My favorite teacher growing up was my 4th grade teacher, Mr. Baird. Mr. Baird had a way of making every student feel like a million bucks and he made things kid-friendly. We did a lot of really interesting hands-on science activities and he turned boring things like memorizing all of the prepositions into fun contests. Parents of struggling students are well-acquainted with how much a teacher can impact the kind of year their child has. Teachers who embrace the energy and creativity of their ADHD students and their out-of-the-box thinkers find ways to channel the challenges and support the strengths. …
Read MoreThe tenacity and resilience of dyslexic children and adults never ceases to amaze me! I was doing a radio interview this morning and the host, Christina Nitschmann said, “If only I’d known you when I was in school!” She went on to say that she was dyslexic and couldn’t read when she entered junior high. Her parents had been told that she was probably retarded, but Christina knew she was smart. She realized that no one was going to teach her to read, so she’d better try to teach herself. She asked her teacher for every book she could find…
Read MoreLast weekend I saw a mom and her two little boys at the counter of an ice cream shop trying to decide what flavor to choose. And there were so many choices! The little guys were so excited! It made me think about a breakthrough that one of our students had a few years ago. She was 11-years old and had never, ever chosen any kind of ice cream other than vanilla when her family went to Baskin Robbins, which they liked to do. She was on the Autism spectrum and very afraid to branch out and try anything new. …
Read MoreRaquel was a third grader reading at a first grade level when she was diagnosed with ADHD. Her parents were not sold on the diagnosis or the suggested “solution” of medication so they kept searching for answers. When we tested Raquel, we found that she actually had dyslexia. Her weak ability to process the sounds in words made it very difficult for her to learn and use phonics for reading and spelling. She tended to add, omit, and substitute sounds in words, making it look like she wasn’t really paying attention. Raquel also experienced visual disorientation when looking at the…
Read MoreAs a parent, when your child is struggling, you may feel like you can hardly breathe. You search for answers and will do almost anything to help, if only you knew what to do. When we got to the end of our parent night last week, one of the moms said, “Now, I can exhale!” We had talked about how smart kids who struggle in school are not lazy, or unmotivated, or, most importantly, not doomed to a life of continued setbacks and frustration due to learning and attention challenges. Traditional tutoring and help at school, while supportive, does not…
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