ANZH PD

 

Nadine and Graeme - ANZH PD

Kāhui Ako Resource kete

Utu/Mana

Banks Peninsular history - Takapūneke

listen to story, draw one event into one square on a divided paper, pass on to next person, they add a picture for the next event. After finished pass paper back to original person and then retell the story.

What perspective are we telling the story from? How would someone in the North Is tell it differently?

Whose story is not being told? 

Declaration of Independence - He Whakaputanga

Core Education have a cool resource - Muslim student stories https://docs.google.com/document/d/11v5KpzUIVn10uQD_aW93odsRi-PV3tCcTSbTtpe35Wk/edit

Phonological Knowledge

 Phonological Knowledge

a workshop by Jannie Van Hees

Letters vs Phonemes

There are 26 letters and 48 sounds

Phonological Terminology

BICS - basic interpersonal communication skills

CALP - cognitive academic language proficiency

Phonemes - smallest units of speech (consonants, long and short vowels, diagraphs & other sounds). English has 44 phonemes, they are critical building blocks that dyslexic & ESL students have difficulty with

Phonetics - concerned with describing the speech sounds;

• articulation
• sounds moving through the brain
• difficulty - audio processing

Phonological awareness - what you hear (can be done with your eyes closed) - clap syllables, break into phonemes.

44 Phonemes - video

Grapheme - symbol of a sound

Digraph - two letter grapheme

Homophone - same sound different meaning. eg, flour and flower

Homonym - said the same or spelt the same eg, right, write & minute, minute

Homograph - same sound, same spelling eg, close, close

Other notes of interest:

• when talking we clip out words, not sounding out every sound
• if you over sound it, it will be confusing
• breaking a text into word groups, as you do in dictation, works well
• When you work with word sounds they need to be in context (text)
• Mileage is the most important thing

- Eating Disorders - 

Mana Ake Workshop

Presenters - Louise Bennett, Clinical Dietician & Ursula McCulloch, Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Normal Eating - about 16% of NZers don't have breakfast and average 8 snacks a day.

When it becomes a concern - 

• weight
• nutrient deficiency
• restriction of food groups

Influences - 

• socio-economic
• food environment
• media/social media
• peers
• family/whanau environment
• teachers/educators

How to help build a positive relationship with food - 

• modelling, be aware of influence
• encourage a variety of food from the main food groups
• avoid labelling food as 'good' or 'bad'
• involve in food preparation and gathering

Picky Eaters - 

normal food stage for children 1&1/2 - 4 years old

concerns - 

• eating less than 20 different foods
• lack of nutrition
• missing out entire food groups
• particular about textures & stressed

The Whys of ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)

• sensory issues
• super tasters
• association with negative events eg choking
• developmental concerns
• anxiety issues
• genetics
• environmental and management issues

The Whys of Anorexia (many unknown)

• low self-esteem
• anxiety. perfectionism
• genetics
• environmental issues

As a result of the struggles the parent - child relationship is often fractured

Parents/Whanau may feel - 

• like a failure
• judged
• manipulated
• over people giving them 'good advice'

Managing ARFID

What doesn't work

• force-feeding
• lengthy meal times
• dishing up guilt
• comparisons with peers
• punishments & threats
• ignoring
• tricking your child

It takes 20x of tasting to get used to a food.

Children need to know sometimes you have to eat foods that are ok but not your favourite.

Get the child to use their senses to learn about food and gradually build up to tasting and then eating ....

Images might help the child to visualise their progress ...

 Language

Challenge language around food. If a child says 'It's yucky," respond with "You are still learning about the taste. To me it tastes salty/or other." Say 'You can," rather than "can you." The child is a 'food explorer.

Implications for schools

• don't judge lunchboxes
• don't force feed or comparative shame
• don't offer advice
• do be empathetic
• do allow the child to bring their preferred food
• do celebrate success

Managing Anorexia

Myths around anorexia

• attention seeking
• passing phase
• mum's fault
• vanity etc

Externalise anorexia - it is in control not the child

Family Based Treatment - 3 Phases, generally lasts a year

1.    Phase 1 - weekly visits to home environment

• discussion
• family meal observation
• teach strategies

2.    Phase 2 - fortnightly sessions in home environment

• child gradually allowed to take more control
• finishes when ideal body weight is reached

3.    Phases 3 - monthly sessions

• address other related issues

 Gaming Addiction 

a Werry Workforce lunchtime seminar

Presenter - Caleb Putt, Portfolio Manager for Mental Health and Addiction

There is many conflicting information as to whether or not it really is a problem. But recently the WHO has added Gaming Disorder as an illness to its list of diseases, although they have also said that gaming is a good way to spend your time during a pandemic. It is all very conflicting and it is complex.

Caleb is a gamer so has an insight. There has been a shift from geek to mainstream in the last few years. Gaming is now mainstream.

