Keeping Up Academics Over Summer

Summer break is almost through, and you might be wondering if your young child actually remembers how to read, write, spell, add and subtract. Truth be told, most kids regress a little over summer - so don't stress out if that's the case. 

We have a few tips to help keep academics up as Back to School approaches: 

(1) Do a little writing every day 

For developing writers (K-1) we recommend providing daily opportunities for them to write their name, and some sentences. As the final two weeks of break come about, increase the workload to what they were capable of producing at the end of the last school year. Most K-1 kids can write anywhere between 1-5 sentences, with the majority of first graders averaging 3 sentences at a time. If you think they are ready, try challenging them to an extra sentence or writing genre. 

(2) Focus on pencil writing 

Even though your child probably does some/all of their school work on a laptop or iPad, pencil writing is still a necessary skill. It is also the most likely to be lost over the 3 month break, whereas they've probably spent a significant amount of time on technology over summer. Make sure your child is holding the pencil correctly, writing letters top-to-bottom and left-to-right to ensure writing fluency. 

(3) Refresh math concepts 

Math work can be made simple, fun and effective when refreshed in a casual way. Grab a pack of Skittles and you've got yourself a math lesson. Sorting, matching, patterns, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions - everything! 

(4) Go to the library, or buy a new physical book 

Many children are reluctant to read physical books, considering so much reading education is done on screens. We know they can read screens, but how well can they read a book? Ignite your child's passion for reading by giving them a new book or taking them to the library regularly. Get into the habit of reading to emerging readers daily, and having beginning readers practice aloud for 20 minutes a day. 

Why Adults Aren't Into "Playing"

There's no denying that children spell love T-I-M-E. While there is infinite value in sitting on the floor, playing an imagination game with your child, we all know that there's very little time in an adult's day for play. We work, make dinner, get the kids bathed, do the fifth load of laundry for the day, make sure there's groceries - the list goes on.

Are you more likely to sit down and teach math or literacy concepts, rather than play? Probably - because these academic skills are rule based and measurable. Play is just as (if not more) valuable to the learning your young child is experiencing, but the reason it's so difficult is because play is unstructured. Play asks more of your imagination than you're willing to give. Play for adults is... boring.

How can we learn to enjoy and value playtime with kids?

(1) Acknowledge within yourself that you don't like it
What don't you like? Do your kids get stuck on a game that is uncomfortable or totally uninteresting to you? Are they super into playing with imaginary weapons, and you don't know how to react to that? Are they really into making their toys talk, and you just can't think of anything good to say while in the role of a Barbie? Identify it.

(2) Balance boundaries and creative liberty 
Maybe you decide that gun games are off limits for play time with you, or that you won't play on the structure at the playground if other kids are around. It's OK to have personal boundaries - but try to limit how much your personal preferences impact the play time. For a few minutes, stop taking yourself so seriously and let your kids' ideas lead the way.

(3) Agree on a time limit
If you're pressed for time (or can't handle pretending that you love playing for long periods of time) put 10 minutes on your phone timer. Have the timer visible to yourself and the kids, as well as setting an audible alarm so they will know that they have a sense of an actual end to your involvement.

(4) Play time is play time 
No checking Facebook. No texting. Don't even think about taking a photo of yourself playing something with your child, writing a caption about how you are playing together and then spending the entire time choosing a filter. Don't do that, guys. Be present.

(5) Play on the regular 
Once a day for 10 minutes? Once a week for 10 minutes of focused play per child? What can you do? Like anything, the more you do it the easier it becomes.

Early Intervention

We’ve all heard the old saying that prevention is better than cure. For many of the social differences that our kids face, there actually is no cure. ‘Prevention’ is therefore found in catching problems early, then learning to bravely tackle them head-on.  For many parents, the thought of having a child with special needs is terrifying. Facing up to the idea that your child is different, then finding out how to intervene, is the very best way to see your child live to their full potential.

You may have heard the term Early Intervention thrown around, without ever really knowing what it means. An Early Intervention is quite basically a system of services for babies and young children with developmental delays. The intervention begins by parents recognizing that their child is different from other (typically developing) children - then the intervention takes shape through the help of professionals in the field. Depending on the types of challenges your child is facing, you might benefit from consultations with Behavior Specialists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Physical Therapists and more. This is not to say you will need every one of these specialists, or to assume that you can afford the bills that accompany all of this therapy. You know your child, and you will know which interventions will be most effective.

In situations where a child is receiving more than one service, a ‘team’ is often formed to ensure that each piece of the child’s life-puzzle is working towards the same goals. When done properly, this can really fast-track certain interventions. The team can communicate via group email, and meet up in person when needed. This can seem a little over-the-top for some families, and it is up to the parents as to how the different parties communicate with each other.

At Kahlon Family Services, we believe in relationship-based interventions. As with a lot of professionals in the field, our goal is to work with parents and schools, to create a consistent environment for the child. By having everyone on the same page with behavior plans, incentive systems and consistent use of language, we have seen children’s development come ahead in leaps and bounds. Another way we encourage behavioral Early Intervention is through school support, in the form of shadowing. A shadow’s job is to help a child successfully attend school, meeting the child where they are ‘at’ and aiming towards behavioral modifications that would see the child attend school independently.

