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Exploring Innovative Teaching Strategies in Special Education

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Exploring Innovative Teaching Strategies in Special Education

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Discover forward-thinking approaches in special education, focusing on personalized learning, technology integration, and inclusive practices. Articles highlight how educators are adapting to the needs of diverse learners by implementing innovative strategies.

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The Role of Digital Tools in Enhancing SPED Learning Experiences

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The Role of Digital Tools in Enhancing SPED Learning Experiences

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This collection discusses the importance of digital tools in SPED, showcasing real-world examples where technology has facilitated enhanced learning experiences for students with special needs.

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Advancing SPED with Evidence-Based Practices

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Advancing SPED with Evidence-Based Practices

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An in-depth look at the latest research and findings on evidence-based practices in special education. Understand how data-driven decisions are making a positive impact on student outcomes.

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Integrating SEL in Special Education - Strategies and Benefits

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Integrating SEL in Special Education - Strategies and Benefits

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Learn about the critical role of social and emotional learning in supporting students with special needs. This selection highlights strategies for integrating SEL into daily classroom activities and curriculum.

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Fostering Emotional and Social Growth in SPED

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Fostering Emotional and Social Growth in SPED

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This compilation features articles and resources on the importance of building strong emotional and social skills among students with special needs. Discover practical tips for creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment.

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Explore how instructional strategies backed by scientific research are transforming special education. This compilation includes studies and articles that discuss the effectiveness of these methods in fostering student success.

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Micro school it is a small private institution that provides independent learning for students that has autism. Classroom are small with flexible schedules. It is hands on learning and at that students pace of learning.

As an educator I feel that we can provide students with autism the same opportunity to learn in an inclusive classroom. Accommodating assignments to their needs and level of learning. Building a relationship understanding that student's unique way of learning, reaching goals, so that he/she will succeed in the learning environment. As teacher we need to adapt and change our teaching techniques to recognize and respect equity of our disable students.

Jacobson, L. (2024, April 15). Exclusive: Microschools fill niche for students with disabilities, survey shows. The 74. https://www.the74million.org/article/exclusive-microschools-fill-niche-for-students-with-disabilities-survey-shows/

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As teacher it is important that we provide an inclusive learning environment for all students. Educators must understand how to accommodate and modify lessons for the needs of all students. Encourage participation and active listening while maintaining all students sense of belonging in the learning environment. We as teachers need to remember to always respect, recognize, and support in the classroom avoiding stereotype situations.

Picarddr. (1970, February 25). Teaching students with disabilities. Vanderbilt University. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/disabilities/

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Nonspeaking students with autism may not speak, but they do understand what is going on around them. As teacher build a relationship with your student. Figure out what students needs are for them to understand what you expect from them in the learning environment. Understand student perspective providing clear instruction giving them time to process in their language of learning. Provide a warm welcoming so that they feel sense of belonging, safe, respected and understood in the classroom.

Heasley, S. (2024, April 2). Nonspeaking people with autism may know more than previously thought. Disability Scoop. https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2024/04/02/nonspeaking-people-with-autism-may-know-more-than-previously-thought/30807/

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New Strategies in Special Education as Kids Learn From Home

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New Strategies in Special Education as Kids Learn From Home

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After reading "New Strategies in Special Education as Kids Learn From Home" I learned that the coronavirus pandemic made teachers face some challenging transitions to remote. They shared some strategies that helped. it emphasize the importance of schedules, sensory supports, and close collaboration with families to help smooth the transition to remote learning. it talked about how it's important to work together with teachers, students, and families so they can adapt to this new reality and continue to provide quality education for students with special needs. To create a good learning environment, teachers need to understand each student's home situation. It talked about how teachers can call families and ask questions about their availability on internet access, and available devices like computers. Doing regular check-ins with parents or caregivers through phone calls, video conferences, or emails can help parents feel supported. Teachers being flexible with their hours. Having structure at home for parents and a set routine can benefit these students at home just like if they were at school in the classrooms. We are a team and at the end of the day despite any challenges, everyone is encouraged to make an effort and try their best. This is a really good resource that will benefit all Teachers, parents, and most importantly the students especially if we were to ever go through something like the pandemic and the school were to ever shut down it has great strategies for how to support at home with schooling. I also feel that it's not just for a shutdown or any type of issue but I also feel on a regular daily base the strategies are really helpful to use.

Fleming, N. (2020, March 27). New strategies in special education as kids Learn from home. Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/new-strategies-special-education-kids-learn-home/

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In special education, teachers say that schedules, sensory supports, and close collaboration with families can help smooth the transition to remote learning during coronavirus.

Katie Papaccioli, a special education teacher in New York City, holds up a student's lesson.

Around the nation, K-12 schools are frantically trying to adapt to abrupt closures during the coronavirus. But while all teachers are struggling with the new normal, special education teachers in particular are facing unparalleled challenges transitioning both their teaching-and their students and families-to home-based instruction tailored to each student's needs.

"When you say 'special education,' you are talking about an umbrella of ages, interests, abilities, and disabilities, within which are individual needs identified by their Individualized Education Program," explains Margaret Shafer, a third-grade teacher in Morton, Illinois, echoing questions raised by our readers, who wonder how they can provide sufficient support for each of their students who each have very different requirements to learn.

Unlike developing a whole-class lesson plan online, special education teachers are now tasked with developing unique plans for every student that align with their IEPs, as required by federal mandate. One huge hurdle, teachers say, is determining if both the learning and services students are accustomed to receiving in school-things like gross motor remediation and behavioral therapy-can even be offered in a home-based setting or through digital resources.

Both special education and general education teachers have also questioned how much parents and caregivers will be able to help, given that students with special needs often rely on specialized coaching and instruction like cues or sensory activities that keep them on task. "[My students] are non-verbal and need one-on-one direct instruction with multiple prompts or redirection," explained Beth McGreevy Dworak on Facebook. "Many have attention and behavior deficits and are unable to independently complete most tasks."

Additionally, many students with special needs thrive within the structure of the school day, say educators in our audience, who worry students may be disproportionately impacted by the upheaval brought on by the coronavirus.

But though the new reality is a sudden and upsetting shift, special education educators already have some ideas on how to make the best of it.

Setting up Home-Based Learning

While time is of the essence, special education educators recommend working on establishing an appropriate learning environment and objectives for students and their families before launching into a detailed list of to-dos and daily activities.

What's it like at home? Phone calls to families early on can give teachers a sense of each students' home set-up. Teachers can ask questions like: Will parents be home all day? Will they be working while at home? Is internet available? What electronic devices can students use? Is there space in the home to set aside for gross motor or sensory activities? Teachers can then map individualized plans to the available resources.

"The teacher's work transforms from a direct learning model to a coaching model: The teacher now supports the families through the process of understanding school expectations and goals and objectives," said Patti Sullivan-Kowalski, a senior director of student supports and special education in Meriden, Connecticut.

Recalibrate goals and objectives: After understanding each student's circumstances, Kathryn Fishman-Weaver, director of academic affairs and engagement for Mizzou Academy, suggests that teachers evaluate which IEP goals are achievable in the new environment, and then work with families to break learning targets into manageable benchmarks.

According to federal regulations, schools have greater flexibility in meeting IEP objectives during the pandemic and should work to the best of their ability to provide what services they can-even if they are digital-recognizing these services may not be the same as what a student receives in school.

Proactively engage (but be flexible): Parents are also likely to need continuous guidance, say educators, who advise checking in regularly with families via phone, video conference, or email to make sure they feel supported. For parents and caregivers whose first language is not English, educators encourage translation services like a three-way interpreter to ensure sufficient communication. The Meriden school district created a Google classroom group just for parents of children with special needs so they can connect to each other and swap ideas about what's working well (and what's not) at home.

Kathryn Nieves Licwinko, a special education teacher in Sparta, New Jersey, says teachers should try to be more flexible about their own hours, and make themselves available via different modes of communication to adjust to differing family circumstances.

"Many students have parents still working who are not home with them, so it becomes more difficult for them to complete assignments," she said. "I have students who haven't come into contact with me for a week now because they haven't been able to get onto their device and their parents aren't home to help."

Student Goals and Learning

Upending a regular routine can be especially upsetting for students with special needs, our audience asserted-so teachers and families should work together to create home learning activities that resemble the school day.

Emphasize structure: "Most of my students thrive under structure and routine. They benefit from having teaching staff available for constant instruction, clarification, and focus," said Eric Fieldman, a high school special education teacher in Collingswood, New Jersey. "Being at home, even with the same level of academic work, lacks the same focus and can lead to inconsistent work effort."

Fieldman and other teachers recommend creating a daily list of activities-broken into small chunks with plenty of breaks-that, if possible, follow a similar order to the schedule students had at school. Because many students with special needs respond well to visual cues, a schedule board (tactile or digital) with images of activities that prompt students what to do when can be helpful, teachers said. Fieldman also recommends using a kitchen timer, which reminds students of a bell schedule at school.

Dan Vollrath, a high school special education teacher in Flemington, New Jersey, adds that parents may even want to try having learning activities take place in different spaces or rooms in a home, as students are used to shifting locations at school depending on what they're learning.

Communicate with parents and caregivers clearly: While teachers are likely to create instructional videos (or written directions) for students, our special education educators also advise creating them for parents to teach them how to set up and support their children in various activities. Some video services offer translations for parents whose first language is not English. Teachers can also think of ways parents can use generic objects in the home to teach skills, like Cheerios, toothpicks, or pennies, which can be repurposed as math manipulatives.

Still, parents and teachers shouldn't feel everything from school can or even should be replicated. "There is not a perfect parent out there who can manufacture a full 'school experience' given the school, time, and resource limitations," said Sarah Kesty, a middle school special education teacher in Chula Vista, California. "It's OK not to replace school, and it's certainly OK not to plan every activity down to the minute."

Meeting sensory and movement needs: Educators also are keen to point out that students with special needs may need additional sensory modifications and supports-listed in their IEPs-to help them learn and grow. Teachers said parents can use simple objects like colored play dough and bubble wrap or brain-based games like Jenga if students need to release energy. Rice and beans placed inside pockets can substitute as a weighted vest or blanket to provide a sense of security, while writing and drawing in shaving cream can reduce tension while boosting language development. Even hugs, deep breathing, or allowing a child to run around outside can help.

Overall, teachers in our audience recommend keeping a level head and doing the best they can amid challenging circumstances.
Emelina Minero contributed to this article.
"I do believe that a lot of wonderful learning can take place for special education students at home," said Shafer. "However, special education is a complex web of strategies and activities dependent upon student needs, and at home, students are not likely to get the academic learning they would receive in the classroom. Still, we have no choice but to try."

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New Strategies in Special Education as Kids Learn From Home

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In special education, teachers say that schedules, sensory supports, and close collaboration with families can help smooth the transition to remote learning.

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High-Leverage and Evidence-Based Practices: A Promising Pair for All Learners

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High-Leverage and Evidence-Based Practices: A Promising Pair for All Learners

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After reading the article I have learned that High-leverage practices (HLPs) and evidence-based practices (EBPs) are essential tools that impact the success of students, especially those with disabilities or who struggle academically. It talked about how important it is for teacher candidates to have supervised teaching to receive feedback so they can practice their teaching abilities. The real-world experiences that teachers engage in should align with what they have learned in their coursework. Some cognitive and metacognitive strategies are scaffold supports, instructional technology, lots of active student engagement, using flexible seating and grouping, and always providing positive feedback. Some Evidence-based practices would be to provide the vocabulary for instruction, teach by modeling, and teach paraphrasing. . When teachers Collaborate, do assessments, and support with social/emotional and behavioral I think it would benefit teachers, parents, and students because it will support the student's academic learning.

High-Leverage and Evidence-Based Practices: a promising pair for all learners | Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Reading Rockets.

https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/autism-spectrum-disorder/articles/high-leverage-and-evidence-based-practices-promising-pair

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High-Leverage and Evidence-Based Practices: A Promising Pair for All Learners

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High-leverage practices (HLPs) and evidence-based practices (EBPs) when used together can become powerful tools for improving outcomes for students with disabilities and those who struggle. This brief shows the promise of these practices in advancing educator preparation and practice.

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Special Education: Promoting More Inclusion at Your School

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Special Education: Promoting More Inclusion at Your School

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It is very important to create an inclusive learning environment for all students. Dr. Lerman states Students with disabilities need a psychologically inclusive school climate where they feel safe and supported, have positive relationships, and are more respectful. Students with disabilities can be included in elective classes, such as choir and art, by buddying with students in general education programs. Schools may wish to explore Project UNIFY, run by Special Olympics. Implementing a cross-age Reading Buddies program, a mentoring program, and inclusive Service-Learning Projects can help students with disabilities and their peers increase knowledge regarding disabilities, improve teaching techniques, and improve classroom management techniques.

Reference:

Elias, M. J. (2013, May 31). Special Education: Promoting more inclusion at your school. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/more-inclusion-students-special-education-your-school-maurice-elias

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Assistive Technology for Young Children in Special Education: It Makes a Difference

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Assistive Technology for Young Children in Special Education: It Makes a Difference

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Assistive technology helps our students with a disability be able to learn and communicate. The definition of assistive technology applied to education is broad and includes both "high-tech" and "low-tech" devices. These devices can increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. It also includes tools that teachers use to deliver and facilitate learning, including instructional applications of technology. If the disability affects a child's academic or functional performance primarily, this is true. Many states have not addressed the AT issue, since assistive technology devices and services were identified as requirements only recently. However, schools already use extensive amounts of AT, and only need to identify it as such in IEPs.

Reference:

Behrmann, M. (1998, May 1). Assistive technology for young children in special Education: It makes a difference. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-young-children-special-education

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It is so important for high school special education students to be confident as they leave high school and transition into the workforce. Working at a high school myself, in special education, I've seen first hand the stress students get consumed with when they feel they aren't ready for their next phase in life. Work based learning helps students to have a growth mindset with future goals. Our students will work towards developing the skills to thrive in a work environment. The ultimate goal is to have our students ready for employment by the time they graduate or reach the 21st year cut off. Students may run into obstacles as they learn their way around the work field and they may face many challenges, but this will help them learn how to face their challenges and overcome them.

Refrence:

Jorgensen, R. (2022, October 11). Work-Based learning in high school. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/work-based-learning-high-school

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6 Strategies Teachers Use to Help Kids Who Learn and Think Differently

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6 Strategies Teachers Use to Help Kids Who Learn and Think Differently

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In order to teach diverse learners effectively, we must implement many different research based practices. Whether you are teaching in a general education classroom, a special education classroom, or even if you're a parent looking to help your child learn, this article provides wonderful strategies with numerous learning styles. By reading this article, you can provide your students with ADHD, slow processing speeds, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, executive functioning issues, and all other learning and thinking differences, the support they need to learn and retain information at their own pace.

Team, T. U. (n.d.). 6 strategies teachers use to help kids who learn and think differently. Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/6-strategies-teachers-use-to-help-kids-with-learning-and-thinking-differences

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Your child's teachers may use a variety of teaching strategies in their classrooms. But do these strategies help kids who learn and think differently?

There's no one way for teachers to deliver instruction to their students. However, some strategies are backed by research and are more effective than others.

These approaches and techniques can benefit all students. But they're especially helpful to kids who learn and think differently. They can make a big difference in how well struggling students take in and work with information. (Some may even be used as formal accommodations in IEP and 504 plan.)

You may have heard of one or more of these strategies from your child's classroom or special education teachers. If not, you can ask the teachers whether they use the strategies and how you might adapt them to use at home.

Here are six common teaching strategies. Learn more about what they are and how they can help kids who learn and think differently.

1. Wait time

"Wait time" (or "think time") is a three- to seven-second pause after a teacher says something or asks a question. Instead of calling on the first students who raise their hand, the teacher will stop and wait.

This strategy can help with the following issues:

2. Multisensory instruction

Multisensory instruction is a way of teaching that engages more than one sense at a time. A teacher might help kids learn information using touch, movement, sight and hearing.

This way of teaching can help with these issues:

Dyscalculia: Multisensory instruction is helpful in math, too. Teachers often use hands-on tools like blocks and drawings. These tools help kids to "see" math concepts. Adding 2 + 2 is more concrete when you combine four blocks in front of you. You may hear teachers refer to these tools as manipulatives.

3. Modeling

Most kids don't learn simply by being told what to do. Teachers use a strategy called "I Do, We Do, You Do" to model a skill. The teacher will show how to do something ("I do"), such as how to do a math problem. Next, the teacher will invite kids to do a problem with the teacher ("we do"). Then, kids will try a math problem on their own ("you do").

This strategy can help with these issues:

All learning and thinking differences: When used correctly, I Do, We Do, You Do can benefit all learners. That's because a teacher can provide support during each phase. However, teachers must know what support to provide. They also need to know when students understand a concept well enough to work on their own. Think of it like riding a bike: The teacher needs to know when to take off the training wheels.

4. Graphic organizers

Graphic organizers are visual tools. They show information or the connection between ideas. They also help kids organize what they've learned or what they have to do. Teachers use these tools to "scaffold," or provide support around, the learning process for struggling learners. (It's the same idea as when workers put up scaffolding to help construct a building.)

There are many different kinds of graphic organizers, such as Venn diagrams and flow charts. They can be especially helpful with these issues:

5. One-on-one and small group instruction

One strategy that teachers use is to vary the size of the group they teach to. Some lessons are taught to the whole class. Others are better for a small group of students or one student. Learning in a small group or one-on-one can be very helpful to kids with learning and thinking differences.

Some kids are placed in small groups because of their IEPs or an intervention. But that's not always the case. Teachers often meet with small groups or one student as a way to differentiate instruction. This means that they tailor the lesson to the needs of the student.

This strategy helps with:

Dyslexia: Students with dyslexia frequently meet in small group settings for reading. In the general classroom, teachers often work with a small group of kids at the same reading level or to focus on a specific skill. They might also meet because kids have a common interest in a book.

Dyscalculia: For kids with dyscalculia, teachers gather one or more students to practice skills that some students (but not the whole class) need extra help with.

Dysgraphia: In many classrooms, teachers hold "writing conferences." They meet with students one-on-one to talk about their progress with what they're writing. For students with dysgraphia, a teacher can use this opportunity to check in and focus on specific skills for that student.

ADHD and executive functioning issues: This type of instruction often takes place in settings with fewer distractions. The teacher can also help students stay on task and learn skills like self-monitoring.

6. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies

UDL is a type of teaching that gives all students flexible ways to learn and succeed. UDL strategies allow kids to access materials, engage with them and show what they know in different ways. There are many examples of how these strategies help kids who learn and think differently.

Dyslexia: When teachers follow UDL principles, they present information in many different ways. For instance, instead of telling students they must read a book, they would be invited to listen to an audiobook. This removes a barrier for students who struggle with reading.

Dysgraphia: One UDL strategy is to give assignment choices. Kids with dysgraphia may struggle to show how much they know about history by writing an essay. But they may shine when delivering a presentation or acting out a historical skit.

To learn more about any of these teaching strategies, talk with your child's teacher. Ask which strategies they use, whether they are evidence-based and how you might use them at home.

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6 strategies teachers use to help kids who learn and think differently

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Learn about teaching strategies for kids with a learning disabilities. Understand what instructional strategy might work best for your child's learning disability.

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“Smart and special education- they’re not mutually exclusive. You don’t get put in special education because you’re not smart.”Christine Gutierrez (Busting Myths about Special Education, 2023)

In the podcast Busting Myths about Special Education, episode “Myths about Special Education,” they discuss five myths families have about special education.

The first myth was that the child would be treated differently.

The second myth was that the child had good grades, so they didn’t need special education.

The third myth was that somehow, the parents had caused the child to need special education.

The fourth myth was that the child doesn't have a disability. They are choosing to misbehave.

The fifth myth was that as a parent, they don’t know how to help their child.

They discussed and debunked the myths and explained their reasonings. This article will be helpful for parents who feel their child might need special education services.

Busting myths about special education. (2023). Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/the-opportunity-gap/special-education-myths

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Classroom Converted Into Simulated Apartment to Boost Life Skills

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Classroom Converted Into Simulated Apartment to Boost Life Skills

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When thinking about our children and their education, we all have the same goal in mind. To ensure that they are as prepared as possible for adult life. In this article, a high school in Upper Nazareth Township practice important life skills with their special education students. These skills include food and kitchen safety, laundry, planning and organization, social skills, and independent living skills.

Educators, parents, and communities should consider these valuable skills in their own schools, to give students the tools that they need to thrive in adulthood.

Bresswein, K. (2024, February 20). Classroom converted into simulated apartment to boost life skills. Disability Scoop. https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2024/02/20/classroom-converted-into-simulated-apartment-to-boost-life-skills/30749/

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NAZARETH, Pa. - A simulated apartment wasn't something AJ Kise had heard of in other school districts, but it was a vision he had for Nazareth Area High School.

That vision has been realized, with the recent unveiling of the fully furnished space in what had been a run-of-the-mill classroom.

"Imagine a world where every student, regardless of their abilities, walks through the doors of opportunity - a world where barriers crumble, differences are celebrated and education empowers all to reach their full potential," Kise, the Nazareth Area schools' director of special education, said during a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. "Today we stand at the threshold of making that dream a reality."

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

The simulated apartment at the high school in Upper Nazareth Township is designed to provide a realistic and engaging environment where students can gain practical experience in essential daily living skills, according to the school district. Through evidence-based practices, hands-on activities and real-world applications, about 25 students this school year will work to develop competencies in areas like:

* Food and kitchen safety: Meal planning, preparation and cleanup.
* Laundry: Sorting, washing, drying and ironing clothes.
* Budgeting: Managing finances and making informed spending choices.
* Planning and organization: Setting goals, prioritizing tasks and managing time effectively.
* Social skills: Building positive relationships, communicating effectively and navigating social situations.
* Independent living skills: Personal hygiene, home maintenance and safety procedures.

They're the kinds of invaluable skills that many take for granted, said Nazareth Area schools Superintendent Richard Kaskey. In the simulated apartment, the students have a safe environment in which to make errors and experience repercussions, while they gain confidence in growing the skills they'll need to thrive as adults.

"This simulated apartment is not just a space, it's a springboard," Assistant Superintendent Isabel Resende said. "It will be a training ground where our students with special needs can develop essential skills for living independently, but more importantly they'll gain confidence, self-reliance and the belief that they are capable of achieving anything they set their mind to."

The ceremony this month drew state Reps. Ann Flood, Joe Emrick and Zach Mako, all Republicans who represent Northampton County communities. Flood presented Kise with a proclamation from the House recognizing the effort behind the new initiative. She and her husband, Dan, started Lauren's Hope Foundation to help children with special needs. It is named for their daughter, who died shortly before Christmas 2007 at age 4 due to a brain injury.

Cindy McAllister from Nazareth-based Martin Guitar handed Kise a framed wall hanging celebrating the company's 190th anniversary to adorn the room, alongside other memorabilia paying homage to the community. There are a Mario Andretti bobblehead and miniature racing helmet, a football autographed by Nazareth Area High School alumnus and Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson and more, including school district photos and yearbooks dating to 1927.

It was the fall of 2022 when Kise came up with the idea of the simulated apartment. He approached Chrissy Glasgow, life-skills teacher for students with disabilities in the district, then took the proposal to Resende and Kaskey and the school board for approval.

The district's Blue Eagle Foundation supported the effort with a $5,000 donation, according to Kise. Stofanak Custom Cabinetry donated the cabinets and countertops; HomeTown Brand Center sold the appliances for the apartment at a discount; and district employees, friends and family donated the furniture.

Nazareth Area School District facilities and operations and maintenance workers joined Kise in the transformation as the vision took hold over the past two school years.

"This will significantly improve their quality of life and future success," Kise said of the district's students, before reflecting on the timeline with humor: "For those of you that watch shows on HGTV, the 30-minute episode where they redo an entire house is not real."
© 2024 Advance Local Media LLC
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
Read more stories like this one. Sign up for Disability Scoop's free email newsletter to get the latest developmental disability news sent straight to your inbox.

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Classroom Converted Into Simulated Apartment To Boost Life Skills

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The simulated apartment is designed to provide a realistic and engaging environment where students with disabilities can learn daily living skills like food prep, personal hygiene, budgeting and more.

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Helping students with disabilities prepare for the future 

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Helping students with disabilities prepare for the future 

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“The ones who are typically most successful after high school are the ones who were prepared to be strong self-advocates, who could seek out needed services and supports, and who could manage the multiple demands of being independent.” (Madaus, 2017) The article, Helping your student with disabilities prepare for the future, guides students in preparing for college with disabilities. Most students in college have nonvisable disabilities like ADHD, mental disorders, and anxiety. College students have to seek out services, and the college will not come to the student. Families and students can prepare for college by

Learning about their disabilities

Being active participants in the IEP or 504 processes

Knowing what accommodations are needed

Knowing that there will not be any modifications to instruction

Working on time management

Research the accommodations available on campus

By following these steps you can get a better understanding of what college students with disabilities will need to do to get the accommodations they need. The student with disabilities needs to know that they will have to advocate for themselves.

.Madaus, J. (2017, July 26). Helping your student with disabilities prepare for the future. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/helping-your-student-with-disabilities-prepare-for-the-future-79625

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Students with Limited Verbal Capabilities can thrive in Inclusive Classrooms

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Students with Limited Verbal Capabilities can thrive in Inclusive Classrooms

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Communication is a large part of the learning process. Students who have difficulties speaking can still take part in inclusive classrooms. With Augmentative and alternative communication, these students will have a voice. Often times a small tablet is used as a communication device. Students can type answers or ask questions on their device by simply typing it out and allowing the device to read it aloud for them. As stated in the article," An estimated 13% of Americans cannot reliably meet their daily communication needs with natural speech." (Villegas, 2021). A couple ways teachers can support students with communication needs are to be sure they always have access to their devices. Remember, their device is their voice. It also may take time to type something, so being patient with your students is important. All students should have the opportunity to be in inclusive classrooms. It is up to us, the educators, to provide them with the necessities they need to do so.

