Don’t forget to find us on Facebook! Not only do we share helpful resources, we do live videos of our upcoming events.
With Appreciation,
Christina and Wendy
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education
Thankful-A Contest
Every year, we like to honor those that go above and behind for our children. Maybe it’s your child’s soccer coach that understands what your child needs to be successful on the team. It could also be a dance instructor, art teacher, the general education teacher, special education teacher, a Tae-Kwon-Do instructor, or an after school teacher. Maybe it’s the principal at your child’s school that has shown empathy and understanding and helped created an accommodation for your child. The possibilities are limitless!
We would love to hear who has had a positive influence in helping your child be successful! Please e-mail us your nomination(s) at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com no later than November 16th. Please include the name and the area in which he/she has positively influenced your child.
On Friday, November 17th, we will announce the winning professional and award them with a $50 Target gift card (just in time to use over Thanksgiving break ). Every nomination will receive a handwritten, handmade card of gratitude.
Gratitude will bring more into our lives immediately.-Rhonda Byrne
With Appreciation,
Christina and Wendy
October is ADHD Awareness Month
October is awareness month for ADHD. We wanted to share some resources for understanding ADHD whether it’s for yourself, for you to share with family members, or with your child’s school. Having awareness and understanding is the first step in helping a child.
Read here for understanding symptoms of ADHD:
http://www.chadd.org/Understanding-ADHD/About-ADHD.aspx
Here it uncovers myths and misunderstandings about ADHD:
http://www.chadd.org/Understanding-ADHD/About-ADHD/Myths-and-Misunderstandings.aspx
The Science of ADHD:
http://www.chadd.org/Understanding-ADHD/About-ADHD/The-Science-of-ADHD.aspx
ADHD and Advocacy:
http://www.chadd.org/Advocacy.aspx
Can your child with ADHD receive an IEP or a 504 plan?
http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/add.index.htm
For an excellent magazine on ADD, check out ADDitude:
https://www.additudemag.com
The three types of ADHD:
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/add-adhd/the-3-types-of-adhd
A fabulous website for information on learning and attention:
https://www.understood.org/en
A quick one minute video summarizing ADHD:
http://totallyadd.com/adhd-awareness-minute-no-music/
If you have questions about where to start or how to continue on your journey with ADD/ADHD, our door is always open! Please reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.
With Appreciation,
Christina and Wendy
Please visit ADDitude’s website for more truths about ADHD. https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-is-not-fake/
Teaching Social Skills Cognitively
Typically, we learn social skills in an intuitive way around 3 to 4 years old. When these skills are not learned naturally, it’s important to teach them cognitively in a nonjudgmental way. What does “listen” actually mean? What are the expectations of “listen”? We are excited to help your child learn new skills and tools that he/she can use at home and at school. We look forward to seeing you in a few weeks! E-mail us with any questions. We love connecting with you! confidentsolutions7@gmail.com You can also find useful information under our Upcoming Events tab on our home page.
Helpful Links:
Registration for School Age Social Skills Classes August 20th-October 1st
Middle School OTB Group-Fall Semester
Differences Between Social Skills Group and Middle School Group
Who Benefits From Social Skills Classes?
With Appreciation,
Wendy and Christina
March’s Free Parent IEP Class
Our next free parent/guardian class on understanding the components of an IEP will be held on Wednesday, March 15th. Due to the needs of families, we have a drop in time from 11:00-1:00. Please join us during this time at your convenience and bring your questions. We are finding it to be most helpful for families to have the opportunity to ask individual questions about an IEP process or specific parts of an IEP. We still love to hear that you’re able to drop in! Please send us an e-mail to confidentsolutions7@gmail.com. Classes are held at 9700 Research Dr., Suite 132, Charlotte, NC 28262. We look forward to seeing you!
With Appreciation,
Christina and Wendy
Friday’s Inspiration
Wendy’s son, Michael had an inspiring quote to share today. Our actions, behaviors, awareness, teachings, are all ripples in the pond that create movements and shifts. Here’s to the wisdom of an eleven year old….
Have an inspiring quote from your child to share? We would love to hear it!
Happy Friday everyone. 
With Appreciation,
Christina and Wendy
Social Learning
Recently, we read an article where a physician was quoted as saying kids do “what they can.” This is very true whether we’re talking about children utilizing good social skills, reading on their grade level, or learning math facts. It’s not a child’s “fault” that they are not understanding or implementing good social skills naturally. However, as adults, we tend to have those expectations when it comes to social skills and then try to manage those “behaviors.”
If a child is struggling learning to read, we teach that child unique ways to learn maybe through phonics, or blending patterns. If a child is struggling with concepts in math, we offer ways of support such as tutoring and breaking down the concepts until they understand the steps. Social skills really are the same. In school a student will typically have to pull a card, lose a buck or sit at the quiet table. Teachers and administrators report that a child is struggling understanding and utilizing good social skills but the actual skills are not being taught or supported.
Just like special strategies can be implemented to teach a child to read, there are curriculums and specialists who can teach your child social skills. Both types of teaching express the importance of having a strong support network for your child as well as practicing the skills that are being taught. When we are teaching a child phonics, we would then expect and set up situations where they are practicing the phonic skill. Social skills are the same in that, as children are learning how to “think” about thinking, having a support network of parents/guardians and teachers to help them practice the skills is necessary.
