Back to School Tips

Schools across the country are reopening their doors and welcoming students. For parents of children with varying needs the start of the school year can prove to be a stressful time. Thoughts swirling if their children's needs will be met and if their child will succeed in their new environment, socially, emotionally and academically. The article linked here from LD Online puts together a list of eight helpful back-to-school tips that aim to make the transition into a new school year a little easier for parents and their children.

Webinar Wednesday: Your Dyslexia/Dysgraphia Toolkit

 

Live Webinar: March 10, 2021 Building a Dyslexia/Dysgraphia Toolkit That Works Dyslexia and dysgraphia were in focus even before eLearning. But, now more than ever, districts are looking for stable and effective ways to help students access and complete assignments independently—wherever they learn.  Students with dyslexia or dysgraphia, often have difficulties with: Decoding and comprehension Handwriting Spelling & Grammar Organization Written expression and writing speed (thinking faster than they can write) Independence (they rely on adults for reading and writing tasks) Writing math symbols; aligning numbers and word problems Phonics and Phonemic Awareness Finishing research, reading, and writing assignments on time You're going to need the BEST combination of technology and measurement tools to help your students rise above these issues, recover from the COVID slide, and build confidence to work independently.   Register for the Webinar   In this webinar, Diana Petschauer, M.Ed., ATP, Laurie McIntosh, M.S., (from AT for Education - ATforED.com), and Kati McIlroy, OT, will show you a powerful toolkit to support students with dyslexia and dysgraphia including: Tools/ Tech/ demos and strategies; realistic implementation for the iPad and Chromebook/laptop to support literacy, math and multi-sensory instruction Co:Writer® (Word Prediction and Voice Typing for written expression)  Snap&Read™ (Text-to-Speech, PDF Annotation, Text Leveling, Study Tools/Highlighter to fully access reading materials) Annotation tools that make PDFs quizzes and worksheets accessible  The uPAR process to help staff choose appropriate reading accommodations with data The DeCoste Writing Protocol—a process to evaluate writing issues Come see what makes a real difference for students living and learning with dyslexia and dysgraphia.   Attendees will receive a certificate of attendance, Word Prediction Screening Tool, and Participant Resource Folder with extensive resources on apps, extensions, tools and technologies to add to your Dyslexia Toolkit! Wednesday, March 10, 2021 Eastern (New York) Central (Chicago) Mountain (Denver) Pacific (Los Angeles) 1:00 PM 12:00 PM 11:00 AM 10:00 AM This FREE webinar is 90 minutes.   Register for the Webinar   About the Presenter(s) Diana Petschauer, M.Ed, ATP  is the Managing Director of Assistive Technology for Education & Access4Employment; and a nationally certified Assistive Technology expert for over 20 years. She worked in public Special Education for over 15 years, as well as for a University for AT & Disability Services prior to her business. She manages her team of consultants at ATforED who provide AT evaluations, training, consultation, PD workshops & webinars. Diana has experienced working with a significant number of students & adults with Dyslexia & Dysgraphia, including using Assisive Technology to access curriculum & instruction, build confidence & independence, support executive functioning, increase literacy skills, as well as use AT to support the individual & student in the workplace and community. She has also provided training to SLP's and reading specialists to use AT as part of their OG lessons and instruction. Diana presents many workshops & webinars on AT and Literacy Intervention combined to provide the most efficient multi-sensory support for individuals with Dyslexia, including at the most recent International Dyslexia Association conference. Laurie McIntosh, MS, OTR/ L, ATP is a consultant at Assistive Technology for Education & Access4Employment after working as an OT (occupational therapist) in public schools and private practice for 38 years.  Her primary experience has been to work with school teams to provide accessible educational materials, specially designed instruction, and technology access to students with physical disabilities, learning disabilities/ Dyslexia, and autism. She has worked with students from preschool to high school, and adults across the lifespan.  Laurie is skilled at providing training to students, paraprofessionals, teachers, administrators and parents in order to create an environment in which assistive technology is part of typical daily learning. Kati McIlroy, Assistive Technology Specialist and an Occupational Therapist who has worked in school districts for over 15 years in Southern California and currently works with Don Johnston Incorporated as an Educational Support Specialist. She collaborates with district professionals, educators, and therapists to integrate technologies that help students access the curriculum. By conducting presentations and trainings at schools and conferences, she helps spread the word about how Universal Design for Learning opens the world to students and creates lifelong learners.

