Essential skills for Learning
Who is this website for? This website is for children with the following types of disabilities- and for the parents and professionals who are their teachers:
ADHD
Autism
Language impairment
Challenging / disruptive behaviors
Anxiety
Learning Disability - Reading, writing, and math
Intellectual Disability
Neurological impairment: Vision, Hearing, and Motor impairments
Attachment and traumata
Superior intelligence with co-occurring disability (twice exceptional)
What is this website for?
The purpose of this website is to yelp you identify the Essential Skills that your child needs for successful learning and participation
Learning is defined broadly. It includes learning in a general education setting, a special education setting, and learning at home.
This website will help you identify goals and objectives that are relevant to your child’s needs
Any therapist or educator who interacts with your child needs to spend some time supporting your child’s growth in essential skills.
It will help you to discuss your child’s needs with all of the professionals involved in your child’s care.
How does this website work?
This website will help you to learn about the essential skill(s) that are missing or under-developed in your child
Start out by reading about your child’s primary diagnosis- If your child has more than one diagnosis, start with the one that you think is the most important. If your child does not have a diagnosis yet, look at the list above and choose the one that seems to fit your child the best. Go to the appropriate page to learn about the core skills that your child needs to master- these are the essential skills that children with that diagnosis seem to struggle mastering
Once you identify the 1 to 3 essential skills that seem to explain why your child is struggling, share your impressions with your child’s classroom teacher, your child’s educational team, or your child’s health care providers. You can ask:
How is my child doing in this skill?
Is this the essential skill that explains my child’s difficulties? Or, do you think it’s another skill?
Make sure that your child’s program will help them to master the skills that may be missing or under-developed. Your child’s program includes skills that your child needs to master at home, in the clinic setting, and/or at school.
Some of the time, your child may need a specialized treatment. Some of the time, your child may need specialized instruction. This website will help you decide what approach is needed
as you learn about essential skills, you’ll also
if you are the one who is struggling, take a pause and think about you. What is your child trying to teach you? Are you being a successful learner, on behalf of your child?
Why is this website important?
Essential skills are just what they say: Essential.
Essential skills are essential for your child’s learning success. You need to know about essential skills so that your child can make progress towards learning and independent functioning
Essential skills are essential for communication. You are not the only person who needs to know about Essential skills. All of your child’s providers need to know about essential skills- just as does your child! without a shared vocabulary and shared knowledge, you will not be able to communicate successfully with your child’s thearpists and educators.
Essential skills are essential for progress monitoring. If you don’t know what skills your child needs to develop, then you will also not know if your child is making progress.
Abilities or skills?
Sometimes, your child might not fully master all of the Essential Skills outlined in this website. There can be more than one reason for this. But, it’s important to identify the skills that your child can master, and not focus on those that your child might not be able to master. When your child cannot master essential skills, they can still develop their abilities.
Abilities are those skills that are possible only with supports. For example, your child might not be able to speak, but they may develop the ability to use a visual communication system. Your child might not be able to walk, but they may be able to develop the ability to walk with a cane, walk with a walker, or move about in a wheelchair.
BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY
Are you ready to begin your journey? click on the page with the diagnosis that you think matches your child the best. See tabs at the top of the page. Read about the Essential skills that are related to your child’s diagnosis.
Once you’re sure about which essential skills your child needs to master, start sharing what you know with your child’s therapists and teachers. Remember to share what you know with your child too! If you want more information about diagnoses, click on the button below.
Essential Skills for Learning and the IEp builder
What is an IEP Builder?
An IEP Builder helps you to build an educational program for your child with a disability. An IEP is an Individualized Education Program. Whether or not your child qualifies for an IEP at school, you can use the IEP Builder to build a meaningful learning program for your child.
Erik’s resource guide, Essential Skills for Struggling Learners, helps identify those skills that your child with a disability still needs to master. Make sure Essential Skills are included in your child’s IEP at school.
Who is Erik?
Erik von Hahn is a Board-Certified Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician. He has served children with diverse disabilities and their families for over 20 years.
Click on About the Author to learn more about Erik, why he created this learning supports platform, and his passion for children with diverse disabilities.
What does Erik offer?
Erik’s resources will help you to build a meaningful educational program for your child with neurodiversity. A child’s success depends on the child’s needs- as well as the adults who are supporting them. Use this resource to build strong partnerships, so that all of the adults involved in your child’s care can support your child’s learning success.
See About the Author for more information about Erik, the resources that he can offer, and the process that he has created.