The Autism Internet Modules were developed with one aim in mind: to make comprehensive, up-to-date, and usable information on autism accessible and applicable to educators, other professionals, and families who support individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Written by experts from across the U.S., all online modules are free, and are designed to promote understanding of, respect for, and equality of persons with ASD. For more information, please visit: www.autisminternetmodules.org Evidence-Based Practice and Autism in the Schools " TARGET="_blank">www.nationalautismcenter.org/pdf/NAC% 20Ed%20Manual_FINAL.pdf Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds. html Attached is a workbook forwarded from the Arlington County Virginia PRC, which would be good for many families to give to their teachers who may not be familiar with autism or their child. It gives a good rundown of the behaviors and challenges of working with a child with ASD. FEAT-Handbook. Communication is the key to make back to school easier Back to school for my blue-eyed, mischievous, non-verbal son with autism always seems overwhelming and scary, but open communication and open minds make the transition go more smoothly. Because communication and social skills are huge challenges for my son, I try to plan every possible eventuality and write lots and lots of “helpful” notes to the school team in place. By preparing overviews of how my son is at home, and laying out my hopes and fears, I let the school team know I'm a partner in their efforts to help my son succeed. We both keep our e-mails flowing and I check in several times a week. (And then I send a heartfelt “thank you” note to let the school team know how much I appreciate all the hard work and caring on behalf of my son!) If you're dealing with similar back-to-school issues, I hope you'll download and use these sample forms. These helpful forms, assembled by experts at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism, can be shared with your child's school to open the lines of communication. They list daily activities, track progress and provide an overview of what your child does day in and day out. All of us at the Autism Society wish you the best for a wonderful school year experience. Sincerely, Marguerite Kirst Colston Vice President, Constituent Relations Mother of a son with autism New teaching tools aid visually impaired students in learning math www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2010/03/100315172218.htm Mastering mathematics can be daunting for many children, but researchers have found that children with visual impairments face disproportionate challenges learning math, and by the time they reach the college level, they are significantly under-represented in science, technology, mathematics and engineering disciplines. Parent Tips from Pathfinders for Autism Back to School August 2009 What parent doesn't love that Staples commercial that so cleverly uses the well known Christmas carol, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" with the parent who is celebrating that the kids are going back to school? While it may be a celebration for some parents, some of us worry about the transition for our kids, and the stress they may be feeling about a new class, new friends, and maybe even a new school. So let's prepare now to help make that first day back to school a great (or tolerable if that's your realistic hope) experience. Treat the first day of school like a holiday Build up excitement for the first day of school like you do for Christmas or your child's birthday. Circle it on the calendar, count down the days, pick out a special outfit (or item the child can take to school), and plan a celebration for that afternoon or evening. Encourage your child to participate in buying school supplies and let her help pick her materials. After all, who wants to be forced to carry around a High School Musical binder when your heart belongs to The Jonas Brothers? Visit the school Show your child his classroom and even his locker and desk if possible. If you go before the classroom is set up, go back closer to the first day so that your child will have a chance to see how the class will look when he gets there that first day. Take a walk through the halls practicing the routes he will travel to the various classes. While you're there, take pictures that your child can refer to back at home. If this is a new school for your child, you may also want to consider visiting the child's previous school and reinforcing the message that he's not changing schools because people at the old school didn't want him. Sometimes our kids have anxieties over these feelings, but they aren't able to articulate those fears. Meet with the teacher and inclusion helper Ask for a copy of a typical day's schedule so that you can prepare your child with social stories, visual schedules and discussions. Let the teacher meet your child and go over your child's reactions, learning styles, favorite things, and what challenges and frustrates your child. Make sure you share with the teacher systems that work for you at home. If you have charts or tools you use at home, offer a duplicate set for the classroom for consistency for your child. Ask the teacher if you may take a picture of her to have at home so that her face will be even more familiar to your child on that first day. Make an 'All About Me' book A portfolio of pictures, stories, favorite things and anything else the child feels is important to share with other students and teachers could be a great tool for introducing your child. Play school Go through typical school activities, practice walking up to school, unpacking, taking jackets on and off, walking quietly through a hallway. Keep them used to the feeling of "school" even if it's at home. Reset the clocks If you've allowed your child to stay up later during the summer, start rolling back bedtime now so that when school starts your child will have an easier time falling into the new schedule. Use an alarm clock to wake the child Let's face it - how many kids want to get up for school? Let the alarm clock be the "bad guy" waking your child, not you. Consider using a CD player/clock combo so that your child can wake