Our social skills classes are called Mindful Thinking for Social Expectations. Our classes run six-week sessions with each session having a unique focus. If this is your first time joining a social skills group or if your child has specific “behaviors” that you are unsure how to teach, we recommend beginning with our self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control classes. We currently are teaching a session on “play” which includes how to enter and engage in play, how to read nonverbal language, and beginning to understand other people have thoughts and perspectives. We keep our class sizes small so the students have the ability to interact and practice the social skills they are learning. This also enables us to offer more individualized instruction.
We also believe empowering parents is important. In conjunction to the student class, we have a parent group that meets at the same time. The parents are learning information on the importance of reinforcing and practicing the skills their child is learning.
We also offer a teacher letter each week so we can connect with your child’s teacher. We feel this is an important piece so he/she can help reinforce the skills your child is learning.
This is a slow and deep process. The focus of our classes are not about “managing” behaviors but rather teaching skills that begins to create a shift for students and parents. Once these skills are learned, the students will be empowered to problem solve social situations that were once difficult for them.
We welcome any questions you have! If you would like to talk with us more about our classes, please reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.
With Appreciation,
Christina and Wendy
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! We hope everyone has had a restful break. We are looking forward to the start of 2017 and everything a new year brings.
Reminders and Updates:
New Social Skills Classes
Next Sunday, January 8th we officially begin our new six-week sessions for our Mindful Thinking for Social Expectations classes. The “Play” class has one opening left for the 3rd-5th graders and a couple of open spots for the K-2nd grade group. If you’re interested in registering, please click here for details Registration Is Now Open. Registration will be open until Saturday, Jan. 7th.
Middle School OTB Club
We would love to have your middle schooler join our OTB Club! Our middle school group begins on Friday, January 13th. For details, please click here Middle Schoolers OTB (Outside The Box) Club
Mindfulness
What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us (thank you http://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/ for the definition). This parent and child class, will be taught once a month by Maria Haretmann. We will be hosting the class on Sunday January 22nd from 12:20-1:00 and again on Sunday February 19th from 12:20-1:00. Each class costs $20.00 which includes a parent and child. Additional children are $7.00. If you would like to sign up, please send us an e-mail at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com and let us know you’re coming! We will send you a PayPal link to reserve your spot.
Free Parent/Guardian Class on Understanding the Components of an IEP
Our next free class on understanding the components of an IEP will be held on Wednesday, January 18th from 10:00-11:00 and 12:00-1:00. If there is a specific part of an IEP that you would like to hear more about, please send us your thoughts to confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.
If you have any questions regarding any of the upcoming classes or sessions, please send them to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com. If you would like to receive our newest posts, you can “follow” our blog by entering your e-mail address on the home screen. You will receive e-mails sent directly to your inbox. We are hoping to add child yoga classes soon. We also have an IEP organizer in the “works.” You won’t want to miss it!
Happy 2017!
With Much Appreciation,
Christina and Wendy
Assume Positive Intent
Advocate-noun. One that supports or promotes the interests of another.
Last night we had a big reminder. Everyone is doing the best they can with what they know. As the school year progresses, we have to continue to remind ourselves that, typically, people don’t want to hurt or cause harm to others. Oh sure, when sitting in meetings, we sometimes run across those who are stubborn or can only think one way about a situation. However, we have found that their intent is not to cause harm to our children. All of our actions and reactions are based on the story we tell ourselves about any given situation. Often times when others know our story and we try to understand their stories, our perspective shifts and we are able to compromise more easily.
Holding true to our mission, we view advocacy as helping the child. Through that, we work on listening to both sides at meetings and bridging the gap between the school and the parent. The focus remains on what is in the child’s best interest with what their current needs are.
Our hope is that school staff can see how lonely and overwhelming this process is for parents. Without meaning to, most schools have set up a us vs. you scenario. Teachers and administrators, when a parent walks in the door, welcome them. Invite them to sit next to you. Offer a hug or word of encouragement. During the meeting, be mindful of how you speak to the parents. Be careful not to talk down to or over their heads.Parents are the people on your team who have the most information about this child. If you feel you are becoming defensive, ask yourself why.
Our hope for the parent is they come in the meeting with an open heart. The teachers sitting around this table typically have worked with many different types of students. They have experience and knowledge of what’s typical at this developmental age and what is not. They know who your child is at school and in class in a way we, as parents can’t know. Honor their thoughts and feelings. Honor their expertise. When you begin to feel defensive, ask yourself why.
When feeling defensive, going back to what matters is important and that is the needs of the child. Not our adult agendas and stories. Putting those aside, we can focus on trying to see and understand the child’s story, their learning difficulties in school, and what he/she needs to “level the playing field” at school to have more successes. There is always a uniqueness about every child that needs to be celebrated and honored. We all need to be the village surrounding the child.
With Appreciation,
Wendy and Christina
And the Winner Is…
Thank you for all of your nominations letting us know how special and unique your child’s teacher is! We have enjoyed reading them!
The winner of the $50.00 Target gift card is Jennifer Flowers with Cabarrus County Schools. She is a first grade teacher who, according to her teacher nomination, has “demonstrated a positive, collaborative, supportive approach of care towards her student as well as the parents”. We are thankful for teachers like Ms. Flowers who are willing to go that extra step helping a child succeed.
Every teacher that was nominated will receive a hand crafted card of thanks.
Wishing your families a Happy Thanksgiving holiday!
With Appreciation,
Christina and Wendy
