Blog
“Double Check Your Hypotheses & Theories” (#Child Behavior)
While meeting with parents to discuss the concerns they have regarding their children’s struggling, numerous hypotheses and theories are often offered as to why children do what they do. Typically, the theories are linked to medical explanations, in other words...
Playing the Odds: Which Horse Would You Bet?
Having been raised by a father who enjoyed playing the horses, I have been well-acquainted with how odds work, and I often find myself looking for the best horse racing tips so I can make a bit of quick cash here and there. No, this is not going to be an essay on how...
“Step Right Up Folks” – Curing All Things Child
"Step right up folks! Our unproven, unsubstantiated therapy and treatment are guaranteed to cure all things bothering you about your child. That’s right for the low fee, special offer of $3,499 over the next year, we will cure bed-wetting, ADHD, reading...
Putting the Responsibility Where it Belongs (Squarely on the Child)
This week a mom talked to me about her very strong willed, temperamentally challenging child named Abbey. You know the type. Abbey always went against the grain. Whatever direction the family wanted to go, she wanted to go the other way. Flexibility of style...
Inclusion: Support in the Deep End of the Pool
If a child is not a good swimmer yet is in a swimming class that takes place in the deep end of the pool, how should this be handled? I would imagine that a swim instructor would have to stay very close by, making sure that the child does not go under. (Of course, one...
Killling the Rainforest One IEP at a Time
Professionally, one of the things I dread is when parents come in to my office to consult with me and they have folders loaded with one IEP (Individualized Education Plan) after another to review. I know I have some kind of comprehension problem, because after all of...
How High is Your “Parent Over-Investment Dial?”
Is your Parent Over-investment Dial (P.O.I.D.) set too high? Parents are often in pretty deep with their kids’ school work. However, by the time the child has reached middle school the typical message from the teachers is, “Parents - It is time for you to...
Samost JFCS Podcast #2: Dr. Richard Selznick
https://youtu.be/5F6IzDYX66A
Two Roads
You know what Robert Frost said, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…” Lately I’ve been explaining issues of struggling children in the metaphor of two roads. About 50 – 60% of the population has a relatively smooth ride...
The Game Changer: Logan Elementary School
For me, Friday was the game changer. Having been invited to speak in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the Ocean Reef School in Key Largo and the Highlands School for learning disabled and dyslexic children in Maryland, as well as being featured in a variety of public schools...
Brief Tip #3: Getting Clear on Dyslexia
Ask anyone you know what they think of dyslexia and they will invariably answer by stating, “Isn’t that when you read upside down and backwards.” Well, I have assessed thousands of kids I believe are “dyslexic” and have...