From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
For your child to succeed in middle and high school, he needs to become a proficient reader by the end of third grade. If not, his reading problems will likely persist through high school, causing other academic problems and increasing the likelihood of social and emotional problems; in adulthood, struggles with reading will diminish his chance of getting and holding a decent job. As the Annie E. Casey Foundation so clearly states: Read more...
Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, evaluation, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, preventing reading disabilities, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading evaluation, reading intervention, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, remedial reading, remediation, resilience, Resiliency, strengthening resiliency, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Homework can benefit good readers and writers. But for children who struggle with reading and writing and have difficulty working independently, traditional homework, homework assigned to whole classes and not personalized to match their skill and comfort level, can backfire. Parent reports and the limited research examining the homework problems of struggling learners, suggests that traditional homework often overwhelms, frustrates, and devastates them. As Lawrence Greene observed, the reasons are straightforward: Read more...
ADD, ADHD, attention, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, executive functioning, homework, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading problem, reading problems, self-efficacy, self-esteem, self-regulaory, self-regulation, strengthening resiliency, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, study skills
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Can sustained silent reading help children with reading disabilities? Generally, yes. But overemphasizing it can shortchange them.
Many schools involve struggling readers in some form of sustained silent reading. In such programs, all students, including struggling readers, read silently for some 15 to 45 minutes daily. As they read silently, so does the teacher. The teacher models silent reading, showing that she values it and enjoys it. If done right, sustained reading is important practice for children, an important way for teachers to communicate they value reading, a way of helping children become competent, motivated readers. Sustained silent reading goes under different names, such as Drop Everything And Read (DEAR), Super, Quiet, Uninterrupted, Independent Reading Time (SQUIRT), Sustained Silent Reading (SSR), and Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading (USSR). Read more...
Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, reading levels, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, remedial reading, remediation, silent reading, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, sustained reading, sustained silent reading
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
A Guest Post by
Louis Pica, Jr., Ed.D., Child Psychologist
Note: Louis Pica, Jr. was an outstanding child psychologist who worked tirelessly to help children and youth with learning, emotional, cognitive, and attention difficulties. Because Lou was practical, humane, and highly structured, the children with whom he worked benefited greatly. Below are several of his tips for helping parents of children with attention difficulties to monitor their children’s learning and to motivate them to succeed. In addition to attention difficulties, these tips have proven effective for children with learning, emotional, cognitive difficulties. Of course, you may want to modify these so they reflect your child’s stage of development and his school and home situations. But reading these, and then discussing them with a psychologist, learning consultant, or teacher, may be a good place to start. Thanks Lou. – Howard Margolis Read more...
ADD, ADHD, attention, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, homework, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading problem, reading problems, self-efficacy, self-esteem, strengthening resiliency, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, study skills
From Reading and Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan & Dr. Howard Margolis
How to Reduce Anxiety: Yours and Your Child’s
Many parents of children with disabilities worry—constantly. They fear the future, they feel extremely anxious—constantly. So do their children. Often, extreme, constant anxiety—fear of the future, fear that “I can’t handle it” and the results will be awful— creates physical and emotional distress. Physically, it can cause or aggravate endrocrine, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular problems (Hanson & Mendius, 2009). Emotionally, it can cause or aggravate depression as well as sleep, attention, learning, social, and behavioral problems. Read more...
anxiety, breathing, children with disabilities, diaphragm breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, meditation, muscle relaxation, Parenting, progressive muscle relaxation, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, reading problem, reading problems, relaxation, relaxation training, self-efficacy, self-esteem, slow breathing, strengthening resiliency, stress, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
Below is an e-mail I received about the re-authorization of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, also known as ESEA. Although I do not agree with everything in the e-mail, I agree with much and think you should decide for yourself about what you support. Whatever you decide, please WRITE CONGRESS. Please be ACTIVE in improving the lives of children, youth, and adults with disabilities. — Thanks, Howard Margolis
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Advocacy, Congress, ESEA, NCLB
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
When people ask, “What have the book reviews said?,” we suggest that they read the reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and our website (www.reading2008.com). The reviews are from professors, reading specialists, learning consultants, teachers, and parents of children with reading disabilities. People can also look at the pre-publication reviews in our book, which they can read by going “inside” our book on Amazon. Today we found another review in Learning Disabilities Worldwide’s e-magazine, Strategies for Successful Learning. It’s the most comprehensive review yet. As with all the reviews, we’re proud of it. So, here it is. Read more...
book, book review, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, remedial reading, remediation, review, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities, A Blog by
Dr. Gary G. Brannigan & Dr. Howard Margolis
Parents and school personnel often make a critical mistake. They assume that instruction and related factors do little or nothing to cause or sustain reading disabilities, that all reading problems lie within the struggling reader. Thus, reading and other educational evaluations that reflect this assumption stress five things: testing, testing, testing, testing, and testing. They minimize or ignore everything else. Read more...
Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, evaluation, evaluations, learning assessment, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, learning evaluation, reading assessment, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading evaluation, reading problem, reading problems, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, test, testing
A Guest Column by
Patrick McCabe, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Doctoral Program in Literacy
St. John’s University, Jamaica, NY
There is a strong correlation between the size of a child’s vocabulary and his reading ability.
In fact, one of the best predictors of success in reading is the quantity of words children know. While there is a correlation between words known and reading ability, and good reading comprehension requires a good vocabulary, a good vocabulary does not insure good reading comprehension. In other words, just teaching your child vocabulary words does not mean that she will automatically comprehend what she reads. Reading comprehension requires more. It requires the ability to relate ideas presented, not just knowledge of what individual words mean. Read more...
Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, reading comprehension, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, remedial reading, remediation, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, vocabulary, vocabulary development
A Guest Post by
Katie Stover, Doctoral Candidate
Karen Wood, Professor
University of North Carolina Charlotte
Academic difficulties are only one of the many challenges that struggling readers face daily. According to Dunston and Gambrell (2009), “In addition to changes in reading motivation … some students begin to lose self-confidence, become anxious about school and engage in activities that inhibit rather than facilitate literacy learning.” In other words, lack of success in reading can create emotional social and emotional problems. Read more...
Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, intervention, junior high school, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, middle school, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, remedial reading, resilience, Resiliency, resisdtance to reading, self-efficacy, self-esteem, Special Education, strengthening resiliency, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
