By Diane Nancarrow, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
KCC Director of Adolescent Programs

The start of each school year means new classmates, changes of classrooms, and sometimes even different schools for children, which often leads to anxiety. This unease may last for a few months as the child makes friends and gets used to their new environment. However, each academic year also offers another chance to find a special friend, be a special friend, and make meaningful connections with others.

Feeling accepted socially not only makes children feel happy, valued and secure, but has been shown to improve academic skills related to group work, class participation, problem solving, reading comprehension and creative writing.

Many children develop social skills instinctively while others need explicit teaching to improve communication. This is especially true for students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, auditory processing disorder, hearing impairment, nonverbal learning disorder and language impairments.  [more]

Originally posted in Metro Parent. Click below to read the rest of this article on their website.