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 communication goals list

Listening

  • Listen attentively in group situations
  • Understand grade-level material

Speaking

  • Speak clearly with an appropriate voice
  • Ask and respond to questions – Can they ask yes/no and what where questions?
  • Participate in conversations and group discussions – Can they follow a conversation and add to the conversation appropriately
  • Use subject-related vocabulary- Do they use a variety of words including names and not rely heavily on words like thingy or it’s?
  • Stay on topic, use appropriate eye contact, and take turns in conversation – Can they follow a conversation and add to the conversation appropriately
  • Summarize a story accurately – Can your child tell a story accurately?
  • Explain what has been learned – Can they explain something they have learned?

Reading

  • Demonstrate full mastery of basic phonics
  • Use word analysis skills when reading
  • Use clues from language content and structure to help understand what is read
  • Predict and justify what will happen next in stories and compare and contrast stories
  • Ask and answer questions regarding reading material
  • Use acquired information to learn about new topics
  • Read grade-level books fluently (fiction and nonfiction)
  • Reread and correct errors when necessary

Writing

  • Plan, organize, revise, and edit
  • Include details in writing
  • Write stories, letters, simple explanations, and brief reports
  • Spell simple words correctly, correct most spelling independently, and use a dictionary to correct spelling
  • Write clearly in cursive

Ways to help your child build strong communication skills

  • Continue to encourage reading; find reading materials that are of interest to your child
  • Encourage your child to form opinions about what he or she hears or reads and relate what is read to experiences
  • Help your child make connections between what is read and heard at school, at home, and in other daily activities
  • Talk aloud as you help your child understand and solve problems encountered in reading material
  • Help your child recognize spelling patterns, such as beginnings and endings of words (e.g., pre- or -ment)
  • Encourage your child to write letters, keep a diary, or write stories
  • Limit screen time to encourage independent reading and real time social interactions

3rd grade communication goals can be an important guideline to help parents understand what skills their children need to be successful in school.

Additional info

ASHA‘s 5th grade communication goals

 

Socializing with People on the Autism Spectrum

board games
Board game meetups can be a great place for people on the autism spectrum to socialize

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 angry. They were unaware of their problem, due to “context blindness,”  the inability to see how the context interacts with other social cues.  It was clear they had not received social skills training as a child, and eventually, they were forced out of the group. It was upsetting to watch the process unfold. No one was mean directly. They were mostly excluded from gatherings. It is not unusual for a person on the autism spectrum, especially when they are young, to be excluded from a group. However, by the time they are adults, many learn to fit in. However, undiagnosed and untreated, they are likely to be excluded, but with training, more people on the autism spectrum find their place.

Social skills training

Social skills are taught to people on the spectrum, such as turn-taking, using your eyes to gather nonverbal information, teaching expected and unexpected norms and much more, but how do you teach society  to accept and appreciate difference? Walls of words, nonverbal language and innuendo make it difficult for people on the spectrum to make connections and fit in. Inclusive communication skills need to be taught to all our children from elementary school through college. Children and teens need to learn to work in groups, negotiate conflict, and work through differences. Despite our ability to teach people on the autism spectrum, the rules of conversation and other social skills, their ultimate success, relies on everyone learning to be better communicators.

Communication in our society is problematic right now. Politicians bully other politicians. People in authority and in the media lie and pretend it is truth. In our everyday life, we talk on cell phones while sitting next to our friends and family. Furthermore, our children are learning to text their friends instead of visiting them. People unfriend their friends and acquaintances on Facebook, ghost them in messages or just cancel them. The few honest conversations we have are often on social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook. How do we teach neurotypical people with social skills deficits to communicate in this environment? Is it their job to fit into society’s communication standard, or is it also society’s responsibility to communicate in a more inclusive manner?

