Why is it important for autistic and ADHD students to take good notes?

It’s important for all students to take good notes during class, however, it is especially important for autistic/ADHD teens to learn how to take effective notes. Here are some reasons:

• Taking notes during class can keep your teen with ADHD engaged and better focused on what they are learning. They can make it fun by doodling in the margins or using different colored pencils or pens.
• They can put what they are learning into their own words, which can help them better understand the lesson being taught.
• It can help them remember the material better when they have to study for a test or use their notes to complete an assignment.
• They can put their notes into a more visual format if needed so that they can remember and understand the lesson easier.

My son J struggled with note taking during high school. He did fairly well when the teacher would hand out worksheets and have the students fill in the blanks for their notes. But when he had to make notes on a blank sheet of paper, it was hard for him. That is why when he met with the director of the disabilities office at his community college, I flagged for her the need to help him with note taking. Thankfully, there are a lot of options available that we didn’t even know about when he was in high school.

What are the different note taking methods that are best for autism or ADHD?

There are so many ways to take notes, including:

•  Cornell Method: With this method, the student uses two columns on their page to capture their notes. The bigger column is where they place their notes, and the second smaller column is where they can place keywords or any questions they have about the material. During or after class, they then take their notes and develop a summary at the bottom of their page (or the end of their notes for that session).
• Outlining: Outlining uses a traditional outline of numbers (or Roman numerals) with bullets below it. This is a popular method of note taking and one that I used throughout my college years.
• Mapping: Mapping is also known as mind mapping. With this method, the student puts the topic into a large circle and then puts details into smaller circles around it with lines connecting the circles. Many students who learn better visually benefit from mind mapping their notes.
• Charting: Charting for note taking is exactly what it sounds like. The student puts their information into charts. This may be better to do after using another method to initially take the notes but can be very useful for studying since autistic teens tend to learn better visually.
• Sentence Method: This method of note taking is when students just write out sentences with information as their notes.

Some teachers offer their students guided notes, which allows them to put the information into the worksheets. In addition, it’s always good if your student can get any presentations that were shown during the lesson. I don’t believe there is one right way for autistic/ADHD students to take notes. Instead, I think you should go through the different methods with your teen and see which one appeals to them. Have them try it out in their next few classes. If they like the method they chose, then they continue to use it. If they don’t, then they can try another method and repeat until they find one that resonates with them. They may even combine aspects of different methods to come up with their own.

What note-taking technology could help your autistic student?

The good thing about being in school today is that our kids have access to so much great technology. That goes for note-taking in class too.

Many high school students who have IEPs or 504 plans can get access to a note-taking pen. It is a smart pen that records the lesson. My son J had one his senior year, and he didn’t think it worked well for him. (I think after talking to him about it that he had a malfunctioning device and probably should have traded it in for another one.) I know other kids who use them and find them very helpful.

There is also note-taking software available, although you will need to check with your teen’s resource teacher to see what their school may have subscriptions for in their district. In community college, J has a software that records the lesson in class. He then can listen to the audio file. It also will provide a transcript that he can read, highlight and use to take notes. Honestly, I wish I had that when I was in high school and college!

Sometimes, simply being able to type notes on their computer instead of handwriting them can be really helpful for autistic students with ADHD. If your teen hasn’t learned how to touch type on their computer, then it may be worth investing in a program that will teach them how to type. Many schools also have software available to students for this.

Have you successfully helped your teen with autism and ADHD learn to take effective notes? What are your suggestions or tips? Leave a comment below so that we can share and encourage each other along this journey!

Additional resources

Want more information about note-taking? Here are some additional resources to check out.

How To Take Great Notes Quickly And Easily: A Very Easy Guide (affiliate link)

Study Strategies for Teens: A Teenage Guide to Exam Success and Getting Better Grades (affiliate link)

Mind Mapping Notebook (affiliate link)

The Study Skills Handbook: How to Ace Tests, Get Straight A’s, and Succeed in School (affiliate link)

How to Succeed in your Studies (affiliate link)

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Reaching out to your autistic and ADHD child’s teacher

When my son J was in elementary school, I began communication with his teacher about a week or so before school started. I sent his teacher an email and asked if we could stop by to meet them and see the classroom on a day when they would be at school setting up for the new school year. Thankfully, every one of his teachers said yes, and it was so helpful for J. He got to meet his teacher, become familiar with his classroom and felt more comfortable about the new school year by doing so.

For me, it was a great way to begin communicating with his teacher. I was able to acquaint myself with them, mention his IEP and find out the preferred method of communication.

It’s important to establish a good relationship with your child’s teacher because they can be an essential part of your child’s dream team. If you want the full checklist of what I do for back-to-school preparation, download it from my free downloads library.

Generally, I found that most of J’s teachers throughout elementary, middle and high school have preferred email when it comes to communication. That also provides you with a trail of written documentation in case anything ever goes awry. However, if you have a teacher who prefers that you text or call them, then I would follow whatever works best for them.

How often should you communicate?

I tried to communicate on a regular basis, especially if something needed to be addressed, but I also didn’t want to be intrusive. If all is going well, checking in a couple times per month would be fine. However, if you and your child’s teacher are dealing with behavior issues, etc. from your child, then it may be weekly or even daily depending on the situation.

Some parents and teachers like to keep a communication log. This is a written log that goes back and forth from school and home in your child’s backpack. It may be a tracker of your child’s behavior, goals set from their IEP or general notes about how things went that day. Look at the additional resources section below for a communication log that was created specifically for autistic students. There are many others available online, and you can even create your own if you prefer.

When to ask for an in-person meeting

Sometimes, requesting an in-person meeting with your autistic child’s teacher is the best way to effectively communicate something that is sensitive in nature, an issue with their IEP follow-through or a complicated matter. Email can be great for most communication, but it does have its limitations.

