Within a few minutes, Wendy was chatting with a relieved Lori Solomon of North Caldwell. She informed Lori of the child and family programs available to families with developmental issues within all of the MetroWest Federation agencies. Wendy invited her to come and visit the JEA Center for Special Education with daughter Hannah for an intake interview that would lead to enrollment into the Yaldeinu Program, a Hebrew school setting for children with special needs.

In recent years, a growing number of such programs have become available to parents. There are inherent difficulties in making these programs known and available to families. There is no direct way of identifying special needs families. Even where such families can be identified, reaching out is problematic because of issues of confidentiality. Overall, limited funding prohibits widespread marketing of programs and program growth even when numbers of appropriate children are identified.

For families needing support and for Jewish organizations willing to provide it, the experience of MetroWest JEA may offer valuable insights and hope.

THE AGENCY’S RESPONSE

The mission of the JEA Center for Special Education is to assure that every learning disabled or developmentally challenged Jewish student will have access to educational experiences and community activities that allow for a meaningful Jewish life. These needs are now being met in a significant way, thanks to the support given to both the Center for Special Education and its Special Education Committee by JEA Executive Director Deborah Price. Jewish special education is a priority for the growing numbers of children in our MetroWest community schools with learning differences and challenges.

For the past 11 years, Wendy Chesnov Dratler has served as the director of the Center for Special Education. In that time, the Center has grown with the benefit of grant funding earned by the director, creative and innovative program planning, and the collaborative relations developed through intra- and inter-agency coordination. There is now a part-time associate and a staff of 40 teachers, specialists, and consultants. Both direct and consultative services are now offered by the Center.

The consultative goals and activities include providing teacher training and consultative services for educators in the 44 day and congregational schools and 34 preschool programs in MetroWest. There is a service that identifies at-risk children in preschool settings. It provides parents and educators with prevention education. The Center addresses socialization issues related to mainstreaming by providing Jewish schools with sensitization workshops and problem-solving/conflict resolution workshops for children, teachers and parents. There are co-sponsored Shabbat and holiday celebration programs. These programs are inclusionary and tailored to meet the needs of families with developmental challenges.

The current direct service goals and activities of the Center are to coordinate and supervise the Yaldeinu and Sylvan Kohn Torah Workshop Programs (housed at the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan West Orange, NJ), which are self-contained Hebrew school settings for children and adults ages 3-40. The range of disabilities consists of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD), pervasive developmental disorder, autism, mental retardation and other learning and behavioral disabilities. Programmatic elements include music education, art therapy, and computer education. There is also a behavior specialist on staff. Children benefit from a teaching environment that inspires joy and incorporates multi-sensory teaching. The professional staff provides much individualization. The program also offers “Parent Talk,” an educational support group for parents. The success of this program can be attributed in large part to the collaboration with The Children’s Institute in Verona, New Jersey, where the program is now housed.

COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHILDREN’S INSTITUTE

The Children’s Institute (TCI) is a nationally renowned, private, non-profit special education school providing comprehensive educational and therapeutic programs to children who exhibit a wide range of disabilities including autism, pervasive developmental delays, behavioral disabilities, learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. TCI’s origins are rooted in serving the Jewish community, originating as the Hebrew Orphanage in Newark in the 1880’s. Both TCI and the Center for Special Education share common constituents and supporters. The collaborative relationship between TCI and the Center for Special Education has proven mutually beneficial to both institutions. As a result of the collaborative relationships developed, TCI has trained the Yaldeinu staff on the effective utilization of computer technology, art therapy and discrete trial (a teaching method used for autistic children) to meet the needs of their disabled students. TCI and the Center for Special Education have developed collaborative grants to support these programs. In addition, the JEA has been able to benefit from the use of TCI’s facilities and equipment. The TCI staff benefits from employment provided by the Center.

