RTSC Consider This... December 2019

Consider This...

Things to Consider in December 2019 from RTSC

News and information about education, research, and support for SESPs; adoptive, foster, and kinship caregivers; and child welfare and education professionals helping children with trauma and other special needs get the most from their education.

Greetings!

Steve Pemberton

Another Successful Year, Another Successful Conference!

Wow, what a year it has been! RTSC has been in the forefront of a lot of changes and growth at the Federation. We have had staff move on to other projects and retire (Elaine, we miss your wisdom and dedication!), while at the same time welcoming Ivone Rego as our new Project Associate, and Eileen Sandberg, as our new Training and Support Specialist for Eastern Mass. I have moved from the Boston office and area to Western Mass. Are you following so far? Thankfully, Renee Williams has been our steadfast Project Director leading us through all of these transitions, while Jean Willoughby continues to serve as our Outreach and Recruitment Specialist. Read More...

10 Simple Steps for Reducing Toxic Stress in the Classroom

We all know that Adverse Childhood Experiences can lead to toxic stress within individuals. But did you know that science also tells us that two things are clear: Early intervention improves outcomes, and safe, stable, nurturing relationships can be healing for children. With nearly 35 million children across the country at risk for toxic stress, what if the person giving the biggest daily dose of healing treatment for toxic stress isn’t a doctor or a therapist, but a teacher or other caring adult in their lives? While sleep, exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness are critical to help children heal the impact of toxic stress, research suggests it is the cumulative dose of positive student and teacher interactions that makes the biggest difference. This article gives some ideas of how to foster these imperative relationships.

Managing Family Holidays and Gatherings

There are several choices we make in life, but family is not one of them. This especially true around the holidays. There are many reasons that family relationships are strained, but it can feel magnified during this hectic time of year. Tarra Bates-Duford, Ph.D., MFT offers some ideas as to why this time of year may be more challenging with family obligations, as well as some different ways to think about handling these gatherings.

Rights Of Special Ed Students Over 18 Ignored, Lawsuit Claims

Although this particular case stems from Texas, in is relevant for students who are turning 18 and still require assistance with making their educational decisions. When a student isn't capable of making their own educational decisions, does the school hold any responsibility to ensure that a guardian is appointed to assist the student? Many parents seek very expensive and time-consuming guardianship of the student, but what if that isn't possible or the student doesn't have a family? Who is responsible?

Building strong teacher-student relationships in the classroom

Strong, positive relationships between teachers and students in the classroom are fundamental to promoting student engagement, social-emotional development, and academic growth. That's why Transforming Education has published a reference regarding the benefits of Student/Teacher Relationships. Positive teacher-student interactions have been found to result in fewer disruptive behaviors from students and longer periods of engaged academic time. Studies suggest that warm and trusting teacher relationships are associated with positive school outcomes –including increased effort, academic self-efficacy, and better grades and standardized test scores. This also benefits the teachers who say that they experience less anger and frustration during their work day.

Children told lies by parents subsequently lie more as adults, face adjustment difficulty

A new study out of Singapore, has looked at the correlation between parents frequency of lying to their children and the effects that it has on the child when they become adults. The analysis found that parenting by lying could place children at a greater risk of developing problems that the society frowns upon, such as aggression, rule-breaking and intrusive behaviors.

How Anxiety Leads to Disruptive Behavior

It’s not uncommon for children with serious undiagnosed anxiety to be disruptive at school , where demands and expectations put pressure on them that they can’t handle. Dr. Nancy Rappaport, a Harvard Medical School professor who specializes in mental health care in school settings, sees anxiety as one of the causes of disruptive behavior that makes classroom teaching so challenging. “Kids who are struggling, not feeling safe at home,” she notes, “can act like terrorists at school, with fairly intimidating kinds of behavior.” Most at risk, she says, are kids with ADHD who’ve also experienced trauma.

Making Marriage Work as Foster Parents

Marriage, as any couple knows is a challenge when finding time to be together as a couple. But as Foster Parents the challenge can be magnified. Dr. John DeGarmo, a foster parent himself, describes in his blog, "being a foster parent can take a great deal of time and energy from you. When you are looking after a child from foster care 24 hours a day, every day, every week, every month, it can be a time consumer and leave little time for you, and your spouse or partner." Dr. DeGarmo discusses the many ways he suggests to help make the relationship work.

Useful Tools and Resources

Holiday Time with Reactive Attachment Disorder

Although this resource is directed at families with children who have Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), it's suggestions applies to many families with children with mental health challenges. Take a look.

Video-Supporting Students With Dysgraphia

Although there is not as much understanding regarding dysgraphia as say dyslexia or ADHD, it is more common than people may realize. Often this disorder is "written off" as lazy handwriting. But it is much more than that. Take a look at this brief video for some supports for students with dysgraphia.

Tips for Helping a Child Who Is Emotionally Dysregulated

In this article, Karli Steffy suggests some ways to help a child who is emotionally dysregulated to become more grounded when being triggered or retriggered. Take a look.

How Anger Affects Your Brain and Body [Infographic – Part 1]

The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine has put together an easy to understand infographic about stress hormones and how they are activated when we become angry and affects our brains.

Upcoming Federation Events

WEBINAR: Engaging Families in Supporting Their Children’s Education

Tuesday, December 17, 2019, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM EDT

Presenter: Leslie Leslie, Project Director/MassPAC, This workshop intends to dislplay what the research says about family engagement; the benefits of family engagement; show the indicators of strong home-school partnerships Learn about Family-School Partnership Fundamentals; describe how to assess your school using the Fundamentals Rubric Understand the Dual Capacity Framework Understand factors motivating family engagement.