to his favorite song rather than a buzzing noise. Make sure your child's IEP is up to date If you haven't looked at your child's IEP since your last annual meeting, go through it and make sure that the goals and accommodations listed are still relevant. Have your child's needs changed since your last meeting? Has she met some of the goals listed and is now ready to take on new challenges? Remember, you don't have to wait for an annual meeting - you can request an IEP meeting at ANY time. Get your paperwork organized While you're thinking about organizing new binders, paper and pencils, take a moment to evaluate if your own paperwork is in order. If you don't already have a system in place, download our Guide to Organizing Your Paperwork. More back to school tips for both parents and teachers: Back to School Tips The Back to School Guide from the Autism Community Connection Ann Dolin, Director of Educational Connections, Inc. has provided the following articles and newsletters: January 2009 Newsletter February 2009 Newsletter July 2009 Newsletter 3 Great Strategies for Stopping Procrastination This School Year! Why Reading is Not a Natural Process By Ann Dolin and Laura Rheinauer Picture two students, side by side, reading a fairytale from a storybook. One student easily reads with expression and enthusiasm, “Once Upon a Time”. The other student slowly reads “On up a tim.” Both students live in the same neighborhood, have educated parents that read to them at night, and were exposed to literature at a young age. So why can the one read and the other cannot? Is it a fairytale story to think that reading is a natural process? The answer, is yes. Almost 20% of children have a significant reading disability that impacts their ability to acquire reading through traditional teaching methods. Most reading instruction in American classrooms is taught through the whole language approach where students are directed to literacy by focusing on literature, diversity, reading groups and motivation. While this methodology works with many students, critics of the whole language approach state that students also need phonics based and specific skill set instruction. Reid Lyon, the former head of National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, makes a valid point by questioning why there are so many illiterate adults and children if reading were a natural process. According to a recent article in TIME magazine, there are almost 3 million students in special education classes specifically because they cannot read. Some are dyslexic, others are not. In many instances, the student demonstrates strong reading comprehension, but there is a specific glitch in sounding words out (decoding). Because reading is a combination of decoding and comprehension, a student’s decoding skills are vital to the reading process. To learn to decode a student needs to be able to understand that individual sounds make up words. Thus, a reading disability that is not based in comprehension is occurring at the phonemic level. Simply being able to recite the alphabet isn’t enough. Children need to know that the written letter equates to a sound. Weak readers have difficulty perceiving various sounds and sound blends, and thus have difficulty decoding new words. These students aren’t able to pull apart sounds (segment) and blend them together. Look at this simple example: When we say the word dog, we hear just one sound. But when pulled apart, the word dog is actually composed of three separate phonemes. The D sound, the O sound, and the G sound. To truly be a good reader we need to be able to segment the three separate sounds rapidly and effectively. The emergent reader relies heavily on decoding phonemes (pulling the sound apart) and then instantly pushing the sounds back together. This automatic process requires the proper neurological wiring. Scientific data points to specific neurobiological differences between normal readers and those with dyslexia. Three specific regions of the brain work in tandem to analyze printed word, recognize the sounds in that word, and then make the reading process automatic. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans show the left inferior frontal gyrus, the left parietal-temporal lobe, and the left occipital-temporal area are those exact regions where the reading process occurs. In students with reading disabilities these areas are not as highly developed. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development within the framework of the National Health Institute continues to support research efforts to understand and address reading failure. Even students that are not at risk for reading failure (those raised in poverty, limited English proficiency, limited exposure to reading, and speech/hearing handicaps) can and do encounter reading difficulties. This scientific evidence of brain scans show that a glitch in the brain’s processing abilities prevents students with reading difficulties to effectively and quickly decode words. Instead, these students over compensate by relying heavily on memorizing words. While this compensatory strategy helps get kids through a school year, without proper treatment, these children flounder as they encounter new words. So what can be done? Twenty years of research demonstrates that we can remediate almost all reading disabilities. The most important thing is to fist seek help and get a diagnosis. Assessment of a student’s phonemic awareness as early as the kindergarten level is beneficial so that you can have a strong predictor of potential difficulties in reading that may be encountered down the road. Too often the excuse of a developmental lag is given, and that eventually Johnny will “catch up”. Statistics state that 76% of students with a reading problem never do catch up. It is absolutely crucial that reading-related learning disabilities do not go undiagnosed and untreated. Waiting to seek help can ultimately be even more deleterious. Susan Hall who wrote Straight Talk About Reading and Parenting A Struggling Reader states that if help is given in 4th grade rather than in kindergarten when weaknesses were first spotted, it will take four times as long to improve the same skills by the same amount. Once the nature