Parents, especially those who have special needs children, have been concerned about the impact of the pandemic, and how it has affected the learning and mental health of their children. Because of Covid and the uncertainty of the future, children will have to continue to adjust to changes in the structure and routine they are accustomed to as a result of the challenges wrought by the pandemic.
This webinar addresses the subject of how the pandemic has affected the learning and mental health of children, especially those with special needs.
Webinar Event Guest Speakers:
Evan Flamenbaum, MA, DSW Head of School at Academics West
Adam Dayan, Esq. Founder, Owner & Managing Attorney, Law Offices of Adam Dayan, PLLC
Dominick Auciello, PsyD Neuropsychologist, Envisage Neuropsychology PC
If you missed the live webinar, here’s a recorded version of the webinar and a summary of the webinar discussions.
Below is an overview of our webinar discussion. To ensure you receive notification of future webinars and other news for parents of special needs children, join our mailing list here.
Reduced Learning Time
The impact of reduced learning time is something that has been well documented throughout the pandemic. Children have had less time to learn a task and, in some cases, are just being moved along by their classroom teachers. Because children are missing out on valuable learning, they are experiencing the effects of being left behind and, therefore, they are disengaging from learning and becoming more anxious.
Addressing this problem is something that needs to be treated as a priority. Children need to have opportunities to “catch up” on what they have missed. The following programs are some examples of resources that may be available to students:
Enrichment programs
Summer learning programs
After-school learning programs
Specialized schools/private schools
Therapeutic programs
Outpatient programs
On average, children are about four to five months behind where they should be. Neuropsychological testing and diagnostic tests can help determine where a child is functioning in terms of reading, writing, and math.
Technology and Covid
Even though there have been some wonderful outcomes regarding using technology during the pandemic, for children who require special services, remote learning has significantly disrupted their education. During remote learning, some related services for special needs children that were previously provided before the pandemic could not provided as part of students' remote learning programs.
Now that children are starting to go back to school, we are seeing how much regression has occurred with students that were previously receiving these services. This regression is apparent not only in students' academics but, also, in students' behavior, social and emotional issues, and an increased amount of mental health issues.
Some schools and teachers have jumped back into their pre-pandemic routines without taking the time to properly evaluating their students and assessing how difficult it would be for students to come back to their previous school routine. Educators are now seeing the effects of a prolonged period away from classroom learning and the difficulties that these students are experiencing.
Neuropsychological and Educational Evaluations
It is important that parents obtain an updated neuropsychological and educational evaluation to determine educational planning and identify what children need both at school and at home. These evaluations will provide important insight into students' intellectual functioning, academic skills, and other abilities, including:
Using language to reason and problem solve
Receptive and expressive language and comprehension skills
Managing emotions
Following directions, organizing information, and planning tasks
The development of motor skills
Academic performance in reading, writing, and math
Social-emotional and behavioral functioning
From the results of these evaluations, we can understand a child’s strengths and create a plan for meeting the child's unique needs.
Are Your Child's Needs Being Met?
As your child returns to their school environment, make sure that your child’s educators are meeting the needs of your child. How is your school making up for lost time? How have your child’s services changed? Does your child’s school have a plan in place to address any regression your child may have experienced?
Consider securing an updated neuropsychological evaluation upon your child's return to school. This way, a proper education plan can be put in place so that your child’s educators can meet the needs of your child.
By having the support of a special needs attorney you can obtain the resources that your child needs to receive the education they deserve.
If you have questions that were not covered in the webinar, or need guidance about how you should move forward with a neuropsychological evaluation, please contact the Law Office of Adam Dayan at 646-866-7157 to discuss your particular circumstances.
About the Law Offices of Adam Dayan
Adam Dayan Esq. is a New York special needs attorney. Established in 2009, the Law Offices of Adam Dayan has had the primary purpose of making sure children with special needs receive a quality education and long-term financial security.
In 2021, Adam launched a podcast called Curious Incident: A Podcast For Special Needs Families. As host, Adam interviews experts in the field of special education who can be resources to parents whose children have special needs.