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...
“504-ing” – Part I
Parents will come to me loaded with terms that are only partially understood. Let's look at one of the common ones - "504's." I will hear things like, “We just need to get him a ‘504.’ We just want to get him the help that he needs so he can start reading better.”...
“Executive Functioning” – Are You Too Hot or Too Cold?
For those of you who follow this blog or read my other “stuff,” you know that my overall is to present to parents in down-to-earth, understandable terms, concepts that I think have become unnecessarily complicated. “Executive Functioning” is a term I hear parents use...
“Upside Down & Stuck”
In many respects, writing is the window in to understanding what a child needs academically and emotionally. Let’s take a look at George, a 9-year boy in the fourth grade. George feels that other kids make fun of him because of the way he spells and writes. George...
“Pie Chart Revisited”
As those of you who follow this blog knows there are two overriding missions that drive everything done in the blogs, books, tid-bit tips, and in interactions that take place with parents. These are: Help parents to cut through the tremendous amount of misinformation...
“Need to Meditate”
Odn any given week parents will come in seeking my advice about their struggling child. Invariably they bring in work samples from the child’s school work. As they tell the stories and show me what’s being asked of their child, I can literally feel my “CM” (Cranky...
“Further Down the Rabbit Hole:” #Dyslexia
Since this blog and its over 500 entries are not entirely about dyslexia/reading disabilities, I was determined for this week not to continue going down the “dyslexia rabbit hole.” But, as I was organizing books on my shelf (yes, I still have hard bound physical...
Part II: Understanding the ‘D-Word’: #Dyslexia
As we discussed in the last week's post ("Misunderstanding the "D-Word'" ), the problem with the use of the word "dyslexia," which has become quite popular among parents and professionals, is that the word is almost universally misunderstood. We encouraged you to ask...
Misunderstanding the “D-Word” (Yep, #Dyslexia)
Not sure how it happened, but it seems that there has been a wave of parents that think that their child has “dyslexia.” They also often note that many people in their family, such as the parents and grandparents also have or had dyslexia (even though most were never...
“A Day in the Life” (2022 Version)
“Woke up, fell out of bed Dragged a comb across my head Found my way downstairs and drank a cup And looking up, I noticed I was late Found my coat and grabbed my hat Made the bus in seconds flat Found my way upstairs and had a smoke And somebody spoke and I went into...
Part III: “Helping Your Struggling Reader & Dyslexic Child at Home”
Within the last two blog posts, we discussed the foundation needed to understand how to work at home with your struggling child. While moving forward there is one overriding principle that is important to stress, that is - TAKE YOUR TIME - DO NOT RUSH. Understand...