A network to share best practices for children with special needs

Joan M. Brennan Saint Louis, MO United States: Like

1 member likes this; Share Twitter

Blog Posts (24)
Discussions (4)
Photos
Photo Albums

Joan M. Brennan's Likes

Joan M. Brennan's Page

Latest Activity

Ruth Duncan liked Joan M. Brennan's blog post Struggling Readers + Pinterest = GREAT Solutions!

Oct 24, 2012

Ruth Duncan liked Joan M. Brennan's blog post Android Apps for Special Needs

Oct 24, 2012

Ruth Duncan liked Joan M. Brennan's blog post The BEST Apps for AD/HD and Other Distractions

Oct 24, 2012

Joan M. Brennan liked Joan M. Brennan's blog post Able Apps for Dysgraphia

Oct 22, 2012

Joan M. Brennan liked Joan M. Brennan's blog post Able Apps for Dysgraphia

Oct 22, 2012

Joan M. Brennan liked Joan M. Brennan's blog post The Struggling Student at Conference Time

Oct 22, 2012

Joan M. Brennan posted a blog post

The Struggling Student at Conference Time

Can it be that the first grading period has arrived already? Yes, and with it come the annual or semi-annual, parent-teacher conferences. This realization usually causes one of two parental reactions ---“I can’t wait to see how Evan is doing!” or “I’m worried about what Ms. Jackson is going to tell us about our Emma.” From a teacher’s standpoint, this first conference with parents can also be a stressful event. At conferences, educators often meet students’ parents for the very first time.…See More

Oct 22, 2012

0 Comments 1 Like

Joan M. Brennan posted a blog post

Android Apps for Special Needs

We want this to be your go-to blog when you need reading or learning resources, strategies, apps and other help for all kinds of learners, especially those who struggle to read and learn. That is why this week, we’ve decided to provide you with a short list of 3 collections that contain great Android apps for special needs---all kinds of special needs! You’ll find some apps that are FREE and others that are available at various price points.…See More

Oct 9, 2012

0 Comments 2 Likes

Joan M. Brennan posted a blog post

ADHD Tools & Resources for This School Year!

Labor Day Weekend is now behind us, and nearly all students have officially begun a new school year. It probably comes as no surprise that during this school year, there will be new issues for families of children and teens challenged with AD/HD. We already know that the rate or prevalence of AD/HD is increasing. We also know there is technology to help the children and adults affected. However, what about the availability of reliable information, resources and …See More

Sep 17, 2012

0 Comments 1 Like

Joan M. Brennan posted a blog post

Back to School with ADHD Apps

It is no surprise that as children and teens head back to school this fall, ADHD is very much apart of many American family life. The statistics for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder) in the U.S. were updated last December (2011) by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Here are just some of the statistics collected and provided by the CDC from parent surveys: • Parents report that approximately 9.5% or 5.4 million children…See More

Aug 28, 2012

0 Comments 1 Like

Teela Truss liked Joan M. Brennan's blog post Able Apps for Dysgraphia

Aug 24, 2012

Joan M. Brennan posted a blog post

Helpful Apps for Dyscalculia

The NCLD (National Center for Learning Disabilities) describes dyscalculia as “a wide range of lifelong learning disabilities involving math. There is no single type of math disability. Dyscalculia can vary from person to person. And, it can affect people differently at different stages of life. Two major areas of weakness can contribute to math learning disabilities: • Visual-spatial difficulties, which result in a person having trouble…See More

Aug 20, 2012

0 Comments 1 Like

Joan M. Brennan shared their blog post on Facebook

Able Apps for Dysgraphia

Aug 8, 2012

Joan M. Brennan posted a blog post

Able Apps for Dysgraphia

Do you know a child or adult with dysgraphia? Do you know what it means to have this disorder? Perhaps it is related to the approaching new school year, but we have been noticing more keyword searches on both our website and blogsite here that include the term dysgraphia. NINDS (National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke) describes dysgraphia as “a neurological disorder characterized by writing disabilities. Specifically, the disorder causes a person's writing to be distorted or…See More

Aug 8, 2012

0 Comments 2 Likes

Joan M. Brennan commented on Joan M. Brennan's blog post A Basket of Special Needs Apps

"Thank YOU, Helen Wagner, for your good comment---and you are most welcome! Please stay tuned for an upcoming, new post with more apps for kids (Hint: vocabulary)."

