By Dr. Ford Some kids take to learning like peanut butter and jelly. Others, more like oil and water. For teachers, witnessing an incredibly smart kid sitting in the back fidgeting with their pen, staring off into space, or being distracted with their cell phone is frustrating. Equally as frustrating? Wanting your kid to do …

When your child/student, is feeling emotional or upset, what can we do to help? Be the regulator – the adult stays CALM. Calming voice, soothing, eye contact, be a comfort, relaxed body posture, NO yelling Don’t use too many words. Give the student wait time Model deep breathing (in through the nose, out through the …

This is true for people with and without disabilities. You need to make money if you want to live an independent life. Money isn’t the only reason people want to work. We like to work to meet new people, stay busy, and feel good about ourselves. Finding a job or picking a career can be …

Set aside designated “family time” a few times a week for everyone! Yes, everyone! This means all family members who live in the same household. Family time means screens are put away and we have structured conversation. Hmmm, what does this look like? It could be over the dinner table or sitting around the living …

Many parents and teachers say, “Go to your room (or to the corner) and think about what you did.” Many parents are used to the approach to addressing behavior because that was the way they were parented. Most adults do not realize that children are constantly making decisions about themselves, about their world, and based …

Have you heard of extended school year services, but aren’t sure what they are or what qualifies a student with special needs for them? We’ve got answers for you. If you have a child with an IEP and you’re curious about extended school year services, here’s the deal: You might be able to get Extended …

Functional skills are skills a student needs to live independently. An important goal of special education is for our students to gain as much independence and autonomy as possible, whether their disability is emotional, intellectual, physical, or a combination of two or more (multiple) disabilities. Skills are defined as functional if the outcome supports the student’s …

There are many reasons why pausing during a conversation can be useful. For example: · We pause to highlight grammatical structures such as to mark the end of a sentence or to shift to a new idea. · We pause for social reasons, such as to build anticipation, to clarify that we have expectations, to …

Retelling a story is an important skill that supports later reading comprehension. Allowing your child multiple opportunities to be able to retell a familiar story will help to continue to build upon these skills. This can be after they return from school for the day or at bedtime after reading their favorite book. Here is a fun …

What is PECS? The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a way for people with limited or no verbal communication skills to communicate using pictures.  The person with limited or no verbal communication skills communicates with another person by giving the person a picture or a desired item in exchange for the desired item. Why use …