Decoding Learning Differences with Kimberlynn Lavelle

Dream It, Do It with Dr. Vicki Waller

This week’s episode is the first interview of the season!  And to kick us off, we’re bringing back Dr. Victoria Waller!

 

Last week we discussed how to set your child up for optimal learning and one of the key pieces to that is to make learning pleasant or even fun, and this week Dr. Vicki will give us plenty of ideas to get us started engaging our kids’ love of learning and creative spirit.

Click on over to get the free PDF: “If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It”, full of fun and creative ways to engage your child’s learning!

 

Watch or listen to the podcast, download the PDF, and buy Dr. Waller’s book!

Back to Basics: How We Learn

In this episode, we go “Back to Basics” to remind everyone of the principles of what sets kids up for learning success.  This episode lays the foundation for understanding how to set your kids up for true learning success!  

 

Watch the video at: https://decodinglearningdifferences.com/home/basics/ 

Readying Your Child for College with Kim Duckworth

watch video version at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0218

 

Around this time of year, a lot of High School seniors are considering colleges, applying to colleges, and taking SATs or ACTs. Younger kids are beginning to think about their future careers and the colleges they may be interested in attending.

 

And even if your child is quite young, the path to college might be something you either have thought about, or feel that you should start considering.

 

This conversation is for you!

 

Find Kim Duckworth here:

Website: www.parentsareyouready.com 

Email: kim@parentsareyouready.com 

Facebook: @parentsareyouready  

Instagram: @kpduckworth 

Twitter: @KimDuckworth12 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kim-duckworth-048aa152 

Act Now! Early Intervention Makes a Huge Difference!

video version at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0246

 

In a recent episode, Dr. Vicki Waller discussed the importance of not waiting to get your kid help.  There is a myth that if we wait, kids will just catch up and outgrow their difficulties.  

 

And while some kids DO need more time to mature or more access to direct instruction to then “catch up” to peers, when a parent feels certain that their child needs some extra help, that parent is usually accurate!

 

The thing is, the sooner kids get help, the better the outcomes.  And, let’s pretend a kid who gets help early is later determined to not have had a diagnosable disability.  That kid still benefited (if the intervention was appropriate)!

 

All kids benefit from 1:1 instruction.  And the sooner that help is provided, the better the trajectory for your child!

Misnamed, Misdiagnosed, Misunderstood with Linda Karanzalis

Video version available at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0245 

 

In this week’s podcast episode, we have a fascinating conversation with Linda Karanzalis.  Linda is an ADHD and NVLD expert.  And if you’ve never heard of NVLD, you are not alone!  NVLD stands for NonVerbal Learning Disorder, and can be mistaken for ADHD or autism, but is entirely different, and those with NVLD are definitely NOT nonverbal!

 

This episode is a fascinating first look at what NVLD is, and what to do if you suspect that you or your child has NVLD.

 

One of the easiest ways to begin to explore this subject, is to check out Linda’s book!  This book has just been released TODAY!  

 

Click here to find out more about Linda’s book! https://www.lindakaranzalis.com/ 

 

And her other work can be found here: https://addvantageslearningcenter.com/ 

Yes! Your Child Can with Dr. Vicki Waller

Website for this episode: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0244 

 

If you have ever felt that worry, “Will my child ever….?” listen to today’s podcast with Dr. Victoria (Vicki) Waller. 

 

From Dr. Vicki Waller’s materials:

“Every child can succeed in school and life, but some children need more help than others. For over 40 years, internationally acclaimed reading specialist and student advocate Dr. Victoria E. Waller has helped children who have trouble reading, who can’t sit still in class, who don’t feel like they can participate—children whom teachers have all but given up on. In Yes! Your Child Can: Creating Success for Children with Learning Differences, Dr. Waller shares with parents, teachers, and therapists her proven techniques for motivating any child to love learning, overcome their particular challenges, and succeed in school. Her methods are designed and proven to draw out the singular genius within your child, whether they’re just a reluctant reader or have a diagnosis such as ADHD or other learning differences.”

