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3 Myths That Cause Special Needs Children To Struggle In School

With kids returning to school soon, do you find yourself having sleepless nights worrying about how they’ll handle it?

And do you worry that they are going to fall behind their classmates further?

Lots of parents go through these emotions.

But it’s often much worse for parents of children with special needs.

And it can be a lonely time too.

Because as a parent of a child with special needs, it’s hard to find people who truly understand what you’re going through.

And that’s before we even consider how your kid is feeling…

Special needs children have to deal with the normal challenges every child faces in school, plus the additional challenges their conditions create.

Perhaps they struggle to concentrate in class, which means that they find it difficult to learn at the same pace as the other students.

Or they might have a hard time coping with the busy corridors, packed cafeterias, and hectic playgrounds.

And it can leave your child feeling isolated, getting upset, or unable to learn.

One reason that kids struggle for longer than they need to is our first myth…

Your Kid Will Grow Out Of It

This “wait and see” approach is incredibly frustrating for both parents and children because it’s so passive.

Even if your child will improve if left to their own devices, wouldn’t it be better to support them to accelerate their development, and help them become independent sooner?

For a lot of children with special needs, unless they get the right support, they will remain stuck.

Unable to progress.

And this is why the myth that your kid will grow out of it, or improve on their own is so harmful and misguided.

Getting Your Kid To Play Sports And With Other Kids Will Help

This is a damaging myth because alone, this won’t work for many children with special needs.

While it is great to have your child enjoy a sport, play with the neighbors’ kids, and get outdoors, it’s unlikely to be everything they need.

A child with special needs deserves special care, and a unique approach is where the real progress happens.

So if your child is struggling in school, forcing them to join a sports team or packing your calendar with playdates isn’t the answer.

Get Your Child to Try Harder

The final myth is another frustrating one because it’s so unfair.

Most children are trying as hard as they can, using their all energy, and failing.

And over time this really wrecks their confidence and self-esteem.

I’ve heard so many stories about parents and teachers motivating children by giving them rewards and pushing them to try harder, and not seeing any progress.

But what you want to do instead is start to focus on what your child can do.

And working on their strengths, as opposed to focusing on their weaknesses.

When we do this in our clinic, progress is often surprisingly quick because we take an approach that your child hasn’t experienced before.

And this also helps to rebuild your kids’ confidence if they’ve spent years being told that they need to try harder.

Help Your Child Catch Up In School, Be More Independent, And Rebuild Their Confidence

At our specialist clinic, we have a proven track record of helping children with special needs and a team of leading experts to help your family.

But we appreciate parents want to find out more before deciding on visiting us.

That’s why we offer Free Telephone Consultations where you can speak to our friendly team and share your story.

From this point, we can give you personalized advice, and let you know about the best options available to support your child’s development.

So if you’re child is struggling in school or having tantrums on the way to school, we can help!

And because this is a telephone consultation, you can speak to us from the comfort of your own home!

What are you waiting for?

Simply click HERE to arrange your free telephone consultation now, or call us on (908) 543 4390

More Free Expert Advice For Parents Of Kids With Special Needs

Read our blog – Why The School-Based Therapy Your Child Receives Doesn’t Seem To Be Helping

Read our blog – Struggling To Focus In The Classroom? 6 Tips To Help Kids Stay Focused

On social media? Then Like Our Facebook Page or Follow Us On Instagram for more helpful tips and advice.

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Kid At The Playground
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Why The School-Based Therapy Your Child Receives Doesn’t Seem To Be Helping

In summer, you may be one of the many families that are trying to make the most of the warmer weather and visit beaches, parks, and playgrounds with their kids.

But as a parent of a child with special needs, things are VERY different for you.

Rather than relaxing and chatting with the other moms and dads as the kids go off and play together…

You’re terrified in case they fall off the climbing frame or trip over as they run and hurt themselves.

For you, getting outdoors is actually a really stressful time, and you don’t feel like you can let them play on their own – even if they want to.

It’s tough for parents of kids with neurological disorders as well.

If your child struggles to interact and communicate, this can lead to them getting frustrated and having tantrums, or being left out of games by the other kids.

Worst of all is the fear of them being bullied by mean kids.

And a time that is supposed to be fun, and a highlight of your week is actually a lot of stress, anxiety, and worry.

Shouldn’t The Therapy My Child Gets At School Help With This?

A lot of parents who reach out to us have children who are receiving some form of therapy in school.

And they are frustrated that it’s not helping their child develop fast enough (or at all).

We understand that it’s frustrating, but it’s really important to remember two things about school-based therapy that your child is going to.

