Tips on bullying prevention, emotional regulation, behavior therapies, and more!
As the school year comes to an end, you may be breathing a sigh of relief, or stressing out about summer plans. School is often the setting parents worry the most about — for our kids, school can feel like an extra vulnerable place, especially if they have social anxiety, find it hard to make friends, feel left out of friend groups or activities, can’t easily communicate their thoughts for feelings, or are being bullied. If a child doesn’t have the skills to self-regulate or manage their behaviors, these tough situations can become more difficult and aggravated if improperly managed. It can be harder for kids with disabilities to manage their emotions and behaviors if they don’t have the ability to express their feelings, thoughts, or needs.
While summer may feel like a reprieve from all of that, the feelings and behaviors that can come from school don’t always stop abruptly when the books close. There’s a lot we can do at home to coach our kids through tough situations and help them step out into the world — whether that’s at school, in the community, at camp, or a friend’s house — more able to cope with the challenges, set appropriate boundaries with others, and advocate for themselves.
- It can be heartbreaking to learn that your child is being bullied (or even accused of bullying). But there are a number of things we can do as parents to address bullying and support our kids at home and at school, including: learning who our kids are interacting with (who is their friend group, and is it consistent every day?); empowering them with preventive, evidence-based anti-bullying programs; and speaking with their team to address bullying directly in the IEP. Find more tips and resources like these in our article Bullying 101.
- Emotional regulation is the ability to control emotions and impulsive behavior. While for many kids, these skills develop with growth and time, many others need strategies and support to learn them. Read our article Tips for Building Better Emotional Regulation to learn more about how we can help our kids build better self-regulation and manage behaviors.
- Flexible thinking may not come easy to kids, but it’s a great coping tool that can help them be kind to themselves during everyday challenges — and it’s something we can model at home as parents. Learn more in our article Incredible Flexible Thinking Guide (for Kids!).
- There are a lot of behavioral intervention therapies to help our kids build communication and self-regulation skills at school, at home, and in their communities. One of them is Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). If you’re wondering if ABA is right for your child, read the basics in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) 101 and learn about the Types of ABA & How ABA Therapy Works.
- If you find that ABA isn’t the right fit for your child, know that there are other options. Explore the alternatives (and how to fund them!) in our article Behavior Interventions Beyond ABA.
On the hunt for a great Friday-night movie to watch with your kiddos? Look no further than Supernormal, created by friends of Undivided, Menaka Gopinath and Christopher Litten! Supernormal is the first “cerebral palsy action film,” inspired by the true story of their son, Shekhar. “Our hope is that this film is not just about sharing our challenging story in a fun and hopeful way, but to also inspire more stories about the possibilities, not the limitations when it comes to people who are different than the normal,” they share. Watch it on YouTube!
Undivided Conversations: Dr. Lauren Stutman, Psy.D.
Did you miss our conversation with licensed psychologist and founder of CARE-LA, Dr. Lauren Stutman last week? You can still watch the full video on our YouTube page! In our Undivided Conversations series, Dr. Stutman shares tips and answers our heavier questions on mental health and kids with disabilities.
Undivided Office Hours
Our next Office Hours speaker is Undivided Special Education Advocate Lisa Carey! On Wednesday, June 14 at 1:00 p.m. PDT, Lisa will be available to answer all of your questions about IEPs and special education, and more! Stop by for five minutes or the whole hour. Bi-weekly Office Hours are virtual Q&A sessions with experts that are open to Undivided members only, so if you’d like to attend, sign up here to begin your free Kickstart!
Coming Soon! Undivided Conversations: Dr. Chad Rose
Stay tuned for our next installment of Undivided Conversations, where we’ll sit down with Dr. Chad Rose, professor of special education at the University of Missouri and Director of the Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab (featured in our Bullying 101 article) to talk all about bullying and bullying prevention!
- What if the school is disciplining your child for their disability-related behavior and you disagree with how the situation is being handled? Hear from Dr. Sarah Pelangka. Watch on YouTube→
- Flexible thinking can help our kids problem-solve and avoid disruptive behaviors. How can we encourage flexible thinking, and how does it relate to executive functioning? Check it out on Instagram→
- What disability-friendly events are coming up in your area? We’d love to hear about them in our parents-only Facebook group! Join and share your recommendations→
- Want to share our weekly newsletters? You can find the links to our resources and more on our company page! Check it out on LinkedIn→
This newsletter was originally sent to our subscribers on 6/1/23. Subscribe to our newsletter to get more resources like this in your inbox, or check out our full library of articles, templates, and videos at undivided.io/resources.