and cause of a student’s difficulty is determined appropriate instruction to remediate the deficit can be administered, and accommodations granted. Children and adults that encounter difficulty reading need systematic instruction and intervention so that they don’t encounter other difficulties in academics and so that their emotional well being is not impacted. According to the Learning Disabilities Online (www.ldonline. org) website, one of the biggest indicators of reading comprehension is the fluency (speed and accuracy combined) of reading single words. Going hand in hand with that is the ability to accurately decode those single words, which is directly related to phonemic awareness and the development of that skill. It is therefore essential that reading remediation for most students begin at the phonemic level. One-to-one reading instruction or small group instruction is considered the best approach for students with Learning Disabilities. Explicit and systematic instruction is the most powerful way to improve reading. The focus of instruction should be on decoding, fluency, and comprehension. In the 1930s, Dr. Samuel Orton and Anna Gillingham developed an approach to reading, a ‘course of action’ if you will, to provide reading instruction. Instruction can vary from student to student based on particular needs, but ultimately, all Orton-Gillingham lessons build upon the association between the sounds and symbols of the English language (letters and letter combinations). Starting with the smallest unit of sound (phoneme) students practice blending sounds to read individual words and bodies of text, develop automaticity, isolate certain sounds for spelling, read text and focus on comprehension, write, and then generalize these skills to other applications. The Orton- Gillingham approach is multisensory (instruction taps into the visual, auditory and kintesthetic domains) because this approach aids the processing, retention and application of information. Key points of the Orton-Gillingham approach is that it is diagnostic and prescriptive, direct and explicit, multisensory, cognitive, structured, synthetic and analytic, cumulative, and alphabetic-phonetic. It’s important to evaluate a student pre and post specialized reading program to measure both quantitative and qualitative improvements. Scientific evidence proves that reading is not a natural process. However, with proper diagnosis and treatment, students that are struggling readers will be able to open up their books and be whisked away to magical lands in far away times. Great tips for a successful new school year (This came from a mom who belongs to a support group I'm in.) A superhero lunchbox or a fresh box of crayons help a lot of kids feel excited about starting school again. However, getting used to the school routine after a summer break can be challenging, especially for kids with behavioral, emotional or neurological issues. As an educator working with children with autism, I developed these strategies to help children ease in to the routine with minimal stress. Feel free to adapt for your situation — and please share your ideas and experiences in the comments. 1. Take several trips to school in the weeks before the first official day. Most schools will be open during regular hours for at least two weeks before the first day of school. Teachers typically use this time to set up the classroom and do other preparation activities, while administrative staff works on making sure all the incoming students are properly enrolled. Call ahead to make sure you visit during a good time, preferably a time when your child’s teacher will be there. Spend a few minutes walking around the building with your child, pointing out places which will be important to him or her, like the library, the cafeteria, the gym, the classroom and the playground. Allow your child to look at everything, and if you find teachers working take the time to introduce them to your child. 2. Make a picture book about school. Take a camera with you on your first visit to your child’s school. Take pictures of the classroom and any other area where your child will be spending time. (don’t forget places like the nurse’s office, the drinking fountain and the hallway!) When you get home, print out all the pictures and label them with your child. Spend a few minutes every day looking at the picture book and talking about all the fun things your child will do in school. 3. Ask your child’s teacher for a copy of the daily schedule as soon as it’s ready. This is not always easy - the first days of school usually involve a lot of problem solving about schedules - the times your child may go to lunch or special area classes, or the times he or she sees therapists or special teachers may not be finalized until right before school starts. Most teachers are more than willing to share the daily schedule as soon as they know for sure what it will be. When you have it, talk about it with your child in detail. Pair it with the picture book and point out where each of the schedule items will take place. (For example: “The schedule says you eat lunch at 12:15 in the cafeteria. This is a picture of the cafeteria. Remember when we visited, and we looked at the tables, the food counter and the cash register? This is where you will eat lunch every day at school.”) 