Reference:

Villegas, T. (2021b, March 17). Students with limited verbal capabilities can thrive in inclusive classrooms. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/students-limited-verbal-capabilities-can-thrive-inclusive-classrooms

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Effective strategies for special education

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Effective strategies for special education

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There are many strategies that can be effective in the special education classroom. Classroom set up is a very important one. Setting up the classroom into centers can be helpful for the students and also allows for the teacher to move from group to group while the students learn from one another. Another important strategy is setting clear expectations. Having clear communication while working with special education students as well as their parents is very important. Making sure that all students know the rules of the classroom and what they are expected to gain each day while they are learning is a great way to start. Alternative assessments are another great strategy for special education students. One example that was given was letting the student get up in class and talk about what they learned instead of writing a paper about it. Lastly, breaking down the lesson for the students can be a huge help. Sometimes everything all at once can be a bit overwhelming, so breaking them down into smaller sections can make it much easier for them to comprehend what is being asked of them.

Lamar Online. (2021, November 1). Best Strategies for teaching in the special Education Classroom. Lamar. https://degree.lamar.edu/online-programs/education/med/special-education/strategies-for-teaching-sped/

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Many students with the potential to excel in STEM fields struggle in school

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Many students with the potential to excel in STEM fields struggle in school

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We use spatial thinking every day, whether for a game of Tetris or packing the trunk of your car before a big trip. Students who master spatial skills are less likely to enjoy school, attend college, and complete a degree. These students should be a part of the GATE program but are often not recognized. What can we do to foster spatial thinking in these students and make school more enjoyable to motivate them to graduate and go on to college? This article is for someone who is just learning about gifted thinkers and the struggles they are going through in the school system. At the end of the article, there was a link for a quiz to see if you have any of these skills. Of course, I had to click on it and try it out. In conclusion, I have not mastered spatial skills and am only average.

-Lenna Davis

Wai, J., & Lakin, J. (n.d.). Many students with the potential to excel in STEM fields struggle in school. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/many-students-with-the-potential-to-excel-in-stem-fields-struggle-in-school-132235

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The big idea

Students who have the kinds of talent scientists and engineers need to solve problems by visualizing how objects could be rotated, combined or changed in three dimensions often struggle at school. These students, whose strong spatial talents allow them to imagine new technological innovations, generally fare worse than their classmates who excel at English and math. In addition, as we observed in an article recently published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology, there's some evidence that spatially gifted and talented people are less likely to go to college. And, if they do enroll, they're less likely to get their degrees.

After looking at three major databases that are representative of the U.S. population and that span six decades, we estimate that between 2 million and 3 million K-12 U.S. students may have spatial talents and are not be getting the specialized support they need to flourish between kindergarten and high school. We found that these students were more likely to dislike school and to have trouble paying attention in class. Compared to other gifted and talented students, spatially talented kids tend to be less organized and less likely to turn in their homework on time.

We also found that spatially talented children and teens were more likely to be suspended from school or get in trouble with the law compared to students with math or verbal talents. Our findings suggest that students whose strengths in spatial reasoning could make them especially adept in science, technology, engineering and math as well as many hands-on vocational fields and the visual arts are missing out on making the most of their potential.

Why it matters

Spatial thinking is part of everyday life. It's what you rely on when you pack a suitcase or decide how to cut a tray of brownies into 10 pieces. Video game fans tap these skills whenever they move squares and blocks around while playing Tetris and Minecraft.

Students with exceptional spatial skills should be eligible for gifted and talented services and given personalized support. But many never register on their school's radar. It's not unusual for them to fail to complete high school or, if they do graduate, to not attend college. For years, researchers have speculated about this problem, without proving that it exists.

What other research is being done

Other researchers are seeking ways to help students with less developed spatial thinking skills strengthen them. The goal is seeing if that helps them master science, technology, engineering and math before college, making it possible for these students to pursue related careers.

What's next

We still want to discover why these students often struggle in school. Is it because they're bored and act out? Do they tend to have specific learning disabilities that hamper their reading and other skills? Another big question is what K-12 educators can do to help these students become more successful. We're also developing a new system that schools can use to get better at identifying students with extraordinary spatial skills.

If you wonder if you have these spatial thinking skills, try this quiz shared by Psychology Today.

[ Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter.]

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Many students with the potential to excel in STEM fields struggle in school

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Students with exceptional spatial skills should be eligible for gifted and talented services and given personalized support. But many schools fail to identify and engage these children.

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Students with adverse childhood experiences or (ACEs) can have accommodations added to their IEPs. Students with ACEs need the experiences and opportunities that will help them improve their self-regulation and connection. (Desautels, 2020). These SEL accommodations may include things like a change in their seating arrangements. This can help the student feel safe. Also developing a "mentor" for the student is something that can work great. First you need to find around 2 adults that the student feels most comfortable with so that when they are having a hard time regulating these mentors can come in and help and provide the safety and as well as a secure connection. These mentors can provide a "check in" with points like speaking about their challenges they may be facing or the success that the student is having. I think that this article is great for educators that are working with students that have had any type of trauma that may hinder their ability to learn in the classroom.

How to Support Students Affected by Trauma | Edutopia

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Just as students with learning challenges need academic accommodations, students who have adverse childhood experiences may benefit from social and emotional accommodations.

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Using Restorative Communication as a Classroom Management Tool

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Using Restorative Communication as a Classroom Management Tool

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Educators tend to use communication blockers such as judgement, comparisons, demand and denial of responsibility as a response to negative behavior of a student. This has a negative impact on relationships between teachers and students and negatively affects learning. Teachers need to be aware of communication enhancers such as noticing body language, tone, and volume of students and themselves. Teachers should let students know they care and ask students to share their feelings and experiences. Mirroring what students say, presenting affirmative statements about situations, and supporting students to make steps to repair situations are some other communication enhancers. Using strategies of communication enhancers are a way for educators to build social and emotional learning for students in a special education classroom or a general education setting.

Reference

Heller, R. (2024, April 12). Using Restorative Communication as a Classroom Management Tool. Edutopia.

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By avoiding communication blockers, teachers can help students talk through disruptive behavior in the classroom.

Alice Mollon / Ikon Images

As educators, we often find ourselves in the all-too-familiar power struggle with a student. When this struggle occurs, we tend to resort to communication blockers when feeling overwhelmed or undervalued by students. However, we can instead leverage a restorative communication process to respond to children's behavior.

Communication Blockers

Judgment occurs when we as educators automatically place judgment on the student without understanding their perspective.

Comparisons looks like an educator expecting a student to have the same perspectives or feelings as other students.

Demand can be seen when an educator demands that students treat them a certain way in a situation.

Denial of responsibility occurs when a teacher lacks the ability to take personal responsibility for how their own actions may have affected a situation.

Marshall Rosenberg, a psychologist and the author of Nonviolent Communication, describes several communication blockers, which I approach in terms of how educators might use them (note that students use them as well, but I'm focusing on us as adults here):

As humans, we tend to lean on communication blockers because they provide us with quick fixes or justifications. However, they erode relationships with students and do not provide learning opportunities for students to truly reflect on how their actions affect others. As a classroom educator, I often resorted to communication blockerswhen responding to behaviors, as my own teacher toolbox did not yet have the resources to approach situations from a restorative lens.

Communication Enhancers

To avoid these hamster wheel-like struggles, we can look to communication enhancers, also known as restorative language. Thanks to Rosenberg's book, I learned how to utilize restorative language in my own classroom communication. I quickly saw the positive impact it had on my relationships with students and the community that was then able to flourish in our classroom.

The Restorative Practices Guide and Toolkit, published by the Chicago Public Schools, provides resources for how to use restorative language. There is a useful conversation guide you can follow on pages 59 and 60. As a behavioral specialist, I used this guide to come up with a process to address everyday scenarios that I often saw arise in school settings with students. With this combination, I was able to train educators and staff on ways to acknowledge their own communication blockers and use restorative language when responding to behaviors.

A 7-Step restorative language process

1. Notice the student's body language, tone, and volume. A student's body language alone may let you know if they are able to engage in a restorative conversation. Restorative language works wonders, but if a student is not in a place to be able to digest what is being said or share their own experience, it loses its effectiveness.

If you are unsure whether a student is ready to engage in a restorative conversation, you could leverage communicating through visuals on a lanyard for students. As a classroom educator, I had two laminated cards on my lanyard-one with 10 different pictures of emotions and one with both red and green boxes. I would ask the student to point to their emotions and then to indicate whether they wanted to talk in two minutes by pointing to the red or green box. I found success with this communication tool, as many students simply needed to know they could take a few moments for themselves before having a conversation.

2. Check your own body language, tone, and volume. Educators multitask, often out of necessity. Yet if you truly want to engage in a restorative conversation, being present makes all the difference. A student will feel valued and become more likely to engage if they have your undivided attention during the conversation. Additionally, getting on a student's level and using a conversational tone can help students feel safe and valued.

3. Let the student know your investment in the situation. Through appreciating the student's decision to be part of the conversation, you acknowledge the safe space that values student choice. An educator could start the conversation by stating, "Thank you for choosing to meet with me. I know it may not have been an easy thing to do."

4. Ask the student if they would like to share their own experience and feelings about the situation. This part of the conversation can serve as a point of entry for students to feel seen and heard. Be sure to not interrupt and to give them space to provide their narrative, even if it does not always align with your version of the event. You can present an opportunity for sharing by stating, "Can you tell me what happened?" and then follow up with "How did you feel when...?" or "What was that like for you?" to ensure that they are also expressing their feelings around the event.

5. Mirror what the student said. This allows students to know you are actively listening. This can start with examples like "What I hear you saying is..." or "Am I correct that you were saying...?" Allow them to respond and provide feedback on your interpretation. You may find that there were errors in your interpretation, or the student may notice inconsistencies in their own recollection of the event. Regardless, it helps to solidify facts so that the conversation can move forward.

6. Present an affirmative statement to the student about the situation. This allows them to know how you are feeling and why you are feeling that way. For example, a teacher may say, "When you pushed the student in line, I felt sad because I did not want to see anyone getting hurt." By letting the student know you come from a place of caring, it shows the student that they are still part of the community.

7. Support the student to make actionable steps in repairing the situation. As educators, we often want to deliver the consequence, yet it often creates a missed opportunity for learning. Teachers can guide the student's action planning through questions like "What could we do next time?" or "How can we try to stop this from happening again?" However, it is the student's responsibility to take ownership in this process.

This is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but it is a road map that can enhance a student's empathetic understanding of the situation as well as their role in it. The hope is that with these steps of restorative language, you can spend less time on that hamster wheel of power struggles and more time creating meaningful relationships with your students.

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Using Restorative Communication as a Classroom Management Tool

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By avoiding communication blockers, teachers can help students talk through disruptive behavior in the classroom.

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Tips on how to teach students with Gifted Talents

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Tips on how to teach students with Gifted Talents

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Schools usually only focus on bridging the gap between reading and math with intervention. But what about our gifted students? They don't need intervention, they need "uppervention." They must be challenged and given opportunities to explore and dig deeper into subjects that excite them. This article gives tips to middle school teachers on how to challenge their students who are talented in subjects the teacher does not teach. For example, if a student is gifted in art and you teach math, you can create an assignment that incorporates the two subjects together.

Work, J. (2014, May 6). Uppervention: meeting the needs of gifted and talented students. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/uppervention-for-gifted-talented-students-josh-work

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Uppervention: Meeting the Needs of Gifted and Talented Students

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Middle school teacher and guest blogger Josh Work coins the term “uppervention” to describe his strategies for keeping gifted and talented students engaged, challenged and inspired to learn and achieve with the rest of their classmates.

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Suicidal Thoughts Alarmingly Common Among Young Kids with Autism, Survey Finds..

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Suicidal Thoughts Alarmingly Common Among Young Kids with Autism, Survey Finds..

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Reading this article and seeing the findings of the survey, is very much so a cause for concern. Knowing children as young as 8 years of age have thought about, planned and attempted to end their life is astonishing. The survey states that 1/3 of children ages 8 and under have thought about sucide. It goes on to give data information from 968 caregivers stating that: 36.2% wated to die, 35.3% wanted to end their own life, and 18.1% had the sucide planned out. That is .0001% to many. Dr. Benjamin Schindel stated,"Suicide is complicated, tragic, and also preventable"(schindel). This is so true not only with autisic students but with all students who deal with mental issue and have mental health problems. They should not be overlooked or thought of as they will outgrow them. They will not and untimately they will end in disaster.

Reference:

Diamont, M. (2024, April 16). Suicidal thoughts alarmingly common among young kids with autism, survey finds.

Schindel, B (2024) JAMA Pediatrics

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New research suggests that more than a third of children with autism ages 8 and under have had suicidal thoughts and not all of these kids are necessarily displaying warning signs.

In a survey of 968 caregivers of kids with autism ages 8 to 17 across the nation, more than 40% reported that their child wanted to die.

The findings were even more striking when researchers looked specifically at children ages 8 and younger. Among this group, 36.2% reported wanting to die, 35.3% reported wanting to end their own life and 18.1% reported having a suicide planned.

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"The results are concerning," said Dr. Benjamin Schindel, a fellow in neurodevelopmental disabilities at the Kennedy Krieger Institute who led the research published this month in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. "We were very surprised to find that the expression of suicidal ideation began so young in these children with ASD. This rate seems to be significantly higher compared to their neurotypical peers."

For the research, caregivers of kids with autism were asked to complete a questionnaire about mental health and suicidal behaviors between May and October 2017. All of the caregivers who responded were participants in the Interactive Autism Network, a web-based autism registry that collected data from about 55,000 families of children and adults with autism between 2006 and 2019.

The high rate of suicidal thoughts identified among young kids is particularly worrisome, the researchers said, because validated suicide risk screening tools and interventions for this age group are lacking. And, while they noted that the National Institute of Mental Health says suicide warning signs in children can include changes in behavior like extreme mood swings, withdrawing from friends and family and giving away belongings, not everyone with autism who is at risk shows signs.

Researchers at Kennedy Krieger said they are now screening patients with autism starting at age 8.

"Suicide is complicated, tragic and also preventable," Schindel said. "It is important for parents to check in on their children's mental health and alert their health care providers if there are concerns so that they can be connected to preventive mental health services, like counseling and, in some cases, medication."
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Read more stories like this one. Sign up for Disability Scoop's free email newsletter to get the latest developmental disability news sent straight to your inbox.

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Suicidal Thoughts Alarmingly Common Among Young Kids With Autism, Survey Finds

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New research suggests that more than a third of children with autism ages 8 and under have had suicidal thoughts and not all of these kids are necessarily displaying warning signs.

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This article gives great information about teachers stuggles before laws were made to help students with disabilities. It talks about how the Educationfor All Handicapped Children Act and IDEA all worked for the better good for students and later adults to have equal rights to an education and jobs. Public schools were given 3 years to get ready for big changes when EAHCA went into effect. This law and many others like that of IDEA all lead to changes in public schools and later the work force to adapt and change for people with disabilites. Before laws for the disabled came into play people and educators belived that children with a disability could not learn. These laws like EACHA made the right to fare adn equal education a reality. Special and general eduation teachers need to work together for the students to succeed.

Reference:

Crockett, J. (2015, November 29). How children with disabilities came to be accepted in public schools.

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When Alan joined my class in September, I knew he needed help.

So did I.

Alan had lived in an orphanage ever since he was an infant and faced many challenges: he was older than the other kids and did not want to play with them. He didn't use words - although he could make sounds. He was very different from his classmates and stayed to himself.

But then, every afternoon he was a bundle of energy, imitating the barking of a dog and crawling on the floor around his classmates at circle time. He also had a passion for shredding my teaching materials.

I didn't know what to do.

That was 1978. I was teaching half-day kindergarten classes in a New York school that year to 33 five-year-olds in the morning and to another 30 youngsters in the afternoon.

I had no assistant, and safety was my first priority. I referred Alan for an evaluation to see if he was eligible for special education services.

Luckily for Alan, three years earlier, President Gerald Ford had signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) of 1975 into law. Public schools were given three years to get ready for some big changes.

By the time I referred Alan, Public Law 94-142 (as the act was known then) had taken effect nationwide.

As we mark the 40th anniversary of the law, it is an important moment in which to reflect.

From my perspective as a teacher, school administrator and professor of special education - who has followed this nation's journey toward equal educational opportunities - I believe this law enabled many young kids with disabilities, like Alan, to lead more productive lives.

What it was like in the 1970s

Back in the seventies, educating kids with special needs in regular schools was a new concept.

Before the law came in, 1.75 million children with disabilities were completely excluded from public schools. And of the three million children with disabilities who went to school, many did not receive an education that was appropriate to their needs. Most often they were taught in special classes or state-supported schools.

Children with mild visual or hearing problems, speech impairments or mild intellectual disabilities could spend at least some time in regular classes. But those who were totally deaf or had moderate intellectual difficulties were not allowed in regular classrooms. They were sent to separate schools or institutions - even if they did not need to be in those settings.

Some states even had strict laws excluding children who were considered "crippled," "feebleminded" or "emotionally disturbed" from public education, based only on their "handicaps." It was not unusual for them to be institutionalized.

The general belief was that children with a disability could not learn. Parents who could afford to pay sent their kids to private schools that provided special services through nonprofit organizations such as the Easter Seals Association or The Arc that were set up by parents early on to advocate for their kids.

The education of these children became an issue of public concern in their home communities only if there was enough money. At the time, education for children with special needs was seen to be more of a matter of privilege and not a right.

What changed with a new law

Once the EAHCA came in, however, it made the right to education a reality for students with disabilities across the United States.

It helped kids receive an Individualized Education Program so they could be taught the skills they needed in class or on the playground.

In Alan's case, his special education teacher assessed his strengths and weaknesses - he needed to learn to recognize letters and numbers and learn to play with others. She also experimented with different teaching approaches and kept data on what he could and couldn't do so she could target his learning problems. In addition, he received services from the speech-language therapist.

I remember, thanks to these services, Alan made good progress that year.

As this was 1978 and kids with special needs were rarely taught in regular classrooms, Alan never returned to my kindergarten class. He was taught in a separate special education classroom.

How the law evolved

In 1990, Congress updated the title and language of the law. It came to be known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

A great deal of activism on behalf of people with disabilities led to this change. The term "handicapped" implied dependence. Its origins went back to medieval times, when the only source of income for many people with disabilities was begging with a cap in hand.

Putting the word "individuals" before the word "disabilities" in the title was also preferred as an example of "person-first" language. This implied that people were not to be defined by others only by their disability.

Several other changes were made as the law evolved: In 1986, it came to include services for children under six years old. In 1990, it incorporated services for older students to get help planning their transition to college, work and life in their communities. And in 1997, Congress reauthorized the law to increase accountability.

As a result, IDEA 1997 came to incorporate new goals - such as getting kids ready for school, improving academic achievement in reading and other subjects, increasing graduation rates, bringing in highly skilled teachers, making schools safer and building stronger partnerships with parents.

These changes meant that more kids could be taught in the regular classroom - they could access school activities and the same general curriculum as other students without disabilities.

Consequently, for the past 40 years, public schools in the US have been required to make a free, appropriate, public education available to all children with disabilities.

Way forward

I imagine if Alan were in school today, he would be one of 6.4 million students in the US who receive IDEA services from birth to age 21. He would also likely be among the 95% of special education students taught in public schools who spend some part of their school day in regular classes.

I would also like to think that if Alan were born today, he would not be given up for adoption. His parents would learn to care for him with support from early intervention services for infants and toddlers.

He would be included in a local preschool program where he could learn to be with other kids and feel safe. That would help him get ready for his first day of kindergarten.

But he would also be facing some challenges.

In my experience, educating students with disabilities is complex. Too often, effective techniques and materials are not used in schools. And even when students are included in regular classes, they are not taught appropriately.

In 2004, changes were made in the law to overcome low expectations for these students. Today, the good news is that dropout rates for students with disabilities have decreased - 64% of special education students now graduate with a regular high school diploma.

But the sobering news is the reading and math performance of many students is well below proficiency.

The challenge is for teachers and school administrators to make sure students with disabilities in their schools are taught in ways that are proven by research to improve their learning.

Special education students need the extra services provided by IDEA to develop, learn and succeed. Without the extra interventions and personalized support, the performance of many is unlikely to improve. Unfortunately, this isn't happening in enough schools.

The issue is, special and general education teachers need to work together for these students to make appropriate progress. They need to be sure they respond not only to their students' academic needs but also to their social and personal needs. To do that, school administrators need to help their teachers build the will and the skills to work together.

I've been through this journey for 40 years. And I am celebrating the birth of IDEA today. For when I think about Alan, I recall the impact it made - on him and many others.

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How children with disabilities came to be accepted in public schools

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November 29 marks the 40th anniversary of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA). Prior to the law, some states excluded the "crippled" from public education.

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Dyslexia is a common reading and writing disability and can be recognized early. It is hard for students to read and write who are dyslexic. It is difficult for students to recognize words and use sounds in language. Students often reverse letters in words. Dyslexic students also struggle with rhymes and speech delays. Students can be evaluated to see if they are dyslexic. The evaluation test reading skills and intellectual compacity. Dyslexic does not only affect read and writing, but it also affects students social and communication skills. Dyslexia hinders students' ability to interactive with other students. Luckly there are accommodations and support for students who are dyslexic. Educators can help student by creating small group discussions,

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Children each learn and develop at their own pace, and reading is no different from other skill building. It's common for kids to find reading challenging at one point or another. But if learning to read becomes an ongoing struggle that leaves a child falling behind their peers, it's possible that they have a learning disorder known as dyslexia.

Dyslexia is most commonly associated with trouble learning to read. It affects a child's ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds in language. Kids with dyslexia have a hard time decoding new words, or breaking them down into manageable chunks they can then sound out. This causes difficulty with reading, writing and spelling. They may compensate by memorizing words, but they'll have trouble recognizing new words and may be slow in retrieving even familiar ones.

Dyslexia is not a reflection of a child's intelligence - in fact it's defined as a gap between a student's ability and achievement. Some youngsters with dyslexia are able to keep up with their peers with extra effort at least for the first few grades. But by the third grade or so, when they need to be able to read quickly and fluently in order to keep up with their work, they run into trouble.

With help and strategies for compensating for their weakness in decoding, students with dyslexia can learn to read and thrive academically. But dyslexia is not something one grows out of.

How common is dyslexia?

It is estimated that as many as one in five kids has dyslexia, and that 80 to 90 percent of kids with learning disorders have it. Sally Shaywitz, MD, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, notes that many children go undiagnosed as struggles in school are incorrectly attributed to intelligence, level of effort or environmental factors.

Although experts used to say that dyslexia occurred more often in boys than in girls, current research indicates that it affects boys and girls equally.

A young person with dyslexia may:

Struggle with learning even simple rhymes

Have a speech delay

Have trouble following directions

Repeat or omit short words such as and, the, but

Find it difficult to tell left from right

In school, children with dyslexia are likely to:

Have difficulty sounding out new words

Lack fluency compared to other children their age

Reverse letters and numbers when reading (read saw as was, for example)

Find it difficult to take notes and copy down words from the board

Struggle with rhyming, associating sounds with letters, and sequencing and ordering sounds

Stumble and have difficulty spelling even common words; frequently they will spell them phonetically (hrbr instead of harbor)

Avoid being called on to read out loud in front of classmates

Become tired or frustrated from reading

Dyslexia affects children outside of school as well. Kids with dyslexia may also:

Find it difficult to decode logos and signs

Struggle when trying to learn the rules to games

Have difficulty keeping track of multi-step directions

Struggle with getting the hang of telling time

Find it especially challenging to learn another language

Become incredibly frustrated, which can effect their mood and emotional stability

Social and emotional impacts of dyslexia

Dyslexia affects a lot more than reading - it can also impact a child socially. "A dyslexic person who has word-finding difficulties can have trouble with their expressive language," says Scott Bezsylko, the executive director of Winston Preparatory School, which specializes in teaching kids with learning disorders. "That has a social impact, in addition to your difficulties with reading and writing, that make you feel not so good about yourself."

Kids with dyslexia - particularly those who have yet to be diagnosed - often suffer from low self-esteem because they worry that there is something wrong with them, and are often accused of not trying hard enough to learn to read. "A lot of our work with dyslexic kids is to help them rediscover that they are smart and capable," notes Beszylko, "because they've stopped believing in themselves."

How is dyslexia diagnosed?

If your child isn't meeting expectations for reading, as parents you can ask the school district to perform an evaluation and share the results with you. The evaluation will test your child's intellectual capacity and reading skills, to see if there is an achievement gap. It should also rule out other potential causes like environmental factors or hearing impairment.

The school should then make recommendations on how they can support your child and maximize her learning.

If you are unhappy with the quality of the evaluation, you can also secure a private evaluation by a psychologist, a neuropsychologist, a reading specialist, a speech and language therapist, an educational evaluator or a school psychologist. This external evaluation can also be used to advocate for your child and get the accommodations and services she might need.

When should a child be evaluated?

Dyslexia can begin to reveal itself at a young age, and there are preschool evaluations that look at the child's awareness of the sounds that make up words, and ability at word retrieval. However, Matthew Cruger, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Child Mind Institute, suggests waiting until kids are at least six years old and have had some formal instruction in reading to seek out a formal evaluation.

