Teaching Kids with Mental Health and Learning Disorders
About.com Rating
The Bottom Line
Whether you're a teacher, counselor, school psychologist, administrator or teaching assistant/aide, you will find this book extremely enlightening. You'll find very practical classroom strategies and interventions to try out immediately. You'll learn about the behaviors and symptoms to look for along with the best practices to support, motivate and maximize learning for students struggling with mental and learning disorders.
The author also takes you down the path of some of the latest approaches to intervention procedures which helps you make your own decisions as to whether or not to implement them.
Pros
Cons
Description
Guide Review - Teaching Kids with Mental Health and Learning Disorders
One of the first things I do when I review a book is look for the 'evidence' or research. This book certainly didn't let me down as it makes many references to the 'numbers'. For instance: only about 25 percent of children needing mental health care receive necessary professional attention, and 70 to 80 percent of those children receive that attention in a school setting. (Myles L. Cooley, Ph.D.)
You will discover many expert suggestions on what to do along with what not to do when trying to curb inappropriate behaviors and maximize student learning. You will also find the answers to the many questions you may have which include:
The Bottom Line
Whether you're a teacher, counselor, school psychologist, administrator or teaching assistant/aide, you will find this book extremely enlightening. You'll find very practical classroom strategies and interventions to try out immediately. You'll learn about the behaviors and symptoms to look for along with the best practices to support, motivate and maximize learning for students struggling with mental and learning disorders.
The author also takes you down the path of some of the latest approaches to intervention procedures which helps you make your own decisions as to whether or not to implement them.
Pros
- Teaches You How to Teach and Recognize Students with both Mental Health and Learning Disorders
- User Friendly and Easy to Read and Understand
- Focuses on the Inclusional Model, Supporting in the Regular Classroom
- Well Researched and Written by a Trained Professional: Dr. M.L. Cooley
- Up to Date Information
Cons
- Overview on the Many Disabilities - Greater Depth needed to Focus on Any Specific One
Description
- Extremely practical advice, to the point of giving you examples of actual words to use when talking to parents.
- You will find very specific examples of things to do, rules to use and practical consequences to follow up with.
- Great templates and checklists for self monitoring, behavior modification, concept mapping, and venns etc.
- You'll find that each section has great checklists to help you assess strengths/needs and symptoms. Easy to use.
- Specific strategies based on best practices are spelled out for you for each of the disorders discussed in the book.
- Specific interventions on best practices in the form of a checklist are given for each of the disorders addressed.
- For each chapter on a disorder, you'll find a paragraph devoted to the type of professional treatment available.
- You'll also find many true-to-life examples of actual students and their specific situations.
- 'Look fors' are present with each disorder discussed. The look fors are relevant and research based. Makes observation easy!
- Overall, this book is a must have guide for educators. I don't know how anyone in today's classroom survives without one.
Guide Review - Teaching Kids with Mental Health and Learning Disorders
One of the first things I do when I review a book is look for the 'evidence' or research. This book certainly didn't let me down as it makes many references to the 'numbers'. For instance: only about 25 percent of children needing mental health care receive necessary professional attention, and 70 to 80 percent of those children receive that attention in a school setting. (Myles L. Cooley, Ph.D.)
You will discover many expert suggestions on what to do along with what not to do when trying to curb inappropriate behaviors and maximize student learning. You will also find the answers to the many questions you may have which include:
- What is Response to Intervention (RTI) and is it beneficial?
- How do I know if a learning disability is directly linked with a mental disorder?
- How can I successfully approach parents with my concerns and suggestions?
- What are the symptoms I should be looking for?
- What are the interventions I should be using?
- How can I meet such diverse needs?
- The Role of the School
- Anxiety Disorders (Generalized, Obsessive-Compulsive, Social Anxiety, Post Traumatic, Panic and School Refusal)
- Mood Disorders (Depressive, Bipolar)
- Communication Disorders (Articulation, Receptive and Expressive, Stuttering and Pragmatic Language Disorder)
- Learning Disabilities (Reading, Math, Writing, Nonverbal)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Disruptive Behavior Disorders
- Asperger's Syndrome
- Tic Disorders
- Eating Disorders
- Self-Injury
- If you're an educator, you already know that you wear many hats and with mainstreaming/inclusionary classrooms, no longer does the one size fits all approach work - not that it ever really did. Today, you're teaching a wide range of students with varying needs, this book will give you many practical suggestions that work, they work because they're based on research and evidence.
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