Take the Stone out of the Shoe

"I am grateful for trailblazers like Jill Stowell who are helping to illuminate the significance of phonological awareness and auditory processing abilities to not only speech and language development, but to future academic success.

As a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist with a special interest in foundational learning readiness, I am keenly aware that poor or delayed early speech and language development quite often leads to literacy challenges. Research has proven it.

The good news is that this can be avoided with early detection and corrected with the right interventions.

Jill Stowell’s expertise in the area of learning challenges and how to remediate them is remarkable, and she is a phenomenal resource for me professionally. “Take the Stone Out of the Shoe” is a must read for parents, educators, and even therapists, who work and live with children with learning differences.

Thank you, Jill, for providing this easy to read, and very relatable work."

—Stacy Payne, M.S., CCC-SLP, CLE, Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist, ADHD – Certified Rehabilitative Services Provider, Executive Director, Bright Beginnings Pediatric Services

"As a psychotherapist specializing with children and their families and as a Parent Effectiveness Training (PET) instructor for 30 years, I see the incredible value of this book.

Learning challenges potentially can create longterm emotional and psychological challenges for children throughout their childhood and far into adulthood. These difficulties also take a toll on families creating power struggles and fights if not dealt with, with tools, support and understanding rather than frustrations, disappointments and punishments.

This well thought out book includes a section that offers support and understanding of the child’s perspective and parents concerns.

There are examples and personal experiences in the book to make the read clear and accessible. Most will see glimpses, if not more than a glimpse, of their situation. There are names to the challenges and red flags to look for. The second section gives strategies of ways to help. I read so many great ideas here—very practical strategies, ideas of things to try to help your child and reduce the stress in your home.

And lastly in the third section, you will find the science and evidence behind the challenges and solutions. This will provide you with the hope you need to enable your child to grow, develop and blossom to their full potential.

I enjoyed reading this book so much. Kudos to Jill Stowell and thanks for sharing her great knowledge and long time experience in this field of learning challenges.

It’s a real gift to parents, children and professionals."

—Stephanie R. Bien, LMFT, LPCC, Founder of Insight to Teen Culture

"Take the Stone Out of the Shoe offers a clear, comprehensive, and much-needed road map of learning challenges and thoughtful remediation strategies to the parents of students who are struggling in school and/or who have complex learning profiles.

It is also a go-to resource for SLPs, OTs, and other professionals who often find themselves in the role of “translating” both the meaning and the academic and emotional impacts of diagnoses ranging from simple to complex learning challenges to caregivers.

The book’s overarching and essential message that “It’s going to be okay” is supported by numerous real-life examples of students who have struggled and ultimately succeeded. The simple, direct, and conversational tone in which Jill Stowell distills and communicates an impressive range of evidence-based information is designed to reassure and support caregivers in understanding and effectively advocating for their children.

Stowell guides parents in understanding the key differences between (and potential intersections of ) issues including
sensory integration, visual and auditory processing challenges, dyslexia, ADHD, and executive function challenges. Her section on executive function includes the crucial message that the goal of interventions should be to support self-regulation on the part of students (a message she succinctly summarizes with the question, “Are you building or being their executive function?”).

With its compassion, clarity, and thorough overview of learning challenges, Take the Stone Out of the Shoe fills a gap in the current literature—which tends to be either aimed at professionals, or aimed at addressing one specific challenge in depth—offering parents and students both hope and proven strategies for supporting understanding, success, and self-empowerment."

—Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP, Speech and Language Pathologist, Co-Director of Cognitive Connections, LLP, Co-Author of the 360 Thinking Executive Function Program

"Take the Stone out of the Shoe is a standout in the field of addressing learning challenges!

As a Certified Trainer in the Collaborative Problem Solving®(MGH) approach, as well as other forms of intervention meant for children with chronic challenging behavior, I found Jill’s book to be an incredibly valuable guide for parents.

Not only does she lay out a clear and user-friendly understanding of the many possible challenges that could be preventing a child from achieving their full potential within traditional learning systems, but also offers tangible hope in the form of guidance where it comes to identifying and applying targeted interventions that lead to results.

She speaks not only from knowledge, but from a wealth of experience running the Stowell Learning Center, in a manner that opens welcoming arms to parents as partners in their child’s education, and in working to “Take the Stone out of the Shoe” that may be preventing their progress.”

—Doris Bowman, M.S., Advanced Certified Trauma Practitioner, Certified Collaborative Problem Solving® (MGH) Trainer, Certified HeartMath Trainer

"Jill Stowell is not only a colleague in this field but has been a mentor to me. As a cognitive consultant specializing in helping people find neuroplastic interventions I was thrilled to learn about her centers that have so many of these wonderful methods under one roof that I could refer families to.

Her first book, which I was introduced to in 2015, reaffirmed to me that we had to look at brain function and brain development to understand the origin of learning difficulties.

In her current book Jill organizes it into 3 sections. Why someone may be struggling, some strategies to support struggling learners (until their abilities can be improved
through neuroplastic work and very specific skill training) and specifically about what she offers at her centers and why. There are stories of real students of different ages and abilities that many families will relate to. As well, she explains the science behind the origin of many learning difficulties and how the field of neuroscience has helped us learn how to resolve them. This book provides valuable information to many families looking for solutions."

—Alexandra Dunnison, M.ED.,Cognitive Consultant