Autism College to present free live Q&A with author Tom Fields-Meyer

September 10, 2011

Autism College will present a free live Q & A on Monday, September 19, from 6:00 to 7:00pm PST with Tom Fields-Meyer, moderated by Chantal Sicile-Kira. Tom is the author of the recently published book: FOLLOWING EZRA: What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love from His Extraordinary Son, moderated by Chantal Sicile-Kira. Sign up for this webinar at the bottom of this post. The publisher has generously agreed to send a free copy of the book to one of the Q & A participants, so send in a question and you may get more than just an answer!   

About the book, from the Following Ezra website:

When Tom Fields-Meyer’s son Ezra was a toddler and showing early signs of autism, a therapist suggested that the father allow himself time to mourn.

“For what?” he asked.

The answer: “For the child he didn’t turn out to be.”

That moment helped strengthen Tom’s resolve to do just the opposite: to celebrate the child Ezra was becoming, a singular boy with a fascinating and complex mind. Full of unexpected laughs, poignant moments and remarkable insights, Following Ezra is the riveting story of a father and son on a ten-year adventure, from Ezra’s diagnosis to the dawn of his adolescence. An engaging account of a father gradually uncovering layers of a puzzle, it rejoices in each new discovery and exults in the boy’s evolution from a remote toddler to an extraordinary young man, connected to the world in his own astounding ways.

Unlike other parenting memoirs, Following Ezra isn’t about a battle against a disease, nor is it a clinical account of searching for doctors, therapies or miracle diets. Instead, Fields-Meyer describes—with humor and tenderness—the wondrous, textured, and often surprising life one experiences in raising a unique child.

“This story will illuminate the experience of parenting a child with autism for those who don’t know it, and will resonate with those of us who know it all too well,” says novelist Cammie McGovern. “There are blessings along the way, and Tom Fields-Meyer depicts them beautifully.”

About the author, from  the  Following Ezra website:

Tom Fields-Meyer has been writing stories for popular audiences for nearly three decades, specializing in telling meaningful and worthwhile narratives with humanity, humor and grace. In twelve years as senior writer at People, he produced scores human-interest pieces and profiles of newsmakers. He penned articles on some of the biggest crime stories of the day (from the O.J. Simpson trial to the murder of Matthew Shepherd), profiled prominent politicians and world leaders (Nancy Pelosi, Pope John  Paul II, Sen. Ted Kennedy), and demonstrated a pitch-perfect touch writing tales of ordinary people overcoming life’s challenges in inspiring and compelling ways.

Tom also lends his skills to help others to put their compelling personal narratives into words. He teamed up with the late Eva Brown, a popular speaker at The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance, to write Brown’s memoir, If You Save One Life: A Survivor’s Memoir (2007). Wiesenthal executive director Rabbi Marvin Hier called the book “very significant and meaningful…an everlasting and important legacy…and a reminder to future generations that championing tolerance, justice and social change are everyone’s obligation.”

Tom collaborated with Noah Alper, founder Noah’s Bagels, the successful West Coast chain, on Alper’s memoir: Business Mensch: Timeless Wisdom for Today’s Entrepreneur (2009). Publisher’s Weekly said: “This earnest book shines with Alper’s conviction, business savvy and decency.”

In September 2011, NAL/Penguin Books will publish Tom’s memoir, Following Ezra: What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love from His Extraordinary Son. Full of tender moments and unexpected humor, the book tells the story of a father and son on a ten-year journey from Ezra’s diagnosis to the dawn of his adolescence. It celebrates Ezra’s evolution from a remote toddler to an extraordinary young man, connected in his own remarkable ways to the world around him.

Tom previously worked as a news reporter and feature writer for the Dallas Morning News, where he covered the kinds of stories that happen only in Texas (shootouts in Country-Western dance halls, culture pieces on the State Fair) and once was dispatched to Nevada to investigate a road designated by AAA as “America’s loneliest highway.” As a senior editor at the Chronicle of Higher Education, he traveled the nation’s campuses and once convinced his editor to send him on a 10-day junket aboard a schooner in the Bahamas (an assignment he came to regret, not just because of seasickness). Tom’s writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and Esquire.

A graduate of Harvard University, Tom lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Rabbi Shawn Fields-Meyer, and their three sons.

