Use mini-schedules to help your child be cooperative and confident as they crush their goals and go through their day.
Sample After-School Visual Schedule for Kids with Sensory Needs or Impulsive/Hyperactive Behaviors
Sample after school visual schedule for children with autism or ADHD
How to Handle Temper Tantrums (Home & School)
Research-based strategies to handle temper tantrums at home and in school
How to Prevent Temper Tantrums (Home & School)
Find out how to stop temper tantrums from a school psychologist and licensed behavior specialist.
10 Ten Discipline Tips for Kids with Oppositional Defiant Disorder
This research-based article gives you effective strategies to support kids with challenging behaviors!
Self-Monitoring Apps Help Students Improve Behavior and Time On-Task
Teachers often report that keeping students focused on the task at hand is a challenge. While there are many strategies to improve time on-task and behavior in the classroom, research studies support the use of self-monitoring apps as one method for making a positive difference for students. For more on this research see: Implementation of a self-monitoring application to improve …
3 Research-Based Programs That Improve Social-Emotional Skills in School-Aged Children
As a school psychologist, I have often heard teachers and parents express concerns about students’ abilities in the area of social skills, emotional regulation, and self-control. I am often given the task of making recommendations to support these students’ needs. Upon researching the topic, I came across three research-based programs that aim to help children improve these kinds of social-emotional …
Does Increasing Physical Activity in School Lead to Improvements in Academic Achievement and Behavior?
Recently, one of our readers asked about the effects of physical activity on academic performance. Here is what the research says… The American Academy of Pediatrics (APA) analyzed 26 individual studies in December 2017, which all examined the impact of physical activity on academic performance and/or classroom behavior. Results indicated that if schools increase students’ physical activity, they can significantly …
15 Ideas to Build a Child’s Self-Esteem
1) Children should not be torn down before they have a chance to fly. Be kind to them. Compliment them. Let them know when you are proud and when they are doing well! Refrain from insulting, sarcastic, condescending, or passive aggressive remarks. 2) Children deserve to be heard (they have concerns which feel very real to them just like we …
Calling Parents About Students’ “Misbehavior” in School
Many times parents are bombarded with phone calls and meetings from the school about how their child is behaving. While it is highly important for a parent to impress upon their child the importance of education, following adult directions, being respectful, and learning all they can to be a knowledgeable well-rounded individual; there is only so much a parent can …
Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Work? What Does the Research Say?
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy has become increasingly popular with therapists and the general public. Surveys completed by therapists indicate that CBT is quickly becoming the preferred method of treatment many clinicians utilize with their patients. Additionally, individuals can utilize CBT self-help books to practice these techniques on their own, and this is becoming a popular trend. CBT is organized in a structured …
What is Sensory Processing Disorder & Sensory Integration Therapy?
People with typically functioning sensory systems learn to tolerate stimulation through their senses in many different ways. They also learn how to use the information they receive through their senses to control themselves and their movements and interact with the world around them. For example, just as our eyes detect visual information and relay that information to the brain for …
Interactive Book Helps Kids Understand the Power of Positive Choices!
The book What Should Danny Do? contains nine stories in one. It is an interactive book that helps kids understand that their choices will shape their days, and ultimately their lives. Written in a “Choose Your Own Story” style, the book follows Danny, a Superhero-in-Training, through his day as he faces choices that kids face daily. As your child/student navigates …
Why Positive Behavior Support is Way More Than A Sticker Chart!
Positive behavior support and positive parenting are methods that work to teach kids right from wrong using natural and logical consequences (e.g., you make a mess you clean it up; you take something without asking, you give it back; you break something on purpose, you work to earn the money to fix it; you are disruptive in the movie theatre, …
5 Effective Anger Management Tips for Kids (or Adults)
It’s natural to get angry when you feel misheard, misunderstood, treated unfairly, or wrongfully accused. When you are angry, you often feel stuck with a problem that you can’t solve. Rather than yelling, screaming, hitting or hiding, here are some problem-solving strategies to help you make the most out of a difficult situation. There problem-solving strategies are based on the …
Are You Using This Number One Strategy to Get Your Children to Listen?
When I went to graduate school to become a school psychologist, I learned about a concept called positive phrasing, also referred to as positive language. I have noticed over the years in my career as both a school psychologist and behavior specialist, that people sometimes confuse positive phrasing with praise or positive reinforcement. While they are both considered positive ways to …
Being Active in Nature Improves Mental and Physical Health for Kids: Infographic
I am constantly encouraging my four-year-old son to get outside and exercise with me. He doesn’t always want to do it, but sometimes I will pull the “we have to go for a walk” or “play tag outside” before we watch TV. My son is a TV/tablet lover and if it were up to him he would be on electronics …
An Interactive Story to Teach Kids About Restaurant Behavior
Social stories are a research-based tool used to help children prepare for real-life events. They can be used to teach someone what to expect or how to behave in a particular setting. Because no situation is the same, it may be helpful to talk to your child about how their restaurant experience might be different from the story below. For example, in this story …
When Should a Child Be Evaluated for an Emotional Disturbance in School?
The information in this article applies to public schools in the United States. If your child attends school in a different type of setting, talk to your child’s school to see what they recommend for children with behavioral and/or social-emotional needs. What is Emotional Disturbance? Emotional Disturbance (ED) is considered one of the 14 disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) …
What Is a Functional Behavior Assessment & Is It Effective?
What is a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)? An FBA is a research-based method used to figure out why a child is behaving a certain way in the school setting (an FBA can also be done in a residential treatment center or at home if a child is receiving mental health services there; parents can also think about ways to use an …
Does Research Show That Exercise Helps Kids with Autism & ADHD?
Experts at Michigan State University have demonstrated that kids with ADHD have better focus and are less distracted after a 20 minute exercise session. Matthew Pontifex, assistant professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University, and lead researcher for the study said: “This provides some very early evidence that exercise might be a tool in our nonpharmaceutical treatment of ADHD. Maybe our first …