A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

Throughout the United States, co-teaching has silently become a major model for delivering instruction to special-education students in general education classes. The model pairs a general education teacher with a special education teacher.

Although co-teaching has great promise for helping special-education students, it also has many pitfalls. And the research examining its ability to improve students’ academics is in its infancy; in other words, we have little proof that it dramatically improves academics.

To address many of the issues in co-teaching, Drs. Gloria Lodato Wilson and Joan Blednick have authored a brief, clearly written, insightful book for teachers, administrators, and parents that examines the pitfalls and promises of co-teaching. Especially important for parents is chapter 10, Addressing Parent and Student Issues. In a question and answer format, it asks and answers the following questions:

• What are some of the concerns of parents regarding the co-taught classroom?
• Which co-teacher does the parent of a special-education student contact?
• What kind of homework demands are appropriate for students in a co-taught inclusive class?
• Should parents of children with special needs join both SEPTA [Special Education Parent-Teacher Association] and PTA?
• Are students with special needs accepted by their peers in a co-teaching environment?
• Are students with special needs stigmatized in inclusive classrooms?
• How are the needs of the general education students met in an inclusive setting?
• What do students think of co-teaching?
• How do teachers respond when students ask why there are two teachers in the classroom?

If your child is in a co-taught classroom, I urge you to read this book in its entirety. The reasons are simple: the more you know about co-teaching, the better you’ll be able to influence your child’s IEP and work cooperatively with his teachers. In addition, knowledge of co-teaching will help you determine if it’s progressing as it should and if it’s likely to benefit your child.

To hear Drs. Wilson and Blednick discuss co-teaching’s promises and pitfalls, listen to our radio show this coming Monday, 1/30/12 at 9 PM EST. Below you’ll find the needed information.

Reference

Wilson, G. L., & Blednick, J. (2011). Teaching in Tandem: Effective Co-Teaching in the Inclusive Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Howard Margolis © Reading2008 & Beyond

howard@reading2008.com

www.reading2008.com

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 To Help Children: The Special Needs Talk Radio Network

The Special Needs Talk Radio network is dedicated to helping parents and teachers help children with special needs. For a description and schedule of its six shows, go to http://specialneedstalkradio.com.

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).

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 Monday’s Radio Show

Co-Teaching: Promises and Pitfalls

• When: Monday, 1/30/2012, 9 – 9:30 PM EST

• Where: http://specialneedstalkradio.com/maximizing-your-childs-potential
• Guest: Drs. Gloria Lodato Wilson and Joan Blednick

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 Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds

(www.reading2008.com)

PsychologyToday.com wrote that Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds was one of the three “best books about education published in 2010. Recommend [it] to your friends.” On our blog, an English teacher and author wrote that Beating the Odds “is one of the best books, if not the best book on education published this year.”  A Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism called it “a great book.” A parent wrote, “Your Reading Disabilities book is by far the best resource I have found regarding the IEP and IDEA and providing understandable and concrete suggestions and implementation strategies.” Another wrote, your book is “fascinating and effective.” On Amazon, a professor of special education called it “a fantastic resource… well-written, practical… an essential guide.”

The KansasCityExaminer.com cited our blog as one of the ten best special needs blogs of 2010. The Coffee Klatch awarded it a Coffee Klatch emblem, signifying excellence.

We thank these and many other reviewers for their kind words. And we hope that our book and blog helps lots of children, parents, teachers, IEP Team members, and schools. It’s why we keep plugging away. – HM & GB

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

Homework difficulties are often caused by work that requires struggling learners to read or write beyond their independent levels. Difficulties are also caused by work that’s too complex or abstract and by learning characteristics that interfere with starting, organizing, monitoring, and finishing work. As Bryant and her colleagues (2001) so aptly asserted:

Children with learning disabilities are at-risk for a variety of problems that are likely to interfere with doing homework. These risks include deficits in reading and math, poor communication and organizational skills, difficulty with tasks that demand voluntary, selective, and sustained attention . . . poor memory . . . and poor self-monitoring. (p. 171)

Generally, if homework matches learners’ independent levels, they will have few, if any, difficulties.

Suggestions

If your child is eligible for special education, make sure his Individualized Education Program (IEP) states that all homework will be at his independent level, meaning that with moderate effort, he’s likely to succeed without feeling frustrated or needing anyone’s help. Whether he’s eligible or ineligible, meet with his teachers to make sure they understand his independent levels and will assign him homework that matches these levels. Carefully monitor his homework to make sure assignments match his independent levels and immediately contact his teachers if they don’t. And if they do, thank his teachers. In all cases, advocate for homework that he’s successful with, that he finds satisfying, and that prevents feelings of inadequacy or embarrassment.

Homework Strategies and Policy

For more information on homework strategies and policy, we suggest you search our blog for posts on “homework” and “independent level” and, at a minimum, read the posts below. You can find our search engine on the right side of each post, immediately below the picture of our book and our biographies.

http://www.reading2008.com/blog/using-ieps-to-solve-the-homework-problems-of-struggling-readers.htm

http://www.reading2008.com/blog/solving-homework-problems-three-unique-suggestions-2.htm

http://www.reading2008.com/blog/my-child-has-a-reading-disability-what-level-reading-materials-should-teachers-assign-him-for-homework.htm

References

Bryan, T., Burstein, K., & Bryan, J. (2001). Students with learning disabilities: Homework problems and promising practices. Educational Psychologist, 36, 167–180.

Resources

Margolis, H. (2005). Resolving struggling learners’ homework difficulties: Working with elementary school learners and parents. Preventing School Failure, 45(1), 1-8

Howard Margolis © Reading2008 & Beyond

www.reading2008.com

howard@reading2008.com

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Special Needs Talk Radio Network: Launching September 6th

On Tuesday, September 6, the new Special Needs Talk Radio network (http://specialneedstalkradio.com/ ) will launch six new radio shows.  Each show is dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth with special needs and their families.

On Monday evenings, Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and I will host Maximizing Your Child’s Potential (9 PM – 9:30 PM EST, http://specialneedstalkradio.com/maximizing-your-childs-potential).

