Do flashcards help improve basic numeracy skills? Should we use calculators as a special education accommodation? How many years of math do we really need to take in high school? I invited math curriculum expert Jonathan Regino to episode 123 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to answer some of these questions. With the Science…
Category: Special Education
EP 122: Executive functioning for college students: Beyond checklists and planners (with Jill Fahy)
What if young adults are still prompt-dependent when they go away to college? Or what if they and their parents aren’t aware of how much support they’re actually getting? On top of that, how can professionals navigate the complexity of supporting language and executive functioning (or knowing when to address which skills)? I invited Jill…
EP 121: Do we all have an inner voice (and if not, should we try to develop one)?
In different discussion groups, I’ve heard the claim that up to 50% of people don’t have an inner voice. Since much of my work has focused on metacognition and language, I wanted to devote an episode to discussing some common questions that come up regarding this topic. That’s why in episode 121 of the “De…
EP 120: Career transitions and improv for educators and therapists (with Aimee Davis)
If you’ve ever thought about leaving the school systems, you may have wondered what options you have as far as jobs go. Maybe you feel burnt out, or maybe you just want a change and don’t want to walk away from education completely. I understand this dilemma on a deep level, so that’s why I…
EP 111: Supporting self-regulation in K-12 kids (with Lisa Navarra)
“Behavior problems” are an external sign of what’s going on internally. In order to support kids who are being referred for behavioral concerns, we need to address these internal skills proactively. That’s why I invited consultant and educator Lisa Navarra to episode 111 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about self-regulation. Lisa M….
EP 101: How school therapists can lead schools in providing district-wide executive functioning supports
Strong executive functioning skills can help kids to be resilient, adaptable, and independent. These characteristics are going to be essential for supporting mental health and success going forward. EVERYONE who interacts with school-age kids on a daily basis has the chance to support executive functioning, and not addressing this skill is a huge missed opportunity….
EP 100: Working with your building principal to create a win-win-win (with Dr. Gastrid Harrigan)
On episode 100 of the “De Facto Leaders” podcast, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Gastrid Harrigan has been an educator for over 19 years as a classroom teacher, Assistant Principal, and currently as Principal in Broward County, Florida. In addition, Dr. Harrigan is a Professor of Education at Broward College and Colorado State…
EP 96: Supporting bilingualism in K-12 kids (with Briana Wagner)
I’m SO excited to share episode 96 of the “De Facto Leaders” podcast, where I sat down with Bilingual School Psychologist, Briana Wagner. Briana started out as a teacher, but soon made a career transition to school psychologist. She’s also bilingual and knows a ton about how to support culturally and linguistically diverse students. In…
EP 92: Recovering from burnout (with Angie Merced)
Therapist burnout is prevalent among SLPs, social workers, psychologists, and other professionals supporting K-12 kids. That’s why I was so excited to have special guest Angie Merced on the De Facto Leaders podcast for episode 92. Angie is a Certified Life Coach and School-Based SLP. She lives with her husband and two little girls in…
EP 91: How to help students generalize skills (even if you only see them once a week)
Generalization is one of the most common complaints I hear from school therapists, regardless of the discipline. If you’re a clinician, you know how frustrating it is when a student seems to grasp a skill in your sessions, but doesn’t ever apply it outside your room. In episode 91, I wanted to talk about why…