To sign up for the webinar, please signup for our newsletter here. Already signed up for the newsletter? Click here

 

What is sensory processing disorder, and how is it related to autism?

July 10, 2011

Although a sensory processing disorder is not considered a qualifying characteristic for a diagnosis of autism, I have yet to meet a  person on the autism spectrum who does not have a challenge in this area. In interviewing adults and teenagers of different ability levels for my book, Autism Life Skills (Penguin 2008), most of them stated sensory processing challenges as the number one difficulty for them, regardless of where they were on the spectrum.

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a neurological disorder that causes difficulties with processing information from the five senses: vision, auditory, touch, olfaction, and taste, as well as from the sense of movement (vestibular system), and/or the positional sense (proprioception). For those with SPD, sensory information is sensed, but perceived abnormally. Unlike blindness or deafness, sensory information is received by  people with SPD; the difference is that information is processed by the brain in an unusual way that causes distress, discomfort, and confusion.

For those interested in knowing more about auditory processing, Autism College will present a free live Q & A on the topic on Tuesday, July 19, 2011 from 6:00 to 8:00pm  PST with visiting professor Terrie Silverman, MS, and with Chantal Sicile-Kira moderating. You may sign up here.

Sensory processing – making sense of the world – is what most adults conveyed to me as the most frustrating area they struggled  with as children, and this impacted every aspect of their lives – relationships, communication, self-awareness, safety and so on.  Babies and toddlers learn about the new world around them  by using their senses. At first they put everything in their mouths, they grab your finger with their little fists, then they start using their eyes to look at all those cute baby mobiles hanging over the crib. They learn to recognize the sound of their mother and father’s voices and  other noises.  They start putting meaning to what they are hearing and seeing. The lesser known senses that have to do with balance and body position (vestibular – where are heads and bodies are in relation to the earth’s surface;  and propioceptive -where a certain body part is and how it is moving) are also necessary in order to making meaning of the world around. If  these  are not working properly and are not in synch, they acquire   a distorted view of the world around them and also of themselves.

Most parents and educators are familiar with how auditory and visual processing challenges can effect learning in the classroom. Yet, for many, sensory processing difficulties are a lot more complicated  and far reaching than that. For example, Brian King, Ph.D, a licensed clinical social worker who has Asperger’s, explained that body and spatial awareness are difficult for him because the part of his brain that determines where his body is in space (propioception) does not communicate with his vision. This means that when he walks he has to look at the ground because otherwise he would lose his sense of balance.

Temple Grandin, Ph.D, (Thinking in Pictures, Animals in Translation) is an animal scientist, and successful livestock handling equipment designer. Temple designed and built a deep touch pressure device ‘squeeze machine’ when she was a teenager as she needed the deep pressure to overcome problems of oversensitivity to touch, and helped her cope with feelings of nervousness.

Donna Williams, Ph.D, bestselling author, artist, musician, had extreme  sensory processing challenges as a child and still has some, but to a lesser degree.  Donna talks about feeling a sensation in her stomach area, but not knowing if her bladder is full, or  if it means her stomach hurts because she is hungry.  Other adults mentioned that they share the same challenge especially when experiencing sensory overload in crowded noisy areas.  They shared that they set their  cell phones to ring every two hours, to  prompt them to use the restroom,  in order to  avoid a potentially embarrassing situation.

Many adults on the spectrum find it difficult to  tolerate social situations. Meeting a new person can be overwhelming –  a different voice, a different smell and a different visual stimulus – meaning that difficulties with social relationships are not  due to just  communication, but are about the total sensory processing experience. This could explain why a student can learn effectively or communicate with a familiar teacher or paraprofessional, but not a new one.

Many difficulties shared to varying degrees include:

