Practical Strategies for Supporting

Your Struggling LearnerStacy Katzwer

Director of Support, Yeshivat NoamJune 28, 2015

Why is school

SO hard?

When you think of all the people you know, famous or not, past or present, who faced a challenge that may have affected their lives, who is the first person you think of? Why?

How did that person’s disability/challenge affect his or her life? Was it something they allowed to stop them? Was it something they believed they could overcome? What factors do you believe played a role in their success?

- Jay Leno has dyslexia- Cher didn’t know she had dyslexia and

dyscalcula until she took one of her own children for an evaluation!

- Steven Spielberg went undiagnosed until he was in his 60’s!

- Whoopi Goldberg, one of only 12 people who has won a Grammy, an Academy Award, a Tony, and an Emmy!

- Henry Winkler, “The Fonz” also writes the Hank Zipzer series about a boy with dyslexia.

- NFL star Tim Tebow uses flashcards to learn the plays.

- Alexander Graham Bell is believed to have had dyslexia

- John Lennon had dyslexia.

- Walt Disney actually dropped out of school to be an artist. His parents were told that he wouldn’t amount to anything and that he did not have a creative mind. It is believed that he had a significant reading disability, possibly dyslexia.

- President John F. Kennedy had dyslexia.- Robin Williams had dyslexia.- Michael Phelps, who has ADHD, says swimming

helped him learn to focus.- Thomas Edison was home schooled because he

struggled so much. It is believed that he had ADHD and dyslexia.

- Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and was believed to be mentally retarded; it is believed that he had Asperger’s Syndrome.

- Bill Gates is believed to have Asperger’s Syndrome.

Who do you think was the very first person in

history to be identified as having a disability of

some sort?

מש?<ה

שמות ספרד פרק

ם י י � ר� ב� שד� י א�� לא י� נ� ד� א� י � ב� ה� ל־ א� ה � מ�ש� ר אמ� י�� �וך� ר� ב� �ד ז " א� מ# ם $ �ג ם ש�& ל� ש� מ� ם � �ג ל) מו ת� מ� ם + �ג י כ� אנ�-

י / כ� ך 1 ד� ב� �ע ל־ א�: ה � פ� ד־ ב� י כ כ� אנ�3 ן ו ש� ל� ד " �ב כ� ו

Moshe said to HaShem, “I beg you HaShem, I am not a man of words – not since yesterday, not since the day before not from the time You first spoke to Your servant, for I am clumsy [slow] of mouth and clumsy [slow] of tongue [language].”6/28/2015

שמות ספרד פרק

: ה $ פ� ד־ �ב כ� י / כ�

ה פ� ד �ב "א כ� ב� ל� �"ז ב �ע �שון ל ל� ר. וב� ב# �ד י מ� נ� דות א� ב# כ� . ב�גמגמן

I speak with difficultyA stutterer

6/28/2015

שמות ספרד פרק

ו יא א; ם� אד� 3 ל� ה� םפ� � ש� י � מ� ו י ל�- א# ה� ר אמ� י�� �ום ל#& א� ם ו ש� י� ־ י 3 מ�

: ה : ה י � כ� נ� 3 א� א ל" ה� ר 1 ו# ע� ו א� ��ח ק# פ� ו שא" & ר# ח# ו א�

HaShem said to him. “Who gave a man a mouth, or who makes [a person] dumb or deaf? [Who makes a person] see or makes him blind? Is it not I - HaShem?”

6/28/2015

So, What is a Learning Disability Anyway?

• A brain based problem – LD children are not “lazy.”

• People with learning disabilities have average to above-average intelligence.

• LD children may have difficulties in areas that don’t seem related to “learning,” such as organization, writing, expressing themselves, etc.

• Although learning disabilities are not outgrown, with the right tools and interventions, they can be overcome.

6/28/2015

"You don't get medals for trying,

you get medals for results"

- Former Football coach Bill Parcells

Rita Pierson: Every Kid needs a ChampionTED Talks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw#action=share

WELCOME TO HOLLANDby Emily Perl Kingsley. (c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved)

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland.""Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine, and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

For the child who struggles with reading comprehension

At home:

• Read out loud, even when reading to self• Read together, taking turns reading aloud• Read to a younger sibling, neighbor, or pet• Model the practice of reading once for accuracy and

a second time for meaning• Ask questions about what they’re reading • Ask children to describe (visualize) what they’ve read• Use an index card or ruler to aid with tracking (or

finger)• Use audio books to support independent reading (for

older children)

6/28/2015

For the child who struggles with reading comprehension

In school:

• Guiding questions – give the child something to look for as he or she reads• Allow the child to mark the text when reading• Extra time to complete assignments• Post-it notes• Reading on e-reader

– a built in dictionary– font size can be adjusted

• Teach strategies such as: – Read once for accuracy and a second time for meaning– Use an index card or ruler to aid with tracking (or finger)– Encourage reading aloud– Read to someone– Read longer texts, particularly non-fiction, in chunks and then summarize. “Chunk

and Chew” (Kathleen Kryza)

– Act it out– Visualize and Verbalize (Lindamood-Bell)

– Draw it “Pictionary not Picasso!” (Kathleen Kryza)

6/28/2015

For the child who has difficulty with writing

• Slant-boards• Grips, special pens/pencils• Graph paper for math and legibility• Turn notebook sideways to create

columns rather than lines• Encourage use of assistive

technology– Ipad, laptop, voice recorder, voice

recognition software, etc.6/28/2015

● Is it the math or is it the language? Ask your child to read the

directions or word problem to you and then explain it.