Future guests on our show will include:

• Dr. Steven Lange, Child and Adolescent Psychologist, Helping Children Overcome Sleep Problems
• Dr. Richard Selznick, Cooper University Hospital, Helping the Shut-Down Learner
• Dr. John Pellitteri, City University of New York, Strengthening Your Child’s Emotional Intelligence
• Dr. Tim Rasinski, Kent State University, Overcoming Problems of Reading Fluency
• Dr. Nancy Padak, Kent State University, Helping Your Children Overcome Reading Problems
• Dr. Richard Boon, University of Georgia, Helping Teenagers Improve Their Reading
• Dr. Sarah Allen, Educational Consultant, How Neuropsychologists Can Help Parents Develop Quality IEPs
• Dr. Erica Lembke, University of Missouri, Monitoring Your Child’s Progress
• Dr. Patrick McCabe, Mercy College, Developing the Confidence of Struggling Learners
• Staci Greenwald, Special Education Attorney, The Pro’s and Con’s of Public and Private School Programs
• Dr. J. Richard Gentry, Educational Consultant, Raising Confident Readers: Birth and Beyond

If possible, look at the Special Needs Talk Radio’s website (http://specialneedstalkradio.com/). See how its lineup of experts can help you help the children and youth you care about.

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)

It need not be rock ‘n’ roll. It can be “Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9,” Jay Ungar’s “Ashokan Farewell,” or Woody Guthrie’s “This is Your Land.” Music can teach and emotionally move us, it can set the mood, it can transform blue or down moods into energized or optimistic ones.

Music seems to offer a novel system of communication rooted in emotions rather than in meaning…. Music reliably conveys certain sentiments…. We may never know why music exists…. But even amid uncertainty about music’s origins, we can still use songs to pump ourselves up or calm ourselves down, ease pain and anxiety, bond with others or simply move people to tears. (Schrock, 2009)

The right music can do this to children with reading disabilities or other learning disabilities. It can “calm” them or “pump” them up. It can motivate them. It can increase their optimism that they can read, that they can succeed.

And when children are energized and optimistic, they’re more receptive to learning to read, especially when they like the topic and the material is at their independent or instructional level. At the right time, a “little bit of music here and a little bit there” can turn a sour mood into a happy one, a resistant child into a cooperative one, an unmotivated child into a motivated one. In short, a little music, wisely used, can make big, positive differences in children’s lives.

And if you have a child who’s eligible for special education services, think about weaving music into his Individualized Education Program (IEP).

So, let’s keep music in the schools and in children’s lives

Reference

Schrock, K. (2009).  Why music moves us. Scientific American Mind. Retrieved 10/29/2009, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-music-moves-us.

HM © Reading2008 & Beyond   www.reading2008.com

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Our New Radio Show

Maximizing Your Child’s Potential

Watch for information about our new Internet radio show, Maximizing Your Child’s Potential. It starts Monday, September 12, 9 PM – 9:30 PM EST. Guests include:

• Dr. Steven Lange, Child and Adolescent Psychologist, Helping Children Overcome Sleep Problems
• Dr. Richard Selznick, Cooper University Hospital, Helping the Shut-Down Learner
• Dr. John Pellitteri, City University of New York, Strengthening Your Child’s Emotional Intelligence
• Dr. Tim Rasinski, Kent State University, Overcoming Problems of Reading Fluency
• Dr. Nancy Padak, Kent State University, Helping Your Children Overcome Reading Problems

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Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds (www.reading2008.com)

Psychology Today.com recently wrote that Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds was one of the three “best books about education published in 2010. Recommend [it] to your friends.” On our blog, an English teacher and author wrote that Beating the Odds “is one of the best books, if not the best book on education published this year.” A Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism called it “a great book.” A parent wrote, “Your Reading Disabilities book is by far the best resource I have found regarding the IEP and IDEA and providing understandable and concrete suggestions and implementation strategies.” Another wrote, your book is “fascinating and effective.” On Amazon, a professor of special education called it “a fantastic resource… well-written, practical… an essential guide.” The Kansas City Examiner.com cited our blog as one of the ten best special needs blogs of 2010. We thank these and many other reviewers for their kind words.

And we hope that our book and blog helps lots of children, parents, teachers, IEP Team members, and schools. It’s why we keep plugging away. – HM & GB

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)

Preventing Stress

Children with reading disabilities or other disabilities become stressed and anxious when they believe they have no control over a situation or activity, believe they can’t succeed, and believe their lack of control and inevitable failure will harm them. If schools allow teachers to continuously adapt instruction to struggling readers’ current needs and abilities—which some schools forbid, but deny—teachers can often help them develop a healthy sense of control and a belief that with reasonable, moderate effort they can succeed. This helps prevent chronic, destructive stress. Teachers can do this by giving struggling readers:

• Materials at their proper independent and instructional levels.
• Limited choices with activities at their proper independent and instructional levels.
• Feedback that emphasizes recent successes, effort, and the correct use of strategies.
• Lots of opportunity to safely express their needs and concerns.

In previous posts we focused on giving struggling readers (and all readers) materials at their proper independent and instructional levels. In this post, we’ll discuss giving struggling readers (and all children) limited choices, constructive feedback, and opportunities to safely express their needs and concerns. All three suggestions can increase children’s sense of control, reducing stress and anxiety, and, in many cases, strengthening their motivation for schoolwork.

Your Role?

As you read our suggestions, ask yourself: How can I do these at home, in ways that will reduce my child’s stress and increase his confidence and motivation?

Our Three Suggestions

Limited Choices. Choice motivates. In studying the role of choice in motivation and achievement, Guthrie concluded:

• “Children need choice to develop independence…. Teachers who are successful at motivating students often provide myriad choices…. Choice is motivating because it affords students with control” (Guthrie, 2001).
• Choice can strengthen children’s reading achievement and comprehension (Guthrie & Humenick, 2004).

Limiting choices to two or three relevant, independent or instructional levels activities has the advantage of improving learning and being time efficient and manageable for struggling readers and teachers. Readers can quickly make the choices they prefer. By presenting children with two or three choices, teachers can motivate struggling readers to engage fully in the activities, increasing the joy of teaching. Regularly giving children choices goes beyond the moment; it helps them achieve three of education’s long-term goals: autonomy, independence, and motivation.

