Academic Remediation

How kids outsmart learning disabilities - The Globe and Mail

How kids outsmart learning disabilities - The Globe and Mail.

People with learning disabilities are more likely to thrive if they have ongoing support, Perry says. While early intervention is “absolutely necessary,” she says, “we need to take a lifespan view of learning disabilities.” Children who struggle with reading, writing and math may need intensive one-to-one teaching or support in small groups. But since they will spend most of their lives in the general population, they also need help in developing strategies to function in the mainstream, she says. 

Perry notes that researchers have identified six characteristics that distinguish people with learning disabilities who succeed from those who remain dependent throughout their lives. Many can be acquired in childhood, she adds. 

According to a 20-year study published in the journal Learning Disabilities Research and Practice in 2003, the six factors include the ability to anticipate difficulties and respond with positive action, and the skills to set realistic goals and reach them step by step. 

Successful individuals with learning disabilities not only refuse to give up but also know when to change gears when a strategy isn’t working.They find ways to cope with stress, such as planning ahead for tough situations, and eventually develop reciprocal relationships with family members and others who have offered support. Finally, they are able to see learning disabilities as just one aspect of themselves, researchers found.

Moving Smart: WHY HOPSCOTCH MATTERS

Moving Smart: WHY HOPSCOTCH MATTERS.

Hopscotch was one of my favorite games as a child and it still is today. 

In fact, Hopscotch proves one of my pet theories that (in most cases) what's fun for kids is good for kids.  

Here's my Child-At-Play/Play-At-Work analysis of this timeless, universal classic or 11 Great Reasons to Rush Out and Buy Some Chalk Today!

Nine Rules of Thumb for Parents Of Special Education Students

This essay by attorney Robert Crabtree is loaded with invaluable advice.

Because the stakes are so high, it is very difficult for parents of children with special educational needs to advocate calmly and objectively for the educational and related services their children need. Nevertheless, calmness, objectivity, and a third quality -- patience for the long haul -- are the parents' most important tools in a complex and often frustrating process. In the course of that process, here are a few rules of thumb I have found to be helpful to parents.

1. Build a reliable team around your child: Your team should consist of strong and credible experts who know your child! 
2. Learn the rules: Every state has its own rules and regulations, but all must comply with the federal standards. 
3. Don't over-rely on the rules: The art of negotiation. 
4. Prioritize your issues: Understanding the importance of your child's needs.
5. Share information: The pros and cons. 
6. Document your communication with your school system. 
7. Understand 'least restrictive environment' (LRE) 
8. Personality conflicts: How to keep from being distracted from the real issues. Consider how each step would look to an impartial decision-maker: 
9. Steering the straight and narrow path in the special education process.

Math LD: Identifying Basic Number Processing Difficulties - NCLD

Math LD: Identifying Basic Number Processing Difficulties - NCLD.

Many elementary and middle school students find math challenging, but an estimated 5 to 9% experience difficulties severe enough to be categorized as having a mathematical learning disability (MLD). An emerging consensus, at least among researchers, is that such students must exhibit comparatively poor performance on a standardized mathematics achievement test (at or below the 10th percentile) over at least a successive two-year period to be properly identified as having MLD (also known as dyscalculia). As a consequence, children who meet such criteria are typically not identified prior to first grade. And while research in this field is at least 10 years behind research on reading disabilities, progress is being made

It’s started! Not just school…

It’s started! Not just school….

Is your school district or the IEP team quoting policy or regulation that you’ve never heard of before or don’t understand? Here are a few of the many that pour in this time of year.

Go read the whole post, and remember:

Asking to see a written copy of the school rule or policy or the “law” is not just a good idea. It can be one of your best practices for problem-solving.

In addition to asking, put your request in writing – in a letter to the school. Politely request a copy the “policy.”

You’ve heard us say this before.  Unwritten school policy is no policy at all.

And remember. School “policy” does not trump the law.

Homework Help for Students with LD « Smart Kids With LD

Homework Help for Students with LD « Smart Kids With LD.

Children who struggle to keep up with the daily rigors of school often come home exhausted from the physical and cognitive energy it takes to complete their day. By the time homework rolls around they have few resources left to deal with it, leaving their parents to act as the educator, cheerleader, and therapist—whatever it takes to get the job done. 

There is no magic wand, and no single technique that works for all. But there are some strategies that if used consistently over time may help your child become more successful with homework.

