Research shows that children begin to feel negative stress at a very young age. As they are exposed to new situations, new environments, or witness the stress of others, children feel threatened and helpless. Negative stress can be destructive to the physical and mental health of the child, thus impacting a child's performance in school.

Implementing stress management strategies prior to or during a stressful situation can reduce a
child's stress significantly. Read more to learn five easy strategies that can be used
both in the classroom and at home.

Metacognitive strategies refers to methods used to help students understand the way they learn; in other words, it means processes designed for students to 'think' about their 'thinking'.

Teachers who use metacognitive strategies can positively impact students who have learning disabilities by helping them to develop an appropriate plan for learning information, which can be memorized and eventually routine. As students become aware of how they learn, they will use these processes to efficiently acquire new information, and consequently, become more of an independent thinker. Click "Read More" for three metacognitive strategies and related resources. 

What is augmentative and alternative communication?  Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a method of communication that is used by individuals who have difficulty with or are unable to use standard forms of communication - spoken language, sign language, body language, and handwritten language - to express themselves. To communicate effectively, these individuals use alternative methods to represent, select, and transmit messages. Some of these methods are: symbols, drawings, words, letters, and photgraphs. Many of these methods are used in combination with each other and organized using either a communication book or device. Messages then can be transmitted using AAC aids - electronic or non-electronic devices - to ensure effective and efficient communication.

Do you want to collaborate and share resources with other teachers on-line?

Do you want to create a webpage where students can access resources and information?

Do you want a network where parents can find information and resources that can help them support their child at home?

Using a web page to communicate and post information is a wonderful way to create a collaborative space for teachers, students and parents. Schools administrators and teachers, collaboratively, can
create a school website where educators can post information and share resources with one another. 

This Tip of the Month comes from a workshop presentation done by Roxanne Hoke-Chandler, Massachusetts PIRC @ FCSN and Kim Hunt, President, Massachusetts PTA, at the 2009 Federation for Children with Special Needs' Vision of Community conference.

Research shows that parents have a major influence on a child's achievement. According to a handout prepared by the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), when parents are involved, regardless of income or background, children are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior, graduate, and go on to postsecondary education.

In the Celebration Ideas Kit developed for this year's Inclusive Schools Week, Dave Edyburn, Ph.D., Department of Exceptional Education, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, emphasized the importance of access, "When a student cannot acces curriculum learning materials, it follows that s/he will not be able to engage in learning nor meet the intended learning outcomes". One form of access that Edyburn highlighted is cognitive access, which must be considered when working with young children, students with cognitive disabilities, individuals with language and/or communication impairments, and students whose first language is not English. In order to provide cognitive access in a diverse classroom, teachers must build a learning environment that
supports cognitive processes. One particular online resource that supports cognitive access, and can also function to assess student learning, which Edyburn mentioned is Inspiration.

Using concrete and pictorial images in mathematics instruction is a research-proven strategy for many learners including students with disabilities. This strategy is commonly known as the
Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) Instructional Approach. This three sequence framework ultimately helps students make a connection between the concrete stage and abstract stage to achieve mastery of each mathematical concept. The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM) is a project which uses this approach to instruction in teaching mathematics while addressing the problem of student disengagement. NLVM is a National Science Foundation (NSF) supported project that provides uniquely interactive, web-based virutal manipulatives and concept tutorials to involve students, at every grade level. Through the use of manipulatives, students are actively engaged in instruction and are able to visualize relationships and applications. Topics covered are: number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis and probability. Visit
http://nlvm.usu.edu/ to learn more.

iPrompts: the portable, customizable, visual prompting tool those with special needs. Their app is designed especially for parents, special educators and therapists to use with developmentally challenged and language-impaired inviduals, like people with Autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and apraxia of speech. iPromptsTM also benefits kids who just need me structure, including kids with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivitiy Disorder (ADHD), and even typical, pre-verbal toddlers!

Many students with learning disabilities have difficulty with executive functions such as organizing, planning, time management, remembering information and keeping track of multiple tasks. These students can often benefit from a variety of strategies that help with organization and planning.  Click on the title or "read more" to learn about some ways to support students using Web 2.0 and New Media Tools.