Here’s a choice that Mrs. McCormick, a fourth grade teacher, might give Liam, a struggling reader who needs to build his listening vocabulary: “Liam, your Dad said that for your reading homework, he’d like to read a book to you and talk about it. Here are three books on something you always like: dinosaurs. Take a few minutes and pick out the one you want to give your Dad.”

Feedback. Feedback should stress recent successes, effort, and the correct use of learning strategies. If materials and activities are at the struggling readers’ proper independent or instructional levels, they should have many successes for teachers to draw upon.

Once struggling readers have several recent successes, teachers can help them link the new activities to their previous successes. They can do this by explicitly showing and asking them how the new activities resemble their past successes and then reminding them of what they did to succeed. Linking the activities may well decrease stress and create the belief that “I did it before. I can do it again.”

If struggling readers expect success because they previously succeed on similar activities, and their new activities are at their proper independent or instructional levels, they’re likely to make the effort needed to succeed. This creates opportunities for teachers to make effort—a controllable factor—part of their feedback: “Liam, you made a good effort. You stuck to it. You didn’t quit. And this helped you succeed.”

Many struggling readers don’t know the sequence of steps—the learning strategy— it takes to succeed in academic activities, such as decoding unknown words. Thus, teachers need to explicitly and systematically teach them the strategies or secrets of learning that lead to success. If, for example, struggling readers are frustrated by their random, haphazard efforts to decode unknown words, they might well profit from learning Caldwell and Leslie’s Cross-Checking (2005, p. 67) learning strategy:

• Say the first sound or sounds of the word.
• Finish reading the sentence.
• Go back and think of a word that has the same first sound or sounds.
• See if the word has a spelling pattern that you know. If it does, use the compare-contrast strategy to figure out the word. [A previously taught strategy. The child might say, “If d-o-w-n is down, then t-o-w-n must be town.”]
• When you think you know the word, say it and finish the sentence.
• Reread the sentence with the word to make sure it makes sense.

If Liam uses the Cross-Checking strategy successfully, his teacher’s feedback might emphasize effort and his correct use of the strategy: “Liam, you made a good effort. You stuck to it. You correctly used the Cross-Checking strategy we worked on. Using it correctly helped you succeed. Great job!”

Listening. For struggling readers and many other children, school is stressful beyond endurance. Often, thoughts of school alone provoke extreme anxiety. It’s a place to avoid.  By giving a struggling reader lots of opportunities to safely express his needs and concerns, a teacher can help a struggling reader reduce his stress by feeling more in control of his life. Just by listening carefully—without quickly evaluating the reader’s comments or imposing her views on him—a teacher can often calm a stressed child. This can set the stage for helping him develop solutions to address his needs and concerns. But as children will sometime announce, listening alone is often enough.

In high school, Mr. Meiselman’s willingness to always listen to me talk about my needs and concerns, despite my severe stutter, probably kept me out of prison and helped me think about college. Though fifty years have passed, I remember this: listening works.

The IEP

If your child is eligible for special education, his Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team, of which you’re a member, must write a new IEP for him at least annually. Make sure that his IEP states that for homework and independent classwork, all reading materials must be at his appropriate independent level, and that for instruction, in which his teacher directly instructs and works with him, all materials must be at his appropriate instructional level. Except on rare occasions, when he requests more difficult materials on a topic he finds immensely interesting, teachers should not ask him to read such materials. Usually, they’re frustrating. Doing this is the basis for our other three suggestions.

Once proper reading levels are part of his IEP, ask that it include this post’s three suggestions. Even if they’re not included, discuss them with your child’s teacher. They might add immeasurably to the quality of his school life.

References

Caldwell, J. S., & Leslie, L. (2005). Intervention Strategies to Follow Informal Reading Inventory Assessment. Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.

Creedon, D. W.. (2011). Fight the stress of urban education with the arts. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(6), 34-36.

Guthrie, J. T. (2001). Contexts for Engagement and Motivation in Reading. Retrieved 8/25/20, from http://www.readingonline.org/articles/handbook/guthrie/.

Guthrie, J. T., & Humenick, N. M. (2004). Motivating students to read: Evidence for classroom practices that increase reading motivation and achievement. In P. McCardle & V. Chhabra (Eds), The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research (pp. 329–354). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.

Howard Margolis © Reading2008 & Beyond

www.reading2008.com

howard@reading2008.com

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Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds (www.reading2008.com)

Psychology Today.com recently wrote that Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds was one of the three “best books about education published in 2010. Recommend [it] to your friends.” On our blog, an English teacher and author wrote that Beating the Odds “is one of the best books, if not the best book on education published this year.”  A Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism called it “a great book.” A parent wrote, “Your Reading Disabilities book is by far the best resource I have found regarding the IEP and IDEA and providing understandable and concrete suggestions and implementation strategies.” Another wrote, your book is “fascinating and effective.” On Amazon, a professor of special education called it “a fantastic resource… well-written, practical… an essential guide.” The Kansas City Examiner.com cited our blog as one of the ten best special needs blogs of 2010. We thank these and many other reviewers for their kind words.

And we hope that our book and blog helps lots of children, parents, teachers, IEP Team members, and schools. It’s why we keep plugging away. – HM & GB

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

Ever wonder why your child behaves in troubling ways that drive you crazy: dawdles, won’t read, fights with David and Brian? We can’t explain everything that might influence his behavior, like his genes, his DNA, his neurology, his body chemistry, or David and Brian’s behavior. We know little about these. But we can tell you about PEATERR (pronounced Peter).  PEATERR identifies many important factors that cause behavior. Using it might help you learn what’s currently causing your child’s troubling behavior, an important step in finding solutions.

PEATERR (Peter)

PEATERR stands for Physiology, Experience, Action, Thought, Expectation, Reinforecement, and Relationships. First, we’ll define the words and pose questions to explain them. Then we’ll show you how you might use PEATERR to help your mythical 10-year old son, Charlie.

