Dyslexia/Reading & Learning Disabilities

Beside my status as a certified oldster, there are many things that parents bring to me or talk about that make me feel increasingly cranky.

One that gets me regularly irritable is the current state of affairs relative to the teaching of mathematics, in particular in relation to struggling elementary school children.

I don’t know when it occurred or what was behind it (I have my suspicions which I will leave out of this), but from what I can tell the teaching of math has changed over the years, based on two things that I frequently see.

The first is what I will call the Sacredness of the Mathematic Word Problem.

As recently told to me by a mom regarding her 7 year old, second grade child, Sydney,  who doesn’t read very well, she noted that the Sydney’s class  receives virtually no traditional mathematic problems presented in purely number form (i.e., not word problems).

While Sydney has shown good mathematic instincts outside of school, she is already feeling insecure and shut-down with the daily bombardment of word problems, along with her struggles with reading, spelling and writing.

Sydney’s  parents were hoping that she could at least shine in math, but sadly this was not the case.

As the mom said, “I don’t get it.  I’m not exaggerating.  It’s January and maybe one time so far this year Sydney was given traditional math problems on the page with just numbers.  Whether it’s classwork or homework it’s always the same, word problem after word problem.  Along with the fact the fact that she can’t decode well, she has comprehension issues, so what do they expect her to do? She’s freaking out because she can’t read the word problems.”

It’s not that I don’t understand the value of mathematic word problems, especially for children in the upper grades, but for the  Sydneys of the word, the word problems are just one more reminder of their weaknesses.

The fact of the matter is that many of the children who are struggling with reading, spelling and writing often have solid mathematic instincts.

It’s a shame that they just can’t show them.

The second phenomena on the surface may seem trivial, but I do think for the children of concern the issue represents a challenge.

This phenomena is the insistence that at those rare times the children are given  more traditional mathematic problems, the problems are rarely presented in a vertical format, but are largely presented  horizontally.

For example, instead of:

  12
 x 3

or

   57

+ 32

The problems are given horizontally, as in 12 x 3 =  ?  and  57 + 32  = ?

It’s probably my own mathematic limitations, but I of consistently find the horizontal presentation of mathematic problems to be more challenging than when they are presented vertically.

Of course, educators may respond that it is good for children to be thinking flexibly and I support this notion, but again, for the children of concern, the whole show is hard enough for them to manage without adding one more compounding variable.

Takeaway Point

If you see your child struggling because of word problem confusion or difficulty navigating horizontal math problems, talk to the teacher.  Maybe sensitizing her to the issues can help.

With your child, help them to sort it all out. That is, without doing the problems for your child, help setting up the problems so it is more understandable.

Copyright, 2020 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.

Since the Shut-Down Learner came out some time ago, I have tried to write a blog once a week and have largely stayed in that rhythm.  At this point, I believe there are some 400 blog posts on www.shutdownlearner.com.

Even though it is self-imposed, by Wednesday of each week stress emerges with the dread of not knowing what I am going to write for the new week’s blog post.

So, for inspiration, this Wednesday I dipped back in the well and skimmed among the 400 posts previously written.

One that caught my eye encouraged parents to have a “compound interest mentality” when it comes to children and their “stuff.”

What does that mean?

With a compound interest mentality there are two keys.

The first key is to identify the specific skill that needs to be taught, practiced, mastered and internalized.

The second key is to have lots of patience.  Even when the skill is being well taught, it takes a lot of time to become mastered and internalized.

Let’s take Frederick, age 9, who has been diagnosed with mild autism.  Wanting to get a different perspective on Frederick, his parents bring him in to me for an assessment.

Walking right by me when I meet him, there was no  hand shake, no “fist-bump” or other such social greeting.

Following the assessment among other things, we discussed the “skill of social greeting.”

“We could make February, ‘Say Hello February,’” I said to the parents.  “We could  focus in on the skill of greeting.  For a while, let’s practice saying hello and shaking hands.  Once that skill is internalized, we can target another skill to layer on top of that one. In other words, it’s like compound interest – improvement on top of improvement.”

The same mindset can apply to reading or writing.  For example most of the kids that I assess have significant issues with writing.  Part of the problem is that the kids are not taught one discrete skill at a time.   There is no mastery of skill leading to the mastery of another  skill.  It’s almost all “open-ended” writing. (“Write about your holiday.”)

I explained this to the parents of Maria, age 10, who had severe writing issues.

“For a while, Maria needs to focus on the skill of writing a simple sentence.   At this time she has no idea about the concept of a sentence.  We need to break it down for her, even starting with the idea that a  sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a period.   Once she has mastered the simple sentence, then the next step would be to target more complex sentences.”

