These are ‘hot’ topics of interest

Is Testing My Child Worth the Money?

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You might wonder if testing your child is worth the money.  The short answer is, “Yes” because testing provides information about the best way to help your struggling child. It also explains how your child learns and processes information.  Testing your child also helps you understand your child’s self esteem.  Furthermore, the testing process discovers any hidden areas that can be the underlying cause of your child’s struggles.

Think about this. Have you ever purchased a house?  As part of the process you hired a home inspector to spend time doing a thorough inspection to identify problem items that are hidden from your visual inspection.  The home inspector looks for hidden concerns that might cause you future problems.  This money helps you avoid items like a leaky pipe that, if left unrepaired, will cost you a bundle.

In that same spirit, testing your child could identify hidden concerns like anxiety or low self esteem.  If these areas are treated when your child is young, the outcome is much better than if anxiety and low self esteem worsen all the way into adulthood. Likewise, the toll from an unidentified reading learning disability that goes undetected all the way until high school causes your child to harbor a lot of emotional baggage.  These kids often live feeling dumb and like they don’t fit in at school.  They often associate with others who might be prone to risky teen behavior.

Imagine you just haven’t been feeling right for a while and finally go to your doctor who runs tests and tells you that you have stage one cancer. If you start treatment early your prognosis is much better than if you have stage four.  Of course a learning disability is not going to physically cause death but it can cause indirectly lead to life problems that can cause bodily harm.

In my opinion, the moral of the story is the testing is worth the money because it’s an investment in your child that can prevent some serious future problems.

Here’s a quick rundown of what happens during the testing process.

  1. First we meet with parents so you can share your concerns and we can review paperwork that helps us create a unique evaluation to answer your most important questions.
  2. We individually test your child and take a short break at least every 45 to 60 minutes.
  3. We analyze the results and write up a written summary.
  4. Parents meet with us to discuss the results.
  5. Together we create a brief action plan of next steps.

The recommendations offer suggestions for helping at home and in school so most parents share a copy of the report with your child’s school administration.  The school staff review the recommendations and then meet with you to write up an accommodation plan of items they will do at school to help your child.

At the conclusion of the testing process you understand more about your child and what to do to help at home and school.

Contact us if we can help you have more understanding about your child. (561) 625-4125

Selective Mutism in Children

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What is Selective Mutism in Children?
Written by Emily L. Forgan, Ed.S., Nationally Certified School Psychologist

Selective Mutism in Children (SM) is a true anxiety disorder characterized by a child’s inability to speak and communicate effectively in select social settings, such as school (Selective Mutism Center). It is also listed as an anxiety disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5). Selective Mutism is not a child being oppositional or defiant, rather it is a real anxiety based disorder. Children with SM usually have social phobia or social anxiety (Selective Mutism Center), which is a true fear of speaking.

What Does Selective Mutism Look Like?

Selective Mutism comes out in many different ways. A child with SM may not communicate at all or he or she may only communicate nonverbally through gestures and head nodding. Other children may feel comfortable whispering to select individuals or communicating with peers but not adults. A child may be completely verbal at home but not communicate at all when in school or vice versa.

Four Things To Do if You Think Your Child May Have Selective Mutism

It is important to remove all pressure from the child to speak. Communicate to the child that you understand it is difficult for him or her to get the words out and reassure your child that you will help them.   Give your child multiple choices such as, “Do you want juice or milk?”

Focus on praising your child’s accomplishments and efforts, and do not force him or her to talk in settings where they feel uncomfortable (Selective Mutism Center).

Read a children’s book. Mason is Learning to Roar was written by Monique Mondesir, M.D. She has a child with SM and wrote the book to help give children understanding and skills.

If you suspect your child has SM, speak with your pediatrician or find a speech language therapist or psychologist who specializes in social anxiety disorders like selective mutism. One such provider is Dr. Joffe in Coral Springs. http://www.verajoffe.com

Contact us if we can help you help your child. (561) 625-4125

 

Some parts adapted from selectivemutismcenter.org

stress in children

Three Ways to Help Children Manage Stress

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Today’s children feel the pressure of standards based testing, high performance expectations, social media pressure, and complicated family dynamics. It’s no wonder why doctors and psychologists report an uptick in stress and anxiety.

Stress occurs because of a stressor which is simply a thing that causes a stress response.  For example, going to a party where your child might not know anyone is a often a stressful event.  Your child’s body reacts to this and it causes a stressful reaction like an increased heart rate and difficulty focusing.  Anxiety often follows which is the unpleasant feeling of worry that alerts your child to a threat. In this case, “What if other kids laugh at me and think I’m a loner?”

Parents stress to so consider your own stress level.  When you are stressed it can carry over to increase your child’s stress. Do you stress about his grades more than he does?  Doing homework is a stressor for many parents and kids.  Furthermore, there’s a genetic link to anxiety and it often runs in families.  This implies you might be part of the cause of your child’s stress so taking care of your own stress might also help your child’s stress.

Three Ways to Help Children Manage Stress

If you want to help your child decrease his or her stress, try reading children’s books, practicing mindfulness, and limit how much news your child views.  It’s called bibliotherapy when you read your child a children’s literature book about dealing with stress.  Children relate to characters in kids’ books.  What To Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety is a great book for you to read to your child because it uses some of the same techniques professional counselors.

Mindfulness is teaching children to be relaxed and focused by calming their mind and becoming aware of their body.  It helps kids with focus, listening, slowing down, and remaining calm under stress.  You can practice with your child by searching YouTube for kids mindfulness videos.

