Little but Big

I cheated and looked ahead to my daily calendar for Tuesday (since we have a nice long weekend) and found this quote. I found it to be "oh so true and oh so hard to do sometimes."
-Betsy

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

-Robert Brault

Yesterday I started back to school and spent the morning listening to speakers get us ready for a new year. The presentation by our superintendent included a power point presentation called Did you know.... It was basically a presentation filled with many facts about the upcoming years in education and the fact that we are preparing children right now for jobs that have not even been thought of yet. It also talked a lot about technology and the fact that everything will revolve around technology very soon in the future.

My sister was then telling me about a speaker they had at the school where she works yesterday that talked about the fact that school should not be so much about all of the "tests" that we must give (MEAP, ACT, SAT), but about problem solving and relationship building. This included the idea that the school would need to be willing to let test scores decrease for a time being in order to build the relationships that will ulitmately help students to be successful at the tests and more importantly in life.

What an interesting and novel concept for schools. Sounds very familiar to me. I am anxious to follow what her school does with this information.

So here's to building relationships and strengthening your child's problem solving ability this school year.

Talk to you soon,
Erin

The Importance of Discovery

It's so easy to go through life making sure that life is "easy" for kids. A natural response as a parent is to do things for our kids and over compensate to ensure success for our kids. Isn't it during the times that we've made mistakes or failed at something that we've learned the most? Isn't it the times when we face challenges and work through them that we become a stronger, wiser person? Sure, it's absolutely important to get our kids to a point where they feel succesful, that their competence is built, but then it's time to make them think a bit (with some nice guided participation by a parent of course).

Think about your child. Are you making sure there are opportunities for discovery throughout the day? What happens if you let him try to crack the egg on his own? I bet he'll eventually figure out how hard it needs to be hit to crack it appropriately. How about letting her pour the laundry detergent into the measuring cup? Will it matter too much if there's a little extra soap in the laundry machine? How about moving something that has been in the same spot for a long time? Just because the trashcan isn't where it was, doesn't mean that it doesn't exsist - an important discovery to make isn't it? Think about some things you can do this week that will stretch your child or children. These discoveries is what will help him cope through the bigger challenges in life. Building memories of success during trying times is critical for anybody to have. This is what develops perseverence. There are several articles written about people who persevered through challenges and as a result have done great things - think about electricity, flying etc.. These weren't created through getting things right the first time, no they were created through a lot of failure!

Here's a great quote by Adrian Savage in his article How fear of failure destroys succes:
"Trial and error are usually the prime means of solving life’s problems. Yet many people are afraid to undertake the trial because they’re too afraid of experiencing the error. They make the mistake of believing that all error is wrong and harmful, when most of it is both helpful and necessary. Error provides the feedback that points the way to success. Only error pushes people to put together a new and better trial, leading through yet more errors and trials until they can ultimately find a viable and creative solution. To meet with an error is not to fail, but to take one more step on the path to final success. No errors means no successes either."

What challenges are you going to present this week?
Michelle

Employment-Related Supports for Parents

I was recently asked to contribute a disability-related article for a business publication and I chose to write about the employment-related issues facing parents of children with special needs. There are many studies that have been done in this area, but a recent five year study done at MassGeneral Children's Hospital provides some important statistics and recommendations for both employers and employees.

It is no surprise to parents of children with disabilities that all aspects of their lives are impacted by their child's needs, including work. Many employers, however, do not recognize the unique needs these parents bring to their employment situation or how to provide supports that assist families while improving workplace productivity. One of the more practical outcomes of the MassGeneral study was the publication of two booklets - one for employers and one for employees.

These booklets summarize research findings and provide best practice recommendations for the workplace. Some of the supports in the employer booklet include providing flexible schedules, assisting with finding appropriate childcare resources, and instructing employees in best use of Flexible Spending Plans and other benefits that aid families financially. The booklet geared toward employees (parents) outlines ways to maximize benefits, approach employers for support, and access community resources. Anyone wishing to download a copy of these practical resources can do so at: http://massgeneral.org/children/professionals/ccahp/empl_benefit_study/ccahp_empl_benefits_families.aspx

Feel free to pass the link along to any family or employer who may benefit. Let's encourage supportive employment practices for our families affected by disabilities!

Until next week,
Nicole

Walk A Little Slower...

I came across this poem today as I was sorting through educational materials at school. I read it and thought it relates very nicely to the work we are doing in RDI. We want our children to follow in our footsteps (Master/Apprentice) and we want to walk slow enough so they don't fall (Framing and Scaffolding). I hope the poem brings a mental image to you of when you were following in your parents footsteps as it did me. Happy Monday!

~Courtney


Walk A Little Slower Daddy


"Walk a little slower Daddy,"
said a child so small,
"I'm following in your footsteps
and I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they're hard to see;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For you are leading me.

Someday when I'm all grown up,
You're what I want to be;
Then I will have a little child
Who'll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true,
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you."

Birthdays

I have the great pleasure of being able to post on my birthday this year. Not only is it my birthday, but it is the day of our Open House to show off our large expansion. What a great way to spend my day.

I turned the page in my day-to-day calendar this morning to find a very fitting quote for the day. It said, "I love getting older. The essentials become so much clearer...and fewer!" Elizabeth
I'm sure this will become truer with each passing year. I already find this to be somewhat true when it comes time to think of things I might like for my birthday I have a harder and harder time because do I really need anything other than essentials? Not really of course birthdays should be about the things that we don't really need, but about things that we want or that make us happy. I also find this to be true.

Anyway I know many people begin to dread birthdays as they get older. I have never been one to dread turning another year older my philosophy has always been age is only a number you are only as old as you feel. Of course some days that feels pretty old, but not usually. I really enjoy having birthdays because the day usually turns out to be special and unique.

So for those of you out there who dread your birthday try to look at in a new way this year. Look for the special uniqueness that the day brings or represents.

Enjoy your special day whenever it comes!

Talk to you soon,
Erin

Non verbal communication

I continue to stand amazed at the power of using non verbal communication. I was just watching a tape of a family in their assessment from six months ago in which they talked a lot. As a response their child would do one of two things - repeat it or get up and do what he was just told to do. In either situation, the mind of that child was not being pushed to think beyond responding. The communication was inappropriate and carried no meaning.

Now six months later as the family as integrated much non-verbal communication into their lifestyle, the child is relaxed in the silence. When we first started using non-verbals with him, he would cry and whine or just start talking about anything just to fill the silence of the room. He wasn't used to it and didn't know what to do. Now he is much more regulated and often uses much more appropriate language. There is still more work to be done, but it is amazing to me how when the words are gone, he begins to look around the room and discover what is around him. He has time to think and observe without having to constantly process what is being said to him. He is more attentive to his parents because he isn't able to get information from them any other way. He is sharing with them many more smiles and references when uncertain. His mind is now being pushed as he has to determine what having your hand out means. Is my mom looking for a hand slap or is there something in the room she might want handed to her? Often the hand slap happens first and when the hand stays out, he begins to look around to see what else might need to happen. The mind is working, processing is taking place and awareness of his environment is expanding. Simply amazing!

It is so easy to slip back into the world of talking, guiding through words, telling your child what to do etc... If you have found yourself talking a lot again, or if you haven't tried offering a non verbal environment to your child, give it a try. It may be very hard on your child at first, but what begins to evolve is amazing. If you are a classroom teacher, try implementing a quieter atmosphere for your students. Watch and see what happens!

Enjoy the last days of summer and until next week,
Michelle