ASD Archives

The Five Keys to Unlocking a Successful School Year

September 24, 2013 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Executive functioning skills are essential to succeed in life. Certain executive functioning skills, such as time management and organization, help individuals in their jobs, daily chores, and day to day responsibilities. Students with a variety of learning challenges, such as ADHD, learning disabilities, or autism spectrum disorders, may have deficits in such executive functioning skills, which can, in turn, adversely affect the school experience. Although these deficits may seem insurmountable at times, there are ways to tackle them to achieve success.

As a new school year is beginning, high school faculty and staff, parents, and students themselves, are searching for systems to put in place to develop such executive functioning skills and to maximize the classroom learning experience. To help, here are New Frontiers in Learning’s Five Keys to a Successful School Year:

Start Off (and Stay) Organized:

Having a system for keeping track of all notes, papers, grades, homework, assignment descriptions, etc. is an important start to any school year. Some students find it helpful to have separate notebooks and folders for each class. In this case, all books and folders can be color coded and labeled for easy identification. Another method of organization is to use a single binder with separate sections for each class. Each section should be labeled and should contain loose-leaf paper for note taking. All papers and handouts for the class should also be added to the section on a daily basis. Whichever method is chosen, be sure to figure out which one works specifically for the student early on and encourage them to follow it consistently throughout the year. Organizing all papers and notes daily allows students to be able to find class materials more easily.

Budget and Schedule Time:

We all face difficulties managing our time; therefore, students should set themselves up for success by using and maintaining a daily schedule. This schedule should include all class names, locations, and times, plus any other outside responsibilities that the student may have, such as work hours, sports practice, family obligations, etc. By maintaining a weekly schedule, the student can keep track of not only unchanged repeated responsibilities (i.e., class), but also any one-time obligations for each week (i.e., concert, special afterschool group study session, etc.). Further, following a daily and weekly schedule makes it much easier to see where the student can build in study and homework times, as well as study breaks. Once a schedule is made, students should be encouraged to stick to it! Having a planner that has both weekly and monthly sections allows the student to clearly see and review short and long term expectations.

Ask for Help

Many times, students with executive functioning deficits have a difficult time recognizing when they need help, as well as identifying who and/or where to turn to receive help. Students need to review the help-seeking process in the beginning of each school year: If something is confusing, if they don’t know how to start or structure a project or assignment, or if they have any other questions about class requirements, students should be reminded to ask for help! Students need to understand that asking for help will not make them look bad; rather, it will actually show their parents, teachers, and other professionals that they care about the class and want to be successful. Students should review the protocol in asking clarifying questions; some teachers use the beginning or end of the school day, while others encourage students to email them. Once students know what their individual teachers prefer, they should be encouraged to follow such systems as a resource to clear up any questions that may arise!

Write it All Down

Have you ever told yourself that you didn’t need to write something down because you would remember it, only to struggle to remember what that very thing was just minutes later? You’re not alone – it happens to everyone, especially students taking multiple classes with various responsibilities. To prevent students from forgetting key information in class, they should be encouraged to write everything down – even the things that they think they will remember later. Writing everything down can be difficult sometimes, thus an alternative for students could be to audio record their classes or to use some form of assistive technology, such as a Smart Pen.

Setting Reminders

Having a system in place to help remind students of important dates is essential. Sometimes teachers announce due dates infrequently during a course, or due dates for assignments and exams may be outlined far in advance and then not discussed again. In such cases, it may be the day of an exam or an assignment being due, and the student begins to panic because they are not prepared! To alleviate this, students need to learn to set reminders in their daily planner or on smart phones –students can set a timer to go off several times as the assignment or exam due date approaches. Utilizing reminders can also help students remember when to start studying or when to begin an assignment, preventing the anxiety associated with cramming or unpreparedness.

By Samantha Feinman, Program Director, and Casey Schmalacker, Coach, from New Frontiers in Learning

Top 10 Tips for Enhancing Language Development for Caregivers or Nannies

September 19, 2013 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

1. Follow the child’s lead.

Youngsters beginning to speak (around 12 months of age) tend to speak about what interests them, therefore, a key strategy that should guide caregiver language is to follow the child’s lead. In doing so, we are more likely to obtain a spontaneous imitation or utterance expansion from the child if we simply comment on that in which the child appears to be interested.

