DALTON, Ga. — Presenting tips for back-to-school success is nothing new to Nancy Carnevale, a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and child development pediatrician, but she’s had to adjust her advice this year as children return to school during the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Both Dalton Public Schools and Whitfield County Schools are allowing families to choose virtual learning if they’d rather not do in-person school, and families must make that decision based on their own risk factors, said Carnevale, medical director of the Anna Shaw Children’s Institute in Dalton. “I think a lot of parents are consumed with ‘What do I do?’” 

Parents she’s spoken to have agonized over the decision, with some opting for online education and others for traditional instruction, she said. “They’ve labored over it and gone through a lot of anxiety, but most have very good reasons for their decisions.” 

Virtually learning is especially challenging for children with special needs, and they risk “falling farther behind,” she said. “They need that (specificity) of teaching, the socialization, and the structure.” 

The lack of routine can be particularly tough on children with special needs, so it’s important for parents to create routines with their children and “stick with them,” she said. That means rising at the same time, keeping the same bedtime, and eating at the same times.

The day ought to be devised into blocks, with academic time followed by breaks, and time management is key, so “have clocks all around the house,” she said. Visual schedules are ideal, so “keep the plans posted where (children) can see them, because the more they can predict, the more it decreases their stress.” 

Parents should develop contingency plans should circumstances change during the school year, she said. “The more you prepare, the less stress there will be.” 

And children often internalize the anxiety of their parents, she said. “Parents need to relax, so kids won’t pick up on their stress.” 

With virtual education, parents are taking on more of a teaching role, even though most are ill-prepared, she said. However, there are strategies for assisting children in their studies. 

For example, “make it fun, reward effort, not grades, set appropriate goals, and accept this is the new norm instead of complaining,” she said. “Make changes along the way as you see what is working and what is not.” 

Carnevale, for example, is “big on mnemonics, and I think they’re a really good way to learn,” said the mother of four. A mnemonic device is a learning technique that aids in remembering by utilizing patterns of letters, ideas or associations.

When students do return to the classroom, Carnevale is “worried they’re going to have major separation anxiety.” 

Returning to school after a break of a couple of months for summer vacation is often difficult for children, but that’s compounded this year, as students stopped attending in-person school in mid-March, rather than mid-May, and they’ve spent time with few others outside their immediate families due to quarantining and isolation measures, she said. “They’re attached to their parents, so (leaving them for school) could be a major issue.” 

Students will also confront a new reality in school, with more face masks, social distancing and emphasis on cleanliness. 

Carnevale is fond of using “social stories” to supplement her instruction, and she has several back-to-school social stories from Autism Little Learners teaching resources. 

A social story is a narrative to illustrate certain situations and problems, and how individuals deal with them, said Terri Woodruff, executive director of the Anna Shaw Children’s Institute. “We have social stories for just about every situation there is.” 

Carnevale recommends parents “work up to” masks with their children. For example, they could begin only a few minutes at a time, with the hope that children are comfortable wearing masks for hours by the time the school year begins locally at the end of this month. 

“We understand the masks, but children often don’t,” Woodruff said. Social stories “normalize’’ the wearing of masks for youth. 

Dalton Public Schools plans to mandate masks in its buildings this year, and parents will play a crucial role in the seamlessness of that effort, school board member Jody McClurg explained last month. “Parents, start wearing masks with your kids, so it’s not as foreign to them when they get to school.”

Carnevale’s presentation of back-to-school tips for families at the Anna Shaw Children’s Institute on Aug. 4 was the latest in the institute’s CHAMP (Classes to Help, Advise and Motivate Parents) series, said Woodruff. The CHAMP discussions are typically held the first Tuesday of each month, with a different topic each time. 

The institute, which opened in 2019, is devoted to children with various developmental delays and offers a wide range of services, including parent outreach, Woodruff said. Parent education, such as CHAMP, “is just as important as our developmental behavioral services, our psychological services and our therapy services.”