If you suspect that your child would benefit from using AT at school, it’s important to discuss your observations, suggestions, and questions with your child’s teachers. Make time to speak in person. In this article, you’ll find tips for opening the conversation with example conversation starters.
Good communication between parents and teachers has many benefits. When parents and teachers share information, children learn more and parents and teachers feel more supported. Good communication can help create positive feelings between teachers and parents.
Does summer reading really work? Can simply giving books to children actually help close the achievement gap? This article shares what we know and what we are still learning about summer reading.
Helping kids learn to read is a great goal for community groups. An important step for all groups is to not only define how to help, but also to identify the children in the community who could must benefit from what you do. This article provides tips for finding and serving these children.
Here you’ll find ideas for pairing STEM-themed books with hands-on activities, booklists, interviews with children’s authors, links to science-themed shows from PBS Kids, and more.
The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities developed an overview on screening, diagnosing and serving children age four or younger. The document was developed for researchers, administrators, and people who need an academic overview.
Ron Fairchild and Loriene Roy — nationally recognized experts on reading and summer learning — address how to make the most out of the summer months. Taking advantage of high-quality programs and accessing community resources can turn potential summer loss into summer gain.
Get an overview of the characteristics associated with reading problems as well as the planning and implementation of effective interventions. Fundamental components of teaching such as scaffolding, connecting to prior knowledge, motivating, and providing opportunities to practice skills should be implemented.
Writing is a complex operation requiring knowledge of text structure, syntax, vocabulary, and topic, and sensitivity to audience needs; so it is not surprising that many teens find writing challenging. This article identifies the qualities of strong writing instruction, and offers advice to teachers for incorporating writing instruction into their practice, using tools like notebooks and journals, and sharing strategies that reinforce the importance of pre-writing and revision.
Many students with learning or reading disabilities find homework challenging. Here are five research-based strategies that teachers can use to help students.
Share these six social-emotional learning activities with your students’ families. Activities include a growth mindset action plan, a strengths chain, and an accomplishment box. Downloadables are available in English and Spanish.
Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often have trouble paying attention, sitting still, or finishing tasks. Although it is not considered a learning disability, students with ADHD may have a harder time learning how to read. With the right supports, kids can thrive.
It’s a fact! Children whose parents are involved in their education have better grades, a more positive attitude toward school, and more appropriate school behavior than those with less involved parents.
How can we supplement the limited time available for vocabulary instruction while motivating students to attend to the words they are learning? As a part of an academic word vocabulary intervention, the authors challenged sixth-grade students to find their words in the world around them.
School psychologists working in districts that use Response to Intervention (RTI) can offer expertise at many levels, from system-wide program design to specific assessment and intervention efforts with individual students.
Go on a “green” reading adventure! Teachers can support reading together at home with our reading adventure packs — designed to encourage hands-on fun and learning centered around paired fiction and nonfiction books. (Recommended level: first grade)
If you think your child might have a learning disability, this article can help. With early intervention, children with learning disabilities can learn strategies to achieve as well as other children do. Organizing information about your child will help you to monitor progress. This information will be valuable in planning for your child.
This article discusses strategies for writing poetry with ELLs, presents an overview of poetry forms that can be used effectively in writing lessons, and suggests some ideas for ways to share student poetry.
Discover some simple hands-on activities and games that can be done at home or in the backyard to help your child develop a deeper understanding of cause and effect — and strengthen reading comprehension and scientific inquiry skills.
Communication impairment is a characteristic of autism spectrum disorder. Learn more about how speech-language pathologists can support teachers, including information about different classroom models (e.g., push-in or pull-out), managing an augmentative communication program, and what a service plan can look like.
An introduction to the most widely tested models — the simple view of reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope — as well as newer models that seek to expand our understanding of how children become skilled readers.
Learn the critical social communication milestones for babies and toddlers, from 7-24 months of age. These milestones cover five developmental domains — play, language, social interaction, emotional regulation, and self-directed learning.
Brain breaks are quick, structured breaks using physical movement, mindfulness exercises, or sensory activities. Learn how to use this strategy andwhy it works, and see it in action. A printable “brain break” bank is also provided.