The key to the Fredericks and Marias of the world is to have a lot of patience and to practice the skill toward mastery.

Once a particular skill is mastered and internalized and becomes a part of the child’s make up, then  new skills are layered on top, improvement on top of improvement.

Copyright, 2020  www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.

You know the expression, “He’s like a dog with a bone.”

That’s how I feel sometimes in this business.

One of the bones that I chew on repetitively and just can’t shake is the notion of the “IQ” being one of the primary reasons a struggling child is not given what he/she needs.

I think I already have about five different blog posts on the subject over the years, so here we go again.

A while ago on this topic I referred to my “GQ (i.e., Grumpiness Quotient)” skyrocketing.  To illustrate why my GQ rises with this issue, let’s look at two different children:

Child A, a seven year old second grader, Keith, is below average in reading (15%ile in word reading skills, oral reading fluency, spelling and writing). Upon being tested in school, Keith obtained an IQ of 107 (68th percentile, but still in the average range). In addition, the school assessed Keith with a bunch of subtests that assessed his “phonological processing,” all of which clustered around the 20th percentile.

In short, Keith was struggling and he needed a lot of support and remediation. Keith was found to be eligible for special education services and started receiving small group remedial instruction.

Child B, Mick, age 7, a classmate of Keith’s, is in the exact same level of reading as Keith (15^th% ile).    In contrast, though, Mick received an IQ of 87, placing him at the 19^th %ile, or what I call the “Zone of no Zone” when it comes to IQ scores.  Phonological processing issues similar to Keith’s were also found.

A closer look at Mick’s IQ profile showed that he demonstrated above average functioning in nonverbal intelligence (65^th %ile).   Compromised by weaknesses in active working memory, processing speed and language functioning,  Mick’s FSIQ of 87 had much more variability than Keith’s.

Since there was so much variability, the score of 87 really was not representative of his legitimate ability or potential.  In a major domain of intelligence, Mick was solidly above average.

So, even though Mick and Keith were reading (and spelling and writing) at the same exact levels,  Keith was eligible for services,  but Mick was found to be ineligible for any remedial services.

Why?  Because his IQ was in the “Zone of No Zone.”

Mick’s parents were flabbergasted and at a total loss when they were told that he would not get any help.   They knew how agonizing completing work was for Mick and saw the struggling each grade.

When they asked the team what they should do for Mick, they basically said that there was nothing that they could so at this point and that perhaps they should call a physician (with implication of putting Mick on medication).

I see the Mick types all the time. They typically fall in the “Zone of No Zone,” that is between approximately the 15^th to the 25%ile (IQ scores between 85 – 92, roughly).  With scores like that on the bell-shaped curve  in the “Zone” it is very difficult to get a big enough statistical discrepancy for the team to find the child eligible for services.

If I had my way (which I almost never do),  the FSIQ would be secondary, essentially ignored in a situation like Mick’s.  He demonstrated at least average ability in a major domain of cognitive functioning.  He needs help.

If a child is drowning how do we not throw him a life preserver?

Takeaway Point
I’m going back to my bone to gnaw on.

Maybe it will help reduce my Grumpiness Quotient (GQ).  Maybe for comfort I will listen to the real life Mick and Keith.

Copyright, 2019 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.

A mom checked in with me recently regarding her 10^th grade child who was struggling with reading, spelling and writing.  The question on the table was at this phase of his life, what can be done with him?  Is it too late to teach him how to read (spell and write)?”

The mom said that high level professionals in her child’s school district told her that phonics should not be taught to a teenager who has struggled over the years as he will “never be able to get it” (“it”meaning the ability to decode words), and they should instead focus on content like higher order thinking or comprehension.

Effectively, the message was “forget about trying to teach your kid to read – it’s too late,” said in slightly different words.

I have been in this business a while and have heard the same thing for many years. I didn’t get it when I first heard this point of view and I still don’t get it.

Reading is a skill.  Some people are wired to learn the skill pretty easily without too much effort (what I call the “smooth road” types), a percentage are not (those on the rougher road with learning disabilities like dyslexia).  Isn’t it the same with any other skill that can be acquired, say tennis, golf or learning to play an instrument?  Some learn the skill more easily, others take more time and effort.

Would you ever say to a 45 year old person who was a poor tennis player, but wanted to learn how to play better,  “It’s really too late to learn the basics, so maybe you should just play tennis video games instead since you are too old to learn how to play.”

Yet, this happens all the time in middle school and beyond where parents are told things like that.

