Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

In the last few weeks, several parents have asked us about reading evaluations. To help out, anyone who signs up for our mailing list at www.reading2008.com can download chapter 5 of our book, Reading Disabilities: Beating the Odds. The chapter, Using Reading Evaluations, shows parents and teachers how they can use reading evaluations to help children. We encourage parents and teachers to download it, read it, discuss it, and share it with other parents and teachers. (The release is for private use only, not for commercial use or for making more than 3 copies.)  Read more...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

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

A Guest Post

By  Dr. Amy Reschly, University of Georgia, &

Dr. Sandra Christenson, University of Minnesota

High school completion with competence is more important than ever before in our nation’s history. Students today must have skills to compete in an increasingly global and technological economy.  Data continue indicate, however, that too many students – particularly those of Native American, African American, and Hispanic descent; students with high incidence disabilities; and students from lower-SES backgrounds – are at increased risk for dropping out and experiencing a host of negative consequences, from unemployment and health problems to incarceration.  Read more...

As expected, I was attacked for my written support of afterschool programs. I was called someone in the “edutocracy” with a “vested interest.”  Parents and other advocates for children should expect to be attacked, not by all people, but by some. When attacked, ask yourself: How can this attack help me make my point?  Who is my real audience? Is it the attacker or people who will focus on the merits of arguments? Usually it’s the latter. Here’s my response to the attack on my motivation:

February 19, 2010, 2:12PM  Read more...

Hello All,

Today I posted a comment on www.nj.com (http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/affordable_after-school_care_n/1607/comments-newest.html). You can find it below.

I wrote my comment to counter the many hate-inspired, loathing comments I read that were directed at poor kids, kids with disabilities, and their families. My hope is that these hate-inspired comments represent a minority. My fear is that the minority will win–as it often does–when people who care about kids remain silent. What’s important is that people who want to save afterschool programs speak out, to counter hateful and biased comments.  Read more...

I shudder to think what will happen to the poorer children in one of New Jersey’s afterschool programs I evaluated a few weeks ago. I shudder to think what will happen to their families Why? Today’s headline read: N.J. affordable afterschool centers are threatened by Gov. Christie’s budget cuts (retrieved 2/17/2010, from http://www.nj.com/education/).  Read more...

Many children suffer emotionally because they cannot cope with academic demands. But they can develop specific skills to help them cope effectively. By doing so, they increase their motivation for learning and decrease their emotional distress.

These skills form the basis of “self-regulation,” which Lyn Corno and Ellen Mandinach (1983) broadly defined as the effort put forth by students to deepen, monitor, manipulate, and improve their own learning. Clearly, such activities are important for learning, which in the final analysis depends on the learners’ willingness and skill to meet the demands placed on them. Moreover, self-regulated learners understand the important links underlying what they think, what they feel, and what they do or don’t do.  Read more...