But Dr. Shaywitz notes that as soon as a gap between intelligence and reading skills is apparent - and evidence shows it can be seen in first grade - it's a good idea to get help. Schools sometimes encourage parents to wait until the third grade to see if their child truly needs an intervention, but Dr. Shaywitz argues that the earlier intervention is important not only to help kids catch up but to boost their fragile self-image, which is damaged by continuing struggle in school and comparisons with peers.

How to help kids with dyslexia

A dyslexia diagnosis does not mean your child will never learn to read. Dr. Cruger says there are a number of programs that can help, which might include these features:

Multi-sensory instruction in decoding skills

Repetition and review of skills

Intensity of intervention - that is, more than being pulled out of class once a week for extra help

Small group or individual instruction

Teaching decoding skills

Drilling sight words

Teaching comprehension strategies, to help kids derive meaning from what they're reading

Reading programs that been shown to help kids with dyslexia include:

Dr. Cruger points out that traditional tutoring may actually be counter-productive for a child with dyslexia, particularly if it is not a positive experience. "If the child hates the experience of reading help, it's not helpful," Dr. Cruger notes. "And it's not treating the source of the problem, the decoding weakness."

Instead, Dr. Cruger emphasizes that one of the most important ways to help kids with dyslexia is to make them more comfortable reading. This can be done in part by celebrating even small victories and accomplishments, while focusing less on correcting their errors.

Accommodations for kids with dyslexia

Kids with demonstrated dyslexia are eligible for accommodations in school. "Dyslexia robs a person of time," Dr. Shaywitz explains, "and accommodations give the time back to her." Accommodations may include:

Extra time on tests

A quiet space to work

The option to record lectures

The option to give verbal, rather than written, answers (when appropriate)

Elimination of oral reading in class

Exemption from foreign language learning

Other ways to support a child with dyslexia

One of the best ways to support a child with dyslexia - or any child who is struggling - is to encourage those activities that they like and feel good at, whether it is music, joining a sports team or anything else that helps build her confidence.

To help reinforce that dyslexia is not a marker of intelligence, it can also be helpful to talk about successful people - like Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg - who have also been diagnosed with dyslexia.

Other things that may help your child with dyslexia include:

Listening to audio books as an alternative to reading

Typing on a computer or tablet instead of writing

Apps that can make learning fun by turning decoding into a game

Using a ruler to help kids read in a straight line, which can help keep them focused

Emotional support

Dyslexia can result in frustration, embarrassment, avoidance and low self-esteem as a result of difficulties performing tasks that seem to come naturally to others. Demystifying the learning disorder with your child can help him develop the tools - and resilience - necessary to manage it, both in school and in social circumstances. Some things you can do to help include:

Discuss the specific challenges that result from dyslexia: "You know how you have a hard time reading signs or copying notes from the board? That's dyslexia."

Acknowledge their effort and celebrate hard work, even if there are still mistakes: "I know how difficult that reading homework was. I am so proud of how hard you tried."

Help them recognize their strengths: "You showed such great sportsmanship and teamwork in the soccer game the other night, and that was a great goal you scored!"

Combat negative self-talk: If your child starts saying things like, "I'm just stupid," don't ignore it. Instead, check out these ideas for helping kids who are too hard on themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does dyslexia work?

How common is dyslexia?

What helps students with dyslexia?

What are the signs of dyslexia?

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Understanding Dyslexia - Child Mind Institute

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Find out how to recognize dyslexia, the most common learning disability. The Child Mind Institute on how to help kids who have trouble learning to read.

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ADHD: Medication Alone Doesn't Improve Classroom Learning for Children

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ADHD: Medication Alone Doesn't Improve Classroom Learning for Children

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This was an interesting reading. In the reading there was a study done on if medication had any effect on kids ability to learn the same amount of content on medicine or placebo. It found that children learned the same amount of content in science, social studies, and vocabulary. It also talks about how ADHD is not something you grow out of. Adults suffer from it as well, but you learn skills and ways to leave with the challenge of ADHD.

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Children with ADHD struggle academically. Upyanose / Getty Images

For decades, many physicians, parents and teachers have believed that stimulant medications help children with ADHD learn because they are able to focus and behave better when medicated.

After all, an estimated 6.1 million children in the U.S. are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and more than 90% are prescribed stimulant medication as the main form of treatment in school settings.

However, in a peer-reviewed study that several colleagues and I published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, we found medication has no detectable effect on how much children with ADHD learn in the classroom. At least that's the case when learning - defined as the acquisition of performable skills or knowledge through instruction - is measured in terms of tests meant to assess improvements in a student's current academic knowledge or skills over time.

Compared to their peers, children with ADHD exhibit more off-task, disruptive classroom behavior, earn lower grades and score lower on tests. They are more likely to receive special education services and be retained for a grade, and less likely to finish high school and enter college - two educational milestones that are associated with significant increases in earnings.

Just as children with ADHD have more difficulty than peers in school, adults with a history of ADHD have a hard time keeping a steady job.

Measurements of learning

In this study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, we evaluated 173 children between the ages of 7 and 12. They were all participants in our Summer Treatment Program, a comprehensive eight-week summer camp for children with ADHD and related behavioral, emotional and learning challenges.

Children got grade-level instruction in vocabulary, science and social studies. The classes were led by certified teachers. The children received medication the first half of summer and a placebo during the other half. They were tested at the start of each academic instruction block, which lasted approximately three weeks. They then took the same test at the end to determine how much they learned.

Contrary to the conventional wisdom under which parents and teachers have long operated, we found children learned the same amount of science, social studies and vocabulary content whether they were taking medication or a placebo.

Yes. We were shocked by this finding, too.

Many published studies show medication helps children focus and behave better in the classroom. The theory has been that if stimulant medication helps a child stay on task with their schoolwork and improve their behavior in class, then it should also improve their learning.

In our study, medication helped children complete more schoolwork and improve their classroom behavior, as expected. When taking medication, children completed 37% more arithmetic problems per minute and exhibited 53% fewer classroom rule violations per hour.

Unfortunately, completing more schoolwork and behaving better in the classroom did not lead to higher grades on tests, which heavily determine overall class grades. These results support the findings of other research that has found there is no long-term beneficial effect of medication on standardized test scores.

This is an important finding because stimulant medication is by far the most common treatment for children with ADHD, and the majority receive only medication. Other treatments available for children with ADHD include behavior therapy, including training for parents and a combination of therapy and medication.

A new understanding

Nearly 40 years ago, my research laboratory published the very first study that looked at the effects of stimulant medication on learning for children with ADHD in the classroom setting. At the time, we measured learning by how quickly and accurately children completed worksheets and how they behaved in the classroom.

Researchers in my lab found that medicated children focused more and behaved better, and we assumed medication helped them learn more. Since then, stimulant medications have been the most common treatment for ADHD.

Having published nearly 500 scientific studies on the subject over the last 40 years, we have learned a lot about the most effective treatments for children with ADHD.

ADHD is not something children will outgrow

Our most recent National Institute of Mental Health long-running study found that an adult with a history of childhood ADHD is expected to earn US$1.25 million less than adults without a history of ADHD over their lifetime, potentially reaching retirement with up to 75% lower net worth.

In that study, we found that people with ADHD fared worse in just about every aspect of work and financial well-being. This included income, savings, employment status and dependence on parents or other adults.

Nearly half of the adults with childhood ADHD were regularly receiving money from parents, other adults or the government.

To improve long-term financial outcomes and reduce dependence on parents and government, those with ADHD may benefit from educational supports and interventions that help them finish high school and earn a bachelor's degree.

Since the children in our study were ages 7-12 years old, we don't know if our findings would extend to adolescents or adults with ADHD. As children grow older, how they learn changes: Adolescents or young adults may acquire knowledge more so from independent studying than from classroom teaching. So it's important to determine whether medication helps when learning outside the classroom.

How to help children with ADHD thrive

Center for Children and Families at Florida International University

There are ways for children to improve academic achievement with effective classroom strategies alone, rather than just being on medication to begin with. Behavioral and academic strategies that significantly help youth with ADHD include parent training and classroom-based management tools like a daily report card. A child with ADHD can also receive effective behavioral services in school that are specific to academic achievement, such as 504 and individualized education plans, also known as IEPs, for students in special education.

Our previous research has found that behavioral therapy - when used first - is less expensive and more effective than medication in treating children with ADHD. Stimulants are most effective as a supplemental, second-line treatment option for those who need it and at lower doses than typically prescribed. In other words, medication should only be added if children still need additional support after the behavioral and academic interventions have been tried.

Additionally, in 2020, the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics published new clinical guidelines that strongly recommend behavioral intervention as the first-line treatment for youth with ADHD and medication as a second-line treatment, if necessary.

So while it's true that medication helps with focus and behavior, so do behavioral and academic strategies in the classroom. And just because a child seems to be more focused and behaving better in the classroom doesn't mean they will get better grades. What we have found time and time again is that behavioral intervention is best for children with ADHD because they, their teachers and their parents learn skills and strategies that will help them succeed at school, at home and in relationships long term.

To give children with ADHD the best chance to thrive, I believe families, medical professionals and educators should focus on behavioral and academic interventions first and add medication only if needed.

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ADHD: Medication alone doesn't improve classroom learning for children - new research

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In the first study of its kind, researchers found medication alone has no detectable impact on how much children with ADHD learn in the classroom.

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Dyslexia is a common reading and writing disability and can be recognized early in children. It is difficult for students to read and write who are dyslexic. Students with dyslexia often reverse letter words. For example, they might reverse the words top and pot. Dyslexic students also struggle with rhymes and often have speech delays. Dyslexic does not only affect reading and writing, but it also affects students social and communication skills. Dyslexia hinders students' ability to interact with other students. Students can be evaluated to see if they are dyslexic. The evaluation tests reading skills and intellectual compacity. Luckly there is accommodations and support for students who are dyslexic. Educators can help students by creating small group discussions, small group individual instructions, and repetitions on review of skills. There are reading programs that can help students with dyslexia. The Wilson Method and RAVE-O are some of the few programs that parents and caregivers can use to help students with dyslexia. (Martinelli, 2024)

I am sharing this because a lot of students struggle with reading. Parents should have knowledge of their child's condition. Parents and caregivers will benefit from this information.

Martinelli, M. (2024) Child Mind Institute: Understanding Dyslexic

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Children each learn and develop at their own pace, and reading is no different from other skill building. It's common for kids to find reading challenging at one point or another. But if learning to read becomes an ongoing struggle that leaves a child falling behind their peers, it's possible that they have a learning disorder known as dyslexia.

Dyslexia is most commonly associated with trouble learning to read. It affects a child's ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds in language. Kids with dyslexia have a hard time decoding new words, or breaking them down into manageable chunks they can then sound out. This causes difficulty with reading, writing and spelling. They may compensate by memorizing words, but they'll have trouble recognizing new words and may be slow in retrieving even familiar ones.

Dyslexia is not a reflection of a child's intelligence - in fact it's defined as a gap between a student's ability and achievement. Some youngsters with dyslexia are able to keep up with their peers with extra effort at least for the first few grades. But by the third grade or so, when they need to be able to read quickly and fluently in order to keep up with their work, they run into trouble.

With help and strategies for compensating for their weakness in decoding, students with dyslexia can learn to read and thrive academically. But dyslexia is not something one grows out of.

How common is dyslexia?

It is estimated that as many as one in five kids has dyslexia, and that 80 to 90 percent of kids with learning disorders have it. Sally Shaywitz, MD, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, notes that many children go undiagnosed as struggles in school are incorrectly attributed to intelligence, level of effort or environmental factors.

Although experts used to say that dyslexia occurred more often in boys than in girls, current research indicates that it affects boys and girls equally.

A young person with dyslexia may:

Struggle with learning even simple rhymes

Have a speech delay

Have trouble following directions

Repeat or omit short words such as and, the, but

Find it difficult to tell left from right

In school, children with dyslexia are likely to:

Have difficulty sounding out new words

Lack fluency compared to other children their age

Reverse letters and numbers when reading (read saw as was, for example)

Find it difficult to take notes and copy down words from the board

Struggle with rhyming, associating sounds with letters, and sequencing and ordering sounds

Stumble and have difficulty spelling even common words; frequently they will spell them phonetically (hrbr instead of harbor)

Avoid being called on to read out loud in front of classmates

Become tired or frustrated from reading

Dyslexia affects children outside of school as well. Kids with dyslexia may also:

Find it difficult to decode logos and signs

Struggle when trying to learn the rules to games

Have difficulty keeping track of multi-step directions

Struggle with getting the hang of telling time

Find it especially challenging to learn another language

Become incredibly frustrated, which can effect their mood and emotional stability

Social and emotional impacts of dyslexia

Dyslexia affects a lot more than reading - it can also impact a child socially. "A dyslexic person who has word-finding difficulties can have trouble with their expressive language," says Scott Bezsylko, the executive director of Winston Preparatory School, which specializes in teaching kids with learning disorders. "That has a social impact, in addition to your difficulties with reading and writing, that make you feel not so good about yourself."

Kids with dyslexia - particularly those who have yet to be diagnosed - often suffer from low self-esteem because they worry that there is something wrong with them, and are often accused of not trying hard enough to learn to read. "A lot of our work with dyslexic kids is to help them rediscover that they are smart and capable," notes Beszylko, "because they've stopped believing in themselves."

How is dyslexia diagnosed?

If your child isn't meeting expectations for reading, as parents you can ask the school district to perform an evaluation and share the results with you. The evaluation will test your child's intellectual capacity and reading skills, to see if there is an achievement gap. It should also rule out other potential causes like environmental factors or hearing impairment.

The school should then make recommendations on how they can support your child and maximize her learning.

If you are unhappy with the quality of the evaluation, you can also secure a private evaluation by a psychologist, a neuropsychologist, a reading specialist, a speech and language therapist, an educational evaluator or a school psychologist. This external evaluation can also be used to advocate for your child and get the accommodations and services she might need.

When should a child be evaluated?

Dyslexia can begin to reveal itself at a young age, and there are preschool evaluations that look at the child's awareness of the sounds that make up words, and ability at word retrieval. However, Matthew Cruger, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Child Mind Institute, suggests waiting until kids are at least six years old and have had some formal instruction in reading to seek out a formal evaluation.

But Dr. Shaywitz notes that as soon as a gap between intelligence and reading skills is apparent - and evidence shows it can be seen in first grade - it's a good idea to get help. Schools sometimes encourage parents to wait until the third grade to see if their child truly needs an intervention, but Dr. Shaywitz argues that the earlier intervention is important not only to help kids catch up but to boost their fragile self-image, which is damaged by continuing struggle in school and comparisons with peers.

How to help kids with dyslexia

A dyslexia diagnosis does not mean your child will never learn to read. Dr. Cruger says there are a number of programs that can help, which might include these features:

Multi-sensory instruction in decoding skills

Repetition and review of skills

Intensity of intervention - that is, more than being pulled out of class once a week for extra help

Small group or individual instruction

Teaching decoding skills

Drilling sight words

Teaching comprehension strategies, to help kids derive meaning from what they're reading

Reading programs that been shown to help kids with dyslexia include:

Dr. Cruger points out that traditional tutoring may actually be counter-productive for a child with dyslexia, particularly if it is not a positive experience. "If the child hates the experience of reading help, it's not helpful," Dr. Cruger notes. "And it's not treating the source of the problem, the decoding weakness."

Instead, Dr. Cruger emphasizes that one of the most important ways to help kids with dyslexia is to make them more comfortable reading. This can be done in part by celebrating even small victories and accomplishments, while focusing less on correcting their errors.

Accommodations for kids with dyslexia

Kids with demonstrated dyslexia are eligible for accommodations in school. "Dyslexia robs a person of time," Dr. Shaywitz explains, "and accommodations give the time back to her." Accommodations may include:

Extra time on tests

A quiet space to work

The option to record lectures

The option to give verbal, rather than written, answers (when appropriate)

Elimination of oral reading in class

Exemption from foreign language learning

Other ways to support a child with dyslexia

One of the best ways to support a child with dyslexia - or any child who is struggling - is to encourage those activities that they like and feel good at, whether it is music, joining a sports team or anything else that helps build her confidence.

To help reinforce that dyslexia is not a marker of intelligence, it can also be helpful to talk about successful people - like Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg - who have also been diagnosed with dyslexia.

Other things that may help your child with dyslexia include:

Listening to audio books as an alternative to reading

Typing on a computer or tablet instead of writing

Apps that can make learning fun by turning decoding into a game

Using a ruler to help kids read in a straight line, which can help keep them focused

Emotional support

Dyslexia can result in frustration, embarrassment, avoidance and low self-esteem as a result of difficulties performing tasks that seem to come naturally to others. Demystifying the learning disorder with your child can help him develop the tools - and resilience - necessary to manage it, both in school and in social circumstances. Some things you can do to help include:

Discuss the specific challenges that result from dyslexia: "You know how you have a hard time reading signs or copying notes from the board? That's dyslexia."

Acknowledge their effort and celebrate hard work, even if there are still mistakes: "I know how difficult that reading homework was. I am so proud of how hard you tried."

Help them recognize their strengths: "You showed such great sportsmanship and teamwork in the soccer game the other night, and that was a great goal you scored!"

Combat negative self-talk: If your child starts saying things like, "I'm just stupid," don't ignore it. Instead, check out these ideas for helping kids who are too hard on themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does dyslexia work?

How common is dyslexia?

What helps students with dyslexia?

What are the signs of dyslexia?

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Understanding Dyslexia - Child Mind Institute

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Find out how to recognize dyslexia, the most common learning disability. The Child Mind Institute on how to help kids who have trouble learning to read.

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What Should Special Education Teachers Know About Social-Emotional Learning for Students With ASD?

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What Should Special Education Teachers Know About Social-Emotional Learning for Students With ASD?

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Social and emotional learning (SEL) is very important for students, especially those with special educational needs Inclusive education is really important in our society. It helps students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other exceptionalities feel like they belong in the classroom. One thing that is really important for these students is social-emotional learning (SEL). This means learning how to understand and control their emotions, make friends, and make good choices. Educators need to know how important SEL is and learn about the best ways to teach it in inclusive classrooms. Teachers can use different strategies and tools to promote SEL in inclusive classrooms. There are five important skills that students with autism should develop like knowing themselves, managing their emotions, understanding others, building relationships, and making responsible choices. Teachers can include activities like reading and discussing books, acting out scenarios, and working together on projects to help students with autism recognize and talk about their feelings. There are also fun apps and games that can help them learn about emotions. Parents are also important in creating inclusive classrooms. This will benefit teachers, parents should work together to teach SEL skills at home too. Most importantly this will help every student, no matter what special needs they have, to do well socially and emotionally in school and outside of school too.

https://online.ysu.edu/degrees/education/msed/sped-autism/social-emotional-learning-asd/

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What Should Special Education Teachers Know About Social-Emotional Learning for Students With ASD?

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Inclusive education has become an integral part of our society, emphasizing the importance of accommodating classroom structure and strategies for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and related exceptionalities. One crucial aspect of their holistic development is social-emotional learning (SEL). Educators tasked with teaching and fostering these students must understand the significance of positive SEL […]

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Positive, Intertional Suppots for Students With ADHD By Gina Robles (Ashley Zimmerman)

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Positive, Intertional Suppots for Students With ADHD By Gina Robles (Ashley Zimmerman)

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In this article, Positive, Intentional Supports for Students With ADHD, Robles starts off by talking about her personal struggles as a student with ADHD. "Many said things teasingly, but others would admonish in frustration or judgment." (Robles,2024) She would be called lazy by the people she trusted. When she grew up and became an educator herself, and wants to make a difference. Robles speaks how educators should intervene in positive ways. Lables only hurt a child. Getting to the root of the problem and let the child know that they can do it is what needs to happen in a classroom. She talks about different ways that we can observe the child to see what's actually going on. Students with ADHD also need to be built up. The constant push to get things done or turned in only puts more stress on a child. This article goes in and helps you undersatand an ADHD brain from an adults prespective. It makes you go back and think about how you have been treating your students.

Robles, G. (2024, March 13). Positive, Intentional Supports for Students With ADHD. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/supporting-students-adhd

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An educator with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder shares simple strategies for supporting students with this learning difference.

monkeybusinessimages / iStock

When I was growing up, I often heard family members, teachers, relatives, and even friends imply or say outright that I was lazy. Many said things teasingly, but others would admonish in frustration or judgment. As a child and teenager, I worked hard to hide what I considered failures. I was ashamed that I couldn't keep up or get my work done on time and embarrassed when I lost homework or accidentally left things at home.

Now I know what I didn't then. I have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-ADHD. I was not, and still am not, lazy. I have a disorder that is very often overlooked or undiagnosed in children (and especially girls) that causes me to struggle with executive functioning and self-regulation skills such as self-motivation, time management, forgetfulness, difficulty sustaining attention and completing tasks, and difficulty planning.

Luckily, I tended to score high enough on tests that my ADHD didn't derail my academics. Unfortunately, fixing the damage to my self-esteem and self-image is still a work in progress.

As an educator, I've seen many students with diagnosed or suspected ADHD struggle academically due to the consequences of the disorder. What makes the struggle even harder is when teachers and other educators fail to intervene in positive, research-based ways to help.

Labels like "lazy" don't help anyone. These kinds of labels are, instead, character judgments that don't explain why students exhibit behaviors. What can help, instead, is getting to the root of the problem and building up the student's belief and confidence in themselves.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

Before applying a potentially harmful label to a student, analyze the specific behavior(s) the student displays. Do they avoid starting tasks? Is it mostly in one subject ( writing is a struggle for more than half of students with ADHD)? Do they start tasks but get easily frustrated and give up, or begin causing distractions? How long has the behavior been going on-weeks? months? years? Ask a lot of questions, and leave the emotion out of it. Be open to the possibility that there is more going on than you might think.

Another option is to do a 20-to-30-minute observation of the student when the behaviors usually occur. Using any observation form, such as this one from the Iris Center, or even a blank piece of paper, note the beginning time as well as the setting of the observation. Then, describe what the student does and says factually without making any assumptions about why.

If it's too hard to keep your emotions or opinions out of this process, try bringing in a colleague who doesn't know the student to give an unbiased observation. This is very similar to what many schools use for a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) in their Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). This kind of observation can also be beneficial for teachers trying to support students with behaviors that are preventing them from learning even if they don't qualify for their school's MTSS program.

Once you've clearly defined the behaviors, explore possible causes. Maslow theorized that all human behavior begins with a motivation to meet certain needs. Students, even neurodivergent students, are no different. However, the needs they're seeking to fulfill may be different than those of neurotypical students. Are there gaps in knowledge and skills that may be causing the student to avoid the unpleasant or embarrassing experience of admitting they don't know how to do something? Could they be acting out due to frustration or anxiety over their academic struggles?

ADHD, along with other learning differences, can often cause students to avoid nonpreferred tasks at all costs, leading to sometimes severe behaviors. The student's historical data can be very helpful at this point. Look for clues and trends in the student's scores in a variety of areas, starting with overall scores, and then dig deeper into individual domains, skills, and benchmarks. If you can identify specific areas of weakness, you can create a plan to address them.

Building Up Student Self-Esteem

One example of a behavior that teachers might mistake for laziness is students starting tasks but failing to sustain the attention needed to complete them. They also often misplace their work or forget to turn it in. Sometimes, the work may even be complete but just never left the backpack. If the root issue is ADHD, no amount of telling the student, "Remember to turn your work in" or "Don't forget to complete your homework," is going to fix the problem.

Dr. Russell Barkley advises that anyone wanting to help change the behavior of someone with ADHD must intervene at the point of performance-the immediate time when the behavior would typically be triggered. He lists clear steps to take to put guardrails in place for certain ADHD behaviors. For many students already struggling with low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression due to their ADHD or academic deficits stemming from their ADHD, however, it will take more than tips and strategies to overcome the issue. It will take building the student's belief in themselves as well as helping them develop an understanding of how their brain works (metacognition).

The first step to helping struggling students develop self-esteem is eliminating negative talk and questioning about why they forgot something or didn't do some task. Believe me, ADHD students don't know why, so continuing to ask only makes them feel worse about themselves than they already do.

Second, use sincere, positive praise to reinforce to students that you believe in them. Encouragement, not flattery, works wonders when sincere. Phrases such as "I know this is hard, but I also know you can do it" or "I know how hard it is for you to get started writing, but you have such wonderful ideas. Tell me your ideas out loud first" acknowledge the student's challenges while instilling in them the amazing belief that someone is on their side and just gets it. For some ADHD students, it might be the first time a teacher has talked to them with empathy rather than exasperation or frustration.

When moving on to completing larger projects or tasks that span multiple days or weeks, work with the students to break down the task into steps with specific due dates and check-ins. To build motivation to complete each step, have them think of a way to reward themselves after completing each step. Teachers can start these conversations like this: "This is a big project that will take a lot of time to complete. I know I can get overwhelmed when I have something big to do. What helps me is to make a plan to do little parts, one at a time. We could make a checklist too."

The key to overcoming any challenge with ADHD students is to be sincere in your empathy as well as in your belief that the student can succeed. Communicate this belief to the student, and then make the student your partner in crafting a solution, showing them that you truly value their input.

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Positive, Intentional Supports for Students With ADHD

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An educator with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder shares simple strategies for supporting students with this learning difference.