  • Many  on the spectrum are mono-channel – meaning that they can only process one of their  senses at a time. This means that if they are listening and processing the information through their auditory sense, they cannot ‘see’  or process what they are looking at,  and vice versa.
  • Being overly sensitive to noise is a common feature. A baby or toddler may not respond to voices and other sounds or cover his ears every time there is a sound. Parents or the doctor may think the child is deaf and request hearing assessment. Other challenges include the inability to filter what is being heard so that if a person is speaking to them, they are unable to focus  just on the voice.  They hear all the background noise (ie, the hum of the refrigerator) at the same level as the voice.
  • Lights may be too bright to the point of being painful, especially fluorescent lights.  This effects the  visual processing of  what  they are looking at in that they may not see the whole picture, but pieces – kind of like some of the portraits painted by Picasso. A child may be looking intently at a book cover, but actually only ‘seeing’ the tiny little flower in the grass and not the whole scene of the farmhouse setting.
  • The feel of anything on the skin may be irritating to the point that it feels like sandpaper to some. Clothing and tags and socks and shoes can be unbearable for some; others may be able only to tolerate loose clothing made of really soft cotton. For some, brushing up against another person in the street or school hallways can be excruciating.
  • A heightened sense of smell can be a problem for some. Smelling something unpleasant and strong with no knowledge of what it is or where it is coming from can be very scary.
  • Overactive taste buds or underactive taste buds can create challenges in getting a child to eat. Add to that  the inability to tolerate certain foods because of the sensitivity to texture in their mouths, and you can imagine why many on the spectrum start out as picky eaters.
  • Many children on the spectrum have  challenges  in coordination and motor planning  tasks in one area or another, such as tying their shoes, or playing sports.
  • When there are too many sensory challenges at once, the person can  experience sensory overload, resulting in a behavioral meltdown. For some this may mean running away to escape for others, for others a tantrum, and still other extreme rocking and self- stimulatory behavior.
  • Many see the detail, but have a hard time seeing the whole. First example, they may see the eyes, nose and mouth like a Picasso painting, but not see the whole face.
  • Some may crave spinning and / or rocking,   the vestibular system that has to do with balance.
  • Some adults report that they do not have awareness of where they are in space and need to look constantly at the ground  in front of them to keep their balance even when walking.
  • Adults have described how many of the problems they face such as social relationships to be in large part due to sensory processing.

 

 

Free live Q & A on Tues July 19, 2011: Auditory Processing with Terrie Silverman.

July 5, 2011

Autism College will present a free live Q & A on Tuesday, July 19, 2011 from 6:00 to 8:00pm  PST with visiting professor Terrie Silverman, MS, and with Chantal Sicile-Kira moderating. The topic will be auditory processing and autism, and Auditory Integration Therapy. Sign up below.

Does your child   have difficulty coping with specific sounds; struggle with understanding what he/she hears;or shut down or struggle when there is much background noise? Does he or she hum or talk to himself/herself; have trouble with articulation, sound flat without inflection; or have trouble understanding what you say?   Your child may have auditory processing difficulties.  Tune in to hear what Terrie has to say. You’ll have the opportunity to send in some questions. Sign up below.

Terrie Silverman, M.S. received her master’s degree in speech/language pathology in 1973 from Rutger’s University and was trained in November 1992 as an Auditory Integration Training Practitioner. Ms. Silverman has been working with children, adolescents and adults with autism and developmental disabilities since 1974, in public schools, private schools, state and private residential facilities, group home settings, as a consultant, and with multidisciplinary teams in hospitals, clinics, schools and state programs.

Ms. Silverman and her staff have provided Berard Auditory Integration Training throughout the United States to over 2800 individuals. Ms. Silverman was Director of a Richmond, Virginia nonprofit agency for 12 years, where she created several programs to support families who were raising an individual with a developmental disability. Ms. Silverman was on the Board of Directors and was a member of SAIT, the Society for Auditory Intervention Techniques, and when it developed into a worldwide organization called BAITIS, the Berard Auditory Integration Training International Society, in 2007, Ms. Silverman was elected to the Board of Directors. She is a long time member of the Autism Society of America (ASA) and Developmental Delay Resources (DDR), as well as many other disability organizations. Terrie Silverman is a Berard Certified AIT practitioner. For more information go here.

Will mouthing objects interfere with my son’s speech development?

May 23, 2011

This was first published in my “Ask Chantal” column in the Autism File magazine.

Dear Chantal,

My son has been diagnosed with autism since he was 3 years old.  He will be 5 years old in June of this year but he is still mouthing a lot of things.  He loves to put his toys likes legos or blocks and any other items around him in his mouth and will bite them.  My son is non verbal although he is currently talking in baby language and making noises.  I have tried explaining to him using sign and facial expression not to mouth the things around him.  I believe he understands what I am saying as he stops doing it and then after a few seconds he starts to mouth the things again.  I have been giving him the chewy tubes recommended by the occupational therapist and he chews them for awhile and then throws them away and seeks to mouth other things.  He loves to feel the water by rubbing some water or even soap with both the palms of his hands and then runs them through his lips to sense it.  I am so worried as I have tried everything even massaging his checks and using an electric toothbrush.  A speech and language therapist that saw my son said that it is possibly his sensory concerns that is stopping his speech from coming on.  I am so worried as I do not want this stopping my son’s ability from talking and am also concern that this habit will not stop until he grows up.