 

In this interview, we discuss Vicki’s new book, giving you some solid ideas on what you can begin to do to support your child!

 

Find Dr. Vicki Waller on: 

Instagram: @DrVictoriaWaller

FaceBook: @DrVictoriaWaller

Twitter: @DrVickiWaller

Website: http://www.drvictoriawaller.com

Spelling Lists We Can Do Better

Video available at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0243

 

I can not count how many times I’ve heard parents worried about their child’s weekly spelling lists.

 

Parents want to know what they should do as far as accommodations, or if the list is reasonable, or if it’s just cruel to mark a kid wrong for letter reversals when they otherwise would have gotten 100% (finally).  Ouch!  Yeah, for the record, I do think that is cruel!

 

But I also just loathe spelling lists in the way that they are typically given!

 

The problems with traditional tests

Traditional tests are typically a list of words, often unrelated to each other.  Some lists are words all found in a common story that is being worked on that week.  Others might be a variety of ways to spell the long A sound (combining those all into one list is confusing and unhelpful!).

 

Additionally, we know from research that memorizing 10 - 20 words per week is NOT how anyone actually learns how to spell in their everyday writing.

 

We don’t memorize 20 words/week and then move on to using those words correctly in our everyday spelling.  We mostly just forget whatever we managed to memorize for the test, or we already knew how to spell the words.

 

To learn to spell, we need to learn the patterns of words.  More on that in a bit!

 

Kids who are successful on weekly spelling tests typically already know how to spell all or most of the words on the given list.  Other kids are further behind in spelling and might not know any words on the list.  

 

Handed the same list, some students only need to memorize 2 new words for the weekly test.  Other students will need to memorize all 20 words on the list if they are going to pass the test.  

 

Therefore some students are being expected to memorize significantly more words each week than other students.  And these are the very students who typically are struggling the most to learn spelling patterns.

 

I find it cruel to expect struggling children to memorize more words than their peers, especially because it is unlikely to benefit them in any way.

 

Finally, most spelling tests are graded on an “all or nothing” model for each word.  You either get the word completely correct or you get zero points.  In fact, the child may have spelled the word correctly but reversed a letter and the word is scored as wrong. I recently saw a parent post her child’s spelling list which would have been 100% correct if reversals were not counted against the child.  The child scored 10%.

 

The all or nothing approach also causes student growth to be missed, not showing the hard work they are putting in.  For example, some students are spelling using only an initial and final sound, without a medial vowel sound.  If that child remembers to use 3 phonograms on their spelling list, they are showing significant growth in their actual spelling ability, but might still “fail” the spelling test.

 

Accommodations

Yes, if your child’s school is still using an archaic practice of weekly spelling tests, please list accommodations for that test in your child’s 504 plan or IEP.

Some accommodations you might want to implement:

• Credit given for spelling reversals
• Oral test instead of paper/pencil
• Reduced list (child can take the full test, but is only responsible for knowing the first 5 words)
• Excused from test (receiving spelling instruction in an SAI environment while the whole class is doing the weekly tests)
• alternate/individualized list based on spelling patterns the student has mastered in the SAI setting
• Informal progress check with no set list to memorize, just assessment on patterns mastered (may be part of SAI instruction)
• Weekly spelling list used for spelling practice on homework, but not for testing at end of week
• Partial credit given on words for each spelling pattern correctly mastered.  (Ex: ship has 3 phonograms: sh, i, p.  A student spelling it as “sip”, “shep”, or “shib” would receive 2 out of 3 possible points.  A student spelling it as “chop” would receive 1 out of 3 possible points)

 

A better way

There are 31 spelling rules that account for the spellings of about 95% of English words, and the other 5% is mostly all words that are borrowed from other languages, and follow the rules of that language!

 

We can teach children to become proficient spellers in a systematic way that explicitly teaches each of those rules, and gives plenty of practice in applying those rules.

