Frequently Asked Questions

For Parents

How are students grouped in the education program?

There are a fairly wide range of ability levels in classes, often with students who have more than one disability. Students are grouped by age and ability to the greatest extent possible. As in any public school, students are assigned to a grade level and their education is based on a curriculum which is aligned with state standards. As determined by each student's IEP team, the curriculum is modified to the extent necessary to meet their individualized instruction needs.

How often would my child receive speech therapy?

Speech therapy services are individualized and designed to support the student in his/her educational program. The amount of time is determined at the child's IEP meeting.

How often would my child receive physical and/or occupational therapy?

Physical and occupational therapies are provided primarily as consultative support to classroom teachers and designed to support the student in his/her educational program. The amount of time is determined at the child's IEP meeting. Most students who need on-going PT or OT have health insurance or are on Medicaid and receive therapy in a clinical setting outside of the school day.

What if a child needs medical care while at MSDB?

MSDB Health Care Services is staffed daily with on-call services at night by LPN's under the direction of an RN. The nursing staff works closely with parents, staff, and the child's physician to develop the best plan of care for the student while in attendance at MSDB.

As needed, MSDB Health Services will accompany children to medical, vision and dental exams while attending MSDB. Emergency medical care is always available 24 hours a day at Benefis Health Care here in Great Falls. All medications are kept in the Health Services department. Medications are only dispensed by the LPN's and RN with written doctor's orders. Parents are contacted by the Health Services staff when their child is not feeling well. The school has an infirmary should the students need to be isolated while they are sick (If a child is going to be ill for an extended period, the parents take the children).

What are the living arrangements like for residential students?

Each room is designed for two students, although many students are able to have their own room. Each student has a desk, a chair and a closet with drawers. For older students, a bathroom is shared between two rooms. To provide better supervision for younger students, each cottage has common bathroom and shower areas.

Can students bring personal items to the cottages?

Absolutely. The school does provide linens, pillows, blankets and all furniture. Many of the students bring their own bedspread, comforter and of course their favorite stuffed animal. Each of the rooms has bulletin boards for the students to hang posters, letters from home, schedules and other mementoes. Each student is responsible for his/her own clothing and learns to do their own laundry.

What arrangements are there for night supervision?

There are two buildings in which the students reside. One building has two cottage wings and the Health Services. The other cottage has three cottage wings. From the hours of 12:00 AM until 8:00 AM, nightwatch staff is on duty in each building. The staff will check on the students at least every fifteen minutes (and more often if necessary) to provide security to the buildings during the nighttime hours, make sure the students are in their assigned areas and to assist the students in the event of a fire or other emergency.

How are meals provided for students in the residential program?

The students eat breakfast and dinner in their cottage wings. Breakfast is prepared by the nightwatch staff or the house parents, and follow USDA guidelines. On the weekends the students may fix their own breakfast. Lunches are served in the common dining room and are very similar to meals served in the public school. The students sit 4-5 per table and the food is served family style. The dinners are prepared in the main kitchen and then delivered to each cottage wing where they are served family style. The meals are nutritious and provide a variety. There are also special "Formal Dinners" around the holidays where the students may invite teachers, and the dining room is decorated. This is a special time for the students as they are excited about going home for the holidays.

What interaction do students have with other students in the residential program?

Although the students sleep and live with students similar in age, they do have the opportunity to socialize with those either younger or older. Students are supervised by the staff at all times. Situations in which the students of varying ages may interact could be functions when all the cottages are together (parties, special formal dinners, activities in the gym and just general visiting). The staff makes every effort to make sure these interactions are positive and age appropriate.

How often do residential students come home?

Students can go home when ever they want. However, the School will only pay for transportation one time per month. Travel dates have been set by the school calendar which is published prior to the beginning of each school year. Students travel home via commercial or charter carriers. Currently, students living in Billings fly home, those in Missoula are transported by bus and those living north and east (such as Wolf Point ) will travel via bus to Havre and then ride Amtrak to Wolf Point. MSDB provides supervision on the buses, trains and planes as is deemed appropriate.

Can I visit whenever I want?

Parents and family members are always welcome to visit their child on campus. Several rooms have been designated as "visitor rooms". These rooms are for visiting parents, families of children going through a short-term evaluation, families coming to MSDB to check out the program, and parents who want to "spend time" with their child. Because we have limited space, it is advised to call ahead to make sure room is available. There is no cost for family use of these facilities.

How much day-to-day control do parents relinquish?

This is a concern for many parents. The School makes every effort to allow the parent to maintain as much control as possible. All off-campus permissions are cleared through the parents. This is usually in the form of a written permission. Also, some parents might request that each time their child goes, for example, on a date, that they are called to give permission. We support parents' wishes to the extent practical. There is extensive communication between the parents and their children. With TDD's, the relay system and e-mail, parents and their children maintain regular contact.

For Educators

How old should students be before they are referred to MSDB ?

The key to success with deaf children is early intervention, as early as a child is identified as having a hearing loss. Typically we will work with very young children in the home setting. To the extent possible the more exposure deaf children have to competent communication role models the better chance they have to develop good receptive and expressive language, which is a key in developing academic competence.

Blind children need to develop compensatory skills if they are to do well in school. These include Braille literacy, orientation and mobility skills and training, living skills, and training with adaptive equipment and technology. Training in these areas requires specially trained teachers.

How much will it cost my district to send a student to your school ?

There is no cost to the local school district for a student to attend MSDB. The School is funded through a direct appropriation of the legislature.

How is the local district involved if one of its students is enrolled at MSDB?

The local district is invited and required to participate as a full member of the CST or IEP meeting.

How can MSDB help local districts where visually or deaf-hard of hearing students are enrolled?

