Focusing on skills and solving problems. It works, and we can prove it!

For the last week, I have been blogging about Dr. Ross Greene and his approach to handling challenging kids.  His focus has been on lagging skills, and unsolved problems occur when those skills are outstripped by the demands of the environment.  Problems are solved when the adults and kids look at the skills that are lagging and come up with solutions together.  It has been an eye opener because as I revisit and write about what I've learned, I have come to realize it's not much different than what happens inside these walls.

Bridgeway has been focusing on skills deficits when it comes to behaviour for years.  When there is a behaviour issue at our school, students are asked to see our behaviour specialist.  They sit together, discuss the situation and work together to come up with solutions.  Over time, behaviours start to become less frequent.  

But the focus on skills doesn't stop at the behaviour room.  Because all of our students have learning disabilities, they all have skill deficits, whether it's in math, reading, social skills or behaviour.  Every teacher and staff member focuses on the student and the skills that she/he may be lacking.  Reading classes teach the child at the skill level they're at, and work to build those skills.  Social skills classes help children learn the skills that they haven't developed because of where they are in their cognitive development.  Teachers in curriculum know what skills deficits each child is facing, and adapts their teaching to accomodate.

How do we know where to start?  Each of our students comes to us with a psycho-educational assessment, which is a professional measure of their skill deficits (and strengths) done by a psychologist.  We do some additional testing so we can develop just the right balance of support of skills and use of strengths in a student's individual program.  We keep working with a skills focus until kids start to learn - and succeed!  It's a pretty amazing thing. 

Are you a Bridgeway parent?  Please leave a comment and let us know how a focus on skills is making a difference for your child!