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There are plenty of ADA accommodations that you can talk to your child’s school about to ensure that they’re getting the best possible education. These days, the ADA, or the Americans with Disabilities Act, protects children of all ages. Understanding your right under the law is the first step to ensuring that your child’s school is fully equipped to serve their needs.

It’s your right as a parent to record school meetings. Always ask in advance, and explain that you want to record these meetings to understand better what is happening with your child. This is especially true if you, yourself, have a disability like ADHD. Recording meetings will allow you to process them later, with a partner, if applicable.

If your child has a visual disability, you can request that school materials, including tests and other learning materials, be printed in a larger font. This includes pictures and any supplementary materials that apply to the class. Schools must accommodate all of their students, and you need to understand your rights in this regard.

Students with special needs or learning disabilities that cause them to lose concentration quickly can seat these children further away from windows, doors, or other distractions. You can request that your child be moved in the classroom if they are being distracted too easily by external stimuli.

If your child has a physical disability, such as if they are in a wheelchair, unique desks should be provided for them. They may also qualify for grace periods getting to and from class and be seated with the class instead of off to the side. This allows them to understand and experience all elements of learning thoroughly.

Whether your child seems to excel at math or has an impressive reading level, it’s not always easy to tell what their true educational potential is. However, with the right testing, you may be able to pinpoint what your kid could achieve, along with their strengths and their weaknesses.

At Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services (CCPS), we specialize in psycho-educational tests that can help determine your child’s educational potential.

What Kind of Tests Help Assess a Child’s Educational Potential?

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to determining your child’s educational potential. At CCPS, we strive to look at the big picture – which means conducting psychological tests that look at the mental processes affecting their educational performances. Our psycho-educational tests measure their academic abilities, intelligence, math achievement, reading, and writing skills.

Some of the tests we may use during this assessment include:

• Stanford Binet-5 Intelligence Scales (SB-5): The SB5 measures five areas of your child’s cognitive abilities: quantitative reasoning, fluid reasoning, knowledge, visual-spatial processing, and working memory. The SB5 can give a rounded look at your child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
• Nelson Denny Reading Test: This reading test provides insight into reading and vocabulary comprehension.
• Woodcock Johnson Cognitive and Academic Batteries (WJ-III Ach and Cog): This battery of tests includes eighteen different assessments that provide further insight into a child’s cognitive abilities and academic potential.
• Test of Written Language (TOWL-4): This test assesses an individual’s strengths and weaknesses in their writing ability.

Everyone is unique, and when it comes to testing a child’s educational potential, their assessment needs to be unique too. From well-rounded tests like the WJ-III Ach and Cog to more narrow assessments like the TOWL-4, testing your child’s educational potential at CCPS can give you plenty of insight as to what they may achieve.

Death and grief are inevitable parts of life, but most parents hope that their children won’t have to experience these emotions until they are fully grown. Unfortunately, as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, many families have had to have difficult conversations about loss and trauma. If you have recently lost a loved one, these tactics may help you provide support and comfort to the young ones in your life.

Explain Honestly and Simply

Children aren’t always mentally prepared to handle difficult concepts, but that doesn’t mean that they should have the truth hidden from them. If someone in their family dies, it’s important to explain what happened as honestly as possible while still using language that the child can understand.

One of the biggest mistakes that many parents make is mincing words around the death of a family member. Phrases like “moved on” or “passed away” may make the adults feel better, but they tend to leave children incredibly confused. Instead, tell the child that someone has died; then, explain to them what dying is and that the person won’t be returning to their life.

Be Prepared for Negative Emotions

Grieving is a skill that needs to be taught. A child who has never experienced loss before might go through anything from sorrow to anger to shock. Even if your child doesn’t react right away, you can expect to see changes in their behavior as they begin to process the news.

No matter what emotions your child has regarding the loss, be accepting, understanding, and willing to talk. Understand that you will need to guide your child through the process of channeling their emotions in a healthy way that will prepare them for similar situations in the future.