2. Ask fewer rather than more questions.

The natural flow or turn-taking that characterizes conversations between caregiver and child proceeds more easily when the caregiver asks fewer rather than more questions. In other words, the frequent or rapid firing of questions to a child typically disrupts or interrupts the child’s train of thought and disrupts the flow of back and forth conversation. Rather than frequent questioning of the child, the caregiver will be more successful when providing comments that follow the child’s interest and target the child’s particular topic or focus in play. For example, if the child is building a tower with blocks, the caregiver might say, “Wow that tower is very tall!”

3. Expand or enhance the child’s utterance.

Thus, rather than directing the child’s play and language by telling him what to play with and what to do, the caregiver will get the most bang for the buck, by expanding or enhancing the child’s utterance. For example, if the child is playing and says, “Wash baby!” The caregiver might say, “Oh, the baby needs a bath!”

4. Indirectly model correct forms using upbeat intonation patterns rather than directly correcting errors or incomplete formulations.

Rather than directly telling the child to repeat or “Say…” certain language formulations, indirectly model the correct formulation. Best practice advises us to provide the actions and simple comments in a more naturalistic manner, with a playful and perhaps upbeat intonation pattern. This will often be perceived by the typical toddler as an ‘invitation’ to imitate or practice the spoken form. Even when the child produces a language form that is incorrect or incomplete, the caregiver is advised not to make explicit corrections, but rather to indirectly model the correct formulation. Thus, if the child says, “Look! Two boot!” the caretaker should simply say, “Yes, two boots.”

5. Do not compare your child’s speech and language to his peers, siblings or other family members or friends.

Since children all develop at their own rate, it is not advised to compare one child to his siblings, cousins, or neighbors.

6. Have a professional speech-language evaluation if there are parental concerns about the rate or nature of your child’s speech and language development.

Since children progress according to a unique pattern, if there is concern about the rate or nature of the child’s language development, it is advisable to have a professional speech-language pathologist evaluate the child to determine if the child has progressed sufficiently and whether there is a need for continued monitoring of his or her language skills. If there are continued parental concerns about the child’s language development, and if there is a question about whether progress has been sufficient, the speech-language-pathologist will screen the child again after a specified time, to determine if he or she is making sufficient progress on his or her own. (Younger children need more frequent re-evaluations.)

7. The caretaker or nanny will be better equipped to facilitate the child’s language if there has been a consultation with a licensed SLP.

Once the caretaker has consulted with a certified speech-language pathologist, and has gained a better understanding of the child’s language capabilities, he or she will be better equipped to guide the child and facilitate his or her language. Thus, the caretaker will know whether to focus on vocabulary enhancement, syntax or sentence formulation, meanings in words and sentences, or the practical or pragmatic functions that language can serve.

8. Share books with the child in a playful way that models word and sentence meaning, as well as language use.

This is an exquisite way to enhance the child’s language abilities.

9. Caretakers or nannies can benefit greatly from sessions with a competent speech-language pathologist.

For children receiving speech and language enrichment from a certified speech-language pathologist, the youngsters will benefit enormously if the caretaker or nanny is present during language therapy sessions.

10. Follow the child’s lead in play.

This is an invaluable way to help enhance a child’s language. Most importantly, play and language are the foundations to literacy.

Written by: Editorial Team, My Learning Springboard, Inc.

How to Get Your Wiggles Out

September 3, 2013 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Although summer is just ending, it is never too early to prepare yourself, your classroom or your kids for the upcoming school year. Summertime is a time for enjoyment, freedom and no schoolwork, but when the new school year approaches students seem to need to take some time to squirm back into their rhythm.

It is OK for students to be wiggly and silly when asked to complete an assignment at home or at school during the first few weeks of the school year. There comes a time though, where silly becomes distracting, which can lead to a child falling behind. In order to try and avoid this decline, many therapeutic companies have come up with toys, called fidgets, to use inside your classroom to try and keep the focus of students.

