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How To Help Your Special Needs Child Have A Strong Second Semester

How To Help Your Special Needs Child Have A Strong Second Semester

Saturday, December 09, 2023

For young students, making it all the way to winter break can be such a great reward after a busy semester and a great time to relax without the stress of school bearing down on them. But going back to school after winter break can be really overwhelming and stressful for students, especially for students who deal with special needs. 

In this article, we’re discussing how parents can help children with special needs have a strong finish to the school year. 

How To Ensure A Successful Second Semester

1) Plan Plan Plan!

Second semesters can be super busy and very overwhelming for some students, so planning and mapping out what the semester will look like will provide structure for your child. Planning is a great way to help ensure that your child feels like they have control of their busy life. 

You could even get a planner to help stay on track of homework and important dates like spring break or even doctor’s appointments! Spending time every week writing down what tasks need to get done is a great way to mentally prepare your child for what’s coming up in a way that’s not too overbearing. 

Sometimes, special needs students can struggle with day-to-day tasks and things like change. The routine of planning the week could also help your child cope with change, even if it is big or small, and lay out a predictable plan for the week ahead. Planning might even become a fun habit for you and your child.

2) Avoid Academic Burnout

We’ve discussed academic burnout before in previous blogs, but burnout can especially impact students who have special needs. It is not uncommon for students with special needs to feel burnt out with school during that second semester. 

Everyone will get sick of homework and school at some point or another, but academic burnout is real. You can do things like setting goals, practicing organization, saying positive affirmations, and asking your child how they’re feeling about school. 

3) Encourage Your Child

Talk about things they struggled with during the first semester and how they can change it. Talking to your child about how they feel going back to school is a crucial part of making them feel less stressed. You’ll want to ask them what their worries are about going back. Ask them if it’s the homework they’re worried about, or the other students, or anything else that they may be dreading. 

Whatever it may be, work with your child and find strategies that would work for them to avoid those same struggles. You can use the winter break to turn over a new leaf and work harder on schoolwork.

4) Enjoy The Holidays

Parents should make sure their special needs student is taking some time to relax and enjoy the holiday season. They should encourage them to take part in activities that they find enjoyable, such as going for a walk outdoors or listening to music. Parents should also make sure their special needs student has the support they need during this time, such as having friends or family members around for company. 

Additionally, parents should provide emotional and physical comfort by making sure any tasks their special needs student needs to complete are organized and manageable. Finally, parents can share stories about family traditions from when they were growing up or show pictures of happy holiday times.

5) Encourage Fun And Positive Hobbies Over The Break

One good way to have a great semester is to encourage positive and fun hobbies over the break. We don’t mean hours of sitting in front of the television; we mean positive hobbies that work well with your special needs child. This can include reading books of your child’s choosing, any type of safe physical activity, puzzles, and any other academically stimulating hobbies that your child will enjoy.

Engaging in these fun hobbies isn’t just a fun way to relax and kill time over winter break, but it’s a great way to redirect energy into something productive. If your child finds a fun new hobby during the break, it can be healthy to continue practicing these throughout the second semester during whatever free time they might have. 

Positive hobbies are great for anyone, but students with special needs enjoy and can thrive when they practice fun activities like the ones listed above.

The Right School Makes All The Difference For Students With Special Needs

Students with special needs thrive in schools designed around their unique learning styles. Ignite Achievement Academy specializes in working with students in grades K-12 who have learning barriers. These barriers often include learning disabilities, language disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, and depression.

Through compassionate, structured teaching practices and support for the whole child, students receive the skills and support needed to thrive. Our curriculum is designed around your child’s pace so they avoid the burnout they might experience in a traditional education setting. 

About Ignite Achievement Academy

Our methods and materials are based on decades of educational research that support maximized student learning. These methods have been further subjected to rigorous in-house testing and are continuously improved and updated. The result is a strong educational program where learning and success is ignited for every child.

We Help Students Of All Kinds Including:

  • Learning disabilities
  • Language disorders
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Anxiety
  • Depression

Through compassionate, structured teaching practices and support for the whole child, students receive the skills and support needed to thrive. Most students who enroll at IAA have had a long struggle and are relieved when they join us and make friends with other students. Parents often report to us that their child feels successful each day and has a growing sense of well-being. This leads to a full-family benefit.

At IAA, we equip students with training to build essential academic skills to successfully complete coursework, solve problems, and meet the academic and social demands of their school environment. Contact us today to learn more about Ignite Achievement Academy, request information, or maybe even schedule a tour of our campus!