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
Parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) want to know how to help their children, how to make home life calmer, and if possible, more satisfying and happier. Although no one solution will prevent or solve all problems and what works for one family will not work for all, parents of children with ADHD can usually help their children, and by extension, improve home life. To help parents help their children with ADHD, the National Institute of Mental Health offers these suggestions: Read more...
ADD, ADHD, adolescence, adolescents, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, behavior problems, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, resilience, Resiliency, self-efficacy, self-esteem, strengthening resiliency, teenager, Teenagers
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Sleep, ADHD, and Learning Disabilities are Strange Bedfellows
So…
How Do My Child and I Get to Sleep?
Stephen M. Lange, Ph.D., Psychologist, Pine Ridge, SD Read more...
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, insomnia, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading problem, reading problems, resilience, Resiliency, sleep, strengthening resiliency, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Paired Reading: A Guide For Parents—Part II
Keith Topping, Ph.D.
THE DESCRIPTION
As described in Part I, in Paired Reading “the parent and child begin reading aloud together and continue until the child makes an error. The parent supplies the correct word, the child repeats the word and rereads the sentence, and simultaneous (“duet”) reading continues. When the child feels ready to read alone, he or she gives a prearranged signal [e.g., a thumb up], and the parent stops reading while the child continues” (Rathvon, 2008, p. 193). Read more...
Dr. Keith Topping, Dr. Topping, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, fluency, intervention, Keith Topping, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, oral reading, paired reading, Parenting, Ph.D., Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, Reading Materials, reading method, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, remedial reading, remediation, spelling, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, tutoring, word recognition
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Paired Reading: A Guide For Parents—Part I
Keith Topping. Ph.D.
In March, we published two posts on Paired Reading. Consequently, several parents and teachers wanted more information. Graciously, Dr. Keith Topping, Director of the Centre for Paired Learning and Graduate Educational Psychology at the University of Dundee, Scotland, allowed us to republish his guide.
First we’ll briefly describe Paired Reading, Then, in the next two posts, we’ll provide Dr. Topping’s guide, with slight modifications.
The Description Read more...
Dr. Keith Topping, Dr. Topping, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, fluency, intervention, Keith Topping, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, oral reading, paired reading, Parenting, Ph.D., Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, Reading Materials, reading method, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, remedial reading, remediation, spelling, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, tutoring, word recognition
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
If your child has autism, what’s the best program or method for teaching him? Despite lots of hype, lots of claims, lots of testimonials, no one knows.
But unfortunately, many parents and school personnel mistakenly believe that all children with autism need the same instructional program or method, that only one program or method is universally recognized as the best, that only it is appropriate, that only it can help these children.
The Literature
The professional literature contradicts this view. Here’s a sampling: Read more...
Advocacy, applied verbal behavior, Autism, autistic spectrum disorder, discrete trial instruction, discrete trial teaching, discrete trial training, IDEA, IDEIA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Lovaas, Parenting, program planning, remediation, Skinner, verbal behavior
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Stephen M. Lange, Ph.D., Psychologist
Pine Ridge, SD
Perhaps you had this experience: You approached your child’s school about your kindergarten age child, expressing concern that he or she may have a learning disability. While sympathetic, your school’s psychologist, reading specialist, or other diagnostic expert responded that learning disabilities cannot be diagnosed until a child has been unable to succeed academically despite conscientious instruction. Several years later, you attended a meeting with your school’s multi-disciplinary team who explained that your child indeed does have a learning disability. Your emotions felt chaotic – a mixture of relief, worry, sorrow – and perhaps frustration or even anger that years had passed since you recognized that your child’s development was not typical, but rather different from his peers in subtle yet important ways. Read more...
child find, disabilities, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, early intervention, early language, identification, identification of learning disabilities, intervention, language, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, pre-school, preschool, preschool intervention, preventing learning disabilities, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, 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
Parents often ask, “Is my child’s teacher competent?” Unfortunately, science has yet to produce an errorless formula for answering this question. And it’s an important one that test scores and the new rage, “value added equations,” can’t answer.
Fortunately, there are legitimate ways to begin assessing the competence of your child’s teacher. One way is to observe how she presents lessons to your child’s class. This can tell you a lot, but not everything, about the quality of her instruction. Read more...
disabilities, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, evaluating teachers, frustration, frustration level, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Mastropieri, observation, observations, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading levels, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, remediation, Scruggs, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, systematic instruction, teacher, teacher observation, teacher observations, teachers
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
In our last post, we described six suggestions for personalizing homework so that children, parents, and teachers benefit. In this post, we offer three more. What’s different about these is that they ask parents to take an active role. But first, to proivde perspective to new readers, we begin with the opening of our last post.
Our Last Post Read more...
ADD, ADHD, attention, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, disabilities, 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
In our last post, we described the emotional devastation that unsuitable homework assignments can cause children with learning disabilities. For new readers, we present the opening of our last post. For all readers, we then present 6 more suggestions for personalizing homework so that children, parents, and teachers benefit.
Our Last Post Read more...
ADD, ADHD, attention, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, disabilities, 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
