Blog
Getting a Roadmap – The Stages of Reading Development (Part 2 of 2)
Regardless of whether the child does or does not have a learning disability, the concept is that a child is somewhere on a continuum from the first stage through to the final stages.
“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...
#Dyslexia Mythologies Perpetuated
In spite of state training initiatives around the country, there are so many persisting mythologies hampering the understanding of “dyslexia.” Besides the top one of, “Isn’t that when a child reads upside down and backwards,” the second is the myth that “Only medical...
The Writing Road: Write On, Write On
Those of you who have been following Shut-Down learner for a while know that I have a bit of an obsession with kids' writing. It’s true. I am endlessly fascinated by the writing samples that they generate. When I look at a writing sample, usually I know immediately...