ABCs of Learning

April is designated as Math Awareness Month, and it is the perfect time to reflect on your child’s math skills. With an emphasis on literacy standards, parents tend to notice early struggles with letter recognition and handwriting. Therefore, they more easily pick up on the signs of emerging learning disabilities in the areas of reading and writing. However, we do not want to leave out math!

The following are indications of a possible learning disability in math:

• While the child has learned basic math facts, he/she struggles to quickly recall the answers during “beat the clock” or “mad minute” timed tests at school.
• The child has trouble carrying out multi-step calculations, such as double-digit multiplication or long division, in the correct order.
• Even after frequent review, the child has trouble grasping basic math concepts.
• The child struggles to understand and solve word problems. Sometimes he or she determines the answer simply by adding together all of the numbers in the problem.
• The child does not seem to understand the signs and symbols of math.

If you notice that your child struggles in these areas, you may wish to meet with an educator at Child and Family Development. I enjoy consulting with parents, doing comprehensive assessments, and providing therapy for children with math disabilities. 

Believe it or not, summer is nearly upon us! While thoughts immediately turn to sunny vacation destinations, the summer offers valuable weeks in which to build your child’s skills, spark new interests, and address areas of concern. 

At Child and Family Development, educators offer sessions designed to meet the individualized needs of children of all ages. Summer is the perfect time for additional work in areas that presented struggles during the school year. Educators do informal assessments to identify specific weaknesses, and they then use multi-sensory instruction to approach difficult concepts in a different way. The summer also allows children to pursue new interests. Who knows? You might have a budding author on your hands! Educators guide students in expressing their ideas in writing. This work can boost skill development for the new school year and for a lifetime of successful communication. If you or a teacher had concerns about your child’s overall academic progress, the summer can be the right time to “get the big picture”. At Child and Family Development, educators and psychologists work as a team to provide comprehensive evaluations of students’ cognitive, academic, and social/emotional skills. This information allows the team to determine your child’s learning profile, make any specific diagnoses, and offer specific recommendations for supports and services. You will then be ready to head into the fall with a specific plan of action to meet your child’s needs.     

            As an educational specialist, I enjoy staying abreast of new developments in my field. Recently, I attended the Annual Conference of the Learning Disabilities Association of America in Baltimore, Maryland. The sessions provided me with the opportunity to gain insight into the latest research, legal changes, and strategies to address different types of disabilities. This four-day event was packed with interesting information that I look forward to sharing in some of my upcoming blogs. Stay tuned for entries on brain research, executive functioning, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, multi-sensory instruction, specific learning disabilities, response to intervention (RTI), preparation for college, and the emotional impact of learning disabilities. 

In the tradition of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, the first week of March is dedicated as a time to Read Across America. Reading is a lifelong activity that can become a fun, engaging experience for your whole family. Here are some ways to get everyone involved and to help your child in school:

·        Children learn from the examples set by adults. When a child sees a parent reading daily, he/she will be more likely to pick up a book or magazine during free time. The materials might include newspapers, books, or magazines.

·        Encourage reading as a shared experience. An adult can buddy up with a child and take turns reading. After the child reads aloud one page, the adult can then take the next page. This partner activity promotes teamwork and provides support for the struggling reader. 

·        Just as many families have a game night or movie night, designate one evening as a reading night. Chose a topic of interest and find an article or story to share. While listening to adults as they read, children have a model for fluent, expressive reading.

·        Rather than simply signing children’s school reading logs, take the time to listen to their oral reading. Parent questioning will help to develop the child's critical thinking skills. Ask a child to identify character traits, draw conclusions about an event, and make predictions about what might happen next.  

·        Celebrate a child’s reading success. Chart progress in completing school reading assignments and novels. Allow the child to choose from a menu of rewards. A trip to the bookstore for a new book makes for a fun weekend outing.

When many people think of dyslexia, they think of reversals with the letters b and d. While that can be one struggle, there are other signs that are often present in older children with dyslexia. As a parent, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does my child often argue, cry, or become angry about going to school?
• Does my child frequently misspell common words in his/her writing?
• Does my child have trouble copying from the board or from a list at home?
• Does my child skip lines, reverse word order, or stumble over common words when reading aloud?
• Do my child’s decoding errors interfere with his/her reading comprehension?
• Does it take my child hours to do homework that should take 30 minutes?

If you answered yes to more than 3 of these questions, consider talking with an educator. As an Educational Specialist at Child and Family Development in Charlotte, I enjoy consulting with parents and conducting educational assessments to help in answering your questions about dyslexia.

