NESCA Welcomes Sarah LaFerriere as a Transition Specialist

By: Jane Hauser
Director of Marketing & Outreach, NESCA

Transition Specialist and Special Educator Sarah LaFerriere, M.Ed., joined NESCA during the summer. We’d like to take the opportunity to formally introduce her and fill you in on her inspiration for getting into Special Education and eventually Transition Services as well as her previous professional experiences, and how she supports families and students here at NESCA.

What led you to special education in general and then to transition services?

From early in elementary school, I remember having peers with disabilities who were often not being included. I would go out of my way at recess or lunch and play or sit with them so they would not feel so alone or different. My teachers would tell my parents that I was very nurturing and inclusive.

I was also personally motivated by one of my brother’s friends, who was severely autistic. My brother invited him to his 9^th or 10^th birthday party, where they played with temporary tattoos among other things. I was a teenager at that time. While there were many areas that were a struggle for my brother’s friend, he somehow figured out how to disable their home alarm system, left his house, and walked to our yard and waited there for a tattoo because he had so much fun with them at the party. His parents were beside themselves, calling the police to report him missing. I remember thinking that I would love to know how his brain works. It was fascinating that he had so much difficulty carrying out functional activities and was simultaneously so determined to get another tattoo, he disabled an alarm system at the age of nine.

I took that interest and just ran with it, volunteering in the life skills room in high school, and because I loved that so much, I became a skills trainer, PCA, and worked for The Arc (now LifeWorks), then held a position at one of the MACI programs at Bridgewater State. That’s where I began my love for working with transition-aged youth.

After I graduated college, I got my master’s through the EXCEL program at Bridgewater State University. As graduate assistant in that program, I taught high school and loved it. I really enjoyed working with older students, helping them navigate the community during their transition to adulthood. That brought me to my work in transition and eventually to NESCA as a transition specialist.

Who do you work with at NESCA?

So far, I’ve been seeing a wide range of students. My specialty area is working with students with more severe challenges. I really enjoy working with autistic students and those with intellectual disabilities, working with them on building life skills. At NESCA, I have had the chance to work with college-bound students who are living with anxiety, ADHD or other mental health concerns.

How would you describe your approach to working with students who are more severely impacted by their disabilities?

I try to connect with them as much as possible and develop a relationship with them based on their interests. Many students with disabilities have very specific interests. I use those interests as a way to make the initial connection with them. Once they see that I have a sincere interest in them and their interests, they tend to feel more comfortable and open up with me. People often tell me that it’s clear that I make strong connections with my students. In my opinion, we would not be able to accomplish nearly as much as we do without that relational approach. It’s hard for students to understand their full potential if the providers they work with can’t make a connection with them.

How do you define self-determination, and why is it such an important part of the transition process?

Self-determination is the ability to advocate for yourself, make decisions, and really learn about yourself – your likes, what you want, or what you don’t want. Self-determination is just so important for students of all ages, but especially for high schoolers and transition-aged youth, because there are so many important decisions and changes coming up for them. Self-determination is actually at the very heart of the transition process.

Self-determination is a big theme in the new Massachusetts IEP format. Why is this change so significant for students on IEPs?

Hopefully, the new IEP format here in Massachusetts will help more students become involved in their IEP process, which is now driven by the vision students have for themselves in all aspects of life after high school. It will hopefully guide schools to support students in building self-determination and independence skills, teaching them how to  speak up, advocate, and participate in their own education. I truly hope the new format translates into schools putting a heavier emphasis on helping students successfully be part of the IEP process.

If we build these skills earlier on so students can be part of and contribute to IEP, once they leave school, they will be able to use those skills in life, whether that’s at a job or in the community. Hopefully, they will learn to generalize those self-advocacy skills to help them get what they need or want as they move into adulthood.

Another goal with the new Massachusetts IEP is to involve students in the IEP process at a younger age. Why do you think that is a priority?