Physiology refers to your child’s physical needs. Does he get enough quality sleep? Does he eat a nutritious diet? Are his allergies under control? Do his ears and throat hurt? Must he sit in class far longer than his body can tolerate? Daily, does he get enough aerobic exercise?

Experience refers to what your child has seen or is seeing, what’s happened or is happening to him. Was he humiliated when reading aloud because he read terribly in front of his class? During recess, did his classmates tease him about his “crappy” reading? Did they ridicule him? Did the sudden death of his dog make him highly anxious about death and short-tempered with classmates? Is he regularly rewarded (reinforced) for skipping homework?

Action refers to what your child did or does; it involves physical movement and relates to experience. When he skips homework to play basketball, does he feel rewarded for doing something he loves and avoiding something he hates?  When he worked diligently to complete his homework, an action, did he experience failure because the homework was too difficult?

Thought refers to what your child tells himself. When other kids teased him for his “crappy” reading, did he tell himself, “I’m stupid. I’ll always be stupid”? When he worked diligently to succeed on his homework, but earned a failing grade, did he tell himself, “I’ll never do homework again. No matter how hard I try, I’ll always fail. Face it—I’m dumber than cement”?

Expectation refers to what your child thinks will happen. Expectations are often wrong, but in many children’s minds they’re accurate, they’re real, they’re facts. Does he think that working hard on homework will inescapably result in failure and shame? (If so, it’s smarter to avoid homework.) Does he expect that diligent efforts to improve his reading will frustrate and shame him in front of his peers? Or does he think that diligent efforts will lead to success, satisfaction, and self-respect? Does he think it will help him achieve a personally important goal?

Reinforcement is what all children (and adults) want. Positive reinforcement refers to giving children something they want for engaging or not engaging in specific actions. For example, a child who greatly values his teacher’s praise will likely increase his attention when he expects her to say, “Charlie, I liked the way you carefully examined the diagram.” Negative reinforcement generally refers to an action that removes or stops something a child wants to eliminate, minimize, or prevent. If, for example, a child desperately wants to escape from his sweltering classroom and his teacher announces that anyone who earns a “B” on their work and turns it in before 11am can leave early for recess, he’ll probably work hard to successfully complete it before 11am (as long as he expects to succeed). If children greatly value a reinforcer, know how to earn it, and believe that with reasonable effort they can, they’re likely to try.

Reinforcement strengthens the behavior it immediately follows (whereas lack of reinforcement weakens it). It increases the likelihood that the behavior will occur again. Frequently reinforcing children for the wrong behavior, like whining, creates problems for everyone. So when your child engages in troubling behavior, ask, “Is anyone intentionally or unintentionally reinforcing him for the behavior? When he whines, does he get what he wants? Does removing him from reading for disrupting the lessons act as a powerful reinforcer that will encourage more disruptions? For him, is removal welcome escape from an intolerable situation?”

Relationships are what life is about. They define life. Children, like all people, will generally work to please people they respect, who treat them with respect, who treat them fairly, who listen to them, who respond quickly, sensitively, and appropriately to their needs and feelings. Typically, do your child’s teachers treat him with respect or do they belittle him? When your child makes a mistake, do you typically try to understand his needs or pierce his ears with screams? Typically, do your child’s teachers work to know and understand him, or do they treat him as a number without needs or feelings? To an extent, children’s behavior reflects how adults treat them. It also reflects how other children treat them. Does your child have several good friends, or is he lonely? How do other children treat him?  In general, how do his classmates act? How do they express their values?

Using PEATERR to Help Charlie

As you read each paragraph in this section, ask: “To which PEATERR factors does this paragraph refer?”

If Charlie is exhausted, anxious, and inattentive in school, and he sleeps little at night, sleep deprivation may be causing his school problems. To find out, you may want to try Dr. Stephen M. Lange’s suggestions for improving sleep (http://www.reading2008.com/blog/sleep-adhd-and-learning-disabilities-how-do-we-get-to-sleep.htm). If his suggestions don’t work, see a physician or psychologist who specializes in and is trained in sleep disorders.

If Charlie refuses to read, despite having a kind, knowledgeable, and skilled teacher who gives him reading materials at his identified reading level, check if he’s having headaches, visual problems, frustration with the reading materials, or anxiety about the inevitable failure ahead.

If he continues to mutter, “I’m stupid,” if he throws his book on the floor, screaming, “I’ll never understand this stuff,” and he ignores your words of comfort and encouragement, read about Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) or Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) for children. These therapies can reverse the destructive things children automatically tell themselves. See a qualified clinical or child psychologist, trained and skilled in using CBT or RET.

If he usually completes his homework, but rarely submits it, explore the possibility that he prefers a grade of zero to embarrassment or the ridicule of his friends.

If the rewards you promised him for reading more books aren’t working—he won’t invest the slightest effort—ask yourself three questions: (1) “Does he value the rewards nearly as much as I thought he would?” (2) “Does he think the task is too difficult?” (3) “Does he want to please or disappoint me, or does he even care?”

Limits of PEATERR

PEATERR is not magical or all-powerful. Sometimes, it will not immediately help you solve the problem. But like a good detective, you need to find and follow the clues and test their validity. PEATERR is a good place to start. Rather than chaotically and haphazardly looking at everything, PEATERR quickly points you toward likely clues that may prove highly informative. Once the clues have given you plausible ideas about the one, two, or more current causes of the problem, you can test their validity; if they’re valid, you can probably figure out how to minimize or eliminate the troublesome behavior. But finding the current causes is often hard detective work, with some false leads. Thus, testing your leads is necessary. It’s just part of solving the problem and helping—not blaming—your child. So good luck using PEATERR in your detective work!

HM © Reading2008 & Beyond

www.reading2008.com

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A Note on Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds (www.reading2008.com)

Psychology Today.com recently wrote that Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds was one of the three “best books about education published in 2010. Recommend [it] to your friends.” On our blog, an English teacher and author wrote that Beating the Odds “is one of the best books, if not the best book on education published this year.”  A Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism called it “a great book.” A parent wrote, “Your Reading Disabilities book is by far the best resource I have found regarding the IEP and IDEA and providing understandable and concrete suggestions and implementation strategies.” Another wrote, your book is “fascinating and effective.” On Amazon, a professor of special education called it “a fantastic resource… well-written, practical… an essential guide.” The Kansas City Examiner.com cited our blog as one of the ten best special needs blogs of 2010. We thank these and many other reviewers for their kind words.

