Elementary Education News » Special Education http://elementaryeducationnews.com News to Help Your Children's Educational Success From Around the Web Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:47:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 Let’s Get Ready To Fight! http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/10/23/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-fight/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/10/23/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-fight/#comments Sat, 23 Oct 2010 09:00:01 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=425 Sue Mayer’s blog hit a nerve with me and will with every mom who has ever had to fight for their child.  Her son, Sam was the inspiration for the Cedar Valley Character, Sam from our book:  Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!

Sue, Sam and the rest of the Mayer Family, we are sending you strength, hope, courage and love on this new fight!

http://www.suemayer-specialneedsmom.blogspot.com/

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/10/23/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-fight/feed/ 0 A New School Year by Guest Blogger Donna Mavrides http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/19/a-new-school-year-by-guest-blogger-donna-mavrides/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/19/a-new-school-year-by-guest-blogger-donna-mavrides/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:00:34 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=371 Now that summer is ending, many of us are thinking about the upcoming school year and how to create an atmosphere of success for our children. Regardless of age, a blank notebook, a fresh backpack, new pencils, pens, markers, and/or crayons should be joyful and yet, for many children, it elicits feelings of insecurity and fear of failure.  It is up to us, as parents and educators, to make certain that our kids are emotionally, socially, cognitively, and physically ready to meet new challenges.  Children need guidance, time, and reminders in order to successfully transition from the more carefree days of summer to the more rigorous routines of the school year. Proper manners should be reinforced, kindness acknowledged, reading, listening, and practicing skills encouraged and healthy eating and sleeping patterns enforced. Since children mimic our attitudes and behaviors, it is critical to speak in positive ways about the school year, teachers, school, and curriculum.  It is also important to set realistic expectations so that your child/children can tackle their new experiences and challenges with self confidence and with the knowledge that you will be both their cheerleader and confidant. Please note that I am not encouraging parents to make excuses for or to complete assignments for children, but rather, am advocating an environment of open dialogue, where discussions focus on both positive and negative emotions, behaviors, and experiences. 
Creating a solid foundation is critical to buildings constructed from brick and mortar as well as those more gentle structures made up of feelings, ideas, and knowledge.  Let’s work together towards building a foundation that supports a love for learning, a respect for self and others, and a dedication to excellence, diligence, and empathy.

I wish everyone a successful and lovely school year!!

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/19/a-new-school-year-by-guest-blogger-donna-mavrides/feed/ 0 Let’s get ready for the Baby Dipper! http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/06/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-the-baby-dipper/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/06/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-the-baby-dipper/#comments Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:00:49 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=362 Recently, Barb was a guest on my radio show and we were discussing how her Baby Dipper would be perfect for special needs families.  Well, check out this review, by a mom of a special needs 5-year-old child: http://www.able2able.com/2010/06/review-giveaway-ends-78-increase.html

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/06/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-the-baby-dipper/feed/ 0 Providing an Appropriate Education to Children with Attention Deficit Disorder from Apples4TheTeacher.com http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/12/03/providing-an-appropriate-education-to-children-with-attention-deficit-disorder-from-apples4theteacher-com/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/12/03/providing-an-appropriate-education-to-children-with-attention-deficit-disorder-from-apples4theteacher-com/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:00:52 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=282 Throughout this digest, ADD will be used to refer to “attention deficit disorder,” or “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD). In the past, the term “minimal brain dysfunction” was also used.

CHILDREN WITH ADD
It is estimated that children with ADD constitute 3% to 5% of the current school-age population, which would represent 1.35 to 2.25 million children. Most experts agree that ADD is a neurobiological disorder that can have multiple causes. Research indicates that children with ADD are likely to have a biological relative with ADD. In addition, evidence also suggests that neurologic, neurochemical or, in some cases, toxic factors may be involved. Other factors such as medical conditions, medication side effects, familial functioning, or environmental conditions may exacerbate an existing disorder or contribute to the development of ADD-like problems in some children (Parker, 1992).