- Geek is the new Black - 

The last few years have seen esports gain popularity. Drawing sports stadiums full of fans, with full fanfare. Eports games are generally shorter, have small teams playing each other and fast paced. In some countries high school give scholarships for gamers. NZ high schools have Esport competitions between schools. 

Another type of game is MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) roleplaying games. These are set in fantasy worlds and you take the role of a customisable character. There are multiple storylines/quests that can take hours to complete and are highly social with people becoming part of clans. 

The gaming industry makes more money than movie and music combined. More people watch esport final than the NBA final. Some of the most popular games are free to play.

Gaming is mainstream. Most young people will game. Only a small percentage will develop Problem Gaming. Gaming might cause some problems eg, difficulty getting off but this does not mean a person is a Problem gamer. 

Games employ Psychological Techniques to keep people gaming and spending more money eg, levelling up is easier at the start and then gets harder and selling things in the game. Games continue 24/7 there is no end - FOMO, others are leveling up etc.. They are always been updated so they don't become boring. Sometimes things are made purposefully frustrating so you need to pay to get passed the obstacle. Less than 2% are the biggest spenders, the rest spend very little.

There can be 'binge' problems at time like when a new game is released. 

Why do people game?

Meet their needs; a sense of purpose, reaching goals, predictable, sense of achievement & mastery, sense of belonging, connections with others, friendships, freedom & escape, a sense of identity (more confident as your character, and as a confident gamer)

This becomes a problem if what you experience online is better than off line then that can be a problem. If a game meets needs we have outside of the game it becomes a problem.

Casual Gamer - Highly Engaged Gamer - Problem Gamer - Gaming Addiction

It's all about CONNECTION VS DISCONNECTION

Tips for tackling the problem; 

ask what they do, be curious

find out what needs the game is meeting, how else can those needs be met?

connect them in with groups eg, robotics clubs etc, archery 

promote connection over disconnection

educate them about problem gaming ie what do they think it is

if they identify that they have a problem put together a plan for them

What we see is the top of the iceberg - what sits underneath? self-worthlessness, confidence etc

Resources -

Gaming Questionnaire

Monetization Fact Sheet

Gaming Continuum

Parenting Tips

Problematic Gaming Factsheet

This was a brilliant and very informative presentation from Werry Workforce!!

Video - https://werryworkforce.org/professionals/training-and-events/lunchtime-learning-young-people-and-gaming

 Emotional Wellbeing Resources

for 13-17 yr olds

Notes from Werry Workforce lunchtime seminar - https://werryworkforce.org/professionals/training-and-events/lunchtime-learning-emotional-wellbeing-resources-13-17-yr-olds

Presenter: Sam Rodney-Hudson - Director of Programmes and Partnerships at Melon Health

Work for Melon - based in Wellington, an online service for people who are struggling with mental health, work alongside primary care for intervention and support.

Website for resources (for everyone) - https://www.melonhealth.com/manual/

Several animation videos with tips to support, also available on youtube

Melon worked with to with a company involved with teenagers and animation to ensure the      language piques the interest of 13-17 year olds. 

Each page has a whakatauki

There is research behind each resource, most based in cognitive behaviour therapy.

6 different areas; Brain Breaks, Little Reminders, Facing Fears, Mini Mind Workouts, Anxiety Toolbox, Mood Booster. A 7th -  Understanding Anger is being developed.

Anxiety Toolbox does not have animation videos but people talking about their experiences, it also has 

5 sessions to work through to talk through the worksheets.

There is also a podcast called The Flip Side that can be accessed through the site. Each week a different guest is interviewed about their experience with mental health.

Melon also have resources to help 18+ plus people as a response to Covid19. We can direct caregivers/whanau who are struggling to this resource - https://www.melonhealth.com/covid-19/

Once I am back at school I plan on printing out some of the relevant posters and worksheets to do with students. I will also let other colleagues know about the resource.

The Zones in Practice

Emotional Regulation

 Background:

One student I work with has difficulty regulating his emotions. As the year went on he became more difficult for his teacher in regards to his behaviour. I would like to support him this year with regulating his emotions.

Strategy: 

To watch the video resource on the Leading Lights website and apply any ideas I get.

The Zones in Practice by Lynne Hazeldine

Notes:

The Zones of Regulation was orginal developed for students who are neurodiverse.

It is a curriculum not a programme.

You could work through the book cover-to-cover OR pick out the bits you need for your learners.

No need to do a training course, anyone can pick it up to use.

Can be used with an individual, small group, class or school, and by parents.

