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  • Is Your Child Having Trouble with Writing?
    August 28, 2018

    Is Your Child Having Trouble with Writing?

    Is your child having trouble with writing?

    If you ask your child what he or she likes about school, is writing the very last on the list?

    Many children dislike writing or find it very difficult. Why is writing so hard? The issue with writing is that it requires so many skills to work simultaneously.

    For example, your child has to be able to tell a story (Narrative Coherence), express his ideas (Expressive Language), remember words and how to spell them (Visual Encoding), use fine motor coordination skills to physically write letters (Handwriting & Dexterity), and to stay calm in the face of frustration and difficulty (Self-Regulation & Anxiety).

    It can be hard to determine why a child is struggling with writing. If it is possible to narrow down the causes of writing challenges to one or two of the areas mentioned above, it will be easier to target the right intervention. Parents and teachers can help a child achieve success by targeting the area of need. Interventions for challenges with story telling are different from interventions for challenges with handwriting, but both can make writing challenging.

    At Cleape.com, all of these skill areas are described, including what you can do to help https://cleape.com/learning/writing/

    If you continue to have concerns about your child’s writing or other struggles in school, CLEAR Child Psychology can help.

    Started by the psychologists who authored CLEAPE, CLEAR Child Psychology is a primarily web-based psychological practice founded in Broomfield, CO with the goal of making Clinical expertise accessible and reliable (CLEAR). Clear launched services summer 2018 with the mission to: Shorten the time from first concern to diagnosis, free families from the burden of unknowing, and connect kids with the help they need to lead happy lives.

    Call or contact CLEAR today to schedule a $99 consultation with these psychologists to identify strategies and resources to support your child. You can receive help within the same week, at times on the same day you call.

    Call 303-222-7923 or contact us on www.clearchildpsychology.com
  • Parent-Teacher Collaboration: What to Expect and How to Make the Most of Your Relationship
    August 15, 2018

    Parent-Teacher Collaboration: What to Expect and How to Make the Most of Your Relationship

    The idea of parent/teacher meetings can be scary or uncomfortable for parents, particularly when your first child is starting school. It’s your first time navigating parent-teacher relationships.
    CLEAR Child Psychology offers five points for you to consider as your child begins school. Here’s what you should do in those first weeks or months!

    One, get to know your child’s teacher at the beginning of the year. Go to any offered open houses or school tours to meet school personnel. Familiarize yourself with the school and school community.
    Early exchange of information about your child should be positive from teachers and parents. Help your child’s teacher get to know all the wonderful things about him or her and build a relationship before addressing any unique learning needs.

    Two, if you can, volunteer occasionally in your child’s classroom. These opportunities are another way to understand the classroom and to get to know teachers and aides.
    Even spending an hour there once a month will help you gain a better understanding of the classroom structure, flow of the day and other requirements.

    Three, teachers and parents should have open email, note or phone communication so that a child’s needs are met through collaboration.
    Some classrooms will have websites with information about what the children are learning and links to homework and enrichment information.
    Parent-teacher meetings will go more smoothly if you know something about the lessons, homework and day-to-day classroom schedule and interaction.

    Four, as a parent it is important to go into a meeting with your own questions.
    Be prepared to listen to your child’s teacher and also have information to share or questions to ask about assignments, classroom behavior and aptitude.
    If you have concerns that your child is struggling with certain material, share them with his or her teacher so you can be on the same page.
    At the same time, hear a teacher’s praise and concerns, thinking all the time about collaboration to meet your child’s needs.

    Five, Collaboration is key. If you have ideas about what works for your child at home, share those and expect that your child’s teacher will share what works at school.
    For strategies on specific concerns you may have for your child, see www.cleape.com.

    If you come into a parent-teacher meeting with a few ideas for your child’s learning, it is more likely that your child’s teacher will share his or her ideas and collaborate with you to best support your child. Win-win!

    School and home collaboration is the most effective way to support learning and troubleshoot concerns.

    We hope your child has a wonderful school year!
  • How www.cleape.com Can Help Educators
    July 31, 2018

    How www.cleape.com Can Help Educators

    What is CLEAPE?

    Cleape, Knowing What’s the Matter, is a free tool developed to help parents and educators understand a child’s learning needs.

    Developed by clinicians who have worked in schools and who have expertise in areas like school psychology, speech and language pathology, behavioral analysis and occupational therapy, CLEAPE helps parents and educators collaborate and address learning needs.

    What will I find on CLEAPE?

    www.cleape.com has 99 articles on specific concerns a teacher or parent may have for a child. All the articles are free. Each article contains research-based tips and strategies an educator can try in the “What to do” section.

    CLEAPE provides references at the end of each article with up-to-date research.

    References also include books and resources a teacher could use and share with a family or parent to help meet the learning needs of a child.

    Why was CLEAPE developed?

    The MTSS (Multi-tiered Support System) process can feel daunting, which is why CLEAR Child Psychology offers this free resource to encourage collaboration and the use of research-based strategies to meet the needs of a child.

    Reliable information at your fingertips to meet professional requirements

    As classroom teachers know, when parents and/or teachers have concerns for a child, they are required to implement interventions in the classroom that are research-based to address a specific learning need.

    Teachers are required to progress monitor to see if interventions are helpful and to determine if additional supports like a Section 504 Plan or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) are necessary to help a child succeed.

    Access targeted strategies, web-based interventions, and resources

    At times, parents and teachers will find that a child has needs that require a special plan or other team members like a Speech Pathologist or School Psychologist. Share https://cleape.com/professionals/ with parents.

    At other times, teachers and parents will find that a few targeted strategies make all the difference. See https://cleape.com/moving-sensing/handwriting/ for children who have sloppy handwriting. This article provides many strategies a parent and teacher can use to address this issue and help children improve their writing.

    If a child is struggling to learn to read, this article provides helpful web-based interventions and strategies to try as well as resources for parents to seek outside tutoring if reading challenges persist https://cleape.com/learning/basic-reading-skills/. We know from the research that early intervention from parents and teachers for reading leads to the best outcomes. A combination of school support and home support can help a child make faster progress.

    Sometimes a child has a few social challenges that are not evident until he or she is expected to be successful in a classroom. A teacher can provide a parent with great resources to practice social skills by providing this article https://cleape.com/socializing/parallel-play/. Social skills are another example of a skill that responds best to early intervention and strategies from parents and teachers.

    Together, we can improve student outcomes!

    We hope this free resource will lead to early interventions and better outcomes for your students. Please share www.cleape.com with your colleagues.

    Collaborations with parents can improve student outcomes. Please share www.cleape.com with parents at your school.

    Last but not least… Connect with CLEAR

    You are not alone. Be in touch with the clinicians who created www.cleape.com by visiting our sister site www.clearchildpsychology.com. We are available to provide professional development to educators, in addition to other supportive services.