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

  • Does reading usually frustrate your child?
  • Does reading emotionally drain or anger him?
  • Is his distaste for reading and school surging?
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From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

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

 On October 11, 2011, Change.org noted;

According to numbers recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2010, 16.2 million children lived in households that struggled to afford food, skipped meals or ate inadequate diets due to a lack of money and resources. That is one in every five children in America who are faced with hunger.

According to Dr. Marcus D. Pohlmann of Rhodes College:

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From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

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

To listen to Dr. Selznick’s podcast on helping the Shut-Down Learner, go to

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/special-needs-talk-radio-blog/id463238657#

Or go to

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/specialneedstalkradio/2011/09/27/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.

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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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.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

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.

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If you’d like to help children achieve their potential, in easy, practical ways:

Tonight (9/12/2011), learn about RIIFF – an easy, practical way to help children at home.

 

 

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From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

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

 Cheri wrote

This morning, Cheri wrote: “Is there anything for Adults with LD? I hear so much about children, children, children, but those children with LD are going to grow up to Adults with LD and in my opinion it gets harder as an adult with LD. By no means am I saying it’s not hard for children/teens/college students with LD I’ve been there, but now it’s EVEN harder, and there is really less support (if any at all) support for ADULTS with LD.”

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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