From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Sometimes, we need a vacation. We need relief from painful stressors. We need a breather. To recuperate our energy and optimism, we need to change locations, activities, and mindsets.
If your child struggles with reading, should you and his school give him a vacation from reading? The answer is found in answers to questions like those below.
The Questions Read more...
- Does reading usually frustrate your child?
- Does reading emotionally drain or anger him?
- Is his distaste for reading and school surging?
Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, reading problem, reading problems, Reading vacation, resilience, Resiliency, self-efficacy, self-esteem, strengthening resiliency, stress of reading struggles, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
Free Podcast
Strengthening Your Child’s Emotional Intelligence
Dr. John Pellitteri
City University of New York
To download, go to:
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The Special Needs Talk Radio Network: It’s On The Air
The new Special Needs Talk Radio network (http://specialneedstalkradio.com/) is on the air. Each of its six shows is dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth with special needs and their families.
Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and I host Maximizing Your Child’s Potential (Mondays, 9 PM – 9:30 PM EST, http://specialneedstalkradio.com/maximizing-your-childs-potential). Read more...
counseling, EI, Emotional Intelligence, friendships, social skills, Special Education
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
In grades 4, 5, and 6, the reading problems of many struggling readers explode. Readers slam into walls of failure and frustration. Their struggles are not unexpected. They have well-known causes: Read more...
- Curriculum that fails to focus on what they need to learn to become successful readers
- Curriculum that doesn’t give them the kind of instruction and practice they need
- Language, memory, and organizational abilities that can’t readily handle the grade’s more complex and demanding tasks and language
Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, fifth grade, fourth grade, frustration level, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, middle elementary grades, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading levels, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, remedial reading, remediation, sixth grade, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
A Great Podcast: Helping Children Overcome Sleep Problems
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Last night, Dr. Stephen Lange’s gave a great radio interview about helping children overcome sleep problems. It was chock-full of valuable, practical information.
To listen to or download it, go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/specialneedstalkradio/2011/09/20/maximizing-your-childs-potential.
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The Special Needs Talk Radio Network: It’s On The Air
The new Special Needs Talk Radio network (http://specialneedstalkradio.com/ ) is on the air. Each of its six shows is dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth with special needs and their families. Read more...
ADD, ADHD, Dr. Stephen Lange, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, emotions, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, podcast, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading problem, reading problems, resilience, Resiliency, sleep, sleep problems, strengthening resiliency, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
If you’d like to help children achieve their potential, in easy, practical ways:
Monday, 9/19/2011,listen to Dr. Stephen M. Lange. Learn how to help your child overcome sleep problems, problems that can hurt him socially, emotionally, and academically. Click: http://specialneedstalkradio.com/maximizing-your-childs-potential.

disabilities, disability, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, overcoming sleep problems, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading problem, reading problems, sleep, sleep heroes, sleep problems, strengthening resiliency, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Why is music important for people of all ages and for all children in school?
Just take a dose of rock ‘n’ roll—it keeps you going. Just like the caffeine in your coffee, rock ‘n’ roll is good for the soul, for the well-being, for the psyche, for your everything. I love it. I can’t even picture being without rock ‘n’roll. (Hank Ballard) Read more...
Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, mood, Motivation, music, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading levels, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, resilience, Resiliency, strengthening resiliency, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Stress can severely damage a child’s ability to learn:
When the mind is under emotional stress, it produces the peptide cortisol…. Chronic high cortisol levels eventually destroy hippocampal neurons associated with learning and memory. Even short-term stress-related elevation of cortisol in the hippocampus can hinder our ability to distinguish between important and unimportant elements of a memorable event. (Creedon, 2011, p. 34, references omitted) Read more...
anxiety, chronic anxiety, chronic stress, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, helplessness, high anxiety, high stress, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading problem, reading problems, resilience, Resiliency, self-efficacy, self-esteem, strengthening resiliency, stress, stressors, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
As we said in previous posts, frequent, extreme stress and the anxiety it produces can devastate children with reading and other disabilities:
Stress is bad for children. It’s associated with health problems, school failures, and youth delinquency…. High stress levels have been associated with … asthma and depression…. Stress directly affects ‘attention, memory, planning, and behavior control.’ When the mind is under emotional stress, it produces the peptide cortisol…. Cortisol generally is a blessing because we don’t become controlled by our past negative experiences. However, if cortisol is not kept in balance, learning can and will stop. (Creedon, 2011, p. 34) Read more...
anxiety, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, frustration, frustration level, helplessness, independent reading level, instructional reading level, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, resilience, Resiliency, self-efficacy, self-esteem, strengthening resiliency, stress, stressors, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
As we mentioned before, frequent, extreme stress and the anxiety it produces can devastate children with reading and other disabilities:
If the stress is too severe or too prolonged … stress begins to harm learning…. Stressed people don’t do math very well. They don’t process language very efficiently. They have poorer memories, both short and long forms. Stressed individuals do not generalize or adapt old pieces of information to new scenarios as well as non-stressed individuals. They can’t concentrate. In almost every way it can be tested, chronic stress hurts our ability to learn. (Medina, 2008, p. 178) Read more...
anxiety, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, frustration, frustration level, helplessness, independent reading level, instructional reading level, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, reading levels, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, remedial reading, remediation, resilience, Resiliency, self-efficacy, self-esteem, strengthening resiliency, stress, stressors, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
In speaking of personal development, Daniel Goleman said it succinctly and brilliantly:
Self-awareness and empathy are (along with self-mastery and social skills) domains of human ability essential for success in life. Excellence in these capacities helps people flourish in relationships, family life, and marriage, as well as in work and leadership…. Of these four key life skills, self-awareness lays the foundation for the rest. If we lack the capacity to monitor our emotions, for example, we will be poorly suited to learn from them (2010, p. vii). Read more...
Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, emotional development, emotional well-being, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading problem, reading problems, resilience, Resiliency, self-awareness, self-efficacy, self-esteem, self-regulation, strengthening resiliency, struggling reader, Struggling Readers