Cheerleaders for Joey: Finding his way forward at Park Elementary
BY ANDREW CHIAPPAZZI
The first day of kindergarten is a seminal moment in a child’s life. It's the start of formal education and the opening of a whole new world of learning and discovery.
For Joey Mihailoff and his family, the first day of kindergarten was the start of a different journey, one that led to hospital stays, surgery, and a challenging recovery. Through those difficult moments, Joey and his family found a team of educators in the Steel Valley School District and at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) driven to ensure he is like any other third grader at Park Elementary.
“Everybody around here isn’t just here for their job,” said Amanda Mihailoff, Joey’s mother. “They’re here because they’re a cheerleader for him, too.”
Joey started kindergarten at St. Therese in Munhall, but his first day was cut short when he became sick. Combined with additional concerning symptoms, the Mihailoffs decided to contact their pediatrician, who sent them to the emergency room. There, doctors discovered a brain tumor and operated the very next day. Rehabilitation, radiation treatments, and chemotherapy followed.
Suddenly, everything changed, including where Amanda and her husband Tom would enroll Joey when it was time to go back to school. “We knew he was smart enough. Things are just a little bit slower for him,” Amanda Mihailoff said. “We wanted him in as much of a general education setting as possible. We didn’t feel like we’d get that anywhere other than Steel Valley.”
As a result of his treatment, Joey returned to school, needing support with movement, fine motor skills, hearing, and vision. That’s when a coordinated team from the AIU stepped in. Three years later, AIU specialists work in sync with Steel Valley staff to provide the tools Joey needs to fully access his education.
“This is unique in that he receives so many services,” said Jeanine Esch, program director for Hearing, Vision, and Communication Access at the AIU.
"The collaboration of the AIU team, the general ed teachers, and the special ed teachers in the district is so important," Esch said.
Joey receives a range of support services each week, including access to Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT). HAT is designed to minimize the negative effects of background noise, distance from the speaker, and classroom reverberation by improving the signal-to-noise ratio. Joey’s teachers wear a microphone that transmits their voices directly to his hearing aids. This direct transmission ensures that the teacher’s voice is clear and consistent, even in busy or noisy classroom environments where instruction might otherwise be difficult to hear or easily lost.
Barbara Martin-Taylor, teacher of the Deaf and hard of hearing, works with Joey twice a week — once in the classroom environment, once in an individual session — to support his use of the technology.
“I have the opportunity to see what's happening in class and make sure everything's working well,” she said. She also pulls him out to focus on skills he may need extra help with, including self-advocacy.
The emphasis on collaboration led Martin-Taylor to recommend a vision evaluation earlier this year, bringing William Closson onto Joey’s team. Closson, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, helps Joey use an app on his iPad to access the curriculum more efficiently. Much of that work happens in the classroom, though he will pull Joey out for one-on-one sessions as needed.
“What better place to do that than where the curriculum is available?” Closson said. “Plus, it gives you an opportunity to collaborate with the teacher, get their input, and they’ll give you feedback on issues he may be having with any tasks, and then you can adjust the goal and any accommodations.”
The specialists’ work often overlaps, as it did in a recent session with Closson. While going through a biology lesson, Joey used several tools on his iPad to select text and have it dictated through his hearing aids. A fan of science and math, the topic about kiwis was right in his wheelhouse. He briefly pondered a question about the bird’s diet, looked at Closson and confidently answered, “Omnivore!”
To enter his response, he pressed another button, waited a beat, and clearly repeated his answer. The dictation isn’t always accurate, but it registered Joey’s answer immediately, and he turned to a stunned Closson with glee. Though Closson has only worked with him for a few months, the two have forged a quick connection, something that comes as no surprise to Joey’s mom.
“He kind of has that way of fitting in or just squeezing himself into your heart,” she said. “It’s hard not to have a soft spot for him.”
Perhaps no one understands that better than Tina Dolan, a Steel Valley paraprofessional who has worked with Joey for much of his time at Park. “Every day is something different with him,” Dolan said. “Sometimes, when we’re just having a conversation, it’s like I’m talking to an older kid. He’s just so smart.”
“I just like being around her,” Joey chimed in.
Dolan is delighted with Joey’s progress since kindergarten and credits his growth to both his work with outside therapists and ongoing support from AIU specialists. Occupational therapist Samantha Smith, certified occupational therapy assistant Stephanie Kosmidis, and physical therapist Amanda Shiflet meet with Joey weekly to work toward a variety of goals.
“When Joey first began school at Park, even accessing the school building in his wheelchair was a challenge,” said Holly McElhinny, Director of Occupational/Physical Therapy Support Program for the AIU. “His physical therapist collaborated with the school staff to determine the best ways for Joey to enter and exit the building for recess and to negotiate between levels to access the gym and other special class areas."
Through that collaboration, Joey was able to utilize an elevator, stair climber, and other resources to get to where he needed to be as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Now, Dolan said Joey has transitioned from using a stair climber to walking up and down the stairs. “We work really good together, and we know when we’re taking that step together,” she said.
Kosmidis and Smith focus on skills like handwriting, cutting, and other foundational tasks. For students like Joey, adaptive grippers, scissors, and paper with highlighted or contrasting lines help him meet those goals. The AIU supplies those tools on a trial basis and then makes a recommendation for the district to purchase dedicated ones for the student.
Another tool that supports Joey in the classroom is a slant board, which angles his work to improve posture and writing control. “To support his sizing and spacing goals, and his positioning at the table, we occasionally use a slant board,” Kosmidis said. “We also incorporate fine motor games and things to strengthen his hands.”
“For OT, a big piece of our collaboration is not just the teacher, but his one-on-one paraprofessional,” Smith added. “She knows everything that is going on with Joey from the minute he comes in.” Together, Joey’s team collaborates and communicates constantly to ensure he’s able to thrive alongside his peers. It’s exactly what the Mihailoffs envisioned when they chose Steel Valley.
“I know he’s a special case given his background,” Amanda Mihailoff said. “So, I just appreciate the open communication and doing whatever is best for Joey. I think we’re all on the same page. We just want to do what’s best for him, help him succeed, and give him the best chance at anything.”
Joey’s journey is no longer defined by the challenges he’s overcome, but by the possibilities that await on the path that lies ahead.
AIU's OT/PT Services Program provides school-based occupational and physical therapy services that help students access and participate in their educational environments. Therapists support mobility, fine motor development, sensory integration, and functional independence through collaborative, student-centered services.
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Special Education-Related Services
AIU educators and therapists work alongside district teams to provide tailored services that support student success.
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