If you do request an in-person meeting with your child’s teacher, it’s best to see if the special services director can also attend. If it is anything related to your child’s IEP, you definitely want them involved. I had to do that when my son J was in elementary school, and the director was so helpful and supportive during those meetings.

Checking in to prepare for an IEP meeting

When your autistic child’s case conference – or IEP meeting – is coming up, you may want to check in with your child’s teacher. Hopefully, through the communication you’ve already established, you already know what’s going well and what isn’t.

I do find it helpful to ask the teacher about what else they think would be helpful for your child as you consider any additional accommodations to request. The teacher may have seen some things that really helped another child in the past that could work for your child as well. Teachers have some great experience and over a year, they become very familiar with your child’s strengths and weaknesses in the classroom.

Know when to escalate concerns about your autistic child

Even when you do your best to effectively communicate with your autistic child’s teacher, some things may need to be escalated to be resolved.

If you have sent several emails about a particular issue and met with the teacher in person without resolution to a problem, the issue most likely needs to be escalated to the school vice principal and/or principal.

In extreme cases (such as an IEP not being followed and you are not getting anywhere with it), you may need to request the assistance of an advocate or even a lawyer. Thankfully, things usually can be resolved sooner than needing to take these measures.

What have you found to be helpful to effectively communicate with your autistic child’s teacher? Leave a comment so that we can share and encourage each other on this journey!

Additional resources

Want more information about working with your autistic child’s teacher and school? Check out these suggested resources.

Parent Teacher Communication Book: Autism. Home School Communicator for Autistic Children (affiliate link)

IEP Parent Planner: Notebook Logbook For Parents & Advocates (affiliate link)

Simple Guide to Writing Professional Emails (affiliate link)

The Pivot for Parents & Educators Looking at Autism and ADHD through a Different Lens (affiliate link)

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Difference between high school and college accommodations

Let’s first discuss the differences between laws and regulations between high school and college accommodations.

When your autistic child was in kindergarten through high school, they had the right to certain accommodations through the primary law that governs services through the school for children with disabilities, which is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They were provided an individualized education plan that would enable your child to receive certain services or adaptations. This would allow them to learn better and obtain the education required.

IDEA does not apply to universities, colleges or vocational schools. Instead, accommodations are provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This law protects the rights of people with disabilities. For more information about the law and what is includes, you can check out the ADA website.

Therefore, while colleges and universities provide certain accommodations to autistic students, it is different than what you’ve experienced in primary and high school.

Process for obtaining accommodations in college

The first step for obtaining accommodations is for you and your autistic teen or young adult to reach out the office of disability services at the college or university that your student is considering. You should do this as part of any visit to the college.

When my son J went for a campus visit at the community college where he will start classes next fall, I reached out both the admissions and office for disability services to set up appointments for his campus visit. In fact, we began our visit with the director for disability services! It actually put J at ease because she walked through the process with him and talked about his situation to understand more about how he learned and his struggles at school. She then even noted which accommodations she had in mind for him but will re-visit and adjust when she meets with him next summer.

A big change is that your son or daughter will need to lead these discussions and work through the process. As a parent or caregiver, you can definitely support and help them. You though are not in the driver seat, and you are not the one who will be reaching out and communicating with the school.

Another big difference I learned is that most colleges provide accommodations on a semester basis (or whatever term they have.  J’s community college does 8-week courses.) That means your student needs to reach out and renew their accommodations for each term. In addition, it’s your student’s responsibility to reach out to their instructors and communicate their accommodations to them for each term. You, of course, can help your autistic teen or young adult draft an email and send it. But they have to be the one who does it.

Importance of self-advocacy

With this new responsibility, self-advocacy becomes so much more important for your autistic teen or young adult.

According to Dictionary.com, self-advocacy is defined as “the act or condition of representing oneself, either generally in society or in formal proceedings, such as a court.” In other words, a person can speak for themselves and handle their affairs instead of having someone else do it for them.

Being able to speak up for yourself, negotiate and manage your own affairs is an important part of independent living as an adult. To navigate successfully through college and to manage their accommodations, your autistic teen or young adult needs to self-advocate.

No matter how old your autistic child is now, you can begin teaching them self-advocacy skills. Check out this blog post for suggestions of how to do this. Developing these essential skills will help them now, in college and beyond.

Additional resources

Do you want more information about autism and college to help your autistic teen or young adult as they transition to this next stage? Check out these resources.

Navigating College: A Handbook on Self Advocacy Written for Autistic Students from Autistic Adults (affiliate link)

The Parent’s Guide to College for Students on the Autism Spectrum (affiliate link)

A Freshman Survival Guide for College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (affiliate link)

College on the Autism Spectrum: A Parent’s Guide to Students’ Mental Health and Wellbeing (affiliate link)

If you have an autistic teen or young adult in college, share additional tips and thoughts on obtaining accommodations by leaving a comment below. Let’s share and encourage each other on this journey.

The post <strong>College: How to access campus disability accommodations for your autistic teen or young adult</strong> appeared first on Autism & ADHD Connection.

Know your rights and the laws for an IEP for your autistic child

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the primary law that governs services through the school for children with disabilities.

The Department of Education’s website states the purpose of IDEA includes:

• “to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living;
• to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and parents of such children are protected;
• to assist States, localities, educational service agencies, and Federal agencies to provide for the education of all children with disabilities;
• to assist States in the implementation of a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency system of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families;
• to ensure that educators and parents have the necessary tools to improve educational results for children with disabilities by supporting system improvement activities; coordinated research and personnel preparation; coordinated technical assistance, dissemination, and support; and technology development and media services;
• to assess, and ensure the effectiveness of, efforts to educate children with disabilities.”

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is another key law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination, including protecting the rights of children. For more information, you can check out the ADA website.

At every case conference for your child, the special education representative should provide you with a document stating your child’s rights.