Communication Skills in Our Society Need to Change

Communication skills are one of the most important skills that we can teach all of our children. Judging by the current conversations being held by adults, our educational system is not doing a sufficient job of teaching communication skills that support our society. All children, not just those on the autism spectrum or with language disabilities, need help to develop strong communication skills. We should learn to listen and value differences, even if it is uncomfortable, so that many people who are different, including those on the autism spectrum, can be included.

Here are communication practices that should never be tolerated Punishment should be communication training .

1.) Bullying

2.) Hate Speech

 

Communication Problems: Fighting Back

Did you know that last month was National Poetry Month? An amazing young client of mine is pen pals with this year’s National Youth Poet Laureate. My client also earned an honorable mention for her haiku in this year’s National poetry competition. She does not let communication challenges stop her.

Amanda Gorman says, “I’ve been pen-palling with a young poet named Solveig, who I visited on an elementary classroom trip in Cambridge. She entered a haiku into the United Nations International School’s Student Poetry Contest and received an honorable mention! “

People with communication problems, frequently reject complex communication tasks because they fear they will fail. Challenges with reading, writing, and/or expressing ideas isn’t a reason not to write poetry, create and sing your own lyrics, give public speeches, or even speak up in a crowd. Weaknesses in speech and language should not limit your job opportunities or academic pursuits, but they often do.  

Not understanding and managing communication problems decreases self-esteem, limits academic and career opportunities, and often leaves children thinking they are not “smart.”  Many children and adults with communication problems need additional speech and language support. The first step to getting the right help is identifying the problem and finding the right intervention. 

Identifying communication problems

Identifying the communication problems requires a multidisciplinary evaluation:  It’s important to know that standardized tests give only a small glimpse of a person’s ability, but even so there is a lot of information that comes from these types of assessments. If you suspect a communication problem you will need an assessment from both a speech-language pathologist and a psychologist. Although psychologist often do some speech language testing it is not comprehensive enough to detect mild speech and language problems that can impact functioning.

Professionals that assess communication skills

  • Speech pathologists – Assesses and treat all problems with
    communication including reading, writing, executive function, and
    verbal expression
  • Psychologist – Evaluates overall learning profile including executive function and give a basic broad overview of language skill

Evaluations can be requested through your local school. School testing especially speech and language testing can be limited. High functioning students with difficulty in language use ( usually seen in students on the spectrum and students with ADHD) or gifted students whose low language scores fall within the average range may appear not to qualify for services. Even though both groups can have significant speech and language problems traditional school testing may not identify be helpful. Private evaluators are usually more thorough, but expensive. They are more expensive because they will spend the time finding assessments and other measures that accurately assess your child’s skills.   

Why would you still want to seek out treatment after the school says your child’s skills are adequate.  If your child is struggling with homework or school work the likelihood is that the communication problems are interfering with their ability to successfully manage their academic load. Even mild communication problems,  ones not thought to be low enough to warrant school intervention, can cause significant problems.  

How do you find the best intervention?

There are many ways to approach finding the right intervention.  Because of the many choices,  there are things that should be taken into consideration, including but not limited to, the nature of the problem, severity, and adult or child’s learning style. Intervention can range from computer programs to homeschool style instruction to hiring a specialist. If considering hiring a specialist you want one that understands your needs and works with you and your child to address the problem. Finding an appropriate provider is challenging. Referrals from friends and family are great sources.  Other sources include the internet, asking the school providers and asking your pediatrician.  After identifying the communication problem the next step is finding the best intervention.

 Identifying your style

Do you:

  • Prefer using books and online resources to address the problem at home?
  • Feel teaching your child at home is the best way to improve communication?
  • Want a specialist to support your efforts?
  • Use your pediatrician as a helpful resource?
  • Choose to use activities to help your child work on the skills indirectly?
  • Are you someone who thinks learning should be holistic?
  • Does your child have other special considerations or needs?

