Blog
“Takes Your Breath Away #Dyslexia”
Even though I’ve probably evaluated a few thousand dyslexic kids in my career, it still takes my breath away when I meet those who are on the more significant to severe end of the spectrum. This week my breath was taken away on back-to-back assessments. Both children...
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...
The Under-Functioning/Over-Functioning Dance We Do
13 Year Old, 7th Grade Boy - Composite Profile: Engrossed in screens – Video games, YouTube, Instagram, iPad, etc., etc. Poor time management.. Low level study skills and organizational skills. Variability of academic performance/under-functioning. “Socializing” on...
Getting Beyond the IQ
I recently had the pleasure of facilitating a webinar sponsored with the Dyslexia Training Institute called "Assessment Boot Camp for Parents." (You can still register for the webinar and listen in your own time by going to this link...
Selznick 10 Point Summer Plan
It's that time of year, the time where parents start to let their guard down, but at the same time they stress over what they should be doing with their children to keep them academically on track in the summer. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind for the summer:...
Boredom Intolerance
Does your child have “BID (Boredom Intolerance Disorder)?” Don’t Google it or look it up on WebMd. I made it up. Let’s look at boredom intolerance. To start, If 100 kids (or adults for that matter) were asked, “How many of you would like to take part in a boring...
Reading Decline
Researchers have found a sharp decline in reading enjoyment after the age of eight. Sixty-two percent of children between six and eight say they either love or like reading books for fun, but this percentage drops to just 46% for children between the ages of nine to...