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August 22nd, 2020
Whether classrooms are reopening virtually or in person, we’ve never seen a new school year like this one. And never has it been more important for teachers to relieve their students’ stress and bolster mental health. We know that students learn best when their bodies and brains are in a calm, alert state. That’s difficult […]
February 5th, 2020
Eight-year-old Charlise struggled to get through nearly every day of third grade. She refused to go to school so often that her mother had to physically escort her into the car, and then into the classroom each day. All week, she complained of stomach aches brought on by anxiety. But at home on the weekend, […]
December 3rd, 2019
Jalene’s teachers were at a loss about how to deal with the fourth grader’s habit of dashing wildly through the halls of her public school. Her IEP team made an effort, devising a behavior plan that called for teachers to reprimand her for the behavior, remove her from the classroom, or to ask her to […]
June 16th, 2019
In my job as a clinical psychologist and as a mother, I have repeatedly observed two qualities in extraordinary teachers: * They provide a warm, calming presence and regulate their own emotions. * They are relationally connected and engaged with their students. It’s not difficult to see what a difference a good teacher can make. […]
February 23rd, 2015
This post explores a new way of viewing attention seeking behaviors.
December 27th, 2014
I’m grateful for the wonderful response to my last post, Ten Things to Ask of Professionals working with your Special Needs Child, which focused on helping the adults in your child’s life to see the positive, not just the deficits. In the coming weeks, I’ll focus on each point individually, elaborating more specifically on how […]
December 4th, 2014
A Fresno, California mother made headlines when she sued her daughter’s teacher and school administrators. The mom had paid a surprise classroom visit and allegedly found her developmentally delayed seven-year-old locked in a makeshift cage and wearing a soiled diaper. The principal of the school reportedly told police that the enclosure was a safety precaution that had […]
June 23rd, 2014
Valuable information can be gleaned from autistic persons writing about their educational experiences. A common theme arising from such writings is that all too often, behaviors are taken at face value and competence is not presumed. Because the neural circuits connecting the motor system to ideas or intention can be seriously impacted in autism, taking […]
April 29th, 2014
There are many reasons IEP’s can be stressful. Here is a list of a few related to the emotional ramifications of the process on parents. Please feel free to respond and add your own. The implication here is not that school administrators and teaching staff ever intend to make IEP’s an adversarial process. The reason […]
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