Blog
Compound Interest Mentality
Change does not come easily for any of us. Think about how deeply ingrained our personalities, habits and proclivities are. Fundamentally, we are who we are. Parents spend a lot of time trying to change children and I sometimes find that their efforts may be a bit too...
9 Years In – Some Themes Reemerge
Wow! I just found out that I’ve just reached my ninth anniversary of writing these blogs. The first one was published on 6/24/2009 (2009 Blog Post). Time does fly. Having written nearly 320 of these posts, I do my best to try to keep things fresh, but I know there...
“I’ve Got Anger Issues”
One of my favorite kids, Sam, came in to see me this week. Nearly six and going into first grade in the fall, I’ve been tracking Sam since he was three. Sam’s had issues with “behavioral self-regulation,” as the mental health professionals might say. (In other words,...
Nostalgia Continued – What Experts Told Us in 1964
(Not sure why I have been in such a nostalgic mood lately. On YouTube I’ve been watching old horses from bygone eras win the Triple Crown. Perhaps it was seeing my third Triple Crown victory a couple of weeks ago that has sent me into a reverie of remembrance. (I...
Mining the Nuggets
Admittedly, I have trouble letting go of things. If a magazine had an article about the Rolling Stones, for example, it could never be thrown out. Boxes of such magazines in my attic, along with an assortment of other memorabilia speak to the streak of sentimental...
“Ain’t No Cure For the Summertime Blues”
“Sometimes I wonder what I'm a gonna do But there ain't no cure for the summertime blues” (Eddie Cochran) Summertime. Remember how it used to feel. The days were long. The sun came up and you were out all day until the waning light at the end of the day. There were...
Adjustment vs. Direct Instruction
You’ve been watching your child in the weekly tennis clinics offered at the school and you are not very comfortable with what you are seeing. In contrast to those kids who look like they play pretty well, your 8 year old stands out. In short, he isn’t very good. As...
The “Just-Off Child”
There is a type of child I see quite often that is often confounding for schools and parents alike. This is the child I think of as “just-off.” Quantitatively, the “Just-Off Child” mostly resides in the portion of the bell-shaped curve, within the dreaded “average...
“Must See a Neurologist” Really?
One of the things that I hear quite often from parents is the following statement: “When we inquired with the school about dyslexia, they told me, ‘dyslexia is a medical condition and that we need to go to a neurologist (or some other such physician) for the...
Draining of Childhood
Beyond their level of development and maturity, kids are becoming preoccupied and exposed to far too much content than they can handle. Childhood is becoming overwhelming. What’s behind this? It’s pretty clear. Most of the kids I talk to have pretty unlimited access...
Fundamental Questions
In contrast with kids who travel on a smoother road, on this site and in our books we are concerned with kids riding a rougher road. These kids have a tough ride for all kinds of reasons. Dyslexia evaluation and ADHD Assessment Tools Here are some fundamental...