Prepare for Your Own Grief

If a family member dies, the children will not be the only ones grieving. You should accept that your own turbulent emotions might impede your ability to manage your duties as a parent; in the same way, the grief is also likely to affect your spouse. However, even if the grief has made your daily life difficult, it’s important to make sure that your child doesn’t try to take the responsibility of cheering the family up onto themselves.

Every family handles mourning differently. Cultural traditions such as burning candles or dressing in black may be helpful because they show a division between grieving and normal life. If both parents are struggling greatly with the loss, asking friends and family members to help take care of the house may also be a good idea.

As the aftermath of the death calms down, remember that grieving is not a speedy process. A child who goes quiet after a death may break down into tears months or even years later. Be patient with your kids, and let them know that your love and affection is available whenever they need.

Final exams are no joke, especially for students who have only had to face high-tension situations a few times across their lives. If you want your kids to perform well, try using these tricks to reduce their stress and encourage them to have a great exam day.

Plan the Right Meals

Good nutrition is incredibly important to help combat stress. In the time leading up to exam day, make sure that your family is eating balanced meals on a regular schedule. As you’re making meal plans, try to incorporate important nutrients like proteins, healthy fats, and green vegetables.

In addition to regular meals, you’ll also want to provide snacks to give your kids a little extra energy and motivation while they work. Avoid junk food like chips and candy bars. Instead, try to find healthy options like protein bars, fruit, or even trail mix.

Balance Study Sessions

One thing that many parents don’t realize is that their kids may not know how to study for an exam. Instead of dropping your kids off with a pile of textbooks, go out of your way to show them how to read their notes, focus on valuable information, and get ready for the upcoming test.

Another thing that kids need help with is learning how to balance study time and break time. Children probably shouldn’t spend more than one or two hours on their homework in one sitting, especially if they have school the next day. Remind your kids to take frequent breaks, and make sure that studying doesn’t cut into their precious sleep schedule.

Keep the Pressure Down

Many children complain that the most stressful part of finals week is the constant study reminders from their parents. You may be reasonably concerned about your child’s grades, but you should also recognize that too much pressure will ruin their ability to focus.

Instead of regularly reminding your kids that something stressful is on the horizon, go out of your way to stay quiet about the topic until it’s time for homework. As the adult, you can help maintain a healthy schedule that will make sure they pass the class.

The best ways to reduce stress generally involve living a healthy and balanced life style. From eating the right food to studying at the right times, the way you manage your home can have an amazing impact on your child’s shot at success.

Every good school wants to be able to offer their educational services to as many students as possible. However, some students struggle with unique needs that make learning difficult, especially in a classroom environment. As an educator, here are a few ways that you can make your institution more accommodating.

Follow Disability Guidelines

Whether you’re trying to make room for children who can’t see, can’t hear, or having a learning disability, it’s important to follow the guidelines laid down by the organization that matches those students’ specific conditions. Only by following modern standards can you be sure that you’re offering the best care possible.

Many institutions satisfy themselves by relying on semi-yearly inspections to make sure that their school is up to standards. However, if you really want the students in your care to thrive, you’ll make sure that you’re constantly updating to the latest and best ways to accommodate those with extra needs.

Hire Additional Staff

One of the biggest mistakes that many academic leaders make is expecting normal staff to be able to make disability accommodations. Learning to care for those with educational disabilities is a career in and of itself; if you try to push this work onto teachers, you’ll quickly watch your doctorate-level educator turn into a normal untrained professional.

Start by having trained staff on-hand to assist directly with students who have learning disabilities. You’ll also want to have extra tutors, child care experts, and any other staff members who can reduce the workload and that your school’s budget can reasonably afford.

