Decoding Learning Differences with Kimberlynn Lavelle

Neurons that Fire Together, Wire Together

I do hope that I am not the only neuro-nerd out there, but even if you’re not particularly fascinated by neuroscience, stick with me!

 

In this week’s episode, I take an old-ish quote and apply it to how your kids learn, leaving you with action you can take to make learning more successful for your kids!

 

This is extremely helpful in working with kids with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and so many other specific learning disabilities! It also benefits those with ADHD or any learning struggles!

English Language Rules

This week’s podcast episode might be a first of its kind (for me).  It started out as wanting to explain that English is actually relatively logical and follows a lot of patterns, but it turned into a book recommendation because Uncovering the Logic of English by Denise Eide goes into better detail than I ever could in a podcast episode!

Listen in to hear about why I like this book, why I recommend this book regularly, and some examples of how we were just never taught enough to know that English is a much more predictable and logical language than it is usually given credit for!

Secret Codes and Dyslexia with Dr. Hurford

I am delighted to announce that our first guest interview for the 2025 season of Decoding Learning Differences is Dr. Hurford. 

Dr. Hurford is doing great things in the world, studying dyslexia and teaching kids with dyslexia as part of his non-profit organization!

You can hear all about that as well as some books he’s published (that I just had to get my own copies of, so expect to see another episode on those in the future!) in this week’s podcast episode!

To learn more about his organization and his books, go to: https://www.jettpublishing.net/authors/about-the-author

 

 

2025 Season 5 Intro

Times are challenging, and I’m dedicated to focusing on getting everyone the info they need to be successful in the area in which I have expertise in.

There will be a few changes to the podcast for the 2025 season.  I will now be emailing and publishing the podcast episodes on THURSDAYS instead of Mondays!  

 

So watch for emails from me on Thursdays at 12:34pm.  As much as I’d like to get back to weekly emails and episodes, I think bi-weekly is the most attainable for me at this time.  I am dedicated to continuing to keep this a free resource (for you; it costs me plenty, haha!) and hope that you find it valuable!

I’ll be focusing this year on Education law (especially the special education side of it), book reviews, learning/teaching tips, and guest interviews!

 

If you have any ideas for any of the above OR any other questions you would love for me to answer on the podcast, please email me: Kimberlynn@DecodingLearningDifferences.com

The Pace and Progress of Learning

Parents assume that their kids have learned something and will still know it next week.

 

They won’t, unless they’ve been practicing.  

 

This is probably obvious to you when you stop to think about it, but it’s just so common for parents to also be surprised when our kids have forgotten something they TOTALLY knew!

 

And this learning-requires-practice truth is exponentially more true for kids with learning disabilities!

Listen to this week’s episode and get some ideas for how to go about helping your kiddo to make progress that lasts and doesn’t leave them saying, “I’m stupid!”  No kid deserves to feel that way!

Progress Check!

If you have a “great”, “good”, or even “okay” IEP in place for your kiddo, don’t assume all is going well and you don’t need to check in until the next annual IEP.

 

Check NOW!  We’re approximately ⅓ of the way through the school year (depending on your school’s calendar).  

 

We need to be sure that everything in place still makes sense and is benefiting your kiddo.  

 

We need to be sure the goals are appropriate and progress is being made.

 

And we need to be sure progress is being made in all the areas that don’t have IEP goals too!

Voting for Education

Unfortunately, education has become increasingly political lately and I feel like I’m not doing anyone any favors by keeping quiet about it.

 

I will not tell you who or what to vote for, but I would love the opportunity to let you know about a few things that can impact your child’s education.

 

I’m intentionally releasing this episode well ahead of Election Day because I want everyone to have time to research fully, and never to act out of fear.

IEP Checklist

Today is Christmas in September!  I’ve got a gift for you!

 

I’ve just created an IEP checklist to help you do what I do for my clients!  When working with clients, I go through every part of an IEP to ensure it is well-written, accurate, and is working toward reasonably ambitious goals.

 

With this PDF, you can now do the same thing!  The PDF links to videos that go deeper into some of these topics to help you better determine how to support your kiddo and how to best evaluate your kiddo’s IEP.

 

In this week’s podcast, I’m going over this PDF and how to use it most effectively.

Click here to watch and get the PDF for yourself!

Letters to the School

Click here to see the video and get the letters!

 

https://decodinglearningdifferences.com/Letters

Or email me at Kimberlynn@DecodingLearningDifferences.com

Starting the School Year Strong

See the video at: https://decodinglearningdifferences.com/StartingtheSchoolYear 

The school year has already begun in schools near me, and won’t start for another month in some other schools around the country.  Whenever you are starting school, I want you to keep in mind a few things toward the start of the year.  These are some ways to help ensure this is a year of success and progress for your child, and not another lost year.

 

• Stay in frequent contact with all general education and special education teachers working with your kiddo, as well as any other service providers (Speech, OT, counseling, etc)
• Be sure that everyone is very familiar with your child’s needs and accommodations and be sure that they are actually implementing them, not forcing your child to be the one to ask for the accommodation before it is provided!
• Monitor your child’s progress and ensure IEP goals are being worked on, are still appropriate, and progress is being made.
• Be friendly, be approachable, be firm.  The goal is for the school’s IEP team members to treat you like they would a close friend or family member, providing the best for your kiddo; not taking advantage of you, and not keeping you in the dark out of fear.