Decoding Learning Differences with Kimberlynn Lavelle

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!

Effective Dyslexia Interventions

Video version available at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0240

 

Effective Dyslexia Interventions

 

The “Gold Standard” in dyslexia interventions is Orton-Gillingham, often called “OG”.  There are many programs that are Orton-Gillingham-based.

 

The effectiveness of each OG-based program is highly dependent on the knowledge base of the person implementing the program.  If they are not actually trained in the program and/or dyslexia in general, the program will be far less effective.  

 

There are a lot of great programs available, but when someone can take those and individualize the education to YOUR child, you will see bigger improvements at a much faster pace.

 

There are also more contested interventions such as phonetic training (training your child’s brain to hear the differences between sounds), visual training (for those with visual tracking or visual processing difficulties), and other tools.  Each of these might work very well for some students and not at all for others.  This is because the tools are designed for specific types of brain wiring and if your child does not have that type of brain wiring, it will not solve the problem.  It’s kind of like giving glasses to a kid who can’t hear well.  Great for someone else, but not gonna help this kid!

 

Find a Specialist

Like I said, if you want to make a really great impact on your child’s growth, hiring someone who can individualize well is important. A specialist who has been extensively trained in dyslexia, has a lot of experience, who is engaging, and who is up-to-date on the latest research will be the most effective.  

 

I see a lot of recommendations for “Barton” or “Wilson”, etc.  And while each of those programs are great programs, they will not individualize to your child automatically and they will not necessarily address the difficulties your specific child is having.  Some kids need do well with Barton, and some will not.  (Luckily, Barton has a screener that gives you a good clue as to whether or not a specific child will benefit!)

Is your child ready for extra help?

For a variety of reasons (such as too much time on ineffective interventions), some kids are resistant to extra help.  They may not be interested in improving their reading right now, which will make them not make as much progress as the same child who is eager to improve.

 

Having an honest conversation with your child – in which you genuinely listen to their concerns and tell them about yours – is hugely important.  This conversation can make all the difference between your child engaging and finding success and your child continuing to struggle (while time and money are wasted).

 

Frequency of Extra Help

As I’ve said SO many times before, people only have a 10 minute attention span, at best.  This means that hour-long tutoring sessions are bound to be a lot of wasted time.  

 

There ARE circumstances in which hour-long sessions can be highly effective such as: the tutor is highly engaging, changing activities frequently, and the child is not mentally exhausted from a long day at school.

 

However, in most cases, a few short sessions several times per day is more effective than one long session.  That being said, one session daily is more effective than 1-2 sessions per week.

 

Yes, a lot of OG tutoring sessions in a week will get very expensive, very quickly.  However, your money will be more effective than if you pay for OG tutoring once/week.  In other words: 20 sessions delivered in 4 weeks is typically more effective than 20 sessions delivered in 20 weeks.  

 

AND- you can stretch your time and money by doing a lot of the skills practice with your child throughout the day and on any “off days” that your child has in their tutoring schedule. 

 

For example, you might only pay for OG sessions once/week.  And then you might ask the tutor for homework that you can do all the other days.  You might do that homework every morning and evening for 10-20 minutes.  That will all combine to lead your child to make much stronger progress than if your child is only getting the practice with the tutor.

 

As a reminder- if your child is mentally exhausted or resistant to the tutoring, homework, etc, you will not see much progress.  Before committing to a particular tutor, be sure they are a good fit for your child and that your child is ready for the extra help.

 

Takeaway: When your child is ready for extra help, find the right person and the right timing!

 

If you are interested in your child working with me directly, send me an email: Kimberlynn@DecodingLearningDifferences.com.  I have some specials right now (until Dec 1 or the spots are filled).

The Right to Read with Dr. Kathryn Garforth

Happy October, also known as both Dyslexia Awareness Month and ADHD Awareness Month.

 

Personally, I love that these two share a month because there is a high rate of co-morbidity, meaning they often show up together!

 

And to kick off this amazing month, today’s podcast is an interview with Dr. Kathryn Garfoth of Garforth Education and the Right to Read Initiative Podcast.  From her website: “Dr. Garforth has professional expertise in Educational Psychology and a personal understanding of the frustrations children and adults with learning difficulties experience at home, school, work, and in extracurricular activities.”

 

Listen in as we discuss reading development and what you as a parent can do to support your little (and big) learners!

Click here to watch the video interview or download the audio version! (www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0238)

Difficult Parents: My Take

 Parents often wonder whether it is worthwhile to write to their child's teacher.  The issue is complicated and nuanced, but overall, I almost always say: Yes!