 

Explicit instruction is necessary for spelling acquisition in most children.  In fact, research has shown that most academic skills require explicit instruction.

 

There are great programs that teach these rules explicitly (such as Spelling Mastery, Logic of English, or All About Spelling), or you can teach them using your own scope and sequence.  The key is to have a solid plan to teach these spelling patterns in a logical way and to follow it, ensuring that the student is learning along the way.

Diagnosing Dyslexia

Now WITH sound!

 

see video version:  https://www.yourparenthelp.com/podcast_0239 

 

“Specific Learning Disability” versus “Dyslexia”

I’ve heard so many parents question the school’s report of a “Specific Learning Disability” and ask how they can get their child diagnosed with dyslexia.  In some states, a school can actually give a diagnosis, but this is outside of the scope of schools in many states.  

 

A diagnosis is a medical function, while determining eligibility for an IEP or 504 is a school function.

 

Assessing for an IEP or 504

A school assessment is done to determine if your child qualifies for an IEP or a 504.  A 504 evaluation is often more simplified and has less regulations than an IEP. 

 

When you are writing a request for assessment from a school district, you are writing a request that the school determine if your child is eligible for either a 504 or an IEP.  The schools are required to provide all children with a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).  FAPE is not the same for all children.  It is not appropriate to have a wheel-chair bound child run laps around the field.  It is not appropriate for a child with a significant reading impairment to be required to read a text far above their ability level simply because it is a grade-level text.  Determining what specific accommodations, modifications, and services a child needs is an important step in ensuring FAPE is being offered.

 

Schools in most states are not able to officially diagnose, but will perform a lot of the same assessments as a private evaluator who is able to diagnose.  Asking the evaluator if your child has dyslexia will often give you the unofficial diagnosis.  Alternatively, you can seek out an education specialist or a similar professional to help you make sense of the school’s testing.

 

Do I need a diagnosis?

You do not need a diagnosis to receive special education services on an IEP or to develop a 504 plan for your child.  However, some people feel more comfortable having that official label.

 

Keep in mind that dyslexia can be defined in different ways and in the broadest sense, any child with a reading impairment caused by a processing disorder/Specific Learning Disability can be considered to have dyslexia.  So if your child understands the stories read to them, has had reasonable reading instruction, and is not learning how to read, your child can be considered dyslexic.

 

Some people define dyslexia far more specifically, but because it is sometimes defined broadly, it is not always helpful to have the label.  It doesn’t tell us WHY your child is struggling, other than telling us that there is some kind of brain structure impacting their learning.

 

“Specific Learning Disability sounds vague”

Yes!  Specific Learning Disability is a qualifying disability for an IEP under IDEA (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).  There are a wide range of processing disorders that can be identified with SLD including: Cognitive, Auditory, Phonological, Visual, Visual-Motor, Sensory Motor, Language, Attention. (Although Language Processing disorder is often considered part of a Speech and Language Impairment rather than SLD.)  Each of those processing disorders gives the teachers and professionals working with your child a clue as to how your child’s brain operates a bit differently and how your child is likely to learn best.

 

So, while “Specific Learning Disability in Reading” is vague, it has as much meaning as “dyslexia” and with an identified processing disorder, is actually more specific.

Motivating Dyslexic Kids

Episode video: https://www.yourparenthelp.com/podcast_0242

 

Motivating Dyslexic Kids is much like motivating any child!

 

Before watching or listening to this episode, be sure you have seen/heard the previous episodes:

 

Motivation Killers

 

Motivation: Focus on the Relationship

 

Motivational Autonomy

 

Motivational Reading

 

Motivational Writing

 

Motivational Outings: Zoo

 

Motivational Modeling

 

Motivational Problem Solving

 

If you want to motivate your dyslexic kid to work on academic skills that they are struggling with, be sure to have conversations.  In these conversations listen way more than you speak.  Be curious and ask lots of questions. Get to know your child’s hopes, dreams, and concerns.  Find out why they choose to do some things and resist doing others.  Collaborate with them to come up with a plan that will work well for them!