And we hope that our book and blog helps lots of children, parents, teachers, IEP Team members, and schools. It’s why we keep plugging away. – HM & GB

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

It’s critically important that schools help children become proficient readers, writers, and mathematicians. But it’s equally important that schools nurture children’s curiosity, compassion, interpersonal skills, motivation to learn, social and emotional intelligence, problem solving abilities, independent learning abilities, civic and social awareness, civic responsibility, and commitment to the environment, community, and all people. With many such citizens, America (and the world) can thrive. Without them, it can’t.

So, if your child has a disability, such as a reading disability, what does this mean? It means his program must go far beyond teaching him to quickly and accurately recognize words and understand books. It must teach him whatever he needs to thrive in life and to make positive contributions to society.  If your child’s school simply wants to stick with “read‘in, writ‘in, and arithmetic,” ask:

• Upon graduation from school, how will these subjects alone prepare my child to function successfully in a competitive society and a global economy?
• Upon graduation from school, how will these subjects alone prepare him for a successful family life and independent living, rather than the loneliness that characterizes the lives of so many struggling learners?
• What is your program doing to nurture his curiosity and motivation to learn and ensure that he becomes a compassionate person with strong interpersonal skills, social and emotional intelligence, problem solving abilities, independent learning abilities, civic and social awareness, civic responsibility, and commitment to the environment, community, and the welfare of all people? (Often, many of these attributes are explicit or implicit in the mission or goals of your child’s school. To find out, look at the school or district’s website.)

And if your child is in special education, ask:

• How does a limited curriculum that emphasizes only reading, writing, and arithmetic achieve the primary goal of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA): “To ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for employment, further education, and independent living” (H.R. 1350, emphasis added).

HM © Reading2008 & Beyond

www.reading2008.com

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FREE CONFERENCE CALL ON

GETTING AND KEEPING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES: PART II

MICHAEL INZELBUCH, ESQ., SPECIAL EDUCATION AND BOARD OF EDUCATION ATTORNEY

When: Thursday May 26, 2011 @ 9 pm EST

Phone number: Call (661) 673-8600

Use Access Code: 899615# (remember the #)

Length: Approximately 40 minutes

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A Note on Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds (www.reading2008.com)

Psychology Today.com recently wrote that Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds was one of the three “best books about education published in 2010. Recommend [it] to your friends.” On our blog, an English teacher wrote that Beating the Odds “is one of the best books, if not the best book on education published this year.” A Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism called it “a great book.” A parent wrote, “Your Reading Disabilities book is by far the best resource I have found regarding the IEP and IDEA and providing understandable and concrete suggestions and implementation strategies.” Another wrote, your book is “fascinating and effective.” On Amazon, a professor of special education called it “a fantastic resource… well-written, practical… an essential guide.” The Kansas City Examiner.com cited our blog as one of the ten best special needs blogs of 2010. We thank these and many other reviewers for their kind words.

And we hope that our book and blog helps lots of children, parents, teachers, IEP Team members, and schools. It’s why we keep plugging away. – HM & GB

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).

To successfully educate children for the 21^st century, schools must stress the life skills that Goleman identified. Though reading, writing, and arithmetic are critical, they’re no more critical than Goleman’s life skills.

What does this mean if you have a child with disabilities? It means that his program should help him develop competency in both academics and Goleman’s life skills. If not, he may wind up, as do so many young adults with reading and other disabilities, lonely, demoralized, unemployed or  underemployed. If he has difficulties in any one of the life skills that Goleman identified, be sure that his Individualized Education Program (IEP) offers goals and program components (e.g. related services) likely to help him develop the weak life skill(s). A key to doing this is to align Goleman’s life skills with your state’s “core curriculum standards,” usually available on your state education department’s website.

Unfortunately, many schools do not want to address the kinds of skills or competencies that Goleman identified. With savage budget cuts to education destroying many programs, it’s important that you respectfully but firmly advocate for quality education in these areas if that’s what your child needs. After all, the House of Representatives has yet to eviscerate a main purpose of Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA):

To ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for employment, further education, and independent living (H.R. 1350, emphasis added)

If the school’s members of your child’s IEP Team do not want to address Goleman’s life skills, or a similar set of skills, we suggest you read Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds, chapters 8 (Solving Conflicts), 9 (Special Education Evaluations), 10 (Program Planning and the IEP Team), 11 (the IEP), and 13 (Beating the Odds).

A note on our previous post: Why Is He Behaving “That Way?” The Answer: PEAT (http://www.reading2008.com/blog/3424.htm). In an upcoming post, we’ll introduce PEAT PLUS.

Reference

Goleman, D. (2010). Forward to Daniel J. Siegel’s Mindsight. NY: Bantam Books.

HM © Reading2008 & Beyond                                                                                           www.reading2008.com

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FREE CONFERENCE CALL ON

GETTING AND KEEPING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES: PART II

MICHAEL INZELBUCH, ESQ., SPECIAL EDUCATION AND BOARD OF EDUCATION ATTORNEY

When: Thursday May 26, 2011 @ 9 pm EST

Phone number: Call (661) 673-8600

Use Access Code: 899615# (remember the #)

Length: Approximately 40 minutes

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A Note on Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds (www.reading2008.com)

Psychology Today.com recently wrote that Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds was one of the three “best books about education published in 2010. Recommend [it] to your friends.” On our blog, an English teacher wrote that Beating the Odds “is one of the best books, if not the best book on education published this year.”  A Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism called it “a great book.” A parent wrote, “Your Reading Disabilities book is by far the best resource I have found regarding the IEP and IDEA and providing understandable and concrete suggestions and implementation strategies.” Another wrote, your book is “fascinating and effective.” On Amazon, a professor of special education called it “a fantastic resource… well-written, practical… an essential guide.” The Kansas City Examiner.com cited our blog as one of the ten best special needs blogs of 2010. We thank these and many other reviewers for their kind words.

