December 27, 2011 in Blog by Dee

How to Find Elementary Schools for the Learning Disabled

By Renee Williams

Children with learning disabilities may require special accommodations to help them succeed in school. Students who are diagnosed with a learning disability in elementary school can have the advantage of receiving the help that they need early in their educational career, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Here is how to find schools that help elementary school students with learning disabilities.

Instructions
Step 1
Contact your local public elementary school to learn what programs are available for students with learning disabilities. Public school special education programs help students with a variety of diagnosed disabilities, including learning disabilities. While in a public school, the child may be educated with students who do not have disabilities and receive special help according to an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), according to the Learning Disabilities Association of America. In some cases, your child may receive extra help in a class consisting only of special education students.

Step 2
Meet with assessment personnel at the public school. Before enrolling your child in the school, schedule a meeting to discuss resources that the school has in place.

Step 3
Consider other public schools. Public schools are required to educate students in a special education program, but if you are not happy with the elementary school in your area, ask the Special Education director to refer you to another public school in the district before enrolling your child.

Step 4
Talk to parents in special education resource groups. For privacy reasons, the school may not be able to give you names of other parents of learning disabled children, but you can meet the parents on your own by networking or locating a local chapter of the Learning Disabilities of America Association. Ask the parents and adults with learning disabilities to refer you to good elementary schools with strong special education programs for your child’s specific learning disability. Other parents can also refer you to good private schools that may specialize in educating learning disabled children.

Step 5
Search a wider area using online bulletin boards. If you are willing to move to elsewhere to give your child a specialized education, you can ask parents of children with disabilities for recommendations of schools outside your district. You are likely to learn about great schools that specialize in helping children with learning disabilities.

Step 6
Inquire about teacher certification at the school(s) you are considering for your child. Special education teachers who teach children with learning disabilities are certified in interrelated special education. This certificate means that the teacher has been trained to teach children with learning difficulties in both reading and math. An interrelated certificate is valid for teaching students with a wide range of disabilities, including autism in some school systems.

Step 7
Ask for the percentage of learning disabled students in the school. Teachers who have a large number of students with learning disabilities in the school will have more experience teaching these students.

Step 8
Ask for the number of years that the special education teachers have taught in the school. This will give you a good idea of the experience level of the teachers. Teachers who are more experienced will more likely have a larger stock of supplies that they have gathered over the years to use as modifications. On the other hand, teachers who are less experienced may have a fresher perspective and may be more excited about teaching; they may have not experienced teacher burn-out.

Step 9
Review your child’s current Individualized Education Plan (IEP), if there is one, with the special education director and her team. The special education director will most likely lead the meeting. A team made up of a special education teacher, a general education teacher, and an administrator are required to attend the meeting. The special education director can act as an administrator in some schools. In this IEP meeting, discuss possible accommodations, such as giving your child verbal and written instructions, providing extra time for classroom assignments and tests, or notifying you of failing grades.

Step 10
Bring all related documents to the meeting. The special education team need to know your child’s birthday, results from his or her last medical examination, the last IEP that you have and a copy of the child’s psychological report. Anything that you signed approving your child for special education is also helpful. You should also be ready to discuss what you think your child needs and share comments from previous teachers, even preschool teachers.

Step 11
Request a copy of your special education rights. The copy of rights details your parental rights related to the meeting and your child’s education. The school may read the rights to you, or you can request to review the rights on your own. Carefully review the rights before the start of the meeting.

Step 12
Discuss the curriculum in the IEP meeting, and what the school will do to help your child reach goals related to the curriculum. Special education students with learning disabilities are usually given the same curriculum as other students. Schools usually have a set of standards, requirements that students must meet to pass to the next level. Even if your child has a severe learning disability, the school must prove that your child was taught the same skills as other students.

Read more: How to Find Elementary Schools for the Learning Disabled | eHow.com https://www.ehow.com/how_5886551_elementary-schools-learning-disabled.html#ixzz1hlM5iptc

December 27, 2011 in Blog by Dee

Stress Rescue Kit: 8 Ways to Refresh, Revive and Restore

By Rochelle A.

Stress or feeling overwhelmed can make us gravitate to “quick fix” stress relievers that ultimately leave us feeling worse — like overeating, binge drinking, spending too much on shopping, or making a bad call in a relationship. To rescue yourself from stress in a healthy way, have an arsenal of ready-to-go de-stressors on hand so you can get immediate relief and keep feeling good.

Rescue #1: Tune Out
You know what songs speak to your soul. Compile your playlist ahead of time and have it ready to stream on your phone — or in your car — so that you can get to a happy place fast. It doesn’t take much time to take the edge off stress: according to the American Psychological Association, even just 10 minutes a day all to yourself can help your body’s stress response slow down.

Rescue #2: Pick a Peaceful Pose
Learn a simple yoga stretch, and pause to put it into practice when the stress levels are high. The American Academy of Family Physicians cites exercise as a good stress reliever: it’s a healthy way to release stored-up tension and energy. Yoga has many positions for people of all fitness levels, so practice one that works for you.

Rescue #3: Bury Yourself In a Book
Buy yourself a fun fiction book even if you don’t have time to read it right away. It’s good to have your next relaxing read lined up so that all you have to do is crack it open when you need a stress-free escape.

Rescue #4: Park Yourself
Pick a park in your town you don’t usually go to and take a stroll. It’s a simple way to get a change of scenery and take a break from the daily grind. Going to a place where people are relaxing and having fun can help you relax, too.

