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Welcome to Siena's blog, your source for helpful, cutting-edge resources tailored to teachers, parents, and other advocates in the learning differences community. We are dedicated to providing a wealth of curated knowledge spanning various topics, ranging from dyslexia advocacy and awareness to classroom teaching strategies, heritage month profiles, and social and emotional health.
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Posts Tagged "self~care"
Calming Strategies in the Classroom
December 10, 2025
Avg. read time 5-6 min.
Imagine your student is in the classroom learning a new lesson and begins to feel anxious. They don’t want to miss the lesson or lose learning time, but they also want to avoid feeling the big feelings!
The Take a Break Space: Calming Strategies in the Classroom folder that The Siena School uses is specifically designed to help students take a few minutes to (re)focus their attention on a multisensory coping strategy to reset and reengage in the lesson. It collects intentional calming tools and strategies that are helpful for all Siena students to go from “Fight, Flight, and Freeze” to “Rest and Digest.”
Also, it promotes relaxation and better focus by shifting attention from dysregulation to mindful soothing stimuli, creating a safe space for self-regulation.
Classroom Calming Strategies for Teachers
It’s very important to give students ready access to calming images and other strategies during the school day. Among other social-emotional benefits, this makes taking care of their mental health a multisensory experience for them, as well as complements their academic development.
Sensory-focused activities remind our students to pay attention to the physical sensations accompanying their emotions. This expands the social-emotional experience and understanding for our students, reminding them that their emotions have a purpose and encouraging reflection on why that feeling happened. When they understand the why, they can then have greater awareness of what they need and ask for it.
Siena teachers are encouraged to remind students to utilize the Take a Break folder and actively send the student to the calming space for a reset. This allows for the student to feel empowered to take the break they need, as well as have agency over the strategy they choose to reset. The anchoring message here is “It’s okay to take a break” for students and teachers alike.
Calming Tools for Classroom Use
Siena teachers on all three campuses have access to our Take a Break folders, and the counseling team will be visiting homerooms for all grades. These folders are full of print graphics, short affirmative meditations, and more, such as:
- Coloring pages — Coloring (or drawing) can greatly help students focus their energy in the moment to help them regulate, particularly when it’s a more detailed design that requires slow and careful movements and focus. See Creative Color Lab for examples that we’ve used at Siena.
- Tactile stickers — Students can add sensory strip stickers to their water bottles, computers or anything else they carry for easy, portable access to calming exercises (such as Star Breathing).
- Positive affirmations — Students can use these short phrases (such as “I am here. I am safe” and “I deserve to be seen”) to ground themselves in moments of dysregulation or self-doubt.
- Spot It/Name It Graphics — Using A Little Spot of Feelings and Emotions (from artist Diane Alber) helps students to “spot” their emotions and clues to better understanding what they are feeling and why. Students in Social and Emotional Learning classes are practicing writing and communicating “I” statements with blanks for them to specify their feelings — such as, “I feel confused when I’m in math class because I don’t understand yet. I need to ask for help.”
- Movement exercises — This helps our students to take an in-class movement break discreetly. The goal is to provide an opportunity to practice movement without disruption. One way we do this is by encouraging them to move to the back of the room and do quiet body stretches; those who want to stay seated can do chair yoga to get those wiggles out.
See these Calming Posters for Your Break Space from Teachers Pay Teachers for additional visual resources for use in classrooms and counseling offices.
How Parents Can Support Students at Home
We all need to take a break throughout the day. Whether it's for 5 minutes to step away and shift your surroundings or to take your full lunch break, we should be telling ourselves “It’s okay to take a break” and mentally reset for whatever task is in front of us.
Parents can talk to their children about strategies that help them to feel focused, confident, and capable in the classroom. Make a list and practice role-play exercises of the “I” statement so they feel assured in communicating their emotions and what they need for success. When they do share a difficult moment in their day, validate their feelings and help them reflect on what they can learn from their experience or what they can do differently next time to feel better.
