For special education students and students with varying needs, learning about life and social skills and trying to build them is a challenge. Maybe your students are on the autism spectrum, have an intellectual and developmental disability, a cognitive impairment, or an emotional disorder. Or, perhaps they just simply need extra support and guidance when it comes to daily life or school activities. Our comprehensive curriculum is highly adaptable and is designed to meet the needs of your students exactly where they are at this moment in time.
Not only is the pandemic and social distancing hampering students’ social skills, but even before our world changed, students were being inundated with technological barriers. I know I’ve seen it far too often and I’m sure you have to. Students would rather text than make a phone call and they would rather send an email than have a conversation. Social interaction that many of us took for granted when we were kids just doesn’t occur in the same format these days. This presents educators with a host of challenges.
As a former special education teacher, I know that working with students who have varying needs can be both rewarding and difficult. It takes patience, compassion, and determination. They don’t always learn well in an environment that would be considered standard for most. That’s why our curriculum provides educators with the tools and resources they need to teach their students about life and social skills. Right now, we are all living in a virtual environment—this in and of itself presents a host of issues—especially since many schools have shifted instruction to some type of a hybrid learning model. Trying to teach what social skills are, how to build them, and what appropriate social interactions are without being in-person with your students is taxing.
That’s why our Healthy Relationships Curriculum has been designed with you and your students in mind. We encourage students to not only pursue and maintain healthy relationships but to find value in doing so. Included in the curriculum is an online portal, outcome tools, more than 100 videos featuring role-playing and demonstrations, lesson plans, visual elements, quizzes, and training for educators – this will prepare you to teach these lesson plans which focus on topics like dating, hygiene, and how to navigate bullying. Take a look at our virtual exhibit booth so you can see what’s included.
And, in case you were wondering, the Healthy Relationships Curriculum provides appropriate guidance that achieves requirements under IDEA and offers educational services that meet IEP transition goals through both in-person AND remote learning options. School leaders, like special education directors and others, can even use the CARES Act funding to purchase resources to address the needs of their individual schools and students.
If you have questions about the curriculum please feel free to email me. I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you!
All my best,
Jen Falkowski, M.Ed.