Be Patient and Compassionate

Students with learning and functional disabilities are still children and still need to be raised in a loving and respectful environment. It’s tempting to turn accommodation into a checklist of things that have been changed to help the child without actually paying attention to their individual personality or needs. That’s why the best advice that any educator can receive is to be patient and kind with every child who ends up in their classroom.

No matter what your guidebook says, take time to get to know each of your students individually. Ask the child or their parents about their unique needs. Be willing to adjust the pace on course materials, and generally maintain an air of flexibility and understanding. If you can master these elements, you should have no problem interacting with every student who comes your way.

Being an educator isn’t easy, but continuing to care about the success of your students will help guarantee that you succeed. No matter what skills a student starts out with, a good teacher will help them reach the next stage of growth.

Between online schooling, video games, and staying in touch with long distance friends, the truth is that more and more kids are spending a significant amount of their time looking at a screen. In the past, concerns have been raised about how screen interaction impacts a child’s mental health. As screens become an unavoidable part of daily life, the question stops being whether children should be kept from using computers and becomes about whether there are any negative effects that should be mitigated to keep your child mentally healthy.

Is Screen Time Bad for Children

The impacts that screen time has on a child’s psychology are generally related to attention span and physical health. Using screens has been shown to decrease a child’s ability to hold up conversations or sit quietly for extended periods in direct correlation to the amount of time that they have spent using a computer instead of publicly socializing.

At first glance, these kinds of results can sound like they doom computers as part of a child’s life. However, the decrease in socialization skills makes sense from an educational standpoint; it just might not be the future that many parents were expecting from their children. The more that kids use screens, the better they are at using screens. Those skills have to come from somewhere, which is why children who spend more time on screens might be worse at other commonly expected social skills.

Helping Your Kids Have Healthy Screen Time Habits

Modern students need to use screens. If you want to make sure that your child develops other skills on a healthy schedule, try helping them have some of the following healthy habits:

• Take breaks. Get up from the desk at least once an hour to give your mind a chance to reset.
• Change posture. Spending hours hunched over a laptop isn’t good for your back or your psychology. Make sure you’re sitting in a good posture and that you move around every 20-30 minutes.
• Spend time together. Social skills are taught by social interaction. Combat the effects of computer use by spending time interacting together as a family.
• Turn screens off before bed. Screen use can delay your ability to fall asleep. Set a standard of turning off electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime.

As screens become an expected part of society, the standards for healthy development will change. Parents can help make sure their children succeed by encouraging positive habits and general overall physical good health.

Winter break is over, and most families have already returned work and school. Whether you’ve sent your kids back to their institution or chosen to enroll them online, you’ve probably noticed the healthy number of assignments that have been passed out in the new year. As we all struggle to get back into the swing of normal life, it’s important to remember that playtime is just as important as homework. No matter how old your kids are, they deserve a chance to relax and be themselves.

Improving Imagination, Memory, and Comprehension

Although playtime is often seen as nothing more than a break from work, recent studies have shown that it can be an important part of a child’s cognitive development. The reason for this is that playing is the standard way in which young children engage with the world. Playing can take the form of imagining fake scenarios, manipulating toys and other objects, or simply exploring an environment and making use of the various senses that are so new to a young soul.

Children who are allowed to play have stronger memories, more creative imaginations, and better decision making skills. The best way to let children play is to give them free access over a curated environment full of interesting materials. As they choose their own activities and make their own decisions, they’ll learn a sense of self confidence that can be difficult to replace later in life.

Creating Healthy Relaxation Habits

Relaxation is an important skill that many people forget to learn during their early years. People who are not allowed to play when they are younger often complain about their inability to unwind during their adult lives.

Although the correct ratio of work and play varies based on the child’s age, the truth is that even older children should be given several hours to themselves on a daily basis. Parents should recognize that there will be plenty of time to work during their child’s teenage and adult years. While they are young, kids should be allowed to exist comfortable in the world that their parents have made for them.

