It's that time of year again! Time to go back to school! For some of your kids, this might be an exciting time. They are excited about new teachers and school supplies, and can't wait to see their friends again. 

For other kids, this may seem like the worst time of year. They might be anxious about the amount of work they will have this year, or having a new teacher. 

Does this sound familiar to you…..

Parent: How was your day?

Kid: Good.

Parent: That’s great! What did you do?

Kid: Nothing.

First, I want to start by saying this is NOT your fault. So often parents come to us feeling frustrated or upset that they just don't understand all the testing and data that has been provided. This isn't because of you - it's not your wheelhouse, and that is ABSOLUTELY, 100% okay.

There are so many tests that tell us so many different things and it can be so hard to interpret all of it.

So often parents ask us the purpose of all the testing that is going on at school. It may seem like the academic calendar is based around preparing for the tests and then preparing for the results of the tests to come in, and just anxiety all around for students and teachers. So we wanted to take a moment to talk about the different types of testing that may be going on and the purpose of each different type of testing.

Uncover the mystery of interpreting IEP scores! Learn the purpose and significance of Language, Cognitive, Academic, Social/Emotional, and Motor Functioning tests. Navigate the realm of Standard Scores and percentiles to understand your child's performance compared to their peers. Unlock the secrets of educational assessments with this comprehensive guide!

If you are concerned about your child's academic progress, you have a number of options to consider. We talked about the process for getting help from the school here: How Do I Get Help From the School?

So the next thing you may be wondering is:

Discover 8 key signs indicating it may be time to refer students for testing. Understand the benefits and drawbacks of referring to your school's evaluation team versus a local psychologist. Make informed decisions to support struggling students effectively. Access our free course for comprehensive intervention strategies!

As a parent it can be so difficult to know how to support your child. Do you have the school do all of their testing? What does that testing show? How do you really know whether or not your child is on track? What if test scores don't match the brilliance and/or struggle you are seeing at home?

This month we will be diving into several of these issues as we really focus on the differences between:

We all know the feeling... Your child is having a melt down in the check out line at the store because they want you to buy their favorite candy bar for them. A refusal to this request can lead to screaming, crying, and maybe even a full blown tantrum. This can be embarrassing, stressful, and incredibly frustrating to deal with when there are so many people around!  Many parents are probably wondering, "How can I avoid this?"

Every single day children are presented with learning opportunities for Executive Functioning skill development, many of which go unnoticed.  

This can be for a few different reasons.  First, the child and parents may be focusing on something else.  Many of our students struggle with learning disabilities, so the struggle to get through their

Discover the power of time blocking in education and how it can transform your students' learning experience. Learn how to help families understand appropriate homework time limits based on grade levels and identify potential academic struggles early on. Unlock valuable insights to support your students effectively!

It is not uncommon for families to come in concerned because their child's homework is taking what seems like forever to get through. Homework struggles can stem from multiple causes. It can be hard, it can be boring, or, it could be a sign of an underlying struggle for your child.

The rule we advise families to stick with is 10 minutes per grade level per night. That means if you have a second grader, he or she should be doing 20 minutes of homework each night. 

Empower your students with attention-monitoring skills for academic success! Discover effective strategies to help children self-monitor their attention in class and at home. Encourage lifelong learning habits and enhance focus with simple yet impactful techniques.

If you are anything like us, your mornings probably go something like this: 

"MOM! MOM! I can't find my shoes!" 

"They are under the table, where you left them yesterday." 

"Mom! I forgot.  I need you to sign these 72 papers for my class field trip today!" 

"Why aren't you dressed yet? We were supposed to leave 10 minutes ago! Stop playing and go get dressed!" (10 minutes later...still not dressed).  

Worried that your child is struggling with skills related to Executive Functioning? Not sure what Executive Functioning is? Looking for answers to help your child succeed?  You're in the right place.  Executive Functioning is a term that has gained popularity in recent years.  It refers to the skills that we use every single day like planning, paying attention, following directions and emotional regulation. For more information about what Executive Functioning is, you can read our blog, "What is Executive Functioning?

Students with expressive/receptive language disorders face a number of challenges in school. It is estimated that 1 in 20 students have some type of language disorder. These students are often working overtime to cope with their challenges and their struggle can go undetected or be misunderstood.

Language skills are at the heart of early literacy development and a key component to your child’s success in school.

If you have a Pre-School or Kindergarten aged child, then you are aware that a large part of their reading readiness instruction at school is focused on the alphabet. The alphabetic principle is one of the first, and most important, skills a student needs to learn in order to be a successful reader. 

The alphabetic principle means developing the understanding that letters are symbols that have a specific sound or sounds.

Unveil the secret to teaching the alphabet effectively! Discover how to connect letters to sounds, foster phonemic awareness, and enhance literacy skills. Explore hands-on activities and strategies for early literacy success.

Prepare your students for summer with strategies to combat the dreaded "summer slide" and prevent learning loss. Learn how to identify signs of dyslexia and guide families toward appropriate testing and intervention to ensure a successful new school year.

After you have fought long and hard for your child's IEP - you want to make sure that the goals your child's intervention team are working on actually make sense. It's easy to fall into the trap thinking that once your child's IEP is in place everything will be taken care of, but unfortunately, more often than not - it just isn't the case. In case you missed it - we talked about 3 Reasons Your Child Isn't Understanding What She Reads.