Blog
Parenting at the Root of the Problem (Not So Fast)
In addition to the myriad of labels and diagnoses offered as explanations for a child's behavior, it is often assumed that parenting is a significant variable, if not the sole reason for a child's behavior. As proof of this, when we see a child who appears to be...
“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...
Not Eligible For Services
In last blog post I talked about Jackson, a child who was struggling with basic concepts of math, such as time, money and simple fractions. I had intended to build on last week’s blog, but instead I need to take a different direction in terms of Jackson. Jackson was...
“Dyscalculia”… Don’t Let it Fool ‘Ya’
Dyscalculia: Severe difficulty in making arithmetical calculations, as a result of brain disorder. Recently, I had a number of kids who were struggling in basic mathematic functions. Parents will often inquire whether their child has "dyscalculia." Even though I've...
When You’re a Lego Kid
Those of you who have been following this blog or other Shut-Down Learner stuff for some time know that I have somewhat of a preoccupation with those kids I’ve referred to as “Lego Kids.” Even though I have assessed a few thousand kids in my career (yes, it’s true),...
Screen Abuse – Part II 14,600 Hours
It's fair to say that people are more addicted to their electronic devices than ever before. Gaming addiction is at a record level, Netflix is achieving its highest viewership levels, and as you can see from these Cell Phone Deal Statistics, the average daily app...