NESCA is currently accepting therapy and executive function coaching clients from middle school-age through adulthood with Therapist, Executive Function Coach, and Parent Coach Carly Loureiro, MSW, LICSW. Carly specializes in therapy for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and individuals who are highly anxious, depressed, suffer with low self-esteem, etc. She also offers parent coaching and family sessions when needed. For more information or to schedule appointments, please complete our Intake Form.

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1

Helping Students Transition Back to School

By | NESCA Notes 2021

By: Angela Currie, Ph.D.
Pediatric Neuropsychologist, NESCA
Director of Training and New Hampshire Operations

Back in June, I wrote a blog about dealing with uncertainty at the end of the school year. Now, two months later, families are focused on the transition back to school, and a level of uncertainty still remains. Many children are re-entering full in-person learning for the first time in over a year and a half. We are also facing the reality that our overall community health is not as improved as we hoped it would be by now. There is debate about how to appropriately re-enter school, and this stress is likely palpable for many children and teens. As a community, we are grieving the continued loss of “normalcy,” with no clear idea of when that will be recovered.

How do we help children, and their adults, transition back to school during such a time? Some of the basic strategies are similar to those that we do to help them cope with the end of the school year. This includes watching for signs that your child may be struggling (e.g., difficulty sleeping) and talking about their feelings related to starting school in an open and validating manner. In addition, here are some strategies for helping to ease the upcoming transition to school:

  • Start to work into your schoolyear daily routine within the last week or two of summer. This includes bedtimes and wakeup times.
  • Create a morning and evening routine checklist or schedule. Use visual prompts for young children. For example, a morning checklist may include: Wake Up, Get Dressed, Eat Breakfast, Brush Teeth, Pack Bag (listing words or pictures of what to pack), and Departure Time. Practice this checklist for a couple days ahead of school starting to help you child get into the routine and understand how long each task will take.
  • Preview your child’s schoolyear to the extent possible. This may include reviewing their class schedule, looking at their teacher’s profile or picture on the school website, going to a back-to-school event at their school, etc.
  • Help your child set some goals for the upcoming year, trying to create intrinsic goals (e.g., build confidence with reading; make a new friend; ask questions more; etc.), rather than extrinsic (e.g., get straight As).
  • For children who were full remote last year and whose schools have mask mandate, practice wearing a mask at home for increasing durations of time.
  • Avoid scheduling extra activities during the first two weeks of school, such as weekend trips or appointments, allowing for a more relaxed transition.
  • Particularly for elementary age children, email your child’s teacher ahead of the year starting in order to briefly introduce yourself and your child. If you child has specialized needs, concisely highlight key things that the teacher should be aware of heading into the year.
  • For children who will be using a locker for the first time, have them practice opening a combination lock at home before the year starts.
  • For families feeling dissatisfaction regarding your school’s COVID-related mandates or plan, work to keep this conflict or stress away from your child.

Understood.org has a range of tools to help children transition back to school, including a Back to School Update for teachers, Backpack Checklists, Back-to-School Worksheet, Introduction Letter templates, and a Self-Awareness Worksheet, among others. Consider the above tips and resources and determine which are most appropriate for your child and their current skill set and feelings regarding the return to school. With the right tools in place, children and families can feel more confident entering the school year.

 

About the Author:

Dr. Angela Currie is a pediatric neuropsychologist at NESCA. She conducts neuropsychological and psychological evaluations out of our Londonderry, NH office. She specializes in the evaluation of anxious children and teens, working to tease apart the various factors lending to their stress, such as underlying learning, attentional, or emotional challenges. She particularly enjoys working with the seemingly “unmotivated” child, as well as children who have “flown under the radar” for years due to their desire to succeed.

 

To book an evaluation with Dr. Currie or one of our many other expert neuropsychologists, complete NESCA’s online intake form. Indicate whether you are seeking an “evaluation” or “consultation” and your preferred clinician in the referral line.

 

Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents (NESCA) is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Londonderry, NH, Plainville, MA, and Newton, MA serving clients from preschool through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call (603) 818-8526.

9

What In-person School Looks Like During COVID-19

By | NESCA Notes 2020

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

Fall is approaching, and school is starting. As a student, I always knew summer was close to ending when Staples started their “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” commercial. The joy that parents and the community feel as fall approaches and another year of learning begins is understandably absent this year. Many parents, teachers and students are still unsure if they will be remote, in-person or both. All are too aware that even if students and teachers return to the school building, school will not look as it did in the fall of 2019. The comradery that our children experience through recess and interactive group work will be limited. Lunch will not be the boisterous room of students comparing who is in each class and what teachers are giving homework the first week.

What can we expect then–especially our students who need the small in-person support they have received from their special education teachers, teaching assistants and related service providers? I was able to get a glimpse of what our new in-person normal would look like providing vocational counseling and support during an extended-school year (ESY) program this summer. When returning to school, the first thing I learned—remembered, is how resilient children are. Most students in the programs had very few issues with masks. For those who did, more frequent mask breaks and workarounds, such as face shields, greater distance between them and other students or neck scarves let them still participate in much needed in-person support. Hand-washing and sanitizer have become the norm, and staff and students had frequent opportunities to use both. Social Skills groups still occurred but were modified to continue to be possible. Community-based opportunities were limited, but again, teachers and service providers have long been accustomed to finding out of the box solutions for their students.

Yes, the first day was nerveracking. How were the students going to tolerate wearing a mask for hours on end? How were my co-workers and I going to wear a mask all day long? How was I going to get a drink safely while wearing a mask? But we did. Staff and students alike remained diligent with hand-washing, and the students were ready to learn. Teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) were available and came together for short periods to help students understand challenging tasks. Some of our children and students have behaviors or need activities of daily living (ADL) support that may have us more uneasy with their health and safety returning to in-person learning. Teachers and TAs were prepared for that, too. Whether it was a face shield with a mask, an extra set of clothes to change into or an additional layer of PPE, the student’s needs were met, and we all returned the next day.

Every district seems to have its own approach and plan. Still, in the end, each plan’s goal is the same: have every student continue to learn and prepare for life after high school and have each person return home safe and healthy.

 

About the Author

Tabitha Monahan, M.A., 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. 

 

Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents (NESCA) is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton and 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.

 

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