Tips for Teachers: Developing a Positive Teacher-Student Relationship

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The teacher-student relationship is one of great importance, but all too often today with increasing class sizes, over-extended roles required by teachers, and an ever-growing focus on assessment-driven learning, this can sometimes be overlooked.

However, the fact remains that a high-quality teacher with whom students share a positive relationship cannot be overstated.  I remember those teachers in my life who really took a genuine interest in my learning, development, and experience in school.  Unfortunately, I also recall those who tended toward curt remarks and unapproachable attitudes.  Nonetheless, it was those caring teachers who made school and learning enjoyable, attainable, and worthwhile. Read more

How to Help When a Child You Love Suffers Trauma

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Early trauma can leave a lasting impact on a child’s brain.  The younger a child is, the more vulnerable their brain may be to the impact of trauma.  Childhood trauma can include any negative experience that causes major stress.

Having healthy relationships with caring adults can help children who have experienced early trauma.  When children feel unsafe, they spend more time in the “survival” part of their brain as opposed to the “thriving” part of their brain where they are bonding with caregivers, learning to talk, etc.  Early trauma can interfere with learning and may lead to other health problems in the future.

You can help a child who has suffered childhood trauma in the following ways:

  • Facilitate opportunities for children to talk about what happened.
  •  Help children play out their feelings.
  •  Allow the child to talk and tell their story without pressure. Read more

Accommodations on the SAT and ACT

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Many high school students with learning disabilities or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder require additional assistance and accommodations when they are required to complete lengthy examinations such as the SAT and the ACT.  These adolescents often are unable to complete the examination within the time frame allotted to them or exhibit difficulties with certain aspects of the examination because of their learning disability.

It is important for parents and academic staff to be aware that the testing boards are clamping down on allowing accommodation on these examinations.

There are several factors that need to be met in order for an adolescent to qualify for accommodations:

  • There has to be documented evidence of a learning disability or medical condition that impacts the individual’s performance.
  • There has to be school evidence that the symptoms from the condition have an impact on the adolescent’s academic performance.
  • There should be a ‘paper trail’ established in which the individual has a history of accommodations and interventions within the academic setting.

Once the necessary requirements for accommodations have been met, it is then important to help determine what specific accommodations the individual would necessitate for the examination.

Accommodations are created based upon the individual’s specific needs; however, a list of possible accommodations that many adolescents with ADHD and/or learning disabilities may benefit from include:

  • Extended time under a minimum of time and one half conditions
  • Small group testing
  • Ability to type responses as needed
  • Ability to write in the test booklet as opposed to having to transfer responses to a separate bubble sheet or scantron form

The most important thing for parents to understand is to not wait.  If you speculate that your child might need accommodations on formal testing, have an evaluation completed as soon as possible in order to help establish the needed diagnosis and paper trail.  Visit our Neuropsychology Diagnostic and Testing Center for more information on formal testing.

What is a 504 Plan?

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I have received several telephone calls over the past few weeks from anxious parents about their child’s school wanting to create a 504 Plan in the academic setting.  Many times parents are not informed about what this means or about possible benefits that might be exhibited from such a plan.

What is a 504 Plan?

Section 504 is part of the Rehabilitation act of 1973 which was designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in any facility that receives federal financial assistance.  What this means for a school age child is that the school is unable to deny academic services to a child because of a specific disability.  These plans were originally established for children with medical concerns such as being confined to a wheelchair or having a medical condition such as a seizure disorder.  Today, it is quite likely that the main reason 504 Plans are offered to children are from diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

 How do 504 Plans and IEPs Differ?

There are a few major differences between a 504 Plan and an Individual Education Plan (IEP).  A child with an IEP has significant academic concerns in which he or she requires intervention from either a learning resource teacher, or specific therapist such as a speech and language therapist.  The 504 Plan should be thought of as accommodations within the classroom setting to help address the specific concerns that a child may exhibit.  These accommodations are designed such that the child’s academic demands are the same as his or her peers but there is assistance given such that the child can reach his or her academic potential. Read more

Apps to Enhance Fine Motor Development, Prewriting, and Writing Skills

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Ever hear the saying, “There’s an app for that?” Well there is, and they’re a great way to tap into your child’s motivation while developing fine motor skills and handwriting.  Look at the chart below for exciting, kid-friendly apps!

Apps for developing fine motor skills and handwriting:

Name Function Description Price
Dexteria-Fine Motor Skill DevelopmentDexteria Jr. -Fine Motor Development -Handwriting-Strength-Coordination and Control

-Dexterity

 -Set of therapeutic hand exercises including letter tracing, pinching, taping, etc.-Tracking feature makes it easy to note progress $3.99
Letter Tracer -Pre-writing/Handwriting skills-Letter identification and formation-Finger Isolation

-Fine motor coordination and control

 -Learn shapes, signs, and sounds of lower and upper case alphabet-Learn number formation  $0.99
Lego Creationary -Motor planning-Visual perception-Finger isolation -Match lego designs to a picture-Great single and multi-player game Free
Paper Toss -Motor planning-Visual perception- Hand-eye coordination

-Finger isolation

-Bilateral Coordination

 -Stimulate crumpling a piece of paper and tossing it into a trash can.-Levels of difficulty-Single finger flick control Free
Bugs and Buttons -Fine motor precision-Finger Isolation-Pattern Formation

-Distal Manipulation

 -18 games and activities  covering a variety of learning skills including counting, sorting, pinching, letters, etc. $2.99
Draw Animals -Fine motor control-Finger Isolation-Visual Scanning

-Letter and Number Identification

-Fine motor coordination

 -Following a pattern and verbal directions to recreate a picture. Free
LetterReflex -Motor Planning-Right and Left Discrimination-Visual Perception

-Distal Manipulation

-Finger Isolation

-Bilateral Coordination

-Sequencing

 -Helps with letter reversal problems and letter discrimination skills $1.99

Co-author: Kelley Balmer

A Primer for Parents on Individual Education Plans

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One of the major concerns that parents face when they have a child with special needs or neurodevelopmental concerns is working with the school system in order to ensure that the child receives the best accommodations and interventions to help him or her perform to the ultimate potential.  There is legislation created that provides parents and children support and services in the school system.  The main piece of legislation that guarantees certain provisions for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities is the Individual Disability Education Act (IDEA), which had its most recent revision in 2004.  This act creates special education services as known today.