Someone put it to me this way, and I think it paints an accurate picture. Think about parents or caregivers planning a party for a child down to every last detail. All the plans have been made; all the invites went out…everything is booked. But then, they don’t actually invite the child to their own party. That’s what we have been doing with students and their IEPs. We make the plans, we invite the providers and teachers, but we don’t ever invite the student to their own IEP meeting. This whole process, this whole document, this whole program is all for them, and our students have no idea of what took place in the meeting and why.

It’s really important for students of all ages to know their strengths and challenges, and have the opportunity to express their own voice throughout the process. Involving students at a younger age shows them how we are all working towards what they are hoping to achieve.

You have worked in a variety of settings from public and private schools to camps and different agencies. How do your past experiences benefit NESCA families?

 When I think about all of the people sitting around the table in an IEP meeting, I think I’ve been in almost every one of the spots, with the exception of being a school administrator. I’ve been the teacher, the skills provider, in the paraprofessional role, and in the specialist role. While my own child doesn’t have a disability, just being a parent, I now see things more clearly from the parent point of view as well.

I feel like all my past experiences have led me to this position where I can provide realistic and attainable goals and recommendations to support students throughout the transition process. I know what can be accomplished by teachers and specialists in schools and what may be more of an unrealistic expectation for them to carry out. I understand how swamped they all are and how understaffed schools may be. That knowledge allows me to get creative and develop recommendations that allow students to reach their transition goals by teachers, providers, and parents putting those pieces in place. I can now think from the perspectives of all those roles. It’s not that we are expecting less from teachers or others, but I am able to identify who may actually be a better fit to work on skills with the student. Perhaps some instruction could be accomplished through a skills teacher in the home setting or a specialist at the school other than a teacher, for example.

You recently received a certification to help teach parents, caregivers, and providers to educate students with special needs about topics related to sex. Tell us more about that.

Yes! I’m really excited to work in this area. It’s so important. I now have the opportunity to go into schools and teach administrators or special educators how to teach their students about topics related to their bodies and sex. All too often, students in special education just don’t get taught about sexual safety and what’s going on with their bodies, and they are often some of the most vulnerable people out there. There is also a large percentage of special needs students who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and it’s so important for parents and care providers to have the language and the knowledge to talk about some of these uncomfortable topics at their child’s level of understanding, whether that’s based on age or ability. I think a lot of families and schools really need support in this area.

Students also have a right to know and understand what’s going on in their bodies and how that may be adding to a lot of their behaviors. When I first became a special educator, I worked with students who exhibited sexualized behaviors, and I was not prepared for that. If a trained special educator was not prepared, parents, who likely have very little training on this topic, may feel like they are at a loss in supporting their kids. We all know kids don’t come with instruction manuals!

If I have the chance to educate students in a way that helps to prevent them from abuse and teaches them how to speak up and advocate for themselves if something inappropriate is going on, I am all for it.

What were you looking for when you came to NESCA and what do you feel like you’ve experienced in the past few months that you’ve been here?

I didn’t expect to learn so much from the people who work here. I knew there was an emphasis on life-long learning here, but I’m amazed at what I have learned and been exposed to in a short amount of time.

I love our weekly Case Conferences where clinicians present some of the more complex cases to gain insight and the perspectives of our colleagues. I get to learn about so many people and different approaches. I have had a lot of exposure to the mental health side of the students we work with and better understanding the connections between mental health and autism, intellectual disabilities, and more severe disabilities. I love learning more about the language, techniques or creative approaches to use with students who are experiencing anxiety or depression.

I enjoy being in a multidisciplinary setting where I can strengthen my knowledge in transition services, while also learning from the neuropsychologists, counselors, and others outside of the transition team.

In any given week, I may be writing reports, attending conferences or observing students in various settings, even at a zoo. I underestimated the new experiences and great connections that I’ve been able to make since coming to NESCA. It’s just been a really great experience.

 

About the Author

NESCA is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton, Plainville, and Hingham, Massachusetts; Londonderry, New Hampshire; the greater Burlington, Vermont region; and Brooklyn, New York (coaching services only) serving clients from infancy through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.