Services

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The S.E.A.L. Foundation: Pathways Approach Program

The S.E.A.L. Foundation: Pathways Approach Program provides educational services, namely, providing program evaluations, creating and delivering custom-designed implementation plans, in-class coaching, and instruction through presentations, classes, tutoring, consultations, workshops, on-line non-downloadable and downloadable videos and simulations to parents, teachers, school administrators, school staff, and community members in the field of special education, specifically, learning differences in students from early childhood through 12th grade, and distribution of educational materials in connection therewith.

Testimonials

When I think about teaching students who learn differently and who might need to access the curriculum a certain way or a different way, I like to think of it as cars. We have cars that are made for everybody to drive, but when a driver gets in the seat, what do they do they need to do to the seat? They need to adjust it and move it forward. They need to move it back. They need to make it higher or make it lower to reach the pedals. And that’s how I think of it inside the classroom. How can we adjust to make sure that as many students can reach the pedals to be able to access the curriculum. Danielle, teacher

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Professional Development

The S.E.A.L. Foundation provides professional development experiences that allow participants to engage in a simulation of what it feels like to have a learning difference and walk in the shoes of a student who learns differently. A deeper understanding of learning differences is attained by those involved in the simulations, specifically ADHD, dyslexia, autism, auditory processing disorders and differences related to executive functioning. Instructional strategies, such as modifications, accommodations and instructional practices (i.e. volume and pacing) are provided so all students can be taught and achieve success, regardless of how they learn.

In addition, our foundation provides teacher training on The Orton Gillingham Approach, as well as understanding brain function with workshops for teachers, parents, community members and students on neurodiversity.

An additional area of professional development that is available to teachers includes “ Transitioning Back To School After COVID” and “Social Emotional Learning.” Contact Lynne at The S.E.A.L. Foundation for an access code.

Testimonials

“An amazing morning that really put me in the seat of a student with learning differences. The simulation, along with feedback from the group, helped me to better understand how a student feels and what accommodations are necessary for success.”  teacher participant

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Advocacy

The second program the Foundation focuses on is advocacy work. Families of children with learning differences are provided tools and knowledge to navigate the complex and often cumbersome special education process. This service is extended to families regardless if their child attends a public or non-public school.

Testimonials

“I did not know we could use an advocate to help us navigate the special education process. If we didn’t have The S.E.A.L. Foundation, then where would we get advice, where would we get information and the resources we need? The S.E.A.L. Foundation advises you as you work through the process. My daughter is doing an amazing job and she’s really thriving. I’m really proud of her and I know by talking to The S.E.A.L. Foundation advocate, she encouraged us to ask for more speech therapy and more services for reading comprehension because those were the supports she needed. And I’m really grateful that I took her advice.”  Courtney, parent

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Summer Learning Experiences

The third program the Foundation funds is student participation in summer learning experiences. It is critical for students with learning differences to avoid a “summer slide” or prevent regression in their academic skill sets. Camps are identified that can meet the academic and social and emotional needs of children and the Foundation sponsors their participation in these summer learning experiences.

Testimonials

“Both my children absolutely love East Camp. They love everything about camp. They get to do special activities that they wouldn’t necessarily do, like kayaking and boating, swimming, and fishing. They get to do all these activities here and it’s such a great experience for them. I would tell any donor that’s going to donate to The S.E.A.L. Foundation that their money would absolutely be used for a good cause. They have been able to help my children go to summer camp, which is absolutely amazing.”  Amanda, parent

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“Serving as the clinician alongside my behavior support specialist, we work frequently with campers diagnosed with autism, ADHD, ODD conduct disorder. Campers can also struggle with anxiety, depression, varying levels of trauma and social emotional disorders. Relationships are key to actually having a successful camp experience and it is important for us to continually walk around, from group to group, throughout the day. It demonstrates consistency and interest, while deepening the relationships we are working to establish and build upon. Our campers are more likely to come to us for support when they’re struggling or having a bad day if we have built those important relationships.”

When we are typically halfway through a camp session, we definitely see a decrease in some of the negative behaviors at camp since we are able to implement strategies early on and equally impressive is that we see campers problem solving on their own and implementing their personal coping skills and strategies independently.”

I want to simply say thank you because we’ve seen so many improvements with these campers and I honestly don’t believe it would be possible without your Foundation’s support.“  Amanda, camp clinician

 

“I am a parent of a child son diagnosed with Dysgraphia, ADHD, ODD, and Generalized Anxiety and it has been a struggle for years to get him the help he so rightly deserves. An outside evaluation occurred because he was constantly pushed aside in class, even though he has been talking since he was about fifteen months old. His vocabulary is beyond his years and he retains any information he hears.

Because he can verbally answer any question using advanced language, but not write anything, he was labeled as lazy, which led to behavioral issues at an early age. He could not understand why he was labeled as stupid when he could provide all the answers verbally. Furthermore, he has not been provided accommodations, modifications, or specialized instruction by his academic resource teacher.