4. Slowly get your child into the routine of doing schoolwork. I usually recommend parents take some time every day throughout the entire summer to work with their children on the skills we use at school. Even if you haven’t done this, you can still help your child adjust. Start by spending five minutes sitting together doing a fairly quiet activity your child enjoys, like building with blocks, coloring or reading aloud together. The next day, shoot for ten minutes of uninterupted “focus” time. Keep adding a little bit of time each day until your child can focus for the length of a typical work time during the school day. 5. Start building a great relationship with your child’s team. Get to know teachers, therapists, assistants and your child’s classmates by name. Establish good lines of communication by getting email addresses, phone numbers and other contact information for all the people who will be working with your child and find the best way to have regular conversations with them. As a teacher, I always welcomed input, ideas and advice from parents - after all, no one knows your child better than you do. I know a lot about teaching, but parents are the real experts when it comes to finding the best way to inspire and educate their children. Don’t be afraid to speak up and share this expertise - it’s the most valuable piece of any planning we do. 6. Create time in your child’s schedule both before and after school where he or she can relax and prepare for or unwind from a day at school. Turn off the TV or any music, turn down the lights and have some relaxing activities your child enjoys available. Work to preserve this time for your child every day - it provides him or her with a guaranteed expanse of time where he or she knows what to expect, so it’s likely to be a low stress time. As hard as we try to keep a regular and predictable routine at school, it’s not always possible. School can be a pretty unpredictable place, especially to kids who are sensitive to change. Providing a comfort zone to bookend the school day will help your child better deal with some of the unexpected things that can happen during the school day. 7. Have a great attitude about school and it will be contagious. Parents have an amazing ability to affect the attitude of their kids - showing your kids a postive, optimistic view of school will help them shake some of the anxiety and apprehension that can make transistions so difficult for them. 8. Include your child as much as you can in back to school planning. Take him or her with you when you shop for school supplies, and let your child make his own choices at the store when you can. Making choices builds independence and confidence, and having materials he or she picked may be very comforting to your child during the school day. Returning to school can be a great experience for your child with a little patience, some creativity and good planning. If you have ideas or tips that have been successful for you, please e-mail them to me and I'll add them to the website. Start the School Year Right! By Ann Dolin, M.Ed It’s the beginning of the school year, and time to get our children ready for reading,writing and arithmetic. But now, more than ever, larger skills are the key to academic success. Organization, time management and study skills are important for children of all ages, and a lack of these skills is a real problem. In fact,“chronic disorganization is a real disability, just as much as a problem with reading, math or spelling might be.” (Mel Levine, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina) Whether your child is impacted significantly or just has trouble remembering homework from time to time, here are some helpful tips: • Research shows more is accomplished if homework is begun right after school and when the hardest assignment is done first.Having a set ‘homework zone’with necessary materials out and ready alleviates the “I need to find a pencil!” problem. • Before homework starts, give a short break and help prioritize assignments. (What will be done first, second, third, etc.?) Check to see if there are any longterm assignments. • Always utilize a daily,weekly and monthly calendar. • For children who underestimate the amount of time it takes to complete an assignment, use a timer. • For those who overestimate the time remaining to complete a task, set a designated start and end time. Reward completion with a privilege. • Students of all ages need to have a binder system that works for them and their teachers, and “binder maintenance” should occur at least weekly. Label and file away old materials in a reserve accordion notebook that can be easily accessed in the future (i.e., for a final exam). The battle over homework and organization can sometimes become detrimental to the parent/child relationship. Many families choose to bring in an outside, neutral third party, called an Educational Coach, to work on organization and study skills across the curriculum. This coach can assess your child’s specific learning style,and provide strategies on time management,organization and effective reading and note taking, memory techniques and other study skills. Remember that time spent organizing today will be time saved tomorrow! Helping your child gear up for the school year by setting up effective systems early, will help everyone in the long run. Ann Dolin, M.Ed is the director of the tutoring company Educational Connections, Inc. She speaks on the topic of organization and study skills, and consults with parents on various educational topics. (ann@ectutoring.com) Homework Hang-ups? Here's Help! By Ann Dolin, M.Ed. Another school year is beginning. Are your hopes high that this year will be less stressful than the last one? Were homework battles common in your household? Help is on the way! This year can be different if simple routines and structures are implemented starting the very first day of school. Research in The Journal of Family Psychology shows that all children, even infants and preschoolers, demonstrate better behavior when there are predictable routines in the family. Believe it or not, children want and need routines. A predictable schedule allows them to know what to expect and, in turn, they feel safe and secure. Routines also reduce parents' stress. When there is less drama in the household, parents are able to spend more time developing healthy parent/child bonds and less time arguing. So how can parents develop structure in order to dissipate power struggles and homework battles? The first thing that we must do is to make homework completion a priority. There must be a set time for homework each and every day and, to do this, children cannot be overscheduled. I see so many students in my practice who are involved in as many as four or five different extracurricular activities. They are harried and stressed out, and their parents are, too. Children need to have enough time each day to realistically complete their work. Twenty minutes squeezed in between soccer practice and piano lessons and a half-hour after dinner is scattered and usually not sufficient. When children are overscheduled, they do not have time to devote