Blog
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...
“Rudderless”
13-year-old Liam comes in trudging behind his mother, staring at his phone. While I think I have a decent relationship with Liam having evaluated him a while back with a follow-up session or two, I also think there's a pretty big part of him that is annoyed about...
“The Plight of Leora – A Play in Four Acts”
Leora a 10-year-old fourth grader has been struggling since kindergarten. Every year the parents have raised their concerns with the teachers. The answers are variations on a theme. Act I: In first grade it was, “She’s still young and it’s probably developmental.”...
“Tipping the Scales”
Some of you have been loyal followers of this blog for over 10 years, while others have joined more recently. If you've been one of the loyalists, you know there are some themes that cycle through the blog posts. While I do my best to keep these fresh, after...
“Shannon , Shannon, bo Bannon”
Anxiety over a child's development starts early. Recently a mom said to me, “My son is drowning in school. Do you think he has a learning disability?” What was particularly striking about this question was the fact that the child in question was only just five and in...
Two Minute+ Tidbit Tip: “Mythologies of Dyslexia”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNmOHYMCdyo
TWO MINUTE+ TIDBIT TIPS: STAGES OF READING PART II
“‘OQ’ Low or You Don’t Give & You Get”
14-year-old Jamie comes in for an assessment. His pediatrician has told the parents that he thinks Jamie has inattentive ADHD. When I meet Jamie I do my best to connect with him, but he’s not buying what I’m selling. Giving me blasé’ (“must I do this”) fist bump...
“‘Spelling. That’s So Yesterday'”
Let’s say your 12-year-old sixth grader spells the following words: (brief) bref (success) susess (educate) edcccate (result) resolt (kitchen) kicten Then writes the following story to a prompt: “Once a o pon a time there was a kid that was a million...
“A Few New Disorders”
This week we turn our sights to a few disorders that may make it into the diagnostic manual upon its revision. The first is one that I know I have very badly. It's being called "PBD," or "Pushback Disorder." PBD usually manifests when parents come in with theory...
“The Tooth Ache Comes Back”
Beside the fact that I am having root canal done later today, I find myself having a throbbing toothache all too often. Behind the toothache, let's look at Joanna, an 8-year-old third grader. Increasingly, frustrated by her school challenges, Joanna is prone to...