Your advice and guidance on this matter is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

With best regards,

Suha

Dear Suha,

It is a very good sign that your son is talking in baby language and making sounds- these are precursors to true language. Luckily, from what you say your son is only mouthing, and not eating these other objects, which would be far more serious.  In regards to the oral fixation, all babies go through a period where they are mouthing everything to explore their environment, and perhaps he is going through that developmental stage now, as well. However, you are right to be concerned as these  kinds of  oral hyposensitive issues are common with children with autism, and we can’t just hope our children will outgrow them. Mouthing objects shouldn’t interfere, but you do want to work on strengthening and toning the oral area and articulators. Usually as these areas strengthen the mouthing will decrease. It would be a good idea  to talk about this with an Occupational therapist that is experienced with that age group fo children with autism and with sensory integration challenges. Here is a website that may be helpful with some ideas : http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/oral-sensitivities.html.  Also, try to find a parent mentor to ask about similar situations and what has helped, by visiting the TACA website http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/index.htm I would continue to offer him safe items to chew on, but I would also suggest that you encourage him to use his baby talk, verbal sounds more and more by trying to get him to  sing with you, and engaging him in ‘conversation,’  ie back and forth verbal exchanges even if just sounds. The more practice he has using his sounds appropriately (in a fun way) and using those mouth muscles,  the more possibility of him using his sounds to speak.  Also, if he is busy trying to sing and speak with you, he can’t be mouthing at the same time.

Chantal

Tips on getting your child with autism the right education

April 12, 2011

As described in a earlier post,  your child has the right to a free and appropriate education under The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act  (IDEA) and you must learn to advocate for your child.  Following are some tips in regards to ensuring that your child gets the educational help he or she needs:

  • Know what your child’s educational needs are.
  • Learn about the educational strategies that work the best for students that resemble yours on the autism spectrum.
  • Learn what you can about your local school district. School districts vary depending upon the administrators in charge and how they are funded. What do parents and professionals  in your area have to say about the different  districts?
  • In some geographical areas there are knowledgeable educational consultants who can help. Try to find one experienced  with the level of autism your child has by asking knowledgeable parents in your area if they have used one.
  • Get to know the different school options in your area. What  do parents and professionals  have to say about the different classes and school sites?
  • Learn about IDEA and “No Child Left Behind” and what the parent’s duties as well as what the school’s duties are in terms of the education of children.
  • Visit different types of classrooms and different school before making a decision regarding your child’s educational program.
  • Develop and maintain good relationships with school staff, educators and other professionals there to help your child, as well as in the community.
  • Keep good records of any phone calls, meetings, conversations about your child.
  • Keep good records of all assessments and IEP’s.
  • Do not be afraid to ask questions, and do not feel intimidated by the professionals. Remember you are the expert on your child.
  • Monitor your child’s progress and educational program.
  • Keep focused on your goal – a free and appropriate education for your child.

Remember, an informed parent is the best advocate for your child! Read more in my book, Autism Spectrum Disorders. Tips on how to communicate and negotiate more effectively with your school will be given in the course Empowerment Strategies for the ASD Parent.

New to Autism? How to Cope

March 16, 2011

Recently, I posted a blog on the Autism College website entitled : “My child has just been diagnosed with autism, how do I cope with this?” Parents new to the world of autism usually have a tough time after getting the diagnosis. Parents learning to cope  may find the following tips helpful:

• First, acknowledge your feelings, and allow yourself to feel the emotions that are there. These emotions, may come back time and again, but you will learn to cope.

• Know that the emotions you feel as a parent of a child with autism, has been compared to the stages of grief that  person goes through when mourning the death of a loved one.

• Recognize what you are feeling and try to use those emotions to your benefit. If you are angry, use that energy to find out all you can and advocate for your child (just be careful not to take out your anger on those that are there to help you). If you are feeling isolated, join a support group. If you are feeling powerless, go on the internet and do some research to learn about what options you have for your child, or which advocacy group exists in your state (every state has one) for the developmentally disabled community.