Implications:

I will apply to join the NZ and USA Zones of Regulation Facebook groups

I will check out the resources on the Zones of Regulation webpage:

http://www.zonesofregulation.com/resources.html

Sticks and Stone - book review

Sticks and Stones - Defeating the culture of bullying and rediscovering the power of character and empathy

by Emily Bazelon

This book was set in the USA about a decade ago. Shortly after some well mediacised suicides in which bullying was a factor. There was a lot of controversy surrounding these cases and obviously feelings were high. Similar case had different outcomes. One case Bazelon dives into deeply is about Phoebe Prince.

Bazelon states that children have always 'bullied' in the past it was considered a part of childhood that you had to cope with. Nowadays things are different. However, some conflict in childhood is normal and helps children to gain the skills they need to survive as adults. Adults should not be supervising every incident of name calling etc as the children need to sort out strategies for themselves.

When bullying becomes a problem is when it involves unequal power, is repetitive, is deliberate and harms (even mentally or physically) - This is also how BullyFreeNZ define bullying on their site:

https://www.bullyingfree.nz/about-bullying/what-is-bullying/

Schools were teachers and administration staff turned a blind eye to bullying had become cesspools. After several headline worthy incidences schools needed to start to take notice and many different plans were instigated. Some involved small targeted programmes, many schools started up support groups but possibly the most effective was a school wide system PBIS . Which I can quite confidently say is the forerunner to our PB4L system where the emphasis is on teaching behaviours and acknowledging those who perform those behaviours. 

Social media can play a huge part in bullying and many children discussed in the book had had a difficult time due to social media. Schools are needing to spend a lot of time and resourcing following up on social media incidences which happen outside of school hours. Bazelon went to Facebook headquarters to discuss what they were doing to crack down on online bullying. She goes in to some detail in the book but basically they are not doing enough. They have improved their system but seem to take little responsibility for 'policing' their site. They did say, and rightly so, that the best thing is for the children to take responsibility themselves and do have a script of how to help yourself boxes when people report things on facebook. However they are very slow to work though complaints of bullying etc and do not always end up removing things that should be removed. There are millions of users so they feel the task is to big to deal with reports in a timely manner.

Bazelon concludes that whilst it is partly the schools responsibility that parents have a very importance role to play and as much as the build up their child's self esteem they should be also teaching them kindness and connectedness. The most important advice for a child according to experts is to tell someone they trust, ideally someone their age as well as a trusted adult. 

This book was an audio book of 10+ hours. It was very interesting and discussed may issues objectively. Bazelon talked to many different people and reported from all sides, consulting with those who were bullied, those who bullied, school staff, parents, social media companies and those involved in the court cases. It was thoroughly interesting although the stories at the start were heartbreaking to think of how some of the students suffered whilst the adults in power at school turned a blind eye or did not follow through after meetings with parents. 

It was interesting to note that while many are bullied the percentage that take their own lives are small, these students are most likely to be suffering from mental illness ie anxiety. These are the students that need the most protection.

Supporting TAs effectively

From Te Kiti Ipurangi - Inclusive Education

The teacher brings knowledge of the curriculum, the TA has knowledge of what will work in that moment with that child.
Children respond to the TA in a way they do with the teacher, so they know they are as valued.
TAs get to know each child individually.
TA interactions should be supportive, positive  and help children to be as independent as they can be.
Positive relationship between TAs and teacher, high expectations 
Children respond to positive interactions between adults

"The area of research showing the strongest evidence for teacher aides having a positive impact on pupil attainment focuses on their role in delivering structured interventions in one-to-one or small group settings. Crucially, these positive effects are observed only when teacher aides work in structured settings with high-quality support and training. When teacher aides are used in more informal, unsupported, instructional roles, we see little or no impact on pupil outcomes."

Jonathan Sharples, Rob Webster, and Peter Blatchford

Questions to ask our TAs:
What do you see as your role in the school?
What do you see as your role in the classroom?
Do you have other school responsibilities?
How are you supported in your role?
Who provides support?
Do you get planning time with the teachers?
How are you involved in planning your programme?
Are you given a programme to use?
What have you done with students that you are proud of?
What is most satisfying in your work?
What is most difficult in your role?
Have you any frustrations or issues?
What else would you like to mention?



Skills for helping students learn - open ended questions, wait times, prompt and encourage students to work with other students, leave space for children to do things for themselves before jumping in,  use a quiet voice when supporting a student, communicate expectation positively and clearly, use non-verbal cues to demonstrate expectations, use 'when'-'then' and 'first' - 'then' commands, avoid negative commands, corrections, demands and yelling, redirect a disengaged student by using proximity, pre-arranged non-verbal signals, simple prompts, reminders, and pre-corrections and state requests or give directions to students, using brief descriptions of required positive behaviours.

Critical Thinking Questions

Teacher sitting alongside to model the teaching style - more consistency for the child is a a good thing

Ensure the teacher aide is positioned alongside students, not (unwittingly) creating barriers between students and their peers.