Identify your child’s style

  • Does your child learn best in groups or one on one?
  • Would your child learn best by participating in outside activities that indirectly address the problem?  ( i.e acting classes, music classes, team sports, debate club, poetry club etc.)
  • Does your child need a lot of structure?
  • Would a computer program work for your child?
  • Is your child able to self-advocate to address their needs in school?
  • Does your child hide their problems or are they oblivious to their challenges

Use this information to decide whether a computer program, small group instruction, outside activities, one on one intervention or a combination of intervention is the right choice for your family. There are many ways to address communication problems at home, in school, and in the community. Once you know the problem, level of severity, understand your personal style, and your child’s learning preferences making the right choices is easier.

Consider a private Speech-Language Pathologist

Although private services can be expensive they are beneficial in the long term.  In case money is limited it’s important to decide whether it is best to spend money on private testing or use your money for treatment. It depends on whether you want the school to provide services or you plan to go elsewhere. With the condition that you are not trying to receive services through your local school system, one solution may be having the assessment done by the school. After testing a private Speech-language pathologist may be willing to use those recent test results to create an individualized treatment plan for your child. Using a private speech-language pathologist can be the right intervention because it offers a program tailored to your child.

Finally, after identifying an approach, it’s important to continue monitoring your child’s progress. If the problem is not improving or your child is not responding to the approaches you have chosen after several months then it may be time to re-evaluate.

Resources

Here is a story from Understood.org “Denied an IEP…” about a parents journey to find the right treatment for her child after the school said her child was ineligible for an IEP.

Music Instruction Develops Executive Function Skills

music instruction develops executive function skills
I don’t want to practice my instrument? Are music lessons and the struggle to practice worth the effort?

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 that the city of Boston hosts with music by the Intensive Community Program of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. My daughter has been part of this music program which provides high-level instruction for string and percussion instruments to city kids. As I sat there listening to her orchestra play I cried. I was amazed by what she had learned. But, let me tell you a secret! Every single year she begs to quit!  She tells me she hates the viola. In reality, she hates to practice (who doesn’t?), and sometimes the time commitment interferes with other pursuits (there are only so many days in a week).  As a matter of fact last month we had another argument about quitting when rehearsal interfered with a track meet.  I coerced her into finishing out this performance year. In July, after her auditions when she is feeling good about her performance I will re-enroll her and we will be in this program for another year. It’s like this every year.  I can tell you all the reason I wouldn’t mind her quitting, but let me tell you why I continue to make her participate in this program and practice the viola an hour a day. 

Music Instruction Develops Executive Function Skills

Because of my work as a speech pathologist, I have researched and taught executive function skills. Did you know that developing executive function skills through music really works! Through the process of learning to play an instrument, children develop a range of executive function skills including learning to attend, problem-solving,  memorization, self-evaluation, and prioritizing to name a few of the skills, and all are generalized to academics. Let’s see tutors for academics or music lessons. I love natural settings, meaning no one is sitting there just teaching executive function out of context. Some kids have to be taught this way but if you can support that with other pursuits it’s great.   I chose music lessons and sometimes we do need additional tutors to help with executive function but not as much. Music lessons aren’t just for the love of music, music instruction develops executive function skills.

Ways to encourage participation

So, how do you get your child to participate and are there times when you really should let them quit? First, my daughter chose her instrument, but after that first choice, she didn’t get to choose to practice or not. That was my job to make it happen.  I asked other parents with older children what they did?    All said it was hard. Most commented that their child didn’t want to practice no matter how accomplished. Whew, good to know.  One parent’s response was, “Would you ask a child if they should learn to read? Music is learning another language.” I had never thought of it that way, and that stuck with me. ” So how do you get them to practice. Some people reward their child for practicing. I heard about earning candy to gift cards. I think you have to be careful with this approach. Monetarily rewarding a child can undermine developing their own internal motivation. Rewarded occasionally not regularly. Allow the child to pick something they do like, so they are doing one thing you have chosen and then another that they have chosen. ( Be careful keep it simple) 

Regular Check-ins 

These are some of the questions I regularly ask myself to determine if we should continue:

  • Are they good at it?
  • Can they still learn from this experience?
  • When they say they hate the instrument do you see other evidence of that?
  • Do they often want to quit activities they start?  (indicator of difficulty with sustained attention)
  • How long and how much effort has been putting into this activity? Have you seen improvement over time?
  • Is there something else they are passionate about that might be easier to keep them pursuing?
  • Do they have good musical instruction that includes problem-solving and discussion or are they simply being told what to do? (I observed a lesson to determine this)
  • Is there a social aspect? (Do they have fun with other kids when playing?)

