College Academic-Social Skills Coach

John, not his real name, a freshman was having difficulty managing his life on campus.  He spent most of his time in his room playing video games or watching Netflix, went to bed a 2-3 am missed classes and was turning in late assignments. By midterm, not only had John gained weight, he had no …

3rd Grade Communication Goals

Third grade expectations have changed!  It’s a pivotal year because children are beginning to move from  learning to read to reading to learn. If students have a strong language foundation then the transition is not difficult, but children struggling with reading, vocabulary development or comprehension will have a hard time. Here is ASHA’s  3rd grade …

Socializing with People on the Autism Spectrum

Board game meetups are a great place for high functioning people on the autism spectrum to socialize. I was part of a board game group that had several neurodivergent players. However, one player had a difficult time. Sometimes they said things that offended other players. They cheated when teaching new players which made their opponents …

Music Instruction Develops Executive Function Skills

My daughter often doesn’t want to practice her instrument, so much of my time and effort has been spent figuring out how to get her to practice her instrument, but I do because music instruction develops executive function skills and will improve other skills like math. Yesterday I  attended a yearly Martin Luther King event …

Transitioning to College with Learning Disabilities

Post high school education can be challenging for students transitioning from high school with special education services on little or no transition planning.   Concerns about self-care, class preparation, and social interactions are ever-present for all freshman. However, especially for students with who have been fully supported with special education services through high school, the changes …

Discovering What Works: Managing homework battles

My daughter is now in the 8th grade. Our “homework battles” are primarily behind us, but not forgotten.  I wish I could say it just took time. That would negate all the wonderful help she’s received.  Managing homework battles takes a thoughtful, comprehensive approach.  It requires perseverance, patience, and sometimes skilled help to address the underlying …

Unstory: Developing Storytelling Skills in People with Asperger Syndrome

We connect with others through sharing our personal narratives. Poor verbal storytelling skills in people with Asperger Syndrome often go undiagnosed and prevent them from participating effectively in social, academic, and work environments. Structured speech and language assessments don’t pick up on subtle problems that children with AS demonstrate. Traditional Speech language testing uses structured …

Social engineering to improve social deficits

In a recent article in Attitude magazine, a magazine that offers strategies and support for people and their families with ADHD and LD, a mom created a Facebook birthday event for her son with Asperger syndrome.  No one wanted to come to her son’s 13th birthday  and her son was upset.  She decided to with …

Researching Homework Problems

Parenting is a hard job.  When your child begins to have difficulties with homework, parents often panic. Is it my fault? What can I do? Our minds, race. Will they ever learn to read?  How come I have to keep repeating myself so much? Why won’t he sit down and just do his work? Why …