Helping students make friends - Teaching Friend Making Skills

Anxiety and Depression in Adolescents

Anxiety and Depression in Adolescents 

with Gail Phillips 

@ MHERC 18/04/19

What is mental health? It includes our social emotional and psychological well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also determines how we handle stress, relate to others and make choices. It is important in all stages of life.

What is mental illness? When someone lacks the ability to manage day to day events and/or control their behaviour to that basic physical and emotional needs are threatened or unmet.

It is a result of a number of things:

Biological; poor physical health. low IQ, drug effects ...

Social; family disadvantage, trauma ...

Psychological; poor-social skills, poor copying skills ...

many of these things are interlinked.

Sometimes there can be a specific trigger

When does a mental illness become a disorder - when it impacts on daily life.

Is it depression, stress, distress or anxiety?

If the main problem is feeling down and miserable or that there is no interest or pleasure in things it may be depression.

If the main problem is having times of panic, or always being on edge and worrying it may be anxiety.

Depression

For resources visit:  https://depression.org.nz/

Common stressors - break up with boy/girlfriend, cyber-bullying, death of relative, divorce/separation of parents. family moves, peer pressure, poor performance at school, transition to high school

How common is it? 18-24 year olds have the highest prevalence of mental health disorders than any other age group. Youth suicide is the leading cause of death in 15-24 year olds.

It is circular - the person feels sad, which makes them focus on the negative, which makes them feel sad, which makes them focus on the negative ...

It is also a downward spiral:

How do you differentiate between teenage gloom and doom and clinical depression?

It is more likely to be depression if;

it lasts more than 6 weeks

there is a family history of depression

there are strong negative self-esteem factors

the behaviours being carried out (eg drinking, self harm) are causing danger

their personal history has trauma, lots of changes etc

personality type (not communicative on emotional matters, perfectionist

Signs and symptoms of depression - 

What can you do? LISTEN

• when you notice a change check to see if they're ok
• sit quietly and listen, don't offer advice
• if they don't want to talk about it, respect that
• let them know you are worried and want to listen to them when they want to talk or suggest someone else they could go to
• listen and respond in a non-judgmental and reassuring way
• if you are very concerned contact higher powers and parents

Focus on thoughts, feelings and actions;

• provide practical support, like help with homework or large projects
• listen and offer support when needed
• believe their experiences, don't downplay them
• help to identify stressful situations at school or home
• help to find other ways to solve practical and emotional problems
• keep a close eye out for changes in how the young person feels, thinks and acts
• encourage self-determination
• HOLD HOPE

Suicide/Self Harm

You must ask - "Are you thinking about hurting yourself or others?" If the answer is "yes" then ask questions - how, when, where etc       People thinking about suicide want you to ask this.

Ask "Have you looked up suicide or self-harm on the internet?"

A good resource to direct young people to is:

https://thelowdown.co.nz/

What next?

Assess the urgency of the risk

Remember lack of a plan doesn't mean the person isn't serious

Take ALL talk of suicide seriously

Crisis first aid  for suicidal behaviour;

• own safety first
• someone must stay with them
• seek immediate help
• minimise further substance use (if any)
• remove the means?
• listen
• just listen

self harm/self injury is;

• related to psychological pain and distress, difficulty in expressing emotions and harbouring negative feelings towards oneself such as; guilt, rejection, sadness, self-hatred, worthlessness, loneliness, panic, anger or sexual confusion
• self-injury brings the person momentary feelings of peace and calm and a release of tension
• the immediate feelings of relief are usually followed by guilt, shame and more painful emotions. Self-injury is a short-term solution that can lead to a long-term problem.
• self-harm might be tied to a psychological illness such as depression, anxiety obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders post-traumatic stress disorder and border personality disorder
• self-injury often starts in the teenage years, when emotions are more volatile and can be tied to other impulse control issues, such as alcohol or drug abuse

Responding to Self-Harming

Is it an emergency? Get help immediately if the person:

• has deliberately injured themselves
• is acting in a highly aggressive or abusive manner
• is expressing thoughts of suicide or killing someone
• is disorientated (does not know who they are where they are or what time it is)
• has delusions or hallucinations
• is confused or not making sense
• is badly affected by drugs and/or alcohol and acting in an abnormal manner

If the person has any of these symptoms dial 111 or visit the emergency department at the hospital

(DO you know what is in the person's crisis plan?)

Treatments - 

• psychotherapy - cognitive behaviour - focuses on negative thoughts and changing them

                                    interpersonal psychotherapy - interpersonal relationships

• counselling
• peer supports
• family/whanau therapy
• medications
• professional psychiatric interventions

Anxiety

Definition and Facts - a feeling of apprehension and worry and it a normal reaction to stressful situations. If the feelings become excessive, irrational and everyday functioning is affected then it is of concern. Anxiety disorders are characterised by excessive feelings of panic, fear or irrational discomfort in everyday situations. It is a common disorder for young people. About 13 of every 100 aged 9-17 experience some kin of anxiety disorder. Girls are more affected than boys. About 50% of children with anxiety issues have a 2nd anxiety disorder or mental health condition. Anxiety disorders may coexist with physical health conditions as well.

