Meeting the challenge of the school year for children with mental illness
Starting another school year can be daunting for most students. Yet for children with mental illnesses, school can be even more overwhelming. Help your child to success with the ideas detailed below.
Establish a Homework Routine
For children with mental illnesses, having routines can help them feel calm and less anxious. Help your child set up a consistent homework routine to build school confidence. Discuss with them when they prefer doing their homework; some kids like to start working as soon as they get home from school when they are still in “school mode.” Others prefer having a snack when they get home or even doing some physical activity before beginning their homework. Any of these options can work - the key is picking a consistent homework time and sticking with it.
Set Up a Study Space
To further ease the back-to-school transition, help your child set up a study space where they will consistently complete their homework daily. Some children prefer working at a desk in their room. For others, their study space might be a spot on the kitchen or dining room table. Once your child has identified their study space, help them set up and maintain all of the supplies they may need when completing their homework, including pens, pencils, paper, a stapler, a calculator, and so on. If your child works at a kitchen or dining room table, help them set up a portable bin containing all necessary supplies. When the supplies run low, refill them right away to avoid any unnecessary distractions.
Communicate With Your Child’s Teacher
At the start of the school year, set up a meeting with your child’s teacher early-on. This will give you the opportunity to tell the teacher about your child, including any mental health challenges they may have as well as strategies that have or have not worked in the past. Also set up a regular plan of communication with your child’s teacher so they can let you know on a regular basis how your child is doing and anything you can do at home to reinforce what the teacher is working on at school.
Starting a new school year can be challenging for both students and parents. Try these tips at home and you will help your child have a successful new year.
Dr. Levy's Bio
Dr. Emily Levy graduated from Brown University and received her Master's Degree in Special Education from Nova University in Florida. She also completed her Doctorate Degree in Education from Nova University. Dr. Levy is the founder and director of EBL Coaching, a specialized tutoring program that offers individualized one-on-one home, virtual, and on-site instruction using research-based, multi-sensory techniques. She is a the author of Strategies for Study Success, and Flags and Stars Multi-Sensory Math These workbooks are currently used at schools nationwide.
