December 2022
SERC Scoop Newsletter

  • What is SERC?
  • Can you Fully Describe an Autism Kiddo When you Say the Child is High or Low on the Spectrum?
  • CADRE 2022 Symposium Recap
  • Wisdom Wednesday Webinars Preview
  • SERC PD Series with Dr. Tracy Gershwin
  • Virtual/In-Person Mediation and IEP Facilitation in Oklahoma
  • Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue Update
  • Which Dispute Resolution Process is best for me?
  • Upcoming Events

What is SERC? 

The Special Education Resolution Center of OSU (SERC) has been collaborating with the Oklahoma State Department of Education for over 16 years to help families and school districts resolve conflicts at the earliest stage possible. SERC provides services for children from birth to 3 in SoonerStart and for students 3 through 21 in public schools.

What does SERC provide to schools, SoonerStart, and families at no cost?

Can you Fully Describe an Autism Kiddo When you say the Child is High or Low on the Spectrum?

 Can you fully describe an autism kiddo when you say the child is high or low on the spectrum?

One day this last year, my friend with autism and I were talking.  She said, “I hate it when people think of the autism spectrum as a line, don’t you?”  I answered, “What do you mean?”  She replied, “Well, I mean, people refer to where others with autism fall on a line from low functioning autism to high functioning autism.  I mean, that so outdated and limited; it doesn’t really explain how a person is functioning with autism at all.” 

Okay, I have to admit at that time I had no idea what she was talking about!  I had always seen autism referred to as low functioning and high functioning.  I had forever thought of the reference as a line with low functioning on one end and high functioning at the other end.  So I needed to understand more.

“So how would you describe it?”, I replied.  “Well, it’s a circle, a wheel” she answered.  Hmm,  I thought.  I want to know more about this.  She explained it to me, and I was fascinated.  Maybe I am just behind the times not knowing this, but it was so accurate and made so much sense, I have been sharing the concept with others.  I want to share it with you! 

View Why the Autism Wheel is Replacing the Autism Spectrum here:

2022 CADRE Symposium Recap

CADRE (The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education) hosted its 9th National Symposium on Dispute Resolution in Special Education. The conference took place in Denver on October 26-28, 2022, and the theme was Planting Seeds: Growing an Inclusive and Informed Community. All the SERC mediators attended the symposium and found the training and interaction that took place to be very helpful. Rob Keiter was a presenter and did a workshop on Introducing the IEP Team Relationship Reset.

View Rob Keiter’s presentation on Introducing the IEP Team Relationship Reset here: (PDF)

Wisdom Wednesday Webinars Preview

SERC’s monthly Wisdom Wednesday Webinars have resumed. These free and informative webinars take place live on Zoom the third Wednesday of each month from Noon to 1:30 pm. Here are the upcoming webinars for this quarter.

January 18, 2023 – What Crucial Conversations Training can do for your district and for families. Dr. Rob Keiter will be our presenter for this session. Do you ever find yourself having difficulty in your interactions with others? Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue is a nationally recognized training that SERC offers to schools and families at no cost through our partnership with the State Department of Education. This training is more than just another communications training. It’s about helping you get the results you want and need in your interactions with others. Today’s webinar will highlight some of the important aspects of the training.

Click here to register for the webinar:

February 15, 2023 – Reading an Evaluation, Dr. Gary Duhon and Dr. Sara Rich, The Oklahoma State University Bridge Center. More info to follow.

SERC PD Series with Dr. Tracy Gershwin

SERC presents a professional development series with Tracy Gershwin, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Professor at the University of Northern Colorado.

This six-part series addresses important issues related to fostering family-professional partnerships, including conflict prevention and dispute resolution. Each module includes a presentation pdf, additional resources pdf, and video to be used to help facilitate groups who may use the series in professional development settings.

Click here to view these materials on our Stakeholder training page:

Virtual/In-Person Mediation and IEP facilitation in Oklahoma

While IEP facilitations and mediations will continue to be offered through online-video format with Zoom, in-person meetings will also be available. Virtual meetings will be the default unless an in-person meeting is requested. To participate in a virtual meeting, you will need a computer/iPad/smartphone with WIFI and a place to meet without interruptions. Participants can also access by phone. An iPad with hot spot can be provided for use at no cost for those without access to a computer and/or WIFI. Contact SERC for more information about scheduling a virtual or in-person meeting.

Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue Update

Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue is a nationally recognized training that helps people have difficult conversations that they are afraid to have or that aren’t going well. And the focus of the training is not just about communication – it’s about helping people get the results they want and need.

Crucial Conversations can help you in your conversations with:

  • School administrators
  • School Staff and personnel including general ed teachers
  • Service resource providers
  • IEP team members
  • Parents and their advocates
  • Organizations and family support personnel that work with children with disabilities

We are now able to offer in-person classes as well as a virtual format using Zoom that is very effective. The in-person format consists of two days, and the virtual format consists of five 2.5-hour long sessions that can be scheduled over three days or one session at a time.

Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue is available at no cost to those attending through our partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education. If you are interested in scheduling a future training for your district, please contact Rob Keiter at  rob.keiter@okstate.edu or (405) 569-3105.

Which Dispute Resolution Process is best for me?

You may be wondering which dispute resolution process would be the best for you when dealing with special education-related disputes. This dispute chart will help you understand the differences between the three processes offered in Oklahoma. Each of these processes is offered at no cost to schools or parents. Please contact us with any questions related to our dispute resolution processes. We can help you decide which process will work the best for your situation.

View the English version of the dispute resolution chart here:

View the Spanish version of the dispute resolution chart here:

Upcoming Events

ABLE Tech Monthly AT Workshops

ABLE Tech has successfully completed several series of virtual workshops for special education and related service providers. The feedback was outstanding and focused on planning positive systemic improvements and changes.

Monthly workshops are currently scheduled through December, 2022. For more information about the ABLE Tech monthly workshops, visit the ABLE Tech calendar here.

Jo Anne Pool Blades, Program Manager
Special Education Resolution Center (SERC)
Oklahoma State University Sponsored Program. 9726 E. 42nd Street, Suite 203 | Tulsa, OK  74146
Phone: 918.270.1849, 888.267.0028

Email: jo.blades@okstate.edu

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