Blog
“‘The Blind Men & the Elephant'” #Dyslexia
"It was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant Though all of them were blind, That each by observation Might satisfy his mind." The above comes from the parable of "The Blind Men and the Elephant." A group of blind men touch an...
“Task Analysis:” Going Old School (Once Again)
There are a number of old school concepts in education that I don’t hear much about any more that I think still apply. “Task analysis” is one of them. Years ago as part my special education course work task analysis was frequently mentioned. (OK, it was many years...
Reading Remediation – One Ingredient for Success
“It is essential to begin a remedial program at a level, and with specific tasks that are easy enough so that successful performance is virtually certain.” (Harris & Sipay, 1980) That quote was from nearly 40 years ago! I’ve lately had to mine some...
Start of the New School Year Blues
I know you’re feeling it – that little twinge that is starting to form with the end of summer and the start of the school year. You’ve had a bit of a welcomed respite from some of the school anxiety and worries. You know, the stream of stuff running through Worry...
Tales From the #Dyslexia Front: “Hey, Nerby”
The scars stay with you. This week while explaining to a dad and his high school age daughter the difficulty that she was having reading complex words and how there might be some associated embarrassment, the dad was brought back to a painful memory from his...
A Little Dose of Patience (“Vitamin P”)
"Vitamin P" A five year old boy I evaluated recently, Ari, seemed very sweet, although perhaps a little on the shy and a awkward side. After I tested Ari, when I told his mom my largely positive impressions of her son, one of the things she was very concerned about...
The Decade of Dyslexia
Every decade has a new emphasis. In the mid 1970's "learning disability" was a scalding hot term. Following the 1970s, ADHD was the topic of the decade. This was followed by autism (or children "on the spectrum”). We are now in the decade of "dyslexia." Not very...
Direct Instruction?
A mom called this week to talk to me about the school district offering a computer program (“Orton-Gillingham based, was the claim) that was providing “direct instruction.” The mom questioned whether the program was "direct instruction," as the school was telling her...
“Cool Anger:” Putting Yourself in Time Out
What’s the number one parenting tool used by 99% of the modern parents, that’s 99% ineffective? Yelling!!! Yep, it’s our "go to" parenting strategy. It’s our fallback, our parental comfort zone when our kids are getting on our nerves, crossing boundaries, breaking...
When You Start to Get Nervous
It is usually when the child emerges from preschool or kindergarten that parents (typically moms) start to notice some things that are concerning. Frequently, they bring these concerns up with the child's pediatrician or with the school. The typical message that they...
“The Skill of…”
I like using the phrase “the skill of ________________” when talking to parents about various kid issues. Using the phrase helps guide parents in terms of what they are targeting and helps a child to move forward. Some time ago a friend of mine trained her kids...