School-Based Therapy Is Too Infrequent For Many

At schools, therapy is often once a week for 30 minutes. This even includes the often 5 minute walk to and from the therapy room, leaving very little time for real work to get done.

This really is not a lot of time for your child to get the specialized care and attention that they need to make progress.

And many kids will struggle to make significant progress with such infrequent appointments.

School-Based Therapy Is Limited In Treatment Options

At our specialist clinic, we have a wide variety of treatment options and facilities available.

This means that we are able to help a wide variety of children with different needs.

Schools often have minimal equipment and treatment options, so unless your child is lucky and just happens to suit what’s offered, it can be really difficult for them to make progress.

School-Based Therapy Is Primarily Designed To Help Your Child In School

The main objective of school-based therapy is to help your child succeed in their school environment.

Getting to and from lessons, carrying their backpacks, eating their lunch, and behaving so they aren’t disrupting the other students are some of the main goals.

And while this is understandable for the school to focus on this, it doesn’t really help you outside of school.

Certainly, some improvements will carry over to other areas of your child’s life.

But when kids are in new environments, this can mean that they go back to square one and it feels like they’ve not made much progress for all their time and effort in school-based therapy.

Make Much Faster Progress With Experts At KidPT

Since 2016, KidPT has helped thousands of children with a variety of developmental challenges move better, learn faster and enjoy themselves more by becoming confident, independent, and capable.

As a parent of a child with special needs, I know you’ve seen lots of doctors, been given lots of advice, and may feel a little lost.

You want what’s best for your child.

You want them to be able to play safely and keep up with their peers.

You want them to feel more confident talking, interacting, and joining in with playtime.

And you also want to feel happier too – knowing that your family is able to enjoy more special moments at the park, on vacation, and at the beach.

So here’s what to do, to get a much clearer picture of the best steps for your child…

Arrange A Free Discovery Session with our expert team who can listen to you and your child’s story, learn about your family, and give you our expert guidance on the best services suitable for their needs.

From here, you will feel much more in control.

And you can decide what the next steps are.

Simply click HERE to arrange your free discovery session now, or call us on (908) 543 4390

More Free Expert Advice For Parents

Read our blog – Top Tips For Sensory Savvy Parents

Read our blog – 10 Fun Occupational Therapy Activities To Try At Home

Follow us on social media… Like Our Facebook Page or Follow Us On Instagram for more helpful tips.

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child's facing ocean view of ack
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Watch Your Back: It’s Scoliosis Awareness Month

Hi all! We know June for being the last month of school and the month where summer fun begins, BUT did you know June is also Scoliosis Awareness Month? Yes! June is the month where we highlight Scoliosis, a diagnosis that affects so many kiddos (and adultos☺️) across the world. So, for Scoliosis Awareness Month, we wanted to bring you all some information about Scoliosis, what it is, and how Physical Therapy can help! 

What Is Scoliosis?

Scoliosis is a diagnosis that involves a curvature of the spine, the bones that run along the middle of your back. If a child is affected with scoliosis, as they grow, their spine will begin to curve in either the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spinal regions, aka the neck, upper back and lower back regions. Changes in the spine’s natural anatomy create imbalances in the body that may cause your child’s shoulders, shoulder blades, hips, or ribs to look unlevel or uneven. It may also cause their spine to appear curved when bending forward, may affect their overall mobility, and may create back pain later in life if left untreated. If a child’s scoliosis is very severe, it can also affect the shape and growth of their internal organs, like the lungs or the heart. 

Scoliosis Types

There are four different types of scoliosis: idiopathic, neuromuscular, congenital and degenerative. Degenerative scoliosis is often diagnosed above the age of 65 due to normal wear and tear on the spine and surrounding joints. Congenital scoliosis occurs as a result of spinal or rib deformities present at birth. Neuromuscular scoliosis can occur when a child has a neuromuscular condition, like cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. With Neuromuscular scoliosis, as the child grows, their muscles pull on their bones as they move and continue to participate in developmentally appropriate activities. When a child has a neuromuscular condition, they might not be moving with similar movement patterns or frequency to a child that is developing typically. This means that their muscles are not pulling the same way on their bones as a typically developing child’s muscles are, and this can cause their bones to grow abnormally, creating a potential for scoliosis. 

Most Common Form of Scoliosis

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis is the most common form. It can be a confusing diagnosis for families to receive because it is often unknown as to why the spinal scoliosis is occurring in the first place. Medically, doctors will often recommend either a “watch and see” approach, monitoring the spinal curvature to see if it is progressing or staying the same. If a scoliotic curve is on the more severe side, or continues to worsen with time, doctors will often recommend bracing to try to prevent the curve from continuing to worsen or will recommend surgery to correct the curvature. Doctors will usually also recommend Physical Therapy, and that’s where we come in! BUT, you don’t need to wait- starting Physical Therapy at the first signs of scoliosis can prevent it from progressing in the first place!