Resources from Siena’s Blog
Siena’s individualized approach creates a safe, responsive, and nurturing environment that supports our students’ academic and emotional well-being. Our teachers and staff also encourage students to use quiet, focusing fidgets in the classroom to regulate their emotions and ease stress. See this blog post about the benefits of fidgets for Siena students. For more on the value of fidgets for neurodiverse students read The Science Behind Fidget Toys.
See other posts of interest in our Social and Emotional Health blog category, such as these about learning differences and confidence and online and offline boundaries for teens.
The Siena School, a national leader in dyslexia education, serves bright, college-bound students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences on DC Metro area campuses in Silver Spring, MD (grades 3-4 and 5-12) and Oakton, VA (grades 3-12).
Posted in
Social and Emotional Health
Mental Health Awareness Month 2025
May 15, 2025
Avg. read time: 3 min.
Mental Health Awareness Month 2025
In honor of the Mental Health Awareness Month 2025 theme, “In Every Story, There’s Strength,” Siena is highlighting some important ways to raise awareness and share strategies for various mental health and neurodiverse needs.
There are many misconceptions and stigmas about mental health and receiving support, and our stories of self-care can help us to reduce stigma, increase empathy and awareness, and be proactive in terms of caring for our mental well-being.
How Parents Can Support Their Children’s Mental Health
There are a few ways we can regularly turn awareness into action, such as the following:
- Increasing understanding
- Reducing misconceptions
- Encouraging help-seeking
- Promoting empathy and compassion
- Challenging stigma
- Using or offering support networks
- Promoting positive representations
- Normalizing therapy and mental self-care
An easy way for parents to check in with their children’s own mental and emotional well-being is to have a conversation (even a short one). Here are some sentence starters to help facilitate that conversation:
- “I notice that you seem ___. Do you want to talk?”
- “What is an emotion that you are feeling right now?”
- “Tell me more about what you are experiencing….”
- ”I want to help. Would support or space right now help you most?”
Although your child might not want to share their story at that particular moment, it’s always important to encourage (and be available for) positive and healthy conversation surrounding feelings and emotions.
Sometimes, our children can be on opposite ends of the spectrum, from not talking at all to hyperbolizing emotions. Parents and other caregivers can be the “calm” and the anchor that your child needs when they feel strong emotions. Showing up consistently and being available for support will go a long way for your child as they continue to tell their stories on their own terms.
Another action we can take is showing empathy, curiosity, and understanding whenever possible, which in turn models good mental health behavior for children so they can contribute to a more accepting and positive environment for all.
Mental Health Resources for Parents
It can be a challenge for parents to navigate when to get support for their child, as well as to find a provider that fits. Below are some helpful resources to get started:
- Anxiety Institute
- Child Mind Institute
- Kingsbury Wellness & Learning Group
- National Council for Wellbeing (includes a free downloadable checklist)
- Psychology Today
Siena Resources
For additional information from The Siena School blog to help navigate students’ social–emotional health, see this post from last year about summer mental health awareness, as well as these about learning differences and confidence and online and offline boundaries for teens.
The Siena School, a national leader in dyslexia education, serves bright, college-bound students with language-based learning differences on DC Metro area campuses in Silver Spring, MD (grades 3-4 and 5-12) and Oakton, VA (grades 3-12).
Posted in
Social and Emotional Health
Support and Self-Care Over the Holidays
December 05, 2024
Avg. read time: 3 min.
As we approach the holiday season, you may be feeling lots of emotions—excitement, gratitude, relief, anxiety, frazzle, overwhelm…sometimes all of these at once.
Rest assured: this is very normal.
I want to take this opportunity to share some tips and reminders for supporting both your families and yourselves—all year round but especially during the holiday season. Ultimately, I hope that you enjoy your time with those you care about, and I also encourage you to take time for yourself.