Jul 29, 2012

Helen Wagner commented on Joan M. Brennan's blog post A Basket of Special Needs Apps

"Thankyou for this great listing!"

Jul 29, 2012

Profile Information

My Role: Teacher, Subject Matter Expert, Other

Place of Work: Brennan Innovators, LLC (Solutions for Struggling Readers)

Website Address: http://www.FocusandRead.com

This is why I am passionate about special needs.: As a middle school educator for more than 15 years in St. Louis, I have seen many students "slip through the cracks" and struggle even as late as 8th grade (and beyond) with reading. As the aunt of 2 nephews with autism, I am personally as well as professionally committed to helping special needs students AND adults of all ages who struggle with reading in particular.

Out of this need, I created a customizable tool that is a solution for challenged readers who struggle with focus, concentration, comprehension and retention. The tool is called the Reading Focus Card (U.S. Patent 7,565,759) and can diminish or eliminate visual stress for some readers as well as help the eye to focus on a line of text. The visual and tactile-appealing Reading Focus Cards can be especially helpful for AD/HD, dyslexia, autism, low vision, stroke recovery. TBIs, and other challenges affecting reading.

Skills: these are areas where I have expertise and might be able to help others.: COMMUNICATION, RESOURCES, SENSORY SOLUTIONS

Needs: these are areas where I have questions and will be looking to learn from others.: INTEGRATIVE THERAPIES

The most valuable piece of advice I would offer to others regarding special needs.: My collection of resources for special needs is quite extensive. I wish to share it with others who can immediately benefit from its offerings.

What I hope to gain from My Special Needs Network: Would very much like to learn more about research in technology available (or on the horizon) for special needs readers.

Joan M. Brennan's Blog

The Struggling Student at Conference Time

Posted on October 21, 2012 at 9:17pm 0 Comments 1 Like

Can it be that the first grading period has arrived already? Yes, and with it come the annual or semi-annual, parent-teacher conferences. This realization usually causes one of two parental reactions ---“I can’t wait to see how Evan is doing!” or “I’m worried about what Ms. Jackson is going to tell us about our Emma.”

From a teacher’s standpoint, this first conference with parents can also be a stressful event. At conferences, educators often meet students’ parents for the…

Continue

Android Apps for Special Needs

Posted on October 8, 2012 at 3:22pm 0 Comments 2 Likes

We want this to be your go-to blog when you need reading or learning resources, strategies, apps and other help for all kinds of learners, especially those who struggle to read and learn.

That is why this week, we’ve decided to provide you with a short list of 3 collections that contain great Android apps for special needs---all kinds of special needs! You’ll find some apps that are FREE and others that are available at various…

Continue

ADHD Tools & Resources for This School Year!

Posted on September 16, 2012 at 12:00pm 0 Comments 1 Like

Labor Day Weekend is now behind us, and nearly all students have officially begun a new school year. It probably comes as no surprise that during this school year, there will be new issues for families of children and teens challenged with AD/HD.

We already know that the rate or prevalence of AD/HD is increasing. We also know there is technology to help the children and adults affected. However, what about the availability of reliable information, resources and …

Continue

Back to School with ADHD Apps

Posted on August 27, 2012 at 2:22pm 0 Comments 1 Like

It is no surprise that as children and teens head back to school this fall, ADHD is very much apart of many American family life. The statistics for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder) in the U.S. were updated last December (2011) by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Here are just some of the statistics collected and provided by the CDC from parent surveys:

• Parents report that…

Continue