colleges of Central America convention, the Elementary Principals Convention, and at particular person colleges. The total-day workshops included details about: the displays and analysis of assorted circumstances, corresponding to ADHD, ASD, SLD, anxiousness, and many others., how one can greatest serve these college students generally schooling lecture rooms, and essentially the most present considering on particular interventions and curriculums.
Alongside our journey, Dr. Helmus additionally offered to oldsters in Nicaragua and Honduras, discussing what precisely makes a high-quality analysis, what an analysis ought to embrace, and how one can combine all of the findings to provide individualized suggestions for college students.
On this journey, our consultations consisted of onsite visits that present skilled improvement, modeling, direct service of instruction/ongoing digital session, and the sharing of assets and instruments. We assist these groups develop or improve their packages and programs geared toward supporting college students with particular wants. Whereas a lot of this work pertains to instructional programming, it additionally includes increasing the mindsets of some academics about neurodivergent college students, who could require further effort and time than usually creating college students. In our work, we’re serving to academics to acknowledge college students’ disabilities, how they current, and how one can work with the varied challenges whereas figuring out and capitalizing on their strengths.
Consulting internationally permits us to share our information and experience of neuropsychological evaluation and academic practices with colleges and households overseas, the place assets could also be scarce or non-existent. Whereas every nation has particular schooling legal guidelines pertaining to inclusion, when youngsters battle in these lecture rooms, there are sadly restricted assets for them. Many of those college students are expelled and don’t obtain an schooling on account of aberrant habits. There are some separate “particular schooling” colleges, however these are additionally restricted of their skill to teach neurodivergent youngsters. In all of those nations, the coaching of academics in particular schooling shouldn’t be in-depth, which is why NESCA was there to help their efforts. This work is significant to the development of the schooling of all college students and particularly these with particular wants.
With only a few – if any – associated service professionals on this area (i.e., neuropsychologists, SLPs, OTs, and many others.), many college students go with out direct companies or journey to Miami for evaluations and care through the summer time months. Due to the shortage of helps on this area, we seen extra purchasers over the previous a number of years touring to Boston for evaluations and companies. This is without doubt one of the causes NESCA opened an workplace in Miami, extra conveniently providing higher helps and companies for our Central American purchasers.
We sit up for persevering with this session work with colleges, organizations, and many others., whereas additionally making large variations for households on a extra individualized stage, educating them on how they’ll help their youngsters.
Our work in worldwide colleges and households is wealthy and rewarding, and is making large variations.
In regards to the Creator
NESCA’s Director of Session and Psychoeducational Companies Dot Lucci has been energetic within the fields of schooling, psychology,
analysis and academia for over 30 years. She is a nationwide marketing consultant and speaker on program design and the inclusion of kids and adolescents with particular wants, particularly these recognized with Autism Spectrum Dysfunction (ASD). Previous to becoming a member of NESCA, Ms. Lucci was the Principal of the Companions Program/EDCO Collaborative and beforehand the Program Director and Director of Session at MGH/Aspire for 13 years, the place she constructed little one, teen and younger grownup packages and established the 3-Ss (self-awareness, social competency and stress administration) because the programming spine. She additionally served as director of the Autism Help Heart. Ms. Lucci was beforehand an elementary classroom instructor, particular educator, researcher, faculty psychologist, faculty professor and director of public colleges, a non-public particular schooling faculty and an schooling collaborative.
Ms. Lucci directs NESCA’s session companies to private and non-private colleges, faculties and universities, companies and group companies. She additionally offers psychoeducational counseling on to college students and oldsters. Ms. Lucci’s scientific pursuits embrace mind-body practices, optimistic psychology, and using expertise and biofeedback units within the instruction of social and emotional studying, particularly as they apply to neurodiverse people.
To guide a session with Ms. Lucci or one in all our many professional clinicians, full NESCA’s on-line consumption type. Point out whether or not you might be in search of an “analysis” or “session” and your most well-liked clinician/marketing consultant/service within the referral line.
NESCA is a pediatric neuropsychology observe and associated companies middle with places of work in Newton, Plainville, and Hingham, Massachusetts; Londonderry, New Hampshire; the higher Burlington, Vermont area; and Coral Gables, Florida, serving purchasers from infancy by way of younger maturity and their households. For extra data, please electronic mail information@nesca-newton.com or name 617-658-9800.