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A published article from Dec. 8, 2023 on the Northwest Missouri State University website, talks about creating an inclusive classroom for students with exceptionalities. The article list some adaptive devices that can help. The articles talk about the Ereader and text to speech technology that can help students better communicate with both teachers and peers, helping to feel impowered and involved. This is important because students in school without disabilities have trouble feeling like they belong sometimes which makes me think that students with disabilities may have an even harder time, and I think anything we can bring in for students to feel more like the are valued and involved is important for their education and their wellbeing.

resource:

https://online.nwmissouri.edu/programs/education/msed/sped/innovative-trends-students-with-exceptionalities/

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Functional communication training is an evidence based practice strategy for students that that have trouble communicating their wants and needs. This is important because these communication issues can lead to frustration and behavior problems.(d.Browde,L.Wood,alt,2014)

FCT is identified as a strong evidence based strategy for reducing problem behavior.(d.Browde,L.Wood,alt,2014)

FCT involves determining the root of the problem behavior and teaching students the appropriate communication techniques to obtain the desired function. Alternative communication can be be vocalization , sign language, communication boards, word and picture cards, vocal output system, or gestures.

This is important because stopping behavior melt downs before they start can help save valuable instruction time.

resources:

https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IC-3_FINAL_03-03-15.pdf

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social emotional learning is important for special education class because many of these students struggle academically and this can cause frustration and behavior problems.(A.Banks,2022) Teaching students to recognize these thoughts and emotions and how these thoughts and emotions influence their behavior is the beginning. Next we can start teaching them techniques to cope with stressful feelings instead of acting out. Some techniques suggested for calming are doing yoga, using small sensory toys, having the student use sound-canceling headphones, and doing breathing exercises.(A.Banks,2022)

learning these triggers and how to calm your own emotions is important in keeping you classroom in order and focused on learning. these lessons on emotions can be used in many ways throughout the students life and is an important social skill.

references: https://insightstobehavior.com/blog/social-emotional-learning-important-special-education/

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Students learn crucial life skills to help them develop a positive self-image and learn responsibility. Two of the most valuable lessons that can be taught in social-emotional learning in SPED are social and emotional skills-such as learning to see other people's perspectives. These skills can help forge relationships with other students and their teachers, skills that become their sources of support, not of judgment or tension.

The Importance of Social-Emotional Learning in Special Education

SPED students often struggle to meet academic expectations. Their reading skills may lag significantly behind other students their age. If an assignment appears to be too difficult-they are easily overwhelmed, often erupting and becoming belligerent-emotionally out of control.

According to Greater Good Magazine, applying SEL methodologies allows us to help our students focus more proactively on nurturing their social and emotional skills, which include:

Learning to recognize their emotions and thoughts

How their emotions and thoughts influenced the most recent behavior

Coping with stressful feelings or situations

How to maintain positive and cooperative relationships with other

While several SEL programs have budded over the past two decades, many have documented the benefits for students and their teachers; SEL has proven vital in helping students achieve their goals, especially for those students with significant behavioral problems.

Many states now mandate SEL to be part of the curriculum. Students who struggle to keep their impulsive behavior under control benefit from SEL by learning how to recognize and control those behaviors. They also learn to practice self-calming techniques, such as mindful breathing. Additionally, by understanding their strengths and limitations, they know when they should ask for help.

Any student can benefit from SEL however, building social and emotional competency is especially crucial for students with disabilities. Increasing self-efficiency, building stable relationships, and helping students learn how to manage their emotions are factors critical to student success. The increasing research and awareness behind SEL are not only proving beneficial to those with disabilities but to all students.

The Collaborating States Initiative (CSI) was founded in 2016, and has scaled from 8 states to 40 plus states in one U.S. territory.

These figures represent more than 90% of students, teachers, districts, and schools in the U.S. Interestingly, states connected to the CSI were more likely to adopt SEL competencies and 4X more likely to share SEL guidance. The CSI offers over 125resources in its State Resource Center. Every SPED classroom needs a space for students to work on self-management, self-awareness, and responsible decision-making.

SEL in Special Education

Teacher- turned- writer, Rachel Storey, who holds a Michigan teaching license with endorsements in learning disabilities and cognitive disabilities has an arsenal of tools for students to help them regulate. Here are some helpful sites to start your SEL:

The above resources are adaptable for both remote and in-person teaching. They can be used in a remote environment by providing links in an SEL section on your LMS and teaching students, parents, or guardians how to use the resources. Here is a digital calm corner with many activities to help regulate emotions.

Here are four ways how you can support SEL to help your students:

1. Understanding Strengths and Needs: SEL data provides essential insight into SPED students' social and emotional needs. If educators gain insight into areas students are struggling with and areas of strength, they better understand and can better support their needs. Everyone benefits from SEL.

2. Improved Outcomes: Schools are now using SEL screening to identify better and address special ed students' needs. New research on people with disabilities shows that SEL has a broad impact:

SEL contributes to improved behavior and higher grades

Teachers and students benefit from more productive learning environments and enhanced relationships

Trust in educators and teachers increases exponentially

Educators are better prepared to create supportive environments for special ed students to thrive

3. Overcoming Adversity: Adversity is common to all students-they face adversity in their daily lives. Economic situations, environmental conditions, and home factors can impact students' lives and success abilities. Students with disabilities can find these overwhelming - SEL can help.

4. Universal Inclusion and Acceptance: If SEL programs are implemented for all students, SPED students benefit in many ways.

Universal SEL programs promote a culture and climate of inclusion and acceptance

Students are more helpful and empathetic toward students with special needs

Peer-to-peer relationships improve

Students benefit from opportunities to build their own social and emotional competence

They enjoy more trusting and better relationships with their teachers

Bullying decreases when all students receive SEL programming

SPED students, like other students, can benefit from SEL; these assessments help educators better understand their students' needs

Evidence-based SEL programming helps:

Improve student achievement and goal attainment

Provides the tools students need to work through adversity

Promote a school-wide culture of inclusion and tolerance

If your organization or educational facility is ready to take the next step to provide a true SEL environment by creating legally defensible Behavior Intervention Plans, Insights to Behavior is the top-rated online product to help you achieve your goal.

Partnering with Insights to Behavior provides you with many exclusive advantages, such as:

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Why Social-Emotional Learning is Important in Special Education

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Students learn crucial life skills to help them develop a positive self-image and learn responsibility. Two of the most valuable lessons that can be taught in social-emotional learning in SPED are social and emotional skills-such as learning to see other people's perspectives. These skills can help forge relationships with other students and their teachers, skills ...

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Setting Up a Disability-Inclusive Curriculum By Nikhil Kishor & Carl Cooper (Ashley Zimmerman)

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Setting Up a Disability-Inclusive Curriculum By Nikhil Kishor & Carl Cooper (Ashley Zimmerman)

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This articel speaks on how to teach about disabilities. In my opinion, this is a great lesson to teach to all students. If students are aware and understand, they are more likley to interact and treat our friends with disabilities like any other child. The authors, Kishor and Cooper both list great resources for educators to pull from. My favorite is number 5, "Incorporate disability into the historical narrative." (Kishor & Cooper,2022) Taking the history of disability and showing students that this isn't something new and how far we have all come to make disabled people feel and be included.

I would suggest anyone and eveyone that deals with children to read this article. All children need to know that being different is ok and that all children should be included if possible.

Kishore, N. (2022, January 20). Setting Up a Disability-Inclusive Curriculum. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/setting-disability-inclusive-curriculum

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Six strategies for making people with disabilities a part of your students' diverse learning experiences.

As a person with a disability, I (Nikhil) have grown up surrounded by nondisabled figures in the media and in my daily life. As I get closer to reaching adulthood, I've become increasingly aware of the lack of representation of people like me who live with disability every day. While schools make accommodations to the physical environment and instructional approach to help students with disabilities learn and grow, the actual curriculum, the "what students learn," is often silent about disability and the contributions of individuals with disabilities.

Because of the silence in our schools about disability, I've made it my mission to make the world a better place by increasing awareness about disability and shedding light on what it means to live the way I and other people with disabilities live.

Prevalence of Disability

Physical and mental disabilities impact the lives of countless Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in four adults in the United States lives with a disability. As it says in The Future of Disability in America, by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, "If one considers people who now have disabilities, people who are likely to develop disabilities in the future, and people who are or who will be affected by the disabilities of those close to them, then disability affects today or will affect tomorrow the lives of most Americans."

Teachers and curriculum designers are creating more diverse learning experiences that incorporate individuals from all backgrounds, and it's imperative to also incorporate persons with disabilities into curricular instruction. In order to ensure that individuals with disabilities are more fully integrated into school curriculum and, therefore, American society, schools must revise their instructional narratives and adopt more inclusive and representative resources.

Recommendations for Creating a More Inclusive Curriculum

School curriculum and resources should help students construct a deeper understanding of their personal identities; help them develop empathy, understanding, and respect for others; and empower them to redress inequities and improve the world. Teachers should consider the following points, which Mr. Cooper and I developed.

1. Design instructional units that enable students to learn about disabilities. The One Out of Five project from the Washington governor's office has a number of useful resources, including lesson plans that use student voice videos to introduce important concepts about disability, intersectionality of identity, and allyship. For example, teachers can use the Ableism Bingo, which is a useful resource for teaching students about ableism (bias in favor of able-bodied people). Alternatively, the makers of the film Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution developed a curriculum, discussion guides, and lesson plans that teachers can use to extend the knowledge and understanding of disability and of disabled people that the Netflix film offers.

2. Surface and confront misrepresentation of persons with disabilities. Work to dispel preconceived notionsin literature, media, and society. Stella Young's TED Talk, " I'm Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much," confronts the ideology that those who live with disability are inspiring solely because they have it. (Disclaimer: Contains explicit language.)

3. Utilize books and resources that center individuals with disabilities. Rebekah Gienapp's article " 16 Stereotype-Busting Children's Books Starring Disabled Characters " offers some strong recommendations. When reading these books in class, it's important, however, for teachers to focus on the people living their lives, not the disability.

4. Recognize the lives and contributions of individuals with disabilities. People with disabilities have made contributions to science, the arts, politics, and society as a whole. Tiffiny Carlson's " 10 Majorly Successful People With Disabilities " documents 10 well-known persons across the globe who live with disability. As teachers include more diversity in the curriculum, they should focus on the intersectionality of identity. Race, gender, sexual orientation, ability and disability, and social class are all important contributors to identity and society.

5. Incorporate disability into the historical narrative. A Disability History of the United States, by Kim E. Nielsen, centers the historical experiences of individuals with disabilities from pre-1492 to the present and is a wonderful tool for teachers and curriculum designers. The Zinn Education Project also includes resources to help expand and open the historical narrative. For example, the organization suggests that American history teachers utilize materials from the Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement digital collection at the University of California, Berkeley. The collection includes searchable oral histories and archival papers that are a powerful tool to support historical inquiry and research. The Zinn Education Project also recommends that teachers utilize the virtual timelines from 400 BC to the 20th century created by the Museum of disABILITY History.

Final Thoughts on Changing the Narrative

In her TED Talk " The Danger of a Single Story," Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie addresses the importance of stories and narratives that help people, especially children, to make sense of the world, develop empathy and understanding for others, and construct a multifaceted personal identity. She argues, "Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.... When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise."

The stories and narratives we tell and use in our classrooms matter. The resources that we use, the people who appear in our curriculum, and the activities we design for students reveal and promote society's beliefs about identity, diversity, and power. Moreover, they develop or limit potential and belonging within that society. Teachers and curriculum designers must, therefore, review instructional materials and incorporate resources and lessons that include individuals with disabilities.

A more accurate, representative, and inclusive curriculum will support student belonging and the development of a healthy school community-and, ultimately, it will promote a more just, democratic, pluralistic, and egalitarian society.

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Setting Up a Disability-Inclusive Curriculum

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Six strategies for making people with disabilities a part of your students' diverse learning experiences.

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How to Bring SEL to Students with Disibilities 

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How to Bring SEL to Students with Disibilities 

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Social Emotional Learning, or SEL, has become a rising trend in many school districts throughout the nation. Students with disabilities, however, do not always get the same SEL treatment that their neurodivergent peers might receive, or at the very least, they are not getting the proper social emotional support. This article states that administrators must realize and consider these two critical components: "First, they must change the way they think about the needs of these students, seeing them as children who need help developing key skills and strengths in order to meet school expectations rather than assuming they can eliminate their problem behaviors by enforcing consequences or firm limits. Then, educators have to tackle an important question: How can existing research-based SEL strategies and programs be tailored to the needs and strengths of these students?" (Greater Good, n.d.). Assuming that students with disabilities can "fix" their behaviors through incentives or punishments is a tactic that can ultimately go in the opposite direction of the desired trajectory. Rather, educators should strategize on ways that they can best assist their students' needs. This may look different for each student, but once there is an understanding of what challenges a student might face in the classroom, educators can then accommodate. In this article, the following example is given: "For a student struggling with low frustration tolerance, we might provide small chunks of work with the opportunity for a break or other earned incentive" (Greater Good, n.d.). Meet the students with disabilities where they are instead of assuming they can change on a whim.

This topic is important to me because after being in a school district for seven years working as a paraprofessional in a special education setting, I have seen many educators try to use incentives and punishments to correct behaviors, rather than assessing the reason for the behaviors in the first place and trying to accommodate those needs. I think that educators so often assume that behaviors are a form of resistance; while that can sometimes be true, I think it is important that when taking their disabilities into consideration, educators should consider what is and is not out of the student's control, and accommodate accordingly.

Reference:

How to Bring SEL to Students with Disabilities. (n.d.). Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_bring_sel_to_students_with_disabilities

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Providing Special Education Services for Multilingual Learners

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Providing Special Education Services for Multilingual Learners

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Because America has a growing number of English language learners, there is a need for educators and districts to prepare for those rising numbers to hit the schools. ELL students unfortunately are often faced with the reality of either being under or overidentified as needing social education services. Some of this is because a lack of a proper testing system, where ELL students are receiving feedback from biased standardized tests. Too often do educators focus so hard on the language barrier that any learning disabilities might be missed; or on the flip, assuming an ELL child has a learning disability because of a language barrier. Districts and administrators, when believing that an ELL student might have a learning disability, should follow the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, or MTSS, as it is “a comprehensive continuum of evidence-based, systemic practices to support a rapid response to students’ needs with regular observation to facilitate data-based instructional decision-making" (Lo, 2023). This system allows for proper ways to assess a student when trying to determine if an ELL student has a learning disability or not.

This evidence-based practice with EL students interests me because we have had students in our district who have been improperly placed due to a communication barrier. While there has been improvement, I think it is important for English speaking districts to ensure that they are doing what they can to get EL students the proper assistance that they need, whether than means needing special education services or not.

Reference:

Lo, L. (2023, April 17). Providing special education services for multilingual learners. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/special-education-multilingual-learners/

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Nonverbal communication is not a medical diagnosis. Individuals who are nonverbal do not have challenges with reading and writing. The lack of nonverbal skills hinders their motor skills, visual-spatial skills, and social skills. Also, social interaction for nonverbal individuals is difficult. Nonverbal disabilities are not similar to intellectual disabilities. The great struggle for students with nonverbal disability is understanding social cues and not understanding what is important in situation. Students with nonverbal disabilities often misunderstand situations. Some ways to support students with nonverbal disabilities is social skills groups which teach students how to be a part of a conversation and how to handle themselves around others. Another way to support nonverbal students is occupational therapy which strengthen motors skills and cognitive therapy which helps with mental health issues. (Belsky n.d.)

I am sharing this information so educators, parents and caregivers can understand the effects of nonverbal communication so they can make the necessary preparations to help their child socially, emotionally, and academically.

Belsky, G. (n.d.) Understood: What are nonverbal learning disabilities?

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At a glance

Trouble with social skills is a key challenge of NVLD.

NVLD isn't a learning disability, but the difficulties can impact learning.

There are ways to help people improve skills and manage the challenges.

Nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD) is a term that refers to challenges with a specific group of skills. These skills aren't language-based like reading and writing are. They're nonverbal skills, and they include motor, visual-spatial, and social skills.

NVLD isn't an official diagnosis. But the challenges are real and can have an impact on learning and on working. They also make social interaction very hard.

People with these difficulties often have strong verbal skills. But they may not know when someone's being sarcastic. They may talk a lot, but not share in a socially appropriate way. There's also a physical aspect. People with NVLD often have problems with coordination.

These are lifelong struggles, but they aren't related to intelligence. With support, people may improve these skills and learn social strategies that can help. Still, they're often misunderstood and judged, and they may have a hard time fitting in.

About the author

About the author

Gail Belsky is executive editor at Understood. She has written and edited for major media outlets, specializing in parenting, health, and career content.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Bob Cunningham, EdM serves as executive director of learning development at Understood.

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What Are Nonverbal Learning Disabilities?

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Trouble with social skills is a key challenge of NVLD. NVLD isn't a learning disability, but the difficulties can impact learning. There are ways to help people improve skills and manage the challenges. Nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD) is a term that refers to challenges with a specific group of skills.

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Helping Elementary Students Develop Conflict Resolution Skills

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Helping Elementary Students Develop Conflict Resolution Skills

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I am sharing this link because all educators have many duties including helping students resolve conflicts. This resource interests me because I have had students with conflicts before and believe that myself and any educator could benefit from using the strategies in this article and in turn help students develop social and emotional learning. There are communication tools such as an Honest Expression Sheet and a Peace Path in which students use "I" statements to resolve conflicts. These tools focus on what a student notices, feels, needs, and what they'd like from the other student. Educators should remind students that they will both have an opportunity to speak. Teachers can even create their own tool and should give positive feedback and behavior specific praise to improve the classroom environment, learning outcomes, and to build positive relationships in the classroom.

Reference

Fitzpatrick, A. (2024, April 18). Helping Elementary Students Develop Conflict Resolution Skills. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/conflict-resolution-elementary-students

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Helping Elementary Students Develop Conflict Resolution Skills

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These tools help kids practice techniques that foster communication, understanding, and social success in the classroom.

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Dyslexia is an often-misunderstood neurological disorder. Most likely, you will have one or more students at any given time in your classroom with dyslexia, so educators must understand what it is and what it is not (Berman, 2023). Most people believe that letter reversal is the only sign of dyslexia, however this characteristic may or may not present itself in a student with this diagnosis (Morin, n.d.). Children with dyslexia may have trouble with phonics, word recognition, reading comprehension and more, and these issues can affect not just their reading abilities, but other subjects as well such as math. Understood.org suggests using multi-sensory techniques as a proven strategy to help teach students with dyslexia to read. For example, using shaving cream or sand to write letters in, air writing for muscle memory, or sandpaper writing for touch (Morin, 2022).  The website also provides helpful accommodation suggestions, such as providing colorful bookmarks as line readers, allotting extra time, or enlarging print (Morin, 2024).  I am interested in this subject because my granddaughter was recently diagnosed with two of the subgroup types of dyslexia, so I am eager to learn what I can to help her parents set her up for success in school and life.

References:

Berman, L. (June, 2023). How Dyslexia Can Impact an Elementary Student’s Performance in Math. . Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-dyslexia-can-impact-math-performance

Morin, A. (n.d.). 7 Myths About Dyslexia. Www.understood.org. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/common-myths-about-dyslexia-reading-issues

Morin, A. (2022). Multisensory Reading Activities. Www.understood.org. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/8-multisensory-techniques-for-teaching-reading

Morin, A. (2024). Classroom accommodations for dyslexia. Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/classroom-accommodations-for-dyslexia

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I recently overheard a conversation between related service providers in which they were heatedly discussing the best times they could pull a student that they each needed to support. There simply wasn’t enough time in the week for both service providers to get their minutes in while still ensuring the student had adequate time in their core subjects and electives. Having just learned about how related service providers can find creative ways to achieve their minutes in an inclusive manner, I waited intently for that suggestion to surface. It never did. But I felt this would be a perfect example of the need for “push-in” support. The benefits of such an approach are undeniable. Inclusive classrooms where push in support is the norm allow for differentiated instruction of all students, not just those with special education needs. It can also foster empathy as students begin to understand that everyone - everyone - learns differently, and that’s okay and to be expected. All students are supported in this arrangement and all students have high expectations. And most importantly, students begin to see that different is just that….different - not better or worse, just different. Inclusive environments where push-in related services becomes the norm have much to offer our students.

Reference:
Osewalt, G. (2022). 4 Benefits of Inclusion Classrooms (G. Osewalt, Ed.). Www.understood.org. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/4-benefits-of-inclusive-classrooms

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With any disability comes anxiety. Which is understandable because when we can't perform at the same rate as other students, we get anxious. "Typically, anxiety isn’t constant. It comes and goes and may be limited to specific situations. But when the feelings are more frequent and start to take over, people may be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. " (Understood.org, n.d.) I struggle with this in a big way, so knowing that little kids struggle is so upsetting. Encouraging kids with learning disabilities or any disabilities is crucial. It's okay if they do things slower than others and need more time. Most of the time if you have ADHD you can also have anxiety. So if your child or student has one they probably have the other. So it's important to diagnose and treat according to each one and also approach them with care.

Rosen, P. (n.d.) ADHD and Anxiety. Website. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-and-anxiety-what-you-need-to-know

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At a glance

The challenges that come with ADHD can create stress and lead to anxiety.

Many people with ADHD also have an anxiety disorder.

There are effective treatment options for both ADHD and anxiety.

It's common for people with ADHD to have anxiety. In fact, they're more likely to struggle with anxiety than other people. That's partly because the challenges that come with ADHD can create frequent problems - in school, at work, and at home.

People with ADHD have trouble with executive functions - a group of skills we rely on to get tasks done. These skills help us to get organized, plan, manage time, and follow daily routines. They also help us manage our emotions.

Struggling with executive skills day after day can be overwhelming and stressful. And chronic stress can lead to anxiety.

Typically, anxiety isn't constant. It comes and goes and may be limited to specific situations. But when the feelings are more frequent and start to take over, people may be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

Many people with ADHD also have an anxiety disorder. At first glance, it may be hard to tell whether a person has one condition or the other or both. Not only do the two disorders co-occur, but their symptoms can look the same. So, it's important to be evaluated for both, and to treat each disorder individually.

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The challenges that come with ADHD can create stress and lead to anxiety. Many people with ADHD also have an anxiety disorder. There are effective treatment options for both ADHD and anxiety. It's common for people with ADHD to have anxiety. In fact, they're more likely to struggle with anxiety than other people.

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5 Ways Dyslexia Can Affect Kids Socially

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5 Ways Dyslexia Can Affect Kids Socially

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Kids are around other kids all the time at school and it's hard having any type of disability when socially you have to interact with others. This article talks about 5 ways it can affect kids socially and one is language skills. It's not just a vision problem. Communication is important and dyslexia can affect that. Remembering things wrong is another one. "Dyslexia can make it hard to remember specific words or details. This can lead to confusion about what friends said — and to misunderstandings. It can also create awkward situations and conversations." Understood.org, 2022). it makes Kids feel like they can't involve themselves in a dialogue with other kids because they could get something wrong. Kids make fun of anything and everything so getting things wrong or saying things weirdly in a conversation could also allow other children to make fun of that. The other ways are low self-esteem, being out of the loop and missing social opportunities. It's important as parents and teachers to make these children feel like we care and we are here to help, so they feel like they belong.

Horowitz, S.H. (2022, June 6). Understood: 5 Ways Dyslexia Can Affect Kids Socially. Website. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/ways-dyslexia-can-affect-social-skills?from=app

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Dyslexia makes reading and spelling difficult. But you may not realize that it can also make it hard for some kids to interact and socialize.

There are a few reasons for that. First, trouble with language skills can get in the way of communication. ( Dyslexia is an issue with language, not vision.) Problems with memory can also be a factor.

And low self-esteem may make some kids with dyslexia avoid social situations or talking with other kids.

Here are five common social challenges kids with dyslexia may face.

1. Trouble finding the right words

Kids with dyslexia can't always find the words they want to say - especially if they feel strongly about the topic or need to respond quickly. So they may not join the conversation. Or they might jump in and say the wrong thing because they needed more time to think.

2. Remembering things wrong

Dyslexia can make it hard to remember specific words or details. This can lead to confusion about what friends said - and to misunderstandings. It can also create awkward situations and conversations.

3. Low self-esteem

Lots of kids who struggle with reading think they're not as smart as other kids. They may be ashamed or think nobody will want to hang out with them. They may also try to hide their challenges by avoiding spending time with other kids.

4. Being out of the loop

Struggling readers might not read as much as other kids. That can keep them out of the social loop. Not reading the most popular new book everyone else is talking about because it's too hard can be isolating.

5. Missing social opportunities

Learning to read often means extra work for kids with dyslexia. Those who get private reading instruction or tutoring after school can miss out on opportunities to socialize. They may have to give up clubs, sports, youth groups, and just hanging out so they can work on their reading skills.

Looking for more information about how learning and thinking differences can impact kids socially?

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5 ways dyslexia can affect kids socially

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Dyslexia doesn't just affect reading. It can lead to social challenges, too. Here are five examples of how dyslexia affects social skills.

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"Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects how people communicate and interact with others and the world around them. It’s lifelong — you don’t grow out of it." Understood.org, n.d.) This article talks about what autism is and what it affects. It affects how you communicate with others, interact socially, being more literal and not understanding sarcasm, and even how loud you are. There is verbal autism and nonverbal autism. Some people can communicate just fine with having autism and others cannot. They also have repetitive behavior like arm flapping or rocking which is called stemming. Also saying a certain phrase over and over again. When handling kids with autism it's important to understand it to a degree so you can help in the best way for that child. Like the article says, you don't grow out of it.

Morin, A. (n.d.) What is Autism? Website.

