Tips from Sandra

Social/Emotional/Coping Strategies & Supports

Try various seating arrangements to provide a situation in which student feels comfortable.
Assign classroom/school responsibilities to the student.
Try to identify what is causing the student stress and frustration.
Reduce number of assignments or modify to enable greater student success rate.
Reduce paper/pencil tasks and allow other means of output.
Extend time for assignment completion.
Use short, one-concept commands and directions, accompanied by demonstrations or a visual example.
Use a timer to determine the amount of time to be spent for a particular task.
Provide activities at which student can be successful (academically and socially).
Involve student in peer tutoring activities with younger children.
Arrange for student to carry messages to other classrooms or to the office.
Discover student’s interests and provide activities that match those interests.
Attempt to involve student in extracurricular activities.
Call attention to the student’s strengths and display his/her talents.
Give student responsibility of being teacher’s assistant, peer tutor, model, group leader, etc..
Consult with other teachers, support personnel (e.g., guidance counselor, nurse, assistant principal).
Increase communication with parents.
Increase 1:1 opportunities to meet with student, conference and establish a supportive relationship.
Assign a peer buddy who will be supportive and tolerant.
Teach appropriate social skills, coping strategies, and problem-solving.
Positively reinforcement student’s use/application of appropriate social skills and coping strategies.
Pair student with an upper-grade tutor or staff member ‘special friend’.
Significantly increase positive interactions, frequency of encouragement and feedback.