Rescue #5: Chat It Up
Call an old friend to get caught up. Don’t worry if you haven’t spoken in a while: it just means you’ll have more to talk about. Sharing what’s going on in your life and hearing what’s going on in someone else’s can help you put your stress in perspective and help you see the big picture.

Rescue #6: Treat the Tension
Stress is your body’s natural response to threatening situations, but can leave you with a lot of pent-up energy in the form of tension. Purchase an ergonomic pillow or a back massager to target your trouble areas, such as your neck and shoulders.

Rescue #7: Pause for Pampering
Always have a new nail polish on hand. A bottle of nail polish is not a big splurge, so buy yourself the fun color you’ve been wanting to try. If you store it someplace visible like your dresser or vanity, it will serve as a bright reminder to take a moment for yourself and give you something fun to look forward to in the future.

Rescue #8: Stock Up on Suds
Keep your bathtub clean and stocked with aromatherapy bubbles or salts, so that it’s easy to slip in for a soak if the stress is rising. If your bathroom has bright overhead lights, switch them off and use candles or a nightlight for a more relaxing atmosphere. Choose soothing scents like lavender, eucalyptus, rose or vanilla to fill the air with calm luxury.

December 27, 2011 in Blog by Dee

How to Help a Student Having Problems With Multiplication

By Ashley Baker

When a student has trouble with multiplication, it generally stems from never having memorized multiplication facts. Multiplication fact memorization is the key to successful multiplication of double-digit numbers. Students are either right-brain learners or left-brain learners. The left-brain learner easily memorizes math facts, while the right-brain learner struggles. The right-brain student needs a visual depiction, story or color to relate to the problem in order to remember the answer. Whether children are right-brain or left-brain learners, daily practice in mastering the facts can help solve their difficulty with multiplication.

Things You’ll Need

Index cards
Crayons
Math fact quiz
Pencil
Timer

Instructions

Step 1
Determine whether the child is a right-brain or left-brain learner. A left brain learner is organized, independent, thinks logically, enjoys learning facts., and prefers talking and writing. A right-brain learner is artistic, social, looks at the big picture, likes open-ended information, is spontaneous and more emotional. If you are not sure about the child, take the quiz at Left Brain Child (leftbrainchild.com) or The Art Institute of Vancouver (wherecreativitygoestoschool.com)

Step 2
Write multiplication problems on the front of index cards, and the answer on the back for the left-brained child. Write the entire problem, with the answer written in color, on the front of the card for the right-brained child, who learns best by seeing the whole picture. Drill with the flash cards for five to 10 minutes each day.

Step 3
Encourage the left-brained student to say the multiplication problem out loud during practice. Instruct the right-brained student to write the problems out with different-colored crayons during practice.

Step 4
Play a multiplication game for 10 minutes each day after the math facts have been reviewed. Find games online at websites like Multiplication.com, Fun 4 the Brain (fun4thebrain.com), or purchase board games to play with the child.

Step 5
Test the child at the end of each practice session with a timed math quiz. Focus on just the facts the child is trying to learn, or cover all facts at once. Allow approximately two to four seconds per problem.

December 27, 2011 in Blog by Dee

Left Brain and Right Brain Research Facts

By Stephanie Mayberry

When people refer to the “right brain” and “left brain,” they are speaking of the left and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is situated on the outermost portion of the cerebellum, which is responsible for balance, coordinating muscle movements and maintaining posture. There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding the “left brain, right brain” concept. For instance, the belief that “right brained” people are artistic while “left brained” folks are more logical is a bit of an exaggeration. In fact, it is when both sides of the brain are working together that your thinking is at its best.

The Cerebral Cortex

The cerebral cortex lies within the cerebrum, the largest and most developed of the five major sections of the human brain. The cerebral cortex comprises the outermost portion of the hemispheres. It is responsible for emotion, thought, fine control of movement, learning, reasoning, speech, interpreting touch, hearing and vision, perception and planning. The cerebral cortex has been the focus of interest for neuroscientists as they attempt to better understand how the human brain functions. Because this section of the brain is responsible for higher functions, it is often where research is concentrated. For as much as we do know about the human brain, there is still a vast amount of information that is not known, and the scientific community acknowledges that we still have much to learn.

The Cerebral Hemispheres

The cerebral hemispheres are two halves of the specialized section of the brain located in the cerebral cortex. The two hemispheres, called the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere, are better known to the layperson as the “right brain” and the “left brain.” Each hemisphere is specialized to direct certain tasks. For instance, the left hemisphere in right-handed people is specialized to direct language, calculation, writing and speech. Likewise, the right hemisphere directs visual face recognition, spatial aptitude and certain facets of music production and acumen.

The Left Brain

Generally speaking, the left brain controls arithmetic and writing skills, comprehension and speech. Logic is also a function of the left brain, which is more linear in thinking patterns, rational and analytic. It manages step-by-step problem solving. This is where sequencing is managed as well as keeping track of time.

The Right Brain

The right brain is responsible for controlling artistic and musical skills, spatial ability and creativity. This hemisphere is more intuitive, forming conclusions based on patterns that may not be complete and making decisions based on feeling, hunches and visual perceptions. It allows for seeing things as a whole and identifying overall patterns. It is not dependent upon facts or reason as a basis for drawing conclusions.

Two Hemispheres Working Together

The left and right hemispheres work together via the corpus callosum, a bundle of fibers that joins the hemispheres together. The corpus callosum transports messages from one hemisphere to the other. The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body and the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body. That is why if there is an injury to the right side of the brain, the left side of the body may be weak or feel other effects. It is estimated that in approximately 93 percent of people, the left hemisphere dominates in language and hand use.