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-autism

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Ash, K. (2023, November 21). Assistive-Tech connections. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/assistive-tech-connections/2009/10

I chose this article to give awareness about the use of different technology techniques for working with students diagnosed with Autism. We know that there is no specific learning technique for each student and technology opens up so many ways to help us break the communication barrier with our students. No 2 students with Autism will process or interpret information the same, so if teachers use technology to their advantage, I believe we can see an advancement in our students who learn differently than the typical regular ed student.

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I chose this article because it shows a difference in opinions for the needs of our students and their placement. It explains how easy it would be to just teach every student the same thing, the same way. We know this is not beneficial to our special needs students because they all learn and process information differently. If more teachers kept this opened mindset, we could for sure see a difference in the outcome of our students. Each child's needs will differ from the next, and it is our job as educators to figure out the strategies and techniques that adequately meet the needs of our students in order for them to learn and succeed.

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(This is the final post in a four-part series. You can see Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.)
The new question-of-the-week is:
What is the difference between treating students "fairly" and treating them "equally"? What are some examples of how that looks in the classroom?
In Part One, Dr. Rocio del Castillo, Dr. Julia Stearns Cloat, Holly Spinelli, Sabrina Hope King, Joe Feldman, and Dr. Felicia Darling provided their responses. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with Julia and Holly on my BAM! Radio Show. You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here.

The series will be "wrapped up" today with answers from Rick Wormeli, Pedro A. Noguera, Ph.D., Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Ph.D., and Dr. Sheila Wilson.
Response From Rick Wormeli
Rick Wormeli is a longtime teacher, consultant, and author living in Herndon, Va. His book, The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli: Crazy, Good Stuff I Learned about Teaching Along the Way, is available from www.amle.org/store. His new book, Fair Isn't Always Equal: Second Edition (Stenhouse Publishers), was released in 2018, and his other new book, Summarization in any Subject: 60 Innovative, Tech-Infused Strategies for Deeper Student Learning, 2nd edition (ASCD), co-authored with Dedra Stafford, was just released in 2019. He can be reached at rick@rickwormeli.onmicrosoft.com, @rickwormeli2, and at www.rickwormeli.com:
"Fair" and, "equal" are among the most misapplied concepts in education today, and they are often defined situationally, as in whatever is most convenient for the person in power, which is usually the teacher or parent, rather than finding utility through their true meaning. Throw in "equitable," and we have well-intentioned pedagogy but functional disarray. Dr. Rick Lavoie (Video: "How Difficult Can This Be? The F.A.T. City Workshop," 1989, and, www.ricklavoie.com/fairnessart), refers to Harvard University's Laurence Kohlberg and his moral- development research, which says that most children define fairness as "everyone gets the same." Many teachers and parents succumb to this same definition in most uses. If there are three cookies and two children, each gets exactly one and a half cookies. If one child gets to spend 30 minutes in a favored activity, all other children in the room also get 30 minutes in their favored activities. This, they declare, is fair. What happens, however, if a child has a different need, and the equal allotment of time, energy, approach, or resources among all children won't be sufficient for this child to learn, or he learns it quickly and has no further need for these elements, yet the rest of the class does? Hiding behind one-size-fits-all or equal-treatment-for-all-prepares-him-for-the-working-world sentiments in such a situation is not only ineffective and deeply flawed, it's malpractice. We're hired to teach so that students learn, not merely to present curriculum and document whether or not they can swim with it and claim our job is done. That's a, "gotcha" enterprise, unworthy of a conscientious educator. If one or more students need more or less time, learning methods, support, resources, or teacher creativity to assure academic success, we provide it. Hiding behind a uniform timeline, arbitrarily imposed on all students regardless of learning need on the false assumption that such adherence cultivates personal responsibility, respect for deadlines, and time management is seriously ignorant of what we know about how to cultivate these attributes. No research in any forum declares requiring all students to learn the same content on the same timeline and in the same manner as their classmates as sovereign. Again, we're pragmatists: We do whatever it takes for students to learn and find success, even it's different from what we do for other students, how we learn ourselves, or what the pacing mandate declares. We're human, though, and humans like orderly schematics: We like to move through our lesson sequences in a logical fashion. It helps with accountability measures and lesson planning. Learning among humans, however, is a messy thing, not effectively cast into unyielding steel molds. This is frustrating when we are tired educators in survival mode. It's so easy to do the same (equal) thing with all students, as adjusting anything a little or a lot takes too much energy and creativity we don't have. It's easier, too, to blame the student for his lack of competence when he fails. He was the weakest link in this equation, we think, if only he had tried harder, did his homework, didn't talk so much, asked questions when he was stuck, showed up for class, really listened, learned last year's curriculum better, didn't focus so much on football/Fortnite, and on and on. The uncomfortable realization here, though, is that WE are the ones trained in how students of this age learn, not our morphing, insecure students. We're the adult in the room: We own the student's learning or lack thereof. In his "How Difficult Can This Be?" video, Dr. Lavoie uses the analogy of someone having a heart attack, but the facilitator at the front of the room declares he knows CPR and could apply it and save the person, but he doesn't have time to do it for everyone, so he's not going to do it for the one suffering the attack. Absurd, right? Contrast that thinking with real classroom demonstrations of fairness, i.e., providing what students need, regardless of whether or not it's the same as what we do for others in the class:

Some students are provided additional "frames," graphic organizers, and practice problems because they need them, but other students do not, so they don't get them. This means some students will get more homework/classwork than others, and that's just fine.

Some students get more time to finish their learning while others do not. Again, they didn't need it.

Some students get one set of choices for their projects, while other students get another set of choices, depending on where they need to be challenged.

A student is chronically ill and forced to stay home for a whole school year. The school hires a homebound teacher at full salary just for this one student, spending way more money per student for this one student than they do per student on the healthy students attending school daily.

Some students get to redo learning and assessments multiple times in order to become just as competent as the students who learned the content in their first attempt, and these later- performing students' grades are just as legitimate as the grades of the earlier-performing students.

ELL students are assessed via their native language so as to not distort the accurate reporting of what they have learned about the content being assessed.

Some students are granted alternative ways to demonstrate learning because they don't have access to the same resources after school hours. Alternatively, if requiring a laptop and internet access, low-resourced students are provided with both in their homes by the school at no cost.

If impoverished, hungry students come to school without lunch, we feed them at no cost to them and without casting blame upon them. If the high cost of registration and equipment is keeping impoverished students from playing a favorite sport, we find funding for those costs just for those students.

In order for this "fairness doctrine" to work effectively, the parent must also understand the difference between "need" and "want." Stephen Glenn, noted author and parenting expert, helps us understand this delineation in the following dialogue between a mother and her 14-year-old daughter, as quoted in one of Dr. Rick Lavoie's blog posts: Daughter: "Mom, I need a pair of stone-washed "Guess How" designer jeans. I need $55." Mom: "Nope. I have checked your closet and I agree that you need a pair of jeans. However, you want a pair of designer jeans. I will gladly provide you with what you need. Please accept this check for $35, which will buy you the jeans that you need. If you want the designer jeans badly enough, I am sure that you will find some way to add $20 to my $35."
In our classrooms, fair means providing what they need, not what they want. The problem, of course, is remaining ever attentive to perceiving those needs, even when students are not aware themselves, and to have the courage to act upon them, even when it circumvents school policies and practices. Yes, the student didn't learn the content by the February test date, but that doesn't mean he can't learn and get full credit for it when he does. Yes, she didn't do well with the material on the traditional test format, but she expressed it via another medium and demonstrated every required proficiency, so she gets the same, legitimate "4.0" as everyone else. The standard doesn't stipulate, "When reading on-grade-level text silently and alone," in the evaluative criteria for, "Can analyze rhetoric," or, "understands how literary devices enhance the reader's experience," so we can't limit students to these false presumptions of evaluative criteria when assessing their work. If students hear the same text read aloud with proper vocal inflection by someone who knows what they are talking about, they have a much higher level of comprehension and thus are able to demonstrate these other proficiencies. Fair means we focus on the standard itself, not some false convention or protocol that's not really evidence of the standard. This can actually get in the way of accurate demonstrations of the student's proficiency, and distorting the truth of students' learning is not only unhelpful, it's unethical. When math students do word problems, for example, we're really testing reading comprehension more than mathematics. If the student had the problem read aloud-or translated into their own language if English is not their native language, then we could really assess their math proficiency without language or reading getting in the way of their expression of mastery. Our reports would be accurate and, thereby, helpful. This means that "fair" usually means we disaggregate data as much as we reasonably can, listing individual standards at the top of each test, quiz, test, writing, or project, and students receive unique scores for each one, eschewing the aggregate percentage, letter grade, or rubric number normally seen there. Our assessments become, "revelatory," ("reveal story"), so as to reveal the student's story regarding his learning. Students can demonstrate very different proficiency profiles across multiple standards yet all end up with the same mathematical average or score based on how the teacher aggregates them all into one mark. These students are telling very different stories about their learning, however; and as a result, teachers should respond differently to each of them. They can't do that, though, if the input data is not disaggregated. In order to be fair, then, we have to disaggregate data and respond to students' unique profiles of performance. Some readers may be familiar with the $5 analogy first published in this blog. It makes the case that "fair" also means we do things like assigning different homework, or no homework, to different groups of students on any given day based on what kind of practice after school hours that might need, and it provides a vivid way to convince student's of the value of such a policy. It's worth reading.
Fairness often compels a closer look at equity. In her highly recommended book, Rethinking What We Say About-and to-Students Every Day (2017), Mica Pollock writes,
"Equity efforts ... provide supports to give every young person and all groups of young people a full chance to develop their vast human talents. Equity efforts treat all young people as equally and infinitely valuable. ... [T]hey seek to remedy any situation where opportunities for some are insufficient or expectations low, particularly when young people have long been underserved by schools." This is a catalyst for teacher agency with every student. To do so takes courage of conviction; it's not for the faint-hearted. So, ever the pragmatists and feeling a moral outrage when students and their learning are diminished by fixable things, we do whatever it takes for every single student to learn, not just the easy ones, regardless of whether or not it messes up the lesson plan, is hard, is or is not school policy or practice, colleagues approve or not, or other students' parents complain. Candidly, incompetence in learning is never preparatory or maturing for what's to come. Nor is any student being diminished by racism, classism, punitive grading, or one-size-fits-all-ism. To be competent, students will take different paths from time to time and across time, with each experience facilitated by us teachers. If we claim to be equal student to student, however, we are complicit in challenged students' lack of success. Pray parents and students see us as fair, not equal, then, and that we have the pedagogical fortitude and versatility to manifest it daily.

Response From Pedro A. Noguera, Ph.D.
Pedro A. Noguera is Distinguished Professor of Education and faculty director, Center for the Transformation of Schools at UCLA's Graduate School of Education & Information Studies:
Many schools claim to be committed to equity but continue to rely upon practices that ignore the differences among students and treat them all the same. In part, this occurs because schools often confuse treating students fairly and treating them equally.
This confusion is most evident in the way many schools handle discipline. More often than not, schools disproportionately discipline the students with the greatest needs. This includes students with learning disabilities, English-learners, black students (especially males), students in foster care, students who experience homelessness, and students who are behind academically. In most cases, these students are punished for infractions such as fighting, disrupting the classroom, defying a teacher, etc.
The equity dilemma stems from the fact that we are more likely to respond to the behavioral infractions than to address the underlying cause of the problems. For example, students who have trouble academically may occasionally be disruptive when called upon to read or to solve a math problem because they are embarrassed by their difficulties and seek to draw attention away from their learning needs. In the typical school, such students will be asked to leave the classroom and may even be subjected to more severe punishment. Unless the cause of the behavior problem is addressed, it is unlikely to go away because a child has been referred for discipline, and the academic difficulties may even get worse.
Educators generally feel it is important to treat all students who violate rules in the same manner, even though we know they are not the same, and some have much greater needs than others.
A more equitable approach to discipline starts by acknowledging the differences among students, understanding how the unmet needs of students may influence behavior problems, and devising discipline strategies and consequences (there should be reasonable consequences for discipline infractions) that teach and reinforce the appropriate ethical lessons we want students to receive so that the behavior changes, while minimizing the degree to which we deny students learning time.
This is complex, and I don't mean to make it sound simple. Many schools lack the resources (counselors, social workers, psychologists, etc.) to address the underlying causes of behavior problems. However, if we are serious about using education to expand opportunity for all children, particularly those who are most vulnerable and disadvantaged, we must be more creative and equitable than we are now in how we handle and respond to discipline problems.

Response From Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Ph.D., (@ProfKeefe) is an associate professor/director of graduate teacher education at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. Her research focuses on teacher education, special education teacher preparation, and education policy. She is co-author of Remixing the Curriculum: The Teacher's Guide to Assistive and Digital Technology (Rowman & Littlefield) and Reclaiming Accountability in Teacher Education (Teacher's College Press):
We frequently grapple with the difference between "fair" and "equal" in education, and the familiar go-to is simply that equal means everyone gets the same thing and fair means everyone gets what they need. These definitions signal that we shouldn't use these terms interchangeably, but they also make the concepts seem mutually exclusive-when in fact they are powerfully complementary. Equality can help to create the conditions for fairness: As an incredibly important historical concept in our country, "equal" accelerated the political and moral belief that no one person is superior to another. The "equal" tenet also served as a guide to establishing equitable conditions in public schooling, instead of segregating students by race or excluding them on the basis of ability. Equality is a useful start. Yet we know from our increasingly diverse classroom communities, rich with differences-race, ethnicity, culture, gender, class, linguistic, and learning needs, among others-that treating students equally does not automatically guarantee they can achieve the same outcomes. That's because despite equal schooling protections and conditions, there are other factors which influence students' societal positions. As a result, we have to do more in classrooms to ensure that equal and fair work together. Here's an example: Classroom scenario: Equal Fair While students are provided with equal materials and curriculum, differentiated instruction supports fairness by offering multiple options for learners to derive meaning and understanding from the content. Using equal to leverage fair can help teach our students important lessons about diversity and individual differences that can extend beyond the classroom.

Response From Dr. Sheila Wilson Expecting all students to benefit from the same methods of instruction can keep student achievement stagnant, inadvertently favoring some students and disadvantaging others. Today's classrooms require instructional methods that are as diverse as our students. Assessment is flexible, based on whether students can show what they know based on learner strengths rather than static procedures. In other words, the student who is a strong writer can leverage that skill to demonstrate their understanding of mill working conditions; the student who is very creative can construct a short play which illuminates their understanding of mill working conditions. The same assessment would have diminished students' unique abilities and ignored powerful differences instead of embracing them. When we consider educational equity in today's schools, most people would likely want to believe that all students should be provided with the resources that would enable their success in the classroom. However, assumptions in this case can often prove to be false. When I consider equity, it is seeing a need and finding a way to meet that need! One challenge in education today is the belief that "one size fits all" and that giving everyone who needs a pair of shoes a size 10 is OK. I believe that when we find the shoe sizes of each student and provide them with the correct fit, then and only then are we providing equity which constitutes fairness. For more years than I can remember, the conversation in education has always been framed around the provision of equal access to services for all students. Each year, stakeholders in education speak about closing or decreasing the achievement gap between subgroups. Yet each year, the gap remains and is a glaring reminder of the lack of equitable access of services, support, and even professionals who are vested in making a true difference. Teachers must facilitate a dialogue with students about the distinction between fair and equal. As a teacher, I have this conversation early in the year with my class because this mindset will undergird the climate that I create for my students. Every great lesson, whether academic or social, comes with a hook! To get the fair/equal discussion started, I'd bring two students up and give each student extra multiplication problems. This is of little help to students who have already mastered their facts. That's because each student does not need the same thing. I've shared with my students countless times that we are all different and have varying needs. While true, students must discover how this plays out in their world. Therefore, we must teach our students the difference between fairness and equality. I would continue this dialogue with similar examples driving home the point that each person has unique needs, and therefore, providing equally (the same) is not the answer. Once students begin to embrace the difference, I would have them develop their own real-world scenarios that address fair-vs-equal. Moving from this shared understanding and acceptance, students are less likely to question situations that will certainly arise in the classroom.

: Students are offered multiple opportunities to demonstrate how they understand what they have learned. Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first seven years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. The list doesn't include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the "answers" category found in the sidebar. Look for the new question-of-the-week in a few days. : Students are provided with the same textbooks, curricular standards, and instruction. Students are studying the Industrial Revolution, aligned to the U.S. history standards. They utilize the same textbook. They read aloud from letters penned by the Lowell Mill girl workers. They visit the site of the Lowell Mill to learn about the working conditions, noise levels, and the impact on gender roles. For one assessment, students are asked to describe factory conditions and provided the choice of doing a presentation, penning a letter, writing an essay, or developing a role play.
Dr. Sheila Wilson is a native New Orleanian. She currently works as a 5th grade teacher in Virginia. In addition to instructional leadership, she serves to improve the capacity of students, teachers, and families through her roles as grade chair, lead mentor teacher, and family-engagement liaison.Dr. Wilson is also an adjunct professor, conference presenter, and self-proclaimed lifelong learner. She is passionate about amplifying instruction, school leadership, and equity:

Thanks to Rick, Pedro, Elizabeth, and Sheila for their contributions.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

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'Fair Means Providing What They Need' (Opinion)

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This four-part series on "fair" versus "equal" is being "wrapped up" today with answers from Rick Wormeli, Pedro A. Noguera, Ph.D., Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Ph.D., and Dr. Sheila Wilson.

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A twice-exceptional student (2e) is cognitively gifted and has some neurodivergence (Tahmaseb, 2023). These students are typically misidentified, so there is not an accurate number of how many students are out there. I did not know the term "twice-exceptional" until I found this article. Most schools have a hard time understanding students who are twice-exceptional due to the lack of knowledge about the topic and strategies on how to support them.

"As Dr. Michael Postma writes in ADDitude Magazine, for 2e students, “emotions are more intense because the limbic system, the part of the brain thought to be responsible for emotion and other processes, is overloaded by increased sensory input” (Tahmaseb, 2023).

Here are some strategies for twice-exceptional students: Prioritize student choice, strive for a 4:1 ratio of praise to redirection, build movement breaks into the school day, differentiate as often as possible, explicitly teach SEL skills, and build perseverance.

Reference:

Tahmaseb, R. (2023, November 9). How to support Twice-Exceptional Students. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-support-twice-exceptional-students

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Common pedagogical practices that benefit all students may be crucial for those who are cognitively gifted and have a form of neurodivergence.

Twice-exceptional (2e) students are students who are cognitively gifted and have some type of neurodivergence, such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia. We don't know exactly how many twice-exceptional students are out there-they're believed to be considerably under-identified-but there's a good chance that many of us have worked, or will work, with students who have this unique learning profile.

Yet, many schools don't understand 2e students-their particular strengths and challenges, how to best stretch and support them. In my own experience as an educator who taught for over 14 years, I hadn't even heard the term "twice-exceptional" until our son was identified as such.

A Challenge for Both Parents and Teachers

To parents of twice-exceptional kids, our son's story is familiar. From a very young age he was incredibly bright and creative, but it didn't take long for problems to emerge at school: in his case, emotional dysregulation-a common issue with 2e kids. Thankfully, we were able to have our son tested via neuropsychological evaluation, which confirmed his giftedness and also diagnosed his ADHD. His ADHD was surprising to us. But as we soon learned, with 2e students, giftedness and neurodivergence often mask each other, which is one of the reasons why it's difficult to identify 2e students.

Thanks to the neuropsych evaluation, we also learned that the behavioral issues that had been cropping up at home and at school were rooted in anxiety. As Dr. Michael Postma writes in ADDitude magazine, for 2e students, "emotions are more intense because the limbic system, the part of the brain thought to be responsible for emotion and other processes, is overloaded by increased sensory input." For many 2e students, this overload of sensory input results in anxiety, and anxiety often manifests as emotional dysregulation.

The challenges didn't stop there. We quickly realized that our son's classroom teachers, specialists, and administrators weren't able to provide the support he needed. Like me, most of them hadn't even heard the term "twice-exceptional" before, much less learned strategies for accommodating students like him. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which was this, our family decided to move. Now our son attends a school that is able to create a nurturing environment for all students, neurotypical and neurodivergent. We consider ourselves very lucky.

But families of 2e students shouldn't have to move or change schools in order to find learning communities that embrace their children. Every school should strive to create classroom environments that fit the needs of 2e students. After all, 2e students are everywhere, and the strategies that they need to fully participate in school benefit most other students as well.

It's also important to note that 2e students bring great strengths to any classroom of which they are a part. As Emily Kircher-Morris, LPC, notes in her book Raising Twice-Exceptional Children: A Handbook for Parents of Neurodivergent Gifted Kids, 2e students are gifted with a quick learning pace, strong verbal abilities, strong logic and reasoning skills, divergent thinking skills, and big-picture thinking. As our son's neuropsychologist told us-and our son-twice-exceptional kids often become adults who change the world.

If teachers and school administrators were to become aware of 2e and engage in conversations with parents or caregivers of students who may be cognitively gifted and/or neurodivergent, they could consider recommending neuropsychological evaluation. Taking these steps would be a move in the right direction.

But until the world of K-12 education better understands and supports 2e students, I've learned that I'm going to have to fiercely advocate for my son and others like him. Accordingly, I'd like to share some pedagogical approaches that are crucial for 2e students but also support other students in the classroom.

What educators can do

Prioritize student choice: 2e students often have a much more difficult time focusing on topics and tasks that don't interest them. When they're provided with opportunities to study topics about which they are naturally curious-or to show their knowledge in ways that they find engaging-these students are much more likely to fully engage.

Strive for a 4:1 ratio of praise to redirection: Because of their area(s) of disability, 2e students are often quite accustomed to criticism from adults. Not only that, but these students are usually well aware of their deficiencies and extremely frustrated with themselves for not being able to measure up. A 4:1 ratio of genuine praise to direction can help build much-needed confidence in 2e students while also showing them that you see them as worthy of praise.

Build movement breaks into the school day: In many schools, students don't have enough opportunities to move around, and 2e students require movement breaks in order to recenter themselves, relieve stress, and improve focus. Depending on grade level, movement breaks will look different in terms of type and frequency, but the important part is making sure they are built into each school day.

Differentiate as often as possible: 2e students have both exceptional strengths and exceptional challenges (a combination often described as "asynchronous development"). There's a pronounced discrepancy between their strengths and their weaknesses, as well as between their abilities and what they achieve. So when educators truly differentiate their instruction, they help 2e students build on strengths and develop areas of weakness so that the gap between their abilities and achievement becomes smaller.

Explicitly teach SEL skills: Social and emotional learning is a high priority for 2e students because it's an area that's often quite challenging for them. The more that educators explicitly teach 2e students a vocabulary for their emotions and practical ways to self-regulate, the better able 2e students are to understand, and eventually control, their intense emotions. And when 2e students are better able to control their emotions, they are able to more fully participate at school.

Build perseverance: Because of their giftedness, 2e students aren't usually pushed to the edge of their understanding. So when they do find themselves at the edge, they become anxious. Explicitly teaching a growth mindset helps 2e students understand that new skills can be developed over time. Praising even the smallest of successes during the learning process can make a big impact for these students over time.

Each of these pedagogical approaches is usually considered a hallmark of good teaching. But the important distinction here is that for 2e students, they're not just helpful-they're essential. When we create school communities that accommodate 2e students, we help them become the best versions of themselves. And that's truly a gift that will keep on giving.

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How to Support Twice-Exceptional Students

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Common pedagogical practices that benefit all students may be crucial for those who are cognitively gifted and have a form of neurodivergence.

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Teaching students social and emotional learning will help students when facing challenges. SEL will not fix everything, but it can provide a positive impact. When teaching SEL, educators must also be aware and continuously develop their own social and emotional learning. "The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) developed a framework that defines five core competencies, which are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision-making, and relationship skills" (García, 2024). As educators, we need to recognize that we are all human, but we must practice what we teach to model these social-emotional skills to our students.

Reference:

García, S. N., PhD. (2024, April 2). How SEL helps you as a teacher. Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-sel-helps-you-as-a-teacher

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When students have limited social-emotional skills, they're more likely to struggle when they face a new challenge or conflict. A lack of social-emotional skills can even cause kids to drop out.

Teaching SEL is not a solution for all of the challenges our students face. But there's a lot we can do as educators to make a significant positive impact. It starts with our own social-emotional skills.

Why your social-emotional skills matter

To teach SEL, we need to be aware of and continue to develop our own social-emotional skills as educators. Only then can we model and teach those skills to our students.

Learn more about the five core competencies, why they're important to our practice as teachers, and how you can model them in the classroom.

Identifying and expressing your emotions

Recognizing your strengths and challenges

Having an accurate self-perception and self-confidence

Practicing a growth mindset

Why self-awareness is important to your teaching

Have you ever been upset about a student's behavior, but paused to ask yourself, "Why am I feeling so angry?" You might have run through a quick series of responses in your mind before deciding what to say or do. That is self-awareness.

This response may have been instinctual. Or maybe someone taught you self-awareness skills: how to self-reflect, accurately perceive your feelings, and express those feelings to others.

It can be hard to maintain that level of self-awareness in a busy classroom. We're all human. We won't always be our best selves at every moment of the day. Embracing that reality helps us authentically engage with students, check our biases, question our own motivations, and pause to take stock of our decisions.

Ways to practice self-awareness in the classroom

Acknowledge your own emotions and how they may play into your reactions.

Name the skills you're using (or "think aloud") for your students as you model them. (It's important for students to recognize that you're still learning and practicing these skills, too.)

View students as partners in developing social-emotional skills.

Understand that it may take a little longer for some students to learn social-emotional skills as they develop self-confidence.

After you're aware of your emotions, then you can work on managing them. Self-management is the ability to regulate your emotions, thoughts, and behavior in varying situations. Self-management skills include:

Why self-management is important to your teaching

As educators, we're constantly using self-management skills to meet the demands of a high-stress job and manage life outside of school. So it's not surprising that we all struggle from time to time.