● Ask teachers to provide a list of the math vocabulary used in class;

using a common language is important.

● Use graph paper or turn lined paper sideways so that your child has

columns.

● Use manipulatives (blocks, stickers, Legos, etc.) to illustrate math

concepts. Try to avoid using food items like beans or cheerios unless

your child will be allowed to eat them afterwards.

● Bring math into the real world (dozens of eggs, setting table,

cooking, etc)

● Remember! Math is a language!

For the child who has difficulty with math

6/28/2015

For the Child who Can’t Sit Still• Standing desks/standing space in the room• Alternate seating options (rocking chair, “bumpy cushion,” stools,

ball chair, beanbag chair, wobble stool, etc.)

• Slant board• Fidget toys – aide in concentration, sustained

attention, creativity and focus (as long as they’re not driving the teacher crazy!)

• gum, snacks• Water – keep hydrated• Stop and move• Brain-breaks

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Resources for parents

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Resources for parents

• Understood: www.understood.org

• The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity: http://dyslexia.yale.edu/

• The Child Mind Institute: http://www.childmind.org/

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: http://www.asha.org/

• National Center for Learning Disabilities: http://www.ncld.org/

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USING MENTOR TEXTS

1. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos: ADHD2. Mockingbird by Katherine Erskine: Asperger’s

Syndrome3. Rules by Cynthia Lord: Autism 4. Marcello in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork: Asperger’s

Syndrome5. Alvin Ho by Lenore Look: Selective Mutism6. A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass: Synesthesia7. The Absolute Value of Mike by Katherine Erskine: Dyscalcula8. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper: Cerebral Palsy9. Thank You, Mr, Faulker by Patricia Polacco Dyslexia10. Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt Dyslexia11. Rain, Reign by Ann M. Martin Asperger’s

Syndrome12. Wonder by R. J. Palacio Physical deformity

שמות ספרד פרק

ם י � ר� ב� שד� י א�� לא י� נ� ד� א� י � ב� ה� ל־ א� ה � מ�ש� ר אמ� י�� �ו יך� ר� ב� �ד ז " א� מ# ם $ �ג ם ש�& ל� ש� מ� ם � �ג ל) מו ת� מ� ם + �ג י כ� אנ�-

י / כ� ך 1 ד� ב� �ע ל־ א�י כ� אנ�3 ן ו ש� ל� ד " �ב כ� ו ה $ פ� ד־ �ב כ�

Moshe said to HaShem, “I beg you HaShem, I am not a man of words – not since yesterday, not since the day before not from the time You first spoke to Your servant, for I am clumsy [slow] of mouth and clumsy [slow] of tongue [language].”6/28/2015

שמות ספרד פרק

: ה $ פ� ד־ �ב כ� י / כ�

ה פ� ד �ב "אכ� ב� ל� �"ז ב �ע �שון ל ל� ר. וב� ב# �ד י מ� נ� דות א� ב# כ� . ב�

גמגמןI speak with difficultyA stutterer

6/28/2015

שמות ספרד פרק

ו א; ם� אד� 3 ל� ה� םפ� � ש� י � מ� ו י ל�- א# ה� ר אמ� י�� �ו א ים ל#& א� ם ו ש� י� ־ י 3 מ�

ה י � כ� נ� 3 א� א ל" ה� ר 1 ו# ע� ו א� ��ח ק# פ� ו שא" & ר# ח# ו א�

HaShem said to him. “Who gave a man a mouth, or who makes [a person] dumb or deaf? [Who makes a person] see or makes him blind? Is it not I - HaShem?”

6/28/2015

Everybody is a genius.But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a

tree, it will live its whole life believing

that it is stupid.-Albert Einstein

- Don’t ever say “I’m not the professional, I don’t know.” You know your child best - share what works at home.

- Notice and encourage your child’s strengths - art, music, dance, sports, Legos, etc.

- Talk to your child - use sophisticated vocabulary.

- Print, reading, and math in everyday life.- Praise the effort more than the product.- Follow your “gut instincts.” If you think

something isn’t working then ask, advocate, and educate yourself.

- You are your child’s strongest advocate!

You ARE the expert!

Words to Live By:

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So… what are your thoughts?

6/28/2015

Do you know this child?Avi is in 3rd grade. He is a terrific math student and reads

really well. He is also extremely active; Avi never seems able to sit for very long but that’s ok because you believe that after a long day at school he needs to be able to run and jump and play.

When given a math assignment to complete independently, Avi will quickly solve all the examples except for two or three on each page. Sometimes Avi makes “silly” mistakes or will act out and distract others in the class. This frustrates his teacher because she knows that he is capable of solving the math problems easily. Also, when he acts out in class, it’s very difficult to get him back on track; once he’s gone he’s gone.

You’re getting frustrated because the teachers are constantly expressing concern about his reading, his constant need for redirection, and the fact that he’s never where he needs to be during reading time. You also seem to be fighting more and more with Avi at home because you know he can do the work, he’s “just not doing it.” You even took Avi for an ADHD screening, but he not meet the criteria for diagnosis.

What’s going on with Avi?6/28/2015

● Trouble learning common nursery rhymes, such as “Jack and Jill”

● Difficulty learning (and remembering) the names of letters in the

alphabet

● Seems to be unable to recognize letters in his/her own name

● Mispronounces familiar words; persistent “baby talk”

● