Meet an Amazing Family: The Meads

Many years ago, before the dawn of time, there lived a girl...  Ok, so it wasn't THAT long ago, but it was decades ago.  As a much younger girl, I met someone who decades later would impact my life in a way I never expected.  This is the story of Kelli-Ann Mead.

Attending an event, as a member of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, I had the opportunity to reconnect with this amazing person.  I went to Easter Seals of NH for an afternoon gathering.  I thought I'd go, make some new networking connections, share a bit about my business, and head home (maybe with a new connection or two, if I was lucky).  What happened dramatically impacted my life, both professionally and personally.

Kelli-Ann Mead was the guest speaker and her son, Carter, was the special guest. Now I had seen Carter running up the hall, zigzagging in and out of rooms, when I first arrived.  Having spent the majority of my childhood interacting with children who had special needs and the majority of my professional career working with students with significant medical, emotional, and/or intellectual disabilities, it was not surprising to me that about an hour later I found out Carter has some disabilities.  After all, we were at Easter Seals. I knew that meant this family received some sort of Early Intervention support.  What shocked me was what I didn't notice about Carter. 

Until I saw the flames on his prosthetic leg, I hadn't even noticed Carter had a prosthetic leg.  If you watch this video, you'll see what else I missed. Just a warning, in spite of what I didn't notice, I am confident in telling you I am a very competent special education teacher and consultant!  :) My whole life, I was raised to look at the person first.  There is no way anyone can look at Carter and not see him as the person first!  Take a look at this amazing family and then read on to see how my professional life has changed because of them:

Meet the Mead Family

After Kelli-Ann's presentation, I went up to introduce myself and share how impressed I was with her sharing her story and Carter getting in front of such a large crowd.  As we approached one another, we recognized each other and realized we had known each other 20+ years ago.

A friendship developed from there and Kelli-Ann was kind enough to come be a guest lecturer for one of the courses I teach at Southern New Hampshire University.  The feedback from the students, who are all training to become Special Education teachers, was unbelievable.  They were so motivated and inspired that many of them began to follow Kelli-Ann on Facebook, discuss Carter's inspiring story with their friends and other professors, and repeatedly ask to have the family back to speak together.

Since that time, Kelli-Ann and I have maintained a friendship and have even collaborated as part of a panel discussion.  It seems to be the beginning of a great partnership and I expect we will have more opportunities to work together in the future. I'm happy to be able to share the Mead's story. 

As a follow up, here is a more recent video of the family.  They were honored as part of "5-Hour Energy™ helps Amazing People."

5-Hour Energy™ Amazing People: The Meads

I hope you enjoyed meeting this fantastic family.  If you ever have the chance to hear Kelli-Ann speak, or get to meet this family in person, I highly encourage you to do it.  You will not be disappointed!

Enjoy your day, Everyone!

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Top ADD/ADHD Articles for 2013 (Shhh...but really they apply to a much bigger population!)

Welcome to a brand new year!  In 2014, ABC of N.H. will be updating our blog with some great articles, resources, stories, tips, and so much more.  Our first post of 2014 is about the top 10 Articles, as noted by ADDitude Magazine, that deal with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperaticivity Disorder (ADD and ADHD, respectively).  The truth is that many of the strategies and tips referenced in these articles apply to so many people who do not have that diagnosis.  There are some parenting strategies, tips to keep focus (couldn't most of us benefit from that?), and suggestions about accommodations.

Top ADD/ADHD Articles for 2013

Please take a minute to look at some of these resources and visit us at www.abcnh.com. 

Wishing you all a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year!


Academic & Behavioral Consulting of N.H.

855 Hanover St., PMB 290

Manchester, NH 03109

(603) 518-5519

www.abcnh.com
mailto:diane@abcnh.com

Helping your Children with Homework

The Homework Blues

 

"School Boy Being Stressed" by David Castillo Dominici

Does this look familiar to you?

It happens to just about everyone at some point and time.  Your child comes home, carrying a backpack full of books, notes, and devices, dragging after a long day of school.  The last thing anyone wants to do is homework, but...it must be done.

 

Courtesy of ed.gov, there is a FREE pdf available for download (in English and Spanish) that will help you with some of these homework issues.  It includes great tips for working with students in elementary school and in junior high, but many strategies can apply to even older students.

 

When you need additional help, reach out to Academic & Behavioral Consulting of N.H.  Whether your child just needs some help with homework, some tutoring, or has special leaning needs, we would love to help!

 

Here is the link to your FREE pdf: http://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/homework/index.html

 

 

 

 



10 Big Autism News Stories of 2013

As I'm sure already know, awareness about Autism has spread dramatically in the past few years.  Everyone knows someone who is diagnosed somewhere on the spectrum.  These news stories cover topics such as wandering, a revision to the definition of the diagnosis of Autism, challenges faced by those affected by Autism and so much more.  Please take a minute to visit this site and read this stories or watch the accompanying videos.
http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/10-big-autism-news-stories-2013

And the school year draws to a close...