Using these same skills can be hard for students too, especially when you think about the barriers they face in and out of the classroom. Some students might have trouble managing the stress of "not getting it" when the curriculum isn't flexible for their learning and thinking differences.

The same curriculum may also not be historically and culturally diverse enough for them to see themselves represented in it. You might see students who appear to lack motivation or interest.

The barriers that students face can affect not only their readiness to learn, but also your own self-management. It's normal to feel challenged or stressed when you try to grow your classroom practice. It feels new and requires attention when time is short. Consider it an opportunity to build your self-management skills.

Ways to practice self-management in the classroom

What is social awareness?

Social awareness is the ability to understand other points of view, show empathy, respect diversity, and understand social norms. In many ways, social awareness is what helps relationships to thrive. It includes:

Why social awareness is important for your teaching

To maintain and build healthy relationships with students, we need to be aware of and respect other perspectives, values, cultures, and differences. Equity and empathy are both at the heart of this work.

One of the best ways to use social awareness with your students is to get to know them and their families. It helps you decide how to approach lessons, present content, react to student behavior, and more. It also allows you to create opportunities for students to bring their whole selves into your classroom. That is one of the best ways to show your respect for differing perspectives and life experiences.

Ways to practice social awareness in the classroom

Build a classroom community that values the collective good and concern for other people.

Create space and norms for you and your students to talk about how hearing a new perspective changed your point of view.

Ask for your students' feelings and perspectives on the classroom environment.

What is responsible decision-making?

Responsible decision-making is the ability to think about how what you do impacts yourself and others. You make choices about how to behave and interact, based on ethical and social standards and safety. Responsible decision-making includes:

Identifying and analyzing problems and situations

Solving problems as they arise

Evaluating and reflecting on the consequences of your actions

Taking ethical responsibility for your decisions and their outcomes

Why responsible decision-making is important for your teaching

As educators, we juggle decisions every day about workload, time management, and self-care. We all have different values, priorities, and experiences that impact our decision-making.

Because of the different factors that influence our decisions, it can be helpful to draw on colleagues' knowledge and experiences to make choices, like how to best support students who learn and think differently.

Decision-making is a big part of how we interact with students, too. We make choices each day about instruction and classroom management. We also make choices about how to help our students become decision-makers.

Remember that schools have their own set of values that influence decision-making. Many schools value higher education and may focus on sending graduates to college. Think about the decision-making process this requires of students. Imagine how difficult that process may be for students who would be the first in their families to go to college.

Your role in supporting students may be to acknowledge that their process may be very different from your own. Help them identify people with similar experiences who can serve as models.

Ways to practice responsible decision-making in the classroom

Recognize that students need your help to learn to become responsible decision-makers in developmentally appropriate ways.

Share with students your own process as you make decisions and explain the "why" behind them.

Seek out and provide access to diverse role models who have similar experiences as the students in your class.

What are relationship skills?

Relationship skills are the ability to build and maintain healthy and fulfilling relationships with others. Humans are wired for relationships, connection, and community. But these skills need to be developed. Relationship skills include:

Why responsible relationship skills are important for your teaching

Relationship skills help us connect with others. Listening skills, conflict resolution, and communication are important tools we use to navigate relationships.

Like the other social-emotional competencies, building relationships skills is hard work. You need to use the skills of self-awareness and self-management, and to engage with others in a meaningful way. Relationships also require a certain level of trust, vulnerability, and practice. Without practice, we often default to the emotions we are more comfortable expressing.

In the classroom, it can be a challenge for both teachers and students to build trusting relationships. But when it comes to modeling social-emotional skills, there's an added layer: You need to partner with students on building their emotional vocabulary so they can become agents of their emotions.

Students might struggle with expressing themselves, so they need your support. Being able to give and receive help is an important way to build and maintain relationships. It means not just seeking help in a time of need, but also being able to offer help to others. Many of us are better at offering help than we are at asking for it when we need it.

Ways to practice relationship skills in the classroom

Search for the "why" behind a student's behavior before responding.

Identify when an action wasn't appropriate. Provide an appropriate alternative action or response.

Acknowledge that these skills can be difficult to practice.

Find ways to practice problem-solving without actual conflicts, like role-playing.

Build in ways for students to reflect on their own thinking, patterns, and relationships.

Be an active listener and show students you are listening and responding to their feedback.

Plan classroom activities that focus on building trust and a sense of belonging.

As educators, we may not be able to control some aspects of our jobs. We may not be able to directly help with the many challenges our students face outside of school. But we can use our own social-emotional skills to make our classes a safe place where students know we value them, their families, and the experiences they bring to school.

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Social-emotional learning help students learn to manage emotions, make decisions, and solve problems. But social-emotional skills help teachers, too. Learn why SEL is important to your teaching and how it shapes your classroom.

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Kandi Cormier:  Is Autism A Learning Disability?

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Kandi Cormier:  Is Autism A Learning Disability?

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects learning in ways that are similar to learning disabilities, although it is not classified as such. Children with autism are often eligible for special education services, which are covered under special education law that includes 13 types of disabilities, including specific learning disability (SLD). This category refers to challenges in academic skills, such as reading, writing, and math, in which children with autism may also experience difficulties. In addition, autism can cause communication difficulties, social skills problems, sensory processing issues, repeated movements, and limited interests.

While teachers and doctors possess extensive knowledge about how to help with autism and learning disabilities, the strategies used for each can differ. Support systems that work well for children with learning disabilities may not be effective for children with autism, and vice versa. Furthermore, a child can have both autism and a learning disability.

Cunningham, B. (n.d.). Is autism a learning disorder? Understood.org. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://www.understood.org/en/articles/is-autism-a-learning-disability

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Kandi Cormier: I've Heard that autism and ADHD are related. Is that true?

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Kandi Cormier: I've Heard that autism and ADHD are related. Is that true?

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There are similarities in symptoms between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and individuals with one condition are more likely to have the other. While experts have advanced their understanding of the link between autism and ADHD, there are still shared symptoms that can lead to confusion in diagnosis.

It is crucial to comprehensively assess a child's developmental abilities in evaluating for either autism or ADHD. A neuropsychological evaluation conducted by a healthcare professional will cover all facets.

Applied behavior analysis helps autistic children enhance their communication skills and reduce repetitive behaviors. Therapy for ADHD is personalized to boost attention and organization and is often paired with medication.

Harstad, E. (n.d.). I've heard that autism and ADHD are related. Is that true? Understood.org. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://www.understood.org/en/articles/ive-heard-that-autism-and-adhd-are-related-is-that-true

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ADHD in Grade School: 4 Signs you Might See

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ADHD in Grade School: 4 Signs you Might See

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I chose this article because ADHD affects so many people. I struggled in school because of this, so it hits home for me. This would be a helpful article for parents and teachers. This article discusses signs to look for, that may tell you that your child has ADHD. Children with ADHD have trouble finishing tasks, because they are easily distracted. "At school, your child may know the answer to test questions, but leaves some of them blank" (Morin, n.d.). Children with ADHD tend to talk a lot, and have problems with impulse control. "They might have trouble waiting for or giving up on what they want. Your child may argue and pester for something long after you've said no" (Morin, n.d.). Children often daydream instead of focusing on the task at hand.

Morin, A. (n.d.). ADHD in grade school: 4 signs you might see. Understood.

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/adhd-in-grade-school-4-signs-you-might-see

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By Amanda Morin

Are you concerned your grade-schooler has ADHD? There are a lot of things you might notice beyond kids being fidgety or " hyper." Here are signs of ADHD you might see in grade school.

1. Trouble finishing anything

Kids with ADHD can be easily distracted by noises, sights, and even their own thoughts. Your child may start putting toys away but abandon the job to see why the dog is barking. At school, your child may know the answer to test questions, but leaves some of them blank.

Kids with ADHD often talk nonstop and without filtering what they say. Your child may interrupt while you're on the phone or take forever to tell a story. At school, your child may get in trouble for talking when it's quiet time.

3. Needing to have things now

Kids with ADHD can be impulsive and struggle with self-control. They might have trouble waiting for or giving up on what they want. Your child may argue and pester for something long after you've said no. At school, your child may cut to the front of the line and insist on being first.

Kids with ADHD often have trouble paying attention and following directions. They might seem off in the clouds. Your child may ask "what?" a lot even when you're talking one-on-one. At school, your child might get in trouble for not following directions.

About the author

Reviewed by

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Are you concerned your grade-schooler has ADHD? There are a lot of things you might notice beyond kids being fidgety or " hyper." Here are signs of ADHD you might see in grade school. 1. Trouble finishing anything Kids with ADHD can be easily distracted by noises, sights, and even their own thoughts.

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Make SEL Work by Applying These 6 Best Practices

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Make SEL Work by Applying These 6 Best Practices

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I chose this article, because I teach pre-k and SEL is a huge part of our everyday learning. This article would be helpful to teachers. Social Emotional Learning is key to a well rounded education. Implementing SEL practices early on in education is vital. SEL is important because it teaches students "how to manage emotions, achieve goals, show empathy, and build strong relationships" (Stanford, 2022). This article discusses six best practices to help ensure that social emotional learning will work. First, schools must use evidence based practices and also use their own data collection to ensure that SEL is effective in their schools. "School and district leaders should use the findings from that data to adjust and adapt their programs to ensure they're effective" (Stanford, 2022). Second, a one size approach to SEL should never be used. Each student has different individual needs that won't be met with one size fits all. Third, SEL should be put into curriculum and daily lessons. This should be learned and practiced daily in order for it to truly stick with students. "If social-emotional learning is only these 30 minute lessons, and then when you turn around and ignore it, it's not going to stick because students aren't practicing it" (Stanford, 2022). Fourth, everyone in the schools should be involved, this includes not only students and teachers, but administration, counselors, support staff and district leaders. Fifth, strategies must be used that will reach all age groups. "When people think of SEL, they often limit themselves to imagining how it'll look for students at the elementary school level with children learning how to read emotions, practice their handshakes or craft sincere apologies. But effective approaches should go beyond elementary school and be implemented throughout the curriculum at all age levels" (Stanford, 2022). Sixth, schools need to be upfront about what exactly SEL is and how it is being taught. "If people start to really understand what it is , then I think some of the misconceptions around it can kind of go away" (Stanford, 2022).

Stanford, L. (2022, November 7). Make SEL Work by Applying These 6 Best Practices. Education Week.

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/make-sel-work-by-applying-these-6-best-practices/2022/11

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Make SEL Work by Applying These 6 Best Practices

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Researchers outline how school and district leaders can implement successful social-emotional-learning initiatives in schools.

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This resource gives great examples of why SEL should be taught in Special Education and how to teach it. It talks about the importance of Special Education needing to have a universal design for SEL.

Suttie, J. (2019, August 14). How to Bring SEL to Students with Disabilities. Greater Good Magazine. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_bring_sel_to_students_with_disabilities

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It was nine-year-old Tobin's first day at a new public school, and like most kids he was nervous. He didn't know the other students or his teacher, and he already had quite a history of behavioral problems at other schools. He likely wondered whether this experience would be just another failure for him.

However, on that first day, he took a simple but monumental step: He summoned the courage to ask his teacher to take a walk with him. (Tobin's new classroom was intentionally small and supportive, and at times included extra staffing to accommodate such requests.) I don't know what they talked about, but I do know this: In that small request, Tobin set himself on a new path in school, one pointed toward success.

Getting there required a year and a half of hard work and gradual progress. Eighteen months earlier, Tobin had come to my school, a private nonprofit that serves students with emotional, psychiatric, and developmental disabilities who have not been successful in public school settings. He had missed more than 30 days of school in the past year, and when he was in school his behavior was often unpredictable and sometimes explosive. He often struggled to meet academic expectations, and his reading skills lagged significantly behind those of other students his age. When an assignment was difficult for him-or looked like it would be too hard-he was easily overwhelmed, at times erupting with rude remarks or attempts to flee his classroom.

For a student like Tobin (whose name has been changed here to protect his privacy), there are many valid approaches that a typical school might take: extra attention to his reading skills, a course of rewards and consequences for his disruptive behavior, suspensions for particularly challenging behavior, perhaps a suggestion to seek outside counseling or medication.

But we took a different route. While we certainly provided intensive academic supports and efforts to reinforce "good" behavior (and reprimand "bad" behavior) after it occurred, and these strategies did help Tobin, we also focused more proactively on nurturing his social and emotional skills. This included strengthening his abilities to recognize his emotions and thoughts and how they influenced his behavior, cope with stressful feelings or situations, and maintain positive, cooperative relationships with peers and teachers. For example, we helped Tobin realize when he was getting overwhelmed by a difficult-seeming assignment, and ask for help instead of acting out.

Given all of the challenges facing Tobin-and the realities constraining public schools-it's not hard to imagine a focus on social-emotional skills like these being considered a luxury (if even considered at all). And yet social and emotional learning (SEL) can actually prove essential to helping students meet their goals, even-or perhaps particularly-for children with significant behavioral problems. While these children have not traditionally earned the attention of SEL programs, I believe there is good reason for that to change.

But to help students like Tobin develop their social-emotional skills, I believe teachers and administrators must take two critical steps. First, they must change the way they think about the needs of these students, seeing them as children who need help developing key skills and strengths in order to meet school expectations rather than assuming they can eliminate their problem behaviors by enforcing consequences or firm limits. Then, educators have to tackle an important question: How can existing research-based SEL strategies and programs be tailored to the needs and strengths of these students?

Why use SEL for students with disabilities?

While only a handful of states, including Illinois and Kansas, have adopted their own statewide standards for social and emotional learning, many states (like Rhode Island, where I live and work) have made SEL a mandated part of the curriculum. And a bevy of SEL programs have sprouted over the past 20 years, many with documented benefits for students and their teachers.

Despite these trends, there has been little focus on SEL skill development for students with diagnosed psychiatric or developmental disabilities. Very few of the evidence-based programs have been specifically tested with these students in mind, let alone as the primary target. It is not uncommon for SEL programs to require extensive writing assignments or long classroom discussions, tasks that may be impractical for students who have trouble writing or sitting still. Indeed, in my own school program, although we have long had many ad hoc efforts to build the social and emotional skills that we think children need to be successful, it was only this past year that we began to write SEL goals into students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs); by contrast, our standard practice for years has been to write IEP goals targeting decreases in disruptive behavior.

Why focus on SEL development for students like ours? There are several good reasons.

The first reason is conceptual. As Virginia Tech professor and noted author Ross Greene and others have argued, disabilities like AD/HD or anxiety disorders, and the behaviors associated with them, are better thought of as deficits in certain key skills-deficits that may in part be remediated by intensive focus on SEL skill development rather than by trying to stop negative behavior through a regimen of rewards and consequences or even medication. For instance, students struggling in school might particularly benefit from help learning how to inhibit impulses to lash out and to practice calming techniques instead (like mindful breathing), or how to develop a realistic sense of what their strengths are and when they need to ask for help (and from whom).

There is now a wealth of evidence to suggest this approach works. Research led by SEL pioneer Joseph Zins has shown that supporting social-emotional skills like these not only reduces students' distress and behavior problems but also improves their chances of success in school. Studies of specific SEL programs have shown similar results: The Second Step program has been found to reduce aggressive behavior and promote kind, helpful-or "prosocial"-thinking; the PATHS program has shown similar benefits while also helping to improve students' academic performance. In fact, a meta-analysis of 213 separate studies found that, on average, kids who participate in SEL programs see their academic achievement test scores increase by 11 percentage points.

Finally, although students with significant behavioral problems frequently receive plenty of attention in school, too often this attention comes in the form of frustration, disappointment, and rejection from teachers and peers. Teaching them social and emotional skills-like taking the perspective of others-can help them reach the point where their relationships become sources of support, not of tension or judgment.

This is particularly important for students' relationships with their teachers. The teaching profession has high rates of turnover and burnout; working with children who demonstrate challenging, disruptive, and resistant behavior can only intensify that stress. However, there is preliminary evidence to suggest that teachers' view of their students can be improved, and their stress levels reduced, by emphasizing a model of "skill deficits" for students with behavioral problems-focusing on the skills and strengths students need to develop rather than the problems they need to reduce-and giving teachers a framework to help students develop these skills.

How to teach SEL to students with disabilities

Clearly, teaching SEL skills to students with psychiatric or developmental disabilities has great promise. But, as with teaching academics to such students, it also comes with great challenges. How do we approach this?

In our school programs, we use a variety of strategies to both explicitly teach social-emotional skills and to embed practices that reinforce these skills throughout the school day. We do use evidence-based programs that offer direct SEL instruction, such as Second Step, Skillstreaming, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Typically, this instruction occurs through group therapy sessions taught by our psychologists, social workers, or speech/language therapists.

But regardless of the program, getting positive results out of these lessons for our students requires two additional steps. First, as we present the material, we often use classroom strategies that proactively address the challenges that might otherwise disrupt learning. For instance, with a student who has a tendency toward hyperactivity, when presenting a lesson we might take frequent movement breaks, use specialized seat cushions, or allow that student to stand at her desk. Or, for a student struggling with low frustration tolerance, we might provide small chunks of work with the opportunity for a break or other earned incentive.

Along these lines, we also consistently tailor SEL programs to match students' academic abilities, which may include reducing written expectations, repeating key concepts, or providing flow charts, outlines, or other visual/graphic supports.

The second key to using the evidence-based group lessons from SEL programs is to have follow-up by our teachers and classroom staff. This may involve using language from the program in more individualized coaching sessions, special reinforcement programs (e.g., "catch 'em being good" programs targeted at prosocial behaviors such as kindness or persistence), or other efforts to translate group materials into the rest of the week's curriculum. What's more, in some of our schools, we also try to use similar language and programs at a whole-school level to ensure consistency across classrooms.

But much of what we do to facilitate SEL skill development is less structured and more opportunistic. Having a brief "check-in" about a particular challenge or taking walks (as Tobin requested) are opportunities to help students develop awareness of their strengths and needs, and strategies to better regulate their behavior. (Asking a school counselor or administrator to cover a classroom or talk with the student might make these options more realistic when a teacher is alone with a large class for most of the day.) At our school, we sometimes have these conversations with an entire class, as when a class I was working with was having a difficult time listening quietly as their teacher read aloud to them; a targeted conversation with students led to the (student-generated) idea of having them draw at their desks while the teacher read, which in turn led to much more attentive and quiet read-alouds!

One of my favorite ways to practice social and emotional skills in school is to use games. Games are naturally engaging and fun; plus, I believe they offer a decent real-life approximation of situations where students might apply the skills we're targeting. With selected games, I can have students practice skills like impulse control, oral communication, listening, or empathy without even realizing they are learning these skills. For example, I sometimes play a game where two students sit back-to-back with an identical set of Lego blocks, and one has to match the design created by the other without seeing it. Students must practice both giving specific instructions and active listening to succeed. Another game, to promote empathy skills, involves a variation on the old "Newlywed" game, where students gain points by correctly guessing how other students would answer questions about their favorite sport, likes, or dislikes.

Even with all of these efforts, I think it's important to note: Rewards and consequences do have their place; they help us strengthen budding skills and set limits on unhealthy behavior patterns/reactions. For instance, our classrooms often employ individualized behavior plans, allowing students to earn points for responsibility, safety, or on-task behavior, and then later redeem those points for privileges such as time playing games or using the computer. In addition, we also set limits on certain disruptive behaviors, limits that may include asking students to leave the classroom or requiring them to make a plan for how they will cope safely with a particular challenge before they can resume their regular activities. These systems play an important role in helping us make explicit and monitor the social-emotional skills that we are attempting to instill in our students and in creating a safe place where these skills can be nurtured.

Teaching social and emotional skills to children with significant behavioral problems is not easy. It requires both a good grasp on existing evidence-based strategies and a creative approach to modifying these strategies. It requires a patient teacher who can build strong relationships with students and has an eye for seeing students' challenges as opportunities to teach and coach (not to mention catching a situation before it erupts into a crisis).

For Tobin, at our school this involved taking away his old go-to strategies (like running away from class), despite his initial strong opposition, and helping him see teachers as adults who could also care for him. And it involved teaching him to take a deep breath or ask for help before he got totally overwhelmed by an assignment that looked difficult.

On a practical level, he went on a lot of walks with his teacher (while an aide remained with the class) to take a break from the classroom, discuss what he was worried about, and make a plan to tackle the challenge. Over time, he internalized this set of strategies-enough so that when he finally returned to a public school setting, he was able to ask his teacher for that helpful walk and set out on a new, more constructive path to success.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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How to Bring SEL to Students with Disabilities

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Social-emotional learning programs have not traditionally targeted students with psychiatric or developmental disabilities. Here's why they should.

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With the advances in technology that are available today, our Special Education students have a large array of resources that we need to tap into for them. Technology can help level the playing field and help communication among students.

Nieves, K. (n.d.). Empowering Special Education Students with Technology. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/empowering-special-education-students-technology-kathryn-nieves

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Learn how one educator uses G Suite for Education to help students overcome their negative self-images and embrace learning.

One of the biggest problems I encounter as a resource room teacher is the self-esteem of the students in my classes. After years of disappointing academic experiences, their confidence is low and their motivation has declined. Combine those points with the peer pressure, bullying, and stresses of middle school, and the students do not have a positive outlook on their education.
Use Google Classroom for Choice and Personalized Learning
In my classroom, technology is a tool for empowerment-it creates a collaborative and innovative space for all students. Along with over 50 million educators and students, I am primarily using Google's G Suite for Education. The suite is a bundle of Google's key products, such as Drive, Docs, Slides, and Forms, along with new tools like Google Classroom. While I used these applications in a middle school classroom, the following strategies are appropriate for any age from upper elementary students to high school seniors.

My special education students typically miss out on taking courses of personal interest. Electives are often replaced with supplemental math or reading classes to bring the students up to grade-level expectations. So I decided to bring student interests into my resource rooms. While we still have to follow the curriculum and I have to modify it based on individual needs, I wanted to implement more choice and personalized learning in my instruction.
© Kathryn Nieves
I typically share a choice board or a HyperDoc to Google Classroom in order to provide my students with their own avenues for learning. A choice board is a graphic organizer that offers students options of tasks to complete. A HyperDoc is a digital lesson plan that also incorporates choice in student learning. I provide students with tasks they are required to complete and a variety of tasks they can choose from and can complete at their own pace. This individual pacing helps to increase student ownership and accountability for their learning-traits that all students need, especially students with special needs.
Create "20 Percent Time" for Passion Projects
Sometimes the HyperDoc is as simple as a multimedia text set from which students choose what they would like to read and view. For some assignments, students use YouTube to view a video I've created about the topic. Then they have their choice of an article to read based on their own individual interests. Students can choose to use Google Slides, their own YouTube video creation, a Google Form to survey others, or other technology tools to show what they've learned before sharing with their peers via Google Classroom. Students are given the freedom to demonstrate their knowledge in their own way and tend to feel more invested in learning because of the choices they are given.

Based on Google's philosophy of having employees devote part of their work time to projects of personal interest, I have my students choose an area of passion that is not in the curriculum. They develop a step-by-step plan to help them reach their goal and set timeframes to measure their progress. For some students, organization is a challenge. Since they have to keep track of all of their materials and work, as well as plan their project step by step, the project gives them the tools they need to practice organization. This project is a long-term assignment, so I give my students about half of the school year to complete their work.

The students excel at these projects. I had a student draft an entire graphic novel on paper, scan it to her Google Drive, and then use the PDF annotation extension Kami to add text to the thought and speech bubbles. Technology enabled her to create a professional-looking manuscript that she can add to her portfolio as she pursues art in high school. Other students completed their experience by sharing their projects with their peers through Google Slides, video recordings, and other presentation software.
Use Tools to Aid Discussion and Collaboration
Though there were challenges, my students enjoyed the opportunity to work on these passion projects and were able to use problem-solving skills to overcome obstacles. The concept of problem solving is tough for special education students to grasp, but having them work on their own choice of project helps unlock their ability to work through challenges.

Because of the nature of some of their disabilities, my students struggle with communication. Group work is difficult, and discussions are often one-sided. I knew my quiet students had insightful comments to share but were reluctant to speak up in class, and my outgoing students needed to take more time to craft their responses. Again, technology helped all these students work through their challenges.

I use the Google Slides Q&A feature during class presentations. The students access a question-based page associated with the presentation and can post questions, which the presenter can refer back to at the end of the presentation. My quieter students felt more empowered from behind a keyboard, and they actively shared ideas and asked questions. For my students anxious about speaking in front of others, the anonymity made them feel relaxed during discussions. My eager speakers were also aided by technology. Because they had to take the time to type an answer, as opposed to just saying whatever popped into their heads, they paused and reflected before typing. They began to think about their words carefully as a result of the digital discussions.

Verso is another way I've encouraged collaboration and discussion. Through this Chrome app, I can post questions for my students. They cannot see each other's responses until they post something themselves. Since responses are anonymous, my students with anxiety feel at ease about their contributions.

Technology has eased the disappointment and frustration that my students feel when faced with academics. It has helped me reach out to my students, rekindled their passion for learning, and empowered them to not only find success but also feel confident in the classroom.

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Using Technology to Empower Students With Special Needs

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Learn how one educator uses G Suite for Education to help students overcome their negative self-images and embrace learning. One of the biggest problems I encounter as a resource room teacher is the self-esteem of the students in my classes. After years of disappointing academic experiences, their confidence is low and their motivation has declined.

