All youth need to develop a set of core life skills to manage school, work, outside interests, and social relationships successfully. From the perspective of brain development, these skills include planning, focus, self-control, awareness, and flexibility—also known as “executive function” and “self-regulation” skills. Read more »
Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder characterized by writing disabilities. In children, the disorder generally emerges when they are first introduced to writing.
For kids with dysgraphia, the effort of writing can get in the way of learning. Here’s a look at some classroom accommodations from Understood.org that can help kids with writing issues. Read more »
What is dyslexia? This one-page fact sheet from Understood.org provides essential information about what dyslexia is and is not and how to help kids with dyslexia. Read more »
When students feel safe at school, they can thrive. Welcoming Schools, a project of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, offers an array of free resources designed to help educators and administrators create a welcoming school community. Read more »
A simple way to let students and families know that your school welcomes everyone is to integrate books into your curriculum that reflect the diversity of your classroom and the world.
Welcoming Schools, a project of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, has created lists of currently available diverse books as a starting point. Each recommendation includes a brief summary and the grade and age-range the book is best suited for. Read more »
The use of spanking to discipline children has been in decline for 50 years. But yelling? Almost everybody still yells at their kids sometimes, even the parents who know it doesn’t work. Yelling may be the most widespread parental stupidity around today. Read more »
A new game developed by Carnegie Mellon University students is helping elementary schoolers understand what life is like for kids on the autism spectrum.
Created by the university’s Entertainment Technology Center, Prism uses its animal characters as allegories for the challenges those with autism face. Read more »
Lawnmower parents go to whatever lengths necessary to prevent their child from having to face adversity, struggle, or failure.
Instead of preparing children for challenges, they mow obstacles down so kids won’t experience them in the first place. Read more »
In this session for educators, executive function coach and consultant Vanessa Fasoli from Spark Focus explains how students’ executive function skills can be fostered through coaching techniques and strategies. Read more »
