Blog
Addressing Writing Disability
I am continually struck by the challenges struggling children face when it comes to their writing. At a very basic level, they have little to no idea what goes into the writing of a sentence, no less a paragraph or a typical three-paragraph essay. For children who...
Matter-of-Fact Parenting
Every year I get older the kids stay roughly the same age. So, when I was younger in the business the gap between the average 6 or 7 year old child and me was about 25 years. Now…forget about it…you get the point. The gap is hefty. The reason I am mentioning an age...
“Not in MLA Style”…Really???
I find myself shaking my head a lot in utter disbelief when I talk to parents about what’s happening with their children in school.. I also find myself being more and more outrageous in ways that I would probably not have been in my younger years. This week to a mom...
Syndrome du Jour
Dyslexia was barely spoken of some years ago and now it seems to be front and center on everyone’s mind. I honestly don’t know how it happened, but parents are streaming in worrying and preoccupied with dyslexia. Dyslexia has become mainstream. At its core when a...
“But, Is It Too Late?”
A mom checked in with me recently regarding her 10th grade child who was struggling with reading, spelling and writing. The question on the table was at this phase of his life, what can be done with him? Is it too late to teach him how to read (spell and write)?”...
More From the Land of Low Frustration Tolerance
A while back we talked to you guys about a term that I made up called FID (Frustration Intolerance Disorder). We offered suggestions as to how to address it ( Part II: Frustration Intolerance), but it looks like no one is listening, because I see the trend continuing....
504 Plans – Changing the Odds
Parents talk freely about 504 Plans and seem to be comforted when their child receives one. What is largely forgotten (or never understood) is the fact that 504 Plans were an outgrowth of ADA (Americans with Disability Act) legislation. As ADA noted about addressing...
The Summer Slide
It’s that time of year when parents start looking to the lazy, hazy days of summer. With that in mind, many parents start worrying about the “summer slide,” concerned that their kids will regress and fall backwards without the normal day-to-day structure of school....
Firming Up the Rudder
We recently wrote a post on "executive functioning." (Previous Post on Executive Functioning) As I have noted, I like to think of executive functioning as the rudder to a ship. It’s the steering mechanism that helps you do stuff, like start tasks, finish tasks,...
“Please, Sir, May I Have Some More Food”
Parents will tell me of their ongoing efforts to get the school to do what they feel their child needs. There are usually three or so common outcomes. One outcome is the school will show data that the child is “meeting benchmarks” or meeting standards in spite of the...
More on “Executive Functioning”
We freely toss around terms or jargon that don't immediately translate to the average person on the street. “My child has ADHD.” “I’m sure she’s dyslexic.” “Since preschool, he’s shown sensory integration issues.” “Well, you know he’s on ‘the spectrum.’” (Wait,...