Hallway Body Breaks for Antsy Kids

We know that certain students benefit from movement breaks!
Look at this fantastic way of designing hallways to serve this purpose!
Many students are able to boost their learning with these types of breaks.

                                                               YouTube Video

Thanks for sharing, Tracey Parfect!!

What Students with Learning Disabilities would like their Teachers to Know

Students with learning disabilities give their teachers some heartfelt advice.  Click the video to hear what they have to say.
Thanks, Randal for sharing this!

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Writing Strategies for Students with ADHD

Tracy Collins from Edutopia in her article  Writing Strategies for Students with ADHD provides several writing strategies to support students with ADHD. Her suggestions address the following:

• difficulty concentrating on the assignment
• difficulty organizing thoughts on paper
• difficulty with sustained work on a single task
• difficulty in meeting deadlines
• spelling issues
• final editing issues

http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2012/06/20/82-summer-activities-for-families-with-special-needs/

What is meant by Executive Functioning?

Information on Learning and Attention Concerns

The website Understood was suggested by a colleague, Paula Cerven and provides information about learning and attention concerns.  Some topics address school and learning (K-12 and beyond), friends and feelings, parents and family, as well as upcoming community events.

Thanks for sharing Paula!

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What are the symptoms of ADHD?

Everyone shows signs of ADHD at some point, so the guidelines for determining ADHD are very specific. CHADD presents an article on symptoms and causes.

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Tips on How to Improve Attention

For students having difficulty staying on task, consider Tips on How to Improve Attention.

http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/behaviorproblems/qt/attentiontips.htm

ADHD in Girls

ADHD in girls can be often overlooked. Diagnosing ADD and ADHD in Girls by Maureen Connelly and Girls and ADHD: Are You Missing the Signs? by Caralee Adams, both describe some frequently occurring behaviours that may be helpful to look for.

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ADHD

Classroom Tips to assist students with ADHD.

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/04/two-awesome-visuals-on-adhd-for-teachers.html

Self Regulation

Teachers are trying new approaches to assist students in being "calm, alert and focused" (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/self-regulation-technique-helps-students-focus-in-class-1.2440688).  CBC News features:  Self Regulation Technique Helps Students Focus in Class.  From this link you may also view the video on "How Does Your Engine Run?"

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Classroom Use:  Assisting students with attention and focus, reducing lethargy, reducing hyperactivity, sensory overload and coping with stress.
Allows for physical activity and a more calm and productive class.

Why It's Crucial for Students to Learn to Focus!

Katrina Schwartz tells about digital classrooms and how they can easily distract students. "If students don't learn how to concentrate and shut out distractions, research shows that they'll have a much harder time succeeding in almost every area".  In the article, Age of Distraction: Why It's Crucial for Students to Learn to Focus, Schwartz explains that the ability to focus is the secret to success..

Hokki Stool

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Many of you have been inquiring about where one can purchase the Hokki Stool that we've had at our SERT Workshops. The Hokki Stool link provides information about its design, ergonomic, sizing charts, pricing and contact information.

Mental Health Treatment for Teens

The article "5 Signs Your Teen Needs Mental Health Treatment" by Jared Friedman identifies possible signs to look for in teens who may be struggling with depression, ADHD, ADD, bipolar disorder, anxiety and more.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/09/21/5-signs-your-teen-needs-mental-health-treatment/

Supporting Minds

An educator's guide to promoting student's health and well being.

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