It starts with a call from a parent Here is one of my more common conversations with parents who are calling about a possible evaluation of their child’s academic needs – A mother (90% of the time, it is the mother who contacts me) on phone, “It is about my son (99% of the time, […]
Spelling Skills, Spelling Disability, Spelling Accommodations
We are in a new age for spelling. A hundred years ago (or even 50) spelling was important. Everyone wrote by hand and some had typewriters. Spelling was up to the writer and poor spelling was a sign that you were sloppy or maybe not very literate. Learning disabilities were unknown or poorly understood. As […]
Reading for PLEASURE! Encouraging the reluctant reader
Summer reading – It’s the thing. For some of us, it is the highlight of summer. And for some of our kids, it is (one of) the highlights of their summer. And we love that because we know it is making them smarter while they are having some much-coveted down-time. But so many kids […]
Homework
I like the teacher who gives you something to take home and think about besides homework.-Lily Tomlin Labor Day is over, so just about anyone going back to school is now there. And where there is school, there is usually homework. Although research is not clear on the benefits of homework, about 70% of teachers […]
August 2014 News about kids, ADHD and the classroom
Just a quick entry. It is back to school and exciting for most. For some parents, it is a time of anxiety because for some kids, it is an acute loss of freedom of movement that they desperately need. As school starts, lets remember that movement is great and classroom structure is supportive. Here is […]
Back-to-School Knots
I was, on the whole, considerably discouraged by my school days. It was not pleasant to feel oneself so completely outclassed and left behind at the beginning of the race. Winston Churchill Yeay! It’s back-to-school time! Back to a schedule. Back to knowing where your kids are for most of the day. Back to a […]
Exercise
Finally, EXERCISE, the last of the four foundations to cover, but certainly not the least. In fact, I consider each of the four foundations – nutrition, sleep, hydration and exercise – to be equally important for learning. However, something had to be last in the line-up and exercise ended up being it. (There is deep […]
The Summer Slide
Ahh, Summer Slide-reducing, avoiding and out-smarting it. The Summer Slide. It sounds like fun, doesn’t it? A water park ride, maybe a new dance. But it’s not. It’s something more insidious, lurking and skulking around our plans for a carefree break from school. It is one more thing for parents to worry about. Summer Slide […]
Hydration-Drinking for Thinking
Hydration, not the most exciting of the four foundations for learning. How can hydration compete with exercise? Exercise really gets the heart pumping. Nutrition is also a bit more interesting. Frankly, it has more texture. Now, you would think that hydration could beat sleep for excitement, . . . . . but not when you’re […]
Sleep, Attention, Learning & Behavior
Nutrition, sleep, hydration, and exercise-I am reviewing the four foundations of learning (and life). The second of our four foundations is sleep. Science is still trying to figure out exactly why we need to sleep . . . but, while they are sorting this out, let me assure you that we DO need to sleep. […]
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