And we hope that our book and blog helps lots of children, parents, teachers, IEP Team members, and schools. It’s why we keep plugging away. – HM & GB

Dear Howard,

Laura Kaloi Public Policy Director

I’m writing to ask for your support of the IDEA Fairness Restoration Act, recently introduced in the U.S. Congress as S. 613 and H.R. 1208. This proposed legislation seeks to correct inequity brought about by a 2006 Supreme Court decision and to realign parental rights in the IDEA with Congressional intent.

To show support for this proposed legislation, I’m asking that you contact your members of the House and Senate on Wednesday, May 4, 2011. On that day, disability rights advocates across the nation will take part in a coordinated effort to gain support for this legislation.

BACKGROUND

In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (in Arlington Central School District v. Murphy) that parents cannot recover expert witness fees in IDEA due process hearings and court cases. Few parents can afford the money needed for medical, educational, and other expert testimony. Low- and middle-income parents are particularly impacted. The situation is made even worse because parents have the burden of proof in these hearings.

For 35 years, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has required school districts to provide a free appropriate public education to children with disabilities. But when a school fails to live up to this legal obligation, the IDEA provides that parents may seek an impartial hearing.

Parents must have expert witnesses for these hearings in order to prove that the school district did not provide their children with a free appropriate public education. Expert witnesses can include psychologists; pediatricians and physicians; speech, occupational, physical and other therapists; educational experts; inclusion experts; positive behavioral support experts, and others. While districts can use their own staff as expert witnesses, parents must pay for expert witnesses.

IDEA FAIRNESS RESTORATION ACT

Like all civil rights statutes, the IDEA allows prevailing parents to recover their attorneys’ fees. The IDEA Fairness Restoration Act – introduced as S. 613 in the Senate and H.R. 1028 in the House – will amend the IDEA, 20 U.S.C. 1415(i)(3), to state that prevailing parties can also recover their expert witness fees at the same time. Congress intended that parents have this right when it amended the IDEA in 1986.

ACTION NEEDED

On Wednesday, May 4th, please contact both your member of the House of Representatives and your two Senators and ask them to Co-sponsor S.613 and H.R. 1208, the IDEA Fairness Restoration Act. It is best to call your Representative (House) and Senators (Senate).  Calls are more personal and more attention is paid to a phone call.  Even a two-minute call makes a difference!

CALLING CONGRESS

Call 202-224-3121 (TTY 202-225-1904) to be connected to your representatives’ office.  Ask for the staff member who handles education or disability issues.  Share with them the information below.

SEND AN EMAIL MESSAGE TO CONGRESS

In addition to or in lieu of your call, please email your Congressman through special forms available on House of Representatives website and your Senators through a Web Form available on the Senate website.

SAMPLE EMAIL / INFORMATION TO SHARE IN YOUR CALL

Below is information you can share with Congress as you ask for their support. Use it for your phone calls and emails.  Please personalize your message with information about your child.

Dear Congressman/Senator,

Please co-sponsor the IDEA Fairness Restoration Act, H.R. 1208 and S.613.  The bill would restore Congress’ original intent in enacting the Handicapped Children’s Protection Act of 1986 that parents who prevail in administrative hearings and court actions be allowed to recover expert witness fees.  The bill would overturn the 2006 Supreme Court decision in Arlington Central School District v. Murphy.

When school districts provide an education so poor that they fail their legal obligations, parents can seek an impartial due process hearing to protect their child.  In those hearings parents must provide testimony from such expert witnesses as psychologists, doctors, therapists, and educational experts.  This testimony is needed to prove that a free appropriate public education was not provided to their children.  Few parents can afford expert witnesses.  Nearly 36% of children with disabilities live in families earning less than $25,000 a year; over two-thirds in families earn less than $50,000 a year.  Without the ability to afford expert witnesses, the right to a due process hearing is meaningless for most parents.

This bill simply gives parents the same right as prevailing plaintiffs under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other similar laws to recover expert fees.  When Congress passed the Handicapped Children’s Protection Act of 1986, it intended that parents would recover expert witness fees in IDEA cases, as clearly stated in the Conference Report.  But the Murphy decision overrode that intent.  We now ask Congress to restore its original intent and provide parents with the right to recover expert witness fees if they win their case.

Sincerely,
I hope you will join with thousands of parents and advocates on Wednesday, May 4th   in support of the IDEA Fairness Restoration Act.

Thank you for your continued efforts on behalf of students with learning disabilities.

Sincerely,

Laura Kaloi
Public Policy Director
National Center for Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

To develop IEP goals (and, in some states and situations, objectives) that are meaningful, measurable, and manageable, requires a  preliminary step that too many IEP Teams rush though: Writing a quality Present Levels section (“present levels of academic achievement and functional performance”) of the IEP. This section forms the basis and justification for all goals and objectives. In turn, the goals and objectives form the basis for all services and placements.

Because goals and objectives are so critical to obtaining the services your child needs, and to monitoring his progress, it’s critical to understand the flaws that characterize so many goals and objectives. Below are some of my comments, slightly edited, from two brief evaluations I did of a third grader’s IEP. The name is fictionalized and I have the parent’s permission to use the materials.

Comments on the School’s Goals and Objectives

Goal from Draft IEP: “Tom will accurately decode words at a third grade level.”

Comment on Goal: This goal can be interpreted as meaning that by June 2011 Tom need only to read a few beginning third grade words to have achieved this goal. Given Tom superior intelligence and high motivation, I doubt this is what the school meant; nevertheless, from what is written, this interpretation is valid.

Here’s a suggested goal that might better serve Tom and the school: “By June 2011, Tom will orally read three previously unread 250+ word passages from an end of third grade book with 98% word recognition accuracy and 90% comprehension.” These figures, 98% word recognition accuracy and 90% comprehension, are a standard for independent level described in many graduate-level texts on reading disabilities. Achieving this standard will get Tom ready for fourth grade. Anything less will inadequately prepare him for fourth grade, which will probably lead to a myriad of avoidable problems.

The Independent Level. This is the level at which a student can read successfully without assistance…. The student’s accuracy in word recognition while reading orally should be 98% or higher…. The reader should be able to answer 90% or more of the questions correctly. [Leslie, L., & Caldwell, J. (2006). Qualitative Reading Inventory-4. Boston: Pearson, p. 25.]