Building Skills Takes Effort

As parents, we are often concerned about building executive function skills and self-esteem.  You can only build those things through effort.  Do I think music lessons is the best thing for every child? I can’t imagine anything that every child should do, but I do think that for many children music lessons and playing in community orchestras can offer another avenue to improve executive function skills and build self-esteem. Finally, ask yourself if someone told you that you would have to practice an hour a day every day for even a year, would you like it? Could you do it?  As adults, we know the value of being able to work on something a little every day, so I believe it is worth the effort to teach our children valuable skills whether they like it or not that is our job! 

There are definitely some days I wonder how I got us into this intensive music program. But yesterday, I remembered why and I absolutely love the fact that music develops executive function skills too!

“Airplane” not “Mama:” Language Development in Children with Asperger Syndrome

Vocabulary development in Asperger syndrome normal
Language development in children with Asperger Syndrome is similar to typically developing children.

Language development in children with Asperger Syndrome is often typical for verbal language but delayed in language use. “Compared with those affected by other forms of autism spectrum disorders those with Asperger syndrome (AS) do not have significant delays or difficulties in language or cognitive development,” states the “Autism Speak’s” website.  Slow developing non-verbal language skills in children with Asperger syndrome impact their ability to request, direct and gain joint attention necessary for effective language use a relatively mild language disorder when compared with other spectrum disorders.  Continue reading ““Airplane” not “Mama:” Language Development in Children with Asperger Syndrome”

Learning Styles: Are they a Myth?

We may be required to unlearn what we once thought was true about learning styles.

Teachers must ditch ‘neuromyth’ of learning styles, say scientists

Sunday 12 March 2017 20.01 EDT Last modified on Sunday 7 May 2017 12.28 EDT
Teaching children according to their individual “learning style” does not achieve better results and should be ditched by schools in favour of evidence-based practice, according to leading scientists.Thirty eminent academics from the worlds of neuroscience, education and psychology have signed a letter to the Guardian voicing their concern about the popularity of the learning style approach among some teachers.No evidence to back idea of learning styles

Letter: Neuromyths create a false impression of individuals’ abilities, leading to expectations and excuses that are detrimental to learning in general

They say it is ineffective, a waste of resources and potentially even damaging as it can lead to a fixed approach that could impair pupils’ potential to apply or adapt themselves to different ways of learning.The group opposes the theory that learning is more effective if pupils are taught using an individual approach identified as their personal “learning style”. Some pupils, for example, are identified as having a “listening” style and could therefore be taught with storytelling and discussion rather than written exercises…”

Knowing a client’s learning style can help determine the best strategies to help them take charge of their learning process. However, this article states, that teaching student’s giving preference to their learning style does not result in better outcomes for the student. For example, if a student has difficulty with verbally conveying their ideas it is not better to allow them to write all their answers simply because they are a visual learner.  From Carol Dweck’s research, on growth mindset, we now know that our brains grow from working on challenging work. The teaching practice of deferring to learning style would prevent students with language challenges from working on overcoming their language weaknesses. However, Carol Dweck’s research also demonstrated that the challenge can not be approached the same time over and over. The challenge must be approached in multiple ways using a range of techniques and strategies.  Students must find many ways to adapt to the different requirements of learning to become effective learners.

