NESCA is currently booking for in-person Real-life Skills and Executive Function Coaching in the Newton, MA office! Our experienced occupational therapists work alongside individuals to achieve their personalized goals, which often address functional life skills that allow them to thrive in their homes, schools, and communities. For those not local to Newton, MA, remote services are also offered. Click here for more information. To inquire about our coaching services, complete our Intake Form.

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4 year college

Registering for Spring Classes: Tips and Tricks

By | Nesca Notes 2023

By Jasmine Badamo, MA
Educational Counselor; Executive Function Tutor

I previously wrote a blog, “Why a task is never just a simple task,” in which we broke down all the demands involved in a seemingly simple writing assignment. As the holidays begin to approach and the fall semester starts to wind down at colleges across the country, students face another seemingly simple task: spring registration. I cannot count the times recently I’ve asked a client, “Is everything set up for class registration?” For a majority of college students, the topic sparks an anxious flutter in their chest, and for students who experience the additional hurdle of executive function challenges, it can be even more daunting.

So to all you college students out there, I dedicate this blog to you. Here are five tips for surviving the class registration process:

  1. Know your important dates and requirements.
  • Look through your school’s academic calendar and make note of important dates: advising appointments, class registration window, add/drop deadline, etc. Some of these deadlines can coincide with busy academic times of the semester, and if you don’t set a reminder for yourself ahead of time, they can be easy to miss.
    • **Fun Fact** your personal registration date is likely based on how many credits you’ve completed so far.
    • **Even more of a Fun Fact** you may have to go on a virtual “wild goose chase” to track down said date. Don’t give up until you find it!
  • Be clear on your credit and course requirements for both graduation and the major you have declared. Depending on your college and major, you may have more or less wiggle room with the number of credits you take each semester, or with the order in which you take certain classes. It’s becoming common for student portals to have a “DegreeWorks” section that clearly lays out the specific requirements that apply to you and shows your progress towards meeting those requirements. This also helps students get a better sense of the big picture, which can demystify the class registration process, and help them make more informed class choices for next semester.
  1. Plan ahead.
  • The class registration process is heavily multi-step, and therefore virtually impossible to complete in one day, so please don’t do that to yourself. Make sure you start planning at least two weeks in advance. Some of the things you need to prepare for include:
    • Knowing which website or portal to go to for class registration and making sure you are familiar with how to log in and navigate it.
    • Having a class wish list prepared, ranked in order of priority so you know which classes to try to snag first. It’s helpful to create this list with an academic advisor.
    • Clearing any financial or academic holds on your account (e.g., some colleges require you to meet with an advisor to be eligible to register for classes). You don’t want to be trying to clear holds on the actual registration day.
    • Knowing who to reach out to if things go awry on registration day…say the internet crashes; you spill a Starbucks iced soy milk latte on your laptop; you mix up the dates and miss your registration window…want me to keep going? 
  1. After you plan, make a backup plan…but be chill about it.
  • You can clear every hold, prepare an airtight class list, wake up at the crack of dawn, and click the “register” button the millisecond your registration window opens…and still not get all the classes you wanted (the universe is awesome like that sometimes).
  • This isn’t to say that thought, care, and planning are not needed, BUT it’s helpful to remind yourself that it’s OK if things don’t go exactly according to plan.
    • Although your class registration window marks the start of when you can register for classes, the add/drop window typically goes into the first or second week of the semester. And leading up to the semester, many students will be shifting their schedules around, so the classes you need may open up. AKA, there’s time to tweak things; it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have your schedule fully set by the end of your class registration window.
  • So what I’m saying is: make a backup plan, but it doesn’t have to be an entire 50-step tactical plan for world domination. Instead, focus on making a list of a few alternative courses that would still fulfill some of your general or major requirements. If it’s too stressful to do that, your backup plan can simply be, “I am going to check back with the portal every couple of days to see if any classes opened up,” or “I am going to nag my advisor to help me get this sorted,” or “I am going to vent to my executive function coach about this, then figure it out together.”
  1. Ask for help, and don’t be shy.
  • Most incoming first-year students are guided through their first semester’s class registration at some point during their orientation process. However, once you become a full-fledged college student, you’re expected to manage your own tasks and proactively advocate for yourself. Just because no one reaches out to tell you about a requirement or deadline does not mean that you will not be held to it.
    • No, you are not the only one struggling with this. No, everyone else does NOT have it all figured out. No, people will not think you’re silly for asking for clarity or help with this stuff. Do not hesitate to ask. for. help.
  • Depending on the college and major, academic advising can be your best friend, or a source of frustration and confusion. If you’re not getting the clarity and support you need from advising, don’t hesitate to reach out to anyone and everyone who may be of help, including:
    • Student Accessibility Services
    • Student Portal / DegreeWorks
    • A favorite professor
    • Friends in your same college / major
    • Slightly older family members who have gone through this
    • Your executive function coach (hint, hint, hiiiiiiint)
  1. Honor yourself and your needs.
  • There is more than one way to do college. More and more, the 4-year college goalpost is becoming a thing of the past. Think outside the box for ways to get your credits. Fall and Spring are not the only semesters (there’s summer I, summer II, and even winter break semesters), and your primary college is not the only place you can take classes.
  • Think about how you learn best and honor that. If you do better spreading out those heavy pre-med classes rather than taking them all at once, do that! If you struggle with big lecture-style courses, balance them out with smaller discussion-based classes. If you know getting out of your head and into your body helps your mental stamina, sign up for a one-credit pass/fail dance class…or a badminton club since badminton is the greatest sport of all time, and no, I will not explain myself! There is no right or wrong way to do this. Be flexible, honor yourself and your needs, and do what best helps you reach your goals.

