There are pros and cons to social media discussions of suicide. Social media can spread helpful knowledge and support, but it can also quickly disseminate harmful messaging and misinformation that puts vulnerable youth at risk. Read more ›
Animals have evolved to adapt to their environment in many ways, but one thing hasn’t changed: They all need sleep to survive, says Rafael Pelayo, a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine. Read more ›
A survey conducted in February by the Pew Research Center found that 70 percent of teenagers identified mental health as a major issue among their peers—a number higher than bullying, drug addiction, or gangs. So with numbers that high, it should be assumed that public school funding would be prioritizing student mental health, but that’s not the case. In fact, too often, it’s our support staff who bears the weight of the financial crises facing public education. Read more ›
Occupational therapy, or OT, can help people of all ages do the activities of daily living (ADLs) they struggle to do. Occupational therapy for children can lead to big benefits, especially for kids with learning and attention issues. Read more ›
Recess, for most children, is synonymous with freedom. A break from class that has nothing to do with learning and everything to do with play.
For children with autism, the playground can be an isolating experience. The spontaneous soccer games, roving packs of friends and virtual buffet of activities can be chaotic, frustrating and confusing. Read more ›
It’s not uncommon for kids to complain of abdominal pain around the start of the school year, before a big test, sports game or performance — when their stress and anxiety levels can be at an all-time high. Read more ›
Read-alouds are pretty much a daily standard in elementary schools. But in middle school? Not as much.
Melissa Moens, language arts teacher at Crossroads Middle School, in Northview, Michigan, thinks reading aloud to tweens is important— so much so, she makes it a point to read aloud to her seventh-graders twice every week. Read more ›
Researchers and experienced educators have found that often students don’t have good study habits and skills, or that they rely on strategies that don’t work, frequently at the urging of teachers and parents. Read more ›
An estimated 26 million students have learning differences, including tens of thousands of students with dyslexia, a neurological condition that affects reading and related language-based processing skills.
Unless educators can find new approaches to deliver reading instruction and personalize learning environments for these frustrated learners, many will fail. Read more ›
The answer to that important question was recently addressed in Evaluation and Identification of Learning Disabilities, the latest Core Principle document published by the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA). Read more ›
