Warren Dillon
Director of School Partnerships
(214) 784-3557
warren.dillon@catapultlearning.com

Louisiana DOE Approved Provider

Catapult Learning is an experienced and proven provider of Professional Learning Solutions and Direct Services proven to strengthen a district’s capacity to better serve students with special needs.

Catapult Learning has the unique distinction of not only being an industry leader in the area of Coaching and Professional Learning, but also a leading provider of special education services for students with varying disabilities across the country.

0+
District Partners
0+
Students Served
0+
Teachers Served Through Professional Development Annually
0+
Coaching Days

Special Education Professional Development

Our professional learning solutions help districts reach their visions of helping every student succeed by enabling them to build capacity for serving all students with behavioral and academic support needs. We have targeted professional learning events in each of the focus areas of specialized support identified by the Louisiana Department of Education.

Special Ed Professional Development Graphic

Coaching

High-impact coaching solutions provide flexible supports customized to meet your organization’s needs. The coaching partnership is characterized by trust—and transformational change—combining both facilitative and directive models of coaching. Most importantly, our Special Education PD Specialists focus on ensuring improved conditions for teaching and learning yield positive student outcomes for all students no matter the learning barriers or other challenges they might face.

Coaching Model

Targeted Professional Learning Opportunities

Fostering Communication and the Development of Social Skills

Participants will become familiar with research supporting systematic interventions to teach communication such as least prompts and stimulus fading as well as a variety of visual supports such as pictorial or graphic cues that aid student learning and communication.

Utilizing Assistive Technology in the Classroom Setting

Participants will become familiar with both low- and high-tech devices for classroom use. Low-tech supports (e.g. slant boards, pencil grips, etc.) and high-tech devices (e.g. laptop, iPad, voice-output devices, etc.) will be reviewed. Participants will explore how assistive technology can help support communication, mobility, teaching and learning, positioning, daily living, hearing, and vision

Promoting Functional and Daily Living Skills

Participants will focus on a person-centered approach which takes into consideration the student’s own preferences, goals, and future needs. Strategies for designing and delivering instruction in self-care skills (e.g. toileting, eating, dressing); daily living skills (e.g. food preparation, home safety, housekeeping); and community skills (e.g. safety, banking, mobility around the community) will be explored.

Creating an Effective Sensory Environment for Students with Disabilities

Participants will explore strategies for establishing a positive and supportive sensory environment in the classroom. Participants will learn how to develop individual sensory profiles for students. Strategies will be presented in each of the following areas: General Sensory Strategies; Visual; Taste; Sound; Smell; Touch; Balance; and Body Awareness.

Executive Function and Self-Regulation: Research to Practice

Participants will learn the relationship between three dominant mental processes including cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, working memory, and metacognition. Participants will learn strategies to address student difficulties in the areas of planning, attention, organization, strategizing, prioritizing, as well as managing time and space.

Direct Services

Catapult Learning is a leading provider of contracted educational services to schools and districts nationwide. We have extensive experience in hiring professionals to meet the unique needs of our partners and in functioning as members of multidisciplinary teams consulting regularly with principals and classroom teachers.

Our comprehensive speech/language services enhance students’ abilities to communicate and function to their maximum potential at school. We offer both assessment and intervention within your school building to remediate speech/language problems that have educational relevance for students.

  • Speech/Language pathologists (SLPs) have qualifications that will meet or exceed district specifications.
  • Speech therapists oversee SLPs under the direction of a program supervisor.

Catapult Learning social workers provide counseling services to students in both individual and group sessions as dictated by the IEP, and as necessitated within the specific school and programming environment. We carefully select candidates to ensure they have a deep understanding of the IEP process; have leadership skills; demonstrate effective relationships with schools and agencies; are skillful at conducting meetings; and are able to interpret data related to student goals for appropriate interventions.

  • Social workers also are required to have a master’s degree in social work, counseling, or child/family therapy; possess a valid U.S. state driver’s license and be willing to travel locally using their own transportation (mileage reimbursed); and occasionally work extended and/or evening hours.

Designed using each school’s mission and the unique challenges of the eligible students, the overall goal of our counseling program is it support students by providing them with practical strategies to meet challenging student performance standards. The program may be delivered via small-group and individual counseling, crisis management, school and family consultation and collaboration, as well as referrals to outside agencies when needed.

  • Counselors are master’s-level school counselors qualified in accordance with district and state requirements.
  • Student services are provided during the school day on a regular schedule or as part
    of a summer school program.
  • Consultation with parents and school staff often occurs before and after school hours.