to their school work or unstructured time to "just play." Most children need a short break after school before getting started on their work; usually not more than 30 minutes. However, before your child runs out of the house to play with friends, have her take the binder, books and assignment notebook out of the backpack. One of the greatest study skills we can teach our children is time management. Work with your child to prioritize assignments; 1,2,3, etc. The first assignment to be done should be the most difficult while the student is still fresh, followed by the second most difficult. The last assignment should be the easiest. Have your child pull out everything that will be needed to begin assignment #1 and lay it out in the predetermined homework area. Now it's playtime, but agree upon the return time. When your child returns, she will know just where to begin without an argument. Timers are great learning tools and can be used to break homework up into manageable pieces. If a writing project seems overwhelming to your child, set the timer for 15 minutes with the goal of completing the first step. Stay close by. Many children work much better when an adult is nearby to help if questions arise. When the buzzer goes off, and the goal has been met, provide lots of praise and possibly a reward. Then set the timer for the next step until the work is done. Many students have difficulty just getting started, but once they get going, they can complete the task. Timers often provide that "jumpstart" needed in the beginning. Rewards do not have to be elaborate. Many children respond to earning tokens that can be traded in for something they desire: a visit to a favorite restaurant, the latest Game Boy cartridge, a movie with a friend or time with Mom or Dad. If you're not sure what would motivate your child, just ask, but be sure to put a financial limit on the reward! Most children thoroughly enjoy watching television, playing video games and instant messaging. For many of these kids, there is no greater incentive. It is my belief that this "screen time" should be earned. If a student is allowed to engage in these activities before homework, it can be very difficult to get her refocused on educational work. However, most children will do almost anything to have these luxuries, including homework. Children should earn these activities, not be entitled to them. What if your child has no homework? Still insist on doing something educational during the designated homework time. Young children can always spend this block of time improving their reading skills (see studydog.com, scholastic.com) or working on math facts (see aaamath.com, multiplication.com). Older students benefit from reviewing their notes or working on parts of a long-term assignment that may be due in the coming weeks. In addition, a lull in the homework load is a great time to organize current assignments in the three-ring binder and archive old ones. The more kids become accustomed to an official study time, the easier it will be to establish and sustain a routine. This process also helps when older students untruthfully insist that they have no homework. If we parents designate one hour each day for school work (depending on age), then our children will know that no matter what, they have work to do. The key to establishing and maintaining routines is consistency. If schedules are followed each and every day, then children will know what to expect and will likely follow through without procrastinating. We are at a perfect time of the year to take charge in a positive way. Follow the tips below, and you'll be on your way to a successful, and less stressful, school year: 1. Schedule homework time each day, just as you would soccer practice, piano lessons or an after-school club. 2. Try to stick with the same time each day. 3. Allow for downtime before beginning homework, but not more than 30 minutes. 4. Before downtime, help your child prioritize her assignments for the day, beginning with the most difficult one. 5. Open the book and mark the starting point. 6. Break assignments into incremental portions if work becomes overwhelming; allow frequent breaks. 7. Stick with it! Remember, a routine is not just a behavioral strategy, but a way of life. 8. If outside support is needed, seek out an educational coach. An educational coach teaches students organization, planning, time management and study skills. 9. Read up on the subject now so that you have a definite plan in place when school begins. A great book for kids is How To Do Homework Without Throwing Up, by Trevor Romain. Parents will learn a lot from Ending the Homework Hassle,by John Rosemond and Overcoming Underachieving: A Simple Plan to Boost Your Kids' Grades and End the Homework Hassles, by Ruth Peters. Don't forget that it is important for children to associate hard work and completion of a task with a pleasurable activity. Children are more likely to apply themselves if they know that a fun activity follows. Above all, don't give up. It may be easier to give in to your child at any one moment, but insisting on a schedule and making homework a priority will make life a lot less stressful in the long run. Tackling Perfectionism By Ann Dolin, M.Ed. 6 Strategies for Tackling Perfectionism 1. Lead by example Perfectionism can run in families, so be sure to model the right behavior when things go wrong. For example, let’s say that you’re taking your daughter to a friend’s house that you’ve never been to before. After taking a wrong turn, you end up in a line of traffic that seems to go on for miles. Instead of saying, “This is ridiculous. Look at this traffic! We’ll never get there in time!” say “That’s okay, we’re in some traffic and may get there a few minutes late, but I’m sure many others are just getting there too.” 2. De-emphasize grades and competition Instead of remarking, "That's awesome you got an A", say, "The amount of effort you put in was just enough to do well." Let your child know that you love him or her unconditionally, regardless of grades or academic achievement. 