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Show F - i- : - . ' s---- " " In i ' ' .V XJl I r - ; v " 'I j A i I -, - ' , ... , . - . '" 'A; -; . : -.- - I . : : ' ' v l " A ' , -" ,.U - - v -j IS I J a U I 7 " " ' PRE-SCHOOLER gets a close look at a sandcrab during part of a special class for the handicapped involving high school students as aides. Pre-school offers help to handicapped Kdilor's Note: This is one article of ii series which is pari of Operation Child Kind, a month-long effort to inform the public about existing services ser-vices for handicapped pre-schoolers. Kor further information about existing ex-isting programs serving handicapped handicap-ped children, call Helpline 789-4888. Sonya, a two-month-old, was born with cerebral palsy, John is four and is mentally handicapped, Kathy is three and doesn't talk; all of these children are benefited by a program funded through the Utah State Department of Social Services and the Uintah County Pre-School Services. The service is delivered on a home-based home-based program to serve children from birth to three years, or who live in outlying out-lying areas of the county and are prohibited pro-hibited from attending the center because of transportation. The center based program is a cooperative effort with Uintah High School and the Division of Family Services. Ser-vices. High school juniors and seniors register for Child Development III with Pam Konopinski as their instructor. The students in Child Development work as aids with the children in the center and receive high school credit for the class. "The girls really do a professional job," said Gayle Drollinger, director of the pre-school service. "This isn't an easy class," said Irene Cundiff, Uintah High School senior, "We do more work and preparation for this class than any other." The center maintains a ratio of two-thirds two-thirds handicapped children and one-third one-third non-handicapped children. This balance has proven to be successful for both groups. The handicapped children learn from the modeling behaviors of their normal peers, and the non-handicapped children gain important skills in leadership leader-ship and compassion," Mrs. Drollinger said. , "This is a beautiful concept that works," Mrs. Drollinger added. "We are now having mothers call to ask if their non-handicapped child can enroll in our program for the handicapped." The center is a data based classroom where the aides, high school students, are trained to keep data on the progress of each child and analyze it carefully to determine the method and rate for teaching. "For example," Mrs. Drollinger said, "Today we are showing the children animals. We keep track if the child touches the animal, identifies it, , and can recognize it later.'.' The entire service includes comprehensive com-prehensive diagnostic assessments using us-ing a multi-disciplinary team, a physical therapist, a speech therapist, family counseling, special equipment, and parent training workshops. It is a non-discriminatory service, based on Title XX sliding fee scale determined by income. Persons interested in the program can contact Gayle Drollinger 789-1384 or call helpline 789-4888. |