Objective 1 from Draft IEP: “Tom will demonstrate the ability to orally read a narrative passage containing silent consonant words taught in [class] with 80% accuracy.”

Comment on Objective 1: This objective is unclear about the level of the passage; will it be a second grade passage or third grade passage? This objective is unclear if the 80% refers to all the words in the passage or to only 80% of the silent consonant words (which would make the passage difficult to write). If Tom gets 80% of the silent consonant words correct, but only 70% of the other words, has he achieved the objective? Its unclear. As this objective is a short-term objective, it would help Tom’s parents to identify an expected date of achievement; knowing this would help them keep track of Tom’s progress. Specifying a target date should not be difficult as it’s something his teachers will be planning for.

Another problem with this objective is the 80% level. In reading, 80% word recognition accuracy in context refers to a child’s frustration level, the level that should be avoided. But the objective aims to place Tom at his frustration level. Here are a few typical quotations about the frustration level:

Frustration Level. “The frustration level is that level at which the student should not be given materials to read …. Students at their frustration levels are unable to deal with the reading material…. The criteria for the frustration level … are word recognition scores of 90 percent or less.” (pp. 82-83). [Johns, J. L. (1988). Basic Reading Inventory, 4^th ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt]

The Frustration Level. At this level, the student is completely unable to read the material with adequate word identification or comprehension…. Accuracy of word recognition is less than 90%…. Teachers should avoid materials at this level. [Leslie, L., & Caldwell, J. (2006). Qualitative Reading Inventory-4. Boston: Pearson, p. 26.]

Objective 2 from Draft IEP: “Tom will demonstrate the ability to orally read a narrative passage containing common prefixes taught in [class] with 80% accuracy.”

Comment on Objective 2: This objective is unclear about the level of the passage; will it be a second grade passage or third grade passage? This objective is unclear if the 80% refers to all the words in the passage or to only 80% of the common prefix words. If Tom gets 80% of the common prefix words correct, but only 70% of the other words, has he achieved the objective? As this objective is a short-term objective, it would help Tom’s parents to identify an expected date of achievement; knowing this would help them keep track of Tom’s progress. Specifying a target date should not be difficult as it’s something his teachers will be planning for.

Another problem with this objective is the 80% level. In reading, 80% word recognition accuracy in context refers to a child’s frustration level, the level that should be avoided. But the objective aims to place Tom at his frustration level. Here is another typical quotation about the frustration level:

Frustration Level. This is the level to be avoided; however, for diagnostic purposes, it is helpful for teachers to know what this level is so that they can avoid giving students reading material at this level. The fact that a child has reached his or his frustration level is evidenced by the child’s … inability to pronounce 10 percent of the words on the oral reading passage. [Rubin, D. (1997). Diagnosis and correction in reading instruction. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, p.  169].

Suggested Goals and Objectives (Partial List)

Word Recognition Goal 1: By the end of third grade, Tom will independently read new 3^rd grade narrative materials (DRA 38) at an independent level (99% word recognition accuracy).

• Word Recognition Objective 1: By the end of the 2^nd marking period, Tom will independently read new 3rd grade narrative materials (DRA 34) at an instructional level (95% word recognition accuracy). He will achieve this with new materials on 3 successive occasions.
• Word Recognition Objective 3: By the end of the 4^th marking period, Tom will independently read new 3^rd grade narrative materials (DRA 38) at an independent level (99% word recognition accuracy). He will achieve this with new materials on 3 successive occasions.

Reading Comprehension Goal 1: By the end of third grade, Tom will independently read new 3^rd grade narrative materials (DRA 39) at an independent comprehension level (90% accuracy).

• Reading Comprehension Objective 1: By the end of the 2^nd marking period, Tom will independently read new 3^rd grade narrative materials (DRA 34) at an instructional level (70-89% reading comprehension). Reading orally, he will achieve this with new materials on 3 successive occasions.
• Reading Comprehension Objective 3: By the end of the 4^th marking period, Tom will independently read new 3^rd grade narrative materials (DRA 38) at an independent level (90% reading comprehension). Reading silently, he will achieve this with new materials on 3 successive occasions.

Goals and objectives like these—meaningful, measurable, and manageable—make life easier for teachers and parents. Monitoring of progress is straightforward. The likelihood of misinterpretation is minimized. Teachers and parents can quickly identify and respond to any lack of progress.

Comments

It’s imperative that Tom reach a comfortable end of 3^rd grade independent reading level (which is roughly equivalent to a 4^th grade instructional level) by June of grade 3. Here’s one reason:

Reading proficiently by the end of third grade … can be a make-or-break benchmark in a child’s educational development. Up until the end of third grade, most children are learning to read. Beginning in fourth grade, however, they are reading to learn, using their skills to gain more information in subjects such as math and science, to solve problems, to think critically about what they are learning, and to act upon and share that knowledge in the world around them. Up to half of the printed fourth-grade curriculum is incomprehensible to students who read below that grade level…. And three quarters of students who are poor readers in third grade will remain poor readers in high school…. Not surprisingly, students with relatively low literacy achievement tend to have more behavioral and social problems in subsequent grades and higher rates of retention in grade. The National Research Council asserts that “academic success, as defined by high school graduation, can be predicted with reasonable accuracy by knowing someone’s reading skill at the end of third grade. A person who is not at least a modestly skilled reader by that time is unlikely to graduate from high school.” [Feister, L (2010). Early Warning: Why Reading at the End of Third Grade Matters. Baltimore, MD. Annie E. Casey Foundation, p. 10]

A Note on Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds (www.reading2008.com)

Psychology Today.com recently wrote that Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds was one of the three “best books about education published in 2010. Recommend [it] to your friends.” On our blog, an English teacher wrote that Beating the Odds “ is one of the best books, if not the best book on education published this year.”  A Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism called it “a great book.” A parent wrote, “Your Reading Disabilities book is by far the best resource I have found regarding the IEP and IDEA and providing understandable and concrete suggestions and implementation strategies.” On Amazon, a professor of special education called it “a fantastic resource… well-written, practical… an essential guide.” The Kansas City Examiner.com cited our blog as one of the ten best special needs blogs of 2010.