• Keep in mind you are not mourning the death of your child, you are mourning the loss of your expectations. The child you have may not be the child you were expecting, but he still needs you and loves you.

• Reach out and find an autism support group in your area that can help you feel less isolated and can help you with information.

• Find out all you can that can help your child so you can make the right choices. Empower yourself with the knowledge you need to help your child the best way that you can.

• Take care of your self. Just like in an airplane where the flight attendant instructs you in case of an accident, to put the oxygen mask on yourself before you help your child; you come first. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to help your child.

At Autism College, we can help you as we help other parents coping with autism. Our Parent Empowerment Course can assist with some information such as how to know what will help your child, and the affects of autism on siblings and grandparents. Our free Library will  grow and we are adding information you can use. Two of my books might be really helpful to you at this time: Autism Spectrum Disorders (an  ASA Book of the Year) and 41 Things to Know About Autism.

 

New to Autism? How to Cope

March 9, 2011

Parents new to the world of autism usually have a tough time after getting the diagnosis. Parents  learning to cope with the diagnosis of  autism may  find the following tips helpful:

  • First,  acknowledge your feelings, and allow yourself to feel the emotions that are there. These emotions, may come back time and again, but you will learn to cope.
  • Know that the emotions you feel  as a parent of a child with autism, has been compared to the stages of grief that a dying person goes through.
  • Recognize what you are feeling and try to use those emotions to your benefit. If you are angry, use that energy to find out all you can and advocate for your child (just be careful not to take out your anger on those that are there to help you). If you are feeling isolated, join a support group. If you are feeling powerless, go on the internet and do some research to learn about what options you have for your child, or which advocacy group exists in your state (every state has one) for the developmentally disabled community.
  • Keep in mind you are not mourning the death of your child, you are morning the loss of your expectations. The child you have may not be the child you were expecting, but he still needs you and loves you.
  • Reach out and find an autism support group in your area that can help you feel less isolated and can help you with information.
  • Find out all you can that can help your child so you can make the right choices. Empower yourself with the knowledge you need to help your child the best way that you can.
  • Take care of your self. Just like in an airplane where the flight attendant instructs you in case of an accident, to put the oxygen mask on yourself before you help your child; you come first.  If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to help your child.

At Autism College, we can help you as we help other parents coping with autism. Our Parent Empowerment Course can help you with some information such as how to know what will help your child, and the affects of autism on siblings and grandparents. Our free Library will have information you can use (coming soon!).  Two of my books would be really helpful to you at this time:  Autism Spectrum Disorders, and 41 Things to Know About Autism.

Putting Yourself First

November 7, 2010

This past week, I finally made it to the RoadRunner store to buy a pair of running shoes. I have not been getting my normal amount of exercise (walking or elliptical, plus core strengthening) and I was feeling it. Lethargic, less energy and putting on weight. And when I did exercise, my sneakers were so worn I was worried about my back and left right knee (go ahead and laugh if you are under 35, you’ll soon understand what I’m talking about….). I knew it had been a while since I had bought a new pair – but when I got to the checkout – I was told my current sneakers were purchased in July 2009. YIKES!

How did I let exercise – the one thing that keeps me healthy and sane (OK, maybe not sane but at least behaving appropriately in public settings) slide off my schedule?

Upon reflection, what has happened in the last two years is that I had put myself on the bottom of both the “scheduling support people for Jeremy list” and  the “to-do list.”  Parents and educators,  you know what I mean – you all do it. When you have special needs children your life can get swallowed up by your child’s or student’s needs.  I have been squeezing in my writing (ie paid work), my socializing (ie refreshing my social skills) and my exercise (ie keeping healthy) around Jeremy’s needs and everyone’s schedule.

I often tell parents and educators  during my presentations that they have to take time for themselves. Like the cabin crew tells you on the plane – you have to put your oxygen mask on first before you can help anyone else. Same goes for real life. If you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will, and you won’t be  any good to anyone else. So please, do as I say and not as I  have been doing.

Now, I’m putting my priorities first on the schedule. Everything else is secondary. (At least till the new shoes get a little mileage on them).