3. Make a schedule and time limit for HW completion Oddly enough, many perfectionists are also procrastinators. Why? Because they fear failure and put off starting until they are “in the right frame of mind.” Help your child tackle the feeling of being overwhelmed. Agree upon a time to get started and most importantly, an end time. Let her know when the time is approaching and when it does, put away the books. She’s done for the night. 4. Respond to worst case scenario thinking Perfectionists are color blind – they see outcomes in black and white. They perceive success as complete perfection or total failure. Help your child to think about other outcomes. Ask “What would happen if your teacher didn’t agree with one of the points in your essay?” Open the dialogue to head off worst case scenario thinking. 5. Do not over schedule In a recent study, 85% of high school students said they feel over scheduled. Feeling overwhelmed can spiral perfectionism out of control. Many kids have perfectionist tendencies, but can cope with their often unrealistic expectations; however, others just need a few events to trigger even greater anxiety. Having too much on a person’s plate can instigate these feelings. Prioritize what your daughter really has to do. Can you nix piano lessons or that after-school club she just joined? If so, do it. 6. Lastly, unchecked perfectionism can be the tip of an iceberg. If you are worried that your child is taking his or her quest for exactness too far, contact me for a list of local mental health professionals who work specifically in this area. I can be reached at ann@ectutoring.com. 4 Ways Our Tutors Help Build Reading Fluency 1. Break Down Big Words with REWARDS REWARDS is a research-based program designed for students in grades 4 through 12. It helps to solidify multi-syllable pronunciation, which is necessary before moving on to reading speed. Before you know it, pronouncing disestablishmentarianism will soon be a piece of cake with the REWARDS program. 2. Paired Reading with the Jamestown Fluency Series The Jamestown Fluency Series develops and strengthens oral and silent reading speed in older students. Our tutors utilize this program to increase words per minute by using high interest paired reading exercises. Students will enjoy reading more and more as the flow and speed of reading increase. 3. Timed Reading Drills with Great Leaps The Great Leaps Reading Program for K-12 students is a program designed to build reading speed. Students complete one-minute drills in three areas: phonics, sight phrases, and short stories. Just 15 minutes per day makes a world of difference. 4. Encourage and Motivate Students To Read, Read, Read! One of the best ways to develop reading fluency is to read more. By capitalizing on each student's personal interests, our tutors help find books and authors that will transform reading from a chore to an enjoyment. How Many Words Per Minute Should Your Child Be Reading? Grade Equivalent Standad WPM 2.5 121 3.5 135 4.5 149 5.5 163 6.5 177 7.5 191 8.5 205 9.5 219 10.5 233 11.5 247 12.5 261 Interested in knowing more about your child's reading rate, strengths, and areas that may need improvement? Click here for information on my reading evaluations. Please feel free to contact me at 703.934.8282 or ann@ectutoring.com. SUMMERTIME AND THE LEARNING IS EASY By Ann Dolin, M.Ed. If you’re like most Washingtonian parents at this time of year, you’re relishing the days of summer. No more homework struggles, standardized tests, or jam packed afternoons of carting your children to and from extracurricular activities. The summer is a time to unwind and relax, but learning should not be discontinued. According to the foundation Reading is Fundamental, children who do not read over the summer experience a loss of reading fluency and comprehension skills. Students who engage in summertime reading actually gain skills. Research also shows that students who have not engaged in summer learning score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer break than they do on the exact same test at the end of the previous school year. In math, students lose approximately 2.6 years of grade level equivalency over the summer if they are not stimulated. Sally Shaywitz, author of Overcoming Dyslexia reports that children who score in the top 10 percent on standardized tests read more than 20 minutes per day after school. Over a school year, that translates to 1.8 million words read! Students who read only five minutes for pleasure score near the 50th percentile. Sadly, students who read a minute or less on a daily basis after school hours read a mere 8,000 words per year and score in the lowest 10 percent. It is easy to understand why engaging in some type of instruction, whether it be structured or unstructured, is an integral part of continued academic growth. Parents can play an important role in encouraging learning throughout the summer months even if their child is a reluctant learner. MAKE READING A PRIORITY! One of the most important gifts you can give your child this summer is the ability to enjoy reading. Some children are naturally eager readers; however, others would never put the words “reading” and “fun” together. For those children, we must pull out all the stops. It is imperative to develop structure and give children a choice in what they read. The key to motivating reluctant readers to read is to find the right series of books that suit their interests. As a parent, you know your child best. What does he love? If it’s sports, subscribe to Sports Illustrated for Kids or print out the latest Orioles statistics online. Perhaps your child would enjoy a sports-related book in the Matt Christopher series. Does he want to be a veterinarian? Go to the library and check out books on animals. If your child will only read a certain series of books, that’s okay; at least he’s reading. Don’t turn up your nose at your child’s choice of books; it can discourage reading. Magazines are often the method that gets reluctant readers on the page. Even magazines about video games require reading! Subscribe to magazines like National Geographic World, Nickelodeon, Ranger Rick, or Your Big Backyard, and put the subscription in your child’s name. Visit www.magazines.com or www.magsforless.com. Most children love comic books, which are a great way to ease into reading more traditional books. Many novels now come in comic book form and