Our Outreach staff is dedicated to supporting the student in their home community. The Outreach Consultants participate at CST and IEP meetings to assist in designing an appropriate educational program for the student. The consultants will work with the local district staff to understand each child's unique educational needs and how best to meet those needs. We will provide short term placements to address specific educational needs and provide a variety of evaluations for the student and the local school district.

What accommodations should a school psychologist consider when assessing a visually impaired or hard of hearing student?

For a visually impaired student, the answer depends on the extent of the student's impairment. For a low vision student, check with the classroom teacher to see what size font is being used comfortably, and enlarge your materials accordingly. Also, pay attention to lighting and be aware that this student will fatigue quickly and may need frequent, short breaks, or verbal materials to reduce eye strain. If the student is blind, you will need to use the verbal sections of your assessments, and observations and daily functioning to get a picture of the student's strengths and needs.

For the deaf-hard of hearing student, make sure the student wears his/her hearing aids during your test sessions, and if an FM system is used in the classroom, have the teacher provide you with all the necessary equipment. If the student normally uses a sign language interpreter in the classroom, that interpreter should interpret the assessment sessions, also. Spend a few minutes before the session to learn about the best use of an interpreter. Check your testing area to be sure sound distractions are reduced. Hearing aids will magnify both background noises as well as intended sounds.

What tests or subtests are recommended for valid test results?

The (technically adequate) tests on the market generally are not normed for the sensory impaired. If this is the case with this assessment tool used, it should be indicated in the report. This makes the functional, multi-disciplinary information extremely important in developing clear and valid data for each student.

Can assessment kits be borrowed from the MSDB?

MSDB most likely does not have test kits that public school psychologists don't already have access to, but we are certainly happy to make available whatever we have.

How do deaf children learn to read?

Writing and reading are a symbolic extension of this auditory-oral language. The greatest challenge for a deaf child is in making those conceptual connections to that symbolic representation without being able to first hear our oral language so critical during the early stages of language development. The challenge for the teacher is developing and using instructional techniques that help the deaf child make the connection between printed words and the objects or concepts they represent. Since reading is a skill built upon the recognition of vocabulary, the teacher must develop and concentrate on meaningful activities that help the child build vocabulary skills supported by visual symbols such as labels, placed on common items found in the environment, or signs or gestures associated with sign language systems. Our Outreach staff will be able to provide you with information and resources on this topic.

When does a child start to learn Braille?

A student would start learning Braille at the same age a sighted child would start to learn to read. Letter recognition and sight words would generally start in Kindergarten.

What is the difference between American Sign Language (ASL) and Signing Exact English?

American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual-gestural-spatial language in which the placement, movement and expression of the hands and body are actually part of the language. ASL is considered by the deaf community to be the native language of deaf people. Research has shown that ASL is a language in its own right. It has its own grammatical structure, vocabulary and linguistic principles and is one of the most complete sign systems in the world, able to convey abstract thoughts. ASL is accepted as a true and complete language with its own grammar (syntax) and linguistic principles which are completely different from English.

Signing Exact English (SEE) is a sign language system that represents literal English, to make visible everything that is not heard, SEE supplements what a child can get from hearing and speech reading. Since American Sign Language or ASL has different vocabulary, idioms and syntax from English, SEE modified and supplemented the vocabulary of ASL so children can see clearly what is said in English. ASL signs are used in the correct English word order with suffixes, prefixes and initialized signs to distinguish different forms of words. Signers of SEE systems are encouraged to sign everything that is said and in a manner that is as consistent as possible with how it is spoken or written in order to constitute a language input for the deaf child that will result in the mastery of English.

How do I know which type of sign is best for my student?

This is a very individual decision. Some believe that ASL will develop thinking processes and communication skills more naturally. It allows language to develop in the brain. Others believe through SEE the deaf child learns English as their first language from their parents. They use it in conversations with their parents, peers and teachers. What is said is signed so that the child is exposed to English in a complete way. It is important to know that whatever system is used initially, it may not be the one that you use later as your child gets older. Some children may continue to use signed English or may transition toward using more ASL. It is important to observe your student to determine his/her need regarding the mode of communication for language acquisition.

What are the first skills I can teach a student that is blind to prepare him/her for mobility training?

Being able to move around in one's world affects all aspects of life regardless of age. Children who are blind or have low vision are at a significant disadvantage in this respect. Visually impaired infants cannot see their world and miss being drawn into that world though the lure of bright colors or interesting shapes. This lack of exploration significantly impacts their understanding of the world around them and, as they mature, their physical ability to move in that world. Without first understanding their world, from the relationships and positions various parts of their body have to each other, to their relationships with objects in their world, to the relationship those objects have to each other, purposeful travel becomes impossible. What you and I learned through seeing often occurred without our conscious knowledge. Time must be taken to introduce children who are blind or have low vision to their world through concrete experiences. That introduction is the challenge of parents and caregivers to bring that world to the children when they are infants.

Is there any special training offered by our State or on the Internet, which will help teachers and paraprofessionals better serve their sensory impaired students?

The Family Learning Weekends offered at the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind (MSDB) are an excellent resource for parents, families, teachers and professionals. Training for teachers, interpreters and paraprofessionals are offered through annual regional conferences sponsored by the Association for the Education of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) and the Idaho State University sponsored Intermountain Special Summer Institute (ISSI) regional universities. These are federally supported advanced degree programs in the areas of deaf education, educational interpreting, education of the blind and visually impaired and orientation and mobility instruction.

Workshops on topics related to deaf and blind education are sponsored by MSDB, the Office of Public Instruction, PLUK and regional CSPD organizations are conducted throughout the school year.

For more information on professional development opportunities, contact MSDB or the Office of Public Instruction, Special Education Division.