Understand your child’s IEP

Each year, your school’s special services team should conduct a case conference to discuss your child’s IEP for the coming year. Sometimes, the school may hold the case conferences during the first semester. This allows the them to focus on the accommodations needed for the rest of the current school year. Other times, the special education teacher will schedule it later in the school year. They discuss what’s needed for the following year. For my son J, his case conferences were usually late in the school year when he was in elementary and middle schools. When he entered high school, that changed, so his case conference has been during the first semester.

During the case conference, be sure that you are an active participant in determining which accommodations your child needs. Your child’s special education teacher will bring their recommendations, but you can add yours as well. To prepare effectively for the case conference, check out this blog post.

Make sure that before you sign your child’s IEP that you understand all the provisions and agree with the accommodations listed. Speak up if you have questions, need clarification or notice corrections that should be made.

Talk to your child to know what’s going on at school

One of the best ways to know if your child’s teachers are following the IEP accommodations is to regularly ask your child about school. You can slide in some questions that specifically ask about services. If your child is supposed to have preferential seating, where are they sitting in the classroom? Is your child supposed to have their tests read to them? You can learn a lot about what is being done simply by talking about it with your child.

When J was in the first grade, I found out that he was having recess taken away for behavior problems in the classroom. Because of his ADHD, I specifically requested that his IEP state that recess could not be taken away. With ADHD, he needs movement. Recess in elementary school was a big way to allow him to burn off that pent up energy. I reached out to the teacher, and she admitted she was not following that term of his IEP. I worked with her and the special services director to allow the teacher to keep J on the pavement only during recess for discipline. He could not to have recess taken away or made to “stand on the line” during recess. Honestly, he really just liked running around at the time (his special interest was Sonic the Hedgehog that year 😊). So, I don’t think it was effective as a discipline action anyway.

Communicate with your child’s teacher and special services regularly

Checking in with your child’s teacher regularly is a good way to keep tabs on how your child is progressing and ask about how the IEP accommodations are going. Obviously, parent-teacher conferences are a good time to do this. I found reaching out via email worked really well too.

Don’t let grievances fester

If you find out that the IEP accommodations for your autistic child are not being followed, take action immediately. Do not let your grievances fester. Set up a meeting with your child’s teacher, the special services director and principal to solve the problem as soon as it is detected. Letting the problem go on means that is more time your child is not receiving the services that are required and needed for them to do their best in school.

Bring in an IEP advocate

A special education advocate is knowledgeable about regulations and local policies and can help you understand whether your child is receiving the right assessments and accommodations from the school. The advocate can help you prepare for the discussion, attend the IEP case conference meeting with you, and help you to better understand your child’s accommodations and needs. They also can help you with asking the right questions and interpreting any assessment results.

No formal certification or licensing is available for advocates, so you need to research candidates. In addition, you most likely will pay for their services out of pocket. Read this article from Understood.org that gives some good advice if you are considering hiring a special education advocate.

Take legal action if necessary

You may need to bring in a lawyer if you do not see the school providing the special education services needed or enforcing your child’s IEP. This would be the extreme, but some parents find themselves in this situation.

The Special Needs Alliance has a good special needs lawyer directory, which can identify attorneys located near you.

Additional resources

If you want to look further into this topic, check out these additional resources.

Complete IEP Guide, The: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child (affiliate link)

Creating a Win-Win IEP for Students with Autism: A How-To Manual for Parents and Educators (affiliate link)

IEP Planner: Parent Planner Makes IEP Special Education Process Easier (affiliate link)

Have you found effective ways to ensure the IEP created for your autistic child is followed by the school? If so, leave a comment so that we can share and encourage each other on this journey.

The post How do you ensure the IEP for your autistic child is followed at school? appeared first on Autism & ADHD Connection.

How do I know if my autistic child needs a tutor?

There are no tried and true rules about when to consider a tutor for your autistic child. If your child is struggling in a particular subject (or maybe a couple of them), and you have maxed out any additional help offered through the school, then a tutor can be a good idea.

We first hired a tutor for our son J when he was in the sixth grade and really struggling with math. He was taking both algebra and geometry that year because our state required so much math to be taught during sixth grade for its standardized test. We believed hiring a tutor would be better than the meltdowns he was having when we tried to help him. She was great, and his math skills did improve throughout that year as she worked with him.

For this coming semester, I just hired a tutor to help him with his economics class since I believe he is going to have a difficult time with some of the concepts taught. I think having someone who can work individually with him and make sure he understands the concepts will be so valuable.

What are benefits of hiring a tutor?

Having a tutor can be especially beneficial for an autistic child. I think that is exceptionally true for our kids who are mainstreamed in classes with special education support. Teachers are helping students of all kinds learn in their classrooms. While I’m sure they diversify their teaching methods as much as possible, they cannot accommodate the learning style of each student for every lesson.

Here are some ways that a tutor could benefit your autistic child:

1. They work 1:1 with your child and adapt to their learning pace.

If your child is really having a hard time understanding a concept or formula, their tutor can slow down the pace. They can work individually with your student to help them better understand it and keep going over it as needed until it clicks.

2. They can teach with your child’s preferred learning style.

Autistic children are usually visual learners, or your child may have a preferred way of learning. Your child’s tutor can accommodate that in their 1:1 session with your student. This is one of the biggest advantages to hiring a tutor.

3. A tutor can incorporate your child’s special interest into their teaching.

Nothing grabs your child’s attention more than their special interest! So, if the tutor can include it somehow in their sessions or even use it as a reward for a job well done, then your autistic child may work harder and focus better during their sessions with their tutor.

4. Tutoring can help improve your child’s attitude toward school.

If your child is doing better at school and understanding their subjects better, their attitude toward school may improve. If they have been avoiding school, this could be especially helpful if their avoidance is related to not doing well academically.

5. Having a tutor can help build their confidence.

If they are learning the material better, their grades should improve. That can help them build confidence in themselves, which is usually a struggle for many kids on the spectrum.