kids love them! If your child has a learning disability, get books on tape. If the topic interests him, he may want to go online or visit the library for more information. You may want to monitor your child while he is listening to a book and to know that he isn’t just staring into space. Children can develop fluency and a better sight word vocabulary if they are tracking the words along with the reader’s voice. Schedule a trip to your local library, and sign up for the summer reading program. This program may provide you and your child with needed structure and accountability. These programs usually reward children who read a certain number of books. Find out how many books your child is expected to read and set goals. If it’s four books, then set attainable goals, such as 25 pages per week or one chapter per day. Take time to make regular visits to the library with your child, and remember to select books that interest him. Set a specific time for reading each day, and make it a priority. Instead of telling your child that he has to sit down and read for 30 minutes, schedule a family reading time. Take extra time to read aloud and discuss the story with your child. Ask both factual and inferential questions to assess his comprehension. Encourage not only reading, but writing as well. Help your child to create a family scrapbook of summer events using photos, postcards, and other memorabilia. Have him write a caption below each entry telling who, what, when, where, and why this event was special. What a great way to keep him writing and to have a wonderful keepsake from the summer of 2004! Have your child correspond with an author through snail mail or e-mail. Their addresses or e-mails are usually listed at the back of the book and if they are not, their fan club site can most likely be found online. Most writers make a point to responding. Use the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece as a teaching opportunity. Have children research a country in which they are unfamiliar or one that want to know more about and then do some research online. Travel abroad right here in Washington by visiting a restaurant that services ethnic foods or tour an embassy or museum downtown. Write a letter to a favorite athlete; create a bar graph with medals won by each country, or compile information about a special story. Remember the Jamaican bobsled team? The summer is also a great time to hone keyboarding skills. Children as young as seven can begin getting familiar with the home row keys. Good keyboarding skills are a must for children with writing difficulties. It allows them to get their thoughts down on paper quickly so that they are able to use technology to proofread. Students can usually edit their mistakes more efficiently when they can see their ideas in an organized fashion on a computer screen as opposed to messy handwriting on paper. For a review of the best software for your needs visit www.superkids.com or www.reviewcorner.com. DON’T FORGET MATH AND SCIENCE! Math is often an overlooked part of summer learning, but one that can be easily enhanced. In order to be successful in math, students must have “number sense”. That means that they need to develop an understanding of mathematical concepts and the relationship between numbers, not just rote memory for facts. It is crucial for children to master the basics before going on to more advanced material. Fortunately, there are a multitude of fun and engaging math games and activities that help to develop number sense that can get almost any learner hooked, even the most reluctant one. Board games provide an opportunity for good old-fashioned fun with your child and help to build mathematical reasoning and computation skills. Games such as Connect Four, Chinese Checkers, Checkers and Battleship assist with reasoning and logical thinking skills as well as cause and effect relationships. Backgammon, Mastermind, Clue, and Chess exercise problem solving, deductive reasoning, and higher level critical thinking. Other board games such as Life, Monopoly, Monopoly Junior, Careers and Pay Day all incorporate money skills into their design. Did you know that 60% of parents give their children an allowance? Turn allowances into a great teaching tool by helping your child learn to budget, spend, and save his earned weekly allowance money. Visit www.kidsmoney.com for a host of activities, books, and ideas from other parents about what really works. Make math more meaningful to older children by getting them involved in a simulated online stock market game. Kids are given $100,000 of virtual cash and learn how to invest their money based on research and current market trends. These games teach a multitude of math skills and the value of saving and investing. Visit http://www.msmoney. com/2001/12/14/investing_games_for_kids.htm for a listing of various games. Are you planning to travel to your vacation destination by car this summer? If so, incorporate math into your trip. Travel time will go by quicker and kids will practice math skills if you play counting games such as “Count the Cows”. Each child counts the number of cows they see on their side of the car, but if they pass a cemetery, they lose all their cows and have to start over. The person with the highest number at the end of your trip wins. See the website www.momsminivan.com for lots of fun driving games. Utilize free online math games to peak your child’s interest in learning basic facts. Break up the monotony of flashcards with interactive games such as those on www.multiplication.com or www.funbrain.com. Most children need to learn through a multisensory approach, meaning that information must be given through auditory, visual, and hands- on approaches. Check out reviews of math software at www.superkids.com for the best program for your child. Giving kids a break this summer is essential; however, learning should not be lost. Learning can be fun and engaging if you focus instruction on your child’s interests. It’s also crucial to set goals and stick to them. At the beginning of the summer, decide with your child what goals you both want to accomplish. Set up a daily or weekly schedule so that learning is built into the day, just like gymnastics or any other activity. Workbooks, such as the Bridge series, purchased at any bookstore or teacher’s store in the area provide children with consistent reinforcement in all major subjects. As the director of a local tutoring agency, Educational Connections, I often get calls from parents who want to cram two months worth of experiences into two weeks at the end of the summer in order to get their child ready for the fall. It is really much easier to plan your course in June and stick to it. If you need more structure, a tutor may be the way to go. A professional tutor can assess a student’s strengths and weaknesses and develop a plan for the summer months. Weekly or biweekly sessions should contain the bulk of instruction, but fun follow-up family games or assignments can be left behind if parents wish to supplement lessons. Regardless of the approach you take this summer, the main objective is to enjoy learning! 