Parents Supporting Themselves
Holidays can be especially overstimulating for everyone; the impact on our neurodiverse population is more severe. This can require additional emotional support for families during what is also a fun and family-centric time.
During such an engaging and active time of year, remember that boundaries, self-care, and overall mindfulness are very important. Siena’s counseling office often shares holiday mental health tips with families, including:
- Schedule downtime: Holidays can very easily end up overscheduled with no time to relax, so reserve a few nights for your family (or just yourself!) to do whatever self-care works best.
- Eat, sleep, and hydrate: During the holidays, our routines are interrupted, and basic needs sometimes aren’t met. Help your family—and yourself—by prioritizing physical self-care.
- Get outside: Spending time outdoors can have major mental health benefits, such as lower stress, better mood, and increased empathy and cooperation. Make time to take daily walks.
- Acknowledge loss: For many people, the “happy holidays” come along with feelings of grief and anger. Maybe it’s the first holiday after a loved one’s passing, or there are traditions that highlight strained family relationships. Remind your children that their feelings are normal.
- Set everyone up for success: Plan ahead for (or avoid) situations that typically don’t go well for your family. Don’t be afraid to remove yourself or your kids when boundaries aren’t respected. Children especially may need your support to know it’s okay to leave a tense situation.
Parents needing extra support can see these Child Mind Resources with a laundry list of articles to refer to, including ones about traveling with children and taking the stress out of holiday gatherings.
Overall, the holidays are a great opportunity to gather with loved ones and engage in community traditions, which can also highlight neurodiverse students’ strengths, creativity, and energy.
Parents Supporting Neurodiverse Children
The needs of neurodiverse students was the central focus of Siena Forest Glen’s annual elementary and middle school performance. This fall the students performed an original adaptation of Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers, based on the novel by Caela Carter. Fifty-Four Things follows a girl who reads her confidential IEP report listing the emotional and personality traits that define who she is, including Lazy, Picky Eater, Talks Too Much, and many other things supposedly “wrong” with Gwendolyn.
By the end of Fifty-Four Things, though, everyone realizes Gwendolyn’s many strengths and energetic curiosity about the world around her. The story's major theme is how teachers and parents can meet neurodiverse children where they are and work with their differences and their diverse strengths. This resonated strongly with students, staff, and parents in the Siena community and matches how we support our students and embrace their strong qualities.
With ADHD diagnoses for children ages 3-17 rising, it’s especially urgent for parents and teachers to have shared knowledge about how to understand neurodiverse students like Gwendolyn. Among other available resources, these books are helpful guides in understanding neurodiversity and learning differences:
- Conquer Negative Thinking for Teens — Dr. Mary Karapetian and Alvord Anne McGrath
- Detox Your Thoughts — Andrea Bonior, PhD
- Freeing Your Child from Negative Thinking — Tamar Chansky, PhD
- How to Get Unstuck from the Negative Muck — Lake Sullivan, PhD
- Raising a Kid Who Can — Catherine McCarthy, Heather Tedesco, and Jennifer Weaver
- The Dyslexic Advantage — Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide
See also How Schools Can Support Neurodiverse Students from the Child Mind Institute.
The CDC regularly updates data and statistics on ADHD that affect students at home and in school. In the DC area, for example, The Chesapeake Center and Kingsbury Wellness offer testing and therapeutic services for families.
Additional Self-Care Resources
For additional information to navigate students’ social–emotional health, see posts about learning differences and confidence, online and offline boundaries for teens, and social media in our Social and Emotional Health section.
The Siena School, a national leader in dyslexia education, serves bright, college-bound students with language-based learning differences on DC Metro area campuses in Silver Spring, MD (grades 3-4 and 5-12) and Oakton, VA (grades 3-12).
Posted in
Social and Emotional Health
Boundaries: At Home, At School, Online
May 30, 2023
Avg. read time: 3 min.