6. Tutoring can help improve communication and social skills.

Our kids with autism struggle with communication and social skills, and having a tutor can be another source of improvement in these essential skills.

Does my child need a specific tutor who works with children on the autism spectrum?

The tutors we’ve hired for J were not specifically trained to work with children on the autism spectrum. They did, however, have a great deal of patience, were empathic and knew how to teach the subject they were tutoring.

When you do a search on the Internet, you will see a lot of ads come up for autism tutors. I’ve looked at some of these, and many of them seem to be Applied Behavior Analysts (ABA). If that is what your child needs, definitely look into that. However, if you need to find a tutor to help your child in a particular subject like math or social studies, hiring a tutor specific for autistic students probably isn’t necessary.

What do I look for in a good tutor?

What qualifications should a tutor have to teach your child? Consider these:

• Make sure the tutor has the right education background and/or credential to teach the subject. Luckily, there are a lot of current and former teachers and teacher aids who tutor. The tutor we have now for J’s younger brother for math is a current teacher aid at a charter school who truly loves math. He is learning so much from her. The tutor we’ve hired for J for economics has a Ph.D. and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, and her husband has a master’s degree in Economics. (He may be stepping in to help with the tutoring at times too.)
• Understand their approach to teaching and determine if they are able to adapt to your child’s preferred learning style.
• Communicate your needs and what you’d like your child to achieve through tutoring. Make sure it’s what the tutor feels like they can deliver.
• Meet with the tutor with your child and watch their interactions for a practice session or even just a meet and greet. How does your child respond? Does the tutor seem like they will be a good personality fit with your child?
• Find out where your tutor prefers to meet. Our younger son meets with is tutor at our local library, and J will be meeting his tutor at her office. In the past, we have had J’s tutor come to our home.
• Be clear about the payment schedule before you begin. Is there an enrollment fee or contract? Or is it an hourly fee? We have primarily paid an hourly fee. However, we made the mistake of first getting a math tutor for our youngest son with a local office of a national tutoring chain. It was way too expensive, and they ended up not even giving him 1:1 tutoring. He was with a few other children during his session. We managed to get out of that situation, and we have a tutor who he really likes and she is much better at teaching him.
• Ask for referrals to contact a couple of parents of former students to find out their experience with the tutor.

Want some additional tips? Check out this article.

How do I find a tutor for my child?

The best way to find a tutor for your child is to first ask your child’s school guidance counselor about a list. This is how we found all of our tutors. Your local library may also have a list of tutors in your area. In addition, friends and neighbors may be able to refer you as well if their children have had tutors.

Have you hired a tutor for your autistic child? What are your tips for finding a good tutor? Leave a comment below so that we can share and encourage each other on this journey.

The post <strong>Does your autistic child need a tutor to improve at school?</strong> appeared first on Autism & ADHD Connection.

Defining school avoidance

What is school avoidance (which is also referred to as school refusal)? School avoidance occurs when a child is distressed by going to school and will avoid or refuse to either go or stay for the full school day.

This Psychology Today article provides the following common attributes of school avoidance or refusal:

• “Complaining of physical symptoms, such as a stomachache, to get out of school. At school, kids who refuse school may repeatedly visit the school nurse. If the child is allowed to stay home, the symptoms rapidly disappear. This does not, however, mean the child is faking; the symptoms may be a physical manifestation of anxiety.
• Separation anxiety. Children with school refusal may have a history of separation anxiety, or may suddenly develop fears of being separated from parents, grandparents, or other attachment figures.
• Changes in mood or behavior. Children refusing to go to school may be clingy or anxious, may throw tantrums, may begin struggling at school, or may behave in other ways that are out of character.
• Negative experiences at school. Bullying, a bad teacher, trauma, or a generalized fear of going to school can initiate a chain reaction that leads to school refusal. Finding out what’s happening at school is critical to understanding school refusal.”

Our son J has gone through a couple of periods of time when he would have to come home from school. Those were related to some mental health issues he was having at the time rather than a wish to avoid school itself generally. When he was being bullied in a before and after school program, we saw more avoidance and took steps with the program director to stop the bullying.

Is school avoidance more prominent among autistic children?

Yes, autistic children are more likely to exhibit school avoidance or refusal. In fact, a study published in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders in 2017 found that school refusal is significantly more pervasive in autistic children ages 9 to 16 compared to their neurotypical peers. Although this topic hasn’t been widely studied, this study backs up what other researchers have found.

Ways to deal with school avoidance from your child with autism and ADHD

If your child with autism and ADHD is exhibiting school avoidance or refusal, what can you do to encourage your child and get them to school?

1. Acknowledge their feelings

First, you have to acknowledge their fear, anxiety, nervousness and other feelings. They need to know that you understand their emotions related to school and validate them.

2. Talk to your child’s teacher, guidance counselor and/or principal to find out what is going on and discuss a solution

One of the best things you can do is talk to your child’s teacher or others at the school. Is something happening at school that is causing the school avoidance? Bullying, a problem with a teacher or sensory issues tends to be common reasons why children avoid school. Or maybe your child is unhappy that they don’t have any friends at school. If you can find the why behind the refusal, then you can determine what a solution may be.

3. Work with the school’s special services director to identify a safe place for your child to go during the day if they are overwhelmed

Having a safe place to go when things become too much for your child is so helpful. Our son J’s safe place in elementary school was their special services director’s office. He could go there for a while to read a book, talk to her and calm down. Then she would take him back to class. It kept him from having to go home, and he knew he was safe with her.

4. Identify social issues your child is having and practice how to deal with those situations

The fear of school may be related to some social situations your child may be having at school. If so, use role play to practice what your child should say or how they should act in a situation. Download this free guide to help.

