My perspective
I desire to help children see their strengths and even learn that their difficulty can give them a different perspective which makes them uniquely gifted to glorify God—to even see an opportunity rather than an impediment. My conclusions often start from the perspective that we all have something that is difficult and that difficulty can be an opportunity to develop strength and an awareness of how God wants to develop and use each of us.
Hebrews 12:1-3
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders . . . and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy set before him enduring the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of God.”
Educationally speaking
God has given me a passion to support children with special needs and their families. I enjoy helping to solve the mystery of what is getting in their way to learning, relating to others or understanding their emotions.
In my years as a special education teacher and then as a school psychologist (about 27 years) I have especially developed knowledge in ADHD, autism, behavior and learning disabilities. My husband and I are licensed in California to help determine the presence of disabling conditions that may significantly impact a child’s education. My reports are based on eligibility standards and the information needed to guide educational plans in the US.
My job description in Hungary
I work as the school psychologist at International Christian School of Budapest. ICSB is a school of 200+ students in grades K – 12.
I work with the staff of ICSB to observe and plan for adaptations or supports for children who are struggling in an area of school functioning. We will monitor these interventions and if the difficulties are continuing, I and the special education team may do a full psycho-educational assessment of the child’s needs. My part of the assessment will be of the child’s cognitive and reasoning strengths and weaknesses, processing patterns, language abilities and behavior or emotional trends. I will write reports for parents and school professionals which also can be taken to other countries. As a part of the educational team, we will make recommendations based on the assessments to determine what accommodations or supports the child may need. We will also then monitor this plan or the child’s progress and adjust as needed within the structure of ICSB.
I also serve the school in other capacities as needed within my role as school psychologist. I also travel with Brad to regional schools for similar services through Europe and Asia.
