Our blog has been designed to keep our educators, parents and clinicians up-to-date on trending topics in special education.
While the field of education is no stranger to a shortage of qualified special educators, the pandemic has fueled teacher burnout and turnover in a way that we didn’t see coming. The big question is – how can we continue to support students despite the growing number of teachers leaving the classroom? In this blog, we’ll provide tips for administrators, special education teams and teachers to prepare for and navigate teacher and staff turnover.
The prevalence of teacher burnout has always existed, especially within the field of special education. But when you’re trying to navigate an unprecedented global pandemic alongside the normal challenges of teaching, burnout heightens. In this blog, we’ll discuss what contributes to burnout and explore recommendations for what administrators can do to help combat burnout before it happens.
Social emotional learning is a critical element of education and development that helps students to better recognize, comprehend and self-manage their emotions. Additionally, SEL teaches students vital skills so they can begin to empathize with their peers, families, friends and others. Think of social emotional learning as a key that can open a door to enhanced learning outcomes, social behaviors and the creation of strong personal relationships that are built.
Providing high-quality, rigorous education opportunities equips students with the skills necessary to prepare for employment and independence. State standards have been established to do just that! The overall goal of state standards within education is to provide a clear, consistent learning framework so that students across the board can be successful in their education and beyond.
One minute you’re on the beach watching the waves crash into the sand, and the next minute you’re receiving your student roster for the upcoming school year. With a few simple planning steps, you can switch gears and start to prep your return back to school. Read on for 8 tips to help you (and your students!) ease back into the classroom seamlessly.
The topic of social skills is complex. Social interaction requires more than just applying basic skills or general social norms. It requires applying one’s knowledge about the situation in which the interaction occurs. People change their behavior to align with social situations. Making jokes when working with a classmate is okay but is not okay during a formal assessment. Even a basic skill such as greeting is not as simple as it appears. What a student does to greet their teacher in the classroom is different from what they do to greet their teacher in a grocery store.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools and administrators to navigate the best ways to support our complex student population to guarantee continuity of instruction, whether that is via in-person, hybrid or remote/distance learning. This is especially true because districts must continue to meet federal mandates to provide FAPE for all students regardless of unprecedented events.
For every student who has an individualized education program (IEP), it is federally mandated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that transition planning and services begin by the time a student turns 16 years old. In some states, an earlier age for transition planning has been implemented. When deemed appropriate, an IEP team can begin transition planning sooner than what is mandated.
Extended school year services are free school services that generally extend beyond the typical school year and are integrated within a student with disabilities’ individualized education program (IEP) to support educational goals. ESY services differ from conventional summer school and must meet the mandated requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Depending on eligibility, ESY services may also be offered during longer school breaks, such as winter or spring breaks, when deemed appropriate.
Social impairment in individuals with autism spectrum disorder is different from that encountered in other conditions. Weakness in intuitive social skills is a hallmark indicator of autism. A lack of motivation to initiate or learn social skills can also be present among individuals with autism.
