Link-ED / The Learning Center of North Texas

Crises can strike people of any age, from stressed children who lash out in the classroom to senior citizens whose anxiety turns to anger. When someone is in crisis, communicating with them can feel challenging. Some things that usually feel natural, such as reasoning or mirroring their body language, may actually deepen the crisis. However, communicating with someone during crises is far from a lost cause. With knowledge of verbal and nonverbal signals, plus safety tips, you can more effectively communicate with people experiencing crises.

Verbal Signals

Words matter, especially during a person's crisis. Opt to make simple requests instead of trying to reason. Focus on what is happening now and in the near future rather than the past or events further out. Strive to keep your speech measured and simple. It can also be helpful to avoid placing any time constraints on the discussion as well.

Using Requests Over Reasoning

As a crisis develops, the upset person may temporarily lose the ability to reason effectively. Feelings can become their driving force rather than reason-based thinking. This means that trying to resolve a crisis through verbal reasoning will likely not be useful. Even something as seemingly benign as explaining the situation can instead inflame it.

Instead, a more productive tactic is using simple requests. Examples include asking the person to sit down, drink some water, or go on a walk. However, avoid making direct or vague demands like "calm down," or “relax,” as these may cause agitation. The goal is to keep your requests gentle, along the lines of, "Hey, let's talk a little more quietly because we're bothering people." Also avoid using any kind of demanding or confrontational language, such as, “You need to sit down.” (Psychology Today ❤️)

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All of society is expecting the schools and educators to know how to teach all children to read, write, spell and do math.

It’s time to stop blaming world problems and people problems.

Society needs to train a wide range of professional people willing to do the HARD WORK required to educate the children. Including, those with any health, learning or life differences.

Let’s give every child the benefit of literacy and numeracy so they can grow up and get jobs with benefits too.

All kids deserve the freedom to learn with a sense of well-being and the skills needed for positive life outcomes.

Go beyond the broken system. Take action. Speak up. Share resources. Know better. Do better.

1. See the history and ideas to create changes here :

https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/moats.pdf

2. Go here to learn more :

https://www.santabarbaranewsmakers.com/p/op-ed-three-years-ago-sbusd-adopted?

Let's talk about the power of brain breaks for attention and focus! Here are strategies. For info on how and why this works, check out: https://www.theottoolbox.com/brain-breaks

You Are Enough: How to Counteract ADHD Imposter Syndrome
👉 https://www.additudemag.com/not-good-enough-feelings-of-inadequacy-adhd/

We are always talking about brain breaks and heavy work.
Brain breaks: https://www.theottoolbox.com/brain-breaks
Heavy work: https://www.theottoolbox.com/heavy-work-activities

One tool that we can use in any setting is the wall push up.

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Advocating for your child in school can feel overwhelming, but having the right tools makes all the difference.

Join our Deputy Director, Kristin Kane, for a webinar focused on practical strategies for advocating within public schools. This session will walk through how to understand your rights, communicate effectively with schools, and help ensure students receive the support they need.

📅 Monday, April 13
🕗 8:00 to 9:30 PM ET
✅ Free and open to the public

Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/advocating-for-students-with-dyslexia-in-public-schools-registration-1984076793098?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

Dallas Branch of the International Dyslexia Association

Plant a love of poetry and connect with families with a poetry songbook.