Weale, S. (2017, March 12). Teachers must ditch ‘neuromyth’ of learning styles, say  scientists. Retrieved September 25, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/mar/13/teachers-neuromyth-learning-styles-scientists-neuroscience-education

Speech and Language Deficits Impact Life

Recently the Museum of Science exhibited Leonardo da Vinci’s work.  Recreations of his drawings were made into physical models.  I was struck by his inventiveness and his ability to both write and sell his ideas. His communication strengths were obvious from his displayed writings convincing Ludovico Sforza of Milan to hire him to his elaborate notes about his inventions. What would it have been like if Leonardo Da Vinci’s had a speech or language deficit?

How would a speech and language deficit have changed Leonardo’s accomplishments?  Would he have avoided talking to Ludovico Sforza, never getting the commission for the “Last Supper?” Would struggling to express his ideas have caused him to write less or not write at all? Would he have stopped asking question because he was afraid he might stutter or not express his idea well? Even very bright people, can have speech and language deficits. As adults, we seek out situations that complement our strengths and downplay our weaknesses. How would Da Vinci’s career have been impacted if he were only allowed to write and was unable to express his complicated thoughts and ideas using pictures?

Walking around the museum I wonder how a speech and language deficit would have affected how he felt about himself?  His ability to create? To take creative risks? Leonardo had no formal education. He was not told he had to know certain things by a certain age. He never had to produce in all areas like our children are forced to do. He was incredibly curious and asked endless questions about how the world functioned. Would that have been the same with a speech and language deficit?

Speech and language deficits impact self-esteem 

Speech and language deficits impact self-esteem and result in students who are afraid to take academic risks and lack motivation.  For example, a language weakness that makes it hard to explain your ideas or understanding the unspoken social rules can result in not answering questions in class or not having friends.  Problems with auditory comprehension,  following directions or understanding what people are saying, cause anxiety and inhibit children from participating in oral discussions.  We have special services for students determined to be disabled enough to qualify, but even relatively mild speech and language deficits can prevent kids from wanting to learn. I’m sure DaVinci had  language weaknesses we all do, but he was lucky enough to learn what he wanted, at his own pace, and in his own way.

We all have to overcome weaknesses

Students with speech and language deficits work hard, like Da Vinci, but many don’t see success. Over time, their poor communication skills impact their progress widening the gap between them and their peers. They know something is wrong. Children with communication problems have a range of intellectual abilities, but their difficulties make them feel dumb. They shut down, stop speaking up, and develop dysfunctional strategies that compound their weakness and contribute to poor self-esteem. These are the students for whom a little help can change the trajectory of their education and their lives.

We expect so much from our children, but sometimes we forget to let them know that it is okay to struggle, and it is ok to need and get help. What does it mean that the stories we tell about the most successful people in history (like Da Vinci) leave out the struggle? How would it change our perception of weakness if the display at the Museum of Science not only highlighted Leonardo da Vinci’s strengths but also acknowledged that even the most gifted have challenges?

Language is the Key to Academic Success

Acquiring language for educational demands
Language acquistion is the key to academic success

When there’s inequity in learning, it’s usually baked into life, Harvard analysts say.

Source: The Costs of Inequality: Education Is the Key to It All – US News

Language is the key to academic success. A few students from backgrounds with limited resources do well often because they love reading and in that way acquire the vocabulary and language skills they need to succeed.  Starting in kindergarten formal education requires and attempts to develop vocabulary, knowledge of grammar,  syntax, and morphology, but if children have limited outside exposure they may not thrive. the ability to use language effectively is key to academic success. For many families, the acquisition starts at home, but for children from undereducated communities, they start at a disadvantage and never really catch up. Do our public schools do enough in the area of language to level the playing field for those kids?

US News published an article 2 /16/16, The Costs of Inequality: Education Is the Key to It All in which they state that education is the great equalizer.  Yes, it is but what is amazing is the fact in spite of knowing that we let many children fall through the cracks. As a country, we continue to provide students from lower social economic areas and students for whom English is a second language limited language support.  In Cambridge students from another country are not offered language support throughout their academic careers. They do receive limited direct language instruction and then they are phased out of ESL programs. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds maybe an environment where reading is not valued, slang which is a language of code and is neither explicit or direct. Where one word can mean multiple things depending on the context. It’s not that these kids can’t learn language at home they have a complex communication system but it is not the language of the work world, and education is about preparing students for that world.