5. Establish or refine your night-time and morning routines to support going to school

Routines are an important aspect of autistic children’s lives. Evaluate your routines in the evening and morning to be sure they support going to school. For example, in the evening, ask your child to choose which clothes to wear the next day and set those out, make their lunch and be sure all homework and other necessities are in their backpack. Ensure you talk about “when” they go to school and stay away from “if.” Discuss school activities your child enjoys.

6. Make your home “boring” if your child stays or comes home

If your child does stay home from school or comes home during the day, make your home as boring as possible. That means no iPad time (other than schoolwork), TV, playing with toys, computer games, etc. Keep their activities focused on similar ones they would be doing at school. Ideally, they should complete any schoolwork needed. If there is no schoolwork for them to do, then have books they must read, activity books for math (affiliate link) and other subjects (affiliate link), a simple science project (affiliate link), etc. that they must work on at home.

7. Review your child’s IEP to ensure they are getting the support they need

Is your child dreading school because they feel like they are failing because they aren’t receiving the right support? In discussions with the special services team at your child’s school, ask questions about whether your child has the right accommodations in their individualized education plan (IEP) or if any updates may be needed.

8. Help your child develop coping skills for school

We already noted the need for a safe place, but your child also needs to have coping skills when their anxiety becomes too much. Maybe that is deep breathing or asking the teacher for a movement break. One of J’s teachers used to have him take notes to the office or to another teacher to let him be up and about when he was yancy or needed a little break. Maybe your child needs a stress ball they can squeeze in class, count to 10 slowly or think about something happy. Help them to figure out what helps them calm down in the moment and ease their anxiety.

9. Use rewards to encourage school attendance

To provide your child with autism and ADHD with an external motivation, set up a reward system for school attendance and reduce avoidance. If you tie it to their special interest, this can be effective for some children.

What if my child absolutely refuses to go to school?

When your child absolutely refuses to go to school, then it is necessary to seek professional help. If your child already has a therapist, talk to them about a plan to address the problem to assist your child in overcoming feelings. If your child isn’t currently seeing a therapist, then talk to their doctor and/or find a therapist.

You also can look into other options for education. Would another type of school be a better fit for your child? If your child is going to a public school that is large and doesn’t fit their needs, would a smaller private or charter school be better? (I realize that affordability may be an issue, but you can look into voucher programs that may be available in your area. We had a friend who was able to do this for her autistic son.)

Do you have the patience or ability to home school your child? If so, this may be a good option. I understand if you do not though – home schooling can be difficult if a parent or caregiver does not have the desire or skill set to do it.

Another option may be an online or hybrid school. A friend of ours (who was a teacher!) put her autistic son into a local online school, and then he would physically go to the school one or two days per week. He also didn’t have to go in person – for much of his high school years, he did his schooling completely online. His grandmother helped him watch when the teacher was doing lessons online, and then she would help him work on the computer to do his schoolwork. It worked great for him, and he would finish his school day much sooner than he did during an average day in-person at school. If I recall, he averaged just three or four hours of school per day, but he completed everything needed.

Additional resources

If you need additional information, check out these resources available.

Anxiety Relief for Kids: On-the-Spot Strategies to Help Your Child Overcome Worry, Panic, and Avoidance (affiliate link)

Autistic Logistics: A Parent’s Guide to Tackling Bedtime, Toilet Training, Meltdowns, Hitting, and Other Everyday Challenges (affiliate link)

Help Hungry Henry Deal with Anxiety: An Interactive Picture Book about Calming Your Worries (affiliate link)

Have you dealt with school avoidance from your child with autism and ADHD? What advice do you have for other parents? Leave a comment so that we can share and learn from each other on this journey.

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What is a behavior intervention plan?

A behavior intervention plan, or BIP, (also referred to as positive behavior support plan in some states) is exactly what it sounds like. It is a plan put in place by a school that helps change your child’s unwanted behaviors that are interfering with their learning. It is part of an individualized education plan (IEP), and parents need to agree and sign off on it.

How does the school determine what should be in the plan? They begin with your permission to conduct a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA).

What does a Functional Behavior Assessment evaluate?

The person conducting the FBA will observe several aspects of your child’s behavior. Those may include:

• What are the problematic behaviors?
• How frequently do they occur?
• When and why do these behavior happen?
• Which students, teachers or other faculty are present when they occur?
• How does the child react to the consequences for their behavior(s)?

The findings from the FBA are shared with you to ensure you are aligned before a BIP is drafted. If you do not agree with the findings, you can request an independent educational evaluation. In most cases, the school will agree to fund the independent evaluation.

The team develops the BIP based on the FBA findings. The plan will include techniques to isolate the problematic behaviors, reduce them and positively reinforce acceptable behaviors. It also will include a crisis plan in case the situation becomes worse. The BIP will help teachers and other staff at the schoolwork with your child on their behavior as well as the child’s parents in a home setting.

When our son J was in middle school, he had some behaviors that were really interfering with school. His resource teacher conducted an FBA, and it was really helpful. The plan developed did help J improve his behavior and receive rewards for positive behaviors.

Ways a behavior intervention plan helps your child with autism

While many parents don’t want to hear their child requires a BIP, it can help in the following ways:

1. Better understand underlying causes of the behavior

Our kids do not intentionally want to misbehave. Misbehavior usually is rooted in a problem or issue. A positive aspect about conducting an FBA is better understanding the cause for certain behaviors. Once you understand the cause, finding a solution is easier. That can really help your child in the long term.

2. Reinforce good behavior positively

A BIP proactively helps teachers and you find ways to identify alternate good behaviors and reinforce those. The special education teacher or school psychologist can help find ways to reward your child for acceptable behaviors and help reduce the unwanted ones.

3. Encourage better school performance

If your child is behaving better at school, they most likely will do better academically too.

4. Improve behavior at home

If the BIP is developed to address unwanted behaviors at school and home, then your child will benefit from consistency between the two. Unfortunately, many autistic children have a difficult time generalizing learning from one setting to another. I know our son J had a hard time with it. Once we became consistent with some of the reward system at school while he was at home, things got better.