Limit TV and showing your child the daily news.  Kids are observant and pay attention to more than what you might realize.  Even if they are not watching the news, they are usually listening!  Melissa’s child stressed over the smallest of stories like a dog that was lost and found far away so she obsessed on her family dog getting lost.  Her daughter’s anxiety reached a point that Melissa stopped watching TV news and now gets news online.

I coauthored a book on helping children manage stress that has many other practical ideas you can use right away.  It’s available on Amazon.

About 30% of kids with stress need professional help.  If you’ve tried the above strategies, consider contacting our office to help your child with stress and anxiety.  Another source to find a professional counselor is the South Florida Association of Christian Counselors. You can reach us at (561) 625-4125.

College Learning Disability ADHD Testing in Florida

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Your child may have had accommodations in high school and many of those same accommodations are available in college.  Most universities require updated testing for college learning disability ADHD accommodations which means testing within the last three years.  The most common college accommodations are extended time on tests, distraction reduced testing, small group or individual testing, copies of notes, and preferential seating.  Other college accommodations include using technology such as a tablet or computer to take notes during class.

Less frequent accommodations include having a course substituted or waived, a single dorm room without a roommate, and extended time to complete your degree. Each school’s office for students with disabilities can give you the specific accommodations they provide.  If you had a 504 Plan or IEP in high school it can be helpful to bring that with you to show the types of accommodations you previously received. Colleges do not honor your previous IEP or 504 Plan nor do they write an IEP or 504 Plan but they provide accommodations as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

We do college learning disability ADHD testing for high school and college students so that your paperwork is updated and ready to submit for accommodations.  Testing can be done in one day and your written report with results and specific college recommendations is ready in less than a week.

Florida Universities with College Learning Disability ADHD Accommodations

Below are some of the links to Florida universities so you can obtain additional information directly from the university.

University of Florida Disability Testing

The University of Florida offers accommodations through their Disability Resource Center. According to their website, if you think you need accommodations call the office to set up an intake appointment with one of the learning specialists. https://disability.ufl.edu

Florida State University Disability Testing

Florida State University has a Student Disability Resource Center and according to their website 2100 FSU students receive accommodations. They provide, “academic accommodations, testing support, assistive technologies, and a space for students to feel part of the FSU community.”  Learn more at https://dos.fsu.edu/sdrc/.

University of Central Florida Disability Testing

The University of Central Florida calls their office Student Accessibility Services.  They recommend students set up an appointment to meet with an advisor. Learn more at https://sas.sdes.ucf.edu.

University of South Florida Disability Testing

The University of South Florida has a Students with Disabilities Services office. Once admitted, students can apply for services. According to their website, “Students are responsible for identifying themselves to SDS and present proper medical documentation to receive academic accommodations.” Learn more at https://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/student-disabilities-services/

Florida Gulf Coast University Disability Testing

Florida Gulf Coast University has an Office of Adaptive Services to provide college learning disability ADHD accommodations. Their goal is “To enhance access for students, faculty, staff and guests with disabilities by providing effective reasonable accommodations through educating the campus community and promoting equal access and opportunity”. https://www2.fgcu.edu/Adaptive/.

University of North Florida Disability Testing

The University of North Florida is in Jacksonville, Florida and offers accommodations to students through their Disability Resource Center.  Bring your paperwork into their office and register for accommodations.  You can learn more at http://www.unf.edu/drc/.

University of West Florida Disability Testing

The University of West Florida has a Student Accessibility Resources office. According to their website they “Offer a variety of accommodations and services for students with documented disabilities including learning disabilities, deaf/hard of hearing, blind/low vision, mobility limitations, ADHD, psychiatric and medical conditions.” Find additional information at:  https://uwf.edu/offices/emerald-coast/student-services-resources/student-accessibility-resources/

Palm Beach Atlantic University Disability Testing

Palm Beach Atlantic University has “Disability Services Office.” They offer a guide book and application on their website. https://www.pba.edu/disability-services

Atlantic University Disability Testing

Florida Atlantic University offers Student Accessibility Resources offers resources “Include advocacy, academic accommodations, Assistive Technology equipment/software training, Assistive Technology Computer Lab, Learning Strategies training, and an active student organization.”  They offer services across all campuses. Learn more at http://www.fau.edu/sas/

We can still do college learning disability ADHD testing for other universities even if your university was not listed above.  Call our office (561) 625-4125

Three Reasons to Test Your Child’s IQ

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Have you ever wondered what your child’s IQ score is?  The Mensa high IQ society entrance requirement is an IQ score of 130 or above which means your child’s IQ is above at least 98 out of 100 same age children.  This is also the IQ score required to enter a gifted class.  Here are three reasons to test your child’s IQ.

First, the IQ score provides information about how your child processes information when presented with new challenges.  An IQ test does not have any reading, math, or written expression on it so it measures your child’s new problem solving ability to process information verbally, logically, quickly, and using memory.  You’ll learn about your child’s processing.

A second reason to test your child’s IQ is to establish a baseline for determining his or her ability. Accidents, illnesses, and head trauma may occur at any time during your child’s life and could significantly affect your child’s daily functioning and future earning potential.  If you test your child’s IQ when young, you have a reference for making future comparisons which could be useful in case of a lawsuit.

Third, understanding your child’s IQ may help you with establishing expectations for your child’s performance.  Perhaps you feel like learning should come easier to your child or that you have to push too hard.  Knowing your child’s IQ can help you understand how to guide your child.

Contact us if you’d like to schedule IQ testing for your child (561) 625-4125.