 

Listen to the podcast and then be sure to read more of the details, ideas, and nuances at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0237 

Motivational Problem Solving

 Kids who struggle with ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and other learning disabilities are motivated by the same things all kids are motivated by: solving complex problems in a meaningful way!

 

In a continuing effort to find ways to motivate our child’s academic/educational progress, this month’s Motivational Monday is on Problem-Solving.  

 

While doing a worksheet full of “word problems” can be boring and unmotivating, solving genuine problems can be very motivating!

 

Consider some of these problems and all that your kids would learn in helping to genuinely solve them:

 

• We have no more space on our bookshelves…
• We have $X saved for a family vacation…
• What's for dinner?
• The back gate was blown down…
• The tomato plants died…
• We are in the midst of a super drought…

 

These problems, large and “small” all require an incredible number of skills to effectively solve.  Some skills that will be involved in solving these:

• Brainstorming 
• Measuring
• Calculating
• Budgeting
• Analyzing
• Evaluating
• Researching
• Donating
• Building

 

And there will be so many more skills, specific to each problem and to each child’s attempted solutions to that problem.  Notice that none of the given problems are ones that have a single solution.  The possibilities are endless, as are the possibilities of what your child will learn in helping to solve these problems!

 

Takeaway: Life is full of everyday problems that require a variety of skills to solve- involve the kids!

 

See more at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0236

3 Learning Principles You NEED to Know!

More at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0235 

 

When you’re teaching your child, or supporting them academically in any way, even just in thinking about how to get outside help for them, you NEED to understand a few principles of how kids learn to easily avoid conflict and increase actual learning!

 

• Teachers learn the most.

When we teach something, we retain 90% of the content.  Compare that to just 15% retention when something is presented both auditorily and visually! 

 

Prioritize creating opportunities for your child to take on the role of teacher.  Many young kids will do this naturally by quizzing the parent, or telling the parent to pretend to be a student.  Follow that lead!  Let them turn in to the teacher!  You can also set up other “students” like stuffed animals or the dog.  “Teddy looks confused.  Can you explain that to them again?”

 

• Learning happens in a fun challenge, and when interested.

If your child is stressed or bored, they’re not learning much.  We want all learning opportunities to be enjoyable.  One way to do this is to consider their interests and make learning opportunities around something interesting to them. 

 

Another way is to challenge them.  If something is too easy, it feels boring.  And some kids make more mistakes when they find something too easy.  They aren’t paying much attention because they’re not interested.  However, if something is too hard, they’ll become frustrated and feel defeated.  Finding that fine line of giving only what feels almost easy can really engage effort and attention and make them proud of what they accomplish!

 

• Most people can not attend/focus for More than 10 minutes at a time.

Keep learning activities short, light, and fun!  An hour of tutoring once per week is far less impactful than 5 minutes of intentional practice or quick lessons twice per day.  Your kid can focus better, and gets lots of opportunity to process between practices, building more automaticity.  

 

Bonus tip:  the best time to practice is right before bed!  Our brains process all night long and the stuff that happens right before bed gets the most processing.

 

With these three principles, you can be effective in designing meaningful educational opportunities for your child while avoiding resistance, boredom, and frustration!

Roots of Behavior with Michele Shilvock, part 2

Have you heard of Oppositional Defiant Disorder?  How about Pathological Demand Avoidance?

 

Ever wonder (or know) if your child has one of these and what to do about it?

 

Listen to this week’s podcast, where we dive deep into what these disorders are, and how to approach behavioral challenges with these kids.

Learn more about Michele’s work at: https://micheleshilvock.com/ 

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Micheleshilvockconsulting 

And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micheleshilvockconsulting/

The Roots of Behavior Difficulties with Michele Shilvock

In this week’s podcast, I geeked out a bit with Michele Shilvock, where we talked about behavior difficulties in children and what really works in a respectful and long-term way.  Michele speaks from experience, not merely from theory.

 

Michele starts off walking us through her behavior visual, then explains lagging skills, ODD, and PDA.  We definitely didn’t have time to go as deep as I wanted on everything so watch for Part 2 coming soon!

Boosting Reading Comprehension

Improving Reading Comprehension can feel daunting, but there are many simple, easy, and fun strategies that you can start using TODAY to improve your child's reading comprehension, despite any learning disabilities or challenges.  These work for kids with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, auditory processing disability, visual processing disability, and more!

 

Download the Guide at: https://www.yourparenthelp.com/readingcomprehension