Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

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

Recently, I received a letter from high ranking official at a major public university with a great reputation; the letter advertised a set of programs that promised to quickly “turn poor readers into good readers.” This promise disturbed me, as did the letter’s other promises:  Read more...

• “Your child will become a strong, independent reader, build confidence [sic], and become more successful in school.”
• “Your child will complete reading assignments more quickly and easily, be more successful in school, and become a strong, enthusiastic reader.”

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

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

Being in a small class, with a quality teacher, positively and profoundly effects children:

Most of the research done in the last 30 years [shows] … that small classes, especially in the primary grades, boost student achievement and that the benefits last through later grades when students are in ordinary size classrooms…. If we really want all the excellent teachers policymakers, politicians, and pundits are calling for, we have to be willing to provide the school supports that are necessary. One of those supports is reasonable class sizes that allow teachers to do their job to the best of their ability (Joanne Yatvin, past president of the National Council of Teachers of English).  Read more...

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

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

Many middle school and high school students with reading disabilities have difficulty understanding their textbooks and succeeding on assignments. Reasons for their difficulties include:  Read more...

• Their inability to understand the demands of the task
• Instruction devoted solely to the mastery of subject materials, such as a social studies chapter.

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

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

For parents to effectively help evaluators and teachers develop a reading program that’s likely to help struggling readers become proficient, parents need to ask focused, knowledgeable, insightful questions. Easier said than done. Fortunately, many of these questions have already been written. In Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds, you can find questions on the critical aspects of kindergarten and first grade reading in chapter 3, critical aspects of reading in grades 2 and above in chapter 4, evaluations in chapter 5, monitoring progress in chapter 7, and developing and monitoring IEP’s in chapters 10 through 13.  Read more...

Please feel free to download and share this MP3 interview. It deals with exceptionality, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. — HM

Listen to internet radio with The Family Coach on Blog Talk Radio

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

Despite hopes for inclusion, the answer is often no. Placement in general education often fails to improve the reading of children with reading disabilities. Here are five common reasons:  Read more...

• The teachers lack the knowledge and skill necessary to remediate reading disabilities, even if a co-teacher has a master’s degree in special education.
• Much of instruction is whole class instruction, not instruction geared to serving the individual needs and abilities of children with reading disabilities. (And with all the budget cuts, class sizes are increasing.)

From Reading & Other 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.  Read more...

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

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

Many parents and professionals blame a child’s reading disabilities on specific reading programs, such as basal readers or whole language. They argue that the child would have become a good reader if his school  had only used the right commercial program, like Open Court. Occasionally, they might be right.  Read more...

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

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

Many parents of children with reading disabilities have been told, “Comprehension can’t be taught. Kids have it or they don’t.” Factually, this assertion is wrong:

Reviews of the research …[show] that … comprehension strategies will help students learn. However, teachers must demonstrate, model, and explain to students how to comprehend as they are implementing these strategies (National Reading Panel, 2000). (Tierney & Readence, 2005, p. 249)

And, as Reading Rockets asserts, teachers can teach comprehension and its essential ingredient, monitoring:  Read more...

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

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

Last week, we discussed five evaluation and IEP traps that often harm children with reading disabilities. Today, we’ll discuss five more.

Agree or Disagree: It’s fair to ask a school to measure a child’s progress once or twice a year, but asking a school to objectively measure progress weekly is simply asking too much. It’s “overkill.”  Read more...