Blog
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...
“Theories & Hypotheses”
When you are a parent in struggling “Child Land,” there are all kinds of theories, hypotheses and explanations as to why children do what they do. These hypotheses are revealed in statements made as to what is behind the child acting a certain way. Let’s listen to...
“No One to Play With: The Social Side of Learning Disabilities”
A book that always stayed with me reminding me of my early days as a psychologist at the Hill Top Preparatory School, a private school in the Philadelphia Suburbs for high schoolers with learning disabilities, is Betty Osman's, "No One to Play With: The Social Side...
“‘What’s Your Mom Gut?'”
As part of the assessment process, I always conduct an interview (usually with the mom) to get an overview of the issues of concern. Typically, there will be multiple disorders that have been raised by other professionals along with the parent diagnosing by Google. A...
“In the Restaurant”
A favorite pastime of mine is watching how parents and their children interact. There’s never a shortage of blog material. For people watching, there’s not much better than cafes and casual restaurants where families tend to congregate. This week I hit a bonanza...
Sitting at the Poker Table
Parents tell me stories. I listen for the wording and try and picture what's being told, that is, who is doing what and how the interaction takes place Just like playing poker, there are often certain "tells," minor clues that reveal the larger the picture. Listen to...
“Top Ten List (of irritations)”
Those of you following this blog for some time know there are some recurring themes. For others newer to these posts, I will help to bring you up to speed with my top ten list of things that pluck my nerves: The LD-Discrepancy Model: Easily the number one issue that...
“Pull the Curtain”
One of my favorite comedic bits is the one from Jerry Seinfeld’s standup where he talks about the difference between flying first and passenger class. As the stewardess brusquely pulls the curtain between the first class and the rest, she has a look of, “If you only...
“Relational Component of Tutoring – the ‘Secret Sauce’ of Success”
One of the “go to“ recommendations I often make following an assessment is for the child to see a tutor if it is at all possible. When done well, tutoring provides many benefits. One often overlooked is the intangible - that is, the relational benefit. Working on...
“‘FAPE’ Realities”
Let’s say you have a 7 year old child just finishing second grade who struggles greatly with reading, spelling and writing and has been diagnosed with a learning disability (i.e., dyslexia). The school has recently classified the child for special education and an IEP...
“Rolling the Dice”
“Oh, my, my, my, I’m the lone crap shooter, playin the field every night.” ‘Tumblin Dice,’ the Rolling Stones) In the last post we talked about kids who are “rudderless (see “Rudderless”). This week we focus on the older ones, high school and college kids, who are...