If you find yourself wondering if your child is developmentally different, we encourage you to listen to your parental intuition and contact a professional. It takes courage to accept that your child may face unexpected challenges, but remember, you can give them the very best chance at life through Early Intervention.

Recognizing Signs of Sensory Sensitivity

Integrating our sensory systems is a vital element of learning, growing and receiving a quality education. While we are not Occupational Therapists, we have a list of ten things that we have seen in our experience that indicate when a child may benefit from an evaluation with an OT.

(1) Crashing
Crashing can mean; running and falling on purpose, jumping off of elevated surfaces, running into other people's bodies, riding bikes into walls on purpose, literally crashing toys into one another etc. These kids enjoy the strong sensory input that crashing provides.

(2) Tripping/Falling 
They seem to trip over their own feet, and look clumsy when engaging in physical activity. While they might be physically strong, their coordination and balance is slightly off. These children often have legs covered in bruises from falling, but may not mention that it hurts, because they have a high threshold for pain.

(3) Yelling
You tell them to lower their voice, they say, "OK!" and then continue to yell. It seems they have no idea that they are still yelling.

(4) Hard time sitting still 
This is particularly evident in the classroom, where kids are required to sit for long periods of time, often on a rug. Children with sensory sensitivities may be lying down due to a lack of core strength, or moving a lot because sitting still is really uncomfortable. They also may have a shortened attention span since every piece of sensory information is vying for their attention.

(5) Holding ears 
Even though they might be the person yelling, they don't like loud sounds. The child might say you're yelling even if you haven't increased the volume of your voice. They might really love the sound of a fire engine but meltdown at the sound of a coffee grinder.

(6) Being too rough with others
General roughhousing can indicate sensory integration problems. Sensory seekers are looking for strong input, and also may not be aware of how their body moves in space. These kids may also underestimate their strength.

(7) Huge reactions
Meltdowns about small things are a sign of disordered sensory processing. The meltdowns may not make any sense to you, and may be about things that can not be fixed. For example, we once had a child cry because his pizza slice was cut in half. When offered a new piece of pizza he refused, because he wanted the exact piece of pizza whole again. Even if we wanted to "give in" to the meltdown, we couldn't magic the pizza back together.

(8) Hitting
When a child is on sensory overload, their first reaction to frustration might be physical. Words are very difficult to form in these moments.

(9) Oral fixation 
Does the child chew on everything? Is their shirt wet with spit, especially around the collar or cuffs? If everything makes its way into the child's mouth, they have an oral fixation.

(10) Not knowing when to stop 
Whenever anything fun happens, your child seems to ruin it for themselves. While all the other kids calm down at the end of an exciting moment, this child can't quite recognize that it's time to stop. These moments often end in meltdowns.

If your child shows most of these symptoms, you might really benefit from connecting with a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. OT helps children with life skills related to how their body works. Occupational Therapy can be really beneficial to a child's home and school lives.

Every Kid's Yoga Training

Creating Inclusive Yoga Classes for Children with Varied Abilities and Needs

Presented by Craig Hanauer

October 23-25 2015

Don’t we all have special needs?

The meaning of the word Yoga is “to yolk”, which speaks to the fact that yoga is the integration of mind, body and spirit.  In accordance with this definition and intention, we at Every Kid’s Yoga approach the art of teaching yoga to groups of children as an integrated process that views them along a continuum in terms of ability and need.  Because we are likely to encounter those identified as “typically developing” alongside those identified as having “special needs”, yoga teachers must have the ability to quickly assess group and individual needs and to respond accordingly.

Discover the many ways that yoga can promote the healthy development of children, ages 4-12.  In addition to learning all you need to know about creating a children’s yoga class, you will learn how the practice of yoga addresses difficulties with attention, self-regulation, speech and language, learning, and high and low muscle tone.  This experiential workshop will address how to work with children exhibiting the following “special needs”:

• Those who are easily over-stimulated
• Those who are potentially impulsive and/or distractible
• Those who exhibit poor social skills and boundaries
• Those who are learning disabled/with an emphasis on speech and language based learning disabilities
• Those who are potentially oppositional and/or disruptive
• Those who present with high or low muscle tone

We are likely to encounter children diagnosed and undiagnosed with the following in most group yoga classes: 

• High Functioning Autism
• Asperger’s Syndrome
• Sensory Processing Dysfunction (SPD)
• Learning Disabled (LD)
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD
• Cerebral Palsy (mild)

This program is appropriate for yoga teachers and parents, teachers and therapists with a personal yoga practice who are interested in sharing the gift of yoga with children.

