The Learning Specialist, LLC

02/03/2024

A moment of reflection before the Team arrived...

Our team showed up this Saturday morning for a 2-hour Wilson Reading System fidelity training.

We are excited to continue raising the bar to impact our students' literacy outcomes!

Cheers to The Learning Specialist team, students and families!

03/24/2023

Fun fact: I studied in a PhD in Special Education for a minute. It turns out, I don't have the patience for the research process that takes *years* to learn what I can see now through my own eyes and lived experience. Just not for me.

You know what else I see with my eyes every single day? The clear benefits of teaching readers to engage the left side of their brains when they read. Some don't have the choice I had to expedite, with regards to which path they must take to read. It may take *years*, no matter how hard they try. So, ensuring a structured literacy approach is used is critical for some children.

Every year, I roll up my sleeves for 1-2 new non-reading children. With natural variance in their profiles, they each take their own path- some progress in a slow and somewhat rocky manner, some jetting in a straight line toward fluency, but soon enough they all drop the "non" as they now can read. It can still take literal years beyond that point to reach proficiency for some, but now with the right foundation in place their path toward proficiency may begin.

Read on to learn more from the folks at Standford- the people who finished out that PhD and then some! ;)

To compare the effects of two ways to teach reading, research from Bruce McCandliss and his colleagues used brain waves to map neural circuits.

01/16/2023

While I am all for allowing a child the space needed to develop without unnecessary interference, grade school children are aware of their differences earlier than we may realize. Some deviations are natural and to be nurtured. Some deviations are due to improper or misaligned instruction for that particular child.

If you are a parent with suspicions that your child's academic development is deviating from their peers, but you also respect giving your child the space to develop at "their own rate"- consider modest, targeted support from a certified practitioner to start some form of course correction sooner than later. Conservatively, my developing readers would have all benefitted from mild-moderate support during the Fall of 1st grade.

11/02/2022

Parents of dyslexic students- I am sure that- like me- you are seeing an increase in pop-ups from companies creating quick fix interventions for your dyslexic children. The amount of new tutors/organizations/digital programs claiming expertise in dyslexia since 2020 is concerning. In fact, nothing makes my blood boil more than an opportunist of this kind.

Please be thoughtfully aware of any organization or programming claiming to be a quick fix or to expedite grade level progression for your child. There are no quick "fixes" for dyslexia. Effective intervention takes close partnership with your child's dyslexia practitioner, coordination across all service providers and consistency for at least 1-2 years to see meaningful gains in skill, strategy and confidence.

08/15/2022

Great tips!

06/02/2022

There is no new information here, folks. The research stands that is a MUST for dyslexics and beneficial for all.

I’ve done a lot of parent consults lately to help guide revisions of IEP goals for dyslexic students and here are some trends:

-schools telling families they ”don’t do dyslexia”. I’ll explain what they really mean later.

-IEPs for dyslexic students with reading fluency goals but without decoding and encoding goals- huh?

-highly intelligent, chronically under-supported dyslexic upper elementary students (3rd-5th graders) whose compensation masks the need in reading but spelling/writing is a continuous pain point. Families still trying to get that needed support.

Solutions and support for these issues coming soon in a follow up post…

04/21/2022

Absolutely. We know that structured literacy works. No more experimenting please!

Instruction for students with dyslexia should never be a hodgepodge of strategies and programs.
Read more here: http://www.dyslexiatraininginstitute.org/blog/dyslexia-advocate-appropriate-2019-anyway/

04/05/2022

Parents!

Do you identify as someone who has ADHD or executive functioning difficulties?

A good colleague of mine (Suzy- Owner of Cognitive Communication Solutions) is hosting this support group for you!

See the graphic below for details and sign up today!

12/02/2021

I hear this all the time. “But he’s really smart and has an excellent sense of humor. We think he’s actually smarter than our other child/students.” (Implying that the child couldn’t be dyslexic)

Your child can be dyslexic *and* “smart”.
Your child can be dyslexic *and* have exceptional skills.
Your child can be dyslexic *and* excel in other academic areas.

All day on most days, I work with dyslexic children and teens. All of them have individual exceptionalities where they shine brightest. Most of them are whip smart and blow me away with their many talents. Let’s consider reframing our thinking from the black and white idea of “smart” to instead, naming our children/teens’ strengths and areas for growth. And, let’s talk about these honestly with our children/teens to grow their awareness of and commitment to investing in their strengths while also putting in the work that needs to happen.

-Kristen

Children can be super bright and creative while still needing help for language-based learning differences. We are posting this because society has a stigma about getting help as if their is something "wrong with the child." Parents , family members, schools and others may say " the child does not need help because they are so bright or creative, we can wait and see, they are lazy/stubborn, they will grow out of it, give it more time" and other avoidance-based statements. We need to normalize the idea that it is alright to get help for any area of potential need. We can't wait until a situation is severe. It's better to start early for social and emotional reasons. Don't wait. Evaluate. Remediate. Feel great.