The Individual Disability Education Act has a few main components that provide children and families safeguards in the school system:

  • Concept of Zero Reject:  this states that every child, regardless of disability must be educated.
  • Nondiscriminatory Evaluation:  this requires an unbiased assessment of the child be conducted in order to help determine what special education services are most appropriate.
  • Free and Public Education:  this concept ensures the appropriateness of academic placement as well as the provision of services at no additional charges to the parent or guardian.
  • Least Restrictive Environment:  the child should be placed within the mainstream classroom as much as possible with accommodations and support. Read more

How to Teach Your Child about Bullying

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The beginning of the school year is a great time for parents and guardians to talk with kids about bullying.  Bullying is a problem which affects millions of children and teenagers.  It takes place in many forms: physical, verbal, psychological/social and through means of social media.  Read on for several tips for talking to kids of any age about bullying.

Tips for talking to kids about bullying:

  1. Teach assertiveness.  Model and teach your child peaceful ways to solve problems.
  2. Teach empathy.  Talk to your child about helping others and taking action if she observes someone being hurt or hurting themselves. This is only if the situation is safe to do so.  Help build empathy in your child by talking about examples from television, movies and books.  Ask your child how she thinks others must feel in the various scenarios.
  3. Hold children accountable.  Teach your child that if she is watching someone being bullied, then she has a responsibility to tell someone; otherwise this hurts the victim also.
  4. Get to know your child’s friends.  Encourage your child to invite her friends over.
  5. Be a good role model.  Model these skills whenever appropriate.

For more bullying resources, click here to watch our Bullying Webinar or click here to read about including bullying in your child’s IEP.

Reference: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/bullying/teaching-kids-about-bullying/what-to-teach-kids-about-bullying

What to Do When a Teacher Notices Concerns About Your Child

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With the new school year well underway, teachers are beginning to gain information regarding their student’s areas of strength and weakness.  Many times teachers are hesitant to bring up concerns to parents.  Also, many parents will want to take a ‘wait and see’ approach in order to help determine whether or not these areas of concern will go away on their own.  Our advice to both parents and teachers is this: Do not wait and act now. 

Advice for teachers regarding bringing up student concerns to parents:

  • Collect anecdotal data to reveal the concern to the parents.
  • Provide the parents with the strategies that have already been tried in the classroom.
  • Provide the parents with specifics as to how the behaviors of interest are impacting the child’s learning or social needs.

Advice for parents regarding handling concerns brought up by teachers:

  •  Do not take the concern as an insult about your parenting or your child.
  • Ask the teacher questions about the frequency and duration of the behaviors.  When are they occurring? Read more

4 Back-to-School Resolutions to Promote Speech and Language Skills

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With a new school year starting, now is the perfect time to promote and encourage your child’s speech and language skills! Here are some helpful tips in order to set your child up for the greatest success this school year.

4 Back-to-School Speech and Language Resolutions:

  1. Easy Voice: Avoid using a harsh voice, yelling, and shouting.  This can help both parents and children maintain a healthy vocal quality. Modeling your own “easy voice” can encourage your child to keep his voice healthy too!
  2. Build Vocabulary: Targeting and explaining new “back-to-school” words can help to improve your child’s vocabulary. Increased exposure to novel words will reinforce these additions to your child’s vocabulary and will encourage usage.
  3. Read Aloud: Reading aloud to your child is extremely beneficial for language development. When reading stories, emphasizing and reinforcing new words will enhance vocabulary skills, and asking questions while reading encourages understanding. If age appropriate, ask your child to retell the story!
  4. Ask Questions: Talk with your child about the events of his day. Learn what activities occurred in the classroom, in the lunchroom, and at recess. Monitor for sentence structure and grammar, and emphasize accurate productions. For example, if your child says, “I goed to art,” respond with, “You went to art? How was it?” Read more

Developmental Milestones | Concepts

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Children’s first words are generally composed of nouns: the people and things in their lives.  Children start to understand and use verbs more frequently as their vocabularies build.  They then begin to use modifiers and adjectives.  Concepts are among these early modifiers and adjectives.  Children acquire these concepts at different stages in their development.  Read on for conceptual milestones for children ages 1 through 6.

Conceptual milestones for children ages 1 through 6:

Ages 1-2

  • Follows simple commands using spatial terms in or on
  • Uses a few spatial terms such as in or on
  • Uses simple directional terms such as up or down

Ages 2-3

  • Understands number concepts such as 1 or 2
  • Understanding of spatial terms become mastered with in, on, off, under, out
  • Begins to understand same/different
  • Time concepts begin to emerge, specifically with soon, later, wait
  • Begins to use color and size vocabulary

Ages 3-4

  • Advances spatial terms to understanding next to, besides, between
  • Uses spatial terms behind, in front, around
  • Begins to follow quantity directions such as a lot and empty
  • Identifies colors
  • Identifies what is different Read more