V.1 #2 Recommended Practices - Diagnosing and Classifying Children in Special Education: It's Ti
Let me get right to the point: The classification system used in IEP development under current federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), is sorely inadequate for establishing meaningful goals for children with disabilities. The broad, one-level disability category, drawing on IDEA classifications, significantly limits a teacher's ability to find the correct remediation, modifications, accommodations, assistive technology, and man
V.1 #2 Counseling - Are you listening? Hearing and Being Heard
Arguably, listening is the most meaningful skill in any relationship and it's the first language mode that children acquire. It's the core skill we need to understand anyone, especially our children. And it's the core skill they need to understand what they hear. Listening with the intent of understanding someone, and getting their feedback about our understanding, is called Active Listening. It's far more than just hearing. It's a thinking process that requires fully concent
V.1 #2 Social Development - Why Do my Learning Disabilities Impact on my Social Relationships?
To develop socially, people need to form successful relationships outside their family circles. Many of us take such social relationships for granted. For children with Learning Disabilities (LD), however, such everyday social encounters can cause great anxiety. But why do everyday interactions cause anxiety for children with LD? What do parents and teachers need to understand and do to foster successful social interactions? By understanding the difficulties that transitions
V.1 #2 Early Intervention - Encouraging Children's Conversation Attempts in the Classroom Using
Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone who talked only about what she was interested in? How about someone who merely told you what to do without asking for your input, or someone who asked a lot of questions as if they were testing you? When we interact with someone who uses this kind of conversational style, we might feel as though we aren't being heard or that this person doesn't care about our values, ideas, and interests. In contrast, when someone shows
V.1 #2 Spelling and Writing - Developing Writing Ability Via the Writing Process
Of all the activities students engage in during their academic careers, writing can be especially bedeviling. Writing requires thinking on paper in such a way as to transmit a message to another person who may not have knowledge of what you are saying. The idea of communicating a clear message is central to any writing task, yet it can be very challenging. In this article, I will explain how teachers and parents can develop writing ability using a general process approach to
V.1 #2 Reading - Keys to Motivation
Liam struggles with reading. He's far below grade level. In class, he won't attend to anything. He fidgets, he makes lots of noise, he disrupts everyone. He rarely opens his books. When he does, he doesn't look at what we're reading. He complains incessantly: "I hate reading." And he does. So, what do I do?—Mrs. Megan, Liam's 3rd grade teacher. It's unlikely that Liam, a composite of many struggling readers, will become a proficient reader unless he develops a strong desire t