    

For many, the end of the school year is eagerly anticipated. For others, it's a source of worry. What will happen to my child when his/her routine is disrupted? How will s/he react in new settings or with new people?

So many children look forward to and thrive in the summer: play dates outside, day trips to the lake or beach, summer camps, parties, pools, etc. For other children, those changes in routine can come with unexpected behavior changes and frustration from parents and caregivers. To make those events go more smoothly, here are some things to consider:

· Do I know in what scenarios my child typically has the most difficulty?

· What can I do to help my child know what behaviors are expected?

· Do I know what I will do if my child demonstrates socially inappropriate behaviors during an event?

Just thinking about these questions can help you better prepare your child for what is to come. Since every child is different, the amount of preparation will vary. For some children, a special sticker on the family's calendar may be the only reminder needed. For other students, needs may be a little more involved. If your child has an agenda book, or a visual schedule, the event should be included in written or visual form. For students with more involved anxiety about schedule changes, preparation may have multiple steps. In addition to the steps listed, children with anxiety may benefit from preparation that includes:

· Reviewing what the physical environment of the event or change will be (is it in the student's own school, in a community room, camp, water park, sitter's, etc.)

· What will happen during the event? (games, music, crafts, overall expectations, etc.)

· Will there be meals/refreshments (this is even more important for children who have food allergies or who are on a restricted diet; if a child who is restricted and has behavioral needs sees a preferred item that is NOT on his/her approved list, it could cause an outburst)

· Practice before going to the event (role play at home, role play in the environment if able, visit the site, etc.)

· Come up with ways for your child to appropriately communicate that a break from the event is needed and reinforce his/her using that communication strategy

With all of this being said, every child is different. For example, if you feel confident that your child is not yet ready to go to a busy, loud, crowded water park, trust your instincts. You child may need to start the attempt in smaller, more controlled environments (maybe starting by having a friend over to swim, then moving into going to a friend's house to swim, then adding in more children slowly, etc.). As always, please make sure your child is supervised by a responsible party and share any important information about your child with that person (including what to do when these behaviors occur, who to contact for support or in an emergency, antecedents that may elicit unwanted behaviors, etc.).

"When faced with a challenge, look for a way, not a way out."
---David Weatherford

Back to School

It's that time of the year again.  New clothes, new backpacks, notebooks, lunchboxes, bus rides, excitement, anxiety...oh the joys of "Back to School."

The next couple of weeks tend to be when I receive lots of phone calls.  Parents are often concerned because their children are not adjusting as easily to the school routine as they had hoped they would.  Sometime this comes in the form of a phone call or note from the teacher, other times it comes from tantrums and irritability demonstrated from the child at home. Remember, many children have such a different routine during those summer months: different bed time, lots of play/free time, camps, vacations, different friends, etc., it is a lot to expect the routine to be 100% of a smooth transition quickly, in spite of your best attempts to plan it out. I often relate it to how parents feel about Monday mornings.  Going to work Monday mornings may not be where you want to be, the alarm may not be the most pleasant sound, and you may just want to stay in your pajamas and have an extra cup of coffee that day.  It's work...just like school is.

It takes several weeks for a classroom community to come together, so it's safe to expect some bumps along the way. Whenever you're able to prepare your child for changes and expectations in his/her routine, that is helpful.  If his/her daily routine, both in and out of school, is consistent, it's easier to follow, there are fewer surprises, and expectations are already known. 

Try to combine some fun activities with the responsibilities that accompany going back to school. If you know homework will take your child a couple of hours a night, see if you can squeeze in a quick game before starting to work.  It's a great time to talk about how your child's day went, to see if he/she is excited (or anxious) about anything at school.  That time reminds your child that even though he/she is "back to work," there is still fun time away from school.  If you know that block of time is too long for your child to stay focused and work, break the session into chunks that are more manageable.  Not all children are created equal!  Everyone works differently and our job, as educators and/or parents, is to find what works for each child.  It's an on-going process but, with some work, your child can certainly have a very successful year.

Take lots of deep breaths and let the new year begin...

http://www.abcnh.com/

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog of Academic & Behavioral Consulting of N.H.  Our mission is to offer quality educational support and individualized treatment to children with special education or behavioral needs. Working collaboratively with families and school districts, we are committed to advancing student learning and guiding children to reach their fullest potential. By focusing on your child's strengths, while targeting significant areas of need, we plan instruction that fits his/her individual learning style. With more than twenty years of experience working with children, the staff at ABCNH brings a variety of expertise to your needs. With backgrounds in Early Childhood Education, Special Education, Behavior Analysis and Intervention, and Educational Administration, we have worked with children who are just "a little behind," as well as children who are severely delayed.

Please take a moment to visit our website and we look forward to hearing from you!
http://www.abcnh.com/
info@abcnh.com