Fidgets can be any toy that is able to target a sensory button in the child’s body. These fidgets help to calm the child down and focus on the task at hand. A child can squeeze a fidget while listening to the teacher talk through a lesson, as long as the fidget does not become a distraction within itself. Other fidgets can help quiet a child down if they are having a tough time and help them to relax. These are fidgets that have some sort of visual piece or moving part.

All in all, fidgets can be used in a variety of different ways and can really help a child adjust back to the classroom.

Here are some links that can help you learn more about fidgets, and where to purchase these wonderful little tools:

http://www.therapyshoppe.com/category/1052-fidget-toys-classroom-fidgets

http://fidgetland.com/

https://nationalautismresources.com/autism-fidget-toys-stress-balls/

To develop an individualized plan that works on focus and adjustment with your child, contact us here at My Learning Springboard to work one-on-one with a specialized tutor.

By Samantha Yanofsky, Private Tutor

Helping Challenged Kids Go Back to School

August 23, 2013 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Model confidence, create structure, and get to know the new teacher.

By Harold S. Koplewicz, MD
Original Source: Child Mind Institute
Originally posted July 12, 2015

Every child faces challenges when heading back to school. But back-to-school time can be exceptionally difficult for the 20 percent of children who suffer from a psychiatric or learning disorder. The school environment demands many things that summer activities don’t—the ability to sit still; get organized; stay on task; and adapt to a new, highly structured daily schedule. School also requires kids to separate from their parents and interact with peers—enormously challenging tasks for any child with anxiety.

Here are six things parents need to know about starting school with vulnerable children:

1. Psychiatric health problems emerge at back-to-school time.

Children with special needs require a lot of help learning how to manage a new schedule. As a parent, you can ease your child’s anxiety by modeling confidence and calm behavior, and by imposing structure in family life (mealtime, homework, and bedtime routines). But if your child shows signs of extreme anxiety and has unusual difficulties in school, you should immediately discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher as well as a mental health professional, someone who can advise on whether a child’s problems are normal and age appropriate or require further evaluation.

2. Kids’ brains are changing dramatically.

Profound changes occur in the brains of children, particularly as they enter their teens. The teen brain starts “pruning”—strengthening some synapses and eliminating many others. A temporary imbalance of this pruning in certain areas of the brain has been linked to teens’ erratic and risky behaviors, as well as the onset of anxiety disorders , depression, and substance abuse . It’s important to keep communication open at this vulnerable time, when teenagers are starting to look like adults, and think they are adults, but may not have the skills to manage stress. If you haven’t already started setting time aside each day to talk to your child about challenges and new experiences at school, now is the perfect moment.

3. Anxious parents send anxious kids to school.

Anxiety disorders run in families. Plus, anxious people tend to marry other anxious people; children with two anxious parents are at especially high risk. But genetics are just one factor. Environment is another. Kids really are like sponges, absorbing the energy and adopting the behaviors around them. One of the most helpful things you can do is model calm, confident behavior, particularly while helping a child get ready for school. A child usually starts school no calmer than her least-relaxed parent.

4. Teachers matter, maybe even more than you think.

Teachers get to know a child’s family through the child’s eyes, and they get to know how a child behaves without his parent present. This means parents can get all kinds of information about a child from his teacher—information about learning difficulties and peer problems as well as academic achievements and close friendships. Teachers are allies, and you should talk to them regularly. Good questions to ask include: How is my child doing? Do you have any concerns about his social or academic skills? Do you think he needs my help with anything?

5. Homework time is crucial.

Young children with learning difficulties, as well as those without any documented problems, can benefit from their parents’ involvement during homework time. Parents should set aside time for a structured “homework session” each evening. A good routine might start like this: Create space on a desk to work; help him clean out his backpack; review the day’s assignments; and discuss the homework as well as any questions about it. You can observe your child’s learning strengths and weaknesses this way while also reinforcing good study habits. Be positive and encouraging.

