Halloween masks can be great fun, but there are students in every school who are wearing “masks” all year long. Mike was funny and gregarious. He showed his smarts in class discussions, but when it came to doing any kind of seat-work, he could be found entertaining his classmates. At home with all his unfinished schoolwork and homework, his mom sat with him in order to get through the load, inadvertently becoming his reader to speed up the process. Work came back to school correct, causing Mike’s teacher to think the problem was lack of motivation and attention. Mike was…
Read More“Can you hear me now? Wait…What?…You’re cutting in and out.” Recognize this conversation? Of course, you do. We’ve ALL experienced a bad cell phone connection. And it’s incredibly irritating! Can you imagine what it would feel like to spend your whole day, everyday, listening through a bad cell phone connection? Think about how lost and anxious you would feel? Thankfully, a call back on a cell phone usually solves the problem. But for children and adults with auditory processing problems, this may be just the way life is. Auditory processing has a profound impact on learning, but, it can mask…
Read MoreCould YOU use a little “positive” in your life right now? You’re not alone. 2020 has given us all a run for our money. Here are 3 tips for staying positive: Perspective A 16-year-old with ADD shared that she has learned to say to herself: “Everyone has challenges. Mine is ADD.” This attitude has allowed her to problem-solve her challenges instead of stressing about them. Take Control of Your Self-Talk Science has proven that our words are powerful. Beating ourselves up for mistakes or challenges never helps. You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it. Taking a…
Read MoreAfter repeatedly reversing the d in his name, Braden told his teacher, “Just call me Braben!” I laughed when I heard this because this young boy is so delightful and good-natured. But on further reflection, this is the very last thing that I want for our dyslexic students – to have to spend their life finding ways to get around their reading and writing challenges. Dyslexia is a fascinating thinking style. While each person with dyslexia is different, they often have strong creative, visual spatial, 3-D thinking abilities. When applied to Legos, mechanical endeavors, drawing, and out-of-the-box problem solving, they…
Read MoreFrom Break to Meltdown in 30 seconds – How Did that Happen? At mile 20 of a 21-mile bike ride, my husband and I stopped to take a little break. It had gotten warm and we wanted to remove a few layers. When we started riding again, my legs let me know that “enough is enough” and I thought, “I really don’t want to ride anymore.” It made me think about a couple of students that we tested recently whose parents reported that their kids try so hard on their homework, but have a terrible time coming back from…
Read MoreI don’t like to point fingers at the schools because I know there are so many wonderful, caring teachers out there serving our kids and feeling terrible about those that they can’t seem to help, but Einstein’s quote does point out something that we find to be true all of the time at our center: There are smart, creative, talented kids who feel stupid everyday because school is not working for them. It’s hard to imagine that Albert Einstein, one of the most brilliant minds of modern times, ever felt stupid. But he was apparently dyslexic, and what I know…
Read MoreI wanted to share an article with you that my husband David wrote to his business consulting clients at Thanksgiving. It refers to business, but it’s relevant to us all, whether were building a business or building confident kids. Here it is. Enjoy! A POWERFUL Exercise from Mr. Rogers Have you seen it yet? “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” (the movie about Fred Rogers) is currently playing in theaters. I was lucky enough to see it last week. (The irony is that this is not a movie for kids! When you see it you’ll know what I mean). There…
Read MoreMy son was a music major in college and is currently in the music industry as Production Coordinator and Tour Manager. If you know any really gifted musicians, then you probably understand what we mean when we refer to the “musician personality.” Musicians often seem to be in real need of a manager as their brilliant, creative personality does not always lend itself to being on time, remembering commitments, and organization. A mom at one of our recent parent nights shared that her 16-year old son is just one of those musicians. He’s been told that he “has it all”…
Read More