Using a Communication Book: Staying in Touching with School

Home and school communication plays an important role in any child's academic success, but for the special needs child this is even more true. Many special needs students are unable to accurately recall the events of the day. Others may not have sufficient verbal skills to be able to tell Mom and Dad what happened at school. The parent-teacher communication book provides a valuable tool for exchange of information, and is also an informal way to build a stronger relationship between the special needs family and the staff who see the child at school.

What is a home and school communication book?

A communication book is any tool that allows for informal, regular exchange of information between school and home, and back again. Some people prefer to use a few lines in the student's school agenda, some create folders or binders that use a customized form to be filled in at school and home. Still others, like our family, prefer a blank composition book or diary with no predetermined format. Although it is often designated a parent-teacher communication book, it can be read or written in by other adults too. This includes professionals and paraprofessionals at school, or other caregivers and educators who see the child outside of school hours.

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School Supplies for Students with ADHD

Attention deficit disorders (ADD and ADHD) are generally diagnosed using a checklist of symptoms. One of those symptoms is often losing materials necessary for a task - like school supplies or textbooks. While some people may think that hyperactivity is the most obvious sign that a child has ADHD, for our daughter the first sign that all was not well at school was definitely that she constantly lost or forgot things.

Kids who have attention deficit disorders don't like to forget things, and they like it even less when their disability gets them in trouble at home or school. As the adults responsible for helping them get a good education, it is up to parents and teachers to help kids with ADHD develop strategies to overcome their attention deficit, and to give them tools that will help guarantee their academic success.

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