We know that language in many communities is used differently than language in the classroom, yet we expect students from a variety of backgrounds to compete on the same level as students from educated households with better resources. These children will bring great value to the work world if we do right by them.  Honoring a child’s dialect, but at the same time teaching them when and where to use that dialect, will allow them to use language to self-advocate, negotiate and for critical thinking in addition to providing additional language support when and where needed is critical in supporting strong language acquisition for academic success. We will have fewer people going to jail and more people with money to spend who can support our society, so why do we continue to block access to support and underfund schools in poor neighborhoods?

The Game Is Speech-Language Therapy: Treating & Motivating in a Natural Context

Games vs. Therapy

Sometimes parents are confused and kids think they are getting over on their parents because all they did today in speech language therapy was play a game. They don’t understand that the Game is speech-language therapy.  Speech therapist don’t give grades or set rules so how do they get kids to cooperate. Have you ever tried to get your child to do the same thing 100 times?  As a speech pathologist that’s what we sometimes have to do, so we use games. Need to teach cooperation and turn-taking, try “Forbidden Island.” Need a child to say the /s/ sound numerous times have them engage in a competitive game of “Sorry.” Yep each time before their turn they have to make that sound 5x they are so busy planning their strategy that most of the time they forget how many times they have said  the same sound, but by the end of the game the therapist has had more than 100+ repetitions of the targeted sound.

Motivating using a natural context

Sometimes parents don’t understand that the game is speech-language therapy. The goal is to build speech and language skills in a natural context.  In life we are developing communication skills all the time, but children with speech language disability or challenges need targeted intervention.  Sitting at a desk isn’t the most effective way to acquire language. The most effective way to improve communication skills is to use it. Games motivate clients to perform tasks that would normally be boring and repetitive, and provide a way to practice vocabulary, social language, sentence formulation, narrative and a range of other skills.

Special Speech and Language Games

There are a few special speech and language games enjoyed by many of my clients, one of my favorites, no longer available is “Grammar Scrabble. ” It helps kids learn to construct sentences.  Each tile is a word instead of a letter and you create sentences for points.  When I say I love games I am not talking about just those special speech and language games, I am also talking about video games and board games.  From spot the difference online games to cooking games like “Papa Louie’s Pizzeria” or “Cooking Mama.” If your child talks about everything they are doing while playing the game you are facilitating language, and if you talk about everything you are doing you then model language.  You don’t need special games to improve speech and language skills just lots of practice.

Games to Play

Having difficulty with past tense, model past tense words, sentences and phrases while playing  “Papa’s Burgeria” game.  First step, target the word, for example, words like  ordered,  grilled, served, etc. Then build sentences  “The customer ordered a burger.” “The cook grilled or cooked  the burger.”  Next expand on the sentence by adding where the action is taking place. “The customer ordered a burger… (where?) in the restaurant.” For children with difficulty acquiring a skill the goals always begins at the easiest level and slowly increases in complexity.  Also the activity should go from structured, you provide a model, to unstructured, they make new sentences using the target words independently. For younger children vocabulary development, naming the toppings on a pizza, can be the targeted skill. For older students following your directions to get the customers order completed on time can be the right challenge.  Past tense, following directions, formulating sentences, and grammar can all be addressed when playing games, or for normal language enrichment talking about what you are doing while playing  is a great way to improve overall language skills

Helping your child with Language

Need to help your child expand sentence length, find a spot the difference online game, like the “Music Box,” which can also be used for building narrative skills.   You provide a model and they  build longer sentences and use prepositional phrases. Want to work on developing questions, play “Guess Who”  or slightly more difficult “Guess Where”   Need to work on social skills  try a cooperative game like “Forbidden Island. Working cooperatively means explaining your ideas, negotiating and cooperating with others.  Through play speech/language pathologist motivate children to work to improve communication skills.

