At this very moment, your brain is undertaking a challenging and complex feat: making sense out of symbols on a screen. We call this reading. To many, reading seems like a natural act or something we’re hard-wired to do. That’s simply untrue. As expert reading adults, we underestimate and misjudge how difficult it is to…

The earliest years of life are full of rapid changes and transitions. Early childhood teachers are usually the first to notice when young children are not developing and learning as expected. Simple accommodations and modifications can benefit children with disabilities while others may need more specialized support from special education professionals. According to the National Association…

Autism is a neurobiological developmental disorder that has undergone several changes in identification and classification in recent years. It’s now characterized by a spectrum of disorders. People with ASD have difficulty with social communication and interaction, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. However, these challenges and behaviors vary across people. For most children, ASD appears in…

October is ADHD Awareness Month and since nearly all school staff members – not just teachers – interact with students with ADHD, it’s a good time to make sure that they have a foundational understanding of ADHD and are familiar with the strategies and interventions that can be used to help these students be more…

Challenging behavior is not just frustrating; it can have serious negative effects for educators, students, and family members. Challenging behavior can be disruptive, interfere with teaching and learning, and lead to punishment and changes in class or school placements. It’s not just a problem for one student. The whole class can feel the effects and…

Caregivers and families play an important role in a child’s development and are instrumental to their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being. Caregivers of children with disabilities or delays may need additional support to understand their child’s special needs. Caregivers might also need help in finding and accessing information and services for their child and…

As students and teachers make their way back to school, preparing for a smooth transition and successful year is important. Students with exceptionalities entering the classroom face new and familiar challenges and the demand on educators to skillfully support these students is rising. More than 60% of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA,…

Before we can discuss early language skills, we need to be clear about the definition of language development. Language development and communication are about more than talking. They refer to the different ways a child understands and communicates, only part of which include spoken words. Language development is important for children to adequately exchange information…

A recent study released by the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) and Understood, entitled Forward Together: Helping Educators Unlock the Power of Students Who Learn Differently, reveals an unfortunate reality impacting the education of the 1 in 5 students with learning disabilities and attention issues: “Even though more than 70% of students with LD or ADHD spend at least…

Helping children through the process of social emotional learning and setting them on the path to social emotional competence is an important role of the adults involved in their lives. Social emotional competence is associated with so many factors related to leading a productive, fulfilling life, including personal mental well-being, school success, positive relationships, responsible…