Blog
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...
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...
Doing the FAPE Dance – “FAPING”
Let’s say you have a 7 year old child who struggles greatly with reading, spelling and writing and has been diagnosed with a learning disability (e.g., dyslexia). The school has classified the child for special education and an IEP (Individual Education Plan) is being...
“I’m Not the Lead Actor…I Play a Supporting Role”
Let’s say you have one of those 14 year old boys who shows signs of what is now commonly being referred to as “executive function deficits,” or EFD. You probably know some of the signs of EFD – poorly organized, poor planning, little task initiation, weak...