 

About the Author

Jasmine Badamo, MA, is an educational counselor and executive function coach who works full-time at NESCA supporting students ranging from elementary school through young adulthood. In addition to direct client work, Ms. Badamo provides consultation and support to parents and families in order to help change dynamics within the household and/or support the special education processes for students struggling with executive dysfunction. She also provides expert consultation to educators, special educators and related professionals.

Ms. Badamo is a New York State Certified ENL and Special Education teacher. She has more than 10 years of teaching experience across three countries and has worked with students and clients ranging in age from 7 to adulthood. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Cornell University and her master’s degree in TESOL from CUNY Hunter College. She has also participated in graduate coursework focusing on academic strategies and executive function supports for students with LD, ADHD, and autism as part of the Learning Differences and Neurodiversity (LDN) certification at Landmark College’s Institute for Research and Training. In addition to being a native English speaker, Ms. Badamo is also conversationally fluent in verbal and written Spanish.

Having worked in three different New York City public schools, Ms. Badamo has seen firsthand the importance of executive function skills in facilitating student confidence and success. Her coaching and consultation work focuses on creating individualized supports based on the specific needs and strengths of each client and supporting the development of metacognition (thinking about one’s own thought processes and patterns), executive function skills, and independence. She will guide clients to generate their own goals, identify the barriers to their goals, brainstorm potential strategies, advocate for support when needed, and reflect on the effectiveness of their applied strategies.

Ms. Badamo is a highly relational coach. Building an authentic connection with each client is a top priority and allows her to provide the best support possible. Additionally, as a teacher and coach, Ms. Badamo believes in fostering strong collaborations with anyone who supports her clients including service providers, classroom teachers, parents, administrators, and community providers.

To book executive function coaching with Jasmine Badamo or another EF or Real-life Skills Coach at NESCA, complete NESCA’s online intake form

NESCA is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton, Plainville, and Hingham (coming soon), Massachusetts; Londonderry, New Hampshire; and the greater Burlington, Vermont region, serving clients from infancy through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.

Are You Ready for Summer?

By | Nesca Notes 2023

By: Tabitha Monahan, M.A., CAGS, CRC
NESCA Transition Specialist/Counselor

Summer will be here before we know it! Do you have your child’s summer plans and services scheduled? NESCA offers various coaching and counseling services, from executive function and real-life skills coaching to transition counseling and career counseling for high school students and young adults who are looking for support in determining their next steps. NESCA will also be offering its transition seminars again this summer from July 10th to August 9th. Each program will meet for two hours twice a week.

It can be challenging for many of our teens and young adults to fit transition skills into their school day schedule. Additionally, most students benefit and require repeated opportunities to build skill mastery and generalize the learned skills across settings. NESCA’s summer transition programs are designed to fulfill that need. Program participants will be guided through interactive and engaging lessons with 3-6 peers to develop a detailed postsecondary vision plan that incorporates all aspects of adult life (i.e., education/training; employment; independent living; social, recreation, and leisure; and community engagement).

