Blog
From the Archives: 12-Year-Old Boy Truths
(***Had thought about answering some emails regaring the last few posts, but life got in the way. So I thought I would pull one out from the archives.) -------------------------------------------------------------- Since I was once a 12 year old boy (in the far...
Uncomplicating
When a child is school struggling, 99.9% of the time the parents get it. They know there’s something up. They are looking for validation. This is where it gets murky. When the parents raise the question of dyslexia with the school, typically they are told that the...
Screens, Distractability & ADHD
"Children surrounded by fast-paced visual stimuli at the expense of face-to-face adult modeling, interactive language, reflective problem- solving, creative play, and sustained attention may be expected to arrive at school unprepared for academic learning—and to fall...
“Is ADHD a Valid Disorder?”
“‘I think the current diagnosis of ADHD is a mess and has been wildly overdone. It blames a variety of symptoms entirely on the child’s brain, and ignores the child’s environment and the interaction with it." (Dr. William B. Carey, pediatrician, researcher, and...
Must See the Neurologist
Even though schools will tell parents that they need to see a neurologist to diagnose dyslexia, the following are essentials that must be considered in an assessment: Reading aloud from a graded word list to determine word identification skills and how automatically...
“Getting ‘Dissed'”
Without turning this into a confessional, when I look back on my schooling here are a few things I know: Math was far my strong suit. I probably needed tutoring, particularly as I had to suffer through geometry, algebra and calculus. So, did that make me...
Cutting Through the Delusions
Many of the kids I talk to seem to be fairly delusional about school. Somehow they have gotten the notion that school should be this fun, Candyland-type of experience and when it is not, they are, well,…outraged. 13-year-old Liam offers a litany of complaints about...
Does Your Child Have W.B.D. (aka “Worksheet Burnout Disorder”)?
This week’s post was prompted by parents who brought me reading material their child had to manage in school and with homework. They were concerned that their child, young Brody, a seven-year-old second grader was starting to hate reading. "We don't understand," said...
Dyslexia: Not a Score
A number of years ago, I had the good fortune to take part on a panel during a symposium on dyslexia sponsored by the grassroots parenting group, Decoding Dyslexia: NJ. Dr. Sally Shaywitz, the author of “Overcoming Dyslexia” was the keynote speaker. While talking...
Don’t Wait For School’s Blessings: Trust Your Gut
Anxiety over a child’s school-based problems can start very early. After reading The Shut-Down Learner, a mom contacted me. "My son's drowning in in school. Do you think he could be a shut-down learner," she asked. After asking a few more questions, I was struck by...
Venting My Spleen (Once Again)
Those of you following this blog for some time know there are some recurring themes in these posts. Frequently, the blogs are my outlet for getting things off my chest that frequently come up in my interactions with parents. If you’re a relative newcomer, I will...