How to Help Your Child Defend Against Bullies

Often times children, particularly those with learning disabilities, find themselves the target of schoolyard bullies. As part of their "Start School Strong" campaign, the team at Understood.org discusses what you and your child can do to prevent bullying, defend themselves against bullies and protect others who may be bullied. Within this post you will find hyperlinks that will lead to other resources to support your anti-bullying efforts.


















At a Glance 

• It’s normal to want to protect your child against bullying, no matter his age. 
• Help your child understand what bullying is and how best to react to it.
• Consider role-playing different bullying scenarios.
  
• Encourage your child to recognize his strengths so he feels worthy of defending himself.
  

It’s natural for parents to try to protect their children. But if your child has learning and attention issues, you’ve probably done more than most. Chances are you’ve had to stand up for his needs in and out of school.

You can’t always be there when your child needs protecting against bullying, however. That’s why it can feel so important to empower your child to defend himself. Use these tips to help him respond well when students act aggressively toward him or others nearby.

Define “bullying” for your child. 

Use the word “bully” at home and when you see it out in the community. Encourage your child to use it to describe what bullying truly is. Bullying is serious, hurtful behavior that happens repeatedly. It also is done on purpose. And most of all, make it clear that bullying is not acceptable.

Remind your child that it isn’t OK for others to pick on him and it isn’t OK for him to pick on others. Not because “everyone is doing it,” and not because it makes him look cool around his friends.

Tell him to report bullying.

Remind your child that when he sees someone picking on another child in person or online, he has a choice. He can be a passive bystander. Or he can be a brave “upstander.” As an upstander, he has a responsibility to report bullies to adults who can help.

Tell your child that this isn’t “tattling.” Instead, it’s acting out of compassion and concern for another child. And the more he looks out for other students, the more likely they’ll help defend him against bullies, too.

Assure your child that he won’t get in trouble for sharing his bullying experience with a trusted adult. That goes for incidents that happen to him or to another child. Talk through who your child could tell in different circumstances.

“When your child is somewhere safe, he can and should express his feelings. Bullying hurts, and he’s allowed to feel hurt.”

Role-play ways to respond to bullying.
 
Help your child think through ways he could react to being picked on in different circumstances. Who would he tell if someone was pushing him on the bus? What would he say to someone who called him a name? How should he respond if other students exclude him from a game?

Tell him to:

• Ignore the bully, when possible. 
• Walk or move away, if he can.
  
• Tell the bully to stop in a loud voice. Even if he feels nervous, he should try to speak and act with confidence. This can sometimes stop a bully in his tracks.
•  Ask for help from friends or trusted peers.  
• Try not to get too emotional—this can egg bullies on. 
• When your child is somewhere safe, he can and should express his feelings. Bullying hurts, and he’s allowed to feel hurt.  
• Avoid bullying back! Retaliating can be dangerous.  
• Always tell an adult (teacher, coach, principal, parent, etc.) afterward.
•  Encourage “self advocacy.”
  

When a child is a victim of bullying, he may start to feel bad about himself. (This is especially true when bullies pick on kids who have learning and attention issues.) The worse your child feels about himself, the less likely he is to try to make the bullying stop.
 
Empower your child to speak up for himself and become a self-advocate. Help him take responsibility for his own reactions to bullying. Ask him for his ideas on dealing with aggressive situations. This gives him a sense of control over bullies.

Bullying can take a big toll on a child’s sense of self-worth, so give your child opportunities to increase his self-esteem. Point out ways in which he’s special and help him to recognize his own strengths. Having that self-awareness can make him feel better about advocating for his own safety and happiness.

Key Takeaways

• Students with learning and attention issues are bullied more often than other kids. 
• Teaching them to defend themselves against bullies is important. 
• Help your child learn to recognize bullying. 
• Teach him ways to respond without making the situation worse. 
• Remind him which adults he can tell.
  

Encourage self-advocacy, a skill that will be important throughout his life.

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