Through its working relationship with Dr. Bruce Ettinger, the Center learned about Dr. Maurice Elias and his “Social Problem-Solving Curriculum.” This lead to the development of two Center programs-a Social Skills Program for children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and “Solving Social Problems in the Jewish Classroom.” This association has resulted in invaluable relationships with Dr. Elias and other colleagues such as Mindy Cohen, Dr. Steven Tobias and Dr. Brian Friedlander. All of these individuals have assisted JEA in implementing programs to insure that MetroWest students develop the social problem-solving and social skills they require to function successfully at home, in school and in the community. Their work was recognized at another collaboration between the Center and TCI: The JEA sponsored a national conference for the Consortium of Jewish Special Educators in 1998. The participants had the benefit of visiting TCI and seeing how they integrated social skills and academics into every aspect of the curriculum, even gym.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THROUGH THE SPECIAL EDUCATION RESOURCE LIBRARY

The newest venture undertaken by the JEA is the establishment of a Special Education Resource Library staffed by a special educator with whom parents and educators can meet to explore the library’s resources. Additional funding has permitted the Center to continue and expand existing programs. The library will include some of the projects described, with the following new additions:

• Opportunities for families to learn about all the programs and services provided by other MetroWest agencies. These include counseling services at Jewish Family Service, camps and recreation programs at the Jewish Community Center, a group home called Jespy House, the Jewish Service of the Developmentally Disabled, vocational training opportunities through the Jewish Vocational Service, and Coordinated Care through Federation and Jewish Family Service.
• A lending and reference library of books and materials, and a resource file relevant to special education for teachers and parents, including computer searches and an “Ask the Expert” link.
• Formal teacher education programs to promote inclusion in Jewish community life and family education, such as holiday celebration programs and Jewish Discovery Zones for developmentally challenged young children.
• Programmatic resources for parents, schools, agencies and synagogues which assist with providing early intervention and problem-solving/conflict resolution for children at risk for special education or identified with special needs.
• A spring and fall Parenting Series on “Emotionally Intelligent Parenting” that can benefit any parent, but is especially helpful to parents of children with special needs.
• A spring and fall Teacher Training for afternoon and day school educators on “Solving Social Problems in the Jewish Classroom” by teaching emotional intelligence to children.

The projects of the Center for Special Education are guided by a dedicated Special Education Committee made up of 12 advocates for individuals with developmental challenges. Some are professionals in the field, and others are parents whose children benefit from the services of the agency. Many devote time, resources and funds to help underwrite programs for the Center.

Committed to supporting the agency that provides quality Jewish education for her child, four years later Lori Solomon is one of the active members of the Special Education Committee. She advocates for services for all developmentally challenged children in the Jewish community. According to Solomon, “Now parents and teachers who need assistance with special needs children will not have to search for services, because programs, and resources will be easily found.”

EDUCATION BEGINS IN THE HOME:
TEACHING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TO PARENTS

The JEA Center for Special Education frequently receives calls regarding the need to address discipline issues at home and in the classroom. Often the issues of concern are brought on by children with attention deficit/hyperactivity or learning disabilities, or children of divorce or dysfunctional families. Parents and educators want to learn more about how to create a more caring environment, how to teach children self-control, and improve cooperation and compliance. Ultimately, the goal is to raise children who are responsible, caring, Jewishly living, and have the social skills to problem-solve and resolve their conflicts peacefully.

The Center for Special Education has a number of problem-solving/conflict resolution programs to address problems that surface at home and in school for parents, educators, and children. When a problem arises in a MetroWest day or afternoon religious school, principals know that they can contact the Center to benefit from a variety of interventions. These consist of classroom observations, consultations, and hands-on “Solving Social Problems in the Jewish Classroom” workshops that incorporate Jewish values and demonstrate the appropriate social skills needed in social interactions. Torah passages are used to engage participants in reflecting on relevant text. Role-play simulations are created using the text to demonstrate timeless issues such as sibling rivalry. Trained psychologists and special educators facilitate the program.

Our workshop leaders utilize Jewish values combined with a conflict resolution curriculum to get important messages across to children. The goals of the children’s program include:

• creating awareness of how feelings influence behavior
• showing how self-examination can assist when change is needed
• facilitating internalization of socially appropriate behaviors in school and home
• conveying the importance of respecting themselves, peers, parents and figures of authority.

Efforts at program evaluation have underscored the benefits of this program. Children are using the tools learned to resolve their own conflicts. We notice raised self-esteem resulting in children more effectively handling behavioral concerns using group membership and social participation skills applied in a Jewish context. Through partnerships in teacher training and parent education, we can impart valuable knowledge and give our children a legacy of caring relationships.