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"Trauma-Informed Practices in Schools: A Guide for Educators" by Jennings (2020) offers comprehensive insights into implementing trauma-informed practices within educational settings. The book provides practical guidance for educators on understanding the impact of trauma on students and creating supportive environments that promote healing and resilience. It explores strategies for fostering trauma-sensitive classrooms, building positive relationships with students, and implementing trauma-informed interventions. Through case studies, research findings, and practical tips, the guide equips educators with the knowledge and tools to effectively support students who have experienced trauma, ultimately enhancing their academic and emotional well-being.

Jennings, A. (2020). Trauma-informed practices in schools: A guide for educators. Guilford Publications.

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"Inclusive Technologies: Tools for Helping Diverse Learners Achieve Academic Success" by Edyburn (2013) delves into integrating technology to support diverse learners in achieving academic success. The book overviews inclusive technologies and their applications in educational settings. It offers insights into how technology can be leveraged to accommodate diverse learning needs, including students with disabilities. Through practical examples and case studies, Edyburn highlights the benefits of inclusive technologies in promoting accessibility, engagement, and learning outcomes for all students. The book is a valuable resource for educators seeking to integrate technology effectively to support diverse classroom learners.

Edyburn, D. L. (2013). Inclusive technologies: Tools for helping diverse learners achieve academic success. Routledge.

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Students with Language disorders vary from nonverbal, Stutters, articulation, and syntax (forming sentences). Students with Language disabilities have several effective strategies but look different depending on the criteria of the language disorder. Assuring students to take their time and not pressuring them to answer is always the most effective. Students with stutters seem to work well with a peer who can speak for them and reassure them with their responses. Stutters intensify under stress. Students who struggle with articulation tend to speak fast and are harder to understand. Teachers should not speak for them or constantly correct them. Instead, have them describe or break down what they are trying to convey. They must be in a warm welcoming environment, utilizing rhymes, riddles, and projects that emphasize sounds. We must practice patience and understanding all students with language disabilities. These language misunderstandings often lead to behavioral problems and trigger deeper Confidence issues.

Language disorders: Recommendations for teachers. (n.d.-a). https://www.education.udel.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/LanguageDisorders.pdf

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The reading shows that a high number of individuals initially diagnosed with autism also receive a diagnosis of intellectual disability later in life, particularly during the transition to adulthood. It talks about the challenges in finding appropriate support services. The study found that many people with autism also get diagnosed with intellectual disability as they get older, especially when they become adults. there may be problems with getting the right support, especially if their Medicaid coverage is interrupted. Researchers discuss Medicaid rules to make sure people with autism can still get help as they grow up. This shows how important it is to support people with autism throughout their lives, not just when they're kids. In a classroom it's important to help students with autism feel comfortable and understand what's happening. Some ways to do this can be having a predictable routine. You could use pictures to show what's next. Providing tools to help with sensory issues, like noise-canceling headphones or quiet spaces. Communication support can be things like using visuals or special devices adn this can also make it easier for them to express themselves and participate in class activities.

Heasley, Shaun. "Limited Autism Services May Drive Increase In Intellectual Disability Diagnoses." , 24 Oct. 2023, www.disabilityscoop.com/2023/10/24/limited-autism-services-may-drive-increase-intellectual-disability-diagnoses/30597/.

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Inclusive Learning in A Special Education Classroom

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Inclusive Learning in A Special Education Classroom

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Inclusive learning is the concept of inclusive education, which aims to provide equal opportunities for students with disabilities to learn alongside their peers without disabilities. It explains that inclusive education promotes diversity, acceptance, and understanding among students, leading to better social integration and improved academic outcomes. The article also highlights the benefits of inclusive education for both students with disabilities and those without, such as increased empathy, tolerance, and better preparation for the real world. It emphasizes the importance of creating inclusive classrooms that accommodate all students' needs and provide appropriate support and resources. The article titled "More Inclusion for Students with Special Education in Your School" by Maurice Elias discusses the importance of inclusivity and providing support to students with special education needs. The article also explores how to create a more inclusive environment, including promoting acceptance, adapting teaching methods, and ensuring access to resources and support services. It highlights the significance of collaboration between teachers, parents, and specialists to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities. Overall, the article advocates for a more inclusive education system that values and supports every student by addressing common concerns and misconceptions about inclusive education, advocating for its widespread implementation to foster an inclusive and equitable education system for all students.

I chose this topic because I have a little boy of my own who is autistic. My goal one day for him is to be able to learn alongside general ed children and experience that inclusive education, because he deserves that!

Elias, M. J. (2013, May 31). Special Education: Promoting more inclusion at your school. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/more-inclusion-students-special-education-your-school-maurice-elias

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Social and Emotional Learning in Special Education Starting off this new school year comes with its mix of excitement and challenges. One trend that has caught my attention is the integration of social and emotional learning (SEL) into the curriculum. It's about equipping students with essential life skills such as understanding emotions, managing stress, and building healthy relationships. SEL is very important in special education because it helps students with disabilities navigate social interactions and make responsible choices. By incorporating SEL into our classroom activities, we aim to create a supportive environment where every student can thrive academically and emotionally. This is what can make or break a child with a disability.

How SEL enhances Special Education and beyond?" Epic Special Education Staffing, 7 Aug. 2018, epicspecialeducationstaffing.com/how-sel-enhances-special-education-and-beyond/.

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Individualized support in education, specifically focusing on Universal Design for Learning explains how UDL aims to provide personalized assistance to students with diverse needs and learning styles. The article highlights the importance of tailoring teaching methods, materials, and assessments to meet individual students' requirements. It emphasizes that individualized support helps students fully engage in the learning process, promotes their independence, and leads to academic success. The article also provides practical strategies and examples for implementing UDL in the classroom. It discusses strategies to support children with special needs during their transition to kindergarten. It emphasizes the importance of collaboration between parents, educators, and therapists to ensure a smooth transition. The author suggests creating an individualized transition plan, which includes preparing the child for the new environment through visits, social stories, and visual schedules. Additionally, maintaining open communication and sharing information about the child's needs and strengths with the school is crucial. The article also highlights the significance of building relationships with the child's new teacher and providing ongoing support during the initial days of kindergarten. It emphasizes the need for understanding and patience in this transition process, acknowledging that each child will have unique needs and may require different levels of support. Overall, the article provides practical advice and resources for helping children with special needs have a successful transition to kindergarten.

Bodine, M. (2020, July 2). Helping children with special needs transition to kindergarten. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/helping-children-special-needs-transition-kindergarten

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Limited Autism Services May Drive Increase In Intellectual Disability Diagnoses

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Limited Autism Services May Drive Increase In Intellectual Disability Diagnoses

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The reading shows that a high number of individuals initially diagnosed with autism also receive a diagnosis of intellectual disability later in life, particularly during the transition to adulthood. It talks about the challenges in finding appropriate support services. The study found that many people with autism also get diagnosed with intellectual disability as they get older, especially when they become adults. there may be problems with getting the right support, especially if their Medicaid coverage is interrupted. Researchers discuss Medicaid rules to make sure people with autism can still get help as they grow up. This shows how important it is to support people with autism throughout their lives, not just when they're kids. In a classroom it's important to help students with autism feel comfortable and understand what's happening. Some ways to do this can be having a predictable routine. You could use pictures to show what's next. Providing tools to help with sensory issues, like noise-canceling headphones or quiet spaces. Communication support can be things like using visuals or special devices adn this can also make it easier for them to express themselves and participate in class activities.

Heasley, Shaun. "Limited Autism Services May Drive Increase In Intellectual Disability Diagnoses." , 24 Oct. 2023, www.disabilityscoop.com/2023/10/24/limited-autism-services-may-drive-increase-intellectual-disability-diagnoses/30597/.

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A surprisingly high number of kids with autism are later diagnosed with intellectual disability, researchers say, and they suspect the trend is rooted in an effort to retain services into adulthood.

In a study looking at Medicaid beneficiaries nationally between 2008 and 2016, researchers found that 1 in 5 individuals ages 8 to 25 who enrolled in the government health care program with an autism diagnosis alone later received an intellectual disability diagnosis. The trend peaked at age 21 when young people are transitioning to adulthood.

While about a quarter of Medicaid beneficiaries with autism are dually diagnosed with intellectual disability, the high number of people adding the label at older ages was surprising, according to Meghan Carey, a doctoral student at Drexel University who led the study published recently in the journal Autism.

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"We would expect the number of accrued intellectual disability diagnoses after age 8 to be substantially lower than the observed 19%," said Carey who indicated that intellectual disability can usually be diagnosed in childhood especially given that schools often conduct cognitive testing.

Individuals with autism who experienced disruptions in their Medicaid coverage were more likely to subsequently get an intellectual disability diagnosis, the study found.

"New intellectual disability diagnoses may help autistic youth with coverage disruptions regain - or when receiving a diagnosis proactively, retain - Medicaid coverage and allow for continued health care service access," Carey said. "However, it may also mean that autistic young people are no longer receiving services related to their autism diagnosis, which could have negative effects on their health."

The study authors said their findings suggest that states should modify their Medicaid waivers to cover people with autism as adults.

"Their service needs don't just end when they become adults," Carey indicated. "Given Medicaid is a critical safety net insurer and the lifelong needs of autistic individuals, policies aimed at ensuring Medicaid coverage continues from childhood throughout adulthood are essential to meet the health care-related needs for autistic people."

Read more stories like this one. Sign up for Disability Scoop's free email newsletter to get the latest developmental disability news sent straight to your inbox.

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Limited Autism Services May Drive Increase In Intellectual Disability Diagnoses

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A surprisingly high number of kids with autism are later diagnosed with intellectual disability, researchers say, and they suspect the trend is rooted in an effort to retain services into adulthood.

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How SEL enhances Special Education and beyond?

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How SEL enhances Special Education and beyond?

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https://epicspecialeducationstaffing.com/how-sel-enhances-special-education-and-beyond/

Social and Emotional Learning in Special Education Starting off this new school year comes with its mix of excitement and challenges. One trend that has caught my attention is the integration of social and emotional learning (SEL) into the curriculum. It's about equipping students with essential life skills such as understanding emotions, managing stress, and building healthy relationships. SEL is very important in special education because it helps students with disabilities navigate social interactions and make responsible choices. By incorporating SEL into our classroom activities, we aim to create a supportive environment where every student can thrive academically and emotionally. This is what can make or break a child with a disability.

How SEL enhances Special Education and beyond?" Epic Special Education Staffing, 7 Aug. 2018, epicspecialeducationstaffing.com/how-sel-enhances-special-education-and-beyond/.

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How's starting off a new school year for you so far?

Do you still feel excited each day? Or do you already have so much on your plate?

While every beginning of the school year brings different emotions, caseloads, paperwork, and challenges, still obviously, it is every educator's goal to bring a positive impact on students academic lives. Less commonly known however is that there is a growing movement encouraging teachers to become more involved in their students' emotional and social needs as well.

It is believed that social and emotional learning (SEL) can actually prove essential to helping students meet their goals, even for children with significant behavioral problems.

SEL refers to a student's ability to express emotions appropriately, show empathy for others, build positive relationships and generally make good decisions. It allows teachers to better connect with their students, which is likely to improve academic performance. This is especially the case for students in special education and those with severe behavioral issues.

"Most models of special education focus on pairing a special education teacher and a general education teacher in the same classroom to support student learning, the more exposure that special and general educators have to [social emotional learning] tenets, the more effective they are in supporting student needs," said David Adams, director of social-emotional learning at Urban Assembly.

What is SEL?

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

Core SEL Competencies:

The ability to accurately recognize one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior. The ability to accurately assess one's strengths and limitations, with a well-grounded sense of confidence, optimism, and a "growth mindset."

Identifying emotions

Accurate self-perception

Recognizing strengths

Self-confidence

Self-efficacy

The ability to successfully regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations - effectively managing stress, controlling impulses, and motivating oneself. The ability to set and work toward personal and academic goals.

Impulse control

Stress management

Self-discipline

Self-motivation

Goal-setting

Organizational skills

The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds and cultures. The ability to understand social and ethical norms for behavior and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

Perspective-taking

Empathy

Appreciating diversity

Respect for others

The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. The ability to communicate clearly, listen well, cooperate with others, resist inappropriate social pressure, negotiate conflict constructively, and seek and offer help when needed.

Communication

Social engagement

Relationship-building

Teamwork

The ability to make constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on ethical standards, safety concerns, and social norms. The realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and a consideration of the well-being of oneself and others.

Identifying problems

Analyzing situations

Solving problems

Evaluating

Reflecting

Ethical responsibility

SEL Approaches

Effective SEL approaches often incorporate four elements represented by the acronym SAFE:

Sequenced: Connected and coordinated activities to foster skills development.

Active: Active forms of learning to help students master new skills and attitudes.

Focused: A component that emphasizes developing personal and social skills.

Explicit: Targeting specific social and emotional skills.

Ideally, schools will use SAFE approaches to support the social and emotional development of their students. For example:

Children can be taught through modeling and coaching to recognize how they feel or how someone else might be feeling.

Prompting the use of a conflict-resolution skill and using dialoguing to guide students through the steps can be an effective approach to helping them apply a skill in a new situation.

Through class meetings, students can practice group decision-making and setting classroom rules.

Students can learn cooperation and teamwork through participation in team sports and games.

Students can deepen their understanding of a current or historical event by analyzing it through a set of questions based on a problem-solving model.

Cross-age mentoring, in which a younger student is paired with an older one, can be effective in building self-confidence, a sense of belonging, and enhancing academic skills.

Having one member of a pair describe a situation to his partner and having the partner repeat what he or she heard is an effective tool in teaching reflective listening.

You can find the whole article here: casel.org

Find SEL Research here:
https://casel.org/research/ If you want to know how to implement SEL in school and integrate SEL in the classroom? This is a great source for you! Why SEL is important to Special Education? In case you're a bit curious about a teacher's view of SEL, here's one for you!
We are not affiliated with any organization or bloggers mentioned in this article. But we thought that by sharing these articles will help you towards your goal to positively impact students academic lives.

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How SEL enhances Special Education and beyond?

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How's starting off a new school year for you so far? Do you still feel excited each day? Or do you already have so much on your plate? While every beginning of the school year brings different emotions, caseloads, paperwork, and challenges, still obviously, it is every educator's goal to bring a positive [...]

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(Melvis Cruz) 8 ADHD teaching strategies

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(Melvis Cruz) 8 ADHD teaching strategies

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This article shares 8 different strategies to help students with ADHD to transition from one thing to the next. As I was reading it, I was thinking I can use these with all students. I can start using these to help me transition from one task to the next. The eight strategies are, visual of transition time, in the moment positive private redirection, breaking the directions into multi step directions, setting a visual timer of how much time is left, using a visual checklist or schedule, taking brain breaks, pausing 5-7 seconds after asking a question and before calling on students, and the most important one is teaching with empathy. I think these strategies can be use to set expectations at the beginning of the school year and can help all students.

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Students with ADHD can have a hard time focusing in class. They might also have trouble remembering directions or act impulsively even if they know the rules. But there are teaching strategies you can use to help students with ADHD - and all students - thrive in your classroom.

Here are eight teaching strategies to try.

1. Give transition warnings.

ADHD can make it hard for students to transition from one activity to another. Giving advance notice can help students switch gears and be prepared for what's next.

One way to do this is by using nonverbal signals. As one example, you can tell students you'll tap on their desk as a sign that you'll call on them next.

Learn more about nonverbal signals.

2. Give feedback with respectful redirection.

Since kids with ADHD can have trouble managing emotions, it helps to give feedback that's immediate, calm, and concise.

Respectful redirection is a positive behavior strategy you can use to give in-the-moment feedback without making a big deal of it. Address the issue with the student as quickly and as privately as possible.

Learn how to use respectful redirection.

3. Break directions into chunks.

Students with ADHD can have trouble following multi-step directions. One way to help is to break down directions into manageable chunks. This may take a little more of your time at the start of an activity. But it will save you and your students time, confusion, and frustration in the end.

Imagine that you're giving students class time to work on ongoing art projects. First, you could review the purpose of the project. Then go over the materials list and give students time to take them out. Once you've checked that all students have their materials, give clear instructions for how to continue working on the project.

Share with families how they can break down assignments at home.

4. Set a timer.

Knowing there's a limit to how long an activity will last can make it easier for students with ADHD to stay engaged. You can use a timer to show the time left in an activity or how much time until a break. Timers can also warn students about transitions.

Try projecting a physical timer on your document camera. Or use one of the many free classroom timers you can find online.

Keep in mind that timers can make some students nervous. If you have anxious students, try a different strategy.

5. Use checklists and schedules.

Time management and organization can be challenging for students with ADHD. They may have a hard time getting to class or finishing tasks on time. Or they may have trouble finding materials in their backpacks, lockers, or desks.

Schedules and checklists can help students get organized. You can also send home these organization printables so families can help their kids get organized.

6. Take brain breaks.

Sitting still for long periods of time can be hard for students with ADHD. Brain breaks can help by switching up what they're doing for a few minutes.

Brain breaks are quick, structured breaks using physical movement, mindfulness exercises, or sensory activities. Movement breaks like stretching give students a chance to get up and move around. Relaxing brain breaks like deep breathing can help calm students and allow their minds to settle enough to shift focus.

Explore different kinds of brain breaks.

7. Use wait time.

Students with ADHD sometimes rush to answer a question or say the very first thing that comes to mind. Wait time, or "think time," is a strategy that helps students with ADHD and those who need more time to process information.

With wait time, you ask a question and then pause for three to seven seconds before taking responses. This pause helps students think about their answers before sharing. And when students see that wait time is a part of your routine, they'll know they don't have to rush to give a response.

8. Teach with empathy.

Remember, students with ADHD don't mean to misbehave or get distracted. They're often trying as hard as they can to pay attention or stay organized. But ADHD can make it harder for them. When you keep this in mind and approach your students with empathy, you can help them feel understood and supported.

Learn more about teaching with empathy.

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How can teachers support students with ADHD? Try these ADHD teaching strategies and tips to help students focus and follow directions. They're good for kids with ADHD but can benefit all students.

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In special education, SEL curriculum plays a crucial role in supporting students’ overall development and helping them navigate social interactions and regulate their emotions effectively. This includes strengthening their abilities to recognize their emotions and thoughts and how they influence their behavior, cope with stressful feelings or situations, and maintain positive, cooperative relationships with peers and teachers. Teachers must also change the way they think about the needs of these students, seeing them as children who need help developing key skills and strengths in order to meet school expectations rather than assuming they can eliminate their problem behaviors by enforcing consequences or firm limits. Then, educators have to tackle an important question: How can existing research-based SEL strategies and programs be tailored to the needs and strengths of these students? By implementing SEL, students can develop long lasting life skills that will set the foundation for their future.

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It was nine-year-old Tobin's first day at a new public school, and like most kids he was nervous. He didn't know the other students or his teacher, and he already had quite a history of behavioral problems at other schools. He likely wondered whether this experience would be just another failure for him.

However, on that first day, he took a simple but monumental step: He summoned the courage to ask his teacher to take a walk with him. (Tobin's new classroom was intentionally small and supportive, and at times included extra staffing to accommodate such requests.) I don't know what they talked about, but I do know this: In that small request, Tobin set himself on a new path in school, one pointed toward success.

Getting there required a year and a half of hard work and gradual progress. Eighteen months earlier, Tobin had come to my school, a private nonprofit that serves students with emotional, psychiatric, and developmental disabilities who have not been successful in public school settings. He had missed more than 30 days of school in the past year, and when he was in school his behavior was often unpredictable and sometimes explosive. He often struggled to meet academic expectations, and his reading skills lagged significantly behind those of other students his age. When an assignment was difficult for him-or looked like it would be too hard-he was easily overwhelmed, at times erupting with rude remarks or attempts to flee his classroom.

For a student like Tobin (whose name has been changed here to protect his privacy), there are many valid approaches that a typical school might take: extra attention to his reading skills, a course of rewards and consequences for his disruptive behavior, suspensions for particularly challenging behavior, perhaps a suggestion to seek outside counseling or medication.

But we took a different route. While we certainly provided intensive academic supports and efforts to reinforce "good" behavior (and reprimand "bad" behavior) after it occurred, and these strategies did help Tobin, we also focused more proactively on nurturing his social and emotional skills. This included strengthening his abilities to recognize his emotions and thoughts and how they influenced his behavior, cope with stressful feelings or situations, and maintain positive, cooperative relationships with peers and teachers. For example, we helped Tobin realize when he was getting overwhelmed by a difficult-seeming assignment, and ask for help instead of acting out.

Given all of the challenges facing Tobin-and the realities constraining public schools-it's not hard to imagine a focus on social-emotional skills like these being considered a luxury (if even considered at all). And yet social and emotional learning (SEL) can actually prove essential to helping students meet their goals, even-or perhaps particularly-for children with significant behavioral problems. While these children have not traditionally earned the attention of SEL programs, I believe there is good reason for that to change.

But to help students like Tobin develop their social-emotional skills, I believe teachers and administrators must take two critical steps. First, they must change the way they think about the needs of these students, seeing them as children who need help developing key skills and strengths in order to meet school expectations rather than assuming they can eliminate their problem behaviors by enforcing consequences or firm limits. Then, educators have to tackle an important question: How can existing research-based SEL strategies and programs be tailored to the needs and strengths of these students?

Why use SEL for students with disabilities?

While only a handful of states, including Illinois and Kansas, have adopted their own statewide standards for social and emotional learning, many states (like Rhode Island, where I live and work) have made SEL a mandated part of the curriculum. And a bevy of SEL programs have sprouted over the past 20 years, many with documented benefits for students and their teachers.

Despite these trends, there has been little focus on SEL skill development for students with diagnosed psychiatric or developmental disabilities. Very few of the evidence-based programs have been specifically tested with these students in mind, let alone as the primary target. It is not uncommon for SEL programs to require extensive writing assignments or long classroom discussions, tasks that may be impractical for students who have trouble writing or sitting still. Indeed, in my own school program, although we have long had many ad hoc efforts to build the social and emotional skills that we think children need to be successful, it was only this past year that we began to write SEL goals into students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs); by contrast, our standard practice for years has been to write IEP goals targeting decreases in disruptive behavior.

Why focus on SEL development for students like ours? There are several good reasons.

The first reason is conceptual. As Virginia Tech professor and noted author Ross Greene and others have argued, disabilities like AD/HD or anxiety disorders, and the behaviors associated with them, are better thought of as deficits in certain key skills-deficits that may in part be remediated by intensive focus on SEL skill development rather than by trying to stop negative behavior through a regimen of rewards and consequences or even medication. For instance, students struggling in school might particularly benefit from help learning how to inhibit impulses to lash out and to practice calming techniques instead (like mindful breathing), or how to develop a realistic sense of what their strengths are and when they need to ask for help (and from whom).

There is now a wealth of evidence to suggest this approach works. Research led by SEL pioneer Joseph Zins has shown that supporting social-emotional skills like these not only reduces students' distress and behavior problems but also improves their chances of success in school. Studies of specific SEL programs have shown similar results: The Second Step program has been found to reduce aggressive behavior and promote kind, helpful-or "prosocial"-thinking; the PATHS program has shown similar benefits while also helping to improve students' academic performance. In fact, a meta-analysis of 213 separate studies found that, on average, kids who participate in SEL programs see their academic achievement test scores increase by 11 percentage points.

Finally, although students with significant behavioral problems frequently receive plenty of attention in school, too often this attention comes in the form of frustration, disappointment, and rejection from teachers and peers. Teaching them social and emotional skills-like taking the perspective of others-can help them reach the point where their relationships become sources of support, not of tension or judgment.

This is particularly important for students' relationships with their teachers. The teaching profession has high rates of turnover and burnout; working with children who demonstrate challenging, disruptive, and resistant behavior can only intensify that stress. However, there is preliminary evidence to suggest that teachers' view of their students can be improved, and their stress levels reduced, by emphasizing a model of "skill deficits" for students with behavioral problems-focusing on the skills and strengths students need to develop rather than the problems they need to reduce-and giving teachers a framework to help students develop these skills.

How to teach SEL to students with disabilities

Clearly, teaching SEL skills to students with psychiatric or developmental disabilities has great promise. But, as with teaching academics to such students, it also comes with great challenges. How do we approach this?

In our school programs, we use a variety of strategies to both explicitly teach social-emotional skills and to embed practices that reinforce these skills throughout the school day. We do use evidence-based programs that offer direct SEL instruction, such as Second Step, Skillstreaming, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Typically, this instruction occurs through group therapy sessions taught by our psychologists, social workers, or speech/language therapists.

But regardless of the program, getting positive results out of these lessons for our students requires two additional steps. First, as we present the material, we often use classroom strategies that proactively address the challenges that might otherwise disrupt learning. For instance, with a student who has a tendency toward hyperactivity, when presenting a lesson we might take frequent movement breaks, use specialized seat cushions, or allow that student to stand at her desk. Or, for a student struggling with low frustration tolerance, we might provide small chunks of work with the opportunity for a break or other earned incentive.

Along these lines, we also consistently tailor SEL programs to match students' academic abilities, which may include reducing written expectations, repeating key concepts, or providing flow charts, outlines, or other visual/graphic supports.

The second key to using the evidence-based group lessons from SEL programs is to have follow-up by our teachers and classroom staff. This may involve using language from the program in more individualized coaching sessions, special reinforcement programs (e.g., "catch 'em being good" programs targeted at prosocial behaviors such as kindness or persistence), or other efforts to translate group materials into the rest of the week's curriculum. What's more, in some of our schools, we also try to use similar language and programs at a whole-school level to ensure consistency across classrooms.

