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 …

When you think of “special needs toys and games,” you may envision expensive gadgets and specially designed equipment. And you can certainly find such high-priced items provided by boutique specialty companies. The reality is that there is absolutely no need for parents of special needs children to purchase products labeled “special needs.” Plain old Walmart, …

Modeling plays an important role in learning. It focuses on imitation rather than directly correcting or instructing the child. When teaching a new skill, it is always important to show the action before you expect the child to do it. Modeling can be done by anyone that has mastered the skill such as other children, …

Meet “Jose.” He is a wizard at coding. His resume features two degrees in computer science, both with honors. An obvious choice for a tech company to scoop up, right? Until recently, no. Before Jose came across a large tech firm that had begun experimenting with alternative approaches to acquiring tech talent, he was unemployed …