Virtual Learning: Give kids a separate space and stick to a schedule

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - The coming school year will look different for just about everyone and that can cause a lot of anxiety. But it can be even more challenging if you are a parent of a student with special needs.

That was the subject of a webinar hosted by The Ability Center on Wednesday which focused on supporting students with disabilities. Those tips, though, can be useful for all families embarking on virtual learning this Fall.

“We were all sort of learning still in March and April and I think we are still learning now,” says Rachel Glass, a speech and language pathologist. “But I think that hopefully, we’ve come a little bit further in our understanding of how to best proceed.”

One of the biggest pieces of advice the representatives had was to treat at-home learning like school. In the classroom, kids have routines: set meal times, play times, and a division of home time and school time. Kids are also away from the distractions of home with their own learning area.

The experts say you should set up kids with their own learning space, devoid of toys, will all their school supplies organized and available. Parents should also create a daily and weekly routine including times for waking up, meals, studying, and other activities and then stick to it.

Then there is the issue of screen time.

“This whole virtual learning thing is blowing our efforts to get kids away from the screen,” explains Kelly Gleske, an occupational therapist. “Having no screen time at home when kids aren’t needing to be in front of the screen is important for so many different reasons. Kids need to be able to see things in 3D, not on a screen.”

You can watch the entire webinar below.

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