  • The Transition Skill Building & College Exploration seminar focuses on connecting strengths and interests to college majors and potential post-college careers. This program is an excellent fit for high school students who plan to attend a 2-year or 4-year program immediately after finishing 12th grade.
  • The Transition Skill Building & Postsecondary Options/Career Exploration seminar focuses on exploring various postsecondary options and is an ideal fit for students who plan to attend non-traditional college programing, post-12th grade transition programs, or are still exploring/undecided about their next steps.

For questions or more information about either of the Summer Transition Planning Seminars, please contact:

Crystal Jean
cjean@nesca-newton.com
617-658-9818

About NESCA’s Summer Transition Planning Seminars

NESCA’s Postsecondary Transition Specialist and Counselor Tabitha Monahan, MA, CAGS, CRC, will be leading both summer transition courses.

Transition Skill Building & College Exploration

Who: Students who are considering going directly to a 2-year or 4-year college after leaving public education

When: Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 PM ET between July 10 and August 9, 2023

Where: NESCA’s offices @ 55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA

Participants Will:

  • Learn how to connect skills to college majors and potential post-college careers
  • Understand the differences between high school and college accommodations
  • Understand their current accommodations, explore those they use most and identify the most beneficial ones for success in college
  • Create a list of priorities when researching colleges; create a document to help conduct college research and when attending college tours
  • Develop a short-term goal to accomplish over the course of the program with scaffolding support to develop action steps and monitor progress

Transition Skill Building & Postsecondary Options/Career Exploration

Who: Students who plan to attend non-traditional college programming, training programs, or receive employment/day service supports after leaving public education or are still exploring/undecided about their next steps after completing 12th grade

When: Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET between July 10 and August 9, 2023

Where: NESCA’s offices @ 55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA

Participants Will:

  • Explore postsecondary options other than college (i.e., MAICEI, Americorps, Job Corps, certificate programs, MRC and DDS programs, other resources, etc.)
  • Work through strengths and challenges with more emphasis on general job skills and independent living skills
  • Learn about transferable skills and how skill-building at school, home, and in the community connects with success
  • Discuss resume development and learn about different resume formats
  • Understand why contacts are important
  • Learn about reasonable accommodations in the workplace and rights to request accommodations
  • Talk through how and when to disclose a diagnosis(es)
  • Develop a short-term goal to accomplish over the course of the program with scaffolding support to develop action steps and monitor progress

 

 

About the Author
Tabitha Monahan, M.A., CAGS, CRC, is an experienced transition evaluator and vocational counselor. While she is well-versed in supporting a wide range of transition-aged youth, she is especially passionate and knowledgeable in helping clients and their families navigate the complex systems of adult services and benefits as well as medical and mental health systems. She is further adept in working individually with students of all abilities to empower self-advocacy and goal achievement.

 

To schedule an appointment with one of NESCA’s expert transition specialists or neuropsychologists, please complete our online intake form

 

NESCA is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton and Plainville, Massachusetts, Londonderry, New Hampshire, and Burlington, Vermont, serving clients from preschool through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.

 

Are You Ready for Summer?

By | Nesca Notes 2023

By: Tabitha Monahan, M.A., CAGS, CRC
NESCA Transition Specialist/Counselor

It is hard to believe that April vacation is here or almost here for many students. Summer will be here before we know it! Do you have your child’s summer plans and services scheduled? NESCA offers various coaching and counseling services, from executive function and real-life skills coaching to transition counseling and career counseling for high school students and young adults who are looking for support in determining their next steps. NESCA will also be offering its transition seminars again this summer from July 10th to August 9th. Each program will meet for two hours twice a week.

It can be challenging for many of our teens and young adults to fit transition skills into their school day schedule. Additionally, most students benefit and require repeated opportunities to build skill mastery and generalize the learned skills across settings. NESCA’s summer transition programs are designed to fulfill that need. Program participants will be guided through interactive and engaging lessons with 3-6 peers to develop a detailed postsecondary vision plan that incorporates all aspects of adult life (i.e., education/training; employment; independent living; social, recreation, and leisure; and community engagement).

  • The Transition Skill Building & College Exploration seminar focuses on connecting strengths and interests to college majors and potential post-college careers. This program is an excellent fit for high school students who plan to attend a 2-year or 4-year program immediately after finishing 12th grade.
  • The Transition Skill Building & Postsecondary Options/Career Exploration seminar focuses on exploring various postsecondary options and is an ideal fit for students who plan to attend non-traditional college programing, post-12th grade transition programs, or are still exploring/undecided about their next steps.

