What Parents Would Like Educators to Know About their AD/HD,LD,& ED Children

1. What Parents Would Like Educators to Know About their AD/HD,LD,& ED Children Larry Komar......... 2006

2. Who Is Larry Komar • Parent first • CHADD Chapter founder & coordinator • State CHADD Coordinator • Chair, California Advisory Commission on Special Education • Multi committee member at CDE • State and School District presenter • University collaboration and presenter • Parent/Child Educational Advocate and Trainer

3. ADHD, LD, ED Are All A Disability • AD/HD is a neuro-biological problem • Not necessarily LD • LD is a neurological problem • Not necessarily AD/HD • ED can be psychological, hereditary, brain disorder, diet, stress, family functioning • All have differing impairments • All present as learning problems • All can be life long issues

4. Our Children Don’t Want to be this Way • They don’t have a choice • Their actions are usually not willful • Cognitively impaired • They often do what comes natural to them • We all expect more from them • They rarely deliver to our expectations

5. Work with Us • We can be good partners • We are sometimes angry • We do bring something to the table • We want to help • Maintain an open line of communication • We may also be AD/HD, LD, or ED

6. Special Education or 504 Plan • Special Education • Discrepancy Formula/Deviation • IQ Based vs. CBM based • OHI (IDEA 1997) • Section 504 • General education placement • Effective interventions/accommodations • Behavior Plans • For all placements

7. For the IEP/504 Team • We look to you as the experts • School Psychologist, Administrator, Teacher • Please don’t ask…………. • What do you think should be done? • What accommodations do you want? • Please do ask…………….. • What have you tried that did or did not work? • Help me to understand how I might help the school help my child!

8. Emotionally Disturbed • Characteristics • * Hyperactivity (short attention span, impulsiveness); • * Aggression/self-injurious behavior (acting out, fighting); • * Withdrawal (failure to initiate interaction with others; retreat from exchanges of social interaction, excessive fear or anxiety); • * Immaturity (inappropriate crying, temper tantrums, poor coping skills); and • * Learning difficulties (academically performing below grade level).

9. Emotionally Disturbed • Educational Implications • * Strategies to address that behavior, including positive behavioral interventions, and supports. (Antecedents) • * IEPs and 504 Plans that include psychological or counseling services.     • * Services provided by a qualified social worker, therapist, guidance counselor, or other qualified personnel. Multi agency AB2726 / old AB3632) (multi agency) • *Career education (both vocational and academic) IEP or 504 Plan..............Transition Plan

10. Be Patient • Our children take more time • They don’t process quickly • Don’t berate or belittle • Don’t embarrass • Lower expectations • Expect progress and recognize

11. Find Their Skill Level • Identify individual strengths • Observe and evaluate • Don’t overwhelm with work • Already Overwhelmed • Allow additional time • Slower than most

12. Classroom • Structured curriculum • Organized • Predictable expectations • Be in control, not controlling • Speak clearly and in short sentences • Mix tasks • State expectations

13. Classroom-(continued) • Monitor group assignments • Be prepared for anything • Behavior management strategies • Monitor mood swings • If on medication, watch for downtimes • Ensure medication administration

14. Evaluate Plan • Is child doing appropriate work? • Does he need interventions, modifications or accommodations? • Are his goals and objectives appropriate? • Is he/she exposed to peer interaction worth modeling? • Do we need to re-think our original plan?

15. Bell Weather “I have come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, It is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.” Hiam Ginott, 1972

16. Famous People “It would be nice if you could leave, Albert. Your behavior at school, so distracted and absentminded, and your poor interest in all I teach, set a bad example for the rest of the class.” Teacher’s comment to young Albert Einstein

17. Famous People “I should have liked to be able to say what I knew. They always tried to ask what I did not know. When I would willingly have displayed my knowledge, they sought to expose my ignorance. This sort of treatment had only one result: I did not do well in examinations.” Sir Winston Churchill

18. Famous People “What concerned us was his lack of diligence in his studies…his lack of ‘fight’ in trying to do well in those subjects that didn’t happen to interest him. Jack couldn’t or wouldn’t conform. He did pretty much what he wanted, rather than what the school wanted of him.” Mrs. Rose Kennedy on her son, President John F. Kennedy

19. How They Learn “When they won’t learn the way I teach them, then I will teach them the way they will learn.” Author Unknown

20. Thank you for listening, and most of all, thank you for caring for the most precious gift we give to you almost daily, our special children! You are special to our children!!! From A Parent