Self-Advocacy is a Needed Life Skill for Students on the Autism Spectrum Headed to College

October 17, 2010

Psychology Today blog, October 17, 2010 – Yesterday, as I was presenting on Autism Life Skills in Grand Junction, Colorado, I discussed the need for teaching self- advocacy to high school students with autism, including Asperger’s Syndrome..  At the end, a parent approached me and said she was shocked to learn that once their child on the spectrum graduates from high school, reaches the ripe old age of 18 and is planning to attend college, a parent is no longer the person responsible education-wise: the student is. This means that when they are  18 years of age and are college students, the college contacts the student, not the parent. If the student will be requiring any kind of accommodations, he or she – not the parent – will need to ask for them  and discuss the need with Disabled Student Services.

This is why it is important that before they graduate form high school, students  know how to advocate for their needs. This includes having a good idea of what their disability is and how to describe it, what kind of learning style they have, their strengths as well as their weaknesses, and know what accommodations they will need. These students should know their rights, be able to discuss the accommodations, and know how to carry on a conversation and convince the college of their need. Some Disabled Student Services are knowledgeable and helpful to  students on the autism spectrum, others are still more comfortable with students that have a physically challenging condition, and have a difficult time with those who have an ‘invisible disability’.

All students on the spectrum need to learn self-advocacy skills,  but those heading to college need to learn them before they  graduate. If you are a parent or an educator of a high school student,  have self-advocacy goals addressed in the  IEP (Individualized Educational Program) or ITP  (Individualized Educational Program).  High school is the best place for him or her to start learning these skills, if he or she  has not already done so. For some information on transitioning from high school to college, check out  Catching the Wave from Grossmont College, a community college in the San Diego area. Some of the resources and facts may apply only to California, but there is a lot of good information for high school educators and parents to consider.

Jeremy Sicile-Kira

Jeremy Sicile-Kira

Back to School : how to prepare your teen for a new school year

September 2, 2010

It’s that time of the year again – school is starting up again soon, along with our hopes and expectations for a positive learning experience for our teens. Some maybe returning to the same school; others may be moving from middle school up to high school, or changing from high school to a transition program; others may only be changing classrooms or teachers. Whatever the situation, any type of transition or change can be stressful for a teen on the spectrum. The start of a new school year can also be stressful for parents and teachers.

I first posted this article on the Examiner.com last August (2009), but it is still useful information so I am reposting now.

On August 15th,2009, I presented at the annual “Back to School”  Autism / Asperger conference in Pasadena and had the opportunity to refresh my memory on some good readiness skills for the start of the new school year. A2Z Educational Advocates based in Pacific Palisades had some good tips to share in a “Back to School Guide” they were handing out. Following are some tips from both the “Back to School Guide” and from my book Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum to help the transition go smoothly for your teen or student:

  • If  your student is moving to a new school or classroom, take photos or videos of the new environment, including the areas he/she will be walking through. If possible, take the teen to the new location before school starts and practice walking around the empty campus. Have him /her notice some visual landmarks he/she  will be able to see when the campus is full of students, and explain to him/her how to use these as points of references when walking from one place to another.
  • Prime your teen by talking to him/her  about the upcoming school year, the teacher and expectations, as well as any fears or concerns your teen has. Creating a photo album together or writing social stories can be very helpful. Even if your teen does not have good communication skills or is non-verbal, he/she can  learn to  understand and make the connection, so it is worth the effort to take the extra time to do this. Going over the appropriate behaviors and social interaction for the school environment can also be helpful. Many students find having a set of ‘rules’  for school behavior helpful. Focus on the positive!
  • Help your teen get organized to prepare for the school year.
  1. Use color-coded folders to organize the work for the different classes.
  2. Get a planner for your teen. Many schools have a homework planner, and your teen can use this to keep track of homework assignments. Show him/her  how to write his assignments in the planner and reinforce him/her  for doing so through out the school year.
  3. Designate a spot in your teen’s backpack for forms, notes and so on that come home from school, and make sure your teen and the school staff know where that is.
  4. If your teen is fully included in a school that follows block scheduling such as in some North San Diego County high schools (one day is periods 1,3,5; the next day is periods 2,4,6) you may wish to consider having two separate backpacks for the two different block days days.
  5. If your teen needs assistance to organize himself and stay organized (as mentioned above), his / her IEP may need to include accommodations, strategies, and goals related to learning these skills. Being able to get and stay organized is an important life skill everyone needs to learn

In my next column, tips on how to make the transition back to school easier for parents and teachers will be discussed.

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