Some common symptoms:

Signs and symptoms of Anxiety in Youth:

• recurrent fears and worries
• difficulty falling asleep or nightmares
• hard to relax
• difficulty separating from parents
• scared about going to school
• irritability, tearfulness, avoidance
• uncomfortable in social situations at school, restaurants, parties

Production of Fear and Anxiety

 - Amygdala: emotional memories are stored here and alerts the brain when a threat is present

- Hippocampus: encodes specific threatening events into memory

Types of Anxiety Disorders;

• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - 6 + months of persistent, irrational and extreme worry causing insomnia, headaches and irritability
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Panic Disorders - unpredictable panic attacks
• Specific Phobias - intense fear reaction
• Social Phobia 
• Separation Anxiety
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Comorbid (meaning)diagnoses of depressive disorders, ADHD and other enxiety  disorders are common in anxiety patients. Symptoms that might appear to be ADHD - restlessness, feeling keyed up or on edge, difficulty concentrating, mind going blank, irritability and clinically significant distress.

What to do when a young person is experiencing excessive fear or worry:

Responding to someone who is panicking

• speak slowly and calmly
• encourage deep regular breathing
• use short sentences
• assure that they are safe and you are there to help
• explain all actions
• remove from noise and confusion

Effective Ways to Treat Anxiety - 

Cognitive behavioural therapy, relaxation techniques, biofeedback (to control stress and muscle tension), family therapy medication and mindfulness

General accomodations : - 

Additional suggestions:

• preferential seating, near door
• assign another person for support
  
• permit beverages
• video lessons
• early availability of teaching notes
• task considerations/safety
• text, assignments in alternate formats
• personal and private feedback
• strategies re managing days off

Share goal and strategies with home so there is consistency.

For URGENT HELP

Mental Health Crisis Line 0800 920 092 (24/7)

CAF Emergency - 0800 218 219 press option 2

or 111 or take to emergency room

Resources for students and families - 

Can join MHERC for free - https://mherc.org.nz/

Videos - 

The teenage brain

I couldn't go out even though I knew I should

https://depression.org.nz/

Therapy

Restorative Practice

Teacher Only Day Session - 8th March 2019



Punitive Responses to Behaviour;
What rule has been broken?
Who is to blame?
What's the punishment going to be?

Restorative Responses to Behaviour;
What happened?
Who has been affected? How?
What needs to be done to put things right?

Some students are not use to working with, the might be experienced in either 'to' or 'for' and might have difficulty thinking for themselves or having someone ask for their ideas. These students need to be scaffolded through the process and taught the skills.


Ideas I can use;
TUMS - Touch, Use student's name, Make eye contact, Smile
2x10 - 2 minutes of time for 10 days interacting positively with the student
Be Firm, Be Fair, Be Brief, Be Gone

Ask vs Tell
Use open ended questions - What? Who? How? When and Where (not Why?)
Be curious
Let them explain and do all the work
eg. Tell me what just happened.
What do we need to have a conversation about?

Observe to Learn:

Tell the story
Explore the harm
Repair the harm
Reach an agreement
Plan the follow-up

Setting up for 2019

Preparation for 2019

10/02/19  This year my plan is to be more organised (I wrote this all down a week ago but it has disappeared, so not off to a great start). I am going to use the Eisenhower Matrix - https://www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix/  to help me do this so I can start working on tasks so that I am not always racing to catch up. Dates for important meetings will be organised at the start of the term and tasks broken down.

I will jot down tasks for a week and decide upon their category and go from there.The first week will be spent making dates for meetings; pastoral care meetings. TA meetings, International Meetings etc

Update - 17/02/19 I have put in place the pastoral care meeting times for the year and informed everyone, we have had one TA meeting but I need to schedule the second one this week, I am working on the date for the International Meeting.

ESOL Preparation - 17/02/19

This year I am going to insure that the students are more involved in the planning and each session we will have a LI and we will review it at the end. This week when I am assessing the students I will also be gathering data on what they want to learn. If there are similarities this might be what I base my groups around. My goal this week is to get as much assessment done as possible. The last two weeks have been solely SENCO based (although it has included a small amount of International paperwork) and as my hours are made up of 5 hours SENCO and 10 hours ESOL I need to be spending more time on ESOL this week for sure.

UDL with Technology  Workshop - CORE

At the start of the year a google survey - how I learn best

word.art.com - free & creative

Universal Design for Learning

“where everybody’s in and not excluded intentionally, by design, or unintentionally”

Edgar Schmidt

How often do we ask students - What helps you learn and what gets in your way?