For questions or more information about either of the Summer Transition Planning Seminars, please contact:

Crystal Jean
cjean@nesca-newton.com
617-658-9818

About NESCA’s Summer Transition Planning Seminars

NESCA’s Postsecondary Transition Specialist and Counselor Tabitha Monahan, MA, CAGS, CRC, will be leading both summer transition courses.

Transition Skill Building & College Exploration

Who: Students who are considering going directly to a 2-year or 4-year college after leaving public education

When: Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 PM ET between July 10 and August 9, 2023

Where: NESCA’s offices @ 55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA

Participants Will:

  • Learn how to connect skills to college majors and potential post-college careers
  • Understand the differences between high school and college accommodations
  • Understand their current accommodations, explore those they use most and identify the most beneficial ones for success in college
  • Create a list of priorities when researching colleges; create a document to help conduct college research and when attending college tours
  • Develop a short-term goal to accomplish over the course of the program with scaffolding support to develop action steps and monitor progress

Transition Skill Building & Postsecondary Options/Career Exploration

Who: Students who plan to attend non-traditional college programming, training programs, or receive employment/day service supports after leaving public education or are still exploring/undecided about their next steps after completing 12th grade

When: Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET between July 10 and August 9, 2023

Where: NESCA’s offices @ 55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA

Participants Will:

  • Explore postsecondary options other than college (i.e., MAICEI, Americorps, Job Corps, certificate programs, MRC and DDS programs, other resources, etc.)
  • Work through strengths and challenges with more emphasis on general job skills and independent living skills
  • Learn about transferable skills and how skill-building at school, home, and in the community connects with success
  • Discuss resume development and learn about different resume formats
  • Understand why contacts are important
  • Learn about reasonable accommodations in the workplace and rights to request accommodations
  • Talk through how and when to disclose a diagnosis(es)
  • Develop a short-term goal to accomplish over the course of the program with scaffolding support to develop action steps and monitor progress

 

 

About the Author
Tabitha Monahan, M.A., CAGS, CRC, is an experienced transition evaluator and vocational counselor. While she is well-versed in supporting a wide range of transition-aged youth, she is especially passionate and knowledgeable in helping clients and their families navigate the complex systems of adult services and benefits as well as medical and mental health systems. She is further adept in working individually with students of all abilities to empower self-advocacy and goal achievement.

 

To schedule an appointment with one of NESCA’s expert transition specialists or neuropsychologists, please complete our online intake form

 

NESCA is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton and Plainville, Massachusetts, Londonderry, New Hampshire, and Burlington, Vermont, serving clients from preschool through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.

 

Nearly 1/3 of College Students Drop out or Transfer by the End of Freshman Year: What Can We Do Differently?

By | NESCA Notes 2018

 

 

By: Kelley Challen, Ed.M., CAS 
Director of Transition Services  & Assistant Director of NESCA

 

As a transition specialist with a guidance counseling background, I work with many students during the college application process and the transition to managing life on a college campus. I help students and their families determine whether the student is ready to make the transition, whether an “in between” step such as a postgraduate or transitional year is needed, and how to shore up necessary skills for managing the enormous step between structured life at home and high school where adults constantly tell you what is expected and independently managing the freedoms, responsibilities, and unspoken expectations of being an adult on a college campus. Furthermore, I support young adults after a transition home from college participation, whether successful or unsuccessful, as they figure out the next steps in their life journey.

Two weeks ago, the New York Times (see link below) featured an article by Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson emphasizing the hard reality that initial college transitions are unsuccessful for nearly one-third of young people.  The article further added that college is not actually a four-year endeavor for the majority of students who enroll (only 20% of the students who enroll in four-year college finish a bachelor’s degree in four years, and only 57% of students graduate within six years). The cited statistics are numbers that I have often mentioned in my own work with families and schools. I believe we need to be talking about, and normalizing these experiences. But, while many high schools track and publicize college admissions statistics, long-term graduate outcomes are less often known or shared. For students, parents, and teachers, being accepted into a college is frequently thought of as a final achievement for a successful high school student, rather than a small step in the context of a larger life plan.

