Group items tagged

As children head back to the classroom, now is a great time for parents and guardians to talk with your kids about bullying. Here are five tips to help your child prevent bullying and to help them deal with bullying:

Background: In a recent study, 77% of students said they had been bullied mentally, verbally, and physically. 32% of parents fear for their childs physical safety at school. 282,000 students in America are physically attacked each month. The effects of Bullying often have devastating effects on a childs life. Now we can stop Bullies and we can do it FAST. FAST Defense teaches Award Winning assertiveness and self protection skills to effectively protect our children from Bullies. Using simple and effective non-violent conflict resolution skills, FAST Defense playfully gives children ages 6-12 the tools to stop bullies in their tracks. And the confidence gained from the experience empowers them in all other facets of their lives. In a fun and safe environment, this dynamic one hour program effectively teaches our children how to skillfully deal with bullies: Avoiding common playground altercations How to handle name calling and teasing Protecting personal space and possessions Assessing appropriate defense and how NOT to start a fight Verbal skills to back off a Bully Team strategies to work together to stop Bullying Physical escapes from grabs or pushes Confidence and Assertiveness Training for all walks of life. What: A 1.5 hr Assertiveness and Confidence Training for Kids ages 9-14 Where: Billings Sportsplex 5000 Southgate Blvd. (406) 839-9080 When: Saturday, May 21, 2011 10:00am Mountain Cost: Free Contact: Keri or Jamie at (406) 839-9080 Brought to you by FAST Montana, Billings Chi-Tu Do, www.billingschitudo.com & the Billings Sportsplex, www.billingsplex.com

It looks like all the school districts that have cut back or eliminated recess and physical education classes in order to spend more time on test prep are on the wrong track. According to results from a 3,000 student high school out in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Illinois, putting students who struggle in reading and math into physical education classes can shrink waistlines and boost academic performance.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Facts, diagnosis, treatment, questions and answers, data and statistics, research, screening tools, training and education resources, and free materials for consumers and health professionals. Includes materials in Spanish and Russian. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic & Prevention Network Screening, diagnostic, surveillance, intervention, prevention, and training tools for health professionals, social service providers, and researchers. Includes diagnostic software, instructions on using a four-digit diagnostic code, and photographs to use in diagnosis. Medline Plus: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Information for consumers including overviews, news, research tools, reference material, and links to additional information sources. National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) An online information packet, electronic newsletters, public service announcements, a national and state-by-state resource directory, a list of NOFAS state affiliates, and tools for educators, including a school-based FASD education and prevention curriculum http://www.nofas.org/about/K-12Curriculum.htm> developed in partnership with CDC. PubMed Over 18 million citations and abstracts from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles indexed by the National Library of Medicine back to the 1950s, with links to full text articles when available. Search tips: Enter the term “fetal alcohol syndrome” or the term “fetal alcohol spectrum” in the Search box. Click the Limits tab, and choose the box for Humans and the box for English (or other desired language). Limit the search by date to retrieve only more recent items. SAMHSA Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence Downloadable fact sheets and brochures, links to state resources and legislations, model programs, a publications database, and training courses. University of Wisconsin, Madison: Pregnancy and Alcohol Information on alcohol and pregnancy and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, including fact sheets, self-help guides, research findings, and answers to frequently asked questions. Expert advice offered via e-mail or toll-free information line (800) 752-3157.

In her last post, Parent Contributor Ellyn Levy discussed the experience of getting an initial Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for her teenage daughter. Now, Ellyn’s daughter is a successful college graduate, and Ellyn is back to share the lessons she has learned in advocating for her daughter throughout her learning disability (LD) journey.

The hardest part about dyslexia is the loneliness. The same is true if you’re the parent of a dyslexic child. Feeling cut off from your friends, your school or, worse, your child, is tremendously painful.People tend to focus on the functional challenges: spelling tests, chapter books, standardized tests. But it’s the secret fears about how dyslexia will play out that hold us back the most. In writing my book, a plan to help parents of dyslexic kids avoid some of the pitfalls that my parents and I faced, I documented and debunked some of the most common fears. Talking about them with a community you can trust is like putting sunlight on a muddy road. With enough time, the fear will evaporate like the water in the mud and you can begin focusing on how to move forward.

The concepts are simple: Don't bully, help those who are being bullied and tell an adult what's going on. Pearre tries to reinforce the idea that the bully doesn't act alone. The community can take away the bully's power by refusing to cheer him on, by telling an adult, or perhaps the ultimate step: stepping in to help the victim.

Behind Cornell University’s successful run to the Sweet 16 this week is the inspiration of a couple of young people with autism. And the team’s coach would have it no other way. As the Cornell basketball team tore through Temple and Wisconsin and gets ready to face Kentucky, coach Steve Donahue has been getting coaching advice from an unexpected source — Jason McElwain, or J-Mac, who became a national sensation four years back when he scored 20 points during the last four minutes of his high school basketball game.