Word Art:  WordArt.com & mentimeter

Thinglink/ google put in hyperlinks into a page

www.livesinthebalance.org

https://www.livesinthebalance.org

 CPS  - Collaborative Problem Solving

Power causes conflict; collaboration brings people together.

-Dr. Ross Greene

Kids do well if they can. Students with behavioural difficulties act this way as they do not know how not to. They need to learn 'lagging' skills so they are able to behave in the acceptable way.

Be the person who figures out what is getting in the kid's way. 

Your philosophy guides your actions - Kids do well if they can

Kids do well if they wanna 

https://www.livesinthebalance.org/step-one-first-video

Change your lenses:

Blame - parents (rudimentary behaviours - whining, crying etc at age two; referred to as rudimentary coercive behaviours) 

https://www.livesinthebalance.org/step-one-second-video

Making Sense of Children's Thinking and Behaviour

Making Sense of Children's Thinking and Behaviour

A Sep-by-Step Tool for Understanding Children with NLD, Asperger's, HFA, OD-NOS, and other Neurological Differences

by Leslie Holzhauser-Peters & Leslie True

ABSTRACT LANGUAGE

 As an adult when you talk to them it seems like they understand ... because the conversation seems so normal and the child has no visible disability, it's almost impossible to believe that they have difficulty responding to simple commands or language that much younger children understand. Many of our daily interactions and instructions involve abstract language, such as; 'sit still', 'pay attention', and 'listen'. These are common and the expectation is generally understood so it makes it hard to believe that some children do not understand this. Some children do not innately recognise that to pay attention they need to look at the person speaking, they just assume that if they are 'listening' to the speaker that they are correctly following an instruction, even if they are drawing at the same time. When the teacher says put your hand up, the child may do so whilst blurting out the answer, completely unaware that they are not adhering to the general expectation.
Another example of literacy interpretation involves compound words as well as homonyms and homophones. 
Children diagnosed with neurological disorders often use advance vocabulary even when they don't understand the meaning.  They have just heard the words used in a certain situation. 
They often don't understand the intent behind words eg. 'What did you miss when you were with your counselor today?'. They might answer 'nothing' as they didn't miss anything as they were where they were supposed to be. 
It is best to ask if they understand not to just assume that they do. Abstract language understood literally leads to confusion.

Things to consider: Think about the question you asked if you get an unusual response Don’t assume they understand, check if they do Think about double meanings Consider abstract terms Rephrase questions, directions and commands Explain, explain, explain all abstract language you hear or read Put yourself in their place and try to think in the way they do

MOTOR

 These children often have motor deficits both fine and large. Although fine motor skills might be a problem in some areas they do not necessarily go across the board.

Things to consider: Analysis the environment for possible safety concerns Survey the environment with the child pointing out potentially dangerous areas When selecting activities involving motor skills, decide what the benefit from engaging in this activity will have for the child (social, emotional & physical) Let them participate in activities to the extent that they are able, exposing them to different activities, and discussing their interest Don’t rule out sports altogether if team sports don’t work. Consider individual sports such as golf, archery, horseback riding etc as well as other social outlets such as chess club band etc.

SENSORY

 Something as simple as closing a door can be misconstrued, because what they actually do is slam it, so if you font understand that they can't feel how hard they are closing it, you may perceive them to be angry, upset, destructive or defiant.It is necessary to believe that each child has reasons to ach in the manner that they do. It's the job of those who care to determine the why of their behaviour and consider sensory as one of the possibilities.

Things to consider: It’s important to pick your battles If it doesn’t impact someone else negatively, let it go Think about how an environmental change will help the child to cope Put yourself in the environment and think about how you would react fi you were sensory hypo or hyper Explain to the chld how they’re sensing the world differently than others

SPATIAL ORIENTATION

 The spatial orientation and motor areas often combine to  make children with neurological differences appear uncoordinated and clumsy, As they walk through their environment they have a tendency to walk unawares into door frames and bump into other people. They can have trouble finding their way back to their seat as they simply forget where they have been sitting.  Spatial orientation issues make it difficult for children with neurological differences to find their bodies in space.
As writing is the most common method teachers use to assess a strudent's knowledge it is an area of concern for students with spatial difficulties. Writing and colouring in the margins, lining up numbers on math worksheets, interpreting graphs and maps, and visually busy worksheets are all areas that present problems. 

Things to consider: Familiarise children with the environments they will encounter and provide as much support as needed for them to remain safe Practice routines they will need to take in various environments Mark routes with stickers on wall, tape on the floor, point out or list landmarks Keep arrangement of the environment the same Provide an organisational system at home and school - for example; label shelves, colour-code binders Allow additional time for moving from one location to another if necessary When analysising behaviour, consider whether it can be attributed to the child’s lack of ability to find their body in space When accidents occur, consider their visual spatial ability to maneuver iterms

CONTROL/CONSISTENCY

As there is so little they can control they search to find what they can.If the class is scheduled to finish at 11:30 they might feel it there duty to notify the teacher by yelling it out across the room.