Price: $495.00 includes training manual and accompanying DVD

For more information: www.everykidsyoga.com and to register: www.yeasyoga.com

Dealing With Manipulation

Photo cred: Wikihow

{Manipulation: Using your behavior to change someone else, without considering their feelings.}

The first step to dealing with manipulation, is being able to recognize when you are being manipulated. Good manipulators expertly hide their ulterior motives, and the best ones will actually make you think that you'll benefit from following their lead. All of this padding is likely to pull the wool over your eyes - so we're going to give you the heads up.

Here are 5 types of manipulative strategies, and how to avoid giving into them:

(1) Just one more minute
If iPad time ends in 10 minutes, it ends in 10 minutes. If your child has been told that they can watch one more TV show, it means one more TV show. Extending time limits on the child's terms will lead to continual manipulative strategies surrounding time boundaries. Many adults think that they earn a child's trust by following through with only positive reinforcements - when in fact - adults should follow through on every word they say. There's a time and place for flexibility, but if you want children to listen to you, make consistency your goal.

(2) Huh? What? 
Children who have a tendency to manipulate seem to ask a lot of questions. Why? Because questions illicit a response from you. Answering these questions gives the child control over your actions, stopping you from being productive with anything else. The questions they ask will often be things that they know already - further driving home the fact that your answers are purely futile. Firstly, learn to recognize real curiosity from attempts to manipulate. Teacher/Parent communication should be frequent, and the child should be aware that all the adults in their life are on the same page. Secondly, don't engage in excessive questioning or "playing dumb." State to the child that you will talk to them when they are finished doing what they are supposed to do. Then ignore the questions.

(3) I can't do this
If a child needs help, coach them to ask for help. If the child is prone to using manipulative strategies, there is a chance that they know how to do the work, and are using an excuse to monopolize your time. Obviously we all want to give our kids the quality time they need for a healthy relationship, and you can give this time unconditionally, in ways such as; bedtime stories, coffee dates or building models together. Empower your child to say, "I need help," rather than giving into the learned helplessness of, "I can't do this."

(4) Can I tell you something?
When it comes to nonpreferred activities, every kid has a story (or twenty) to tell. Let's be honest - they are telling you stories because they are procrastinating. You can kindly say, "I'd love to hear all of your stories when you're done!" If you start listening to the stories, the homework will never get done. Also, the child will learn that they can manipulate your time and your expectations.

(5) You are just trying to be mean 
"You are mean,""You are the worst Mom ever," "You are being unfair,""You make my life worse," etc. The list goes on and on. Some children think that nice parents and teachers are the ones with no rules. If having an expectation of your child makes you mean - then let's all be mean! Looking at the big picture, you are being kind when you make firm boundaries. Don't be sucked in to the guilt trip. If your child can make you feel guilty, you're more likely to give them what they want. If you need to, start a journal that outlines parenting choices you've made and why you've made those choices. When you feel guilty, go back and review your actions. Be confident in your approach, and ask for help where you need it.

Parents Guide to Surviving Summer

Summer might be a child's favorite time of year, but for parents, it can be quite the challenge! What to do with your kids for almost three months? If your children attend camp, you might not find too much change in yours (or their) schedule. If they're home with you all day, you might need a helping hand. 

(1) Projects 

Encourage your kids to start something big! An art project can come from something as small as boxes from your recycling bin. A huge piece of paper can become a week-long poster project, or a backdrop for a play. What activity can entertain your child's creativity for days on end? The best projects are low cost, child-led, encourage cooperation, upcycle items around the home and consume your child's attention in the best way possible. 

(2) TV is OK!

When you are faced with nonstop kid-time, don't feel bad about some TV time. A movie a day might get you through the difficult times, and spark interests in your child that weren't there before. 

(3) Playgrounds

Get out and play! Kids learn so much by playing. They learn how to navigate social environments, they learn about personal safety and they learn how the world works. Step back as much as possible and allow them to lead their own play time. Supervision is important to ensure that they are playing fun and fair games, but try waiting to see if the kids can figure out their own problems before automatically stepping in. 

(4) Free activities 

Search the internet for ideas! Your local library might also have some great community activities for free. Take advantage of them. 

(5) Play dates

Summer is a great time to facilitate playdates with your child's peers. Keeping up their social involvement is imperative to creating a successful thread between summer and the school year. 

(6) Babysitting trades

Do you know someone who will take your kids for a day, in return for you taking their kids for a day? Maybe you could cover each other's date nights? This is a creative way to have your children taken care of, without the exchange of money. 

(7) Time apart 
Give yourselves a break from one another! Whether you're in the same house doing different things, or able to create a little more distance - absence makes the heart grow fonder.

(8) Establish a routine 
For a lot of people, routine = sanity. Most kids on the Autism spectrum appreciate a reliable routine, allowing them to know what to expect from the days ahead.

(9) Calendar for summer 
Post calendars of the months of June, July and August on a wall where the kids can see. Mark dates on the calendar, such as; vacations, summer camp dates, sleepovers, playdates and first day back to school. Talk about the calendar, use it to help keep you all sane.

(10) Embrace the chaos 
Summer is crazy. It's going to be crazy. Nothing will feel settled until September.

Embrace it.