Category Archives: Need to Know

This past March, students across the United States were introduced to the concept of online learning. Althoughhigh schools and colleges have offered online courses for a number of years, many students found themselvesimmersed in a brand-new experience, with every one of their subjects being taught in a completely remotefashion.Online learning, as with any experience, comes… Continue reading →

Writing can be a difficult undertaking. Even the most experienced authors struggle with finding the best wordsto communicate their ideas. But what happens when students have dysgraphia? The task can feelexponentially more challenging.What is Dysgraphia?Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects a student’s writing skills. Not only can it cause students tostruggle with penmanship, it… Continue reading →

During the past few months, you may or may not have enjoyed your time at home. For some of us, it took a few weeks to get accustomed to this new lifestyle that was unexpectedly, and maybe even unwantedly, handed to us. Regardless of how you feel about these circumstances, remember to use this time… Continue reading →

Summer reading is often part of a high school English curriculum. Many times, incoming freshmen to seniorswill find they are required to read certain novels over their summer break. The purpose of this requirement istwofold: (1) it helps students strengthen their literacy skills; and (2) it allows English teachers to assess thoseskills at the beginning… Continue reading →

A token economy system is a systematic method of providing positive reinforcement and can be used by parents, teachers, tutors, supervisors, coaches, and essentially any other adult providing instruction. A “token” is essentially a form of positive reinforcement that is given to alert the learner that he/she has done something well. There are endless possibilities… Continue reading →

Fortunately, autism awareness is increasing in today’s society, but there are still many misconceptions about what autism is and is not. This blog post will not be able to explain fully the depth of this statement, but will aim to clarify and elucidate various common characteristics of autism to promote further understanding. Autism is often… Continue reading →

Bully, disruptive, unmotivated, and the list grows exponentially.  Many speculate and wonder about children described this way but those well-intended speculations are misguided.  Behavior is a form of communication and solution makers will focus on the function of behavior.   What needs aren’t being met? Building relationships is vital in establishing trust and working with… Continue reading →

Positive reinforcement has been shown to be the most effective strategy to use when trying to evoke behavior change. Essentially, positive reinforcement means adding something to a situation to increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring again in the future. Here’s an example: Mrs. Smith gives Katie a gold star for turning in her math… Continue reading →

There are many myths out there about both people with autism. While below is an attempt to clear up some of those myths, it is important to remember that each person with autism is unique and there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” approach. Myth 1: • People with autism think… Continue reading →

“You got a C?…are you kidding me!  I didn’t know you were struggling in this class!”   Parents, too often, you find yourselves in this position—my child is struggling and I didn’t even know it. You may have studied your child’s progress on the school website, cancelled plans for extensive homework assignments, even called in… Continue reading →