As you’re helping your kids create healthy playtime habits, remember that many play activities count as work for small kids. Remind them to take actual breaks from games, art projects, and anything else that demands attention for an extended period of time.

Forging Strong Parental and Sibling Relationships

Playtime isn’t just about allowing a kid to run off on their own. Most of the strong memories that help forge a child’s personality are created by playing with their family members and friends. Even spending one or two hours a week engaging with your child’s favorite activities can help them learn who you are and create a parental relationship that lasts a lifetime.

When your child is younger, they will probably want to involve you in their games of imagination. As they get older, they may want your assistance with complicated building projects; they may also want you to play a round of their favorite game. The important thing is that you spend time learning about the things that your child likes to do. When they grow up, they’ll remember how well you supported the development of their personality.

Playtime is about allowing your child to explore the world and learn what kind of person they want to be. From dressing up dolls to running around in the back yard, all of the classic activities of childhood are important. Kids who are allowed to play grow into adults who are healthy, happy, and capable of taking on the entire world.

2020 was a stressful year for many students, and 2021 is looking to be equally hectic. Whether your students are attending in-person classes or online lectures, there are several steps that you can take to reduce their stress and help them develop healthy attitudes towards education and life.

Manage Homework Levels

Children of all ages often complain that the amount of homework they receive is interfering with their time for play and sleep. Although a certain number of assignments often need to be completed to meet state and national standards, teachers have a great deal of control over when these tasks are performed. By lowering homework expectations, teachers can help make sure that kids are getting the rest that they need to maintain their mental health.

In general, students shouldn’t have more than an hour or two of homework to complete each weeknight. Longer assignments should be handled during school hours, especially if the teacher is around to offer assistance. If you aren’t the only teacher assigned to your class, collaborate with other instructors to make sure that every child’s free time is being respected.

Reduce Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is one of the leading causes of stress for young children. As a teacher, you can do a lot to make sure that your students aren’t worrying about upcoming quizzes when they should be enjoying the subject material.

First, avoid springing surprise tests on your class. Kids need time to study, ask questions, and make sure they truly understand the lessons. Putting a test date on the syllabus isn’t enough for most kids, so make sure to remind them at least a few class periods before the quiz is due.

Next, consider reducing the amount of impact that tests have on your students’ grades. Some teachers have started letting students retake online tests as many times as they need to; this way, they learn the material without incurring any of the harmful impacts causes by stress.

Provide Emotional Support

For many students, a teacher isn’t just an instructor; they’re also a parental figure and a role model. The way that you interact with your students can greatly influence how they perceive themselves and how they handle the stresses of daily life.

Treat all of your students with compassion and understanding, regardless of the grades that they receive. If a student is struggling, don’t assume that they are lazy or unintelligent. Instead, try to find out why they are having a hard time with the material. Some students have difficulty reading, while others are distracted by problems at home. In many cases, a student who has failed many times will have low self-confidence. Try giving them a few encouraging words and offering them a private study session to help them build their skills.

Encouraging mental health as an educator is all about paying attention to the way that the learning environment impacts the rest of the child’s life. Going to school teaches kids how to function in society, so make sure they are learning positive lessons that you want them to carry forward into the world. A single word of praise or a night without homework can go a long way towards helping a struggling child regain momentum in a difficult academic system. Pay attention to your charges’ emotions, make compassionate decisions, and be ready to change your plans to reflect the reality of your classroom’s needs.

 

Despite strong efforts and hopeful wishes, it doesn’t look like the COVID-19 pandemic will be over for the 2020 holiday season. In the meantime, try these tips to make sure you and your family stay safe and healthy while you celebrate.

Shop Online
As much as you might miss the festive displays and holiday music, 2020 is not a good year to do your Christmas shopping at the mall. Instead, stay nice and warm at home while you complete your shopping in the online marketplace. Many stores have a gift option that will let you ship presents straight to your relatives’ homes, complete with wrapping paper and a gift receipt.