The Orton-Gillingham method and its spin-offs, the ones that research and clinical practice have supported (such as the Wilson Reading System) are very basic in what they are teaching.  Metaphorically speaking, these methods effectively involve practicing the notes and then learning to play the chords, hopefully leading to the capacity to play them in longer strings of music (sentences and paragraphs).

What is largely forgotten is the fact that the original Wilson program was created to address adolescents (and older) dyslexics with content and material to match their level of development, so it would not be too late with an adolescent who had reasonable motivation.

Now, it’s possible that an adolescent is sick of all of it and is not willing or motivated to undergo such basic remediation.  So, to the mom of the 10^th grader here’s what I said to her in email regarding the “too late” question:

              Largely it is kid by kid, person by person.  So much depends on the motivation of the student and the way the program is delivered.  I could be a 50  year old dyslexic and if I am motivated to work hard on a consistent basis and receive the right kind of instruction, then I can make gains.  Will I ever be a great reader, probably not, but progress can be made.  If I am shut-down and unmotivated, then my guess is Barbara Wilson  herself (creator of the Wilson Reading System) probably would have little impact.

Takeaway Point

Is it too late to teach phonics and word structure to adolescents and older who struggle with reading/learning disabilities?

Absolutely not, but it is kid by kid.  Person by person.

Copyright, 2019 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.

Homework is often a battleground.  Refrains such as, “It’s stupid,”  “I hate it,”  “It’s not fun,” and variations on these themes occur across the country starting in the afternoon, continuing through until about 9:00 at night.

Of course there are the dutiful soldiers who don’t complain (more often the girls), get started on their own, get out their material, complete the assignment (putting checks next to the completed task in the assignment book) and even putting it  back in the backpack so it can be found the next day in school.

In so many ways much of school and homework are like reminders of the past, of days gone by.  Take a peek at their book bags. Kids will still break out those zippered three-ringed binders with loose loose-leaf paper (yes, they still are using paper), dividers, pencils, pens and all the other stuff that goes with it.   In many ways, it’s still a real throwback to eras gone by.  I think if someone who hasn’t been around  since say 1970 was beamed in to a modern day homework session, it wouldn’t be all that strange or foreign.  Much would be recognizable.

As parents it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day struggling, the angst, teeth gnashing and displays of emotion, as the child rolls around on the floor doing everything to get out of doing homework.

I never have known whether homework has legitimate value as a learning tool for reinforcing or broadening skills.  I do think homework has symbolic value and if you think of homework as a symbolic process that school (society) imparts on children then you as a parent will not get so caught up in the roller coaster of emotions and reactions.

Without stating it directly, the symbolic process of homework conveys an underlying value that says something like the following:

“In order to be a functioning member of society you need to learn a few things, like getting out of bed and showing up on time.  As adults you will probably have deadlines for different tasks doing this thing we call a ‘job’ and it is in your interest to meet the deadlines.  Just hanging out and watching TV or going on the internet is not going to cut it.”

If kids were given this message directly in lecture form they would certainly tune it out and stare into the attention-deficit ether, not listening to a word of it. So the message is given indirectly through homework, starting in first grade continuing all the way through high school and even college.

As overseers, parents should practice their role and stance, with no strong reactions, no large arguments. Your job as parent overseer is to be empathetic, while shrugging your shoulders and conveying a message like, “I know.  It’s not fun, but you have to deal with it.  That’s your job,” without actually saying the words.

You too, are giving indirect messages.

Nonverbal body language conveys plenty.

So does homework.

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & to receive blog updates go, to https://shutdownlearner.com.

Copyright, 2018 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

It was a momentous week for me.  My fourth book, “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential  Concepts for Parents” arrived.

Often, people writing about topics such as dyslexia are writing about their personal struggles that they have grappled with to overcome the challenges.

I may have a bunch of other things (probably too numerous to mention – just ask my wife), but I know I don’t have dyslexia.

So, how did I get here on this dyslexia train?

I think back to a boy I first met when I was a very young, newly minted special education teacher.  This boy named Frankie was sitting in a regular third grade class.  When I gave him a basic list of words to read to me like of, him, and, for, stop, bird, look, he gave me a bewildered shrug and was unable to read any of them.

Even though I’ve evaluated thousands of kids many of whom have dyslexia, I continue to have my mind boggled when I see the level of challenge faced by these people, keeping in mind that reading is a process mastered by most seven year olds.

I have a Hall of Fame of Dyslexics that I have met along the way. These are bright, articulate kids (and adults) who have struggled severely all of their lives with the fundamental skills of reading, spelling and writing.

Frankie was the first to be given the honor of being nominated for my Hall of Fame.  Others like Danny, Donny, Josh, Rachel, Samantha, Danielle, Scott and Michael are in the Hall with Frankie.

