How can educators and parents help students with special needs transition successfully into the school year?

Ask any parent or educator about the challenges getting students settled into a new school year after several months of hazy, unstructured days, and they’ll likely convey tales of distracted children who resist falling into the rhythm of class instruction and homework. And for children with special needs, this transition can be emotionally charged and fraught with unique challenges that can prevent them from feeling comfortable with their new responsibilities and expectations.

So how can educators and parents tackle these challenges to help special needs students transition successfully into the structured school year? Dr. Scott Barkin, a clinical and school psychologist for the Block Institute, says the key is for educators and parents to create a consistent environment for special needs students, starting at home in the weeks leading up to the first day of class.

"Children with developmental disabilities have to deal with the same transition issues as typically developing children," Barkin says, who has 25 years of experience working with special needs students. "A student’s learning can be impaired considerably by prolonged anxiety or failure to adjust to the educational environment."

Those anxieties can manifest in social withdrawal, inattentiveness, acting out, and unfulfilled promise if not addressed promptly and proactively, he says. Here are some tips for dealing with that important transition period, from laying the groundwork for success to dealing with behavioral issues and other challenges.

Getting into the Swing of Things

The first hurdle to helping a special needs child to embrace the move from the lazy days of summer to the Monday-through-Friday regimen is to remind them that just because it’s time to hit the books, it doesn’t mean the fun will stop completely. One thing parents and educators can do together, Barkin says, is to use a calendar with the child to indicate times when he or she can put aside the books during the coming months.

"Rather than the ‘party’s over,’ this helps kids understand conceptually that the balance has shifted from less structure to more structure, but [also] that playing has not come to an end," Barkin says. "Our children should still have time to be kids."

Meanwhile, educators can help reinforce those good memories of summer by encouraging their students to discuss what they experienced in show-and-tell exercises. This can not only soothe a student’s anxiety, it can help the teacher learn more about his or her student. Barkin says enterprising educators can help students create posters celebrating the summer months as well as use the show-and-tell time to show videos and share pictures.

And as those children reminisce about their summer, educators can neatly transition into the fall months by reminding their students about the pleasures that come with autumn, such as pumpkin carving, to playing team sports and joining school clubs. "Concrete expectations go a long way to aiding transitions," Barkin says.

As the students get more comfortable with the structure of the regular school day, Barkin says, the next step for educators and parents is to start planning specific responsibilities for the children. From getting homework done on time (and correctly!) to getting good marks on tests and other benchmarks, these responsibilities can and should be rewarded with special treats. Depending on the student, that could take the form of a pizza party, a night at the movies, or any number of events that will reinforce that accomplishing one’s tasks translates into tangible rewards. "Responsibilities can be associated with rewards of varying types and can ease the sense that responsibility is a burden," he says.

Lastly, parents should not underestimate the importance of setting schedules and creating routines that their children can rely on. This establishes clear guidelines for children, ranging from when they should be sitting down to complete homework to preparing properly for bedtime and school in the morning. "This helps kids with the overall adjustment to a return to school, while empowering them in taking on responsibility," Barkin says.

Acting Out

So, it’s the first week of school, and despite concerted efforts by a student’s parents and teacher, things are not going well in the classroom. The student is acting out, creating a disruption to the other students, and impairing his or her ability to learn. What can be done to get the child on track? For the educator, the first step is to try to determine the cause and reasons for the behavior, Barkin says. Are these new or old behaviors? Does the student have a history of misbehaving during the start of the school year, or is it an ongoing problem? Determining whether the behavior stems from social, academic, biological or academic sources is essential.

"Consider keeping a journal with your thoughts and observations about the behavioral issues, as well as the observations and input of others," Barkin says. Those journal entries could be of value later for other people involved in the life and education of the child, from his or her parents to coaches, pediatricians, and other teachers. Equally important, Barkin says, is having the means to collect one’s thoughts and observations in a centralized place, which can help the educator to put the behavior in perspective and note trends or potential causes.

But keeping a journal is just the first step to helping the child overcome his or her behavioral issues. There is a wealth of resources available to teachers to help them manage students who are not transitioning well from summer to school. "No matter how much experience we have or how much we read, the benefits of continued information gathering are invaluable," Barkin says. That ongoing search for knowledge can take the form of discussions with colleagues or the use of online resources to learn about a diagnosed (but unfamiliar) disorder or challenges presented by issues at home (such as blended families, an absent parent, etc.).

Barkin points toward Resources for Educators, Global Classroom, and HotChalk.com for classroom and curriculum suggestions, as well as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development for books, articles, and videos that provide research-based solutions.

If an educator continues to struggle with helping a student get focused during this transitional period, Barkin says, having a heart-to-heart with the student can reverse negative behaviors. "Most educational settings have well-established protocols for addressing challenging behaviors, and early communication with the family is important," he says. "The education team, including parent input, should plan the ‘who’ and the ‘how’ to have the conversation based on the unique situation. Engaging a child in a conversation about persistent concerns is very different than [one geared toward diffusing] an event while it’s playing out in the classroom." The important thing, Barkin says, is to reassure the child that they’re not alone, they have your support, and to also give them a productive outlet for their concerns.