3 Tips to Stop Rushing! 1. Discuss expectations BEFORE homework begins. Identify the homework that your child normally rushes through. For each assignment, jot down 2-3 requirements on a post-it note and place on the desk or table next to your child. For example, on a writing assignment, you may list, "proper heading, legible writing, and complete sentences." By being proactive, instead of reactive, you can stop rushing before it happens. 2. Set up Daily Homework Time (DHT). DHT is a specific time each weekday that's dedicated to homework, whether your child says he has it or not. Your child will spend a minimum amount of time on academically related tasks daily. For example, if the spelling homework is completed quickly, but 40 minutes are still left in DHT, your child could study for a test, work on a long-term project, organize her notebook, or read. If your child knows he has DHT for an hour, he may be less likely to try to rush through an assignment. How long should DHT be? Here's a guide: Grade 1: 10 minutes Grade 2: 20 minutes Grade 3: 30 minutes Grade 4: 40 minutes Grades 5 and 6: 45 minutes Grades 7-12: 1 hour (as a minimum) 3. Use praise the right way. Recognize good effort whenever possible! Rewards and praise will result in positive changes faster than punitive words or punishment. When providing feedback, be sure to offer a positive statement first. Follow with specific, constructive criticism and finish off with another positive comment. For example, 'You rushed through this writing assignment!' becomes, 'I like the way you wrote your heading so neatly. I do see that your paragraphs need more descriptive details, but overall your essay looks close to being done." Ann K. Dolin, M.Ed. is the president and director of Educational Connections, Inc., a tutoring company that provides in-home tutoring services to students of all ages in the Washington DC area. For more information, call 703-934- 8282 or www.ectutoring.com. Pete and Pam Wright, founders of Wrightslaw.com have created The Special Ed Advocate, a free online newsletter about special education, legal and advocacy topics. Below are educational articles from their site. 10 Tips for Ending the School Year by Pat Howey, Advocate Spring is here and the end of the school year is fast approaching. Yes, it's IEP season. IEPs for Children with Behavior Problems IEP Members and IEP Team Attendance IEP Tips: What to Do at an IEP Meeting What You Should Know about Evaluations by Robert K. Crabtree, Esq. from www.wrightslaw.com Summer School for Advocates IDEA and NCLB Rights & Responsibilities Tests & Measurements for the Parent, Teacher, Advocate, and Attorney The following newspaper articles were written by Cheryl Feuer Gedzelman, Director of Tutoring For Success, Inc. serving Northern Virigina, Maryland and Washington D.C since 1994 Homework and Headphones: Multitasking Myths (March 2009 Issue of Washington Parent) Motivating Your Child in School - Beating the Spring School Slump (May 2008 issue of Washington Parent) Academic Coaching - A New Playing Field (August 2007 issue of Washington Parent) Help Your Child Become an Expert (June 2007 issue of Washington Parent) Promoting The Love Of Reading (April 2006 issue of Washington Parent) Skills For Social Studies Success (January 2006 issue of Washington Parent) Don't Sweat the Math (October 2005 issue of Washington Parent) The New SAT and What You Can Do to Prepare (January 2005 issue of Washington Parent) The New SAT is a Better Test for Students, Colleges (September 2, 2004 issue of Washington Post) Promoting Independence – Using Montessori Techniques at Home (November 2003 issue of Washington Parent) To Tutor or Not to Tutor (September 2002 issue of Washington Parent) Improving Your Child's Geography and Mapping Skills (February 2002 issue of Washington Parent) Learning Curve - When a Tutor Can Help (April 2000 issue of Washington Parent) Exercising Your Mind This Summer (July 1999 issue of Washington Parent) Is Education a Priority in Your Family? How to Motivate Teenagers (January 1998 issue of Washington Parent) Falling Behind in School? Some Tips to Catch up and Become More Organized (March 1997 issue of Washington Parent) Fun With Math (November 1996 issue of Washington Families Newspaper) Educational Games (March 1996 issue of Washington Families Newspaper) Whose Homework Is It? (November 1995 issue of Potomac Children) Motivating Children To Learn (August 1995 issue of Washington Families Newspaper) Summer Learning (May 1995 issue of Potomac Children) Let's Get Organized (February 1995 issue of Washington Families Newspaper) Why Isn't Jainie Reading? (February 1995 issue of Washington Families Newspaper) Tutoring the ADD Child (October 1994 issue of Washington Families Newspaper) Language Dysfunction in Children May Be Due to Epileptic Brain Activity, Science Daily The Current State in Autism -- Still Tough to Treat but Encouraging Progress Medscape Pediatrics , 2010-05-03 When language is blocked, music may offer detour Boston Globe.com, April 22, 2010 Ten Common Mistakes Parents Make During the IEP Meeting By Matt Foley, M.Ed and DeAnn Hyatt Foley, M.Ed., Parents, Lubbock, Texas Reprinted with permission from Mr. and & Mrs. Foley and Jenison Public Schools, Jenison, Michigan, article from The Morning News, Fall 1999 |
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