Steve Jobs

Very sad day in that Steve Jobs passed away yesterday. Despite being a ruthless businessman he brought goodness to the world and changed our world in ways not yet realized. I feel one of his last inventions or products, the ipad, will revolutionize education. Hopefully someone can pick-up where he left off but I seriously doubt it.

Open Heart Surgery to Treat High Blood Pressure?

You might find the title of this post a bit ridiculous and that is it's intention. In the field of special education and school psychology it is common to have children referred for evaluation and special education placement when all they really need are some simple interventions. Why send a student to a resource classroom if their main problem is seeing the blackboard? This is akin to treating a mild case of high blood pressure with full blown open heart surgery.

Many students who are failing academically are experiencing difficulty in the home. Whether that be due to family break-ups/divorce, physical/emotional abuse, or simply neglect, children often find themselves in survival mode. These kids are in need of interventions. However, they are often able to learn quite well when afforded the proper educational/learning environment.

Some things to consider before jumping to special education placement are:

1) Has the student failed a recent vision/hearing screening?

2) If prescribed glasses, does the student wear them?

3) Does the student regularly attend school? More than 2 weeks (10 school days) of absences can be significant.

4) Language of the student. Does the student speak English? Is English their dominant language?

5) Teacher input. Nothing beats a competent, caring, and experienced teacher. These professionals can quickly identify the true reasons a student is faltering. They may not be able to explain why the student can't learn but the surely will be able to tell you they need help.

6) Have other less intrusive interventions been attempted for sufficient time. Many times things get worse before they get better. When attempting interventions be sure to allow the student sufficient time to change to the new behavior. Also, no intervention works right the first time. They need tweeking and they need to be progressive in nature. Much like preparing for an athletic event, the intervention must have a purpose and be specific, measurable, obtainable, realistic, and tied to a deadline. This is the essence of teaching.

My Favorite ipad applications for K-3rd grade.

Steve Jobs has left quite a legacy. From his marketing genius to his inventions he will long be remembered. One area I feel his impact has yet to be fully appreciated is in the field of education. The ipad is beginning to revolutionize how kids learn. Especially special needs students. The ipad's revolutionary design allows interactive learning to take place in a fun environment. Children can learn at their own pace and new programs/applications are coming out daily which cost pennies or are even free. Here are my top 10 favorite interactive learning applications for children K through 3rd grade. These applications are especially good for those children who have difficulty attending and need to have what has been learned in the classroom reinforced at home.

1) Math Bingo

2) Monkey Math

3) Rocket Math

4) Create a Car

5) Teach Me: First Grade

6) Teach Me: Preschool

7) Word Bingo

8) Word Zombies

9) Math Zombies

10) Math Ninja

11) Pocket Change

12) Counting Board

13) I Tell Time HD

14) Starfall ABCs

15) Analogies for Kids

Just run a search for these titles on your itunes account and they should appear. As with anything....you will need to get to know these applications while your child/student works along with them. Pick and choose those you feel comfortable with. Some have advertisements that may appear and if you have wireless on your ipad be sure to block your child's access and ability to purchase further applications within any app. This can become expensive and is also quite dangerous since children usually will begin to exceed most adults ability levels on how to use new technology. It is best to not have your child playing with the ipad without your supervision especially when access to the internet is available.

Enjoy these applications. Most cost $1.00-$2.00 and/or are free. I hope they help your child to become more successful in the classroom.

Suicide Prevention

Using Your Android or Iphone for Behavior Modification

Here is a great fee android or iphone application called "BuzzClock". This application was originally intended to be used to remind busy businessmen and women of the time without having to take out their phones or watches and look at them. However, this application can also be used when assisting a child in self-monitoring their own behavior.

Once you have sat down with your child and come up with a target behavior (Positive behavior change that you want to increase.) that both of you agree upon you can then set your "BuzzClock" to go off on fixed and/or random interval schedules. The phone will quietly vibrate reminding your son or daughter of the target behavior you have agreed upon. This behavior maybe as simple as picking up their clothes, doing their homework, exercising for 30 minutes at the end or beginning of the day, or treating their brother or sister or teacher with a little more respect.

It is highly important that you and your child agree upon the specific behavior and that there is only ONE behavior chosen to focus on. Picking several behaviors will not work. Find that one behavior you both feel is holding your son or daughter back the most and define it in positive terms. For example, if Johnny is disrespectful to teachers, define the target behavior as, "Johnny will show respect to his teachers by asking before he gets out of his seat." The fixed or random interval schedule on the phone will vibrate reminding Johnny of this target behavior and will better increase his compliance to the target behavior. This is also a great application for those who desire to lose weight and have identified over-eating or eating sweets as a limiter to their goal.

Continual reminders and self-monitoring of behavior has been proven to increase successful performance of the agreed upon target behavior. Best used with individuals age 12 and up.

First Day Of School

I just dropped of my little son for his first day of Kindergarten. It is not easy for a parent to do this. It is good for me to experience what so many parents go through when leaving their kids in the hands/care of today's educational system. Things haven't changed much. I remember like it was yesterday when I was dropped at school for the first time. The fear still is in me. I could see the same fear/anxiety with my son so it was definitely difficult to let him go there. Luckily I know the school, administrators, and teachers so I can't imagine how hard it must be for so many parents to drop off their kids at schools where they do not know the staff so well. Even more scary it must be for those parents with special needs students who are even that more worried about their children and their education. This puts a new perspective on things for me from a school psychologist's viewpoint. I believe it will make me better for it in many ways but especially as a professional trying to help parents deal with this world.

What is YOUR Sphere of Influence?

The concept of "spheres of influence" is not new. It has been commonly used in sociological studies as well as marketing campaigns. It is a systematic way to view how your surrounding environment influences who you are and who you will become. The phrase "Birds of a feather flock together." comes to mind here.

This concept is not earth shattering but it can be beneficial to think about in terms of your own immediate life. Not only is this concept applicable to students, children/adolescents. It is also applicable to adults, businesses, and governments. I often ask myself the question; What company do I keep? How are these people and their behavior and views affecting my life?

As the diagram above illustrates how each part of your life overlaps and affects the outcomes in your life. Individuals fall somewhere in the smaller triangular shaped curve where all three spheres overlap. The diagram and theory attempt to help one realize how their family, community and school/work life interact with their personal life. Believe it or not, our environment and who we interact with dictate who we are now and who we will become later. One can not insulate themselves from these affects but one can focus on one sphere more than another to create more productive outcomes. For example, if you are coming or came from an abusive home life that sphere of influence will continue to affect who you are today. At that time of your life you may have had a positive sphere of influence in either your community or school or even family that compensated for this abuse and helped you get through it. This example is meant to make people realize that if you can identify your negative sphere of influence and replace that with a more positive one you will have a better chance at having successful outcomes.

So take a look at your life today and identify those areas/people who are not positive influences in your life and replace them with more positive influences. This is not easily done and takes quite a bit of hard work and thinking along with purposeful action. However, with determination and some guidance you can begin to point your life in a more positive direction.