The Idaho School Psychologist Association Distinguished Service Award is presented to those members who demonstrate exemplary service in the field of school psychology in the educational and/or community setting.

This Year's Recipient: Amy Ruane

The below article is courtesy of the Coeur d'Alene School District.

A Coeur d’Alene school psychologist’s work to teach and promote a new approach to helping struggling students has earned her the Distinguished Service Award from the Idaho School Psychologist Association.

Amy Ruane was announced as winner of the award during the association’s recent conference in Boise.

Vickey Barnett-Montgomery, Meridian, said the selection committee was impressed with Ruane’s work in RTI (Response to Intervention) and her involvement outside the traditional school psychologist arena.

Ruane was nominated by a colleague, Linda Marek, who said she is an asset not only to the Coeur d’Alene District but to the community and state. “She gives freely of her time and talents by becoming an authority and expert in the field of autism and consulting with parents, parent groups, school district staff and by offering trainings.”

A graduate of the University of Nebraska, Ruane worked in developmental pediatrics at the university’s medical center before moving to North Idaho nine years ago. She started as an intern in the Coeur d’Alene School District’s developmental preschool where she became interested in the field of autism. When she began her career, autism was considered a low-incident disability because it was rare. That designation has changed because now one in every 150 children is on the autism spectrum.

Through classes and self-study, Ruane has become an expert in autism and in RTI, an intervention approach that focuses on identifying struggling students early and then creating and adjusting the instruction to fit the students’ needs. This approach differs from the earlier method of waiting until third grade before assessing learning or behavior problems.

Ruane has worked as a school psychologist at four elementary schools and with all ages of children with autism. This year, she is working three days as Winton Elementary school psychologist while also conducting parent and staff trainings.

“Our District has been very proactive and supportive of additional training for staff, and staff has been very proactive about learning more about the autism spectrum,” Ruane said.

Earlier this year, Ruane opened a private practice to offer tutoring for children, relationship development for families, and training for other school districts in the Northwest.

For more information contact Janet Feiler at (208)664-8241.