Labeling someone with anxiety can be helpful in the short term because it helps increase awareness to those around. However, WHAT does “having anxiety” actually mean? A label doesn’t help describe the behaviors, the cause & effect, the antecedent (what happens before), or the consequence of leaving us with questions such as, “how can I help??”

“I don’t understand” said a parent. “You’re telling me my child can decode and comprehend just fine, but last year, the teachers told me she needed a 1:1 in the classroom to do any work. Who do I believe?”

This was a statement made by a parent in an IEP meeting. The concern on her face was genuine and raw.

If a child’s instruction is not being differentiated to meet his/her unique academic abilities and needs, then that child will find coping mechanisms to manage the workload, and it is often maladaptive coping mechanisms that will appear…

The real question is WHY is your child showing these behaviors?

Homework completion is stressful topic of conversation because teachers, specialists, and especially parents, feel helpless. Unfortunately, homework completion can cause many heated arguments and increase the tension in households, which ends up carrying over and impacting work performance and self-esteem even more.

There are many variables that go into successfully completing homework. Many of which require specific neural networks of the brain to work in unison, areas of the brain that are less likely to work in unison when someone has ADHD and/or Autism.

This blog breaks down homework completion into three parts. All of which require success in a unique set of skills! Read the blog to find out recommendations on how to support each area!

Some students don’t seem to mind. Some students have already had a negative experience with them. Some students have yet to wear one. Some students do find them fun and cool! Basically, children are all over the map for how they feel about face masks and children with special needs experience even more challenges due to sensory sensitivities, motor challenges and adapting to new routines. So, you can you help your child adapt to wearing that mask?

Also, a free positive affirmation visual is included! Hang it in the kitchen, front door, or bedroom for some tips and reminders about what it is like to wear a mask!

As a speech language pathologist and a certified autism fitness instructor, I realized I would be doing a great disservice if I stopped only at my speech pathology credential. I know that communication abilities are only one piece of the puzzle to improving quality of life…Find out the four categories that impact your quality of life!

When I first started working with my students and saw a “tier II vocabulary” goal, I had no idea where to start.

• How do I know which words are “most important?”

• How do I pick out of thousands of words?

• What does tier II even mean??

We know vocabulary is important . Out of thousands of words to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know which words to pick. And then after choosing, how do you teach new words in an engaging manner that sticks?

My office is located across from the Principal’s Office. This means that my student’s behaviors never go unnoticed.

75% of my students have ADHD. For some, it is their only diagnosis. Just like Autism, ADHD lies on a spectrum. There are three different types of ADHD and no two individuals with ADHD are alike. While there are identified common symptoms across all individuals with ADHD, each individual will show a symptom in his/her own unique way.

A common symptom that I see in the school system is emotional flooding.

Executive Functioning (EF) is the driver of our brain. It’s responsible for a set of cognitive skills that allow us to smoothly navigate activities of our daily living by helping us plan, organize, prioritize and initiate tasks. It helps organize our thoughts, manage our time, and make decisions. Continue reading to find out tools to work on Executive Functioning skills!

When working or doing school from home, nothing is more important than planning and preparing. Teletherapy classes and session are very effective but do require some extra “pre-planning” work to increase student/child and parent motivation. So, how do you motivate your child/student to take their online studies and sessions? How do you keep them motivated? And how do you set boundaries so you can do your work, and they can do theirs?