6. Don’t jump to conclusions.

Kids grow and develop at different rates. Ideally, a child will acquire various skills within expected time periods, but she may develop more quickly in one area than another. Parents often worry when, for example, one 5-year-old can read fluently while another can barely sound out words on the page. But a lag in one area of development doesn’t mean a child has a disorder. If you think there might be a problem with your child’s development, talk to her teacher. A seasoned teacher, with about 10 years of experience, can frame your child’s progress in relation to as many as 300 other kids. Good teachers are invaluable allies.

The Gap Year

February 19, 2013 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Quick disclaimer: If you know and have always known what you want to do with your life once you leave school, and absolutely nothing is going to sway your decision, then this article might not be for you. If, on the other hand, you are like many people your age and don’t really know what you want to be doing, read on!

There are many steps to adulthood: going to school for the first time; getting your first job; going out with your first boyfriend or girlfriend; and, in most places outside of New York City, getting your driver’s license. These are all formative times of our youths growing up in America. In traditional cultures around the world though, there have also been ceremonies dedicated solely for initiating youth into the rights and responsibilities of being an adult. Here in the US, we do have Confirmation, Bar Mitzvahs, and similar traditions in other faiths for religiously oriented families to mark the passage from childhood to adulthood. Even with these rites, there is no major break in routine; it is assumed in our busy, work-a-day, secular culture that the most “sensible” option is to go straight from high school to college, and then on to a career. The closest approximation we have to that coming-of-age transition might be a party celebrating high school graduation or one’s 18^th or 21^st birthday. Fun though they might be, these celebrations are a far cry from a rite of passage that would help secure your place in life after school.

Perhaps recognizing the importance of allowing students to have a taste of the “real world” before fully committing to a field of study in college, growing numbers of people have been appreciating the benefit of a Gap Year. In Australia, the UK, and other Commonwealth countries, where students must choose a specialization before entering higher education (in contrast to our liberal arts system), the Gap Year has been a significant factor in giving students this exposure to the wider world. Those who choose to take a gap year upon leaving high school are given the opportunity to work, travel, volunteer, and generally be out in the world for a year, learning their own valuable life skills before coming back to enter university. The sense of freedom and self-responsibility afforded by this period can be instrumental in figuring out how you fit into the surrounding society, and many students end up focusing their studies on aspects of the world or themselves they discovered while on the gap year.

In my own experience, I didn’t have the opportunity for such a gap year until after college. Growing up in a Japanese household with parents who had moved to the US for college (without a shred of English!) and graduated at the top of their classes, I found the stereotype of the intensely competitive Asian parents in my case to be… completely, completely true. It was understood that I, the eldest son, would of course follow my father into medicine as well. This wasn’t forced on me by any means – I truly believed that I too wanted to go straight through college, to medical school, to becoming a doctor, with not a breather in between. That was just the way it was.

So I graduated from high school and entered college the following autumn, with the full intention of knocking out all the prerequisites for med school. While I had excelled at (and enjoyed) math and science throughout high school, I found it hard to envision myself dealing with such “hard” sciences for the rest of my life. After a period of vacillation, I eventually parlayed those analytical and technical skills into a major in graphic design, which I found fairly satisfying. Even then, I felt like there was something else, some kind of deeper connection with my fellow human beings that I was missing.

It wasn’t until after I graduated in the summer of 2005 that I was able to have the kind of revelatory experience I had been hungering for. After travelling for most of that summer, I found myself on the Mississippi Coast two weeks after Hurricane Katrina had rampaged through. The subsequent year I spent working in Mississippi and New Orleans and my following experiences in disaster zones all around the world have been a formative factor in who I am now, and these experiences continue to inform the way in which I interact with the world both personally and professionally. While this same exact experience would not have happened if I had done a gap year four years earlier, I fully believe that having the opportunity to engage in this way then would have allowed me to more fully express my desire to be of assistance to the world, and I would probably have chosen a path more aligned with that goal.

If you are feeling something of the same uncertainty, why not look into the possibility of doing a gap year? My Learning Springboard can help!

By Toshiro Kida, Private Tutor