Blog
Reading Comprehension & School Bus Problems: Common Themes
When Kids struggle with reading comprehension, often there is an overlap in "real life” and the way the child interacts in their personal world. In this era of automatically labeling and pathologizing an unwanted behavior as “ADHD,” this overlap is something rarely...
“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,...
More Travels In Boy Brain
A glimpse inside 12 year old boy brain: “They’re at it again. Talking about that 504 Plan, whatever that is. I heard something like extra time. My mom seems to want it. Why would I want extra time? I want less time. I just want to get it done.” “They’re taking...
Facing the Writing Challenges
Open-ended writing can be dreadfully difficult for school-struggling children. On so many levels, they find the task to be overwhelming. For those who are struggling, the more common classroom writing tasks that encourage the child to write as he/she feels is...
More Boy Delusions
Recently I talked to you about the delusion of the modern American (male) child and their fundamental inability to face pain (Delusions of the Modern American Boy ). Not wanting to be redundant (hey, I’ve written nearly 350 blog posts over 10 years so it’s hard not to...
“Great Time Presenting to Fusion Academy”
On Tuesday, March 21st, 2019, Dr. Selznick spoke at the Fusion Lunch and Learn event. Among other topics, he discussed how dyslexia is assessed, how to approach remediation, and tips to help children conquer the most common learning disability. [rev_slider...
Taking An Effective Action – Overcoming Your Inner Gumby
Last week we revisited the notion that many parents embody “Gumby Parenting” (my term) as a way of interacting with their child and managing challenging behavior (I am a Gumby Parent). Gumby Parenting leads to an array of child manipulations. We talked about...
“I am a Gumby…Don’t be a Gumby”
On a weekly basis since 2009 I’ve tried to crank out a new blog post. While I may have missed a week or two here and there, I think there are nearly 350 of posts on www.shutdownlearner.com, drawing inspiration from kids and families to help generate ideas. Over the...
Delusions of the Modern American Child (Boy)
A number of years ago, I was complaining to my dad about something to do with work. Never one to mince words, my dad said something that always stayed with me – “That’s why they call it ‘work,’ Richard. They don’t call it ‘play.’” Modern children (typically boys...
Our Neurological Explanations of Everything
It seems we seek neurological explanations for almost all the struggling that children encounter. That is, we seem to be comforted that there is a neurological dysfunction at the core of a child’s struggling. Given that the brain is the central engine driving all...