But much of what we do to facilitate SEL skill development is less structured and more opportunistic. Having a brief "check-in" about a particular challenge or taking walks (as Tobin requested) are opportunities to help students develop awareness of their strengths and needs, and strategies to better regulate their behavior. (Asking a school counselor or administrator to cover a classroom or talk with the student might make these options more realistic when a teacher is alone with a large class for most of the day.) At our school, we sometimes have these conversations with an entire class, as when a class I was working with was having a difficult time listening quietly as their teacher read aloud to them; a targeted conversation with students led to the (student-generated) idea of having them draw at their desks while the teacher read, which in turn led to much more attentive and quiet read-alouds!

One of my favorite ways to practice social and emotional skills in school is to use games. Games are naturally engaging and fun; plus, I believe they offer a decent real-life approximation of situations where students might apply the skills we're targeting. With selected games, I can have students practice skills like impulse control, oral communication, listening, or empathy without even realizing they are learning these skills. For example, I sometimes play a game where two students sit back-to-back with an identical set of Lego blocks, and one has to match the design created by the other without seeing it. Students must practice both giving specific instructions and active listening to succeed. Another game, to promote empathy skills, involves a variation on the old "Newlywed" game, where students gain points by correctly guessing how other students would answer questions about their favorite sport, likes, or dislikes.

Even with all of these efforts, I think it's important to note: Rewards and consequences do have their place; they help us strengthen budding skills and set limits on unhealthy behavior patterns/reactions. For instance, our classrooms often employ individualized behavior plans, allowing students to earn points for responsibility, safety, or on-task behavior, and then later redeem those points for privileges such as time playing games or using the computer. In addition, we also set limits on certain disruptive behaviors, limits that may include asking students to leave the classroom or requiring them to make a plan for how they will cope safely with a particular challenge before they can resume their regular activities. These systems play an important role in helping us make explicit and monitor the social-emotional skills that we are attempting to instill in our students and in creating a safe place where these skills can be nurtured.

Teaching social and emotional skills to children with significant behavioral problems is not easy. It requires both a good grasp on existing evidence-based strategies and a creative approach to modifying these strategies. It requires a patient teacher who can build strong relationships with students and has an eye for seeing students' challenges as opportunities to teach and coach (not to mention catching a situation before it erupts into a crisis).

For Tobin, at our school this involved taking away his old go-to strategies (like running away from class), despite his initial strong opposition, and helping him see teachers as adults who could also care for him. And it involved teaching him to take a deep breath or ask for help before he got totally overwhelmed by an assignment that looked difficult.

On a practical level, he went on a lot of walks with his teacher (while an aide remained with the class) to take a break from the classroom, discuss what he was worried about, and make a plan to tackle the challenge. Over time, he internalized this set of strategies-enough so that when he finally returned to a public school setting, he was able to ask his teacher for that helpful walk and set out on a new, more constructive path to success.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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How to Bring SEL to Students with Disabilities

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Social-emotional learning programs have not traditionally targeted students with psychiatric or developmental disabilities. Here's why they should.

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This article talks about Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education and how they  have shown to improve academic, social, and behavioral outcomes for students with disabilities and are based on scientific evidence.  EBPs are based on research and evaluation, which means they have been shown to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. EBP involves breaking down skills into smaller steps, modeling, and providing repeated practice and feedback, Response to Intervention (RTI), teaching students strategies on how to manage their behavior, initiating conversations, taking turns, and following rules.

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Best Practices in Special Ed: Evidence-Based Strategies

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Discover effective, evidence-based practices enhancing learning outcomes in special education settings.

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Speech, Language, and communication needs often contribute to mental health problems. Self-confidence causing depression and anxiety contributes to emotionally disruptive behavior. This is going under-researched while misunderstood by educators. These Language and speech disorders are deeper than the eye can see.  While they go hand in hand researchers are not sure how they intertwine. Adolescents who are faced with language barriers have a harder time connecting with peers and tend to be targeted for bullying. They struggle to show close relationships and do not show facial expressions.  Speech therapy is effective when in the right environment with the understanding of what else may be affected beyond communication. Communication plays a major role in who we are, if we are unable to communicate a void is made. If Adults are not aware of the signs it can manifest into depression and anxiety starting in adolescence.

Hancock, A., Northcott, S., Hobson, H., & Clarke, M. (2023, January). Speech, language and communication needs and mental health: The experiences of speech and language therapists and mental health professionals. International journal of language & communication disorders. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10087343/

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Speech, language and communication needs and mental health: the experiences of speech and language therapists and mental health professionals

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While the relationship between speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and mental health difficulties has been recognized, speech and language therapists (SLTs), and mental health professionals face challenges in assessing and treating children…

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Inclusive education is a philosophy and approach that promotes the full participation, belonging, and achievement of all students, including those with disabilities, in regular classroom settings. Inclusive education values diversity, equity, and the unique contributions of every individual, regardless of their differences. By fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment, inclusive education aims to break down barriers, promote acceptance, and provide equal opportunities for all students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

A reliable source for more information on inclusive education is the website of the National Center on Inclusive Education (NCIE).

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ADHD: Medication alone doesn’t improve classroom learning for children – new research

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ADHD: Medication alone doesn’t improve classroom learning for children – new research

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This was an interesting reading. In the reading there was a study done on if medication had any effect on kids ability to learn the same amount of content on medicine or placebo. It found that children learn the same amount of content in science, social studies, and vocabulary. It also talks about how ADHD is not something you grow out of. Adults suffer from it as well, but you learn skills and ways to live with the challenges of ADHD.

Resource:

William E. Pelham Jr.                          Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry. (2024, March 21). ADHD: Medication alone doesn’t improve classroom learning for Children – New Research. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/adhd-medication-alone-doesnt-improve-classroom-learning-for-children-new-research-183714

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Children with ADHD struggle academically. Upyanose / Getty Images

For decades, many physicians, parents and teachers have believed that stimulant medications help children with ADHD learn because they are able to focus and behave better when medicated.

After all, an estimated 6.1 million children in the U.S. are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and more than 90% are prescribed stimulant medication as the main form of treatment in school settings.

However, in a peer-reviewed study that several colleagues and I published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, we found medication has no detectable effect on how much children with ADHD learn in the classroom. At least that's the case when learning - defined as the acquisition of performable skills or knowledge through instruction - is measured in terms of tests meant to assess improvements in a student's current academic knowledge or skills over time.

Compared to their peers, children with ADHD exhibit more off-task, disruptive classroom behavior, earn lower grades and score lower on tests. They are more likely to receive special education services and be retained for a grade, and less likely to finish high school and enter college - two educational milestones that are associated with significant increases in earnings.

Just as children with ADHD have more difficulty than peers in school, adults with a history of ADHD have a hard time keeping a steady job.

Measurements of learning

In this study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, we evaluated 173 children between the ages of 7 and 12. They were all participants in our Summer Treatment Program, a comprehensive eight-week summer camp for children with ADHD and related behavioral, emotional and learning challenges.

Children got grade-level instruction in vocabulary, science and social studies. The classes were led by certified teachers. The children received medication the first half of summer and a placebo during the other half. They were tested at the start of each academic instruction block, which lasted approximately three weeks. They then took the same test at the end to determine how much they learned.

Contrary to the conventional wisdom under which parents and teachers have long operated, we found children learned the same amount of science, social studies and vocabulary content whether they were taking medication or a placebo.

Yes. We were shocked by this finding, too.

Many published studies show medication helps children focus and behave better in the classroom. The theory has been that if stimulant medication helps a child stay on task with their schoolwork and improve their behavior in class, then it should also improve their learning.

In our study, medication helped children complete more schoolwork and improve their classroom behavior, as expected. When taking medication, children completed 37% more arithmetic problems per minute and exhibited 53% fewer classroom rule violations per hour.

Unfortunately, completing more schoolwork and behaving better in the classroom did not lead to higher grades on tests, which heavily determine overall class grades. These results support the findings of other research that has found there is no long-term beneficial effect of medication on standardized test scores.

This is an important finding because stimulant medication is by far the most common treatment for children with ADHD, and the majority receive only medication. Other treatments available for children with ADHD include behavior therapy, including training for parents and a combination of therapy and medication.

A new understanding

Nearly 40 years ago, my research laboratory published the very first study that looked at the effects of stimulant medication on learning for children with ADHD in the classroom setting. At the time, we measured learning by how quickly and accurately children completed worksheets and how they behaved in the classroom.

Researchers in my lab found that medicated children focused more and behaved better, and we assumed medication helped them learn more. Since then, stimulant medications have been the most common treatment for ADHD.

Having published nearly 500 scientific studies on the subject over the last 40 years, we have learned a lot about the most effective treatments for children with ADHD.

ADHD is not something children will outgrow

Our most recent National Institute of Mental Health long-running study found that an adult with a history of childhood ADHD is expected to earn US$1.25 million less than adults without a history of ADHD over their lifetime, potentially reaching retirement with up to 75% lower net worth.

In that study, we found that people with ADHD fared worse in just about every aspect of work and financial well-being. This included income, savings, employment status and dependence on parents or other adults.

Nearly half of the adults with childhood ADHD were regularly receiving money from parents, other adults or the government.

To improve long-term financial outcomes and reduce dependence on parents and government, those with ADHD may benefit from educational supports and interventions that help them finish high school and earn a bachelor's degree.

Since the children in our study were ages 7-12 years old, we don't know if our findings would extend to adolescents or adults with ADHD. As children grow older, how they learn changes: Adolescents or young adults may acquire knowledge more so from independent studying than from classroom teaching. So it's important to determine whether medication helps when learning outside the classroom.

How to help children with ADHD thrive

Center for Children and Families at Florida International University

There are ways for children to improve academic achievement with effective classroom strategies alone, rather than just being on medication to begin with. Behavioral and academic strategies that significantly help youth with ADHD include parent training and classroom-based management tools like a daily report card. A child with ADHD can also receive effective behavioral services in school that are specific to academic achievement, such as 504 and individualized education plans, also known as IEPs, for students in special education.

Our previous research has found that behavioral therapy - when used first - is less expensive and more effective than medication in treating children with ADHD. Stimulants are most effective as a supplemental, second-line treatment option for those who need it and at lower doses than typically prescribed. In other words, medication should only be added if children still need additional support after the behavioral and academic interventions have been tried.

Additionally, in 2020, the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics published new clinical guidelines that strongly recommend behavioral intervention as the first-line treatment for youth with ADHD and medication as a second-line treatment, if necessary.

So while it's true that medication helps with focus and behavior, so do behavioral and academic strategies in the classroom. And just because a child seems to be more focused and behaving better in the classroom doesn't mean they will get better grades. What we have found time and time again is that behavioral intervention is best for children with ADHD because they, their teachers and their parents learn skills and strategies that will help them succeed at school, at home and in relationships long term.

To give children with ADHD the best chance to thrive, I believe families, medical professionals and educators should focus on behavioral and academic interventions first and add medication only if needed.

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ADHD: Medication alone doesn't improve classroom learning for children - new research

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In the first study of its kind, researchers found medication alone has no detectable impact on how much children with ADHD learn in the classroom.

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A day in the life of a teen with dyscalculia

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A day in the life of a teen with dyscalculia

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I really enjoyed this reading. It takes you through an everyday life, Ava life. She constantly has trouble through out the day with telling time or trouble counting money for lunch. All her the while her confidence and self talk goes further and further down as she struggles with everyday math that others find so simple or mundain. As it gives you a break down of her day and the trials that come with it. It gives you the challenges she receives from these times in her day. I liked that as the reader because it gives you a real time feeling of Ava going though it.

Resource:

Team, T. U. (n.d.). A day in the life of a teen with dyscalculia. Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-teenager-with-dyscalculia

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Meet Ava, a ninth grader with dyscalculia. She's a bright kid, but her struggles with math are often misunderstood by teachers and family members. To see how trouble with numbers can affect kids outside of math class, take a look at a typical day in Ava's life.

Ava knows she needs to take a quick shower and get ready for school. She thinks she's only been in the bathroom for a few minutes when her little brother bangs on the door. "Come on, you've been in there for 20 minutes already!" he yells.

Challenges related to dyscalculia: Keeping track of time, estimating

Ava loves history and she studied hard for today's test. But after answering the first question, she starts to worry about how much time she has left. Her confidence sinks as she looks at the clock and thinks about how long it would take her to try to read it. She feels even worse as she tells herself she'd probably read the time wrong anyway.

Challenges related to dyscalculia: Telling time, self-esteem

At lunch, Ava wants to buy a $2 muffin for herself and a $5 box of cookies for her stepdad. She's not sure if she'll have enough money to buy both. But she doesn't want her friends to see her using her fingers to count. She hands over all the dollar bills she has and hopes it's enough.

Challenges related to dyscalculia: Basic math facts, working with money

Ava looks at tonight's math homework and starts to panic. Even though she knows how to do some of the steps, her heart starts racing. "I'm never going to be good at this, so why bother?" she thinks. Ava tucks the worksheet into her locker before she leaves school - she doesn't want her stepdad to find the incomplete assignment.

At track practice, Ava runs the first lap so quickly that she has trouble finishing the second lap. The coach seems frustrated that Ava can't remember the pacing they practiced yesterday. Why is it so hard for her to remember one minute and 25 seconds?

Challenges related to dyscalculia: Gauging speed and distance, remembering sequences of numbers

Ava needs to feed the pets before her family eats dinner. She knows Bowzer gets two-thirds of a cup of dog food, and Meowzer gets one-third of a cup of cat food. Did Ava measure it right? Which of the bowls has more? If Ava gives the cat too much food, he'll throw up. But how much is too much?

Challenges related to dyscalculia: Understanding quantities, measuring

Ava is excited about the big game on TV, but she has trouble telling which team is winning. If the point guard gets the next two free throws, will that be enough to go into overtime? Asking too many questions about the game embarrasses her, so she leaves to hide in her room.

Ava finally got the bookcase she really wanted. She unpacks the box and takes out the directions. She gets through the first step, but then she gets confused because the pieces aren't fitting together the right way. By the time her stepdad is free to help her, Ava is so frustrated that she shoves the parts away and tells her stepdad she doesn't want it.

Dyscalculia makes it hard to make sense of numbers and concepts like bigger and smaller. For example, people may have trouble telling if a group of five apples is bigger than a group of three apples.

This involves a set of skills called number sense. Experts say it's like color blindness. Just like some people are born having trouble telling the difference between colors, some people are born having trouble telling the difference between quantities.

Having dyscalculia doesn't mean people aren't smart. And there are lots of ways to help with dyscalculia. With the right support, kids like Ava can get better at working with numbers in school and in everyday life.

About the author

About the author

The Understood Team is made up of passionate writers and editors. Many of them have kids who learn and think differently.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Brendan R. Hodnett, MAT is a special education teacher in Middletown, New Jersey, and an adjunct professor at Hunter College.

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A day in the life of a teen with dyscalculia

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What's it like to have dyscalculia? Get a glimpse at how dyscalculia, or a math learning disability, can affect a kid's everyday life.

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Contrary to most belief, Dyscalculia is not a form of dyslexia but with numbers. The two are actually different. While Dyslexia involves reading difficulty and may interfere with math ability, it is not the same. Dyscalculia causes a person to struggle with making sense of numbers and math concepts. Brian Butterworth estimated that 50-60 percent of people with Dyslexia also have Dyscalculia (Newman, 2024). Characteristics of Dyscalculia range from difficulties subitizing and estimating to difficulty with patterns. Students also tend to forget math they have already learned as they lose information quickly while other may forget a little over time. Planning instruction for students with Dyscalculia means focusing on sets and supporting concepts such as counting, one to one correspondence and part/whole relationships. Using diagnostic assessments such as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and KeyMath-3 are all great resources to test students for Dyscalculia. Using manipulatives can help students with hands on experience in math. Educating ourselves on Dyscalculia can help educators make changes to their lessons according to the needs of their students struggling with Dyscalculia.

Teaching Students Who Have Dyscalculia | Edutopia

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Differentiated Instruction

Here's how to recognize what might be behind a student's difficulty with math as well as strategies for teaching them.

Gary Waters / Ikon Images

With reading research and methodology in the current spotlight, educators are learning more about dyslexia. Now, many are asking for the same support regarding math instruction and dyscalculia, which Dr. Honora Wall, founder of the Dyscalculia Training and Research Institute, defines as "a type of neurodivergence: a difference in brain development or function."

There's much less research, however, about dyscalculia than there is for dyslexia. In Dyscalculia: From Science to Education, cognitive neuropsychologist Brian Butterworth writes that since 2000, the National Institutes of Health has spent $107.2 million in funding for dyslexia research but only $2.3 million on dyscalculia. Consequently, students with dyscalculia are not getting the support they need, due to the lack of teachers' knowledge about the disorder.

Programs and approaches designed for the needs of learners who are dyslexic, such as Orton-Gillingham, Barton, S.P.I.R.E., and Fundations, just to name a few, are readily available. With no equivalent for dyscalculia, educators are scrambling for just the right tools to effectively address the needs of a vulnerable population. The good news is, there are several very concrete ways teachers can support these students.

What dyscalculia is not

It's not dyslexia with numbers. Dyslexia typically involves difficulty learning how to read, which can interfere with math learning. However, dyscalculia impedes a person's ability to make sense of numbers and math concepts in ways that are different from dyslexia.

It's not uncommon. Research suggests, according to Butterworth, that dyscalculia is just as prevalent as dyslexia. In fact, Butterworth maintains that it's estimated that 50 to 60 percent of people with dyslexia also have dyscalculia.

It's not being bad at math. Studies have shown that babies demonstrate an innate understanding of numerosity, as Butterworth says in his book. Dyscalculia is a learning difference that requires specialized teaching and isn't just "being bad at math."

Indicators of dyscalculia

There are several behaviors that can present themselves in learners with dyscalculia. Just as dyslexia and ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) present themselves on a spectrum, the same is true for dyscalculia. That means that each student brings with them a unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Below are behaviors that are typical for students with dyscalculia.

Difficulties subitizing and estimating: Subitizing is the ability to "see" small numbers without actually counting them. For example, when rolling a die, a young student with dyscalculia will need to count the dots as opposed to automatically seeing that the number rolled was four.

Difficulties with patterns: Students with dyscalculia may have difficulty putting numbers in order from least to greatest or greatest to least. They also may struggle with skip counting or determining what number would come next in a sequence.

Loss of previously acquired skills: Research, according to Wall, hasn't quite determined why this happens, but it is very typical for students with dyscalculia to forget the math they learned, much to the dismay of their teachers. Some lose information quickly, others over time. This is why reference charts and a structured, spiraling curriculum are crucial.

What kind of teaching do dyscalculic learners need?

CRA Instructional Sequence: In The Dyscalculia Toolkit: Supporting Learning Difficulties in Maths, specialist teacher Ronit Bird agrees with Butterworth that a Concrete Representational Abstract instructional sequence is an approach that moves students from using concrete manipulatives to representational drawings to abstract numbers when learning new concepts and is a best practice for all learners. Dyscalculic learners will need to experience this sequence multiple times and gradually, when developing new skills and understandings.

Visualization: Often the transition from the concrete stage to abstract is a bumpy one. Bird suggests that dyscalculic learners be explicitly taught how to picture numbers and operations in their mind's eye. This is especially true when solving word problems. Drawings, open number lines, and area models are some of the ways she suggests to bridge the concrete and abstract stages.

Quality over quantity: Bird and Butterworth both recommend limiting the demands on a learner's working memory, allowing them to focus on the important skills of a task. Providing reference charts, reading directions, and using rubrics are just some of the ways to reduce the load placed on working memory.

Explicit scaffolding: All learners must have a secure understanding of foundational concepts before building on them. This is especially true for learners with dyscalculia. Making explicit connections to previously taught skills and breaking tasks down into the smallest of steps are essential. This reduces the risk of taking students' background knowledge for granted.

How to plan instruction

Focus on sets: Butterworth asserts that dyscalculics struggle with operations because of a deficit in the understanding of numbers as sets. Instruction needs to focus on supporting concepts such as counting, one-to-one correspondence, part-whole relationships, and cardinality in the early years.

Diagnostics: There are assessments typically used by psychologists to diagnose dyscalculia, including the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, KeyMath-3, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test for Math Fluency, and the Feifer Assessment of Mathematics. Educators, however, must first identify which students need additional support and then specifically which mathematical knowledge is in need of intervention. Acadience Math, the Early Childhood Assessment in Mathematics, Universal Screeners for Number Sense, and the Georgia Numeracy Project are widely used resources.

Feedback: Because a loss of previously acquired skills is a hallmark of the disability, committing mathematical understanding to long-term memory is an arduous process. It is imperative that the information learned be accurate. Wall writes that research suggests that when the brain learns new information, it does not "overwrite" what it has already learned, even if that information is incorrect.

This speaks to the uphill battle that teachers face when having to undo a misconception that a student has committed to memory. In order to avoid this, students who struggle must be given consistent, real-time feedback as they learn. In addition to teacher input, Butterworth recommends adaptive digital platforms and games as great ways to provide feedback consistently.

Manipulatives: Numbers are abstract. Manipulatives make numbers concrete. Using blocks, Cuisenaire rods, ten frames, and counters are just some of the ways students can have hands-on experiences. Dyscalculic learners solidify the concept that numbers are made up of sets of smaller numbers with tactile input from manipulatives.

Joy: Fear of math is a reality for many and is a major obstacle to learning. Years of struggle reinforce math as unenjoyable and a source of anxiety. The frequent use of games modified to students' current levels of understanding can have a disarming effect on those who experience math aversion.

There is still much to learn about dyscalculia. When armed with the right information, however, educators can make small changes to their practice that will have a huge impact on the lives of those with dyscalculia.

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Here's how to recognize what might be behind a student's difficulty with math as well as strategies for teaching them.

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Children with Dyslexia tend to believe they are not smart enough to read and understand what they are reading. During a 2010 study, it was found that the reading and IQ do track together over time but children with dyslexia show a gap between the two in earlier years and worsens over time. There is a deception to Dyslexia as children struggle with reading, but it is not directly connected to intelligence (Edutopia, 2019)

Dyslexia and IQ: Research Debunks a Persistent Myth | Edutopia

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Children with dyslexia who struggle to read often conclude they're not smart enough to master the materials-but the research says that's wrong.

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The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling a Child with Special Needs and some Resources that can Help

This article discusses how overwhelming and challenging it may be for a parent to take care of a child with disabilities. As a parent, you advocate for your child's safety in every manner imaginable until they reach a point or level where they can speak for themselves. If you are considering homeschooling, you need to plan well, be dedicated, and have some resources in mind that will accommodate your child's learning abilities. Some parents may prefer to home-school their child since the school is understaffed and will be unable to completely accommodate them. Some advantages of homeschooling include the ability to choose the curriculum, work at the child's pace, and find different ways for your child to learn material from a lesson. Having a flexible timetable relieves tension from parents wondering if their child is or will be bullied by another student, reduces anxiety from the student, and allows the child to move around freely. Some disadvantages include the lack of on-site professionals such as speech therapists, social workers, and interventionists. Self-care is difficult because when you homeschool, you wear all of the hats sometimes its not easy to find outside support if you do not know where to look and there aren't many extracurricular activities like outside activities that can be created when homeschooled. Signing up for enrichment groups like the YMCA and special Olympics events will help us overcome some of the hurdles of homeschooling. Get training, use online resources, and seek assistance, such as a babysitter, to spend time alone or with your spouse. Finally, homeschooling can be enjoyable as you watch your children grow and achieve their goals.

Nunes, J. (2018, September 18). Nunes: The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling a Child With Special Needs — and Some Resources That Can Help. The 74. https://www.the74million.org/article/nunes-the-pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling-a-child-with-special-needs-and-some-resources-that-can-help/

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Evidence-Based Practice in Special Education

In April 2009, articles in the journal Exceptional Children's Special Issue developed some evidence-based practice criteria. Examples include therapies and strategies that are beneficial in research and studies. Which is critical in ensuring that kids with disabilities receive the necessary support to achieve academically and socially. For reading, teachers may read words numerous times to provide children with exposure to the language. This reminds me of why the lead teacher in the classroom with children with special needs to which I have been assigned spends roughly a month going over reading or sight words. This allows the students to readily recognize the words when they are working on their sight words and pointing them out while reading. Again, we must remember that everyone learns at a different pace.Overall, this article demonstrated how evidence-based approaches in special education are critical to ensuring that kids with disabilities receive a high-quality education and assistance. It is critical that educators continue to support kids with disabilities in order to help them reach their full potential and promote the success and well-being of all students.

Evidence-based practice in special education. (n.d.). CEC Division for Research. https://cecdr.org/research/research-quality/evidence-based-practice-special-education

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The U.S. Department of Education's website provides comprehensive information on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and their importance in supporting students with disabilities. The site offers detailed guidance on the legal requirements for developing and implementing IEPs, including key components such as setting measurable goals, determining appropriate services and accommodations, and involving parents in the decision-making process. Educators, parents, and other stakeholders can access sample IEP forms, resources for understanding special education laws, and tools for effectively advocating for students with disabilities within the educational system. By utilizing these resources, educators can enhance their knowledge and skills in creating meaningful IEPs that meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) is another valuable resource for information on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and best practices for supporting students with learning differences. The NCLD website offers a range of articles, webinars, and toolkits designed to help educators and parents navigate the IEP process and ensure that students receive the appropriate support and services they need to succeed. Additionally, the NCLD provides insights on effective collaboration between school personnel, parents, and students in developing and implementing IEPs that promote academic growth and social-emotional well-being. By exploring the resources available through the NCLD, educators can gain valuable strategies and tools for creating student-centered IEPs that empower students with learning disabilities to reach their full potential in the classroom and beyond.