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]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/12/03/providing-an-appropriate-education-to-children-with-attention-deficit-disorder-from-apples4theteacher-com/feed/ 0 Special Education: An Introduction for New Teachers from TheApple.com http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/09/29/special-education-an-introduction-for-new-teachers-from-theapple-com/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/09/29/special-education-an-introduction-for-new-teachers-from-theapple-com/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:00:44 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=212 Special Education is specialized instruction that is available to children who qualify according to a set of criteria outlined in state and federal law. Special Education services are offered by all public school districts to eligible students from birth to age 22.

Disabilities

There are presently 13 broad areas of disability by which children may qualify for Special Education services. Each has a distinct set of criteria for which a child must meet in order to qualify for services.

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]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/09/29/special-education-an-introduction-for-new-teachers-from-theapple-com/feed/ 0 Choosing to Parent a Child With Special Needs by Shannon Des Roches Rosa from BlogHer.com http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/08/27/choosing-to-parent-a-child-with-special-needs-by-shannon-des-roches-rosa-from-blogher-com/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/08/27/choosing-to-parent-a-child-with-special-needs-by-shannon-des-roches-rosa-from-blogher-com/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:00:53 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=150 My son Leo is at his first-ever week-long camp for kids with special needs. He is thrilled to be there, and shrugged off my flurry of worried-mom departing hugs and kisses in favor of bouncing on his bed and holding hands with his aide: a young man who volunteered to spend his summer being a cheerleader, best friend, and 24/7 caregiver for kids who couldn’t attend camp without 1:1 aides like him.

What an astounding young man. And even more amazing: the camp was overrun with kind, helpful, energetic young adults just like him, blazingly positive people dedicated to their campers having the best week ever ever ever.

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]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/08/27/choosing-to-parent-a-child-with-special-needs-by-shannon-des-roches-rosa-from-blogher-com/feed/ 0 A Special Time for Special Kids by Dan Willemin from Dyslexia.com http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/08/18/a-special-time-for-special-kids-by-dan-willemin-from-dyslexia-com/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/08/18/a-special-time-for-special-kids-by-dan-willemin-from-dyslexia-com/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:21 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=129 To begin this article I feel it important to start with an apology. Not for the article itself, but an apology to my two sons, I am sorry I did not research this sooner, I am sorry I did not always know to do the things I am writing now…

We all assume it is most important to get our special kids ready for school, but in reality, parents and teachers are equally important. Before I start on the Student area, I must make one point. Every child is different, but even more diverse are those labeled, Dyslexic, ADHD, LD, and scores of other labels. Diverse not only because they have areas of weakness, but without fail they also have some areas of great strength. However, even those labeled only dyslexic will have different levels of strengths and weaknesses in different areas. Discovering your child’s areas of strength are key in finding ways to keep the learning processes going and ensure success in school. Teaching to their strengths is the best way for teachers to assure these students success.

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]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/08/18/a-special-time-for-special-kids-by-dan-willemin-from-dyslexia-com/feed/ 0 Continuing to Educate By Ellen Doman from NACD.org http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/08/10/continuing-to-educate-by-ellen-doman-from-nacd-org/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2009/08/10/continuing-to-educate-by-ellen-doman-from-nacd-org/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:00:37 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=113 One of the ongoing battles in raising a child with Down Syndrome is the fight to continue to present academic content to an older child. It has long been the custom of school districts to largely abandon inputting new information to children with DS as they reach the middle school and high school years in favor of providing “life skills.

Districts across the United States move students with DS from traditional educational pursuits to life skills as if this were a reasonable course of action. In studies done as far back as 1995-1996, researchers such as Carr, Bochner, Pieterse as well as Fowler, Doherty and Boynton found that there was a wide range of reading abilities among young adults with DS. Dunn and Dunn in 1981 found that reading abilities in a group of individuals with DS ranging in ages from 17 to 25 varied greatly.

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