Developing Realistic Speech-Language Goals

It’s also important to have realistic goals when playing games. Your child is not always going to use language correctly. None of use do. Using Brown’s Stages of Syntactic Development can help provide guidelines.  However, if you have concerns ask his teacher, pediatrician or request an assessment from your local public school.

Games

Most of the games on my list I have played. I sometimes use these  games for therapy,  age range for most board games below are 8 years old and up, but as always age range is a guideline.

Cooperative games to improve social skills

  • Forbidden Island
  • Desert Island
  • Pandemic
  • Peaceable Kingdom Race to the Treasure * ages 5 and up

Vocabulary games

  • Scrabble
  • Balderdash
  • Blurt
  • Wordplay For Kids Board Game * 6 and up

Language games

  • Cranium 12 months and up ( great all around family game for young players
  • Tapple 
  • Scattagories ( this game can be difficult because of the time component) 13 and up
  • Apple to Apples Jr
  • Dixit   ages 8-12
  • Pictionary
  • Charades
  • Codenames

Critical thinking and deductive reasoning

  • Clue / Clue Jr  ( 5 and up)
  • Guess Who  (5 and up)
  • Ticket to Ride
  • Settlers of Catan
  • Carcassonne

 

 

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 can be hard.  Some of the questions parents may find themselves wondering about that first semester may include:

Is my child using the learning support services?

Has the teacher provided them with their accommodations? If not has my child asked for them?

Is my student sleeping all day, or living on a restricted diet of junk food?

Are they hanging out with “friends” instead of doing their school work?

Are they playing video games or watching television late in to the night, and                           missing their classes?

All freshman encounter these challenges, but for students on the autism spectrum or with ADHD not being prepared for independence before college can be the difference between success and failure.

Transitioning to college with learning disabilities

If students don’t understand the nature of their disability, moving from high school to college with learning disabilities is difficult. This means they can define their strengths and weakness and can explain to others what they need to succeed.   Middle and high school transition planning is part of the process that helps teenagers acquire the skills of independence needed to navigate college successfully. When entering college students must know how to discuss their disability, request services, and be aware of the strategies and supports they need to succeed at school.

In college,  students are required to self-advocate.  They manage their own schedules and recognize when to seek out additional support. In addition, they schedule additional appointments such as tutoring, writing support, and seek out professors to answer questions and make a special request as needed.  Weak self-evaluation, initiation, planning, and time management skills can make these tasks overwhelming. It’s important to start working on self-advocacy skills in high school.

Colleges and universities, work with students with special needs differently than high school special education department.  Colleges provide the accommodations but expect students to access and advocate for services independently. High schools provide all the services a student needs in a classroom setting. Teachers and assistants anticipate student’s needs and recognize, at least to some degree, how to manage those needs. Students aren’t required to understand their disability at the high school level.  However, In college, professors may understand little about working with students with disabilities.   In college accommodations such as extra time on tests, the use of special programs for reading text, or programs that create music notation must be requested.

Case Study: It takes a village including the student

A student with written language challenges attended college. His parents spoke with the school and provided all the necessary paperwork.   However,  the student did not receive necessary accommodations.  Only after failing classes, did he learn that he was eligible to use a special program?  He did not ask the teacher for other accommodation and was never informed that he was eligible. The program was not revealed by the school until a crisis, a letter sent home stating he was suspended from school.  After many calls and reminders to the school about his accommodations, he was allowed to retake the classes over the summer using the notation program. He passed.

Most colleges and university have writing centers, tutors,  special programs and specialist, but students need to know what they need, when to request it and how.  In high school, during the last year, students should be relatively independent in requesting support and accommodations. Good transition planning should target the development of strong self-advocacy skills.