The JEA Center for Special Education has a new Parent Education Series and four community-wide teacher-training workshops for teachers incorporating the principles of teaching emotional intelligence. The parent series is based on Dr. Maurice Elias’s book Emotionally Intelligent Parenting, which for a time was on the best-seller list in Israel. It is designed specifically to give parents strategies to help kids (preschool through adolescence) build empathy, manage strong emotions, and develop social skills for handling relationships and working in groups. It also helps parents learn how better to talk to their children, how to set up household routines that reduce stress, and how to add a bit more humor to everyday happenings. It draws on the concept first presented in Jewish Education News (Volume 19, Summer 1998, Jeffrey Kress and Maurice Elias), “It Takes a Kehilla to Make a Mensch.”

Another component of the program is teacher training. A collaborative presentation given by Dr. Steven Tobias, a psychologist and founder of Center for Child and Family Development in Morristown, New Jersey, provides participants with specific techniques and materials to enable them to learn:

• Why we need to teach social and emotional skills to children
• How to facilitate students’ independent social problem-solving
• What are the key social and emotional skills
• When teachers can teach these important skills within the context of their already packed schedule

Dr. Tobias introduces a technique called FIG TESPN, used to help children learn to think through their problems, enabling them to manage their conflicts through self-help. This problem-solver tool was developed by Drs. Elias and Tobias and is useful in school and at home.

Parents and children remember the abbreviation FIG TESPN. It becomes a family and school signal to start problem-solving, rather than give up or have an outburst.

FIG TESPN

F - Feelings cue me to start problem solving.
I - I have a problem.
G - Goals give me a guide to know what I want to have happen.
T - Think of lots of different things to do.
E - Envision outcomes of the different possibilities.
S - Select a solution that will get me to my goal.
P - Plan, practice, and be prepared for roadblocks and pitfalls.
N- Now that I have tried it, what did I learn for next time?

The collaborative part of this training is designed and co-facilitated by Dr. Bruce Ettinger, Penny Petchers and Michelle Havens. Dr. Ettinger shares ways to integrate “Emotional Intelligence” into Jewish education. He presents techniques and curriculum developed to promote social problem-solving and social skills in the course of teaching of Torah and Jewish ethics. These professionals co-facilitate the workshops by enacting interventions in hands-on break-out sessions with educators. One featured lesson plan is an adaptation of the events that took place in the several parshiyot dealing with Joseph and his brothers. The benefit to students is that they learn Bible, Jewish values and how to resolve their own conflicts at the same time.

Dr. Ettinger demonstrates to teachers how to implement his Torah Study Problem Solving Sheet consisting of eight questions that guide the student to:

1. Name the Torah characters that are experiencing a problem.
2. Define the problem in the given parsha.
3. Identify the feelings of the Torah characters.
4. Describe the ways the characters solved their problems.
5. Describe the outcome of the solution chosen.
6. Identify and describe other ways the problem could have been solved resulting in more positive outcomes.
7. Describe what would have been the outcomes if the alternative solutions had been chosen.
8. Describe a similar problem which you personally have encountered, have observed or have heard about and the ways the solutions you identified could be successfully applied.

In conclusion, teaching the life skills of peaceful problem-solving and empathic conflict resolution is essential in that these are Jewish values and a matter of practical importance in equipping the special learner to cope in a complex world. We have shared how one community has come together to set up a centralized way to provide visible services in an area of growing need. In so doing, we hope to provide access to Jewish education to families who have otherwise had a difficult time participating in existing religious education structures. We hope that our story will enable other Jewish communities to benefit from the lessons we have learned and continue to teach. The expanded programs of the JEA Center for Special Education are made possible by the generosity of The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, the Turrell Foundation, and the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest.

Wendy Chesnov Dratler, M.A.. is Director of the JEA Center for Special Education, Whippany, NJ. She is the recipient of the Kraft Award (1992) in recognition of her exceptional promise for professional service in the Jewish community. For the past 20 years, she has worked with a variety of special needs populations as a special educator and supervisor in treatment centers, public and private schools, learning centers, and for the Jewish Education Association of MetroWest. She is also a Reading Specialist and Supervisor of Reading. She can be reached at wdratler@ujfmetrowest.org

Dr. Maurice Elias, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Dr. Elias is a member of the Leadership Team of the Collaborative to Advance Social and Emotional Learning. A nationally recognized expert on child and parental problem-solving, he is also a writer and contributor to professional publications. He has authored numerous magazine and newspaper articles on emotional intelligence in secular and religious schools. He can be reached at www.eqparenting.com