If you do need to get something in person, consider opting for curbside pickup. Coronavirus spreads quickly indoors, so you’re much safer interacting in the fresh and frosty air.

Connect Virtually
Holiday gatherings simply won’t be the same size this year, but that doesn’t mean you need to feel alone. Plan to meet up with your family or your friend group in a Skype call or Zoom meeting. Consider asking everyone to display a few holiday decorations on camera to make the setting more festive. If you’re tech savvy, you can also spice things up with a holiday-themed Zoom background.

Share Memories
You might be in different places, but you and your family can still spend the holidays together by recreating the same memories in your own homes. Consider asking everyone in the family to do the same holiday activity, like making a gingerbread house or playing the same classic Christmas album. You can also try sharing recipes, watching the same movies, or even just decorating your trees on the same day. Don’t forget to take pictures so that everyone in the family can participate in the fun.

Travel Carefully
The CDC is recommending that everyone stay home for the holidays, but as of November, they haven’t laid down a travel ban. If you’re desperate to see your relatives, follow these steps to make your trip as safe as possible:

Get tested. You should take a COVID-19 test both before and after your flight. That way, you’ll know that you’re not bringing COVID with you on the plane, and you’ll also make sure that you don’t pick it up at the airport.

Pack extra masks. Fresh masks are important, especially when you’re passing through public spaces. Be prepared to swap your mask every time you enter a new environment.

Bring your own everything. This year, don’t stop at the store between the hotel and your parents’ house. The shorter your route is, the less chance you’ll have of catching the virus.

This year’s holiday season will be different, but there’s no reason it can’t be merry. Call your loved ones, send thoughtful packages, and look forward to ringing in a safe and healthy new year.

The holidays are fun, but they can also be incredibly stressful. If the thought of throwing a great Christmas celebration is already making your heart pound, you might want to try a few of these stress-reducing tips.

1) Start Shopping Early

Last-minute gift buying is never fun, but it’s a particularly bad idea during 2020. This year, save yourself the worry by doing all of your online shopping at the start of December. Then, you’ll be able to sit back and relax while the postal elves make sure that your holiday happens exactly on time.

2) Create a Budget

Overspending is an incredibly common response to holiday stress. Unfortunately, money can’t actually buy happiness; if you try, you’re more likely to end up with an empty wallet and an incredibly anxious holiday.

As a solution, set a firm budget for your holiday spending before you even begin. Know how much you have for gifts, how much you have for food, and how much you have for spontaneous ice skating. Then, stick to your budget, and relax knowing that you’ll be starting the new year with your finances in good order.

3) Eat Healthy

When you get stressed, it’s tempting to load up on as much junk food as possible – especially when all of those holiday treats are on the table. Unfortunately, a poor diet is actually a major contributor to lasting feelings of stress and depression. If you’re having a hard time making it through the holidays, consider keeping your diet on the healthier side.

To start eating healthy, make sure you’re getting an adequate amount of vegetables, whole grains, and other fibrous foods. Fill out your plate with leaner meats, and make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. As long as your normal diet is healthy, you can safely eat a few cookies when Christmas Eve rolls around.

4) Get More Sunshine

Seasonal affect disorder is incredibly common during the winter months. If you just can’t shake the holiday blues, it might be because you’re not getting enough direct sunlight. Pull back the curtains from your windows, and try going for a short walk every day. You can also purchase a sun lamp or light box to bring a little sunshine into your quarantine.

5) Call Someone You Love

Connecting with friends and family is one of the best ways to help yourself feel less stressed. This year, when you start to feel the darkness of winter rolling in, break your cycle by picking up the phone. Find a friend or family member who you can call or text when things get to be too much. With any luck, they’ll be happy to spend the holiday season chatting with you.

Seasonal stress is normal, but lasting depression shouldn’t be ignored. If you’re struggling with your feelings this year, don’t be afraid to schedule an appointment with us; we’ll be happy to help you figure out what’s going on.