The halfway point of the school year is already upon us. This time offers a good opportunity to evaluate your child’s early academic skills. While each child progresses at a slightly different pace, parents should take note of certain patterns in reading development. Difficulty in a combination of these areas can present a sign of dyslexia in early readers:

·        Letter recognition

·        Letter-sound associations

·        Identification and generation of rhyming words

·        Recall of sight words that he/she has reviewed many times

·        Letter reversals

·        Omission of small words, such as the, on, or and

·        Confusion with words that look similar

It is important to keep in mind that dyslexia should be diagnosed through a comprehensive psychological-educational evaluation completed by a trained professional. As an educator at Child and Family Development, I enjoy assessing and treating students with dyslexia. I also consult with parents and schools to provide further information and recommendations. Children with dyslexia can overcome their struggles and go on to become very successful individuals. 

The New Year is the perfect time to start thinking about the coming fall and your child's readiness for school. You might be wondering…Is our child ready to start kindergarten? Should we wait another year? How do we choose the right school setting? 

Educational Specialists at Child and Family Development can help you answer these questions by determining your child’s unique learning profile. We conduct school readiness assessments to measure your child’s pre-academic skills in the areas of reading, math, and writing. Educators also use developmental tests to examine receptive and expressive language as well as auditory memory. These activities look at children’s ability to take in information, process what they have heard, and give an appropriate verbal response. Other tasks assess fine motor coordination, which provides a foundation for pencil control and handwriting. This evaluation process takes place during a 1-hour appointment with the child.

During a second 30-minute appointment with parents, the Educator will review the results. She will explain the data and share your child’s pattern of strengths and weaknesses. This information will establish whether your child has acquired the necessary skills to be prepared for a kindergarten program. It will also help to determine the presence of any emerging learning disabilities. The profile can even guide you in choosing a school environment that best matches your child’s learning style. A brief written summary will be available within 10 days of the meeting. 

Visit our website for more information, or call one of our offices to set up an appointment with an Educational Specialist. We look forward to working with your family. Ready or not, a new school year is just around the corner!     

The holidays bring a break from the daily routine of school, but learning can still be a part of your fun and festivities.

·        Whether you are traveling or staying at home, journaling keeps those writing skills fresh.  Depending on the child’s age, this activity might include pictures and words, short sentences, or a paragraph.  Story writing helps children to organize their ideas and can record memories for a lifetime.

·        If you travel to a new place, visit museums and landmarks in the area.  These destinations offer tours and hands-on activities that teach history and culture.  Children learn best by becoming actively involved, and they will undoubtedly recall the experiences for years to come. 

·        Read some each day.  Children might enjoy a chapter of a favorite novel during a short break from activities.  Families can also read together from stories or articles about family traditions.  Ask questions and talk about the events, characters, and ideas described in the story.

·        While shopping for those final gifts, engage your children in the experience by giving them a job.  As you move down the aisles, younger children can look for items that have a specific shape, color, or name that begins/ends with a certain letter sound.  Older children can use mental math to figure out costs and change.

·        Give the gift of learning that lasts for weeks and months to come.  Many stores have entire sections devoted to educational toys and games.  These activities provide fun practice with numbers, shapes, colors, spelling, rhyming, math skills, trivia, and logic.

Students with learning disabilities and developmental delays benefit from consistent review and practice with the skills that they have encountered in school.  By making the most of even small moments, your child will be ready to jump right back into school when the new year begins.

With the end of the first nine-week grading period come parent-teacher conferences. While the thought of these meetings may initially seem somewhat intimidating, conferences provide an opportunity for sharing ideas and developing plans to support your child’s learning. A few tips will help to make the most of this valuable time.

• Plan ahead by writing down questions and ideas that you would like to discuss. By doing so, you will not forget the topics that you wanted to address.
• Make sure to arrive on time and in the correct location.
• Begin the conversation by sharing positive feedback and appreciation for the way in which the teacher has helped your child.
• Stay on topic to insure that you make the most productive use of the limited meeting time.
• Remain calm and open-minded. While your child’s needs can undoubtedly produce an emotional response, an even temperament will help you to process information and make the best possible decisions. Listen to all ideas that are presented before determining the most effective plan.
• Take notes either during or immediately following the conference. You can then review the information at a later time and provide feedback for your child as needed.
• Establish a means of further communication. This dialogue will help to monitor your child’s progress. It might take place via handwritten notes, emails, telephone conversations, or future conferences.
• Thank the teacher and end the conference on time so that you do not interfere with another parent’s meeting time.