5. Increase your child’s self-esteem and self-confidence

Being in trouble so much really affects a child’s self-esteem and self-confidence negatively. Yet, receiving praise and rewards for good behavior can help your child feel better about themselves.

Partner with your child’s therapist on behavior changes

The school will do their part to help your child improve their behavior and performance. However, many behavior problems may be caused by anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.

Therefore, the FBA may dig up some issues that really are best handled through cognitive behavior and other therapy. Be sure to share the FBA results and BIP with your child’s therapist. They may determine what else may need to be done through regular therapy appointments. Your child’s therapist also may have better insights into the cause(s) of the unwanted behavior, so asking for their input will be essential.

Resources

Are you looking for more information about how to help your child improve or eliminate unwanted behaviors? Check out these resources.

Behavior Management Skills Guide: Practical Activities & Interventions for Ages 3-18 (affiliate link)

The Survival Guide for Kids With Behavior Challenges: How to Make Good Choices and Stay Out of Trouble (affiliate link)

Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children’s Behavioral Challenges (affiliate link)

Have you been through the FBA and behavior intervention plan process for your child with autism and/or ADHD? If so, what learning can you share with others? Let’s encourage and support one another through this journey.

The post How can a behavior intervention plan help your child with autism and ADHD? appeared first on Autism & ADHD Connection.

Why is school so challenging for children with autism and ADHD?

The school environment offers routine for autistic children, which is good. However, it brings a lot of challenges for children with autism and ADHD. Some of those include:

• Sensory issues – the lighting, noise, smells and other sensory elements of school can distract autistic children and teens from being able to concentrate on their teacher and schoolwork.
• Attention span – for our children who have ADHD, being able to focus and pay attention for long periods of time during the day is really difficult. Classrooms have a lot of items and activities that can easily pull your child’s attention away from the teacher’s instruction or the assignment they are working on in class. Our kids also may have a hard time sitting still for so long throughout day.
• Difficulty reading and writing – autistic students struggle with reading and writing for several reasons, including delays in fine motor skills. This can make school more challenging.
• Lack of executive function skills – for many of our kids with autism and ADHD, they lack executive function skills, which are essential for school success. These include task initiation, working memory, organizational skills, emotional control, planning and more.
• Social rules and communication – people with autism struggle with social cues, rules and interactions, and they also tend to lack effective communication skills. These are so important to enjoying school and interacting successfully with peers and teachers.
• Bullying – bullying or even intolerance of certain autistic behaviors is a big problem in schools. It can demotivate our children from striving to do well in their classes.
• Transitions – transitioning from one activity or class to another can be hard for children on the autism spectrum. If these transitions become part of the routine, then they are easier. However, not every day is the same at school, so new transitions for special events like field trips or a convocations can make school harder for our kids.

What is school refusal and how does it affect academic abilities

School refusal occurs when a child becomes highly distressed about going to school and feels like they cannot or won’t go. Studies have shown that school refusal occurs in children with autism significantly more often than their neurotypical peers.

Why do autistic children experience school refusal? Many of the reasons are noted above in the challenges listed. They want to avoid something that makes them uncomfortable at school, especially bullying. It also may occur because they simply want to stay at home.

What does school refusal look like? A child might hide when it’s time to go to school. They may beg and plead not to go, and they generally display high levels of anxiety about school. The child may claim they are too sick to go to school. They also can experience more meltdowns.

If children miss significantly more school or cannot cooperate and do their schoolwork, then it affects their ability to learn and do well academically. If they are not at school, it’s hard to be successful in learning and achieving good grades.

Want to find out how to overcome school refusal? Check out this article.

Why it’s important for autistic children to get good grades

As I noted above, children with autism are on a spectrum of capabilities. Therefore, there are many autistic children who will be able to complete post-secondary education – whether that is at a four-year university, community college or trade school. Getting good grades provides them with options for what they can do after high school.

This is something we have dealt with ourselves with our son J. J isn’t motivated by school and hasn’t had much interest in striving for good grades throughout his school years. Yet is he capable? If he works at it, he definitely is. Some subjects have come easier to him, and he’s gotten good grades in those subjects. For others like math, it’s a big struggle.

Now that he’s a teenager, I’ve been able to tie the need for good grades to his plans for after high school. Currently, he wants to pursue music therapy to join his desire to help others with his love of music. However, he needs to improve this grades so that he can get into the program. We know he will need to start at a community college to build his grades up as well as I think it will be an easier transition for him. Keeping him motivated for school though seems like a constant battle when he is also dealing with social situations that take over his focus on academics.

How can you motivate your child with autism to get good grades?

So how can we motivate our children to do their best in school and improve their grades? Here are some ways that I’ve found in my research on this subject to help motivate your child with autism and ADHD to strive for good grades.

1. Partner with your child’s or teen’s teacher(s) to ensure they feel welcomed and included in their classrooms.

Before school begins, see if you can meet with your child’s teacher(s) before the first day of school to discuss your child. If a meeting isn’t possible, then send them an email. Letting them know about your child’s strengths, challenges, interests and personality can go a long way in setting them up for success during the school year. Download the free Back-to-School checklist from my downloads library.

2. Find out more about your child’s teacher and classroom to see if they are setting your child up for success.

Studies have shown that students in general will learn best if they are in a classroom that has the following characteristics:

• Enthusiastic teacher
• Involvement of students actively during the instruction
• Appropriate level of materials being taught
• Lessons are well organized and easily understood by students
• Good rapport between the teacher and students
• Use of appropriate and concrete examples for lessons
• Relevance of the lessons
• Variety of teaching style and information

3. Set high but realistic expectations for your child or teen.

Communicating these expectations to your child’s teacher(s) is key. Teacher’s expectations of a child in the classroom can be key in the child striving to do the best they can. These expectations should be high enough to motivate your child but no so high that they are constantly frustrated and feel like they cannot meet them.

