1. Listen to the child or try to find an adult that can explain the challenges in adult terms.

2. Provide a safe environment for the child. Make sure the child knows you are his friend, and you are there to help him.

3. Treat him with respect. Never belittle him in front of his peers.

4. Some children work better on more than one task at a time. Try working on three things for 20 minutes and rotate to completion.

5. Be alert to how much movement they may need. Allow for some extra trips to the restroom, or to run some errands or task him to try sitting on an exerdisc.

6. Help the child find his areas of strength so that he can build his self-esteem. It is important to pair verbal praise with a reward. A simple nod, wink, smile, or touch on the shoulder can carry tremendous recognition power.

7. Instead of confronting your student continually on activities or behaviors that are inappropriate, point out the alternative choices that are available. This will make the expectations clearer to him and avoid the negativity inherent in what he would perceive as criticism.

8. Encourage your student to monitor his own behavior. It can provide an opportunity for discussion when your student and the teacher agree/disagree on the ratings. It also prompts movement toward your student’s internal frame of reference in evaluating his behavior. This is the start of the independence needed for success in the world.

9. Look around – there are lots of very successful adults! School is not the easiest part of Life

If you’re a fast thinker, you know what happens when your blood sugar crashes. You could be pulling yourself through a tedious task admirably when suddenly all you can think about is food.

Now the problem is compounded, because nothing’s nearby but candy, which is only going to lead to a worse crash later. But what are you going to do? You’re already thinking about your next three tasks.

Here’s how you fight crashes: feed your fast brain. Make it a habit to structure your day so that you’re never more than a few hours away from a planned meal, even if you have to enlist coworkers to keep you on track. Replace the candy cravings by stocking your working area with healthy snacks, of which you’re going to want a variety.

So, you’re working from home. Or maybe you have a work-from-home arrangement with your employer that allows you to stay home virtually all of the time. Either way, the freedom is helping you get more done than you even expected.

But you feel dull. You’re missing the banter, the break room
conversations, the walks to and from the car with coworkers. Maybe you went out to lunch with folks from your office in the past, but now you’re stuck at home every day. And the after-work beer with coworkers is tough to pull off when you don’t have any around.

What are you missing? Interation and external stimulation. You don’t get it just by accident anymore.

But that’s not so bad to plan for. You just have to set aside regular time for getting out of your home. What about these ideas:

• A weekly visit to an amusement park
• Run or ride on a country road
• Exploring new routes to get to familiar places
• Shopping without spending
• Lunch at a new place with a new person

Instead of the same faces you see every day at work, take this
opportunity to set up a lunch and get to know someone you connected with in the past month. Think of it as just another part of your exciting new job!