Things to consider: Provide a schedule and have a routine. Explain changes ahead of time Pick your battles Consider wether you want a behaviour to become routine. Give in-depth explanations. Tell the child what to do instead. Considere how much support is needed to help them enter new situations.

THEORY OF MIND (Thinking about others thinking)

The ability to think about someone else's thinking affects the way you react in a social situation. Someones aptitude at using developed social skills is dependent on the degree to which they have theory of mind. As you go through your day, you make judgements about the intent of others. If you think that someone else has made an honest mistake or accidentally done something, you will react differently than if you feel they have done it on purpose.

They may not be able to see the benefit of someone else winning at something.  

Those of us with developed theory of mind capabilities understand others have mental states different to our own. Our discussions and conversations with others include the language that denotes these mental states, such as 'in my opinion', 'I believe' and 'I think'. when you are mindblind, however, you don't have those mental state verbs at your disposal as you do not realise that there is a mental state other than your own. No-one should, would or even could think of anything other than their idea.

Things to consider: Only asking ‘How would you feel if it was you? is not enough Explain, explain, explaining in different ways and in different situations Involve  the child in selecting cards and gifts for a person and discussing why it might be appropriate for that person Discuss what other people might be thinking, as you read a book together, watch a movie and observe people when you are out in public Look at commercials , ads and talk about what they are trying to get you to think about Give the child small jobs that require them to think about the needs of others; feed a pet, walk the dog, water plants ...

SOCIAL COMMUNICATION

Children diagnosed with neurological differences are often unable to relate an event as it happened because they don't have the communication skills of explanation. The information they provide might be too much or too little and they also lack the ability to monitor the understanding of their communication partner. With holding break times is not a good 'consequence' for these students as they need the practice. No teacher would ever say you can't participate in reading or writing today because you were disrespectful ... reading and writing are too important. 

Inability to read, understand and react to social cues, coupled with their naivety resulting from their mindblindness, makes these children potential victims for bullies, as well as predators.

Things to consider: Tell children when they are doing something correctly and why it is corrct Teach them social skills Focus on imiproving one or two skills first, start with those that make the child stand out In place of an inappropraite social skill teach them what they should do Rehearse social situations Wathc people, movies, videos and talk about what the characters are doing and why When they seem rude and uncaring ask if they intended to hurt the person’s feelings Place children in situations where they can feel success Communicating via the computer can ofern facilitate success because the child only needs to read the message in print and not read into social cues

EMOTIONS

The way others perceive the emotions of these children is often far from the way it really is. basing reactions solely on what you see is definitely a mistake, what you see is very rarely what you get. They are unable to idenitify their emotions and as a result are unable to manage their feelings.

Things to consider: Don’t assume that you now how the child feels based soley on their outward appearance As situations present themselves throughout the day talk aloud about how you feel and why When you have a good idea about what the child might be feeling, identify their feelings for them and realte it to the physical feeling they may be having Point out both the obvious and the subtle social cues that convey certain emotions Explain their atypical responses to those who are willing to listen Teach them to use the 1-10 sclae to identify the intensity of their feelings While reading or watching a video, discuss the characters’ feelings and why they might feel that way and the clues that make you think so.

MENTAL FLEXIBILTY

Children with neurological differences can look happy when they are not, look like they understand when they don't and to further complicate the matter they can't always take a learned skill in one situation and able it in another. 

Inability to generalise is another result of inflexible thinking. What the child learns in one situation can not be transferred to even a similar circumstances much less one that bears no resemblance. Often this inability reinforces the thinking that their behaviour is intentional and intended in a negative way. 

Their inability to use cause and effect thinking leads them to act our a situation in order to determine the outcome.

The flexible thinking as well as the inability to generalise associated wuth their disorder results in their inability to learn from past mistakes which is why consequences are ineffective. There is no question you can punish endlessly, but in the end, what is required is a logical explanation accompanied by a description of what to do instead.

Things to consider: Use the child’s strength to teach - detail-oriented, factual, logical If the question a child asks seems meaningless, probe further to see what the child is thinking Explain, explain, explain the why of everything Don’t expect the child to know how to apply acqired knowledge or skill to a new situation As you watch television or videos, discuss the big ideas the writer is trying to communicate Try to make abstract concepts as concrete as possibly by describing how the look and sound - when someone tells you to listen, that means to look at the person, sit quietly, don’t move etc Help the child select the important information when they are required to summarise, explain … Provide them with graphic organisers and strategies Help the child to work in groups to facilitate interactions and understand their role, so they don’t appear bossy and perfectionistic

IMPULSIVITY


As they are literally being asked to do something they are incapable of, children, with impulsivity issues begin to stick out when compared with their peers.