We thank these and many other reviewers for their kind words. And we hope that our book and blog helps lots of children, parents, teachers, IEP Team members, and schools. It’s why we keep plugging away.

Howard Margolis, Ed.D. © Reading2008 & Beyond                        www.reading2008.com

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FREE CONFERENCE CALL ON

GETTING AND KEEPING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES

STACI GREENWALD, ESQ., OUTSTANDING SPECIAL EDUCATION ATTORNEY

When: Thursday, March 24, 2011 @ 9 pm EST
Phone number: Call (661) 673-8600
Use Access Code: 899615# (remember the #)
Length: Approximately 1 hour

To submit questions in advance, please post them on facebook.com/reading2008.

“In this era of increased testing and expanding high stakes accountability systems, we need to remember the purpose for assessment. We want our schools to improve, and for this to happen, we have to do better at helping kids learn. Some of the tests teachers administer cannot help them much in this effort. Standardized measures (like those administered by states) and the outcome measures required under the No Child Left Behind law fall into this category. They are designed more to measure student achievement levels than to guide classroom instruction” (Santi, York, Foorman, & Francis, 2010, p. 1).

General Weaknesses of Standardized Reading Tests
But can individually administered standardized tests that compare children to one another—called norm-referenced tests—tell parents and teachers what children can and cannot easily read and what tasks and level of instruction will challenge but not frustrate them? Despite publishers’ claims, generally no. Here are two of many reasons:

• Norm referenced tests usually have children complete tasks that differ greatly from what they’re asked to do in school or in real life situations. Rather than having children spell words, they’re asked to circle the correctly spelled words. Recognizing a word is easier than spelling one. And just because children can recognize the correct spelling of a word does not mean they can reproduce it from memory.

• Norm-referenced tests usually have children complete tasks that are much shorter than those they have to do in school or in real life situations. On a test, children may be asked to answer questions after reading paragraphs that average only 30 or so words. In school, they have to read and comprehend much longer selections, selections that may average several hundred words. In line with this, here’s are some of the concerns and recommendations that Dr. Antonia D’Onofrio and I published about a widely used standardized test that we thought was pretty good: “Like all standardized tests, however, [The Woodcock Johnson-Diagnostic Reading Battery-III (WJ-III-DRB)] should not be used alone. It needs to be supplemented by other quality measures of reading ability, especially measures that more accurately reflect the reading demands placed on students (e.g., the need to comprehend lengthier, more complex reading materials)…. Together with tests that more closely approximate typical reading activities, a knowledgeable, informed examiner—who engages in diagnostic teaching, who observes the subjects in different instructional situations, who is familiar with the local reading curriculum and the skills and orientations of the instructors, who arranges to have the subject’s reading progress carefully monitored—should be able to use the WJ-III-DRB to gather the information needed to help many students improve their reading abilities. … But like a carpenter who needs far more than a hammer to build a house, examiners will need far more than the WJ-III-DRB to fully understand a student’s reading abilities” (Margolis & D’Onofrio, 2007, p. 871)

Instructional Utility of Standardized Reading Tests
One of the most important reasons for testing reading is to determine what the child needs to learn to advance. Here too, standardized tests are generally inadequate. As Carnine and his colleagues wrote:

• An even greater disadvantage of norm-referenced tests is that they provide little information about how to instruct a student. That is, a percentile or grade equivalent score does not really indicate where to place a student in a commercial program or what a student’s skill deficits are. (Carnine, Silbert, & Kameenui, 1997, p. 43)

The Best Test
So, which test is best? Which are good?

It always depends on your purpose—what questions you want answered. (See chapters 4 and 5 of Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds, www.reading2008.com). Moreover, the value of test scores always depends on the quality of the evaluators:

• Too often examiners forget the dictum that ‘tests don’t diagnose, people do’ and base their diagnoses exclusively on test results, a hazardous enterprise at best. Test results are merely observations, not diagnoses. They specify a performance level at a given time under a particular situation, but they do not tell the examiner why a person performed as he or she did…. The questions concerning the why of test performance are the very essence of diagnosis, and they can be answered only by an insightful, competent test examiner. Test results make useful contributions to a diagnosis, but in the end, practical diagnoses rest on the clinical skills and experience of examiners. Test results are merely aids to clinical judgment. (Hammill & Newcomer, 1997, p. 40)

Further Information
For information on using reading evaluations to help your child, see chapter 5 of Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds (www.reading2008.com).

A Note on Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds (www.reading2008.com)

Psychology Today.com recently wrote that Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds was one of the three “best books about education published in 2010. Recommend [it] to your friends.” On our blog, an English teacher wrote that Beating the Odds “ is one of the best books, if not the best book on education published this year.”  A Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism called it “a great book.” A parent wrote, “Your Reading Disabilities book is by far the best resource I have found regarding the IEP and IDEA and providing understandable and concrete suggestions and implementation strategies.” On Amazon, a professor of special education called it “a fantastic resource… well-written, practical… an essential guide.” The Kansas City Examiner.com cited our blog as one of the ten best special needs blogs of 2010.

We thank these and many other reviewers for their kind words. And we hope that our book and blog helps lots of children, parents, teachers, IEP Team members, and schools. It’s why we keep plugging away.

References

• Carnine, D., Silbert, J., & Kameenui, E. J. (1997). Direct Instruction Reading (3rd ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.
• Hammill, D., & Newcomer, P. L. (1997). Examiner’s Manual: Test of Language Development (Intermediate). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
• Margolis, H., & D’Onofrio, A. (2007). Review of the Woodcock Johnson III Diagnostic Reading Battery. Mental Measurements Yearbook (17th ed.) (pp. 866-872). Lincoln, NB: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements, University of Nebraska.
• Santi, K. L., York, M., Foorman, B., & Francis, D. J. (2010). Mentoring: A framework for success. Insights on Learning Disabilities 7(1), 1-13.

Howard Margolis, Ed.D. © Reading2008 & Beyond        www.reading2008.com