School-based groups can also be a great way to provide that support for students. Barkin points to the Banana Splits Resource Center, which helps students cope with divorce and the loss of a parent, as an example of a program that focuses on giving children the tools they need to adjust during a period of emotional turmoil. Those groups can give educators a hand in managing classroom behavior, Barkin says.

Special Education Needs

While some students with developmental disabilities will adjust with a bit of prompting (as detailed earlier), others require much more support. The reality is that certain students will take longer to get acclimated to the routine of school and the responsibilities that come with being back in the classroom.

"Some children in special education programs benefit from more therapy than can be provided during the course of the day, and it’s beneficial to consider after school and weekend therapies," Barkin says. Those therapies can include respite programs for families, tutors, and so on.

Part of the process of identifying whether a special needs student requires more support than what is typically offered in the classroom is having the parents and educator sit down to identify concerns and chart a plan for addressing those problems. Are evaluations needed, simple observations and monitoring, or does the parent-educator team need to put specific supports in place? "[It’s important for the parents] to initiate working with the education/clinical team early in the year rather than waiting to be contacted," Barkin says.

Throughout this process, he says, the educator’s one-on-one conversations with the student should be positive, calm, and as private as possible—and avoid leading questions. "Ask open-ended questions and be patient [when waiting] for a response," Barkin says. "Conversations can take place over a number of meetings and may take time for a child to feel confident and trusting. Some children readily engage in conversation, while others do not. For some, it is a genuine limitation, and for others it can be discomfort, stress, fear, or lack of awareness."

At home, parents can reduce their child’s stress and discomfort by doing things like helping him or her select clothing for school the night before, helping them pack (and get used to wearing) a book bag, and reading books with them that focus on starting school. (Books on this subject can be found at www.ascd.org.)

One potentially useful task is to bring special needs students to the school before the school year begins, thus giving them extra time to get used to the upcoming change, Barkin says. A parent could arrange one or more visits to the school (depending on the flexibility of the administration). "If demonstrating a routine is the point, then [schedule the visits] early, close to the time the child will be arriving [during the school year]," Barkin says. "Multiple visits if necessary, predicated on the child’s needs."

Lastly, since anxiety can be a serious issue for special needs students, bringing family photos to the classroom can help children feel more at ease, Barkin says. "Conceptually, every child brings their unique family to the classroom by having them displayed on a bulletin board," he says. "Often the pictures can be built into a story or lesson."

At Ease in the Classroom

With planning, communication, and patience, parents and educators can do much to assist developmentally disabled children transition from the summer months into the routines of the school year. By taking time to get a handle on the hurdles facing developmentally disabled students, teachers and families can lay the groundwork for a successful fall—one marked by progress and peace of mind.

Back to School Tip for Struggling Readers

Reading may be the most important skill for children to learn. Yet, research shows that 26% of twelfth grade students cannot read. What can we do to reach struggling students early? Below are some tips to consider when developing your reading program for this school year:

• Classroom Expectations
  Management and behavior issues can cause a great disruption to instruction, especially when kids are in small groups. Make sure your students are aware of the expectations in your classroom. Have them posted somewhere that can be easily seen by all students. You can even involve your students in the creation of your expectations.
• Small Group Instruction
  You will have a variety of reading levels throughout your classroom. Working in small groups will allow you to work on specific strategies and skills that each student needs.
• Universal Screening
  Within the first few weeks of school, teachers should assess each of their student’s current levels in reading. By doing this, you will learn the dynamics of your classroom, and have a baseline to show a student’s progress throughout the school year.
• Progress Monitoring
  Once you have a baseline for your students, you should monitor their progress on a regular basis. This will provide you with important information on how a student’s reading skills are improving, and if you need to change your focus on your small group instruction.
• Motivate Reluctant Readers
  You will have a variety of personalities within your classroom. You will need to explore both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations to encourage any reluctant readers. Positive reinforcement is always one of the best ways to encourage a struggling reader.
• Mentor Program
  Establish a mentor program with older students that can work with your struggling readers to provide guidance as they work on specific skills needed to improve their reading fluency and comprehension.
• Encourage Independent Reading
  No matter what their ages, children benefit from independent reading. Create independent reading plans for your class to develop reading skills, goal setting and motivation.
• Build your Classroom Library
  Filling your classroom library with books that are interesting to your students will encourage them read and share what they learn with their classmates.
• Take Home Books
  School and classroom libraries can provide books to those students that may not have access to them otherwise. Whether you encourage your students to check books out of the school library or send them home with a book from your classroom, students should be provided the opportunity to continue reading at home.
• Home Support
  Ongoing support should occur at home to ensure that children retain their reading skills. Research indicates that skills will be lost if not encouraged to practice at home and students that continue to read at home usually improve and retain skills taught in school.
  
  Tips courtesy of Spectrum K-12.

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