Blog
“Ineffective, Inefficient, Irrational, Immoral and Indefensible”
Most of you understand the concept of standard error of measurement (SEM). In a nutshell, SEM tells us that on any given day that you can be within an interval of confidence that an obtained score is accurate. For example, if the obtained IQ score is 100, you can have...
A Disconnect in #Dyslexia Land
Young Jack, age 14, a sweet boy who has very significant learning disabilities, couldn’t tell you how much a quarter, dime and a nickel totaled. Yet his mother brought in worksheets showing me that he was being asked to multiply negative numbers such as the following,...
PUTTING FUEL IN THE SHUT-DOWN LEARNER TANK
I know. It’s heading into those dark days. Kids don’t want to get out of bed. Homework’s becoming a misery. As the weather gets colder, the household tension meter is rising. If you can, try if you can to step back a...
LEARNING DISABILITIES IN THE MIDEAST: NOT SO DIFFERENT THAN ANYWHERE ELSE
I know it’s been some time since I last posted. A lot has been going on that has kept me from writing, not the least of which was my taking part in the “TeachME” conference in Dubai on 11/11 & 11/12/09. “TeachME” is...
IQ ADDING TO MY “GQ”
Even though I am a psychologist who does a great deal of testing, I find the overuse of the IQ adds to my GQ (“Grumpiness Quotient”). Why does the IQ score make me grumpy? Children who are in need of service, often don’t receive it...
Basic Reading Skills, Remediation Strategies, & Common Sense
Originally published as "Dyslexia, Reading Disabilities & Common Sense" Many moons ago when I started out, I don't remember feeling overwhelmed by the lack of common sense that seems to exist in the field of helping children with early reading skills. Today, though,...
“Do Your Personal Best All the Time!”
“James must try and do his personal best all the time.” This was the teacher’s evaluation comment of a child I recently evaluated. As soon as I read the comment, I felt my blood pressure rise a bit. I don’t know about you, but I have yet to have a day in my life...
“Thanks for Yelling, Mom! I see the Light!”
Recently, we talked about the notion that a child should be doing his or her homework in a more public area of the house, rather than the child’s bedroom. Let's discuss the tone of the homework activity and how you might manage it as a parent. It would be interesting...
“Go Up To Your Room and Do Your Work”: The Perils
How many households in America each night hear the refrain, “Go up to your room and start your homework?" Recognizing that each household is set up differently, it is hard to make generalizations about how and where a child should be doing his or her homework. For...
First Grade Writing Demands Overwhelming
This week I met James, age 7 and a half. In my assessment of James, I found him to be extremely bright, with excellent higher level reasoning skills and a lively spontaneous personality. His reading skills were developing nicely, matching his strong...
The School Keeps Saying “Stay Out – They Have to Do It On Their Own”
By the upper elementary school grades, the message parents often get from the school is their child needs to do schoolwork on his/her own without parental support. For many children (those that can do work on their own), that's exactly what should be happening. Such...