Cue the transition specialist! Postsecondary transition planning is a process by which a young person is supported in the setting of goals and expectations for themselves and in building the skills and resources that will enable them to reach those goals. This should be a completely individualized process. However, in working with a large number of clients in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, I have observed that most middle and high school students have the same postsecondary vision: College. There is a strong consensus that college is the only goal to reach after high school, rather than an important step that leads to gainful employment in an area of strength, interest, or aptitude. Students with and without disabilities often know that they want to go to college (or that they are expected to go to college) but they have no career goals or sense about whether a college degree will actually benefit them in finding employment related to their aptitudes. Despite the data, most young people (and their parents) simply take as fact that college is what you do after high school.

But, as Stixrud and Johnson point out, thirty percent of students leave college by the end of their freshman year, and “the wheels can start to fall off as early as Thanksgiving.” Students find themselves back at home, no longer a student, but with no other sense of plan or identity. The authors cite two primary issues faced during this transition to college: the highly dysregulated environment that college provides (e.g., inconsistent sleep and diet patterns, lack of structure, and substance abuse including stimulant overuse, binge-drinking, and pot-smoking), and the late transition of managing daily life from parents to students. While I see students transfer or leave colleges for many reasons (e.g., difficulty managing social relationships without support, burnout, technology overuse, underusing needed/available support services, disciplinary issues, etc.), I certainly agree that the identified issues are often at the heart of college difficulties.

So how do we help students to better manage the transition process? First and foremost, we need to start discussing career development earlier and help our youth to understand the wide range of postsecondary options available to them. A bachelor’s degree is one academic pursuit that has a place for many students, but for a great number of students, it is not the best immediate option available after high school. There are many other options worth exploring such as two-year college programs, vocational or certificate programs, apprenticeships, military, employment, and gap year programs (see https://www.gapyearassociation.org/gap-year-programs.php). Without understanding the concept of career development, and the alternative paths available, students often do not know that they can make another choice besides (or on the way to) college. We also need to acknowledge that four-year college degrees are not a reality for the majority of people. To be truly informed decision-makers, students need to know that enrolling in college is likely to be a 5 or 6-year process.

In addition to helping students make informed decisions, we must begin planning for a transition of power and responsibility much earlier. Transition planning starts at a young age with things like sleep training, taking the school bus, learning to brush one’s own teeth, or packing one’s own school lunches. But as parents, we often establish patterns of doing things for our kids in order to save time and to cram in more activities. However, the net result of this process can end up being a high school student who has a long resume of extracurricular activities but no idea how to get out of bed in the morning or independently manage a schedule of schoolwork, athletics, and clubs. For students who actually need more time to plan and organize independently, they can also end up feeling like failures for not being able to manage this type of busy (and unrealistic) schedule on their own. As pointed out by Stixrud and Johnson, many college students have been used to their parents managing their daily lives and making decisions for them. When faced with a lack of structure and the opportunity to make an unlimited number of poor choices on a daily basis, new college students are frequently unable to navigate the landscape and manage their responsibilities.

“It takes time, practice and some failure to learn how to run a life.” This is probably my favorite quote from the article as it is very similar to a phrase I learned from my colleague Kathleen Pignone; for every transition-aged client at NESCA, we talk with parents about the importance of allowing the young person to have “the dignity to fail.” This is easiest to do when kids are young and consequences are less (e.g., letting them wear pajamas to third grade when they dawdle with their morning routine). However, the reality is that allowing a high school student to oversleep and be late, or to not turn in an assignment, is a much lower risk activity than waiting for them to fail an expensive class in college or binge drink themselves into a hospital bed. Picking and choosing opportunities to allow our children to be “in charge” and to experience the natural consequences of their actions is critical for helping them to develop planning, organization, and coping skills. Also, letting students advocate for themselves with classmates, teachers, and authority figures is vital since they will be expected to do this for themselves after high school. (You may need to plan a script together initially.)

Work experience is briefly mentioned as an alternative to college, but I see employment as much more than an alternative. Early work experience is something that we should be striving to help all youth attain as part of the process of transferring power and responsibility. There are many recent articles (e.g., J. Selingo., 2015; Gowans, H., 2018) highlighting that the number of teenagers who have a paid job while in high school has dropped from nearly 40% in 1990 to somewhere between 16-17%, an all-time low. While the causes for a decline in teen employment are not clear, I have anecdotally observed that summer academic participation, travel, and extracurricular activities (e.g., athletics) are often prioritized above work experience. Sometimes this is in the name of bolstering a college admissions packet which is unfortunate because colleges are often more eager to accept applications from high school students with work experience. Work experience is exactly the way that a young person can learn to manage a schedule, be on time, complete a task list, budget personal money, and generally be accountable for one’s actions. Having employment during high school has long been a predictor of success in college as well as success in attaining employment later in life. Work experience also helps students to start thinking about work they might like to have, or not have, in their adult lives and to begin to think about the concept of a career path.

