NAMI NC School Presentation -

 

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A Request

The number one request from young families is for support in communicating with the school system. We thought it would be helpful if we could help school personnel better understand mental illness in children and adolescents and what families need. Our aim is to facilitate effective communication between families and schools.

Chary Sundstrom, a psychologist with Wake County Public Schools, and I have written a 2-hour presentation entitled "Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents." The presentation covers information on warning signs and difficulties in diagnosing children, classroom interventions, medication side effects, special education law, and what families need. The presentation material will also include a variety of handouts and key resource material for professionals to keep as reference material.

If you work for the school system, or have a connection with those who do, and would be interested in helping us get on a school's calendar, please give me a call. We hope to reach school nurses, teachers and aides, administrators, social workers, psychologists, and counselors. Thank you.

- Linda Swann

 

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Dealing with Stress

Your family can deal better with stress if you ...

Learn to distinguish between things you can change and those beyond your control.

Recognize stress as temporary, sometimes even positive.

Expect some stress as a normal part of family life without considering yourself a failure.

Work together on solutions to minimize stress.

Remember how you have successfully dealt with stress in the past.

Find solutions to problems rather than blaming someone or something else.

Be realistic. Don't expect perfection of yourself or others.

Try not to bottle up anger or frustration, but learn to express your desires and opinions on important issues.

Reward yourself occasionally for a job well done! Savor the moment.

Remember that a large part of stress may come from your reaction to a situation rather than the situation itself.

Look for other ways to handle problems. If Plan A doesn't work, go to Plan B. Be creative.

Finding a support group can help generate solutions and put problems in perspective.

Find help when you feel overwhelmed and less able to deal with stress on your own. Seek support from friends and relatives when you need it.

Allow each family member a measure of free time for favorite activities and a place to be alone.

Look for workshops or seminars offered by community groups. Tap into those local resources.

Laugh at yourself and with others. Hold on to that sense of humor.

Give of yourself by doing things for others.

Take care of your health. Watch your diet and get enough rest. Reduce stress by exercising or in stress relieving techniques such as deep breathing or yoga.

Try to think positively. A positive attitude about yourself and situations is your most important asset in coping with stress. Remaining hopeful goes a long way.

Source:

Dolores Curran,"100 Ways to Reduce Family Stress," Family Support Bulletin

 

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Communicating with the School System

Tips for parents, as told by other parents, on preparing for meetings

• Before IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meetings, meet with the most supportive person on your child's IEP team. Tell him what needs to be addressed in the meeting. You will feel empowered by preparing for the meeting, especially with someone in your corner. It is also helpful to practice or role-play.
• It is a great idea to prepare an agenda, prioritizing the issues to be discussed. Make sure documentation is in order and easily accessible.
• Make sure you have your child's understanding or agreement about what you are requesting on his/her behalf. You are your child's voice. Others at the meeting need to be aware of this.
• IEP meetings should be requested in writing, giving three possible dates and times. Tell the school who you are inviting to attend. You are entitled to bring advocates and others who know your child, his/her abilities and needs. Request a confirmation of the meeting time within 5 to 10 days.
• Keep copies of all written correspondence with the school system. Keep a log of phone calls as well. Document everything you do on your child's behalf.
• Turn problems that teachers address into "targets" on the IEP.
• If members of the team do not appear to be aware of your child's background, think about sharing this information with them. Team members may be suggesting things that were tried in the past and did not work. Parents do not want anyone to assume they are neglecting vital information. Also, others may not have had the time to read it all.
• At the meeting be sure to share everything you are doing for your child. If you do not, others may wrongly assume you are asking the school professionals to do everything.
• Know the bottom line for what your child needs in order to succeed in school. Knowing your rights is paramount. You may be able to get what you want for your child by leveraging against what you know you have a right to ask. It's all about negotiating and prioritizing and it does not happen all at one time. For example, it could be less expensive for the school to grant a request versus giving the child what everyone knows the child is entitled to receive. Remember, the law mandates an "appropriate" program, not the best there is.
• It is OK to take time to make decisions. You should not feel rushed. Take the draft IEP form home to review it.
• When someone tells you "no," approach this response by assuming that particular person lacks the authority to grant the request. This is when you need to go to someone with more authority. In most instances, the child loses out if you give up before exhausting all avenues.
• If someone is rude or belligerent to you, try not to take it personally. It could be that this person is having a tough day due to something totally unrelated to them. Assuming this may alleviate anger or resentment.
• As an advocate for your child, you need to see the other side.
• Think in terms of long and short term goals for you child. Short term goals should state what behavior is to be addressed, under what circumstances, and at what level of achievement.
• Work toward a clean, clearly understood IEP with decisions based on real information, not emotions. Get your questions as narrowly focused as possible. Be specific.
• The IEP and IEP team determine placement based upon the needs of the child. Placement drives services for the child. Therefore, the IEP team must focus on strategies.
• An IEP is only as good as the evaluations used in determining a child's needs. You need multiple evaluations, a multi-disciplinary approach.
• The IEP should also spell out what aids and training your child's teacher is to receive for services provided. You want to protect those who can help your child.
• Most importantly, it is motivating to remind yourself what your child's future could look like if you do not continue to advocate for him/her. Imagining that just might be the extra push you need when your energy level is low.
• Three excellent resources include:
  
  
  1. The Exceptional Children's Assistance Center (ECAC) with their Parent Information Line, 1-800-962-6817;
  2. An online newspaper about special education and the law located at www.wrightslaw.com
  3. Teaching the Tiger: A Handbook for Individuals Involved in the Education of Students with Attention Deficit Disorders, Tourette Syndrome or OCD by Dornbush and Pruitt.

 

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Classroom Accommodations

As we all know, symptoms such as anxiety, medication side effects, or a learning disability can interfere with a student's ability to focus and recite what he/she knows. Even handwriting can interfere with completing assignments. To stimulate thought and ideas on how to adjust academic requirements so our children can succeed in school, I am including a list of possible accommodations for students with special needs. The source for this list is Boston University's web page, www.bu.edu.

• Provide seating in front of the classroom to help reduce distractions.
• Have someone escort the student to class and perhaps stay in class with him/her.
• Assigning a classmate as a volunteer assistant to help with note-taking or for support.
• Allowing beverages in class to lessen dry mouth or tiredness caused by medications.
• Having scheduled breaks to help the student better handle stress or restlessness.
• Tape recording teacher's lecture so notetaking is not necessary.
• Photocopying another student's notes.
• Changing the format of tests (for example, from essay to multiple choice or from written to oral) to lower anxiety and accommodate learning disabilities.
• Using computers or other technical assistance if handwriting is a challenge, especially helpful to those with OCD.
• Giving the student more time to finish a test or project.
• Having someone read the test or exam aloud to the student.
• Modifying assignments to fit the strengths and needs of the student.
• Using some ungraded assignments.
• Providing extra help in learning new study skills.
• Setting clear rules, posted at eye level and repeated often.
• Teach the class about disabilities and being accepting of differences.
• Giving the student two sets of textbooks, one to use at school and one for home.
• Identifying a "safe place" where the student can go when he needs a break or just to be alone.
• Holding a private orientation session for a student attending a new school so he/she can learn his way around and where to go for help.