 

If you find yourself forcing your child to engage in tutoring, or to do homework, step back and start trusting your child.  Use those conversations to decide on an approach that will work.  Trust that your child does want to do well!

Getting Your Kid Help in Public School

See video at: https://www.yourparenthelp.com/podcast_0241

 

In a recent episode, Diagnosing Dyslexia, we discussed whose role it is to diagnose dyslexia and whose role it is to educate those with dyslexia.  

 

This week, we’re talking about how to get the process of getting your kid help in public school started!

 

Request an evaluation

Write out a request for an evaluation.  I recommend emailing your request to as many relevant people as you can, as well as walking the letter into the office and asking the office staff to date stamp it and give you a copy back.

 

What to include in your request

Start your request with something along the lines of: “I request my child be evaluated to determine eligibility for an IEP (and/or 504 plan).” (see below for more on 504 v IEP)

 

Now list out your areas of concern.  The best phrase to use here is “areas of suspected disability include:” and then list out all of your suspicions.  The most common qualifying disabilities are: Other Health Impairment (ADHD falls under this); Specific Learning Disability (dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia fall under this); and Speech or Language Impairment.  If you suspect a specific learning disability, I would suggest including a request that your child be assessed “in all areas of processing”, or include specific concerns (ex: “Sara has difficulty following directions, copying from the board, and keeping track of where she is in a book.  She also often seems distracted.”)  Listing out those concerns, even without the name of the area of suspected disability gives the description of an area of suspected disability that the school needs to consider in their assessment plan.

 

You may also want to include any family history of learning difficulties, any official medical diagnoses your child has, and specific examples of how these areas of concern show up (ex: “just yesterday we were reading together and….”

 

Individualized Education Program (IEP) versus Section 504 Plan

If you want your child to get services, ask for an IEP.  In some areas, a Section 504 Plan (or 504) will include services, but this is not the case in many places.  IEPs also have goals that are being worked on through the services and tracked to determine if the services or accommodations should be adjusted.

 

I would recommend requesting an IEP unless you know that your child is performing at grade level, is able to learn in the general education environment without any direct services, and just needs a few accommodations (such as shortened assignments or extended time on assignments) for them to be fully successful.  

 

Timelines

Timelines vary by state, so check your state’s laws on timelines for IEPs.  504s do not have specific timelines (another big reason I recommend asking for an IEP).  

 

In California (and most states, from what I’ve gathered), states must respond to a written request for an IEP within 15 days.  This is 15 calendar days, not business days.  The timelines only stop for school breaks of more than 5 days.

 

A school can respond to a request for an evaluation by providing an assessment plan or by providing a “Prior Written Notice” informing you of why they are denying your request.  In most cases, the school will provide the assessment plan, especially if your letter lays out areas of suspected disability.  Some schools may ask you to meet, try interventions first, and rescind your request in the meantime.

 

Once you sign and return the assessment plan, the school has 60 days to assess your child to determine eligibility for an IEP.  Within 60 days, the assessment must be complete, and you should have met to determine if your child qualifies for an IEP.  If your child qualifies for an IEP, the school has 30 days to meet to generate an IEP.  In many school districts, the two meetings are combined and a child is on an IEP within the 60 days.

 

You can request an advance copy of the assessment reports so that you have time to go over it.  However, I recommend only doing this if you have knowledge of these reports or if you have someone to go over them with you, as the school’s explanation is often an important part of understanding the report. (Reach out to me Kimberlynn@DecodingLearningDifferences.com if you want help understanding your child’s assessment reports)

 

Takeaway

You know your child best.  If you believe your child needs additional help or support in some way, ask for it.  See Difficult Parents, My Take

Once your child qualifies for an IEP, the next step is to be involved in creating an IEP that adequately provides for the needs of your child.  Again, reach out (Kimberlynn@DecodingLearningDifferences.com) for help!