T. Nicole Ward, M.H.R.
Nicole Ward consults with Moore Counseling Center as an independently contracted education consultant to families with school-aged children who have been diagnosed with a disability or other impairment that interferes with the child’s ability to function to his/her potential and experience success in the school setting. With over 7 years experience as a classroom Special Education teacher, and having completed graduate and post graduate coursework and fifteen hundred hours of supervised practice in behavior analysis, Nicole combines her knowledge of both areas to provide caregivers of these children applicable insight into how the public school system’s special education departments function and how caregivers can appropriately participate in and advocate for their child in Individualized Education Program (IEP) and 504 meetings.
Prior to consulting with Moore Counseling Center, Nicole has been and continues to be a Special Education teacher in a local public school district. Nicole has written and managed well over one hundred IEPs addressing every student’s individual needs, both academically and behaviorally, by writing specific and attainable IEP goals, and developing a plan for each student to address and ultimately make gains toward these goals. In her first five years of teaching, Nicole supervised and trained up to five teaching assistants in the high school’s Autism program to ensure their understanding and accurate implementation of behavior modification and academic programs specific to every student. She currently serves in a dual role as a self-contained teacher and co-teacher with the general education teachers in a middle school. As a co-teacher, Nicole identifies necessary general education program modifications and develops and provides the general education teacher necessary accommodations for mainstreamed students on IEPs. She collects and analyzes data relevant to each student’s goals.
From 2005 through 2011, Nicole was Norman High’s Autism Program teacher, managing a caseload of at least fifteen students at a time, on the autism spectrum including Asperger’s syndrome. She worked closely with administrators and general education teachers to ensure compliance with the IEP and state and federal laws. In addition, Nicole successfully advocated for students with special needs and worked tirelessly to teach acceptance both in the school and in the local community. She created and supervised a student organization at Norman High called Students Assisting Students (SAS) that brought in student peers to work directly with the students with special needs. The organization was a huge success and made such an impact on the peer students and students with special needs that friendships and assistance is still maintained beyond some of their high school careers. Some former student aides have even gone on to major in and graduate with degrees in Special Education as a direct result of participation in the SAS organization.
Previously to this, Nicole served as a noncommissioned officer in the US Navy at the Pacific Headquarters in Hawaii, under a one star Army general. She was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and Enlisted Person of the Quarter during her four year tour.
Nicole holds a Master’s degree in Human Relations (MHR) and a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education both awarded by the University of Oklahoma. She completed fifteen post graduate hours in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) through the University of North Texas, and fifteen hundred hours of supervised ABA practice under Dr. DJ Moran.