One common theme, beside that they faced enormous hurdles to overcome, is that they all found their way.  They faced their challenges, worked hard to overcome them and became successful, engaged adults

School represents a type of storm for the dyslexic, something that they must weather, get through and survive.  To weather the storm they will need different types of support along the way.  Perhaps they will have an engaging Orton-style tutor who will tirelessly target the skills (often over a number of years for those with more severe deficits).  Or maybe, they will have a psychologist or therapist who helps them not become overly discouraged and shut-down.  Or maybe they have parents who strike the right balance between support and limit setting.

All I can tell you is I am very happy that my newest book baby has been birthed.  While I have never given never had the experience of childbirth, from what I have heard getting a book published has many similar parallels and is a painful, but ultimately gratifying process.

To all of you, especially the dyslexics, shut-down learners and parents along the way who have contributed directly (and indirectly) to this baby being born, I thank you.

You’re all in the book (even if you didn’t get nominated for the Hall).

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & to receive blog updates go, to https://shutdownlearner.com.

Copyright, 2018 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com

For this week’s inspiration we find ourselves looking to some pretty heavy hitters.

Voltaire said, “The best is the enemy of the good.”  On that same theme, Confucius reminded that, “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”  Shakespeare, cautioned, “Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.”

How do these variations on a theme apply to struggling children?

The vast majority of kids sent for special education as well as outside evaluations are struggling with the fundamental core skills of reading, writing and spelling.  They may have other “stuff” (you know, the usual – distractability, attention and behavior issues), but those core skill deficits are the primary reason they are referred.

When assessments are completed, most of the kids with these issues need sensible instruction targeting their skill deficiencies.  (Note, I did not name a specific program or method.)

Parents will go to schools insisting things like, “I must have my child seen in individual daily instruction by a certified Orton-Gillingham teacher.”  Or, “My child must have a certified Wilson Instructor.  It is not acceptable that the teacher went to an introductory workshop on Wilson.  She can’t possibly teach my child.”

Often, the school will push back saying that the demands can’t be met. They don’t have a certified Wilson or Orton-Gillingham instructor.  (These programs are expensive per teacher and they take a great deal of time and commitment on the part of the teacher to get trained.)

Things can get very contentious and adversarial.

Sometimes, attorneys and advocates get in the mix.

Many years ago (I won’t tell you how many), I had a kid in my class named Frankie who was severely disabled in reading, spelling and writing.

Sitting in a third grade class, he couldn’t read at even the preprimer level.  In spite of my newly minted master’s degree in learning disabilities, I had no idea what to do with him.

By chance, I attended a workshop in Brooklyn given by Dr. Gerald Glass, a colorful professor from Adelphi University, who had a method that he developed called the “Glass Analysis for Decoding.”  It was a sensible and structured methodology for teaching basic decoding and reading fluency skills to severely reading disabled (dyslexic) kids.   Glass taught us the method and after the day’s workshop, he said, “Now go try it out.”

The next day I did just that.  I started to use the method and in a short time, even though I was certified in nothing, Frankie started to get better.  He started proudly responding to words, none of which he was able to read previously.

Looking back, I wonder how did this happen?  How could he have made progress in decoding when I wasn’t certified in Orton-Gillingham, Wilson or any other research-supported methods?

Sure, programs like Orton-Gillingham or Wilson may represent remedial nirvana, but what if there is no one in the kid’s school, district or geographical region who is certified?  What then?

I say, ok.  It’s not that big a deal.  Think Voltaire!

Find a program that is good enough, one that follows the basic tenets of these methods. For example, maybe you are a teacher out there in Wyoming, Montana or Australia (I’ve been contacted from these areas by parents) about to start working with a reading disabled kid.  Well, for $20 you may want to consider purchasing a program like, “Angling for Words,” or “Explode the Code,” both Orton-based programs and start using them with the child.

Are they perfect?  No.  Could there be better?  Of course.  Could your kid make progress with  programs like these?  Absolutely.

Takeaway Point

Don’t believe everything you are hearing.  It’s great to get teachers certified in research supported program like Orton-Gillingham or Wilson, but it takes a long time and money to train teachers in these methods.  They may not be readily available.

In the meantime, I’m ok going with good enough programs or approaches.  I’m sticking with Voltaire, Confucius, Shakespeare (and Gerald Glass).

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Copyright, 2018 www.shutdownlearner.com
Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com
To receive free newsletter and updates, go to: www.shutdownlearner.com.

Questions or topics that you want covered in future blogs, send email to: rselznick615@gmail.com