4. Encourage your child to set their own academic goals.

At the beginning of each school year (or even each semester), have them think about and write out two to three goals they would like to reach. It may be to finally achieve a B in math. The goal could be not to miss a homework assignment that semester. It could be reaching a certain minimum grade point average (GPA) that semester. Whatever it is, if they set the goal, then they will own it and may be more likely to work toward it.

5. Have your child or teen develop their own study plan.

Learning to study is a skill in itself. It’s something we’ve been working with our son J to do, not only to improve his grades in high school but to set him up for college as well. A few months ago, J created a study plan based on some research about ADHD and studying. Here is a generic version of that plan that you can download and use as a template for your own child or teen.

6. Praise your child for their efforts and when they do well.

It’s great to praise your child when they get a good grade and do well in school. But it’s even more powerful to praise the effort that went into achieving that grade. Praising the effort will encourage a growth mindset in your child and help them to understand that their own work will help them to be successful.

7. Tie incentives to your child’s special interest.

Using rewards and incentives can be a powerful aid to motivating your child or teen, especially because those with ADHD have a hard time motivating themselves internally. Yet, for children and teens with autism and ADHD, tying rewards and incentives to their special interests can be more motivating. For example, once your child completes their homework, they can do something extra related to their special interest. For example, maybe it’s 15 more minutes of video games than they normally have.

8. Be active in your child’s schooling.

We want our children and teens to take responsibility and know their required assignments, upcoming tests and class projects. However, our kids with autism and ADHD may need a bit more help from us as parents. If your child’s school uses an online classroom system like Canvas or Blackboard, be sure to obtain a parent observation account. Regularly check your child’s dashboard and also their school’s grading system (many schools use PowerSchool) to keep on top of your child’s grades and assignments. This will help you with the knowledge to know what type of questions to ask your child or teen. At our house, I try to do weekly check-in meetings for school for both of my boys on Sundays. I don’t always remember, but I try. We check their grades in PowerSchool and check Canvas for upcoming tests, projects, etc.

Need More Resources?

Check out these resources that provide more information to help motivate your child or teen with autism and/or ADHD to strive for good grades.

School Success for Kids With High-Functioning Autism (affiliate link)

Middle School Matters: The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond–and How Parents Can Help (affiliate link)

Social Skills Picture Book for High School and Beyond (affiliate link)

What other steps have you taken to motivate your child with autism and ADHD to strive for good grades and do their best in school? Leave a comment so that we can share and encourage one another on this journey!

The post School: Can you motivate your child with autism and ADHD to strive for good grades? appeared first on Autism & ADHD Connection.

Why autistic children struggle with reading and writing

Reading and writing challenge autistic children both from a physical and mental perspective.

From a physical perspective, writing can be difficult for children with autism because they may have delayed fine motor skills. The act of writing letters and numbers can be hard. Some children may need to work with an occupational therapist to improve fine motor skills so that they can write better. Visual-motor speed can also hinder both writing and reading skills.

From a mental perspective, autistic students may have cognitive difficulty in organizing their thoughts and understanding context to effectively write an essay or assignment. Many children and teens with autism struggle with executive function skills and perspective taking (also known as Theory of Mind). Those can lead to problems with writing. These can interfere with their ability to organize their points, keep them in their working memory, speak to a different opinion or perspective and other skills needed for writing an assignment.

Our experience with reading and writing challenges

My son J had difficulty with writing assignments in elementary school because he was a perfectionist with his handwriting. He does have beautiful handwriting; however, he writes slowly and would erase and begin a section again if he didn’t think it looked nice enough. Surprisingly, I found out this is common with other autistic students. They can get so focused on the handwriting itself that they don’t pay as much attention to the content of the writing. Because many autistic students are so focused on the skill of handwriting, their written assignments tend to be shorter, which can impact their grades.

In addition, focused interests can sometimes interfere with the child’s ability to focus and write an appropriate essay or complete an assignment. Some autistic children try to relate almost anything – including their schoolwork – to their special interest, whether or not it really can be. For example, when J was in first grade, he had an assignment in which he was supposed to draw a picture of a farm and then write a few sentences about the farm. Well, J was in his tornado focused interest phase at the time. Therefore, he did write a couple of sentences about a tornado hitting the farm. However, he refused to draw the picture because he said the tornado wiped out the farm and nothing was left. (We got a note home from his teacher for that one, but I seriously could not keep a straight face and ended up laughing! 😂)

J has always been a good reader when it comes to understanding what the words are and reading itself. Where he has struggled is better understanding the context and being able to relate it to an assignment. He has improved a lot over the years and has less difficulty with this in high school.

How technology helps autistic students with reading and writing

Many schools offer software and even some hardware technology to help students with reading, writing and other communication skills. For example, our kids’ school provides text-to-speech software that can “read” audibly the text for students. This can be very helpful for students who process words better when they hear them than when they read them. They can hear the words as they read them, which enhances their learning. The great thing is that the software is available for students to download to their own devices at home too.

Other types of software and hardware provided by the school can include:

• Portable word processors or tablets: These can be helpful for children who have difficulty with handwriting and find typing easier to write assignments. Many schools also provide typing software to help students learn how to effectively type.
• Talking spell checkers and dictionaries: If a child is typing their assignment, some schools may offer a talking spell checker within the software to identify spelling and grammatical errors. Some also provide a talking dictionary if the child needs to look up a definition of a word.
• Speech-recognition: For this type of software, a child dictates what they want to write into the microphone, and the software types out their words.
• Spelling and reading games: Many schools provide a variety of online games that children can use to improve their spelling and reading skills.

Most of the programs the schools offer are available on school devices or on a device brought to school by the student through the school’s website. These are usually subscription based and purchased by the schools.

How can you use technology at home to support reading and writing for your autistic student?

