General Information

Last week we talked about kids and growing pains. Emotionally, the “growing pains” that teens go through may be the most challenging for all involved. The Teenage Brain Is Still Developing Neurologically, the teenage brain is still developing. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “in teens, the parts of the brain involved in…

If you are the parent of a growing child; if you’ve ever been the parent of a growing child; if you’re a child; or if you’ve ever been a child, you need to see the movie Inside Out. My husband and I rarely see animated films, now that our kids are grown, but at my…

If you’re not listening, you’re not learning.  I think this is a pretty profound statement.  I realize there are many ways to learn, but our experience with thousands of children and adults with learning challenges has shown that the vast majority of individuals who struggle with learning, including dyslexia and attention challenges, have difficulties with…

I am continually astounded when I hear from many speech/language therapists and reading specialists that they know little to nothing about auditory processing. How can that be when auditory processing is the very foundation of language and reading? Skills like speaking, reading, and other academic skills are like the branches and leaves of a tree.…

Henry Ford said, “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you can’t.” There’s a lot of wisdom and truth in that statement, but there are times when gutting it out just doesn’t work. I once knew a young man in his twenties who couldn’t read or spell. His dyslexia was…

Most teachers and parents seem to have strong, emotional opinions about Common Core, the current emphasis in school curriculum. It puts a huge emphasis on working with information as opposed to memorizing and reproducing information. If we want children to become good problem solvers and self-initiating learners, they need the kind of thinking skills developed…

Tyler was a motivated high school junior, potential Ivy League football player, and solid AP (Advanced Placement) student. But he was SAT-Challenged! Jessica was also an excellent student in her junior year in high school, but her test anxiety was so great it could only be controlled with prescription medication. Cheryl is a 50-something baby-boomer…

A parent recently shared with me that her high school son came home from school one day saying, “Mom, I need Adderall.” Adderall is a medication commonly used to manage Attention Deficit Disorder / ADHD. It’s easy to blame attention for students’ struggles in school because that’s often what it looks like in class and…

One of my favorite childhood books was The Little Engine That Could. I loved that little blue engine! He never ever gave up. No matter how steep the hill was, he always went after it – he always believed he could do it. “I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!”…

5 Things Parents and Teachers Should Know About Their Struggling Learner AND 5 Ways to Support Them We recently held a Simulation and Strategies Event at Stowell Learning Center, Chino. The parents and teachers who attended got the opportunity to see what it might feel like to be a student in class with dyslexia, auditory…