How to Create and Deliver High-quality Student Interventions
Student interventions are an essential part of any K-12 education system. Each student’s needs are unique, and some students might need additional guidance beyond what they get through whole class...
View ArticleThe Schoolyard Podcast Episode 11: Creating Inclusive Early Childhood Spaces
An inclusive early childhood classroom space is an intentional environment that promotes both physical and emotional development. In this episode, host Nancy Chung interviews early childhood expert...
View ArticleThe Schoolyard Podcast Episode 7: Adaptive Art – Art for All Students
Adaptive art is a wonderful way to bring people together through creativity and self-expression. In this episode, host Nancy Chung interviews art therapist and adaptive art specialist Susan Loesl...
View ArticleWhat Sports Athletes Know: Chewing Makes Good Brain Sense!
Watch any of the great baseball pitchers, and you’ll often see them chewing sunflower seeds or a wad of bubblegum in their mouth. Or how about football players that chew on their mouthguards between...
View ArticleInclusive Solutions to Support Social & Emotional Learning
As our society moves forward from the medical crisis of the pandemic, the insidious effects on mental health and the social and emotional components continue to become apparent. Children and teens...
View Article3 Ways to Observe Dyslexia Awareness Month in the Classroom
Each year since 2015, the United States Congress has designated October as Dyslexia Awareness Month. Several organizations use this platform to draw attention to both old wisdom and new developments...
View Article5 Helpful Hints for Dealing with Communication Challenges for Students with...
Many students with special needs have challenges with communication. Broken down basically, there can be issues with any of the following: Speech disorder – This can include articulation issues like...
View ArticleSwing! For Focus, Attention, Coordination and Well-Being!
Benefits of Swinging Do you have a fond memory associated with swinging? Maybe pumping a swing at a local park or resting quietly on a hammock under a shaded tree? The vestibular or movement input...
View ArticleTransition Planning for Teens with Special Needs
Recent data indicates that the average graduation rate for students with disabilities—those served by IDEA—was 67.1%. Overall graduation rates for all students is 84.6%, so this represents a...
View Article5 Helpful Tips for Sensory Seekers and Sensory Avoiders
Do you have a child that likes to jump, hop and/or crash into things and other students? One that squeezes the glue bottle with too much intensity or rips the paper when writing and erasing? Perhaps...
View ArticleIncluding Children with Special Needs in Literacy Activities
We know that parent involvement is directly connected to academic achievement as well as helps to support the development of Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) skills. In addition to just reading...
View ArticleTimely Transition Tools for Back to School
As an Occupational Therapist (OT), I often make annual recommendations for back-to-school transition supports for students with special needs. A friend’s recent social media post that spoke of the...
View ArticlePromoting Creative Inclusive Practices in Schools
The Individual with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA does not specifically define the term inclusion in the law itself. However, as Wrightslaw reference materials state, IDEA does require “school...
View ArticleConsiderations for Inclusive Outdoor Learning Environments
Current events have shifted traditional educational models to encompass a variety of options including virtual sites like at home or small learning pods, as well as in-person classroom models with...
View Article5 Helpful Hints for Dealing with Communication Challenges During Remote Learning
Many students with special needs have issues with communication challenges. Broken down basically, there can be issues with: A speech disorder – This can include articulation issues like not being...
View ArticleSensory Rooms May Help Ease the Anxiety Students Feel from COVID-19
Sensory rooms are quickly becoming an important element of learning space design, and for good reason: They can prove to be effective at helping students with anxiety or sensory processing issues to...
View ArticleThe Art of Purposeful Activity for These Turbulent Times
As a veteran Occupational Therapist (OT), I was classically trained to use arts and crafts as therapeutic modalities for healing. Woodworking, ceramics, leatherwork, copper tooling, tile mosaics,...
View ArticleAt-Home Learning Tips for Children with Special Needs
With remote learning on the rise, Special Education Teachers and Related Service Providers, as well parents/guardians, are rapidly shifting and adjusting learning options for children with special...
View ArticleFine Motor Tools for Home Use: Occupational Therapist Recommended!
School-based and private Occupational Therapists (OT) often work on the go with little equipment or space, so they usually have a “to-go and go-to” bag of sensorimotor tools. As therapists, we are...
View ArticleThe #1 In-Home Strategy for Your Child with Special Needs
Kudos to the teachers and school districts that have rapidly shifted from onsite and classroom education to home and remote learning options. We salute your creativity, flexibility, and ferocity in...
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