In addition to what your child has available through the school, you can also support reading and writing from home on your child’s own iPad (affiliate link), Android tablet (affiliate link) or computer. (If you cannot afford an iPad or tablet, some organizations offer autism grants to help purchase these for autistic children.)

Here are some suggested technology tools you could use at home to support reading and writing for your autistic student:

• Google Voice Typing is free with your Google account for Google Docs and other software.
• If you have a computer with Windows operating system, then you can set up Microsoft speech recognition on your computer.
• You can set up dictation on your child’s iPad with these directions from Apple.
• Reading, vocabulary and spelling software through storybooks and games can be really helpful. Check out the “Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain” (affiliate link) that your child can use on Nintendo Switch (affiliate link).
• Free version of Grammarly to check spelling and grammar.
• QuestionIt app for autistic children. This free app “is an educational app for children with autism or other significant language disorders that provides systematic instruction over multiple opportunities to teach children what kind of word answers which type of W question. Activities include sorting words by type of question they answer, answering questions about sentences, and answering questions about paragraphs. The app uses faded color cues and errorless learning techniques.” 
• There are many free reading apps for iOS and Android. Check out this article from Brightly that recommends several apps that are free for elementary-age children.

Learning how to read and write well is the cornerstone of good communication. These skills will help your autistic child be successful at school, in their career and throughout their life in general.

What other technology tools have you used for your autistic child to help them improve their reading and writing skills? Leave a comment so that we can share and encourage each other along this journey!

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Why do students with ADHD have a hard time studying?

Children and teens with autism and ADHD often find school difficult due to a lack of executive function skills. The authors of “Smart but Scattered Teens” define executive functions skills as “the brain-based, cognitive processes that help us to regulate our behavior, make decisions and set and achieve goals. These skills include task initiation and follow through, planning/organization, working memory, performance monitoring, inhibition of impulses, and self-regulation.”

So if your child or teen is struggling with executive function skills, it makes sense that developing effective studying habits would be difficult. Read this blog post about executive function skills and 12 ways that you can help your child improve them.

My son J has a really hard time studying for tests and having good habits around homework and school projects. Because he is struggling with some of his classes in high school and needs to learn effective study habits, we researched them together and developed a study plan for him. In fact, I made sure that he did most of the work so that it was a plan that he created himself. That way, he has more buy-in. However, getting him to follow his study plan is not easy, and we are still working on that. I do believe once he finally gets into the habit of studying and using the steps in his plan, we will see an improvements in his grades and attitude toward school.

Effective studying habits

So what do effective study habits look like so that you can help your autistic and ADHD student develop these habits? Here are some suggestions that may help your child.

1. Have a designated study place

It is good if your child or teen has a designated place to study that has the supplies they need and is quiet. For us, our son J mostly studies in our home office. If I am working from home that day, then he uses a table set up in our master bedroom. This allows him to be away from everyone else and the noise in the house, however, my husband or I do have to check on him periodically to ensure he is staying on task.

2. Use a timer for study times

When J was younger, we loved the Time Timer (affiliate link) because it allowed him to see the time he had left visually. Now, J uses the clock app on his phone to set blocks of 20 to 30 minutes for study time. Then, he takes a break of about the same amount of time. After his break, he sets the timer for another study session. He repeats this until he is done. Most of the time, he can finish homework and studying in one to two study sessions.

3. Find a planner your child or teen will use to write down assignments, etc.

I know some kids are resistant to using planners (J certainly has been!), but they really are effective for writing down assignments, due dates, project steps and more. J is slowly learning how to use one, but it does take time and lot of check-ins from parents to ensure it’s being completed. I know that if J can learn to use a planner (a simple weekly version – affiliate link), then it will benefit him greatly throughout his life.

4. Encourage them to create flashcards and/or rewrite notes

One of the best ways to learn is to write the information by hand. Creating flashcards is a great way to accomplish that and develop a tool that can be used to study for tests! I provide J with a good supply of blank index cards, and I gave him an index card organizer (affiliate link) to keep track of them. If you wanted to get fancier for your child, you could get them these blank cards on a binder ring (affiliate link) so they aren’t lost.

5. Be their study partner for tests and quizzes

Help them study for their tests by using the flashcards with them or asking them questions from completed review guides or notes from their class. This can be a very effective way for them to go over the information in the days leading up to a test.

6. Have them read through their notes right before bed

J thought I was nuts to advise him to read his notes before he goes to bed. I explained that our brains are amazing and that it will continue to process and remember the information while he sleeps.

7. Make their notes fun and interesting

Encourage your child or teen to have fun with their study notes. They can use colored ink pens or use highlighters to emphasize important information. They can even draw diagrams or make doodles next important facts on their notes. People with ADHD need to novelty and fun, and this can help their notes not be so “boring” 🙂

8. Urge your child to think of unconventional or different ways to study

For example, J put in his plan that he can walk in our neighborhood while studying his notes and flashcards. (Yes, he has to pay attention to where he is walking though!)

9. Don’t cram for tests

Studying for a cram session the night before the test is not a good way to study. Encourage your student to begin studying at least three days before the test. They can use flashcards, review guides, Quizlet (if their teacher uses it for their class) or other study aids.

Develop a study plan

Talk to your child or teen and ask them which of these (or all of them) will help them study best. Have them do some additional research online about study habits. Are there other ways of studying that appeal to your teen? If so, have them develop their own study plan. That is what J and I did.

We researched, and he read through several articles with suggestions. Then he wrote down what he thought would work best for him. We then created a study plan for him that we hang on the wall next to our desk in the home office and above the table in our bedroom (his two designated study places). Here is a generic version of that plan to give you a sample to help you and your child or teen create theirs.

Have you helped your autistic and ADHD student develop effective study habits? What works for your child? What additional tips do you have? Leave a comment so that we can share and encourage each other on this journey.

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