Tips for Parents

What are some signs that you should ask your child’s pediatrician or a physical therapist about scoliosis?  Take a look at your child from behind without a shirt on.  Look at your child’s shoulders, shoulder blades, and hips.  Compare the left and right sides looking for one side higher than the other.  If you see any asymmetries between the two sides of the body, that is a sign to have it looked into by a medical professional.

How PT Can Help Your Child

In PT, we will work with you and your child as a team to help decrease any soft tissue and muscular tightness that may be pulling on your child’s spine while they are growing. We will also work with your child to improve their core strength so that as they continue to grow and improve their mobility, their body can better support itself to control and maintain their new, more-symmetrical posture. If they are having trouble holding a more symmetrical, stable posture while sitting at their desk in school, a physical therapist can also help improve your child’s postural endurance and offer solutions to help improve their sitting posture so that they can sit while supporting their body in class.

Putting It All Together

We understand that scoliosis can be a very scary diagnosis, especially when your doctor starts describing the ways it may affect them and about your treatment options. Through treating kiddos with mild to severe scoliosis, we have found that acting quickly and starting PT as soon as your child receives a diagnosis of scoliosis is the most effective way to help prevent future progression of their spinal curve. We are here to support you through the decision making process and to help provide therapy that will work to improve your child’s body through movement in a way that is friendly and fun! 

Call Us -We are here for your family ☎️

If your child has just been diagnosed with scoliosis, or is being watched for scoliosis and you would like to be more proactive with their care, reach out to us with questions and to schedule a free Discovery Visit so that we can see if physical therapy here at KidPT is the right match for you and your child. 

References: https://www.btetechnologies.com/therapyspark/4-types-of-scoliosis-and-their-interventions/

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Autism and School Safety

With the death of Avonte, a young boy with autism gone missing last week for a while in Queens and a local 3 year-old with autism locally who was left on a school bus for 6 hours, it made me reconsider the safety of the students at the schools I have worked. The schools put many safeguards in place, but how do we a related service providers piggyback on those safeguards? Read more

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What is Pediatric Physical Therapy?

Pediatric Physical Therapy In Action

“My son can’t keep up with his twin.”

“My daughter is always tripping and gets frustrated.”

“We finally got answers as to why my child is delayed, but now what?”

Do these concerns sound familiar to you? Have you been worried about your child and wondering where you might find answers and help?  If so, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s start by answering the question-

What is a Pediatric Physical Therapist and Who Do They Help? 

Pediatric Physical therapists (PTs) are licensed health professionals who have specialized knowledge and experience in the unique aspects of working with children and their families to improve motor development, independence, fitness and active participation in the family and in the community. Pediatric PTs work with children from birth through adolescence and participate on teams with other specialists, including physicians, occupational therapists and speech therapists.

They work with children to improve their brain-body connection, balance, strength, body awareness, coordination, and movement skills from crawling and walking to jumping and hopping. Pediatric physical therapists work with children to improve their sensory awareness and motor abilities. Improvement these skills can have a far ranging impact on the child beyond the movement itself, such as improving confidence, success in school, and social interaction.

Pediatric physical therapy often looks like play, but that is part of the magic! Pediatric physical therapists know how to engage the child with fun, share the joy of movement and combine that with the science of the brain and body. All these pieces come together to stimulate to new skills that the child can use in daily life at home, at school and in the community. New skills means new confidence and new success!

Read more
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Movement As A Tool: How We Can Learn Through Our Strengths

Reposted from Our Journey Thru Autism

Children with autism spectrum disorders often have movement as a strength. Perhaps the child cannot talk or doesn’t know how to initiate play with a peer, but they can typically walk down the block and climb the monkey bars. We’re not talking about the quality, variety, or skill level of movement because children with ASD often have significant deficits in these aspects of movement. We are so often focusing on what children with developmental disabilities can’t do and coming up with strategies to improve these areas. What if we flip it and and look at their strengths. If we have identified movement as a strength, then how can we USE that strength to help a child learn, have fun and engage in social interactions. Read more

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Therapeutic Play With Playdough

Playdough can be a great tool to strengthen the hands and for imaginary play.  It can also be a great tool for increasing sensory awareness of the feet.  It can also be used to challenge balance in standing like in this video, or it can be done in sitting too.  Have fun trying it out!

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