1. Build Meta-cognitive skills
2. Focus on Executive Function Skills 
3. Use Task Analysis 
4. Use Timers 

The goal is to have your child tackle homework independently, efficiently, and with confidence. You may need to scaffold your homework support, offering more modeling and strategies early on, before your child’s confidence begins to increase. By slowly removing the supports and allowing him to practice the strategies on his own, you can help guide your child toward independence. 

Parent Advocacy: What You Should Do . . . and Not Do

Wrightslaw is a wonderful resource for anyone involved in special education.  At the start of the school year, there is a lot to do.

 

What Parents Should Do

1. Prepare for Meetings You should treat the IEP meeting as if it is the first step towards a due process hearing by preparing for the meeting and building a record. If you do this, you make it less likely that you will end up at a due process hearing. If you do end up at a hearing, you will be in a stronger position.

 

Recognizing and Understanding Dyslexia

Richard Selznick PhD is the Director of the Cooper Learning Center in New Jersey. He is also the author of “School Struggles,” to be published in July 2012, and “The Shut-Down Learner: Helping Your Academically Discouraged Child.”  In this essay, Dr. Selznick offers some pointers to parents whose children are struggling with ;earning to read.

Dyslexia is defined as a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding (phonics) abilities. These difficulties typically are the result of weaknesses that are seen in the phonological (sound) system of the language.

Take, for example, Sarah, an 8-year-old third-grader recently assessed at the Cooper Learning Center who was found to have dyslexia:

For Sarah, reading was a laborious chore, something that she avoided at all costs. Tensions were high each night around homework time. Our assessment of Sarah showed that she had great trouble with decoding (phonics) and that she frequently substituted words while she read (e.g., “pricopinny” for “porcupine”), which interrupted the flow of meaning in the text. The results of the testing and Sarah’s history suggested that she was dyslexic, yet there were no signs of reversals or upside down reading.

Helping Sarah’s parents understand that Sarah had a legitimate problem was essential. Like most families in these situations, Sarah’s parents needed to lighten up on the homework-time tension, yelling and pressure about reading. They needed to understand that Sarah’s difficulties were not the result of her not trying hard enough.

Please go to the original article for the rest of Dr.

Dyscalculia: a first-person account from an English student (Pt 2): Money

In this segment, the speaker talks about how her dyscalculia affects her relative to money, strategic thinking and social life.

 

 

Putting the D in to the IEP Part 2: Common Pitfalls if your Child has Dyslexia | Special Education & IEP Advisor

Putting the D in to the IEP Part 2: Common Pitfalls if your Child has Dyslexia | Special Education & IEP Advisor.

Pitfall: Ignoring that inner voice and early identification Almost every parent that walks into my office recounts when their child was about three or four years old and they were not interested in learning to read. They wanted to listen to stories and investigate the pictures, but learning the letters and the sounds was just not something they wanted to do. Most parents have an inner voice that will tell them something is amiss, but at this age it is so easy to listen to well-meaning friends and family members tell you it is normal and they will outgrow it, but that inner voice won’t go away. This might also bring up memories of the parent’s own struggle with reading and send up a red flag- don’t ignore it.

Ten Obscure or Overlooked aspects of IDEA | Special Education & IEP Advisor

Ten Obscure or Overlooked aspects of IDEA | Special Education & IEP Advisor.

Aug 23 Ten Obscure or Overlooked aspects of IDEA By Doug Goldberg

1.  Medical Services can be paid for by the School District if it is for diagnostic or evaluation purposes.  As defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Act: “Medical Services means services provided by a licensed physician to determine a child’s medically related disability that results in the child’s need for special education and related services.” 

2.  The Child find mandate requires all children with disabilities residing in the State, including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the State, and children with disabilities attending private schools, regardless of the severity of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services, to be identified, located, and evaluated.  The child find mandate also includes children who are suspected of being a child with a disability and in need of special education, even though they are advancing from grade to grade.  

3.  The School District must take steps to provide children with an IEP an equal opportunity to participate in nonacademic and extracurricular services and activities.  This must be accomplished by providing the appropriate support in the form of supplementary aids and services which allows the child “to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum in accordance with subclause (I) and to participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities.”

Dyscalculia: a first-person account from an English student (Pt 1)

A young woman discusses how she is affected.