Blog
IEPs & 504s: A Brief Primer
Parents frequently ask about 504 Plans and IEP’s. Before getting too far into the weeds, I will respectfully ask the parents if they know the difference between them and what they even are. A majority of the time, I get a half shrug, coupled with a “not really.”...
Getting “Buy-In” – Recharging the Battery
A major premise of “The Shut-Down Learner” is that children who are struggling by degrees become discouraged over time. Effectively for these children the air leaks out of the tire and it becomes increasingly difficult to motivate them. They shut down. Since much of...
The Lens Through Which We See or the Doorstep We Land
To help parents better understand the issues with their kids, I have so have so many expressions that I use that are in heavy rotation. Among my favorite are the following two: “It depends on whose doorstep you land on.” “It all comes down to the lens through which...
The Soup Pot of Variables – Two Minute Tidbit Tips
In today's Two Minute Tidbit Tip, Dr. Selznick discusses the Soup Pot of Variables, an imagery technique he uses to help parents make sense of complex situations.
And Then There’s Mathematics
Beside my status as a certified oldster, there are many things that parents bring to me or talk about that make me feel increasingly cranky. One that gets me regularly irritable is the current state of affairs relative to the teaching of mathematics, in particular in...
Stages of Reading Development – Two Minute Tidbit Tips
In today's Two Minute Tidbit Tip, Dr. Selznick discusses the stages of reading development put forward by the famous Harvard psychologist Dr. Jeanne Chall.
Layered Skills & Compound Interest
Since the Shut-Down Learner came out some time ago, I have tried to write a blog once a week and have largely stayed in that rhythm. At this point, I believe there are some 400 blog posts on www.shutdownlearner.com. Even though it is self-imposed, by Wednesday of...
Trying to Get Rid of the Clutter
One of the things about this time of year is my annual ritual of trying to beat back the clutter and piles surrounding me. Admittedly over the years I have been plagued with SHD, aka "Sentimental Hoarding Disorder." For example, if a magazine had anything about the...
Finger Pointing
In Struggling Kidland There’s often a lot of finger pointing taking place. Played out ritualistically on a near daily basis, there’s the classic parent finger-pointing dance. It’s the, “You’re too soft on him – You’re too tough on him" ballet. While the parents...
Skill Thinking vs. Disorder Thinking
When I assess a child my focus often centers on where skills (and the skills can range from cognitive/academic to emotional/social) are breaking down for the child, which then guides goals and "next-step thinking." The skills can range from those in the cognitive,...
Back in the Anger River
I’ve said it to parents many times over the years - “Below the ADD/School Struggling Swamp, lies the “Anger River.” The Anger River results in much school resistance, avoidance and lowered motivation Parents will do various back flips to address meltdowns and school...