Mental Health Awareness Month 2023
With Mental Health Awareness Month 2023 winding down, it’s a good time to look ahead to summer and think about how adolescents can continue their good mindfulness and self-care practices over break.
Mental Health and Boundaries
Understanding in-person and online boundaries is important all year, and having unstructured time over summer break might test such boundaries. In our work at Siena this year, we’ve noticed a pattern in the support students have been seeking: how to assert their boundaries firmly but respectfully in their daily interactions.
Part of social–emotional learning involves growing self-awareness, identifying values, and setting boundaries. Here are some ways for adolescents and teenagers to do this:
- Be clear: State your boundaries clearly and succinctly and lead with “I feel” statements, such as “I feel frustrated when you do ____” or “I feel hurt when you do ___.”
- Be firm but kind: When you state a boundary, do so respectfully and at a normal speaking volume. If you have to remind someone of a boundary, continue to be respectful.
- Focus on you: Boundaries are about how you would like to be treated and what you will do if you are not treated that way. Boundaries do not give you control over other people’s behaviors.
- Seek support from an adult: If you are clearly and respectfully stating your boundaries and your boundaries are still being violated, talk to a trusted adult for support.
Parents can help their students practice healthy boundary setting at home. If your child struggles with this, work with them to pick a boundary and practice enforcing it within your family. In addition, model healthy boundary setting for your children.
How Parents Can Help Teens with Online Boundaries
Students—particularly middle schoolers who might have their first cell phone—sometimes need help understanding responsible technology use. Students at this age may not be developmentally ready for the stress that comes from navigating daily digital communications.
Here are a few suggestions to guide your student with social interactions using technology:
- Monitor their communication: Let them know that you will periodically review not only the communication they send out but also what is sent to them.
- Set aside time to review texts: Due to the nature of texting and online communication, students are often forging ahead with minimal guidelines. When you talk through text conversations, explore how certain language can be misunderstood and cause hurt feelings. Parents could then brainstorm ways to communicate more successfully.
- Initiate parent-to-parent communication: If you see a text message that you think another parent should know about, please arrange a time to speak with them. Children are going to make mistakes, and families are encouraged to support each other as we all navigate the complicated world of digital communication.
- Encourage a variety of in-person, real-life relationships: Learning how to negotiate with others face-to-face and resolve differences are among the many interpersonal skills necessary in adult life. When students develop these face-to-face skills, they can adapt these to online skills more easily.
Here are additional suggestions that came from students and adults we’ve talked to this year:
- Encourage downtime from tech: Students often receive tons of messages and phone calls, including in the middle of the night. An easy way to give students a mental break and avoid such disturbances is putting the phone in a different room or powering it down.
- Turn off read receipts: This notifies the sender that the receiver has read the text message and can cause conflict if the receiver does not answer right away and feels slighted or ignored.
- Monitor cell phone usage: This is extremely important for helping our students navigate their online lives. If you see your child is sending multiple text messages in a row or calling someone multiple times, please discuss boundaries. Have them send one message, make one phone call, and then stop.
- Utilize tech apps: Whether it is on your child's phone, laptop, or video game console, using tech apps to control the amount of time they spend logged on is super helpful. Popular social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok also have useful tools for parental controls. You can “set it and forget it” and don't have to constantly monitor usage.
Additional Resources for Mental Health Boundaries
Parents interested in learning more about online boundaries for adolescents and teenagers can look up Delaney Ruston’s film Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age, as well as Devorah Heitner’s Raising Digital Natives. Heitner is also slated to publish a new book in September 2023, Growing Up in Public.
For additional information from The Siena School blog to help navigate students’ social–emotional health, see Haley’s posts about learning differences and confidence from May 2023 and about social media and mental health from May 2022.
Siena’s mission-focused innovative dyslexia education is designed for students in grades 3-12 with language-based learning differences on campuses in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Oakton, Virginia.
Posted in
Social and Emotional Health