But, what if you are reading this blog and your child is already at the end of their high school experience? Certainly, some of the alternatives mentioned by Stixrud and Johnson (e.g., employment, gap year) are important options to consider for building maturity. Another transition plan not mentioned, but often essential for students who struggle with executive dysfunction, social, or emotional difficulties, is to continue living at home and start with community college. This type of slower transition reduces the number of skills that the student has to independently learn to manage at the outset. If your child and you really want to give four-year college a try, the authors note that it is important to strike a balance between supporting student autonomy and extending some parental oversight to college. For example, parents who are contributing to college tuition might require that students give them access to on-line grades and/or that students sign a grade release. I often suggest that parents require that students are engaged in at least one or two student organizations or activities on campus to enable social and emotional success. Also, parents can schedule regular phone times, lunches, or dinners in order to more closely monitor the transition. While you don’t want to hover, it is likely that your child would jump at the chance for a free off-campus dinner once a month, especially if they can bring a few friends.

Finally, there is enormous value in talking about the reality that students who finish high school can “try” college and that it may not be completely successful the first time around or they may not like it at all. Students may figure out that they have picked the wrong school, don’t actually like lecture learning, would rather live at home, or don’t want to participate in a general studies program because they don’t want to take another math class, ever.  We need to be clear that the requisites for getting into college are not the same as those for getting out. College failure is a reality for a high percentage of students and good transition planning requires that teens and young adults make informed decisions, understand the risks, and have the skills for coping with the realities. As part of transition planning, we need to be emotionally and financially planning for much more than a four-year college experience and we need to be thoughtful about the timing of college participation and how the experience fits or doesn’t fit, into a longer and larger plan for our children. Thank you to Dr. Stixrud, Mr. Johnson, and the editors at The New York Times for shining a light on something we need to talk more about!

Articles:

Stixrud, W., and Johnson, N. (November 19, 2018). When a College Student Comes Home to Stay. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/well/family/when-a-college-student-comes-home-to-stay.html?nytapp=true.

Selingo, J. (November 25, 2015). Why more teenagers and college students need to work while in school. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/11/25/why-more-teenagers-and-college-students-need-to-work-while-in-school/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.db2aeb63c5bd.

Gowins, H. (May 25, 2018). Fewer high schoolers are working. This is not good. Crain’s Chicago Business. Retrieved from https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20180525/ISSUE07/180529922/fewer-teens-working-in-high-school-a-worrisome-trend.

 

About the Author:

Challen

Kelley Challen, EdM, CAS, is NESCA’s Director of Transition Services, overseeing planning, consultation, evaluation, coaching, case management, training, and program development services. She is also the Assistant Director of NESCA, working under Dr. Ann Helmus to support day-to-day operations of the practice. Ms. Challen began facilitating programs for children and adolescents with special needs in 2004. After receiving her Master’s Degree and Certificate of Advanced Study in Risk and Prevention Counseling from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ms. Challen spent several years at the MGH Aspire Program where she founded an array of social, life and career skill development programs for teens and young adults with Asperger’s Syndrome and related profiles.  She also worked at the Northeast Arc as Program Director for the Spotlight Program, a drama-based social pragmatics program, serving youth with a wide range of diagnoses and collaborating with several school districts to design in-house social skills and transition programs. While Ms. Challen has special expertise in supporting students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, she provides support to individuals with a wide range of developmental and learning abilities including students with complex medical needs. She is also co-author of the chapter “Technologies to Support Interventions for Social- Emotional Intelligence, Self-Awareness, Personality Style, and Self-Regulation” for the book Technology Tools for Students with Autism.

 

To book a consultation or evaluation with one of NESCA’s expert transition specialists, please complete NESCA’s online intake form today.

 

 

 

Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents (NESCA) is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton, Massachusetts, Plainville, Massachusetts, and Londonderry, New Hampshire, serving clients from preschool through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.