Tag Archives: novastar prep

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 →

Special education is a very special area of education that not only takes the teacher to help the student, but a whole team of educational professionals.   Within a collaborative effort, the whole educational team can come together and focus on certain aspects that will help the student thrive not only in the classroom, but in… 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 →

  “Thanks for returning our call, Mrs. Merchant. Yesterday, Ryan let out an ear-piercing scream after slamming her books on the floor. This behavior is unacceptable…she was only asked to present her show and tell item in class. She will surely lose recess for the next three days. Hopefully, Ryan will simply obey the next… Continue reading →

Building confidence is something that starts at a young age. Now that I have had the opportunity to “live a little,” I wanted to write a letter to myself in elementary school.  I was a shy and quiet kid, but I always had supportive parents, extended family and teachers along the way to guide me. … 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 →

Live long enough and you will understand that the entire life is full of making decisions.  Those decisions are often followed by actions which directly impact the outcomes we seek.  Therefore, achieving desired outcomes depends on making good decisions which require critical thinking skills.   Critical thinking is a valuable skill that anyone can improve… Continue reading →

When people think of the words “learning disabilities,” they think of words like a child who learns differently or slow learner.  These words occurred possibly earlier within the history of learning disabilities.  The reason is because the general public and educators did not understand the special and different ways in which students learn.  In the… Continue reading →

It was the third grade. I remember little of the doctor’s visits and even less of my immediate reaction, but I do remember the medicine. Ritalin, which is prescribed commonly for what is called ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder soon came in little bottles. I remember taking them and feeling different. I had a… Continue reading →