As a side note, I am a thirty-three-year veteran teacher with a Master of Education in Special Education and I teach where my son is a student, so I understand “the system.” The principal of Hendriken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island connected me to The S.E.A.L. Foundation and your professional development and advocacy services.

Your advocate, Chris Atwood, spent a great deal of time listening and gathering information about my son. She joined his IEP Meeting through Zoom and was an invaluable resource. I used all of her suggestions and was able to focus and properly prepare for the meeting. The appropriate services are finally being provided and Derrick is attending all of his classes each week and is completing his work. His behavior has also been stellar.

Thank you for creating The S.E.A.L. Foundation. With my background in education, I can only imagine the frustration parents outside the field experience. I am deeply grateful for all the help Ms. Atwood and your organization has provided to me and have shared your information with other parents so they too could benefit from your incredible services. Karen, parent

“I would like to thank you and your organization for the help with my grandson’s IEP. Chris Atwood was very helpful in steering me in the right direction; we got everything we asked for at our IEP meeting yesterday. I found her to be very informed on many levels. She made it very clear to me what mattered in a court setting, what to ask for at the meeting, and the importance of my demeanor at the meeting. So many thanks. We left it open ended; she mentioned I can continue to correspond with her.”  Jerilyn, grandparent

“It was a necessary reminder of how much effort some of our students put in just to get through the day. That said, it was also a great reminder that students with learning differences CAN do well with the proper supports and accommodations.”  Judy, parent

“The PD had a tremendous effect both professionally (I’m a teacher) and personally (my son has central auditory processing disorder). I’m a high school teacher (world languages) and have had students with dyslexia, and despite PDs, awareness, varying strategies to reach all learners, had no true idea what these students experience. Thank you.”  teacher participant

“I need to be cognizant of the struggles my students face on a daily basis – the feelings of my students in their learning environment. And I need to look for new ways to make my classroom more accommodating.”  teacher participant

“The realization that student (mis)behavior is likely stemming from some underlying learning difference.”  teacher participant

“A reminder to be more flexible and empathetic with students.”  teacher participant

“When The S.E.A.L. Foundation came into Coyle, it was huge for my son. There were finally special educators in place that could peel away the layers of his learning differences. They worked closely with him and helped him understand how he learned best. My son’s confidence grew from that moment when he was properly diagnosed, and the necessary supports were delivered. His self-esteem was so enhanced and I could see that he was a happier kid. He felt like he was a smart kid, he knew his potential and for the first time ever, he said he didn’t feel dumb. He also discovered his love of math and science, specifically physics and he chose Wentworth Institute of Technology for his college so that he can study sciences. I have no doubt that he’s going to do great things in the future. He’s very, very bright and he is now very motivated. He’s ready to move forward and I know he’s going to do great things.”  Judy, parent

“Going into my junior year, I was not really the greatest student and then Mrs Harrison came in and she was automatically the right teacher for me from the get go! She was such a huge help. Once I finally got the supports I needed, my grades went up astronomically since they know how to teach you and how to help you. It positively affected my life outside of school too. I felt better myself. I had more self-confidence, I started to be more sociable. My happiness went up! I felt like I wasn’t a failure anymore. I felt like I found my purpose in life and I also realized I can do something and I’m going to make something of myself. My hope for my future is that I can eventually get my PhD after college and my end goal, I guess, is NASA.”  William, student

“As a parent of a child with a language-based learning difficulty, each year I was faced with having to make the choice of whether the benefit of keeping my child in a private Catholic school outweighed the daily struggle that we faced to keep him there because of the lack of academic support. This is the first year I haven’t had to give it a second thought because of the change instituted at my son’s school by The S.E.A.L. Foundation. The hiring of special education professionals created a huge shift in awareness and acceptance of diverse learning styles and along with that awareness came the necessary support that is needed to make a difference. My son was able to be more confident and independent in school because there was someone there who truly understood what he needed to succeed; someone who could help him be a better advocate for himself and who often knew what he needed to succeed before he even had to ask. Thanks to The S.E.A.L. Foundation we did not struggle with our decision this school year, instead we looked ahead with optimism knowing there is a plan in place and support available.”  Lori, parent

 

The S.E.A.L. Foundation provides the following professional development workshops:

 
Understanding Brain Function

  • Neurodiversity for teachers and administrators
  • Neurodiversity for the community at large
  • Neurodiversity curriculum for students in K-8
  • Simulations – walking in the shoes of a student who has dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, Sensory Processing, and Auditory Processing Disorder

Learning Differences

  • Autism
  • ADHD/ADD
  • CAPD
  • Executive functioning
  • Dyslexia
  • Dysgraphia

Supplemental Reading Programs

  • Orton Gillingham Approach
  • Lexia Core5

Social Emotional Learning

  • Responsive Classroom
  • Anxiety
  • Trauma and Its Impact on the Student in the Classroom