Blurting out answers is a common behaviour with children lacking impulse control, although they are unlikely to have had time to think through an answer so their response is often lacking. If you pursue their thinking with guiding questions, it becomes apparent that they know so much more that their original answer indicated. 

Another recurring problem at school for children with control problems is their need to rush through classroom assignments.

Things to consider:

• Keep in mind that the child can’t help it.
• Being patient will lessen the effect.
• At anxiety-provoking times, try to decrease demands and expectations.

• For persistent, recurrent impulse-related problems, such as blurting out answers, consider strategies to deter impulsive reactions, such as a reminder card.

• Consider phrasing sentences carefully - instead of ‘ Who knows the answer to …’ say ‘If you know the answer, raise your hand’.

EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS

Executive functions are the skills that allow one to plan, sequence, organise, prioritise and problem-solve in order to complete tasks. They are unable to find a solution to a problem and often not identify that one exists. Children with executive function deficits need someone to provide that consistency in order to give them the best chance to succeed. The executive function involved in completing homework, planning, organising, sequencing, prioritising, and actually finishing work, make the tasks surrounding the actual homework impossible to complete independently for someone with a deficit in this area. Deficits in the areas of organisation, planning, sequencing and prioritising all combine to make problem to make problem-solving difficult. Executive function skills allow us to operate in an organised manner, giving life order.

Things to consider: Make necessary accommodations. Determine if the child’s ability to show what they know is being compromised. Constantly monitor tasks providing scaffolded support. You model the task, do it together, and then they try it by themsleves Help them to priortise tasks and long-term projects, providing a reasonable time for completion Chunk information into smaller bits. Provide strategy and supports in the way of graphic orgnanisers, lists etc Think aloud as you problem solve situations so the child can her the process of your thinking Visually display the steps of problem solving in an easily accessible place, so that as problems arise you can use them to look at options or alternatives Remember that the inability to problem-solve can be impacted or have impact on other deficit areas.

ANXIETY


So often the worries of children with neurological differences are dismissed as insignificant, which only serves to compound the problem.The bottom line is that if you don;t address their anxiety, the problem you judged to be insignificant will be yours shortly. They live in a world that is confusing and frightening because they can never be sure how to respond to the world around them. When you face a world each day where each action has the potential for disaster, how could you not feel anxiety? These children have great difficulty identifying their emotions, as well as expressing their worries. 

When you are unaware of a problems, your odds of fixing it are greatly increased. These students often use phrases like, 'Am I in trouble?', 'Am I ok?' and 'Are you mad at me?' These aphrases are requests made to adults to obtain an expression of reassurance. If you are unsure of when you've made a mistake, it makes sense to regularly check to see if you have,

Knowing that someone doesn't like them makes them anxious, causing them to try to fix the damage even though they're not sure what the damage is.

Sometimes test situations might be less stressful than a typical school day.

Unless anxiety is addressed and at least minimized, the child will be unable to deal cognitively with any other areas. What may seem insignificant to you is real to them. Minimising is a high mistake.

Things to consider: Do whatever it takes to make the child feel safe and protected in their environment Provide a safe person at school Ask them frequently if they feel safe Teach them what to do in different situations Help the identify their anxiety ad the physological changes that occur as a result Provide them with techniques to control their anxiety, such as relaxation exercises and cognative behaviour therapy Let them know everyone feels anxious at times Talk out about their anxiety - tell them how you feel and why Don’s dismiss their anxiety. It doesn’t matter if the anxiety seems real to you or not. If it’s real to them you need to address it

BELIEVE
The most frustrating aspect of having a child with neurological differences surprisingly, is having to try to convince others to believe the enormity of the deficit areas faced by these chilldren. The most important step you can take in improving the life of these children is believing. With believing comes a willingness to think about the world through their eyes. Parents of children with neurological differences spend enormous amounts of time and energy thinking about their child and their needs.They know what works for their child and what doesn't.

ALL BEHAVIOUR IS MEANINGFUL

Once you begin to ask 'why?' things get better for everyone because you are not just reacting to a behaviour.  It's important to remember you have a better chance of achieving your desired goal by asking why and getting to the root of the problem, as opposed to punishing the result of their behaviour. 

Parents of children with neurological differences spend enormous amounts of time and energy thinking about their child and their needs. They know what works and doesn't work for their child. Believe the parent.

Guidelines: Believe the parent Reduce anxiety Be kind Check often for deep understanding Explain everything Don’t automatically assume that negative behaviour is intentional; try to determine the cause Tell them what to do instead Don’t engage them in a power struggle Try to see the world through their eyes Enjoy them and laugh with them