T
he TSD Conference and Trade Show in Frisco, Texas, underscored the importance of collaboration, training and continuous improvement in delivering safe and effective services, especially when it comes to man-
aging student behavior on school buses and other vehicles. Expert perspectives were in abundance for the benefit of
attendees. Take that of Patrick Mulick, director of student en- gagement for the Auburn School District in Washington and a board-certified behavior analyst, on Nov. 9. He said he’s “always amazed at the amount of technology that comes forth” at TSD conferences and trade shows to make life easier for transporta- tion staffs and safer for students. What’s really missing in too many districts, he noted, is
collaboration between school specialists and transportation professionals. “In schools, we have behavior specialists, oc- cupational therapists, language pathologists, all the experts under the moon. … But so often, transportation is the forgotten entity,” Mulick said. “We’re still working in silos. It’s not that people don’t think well of transportation. They just don’t think of it quite often because there’s so many other things that those working in the schoolhouse are tending to.” David Johnson is the executive director of the Iowa Associ-
ation for Pupil Transportation, former transportation director of the Van Meter School District, and a school bus driver. He echoed Mulick’s sentiment, adding that sees many school districts struggle with questions about service delivery for stu- dents with disabilities and special needs. All too often, he said, transportation staff are not invited to or at least consulted on individualized education program (IEP) meetings. “[TSD Conference] helps answer those questions and opens
up people’s eyes to how they can go back to their districts and get the information they need,” Johnson added. “I think that’s the big thing and the question is, ‘How can we better serve that population?’ … Every request you get for special needs is dif- ferent and unique. … We’re doing well but can we be doing this better? The conference, in general, gives you solutions, ideas, ways to serve that community and that population of kids.” As with other events where he speaks, Mulick was greeted by
a stream of attendees eager to talk to him after his presentation. “Sometimes it’s a handshake, sometimes it’s a hug, and some- times it’s tears,” he said. “People are emotionally invested in working with this population, and that’s OK. I think it’s import- ant that we let our emotions out there.” Many ask for advice about how to work with a specific stu-
dent. Other times they share stories about a family member who is on the autism spectrum. “They’ll ask, ‘What would you do in this situation?’ Sometimes it gets very personal, and that’s OK. That’s real life. People are just looking for answers and guidance,” he explained. “As I say in my presentation, students with autism, they’re so different, one individual to the next. So, it’s really hard for me to give guidance on what to do because there’s so many dynamics that go into a complex situation. “Without putting eyes on it myself, I have a very hard time diagnosing that you need to do A, B and C. I generally have to tell people, ‘You should consider this, consider this and consid-
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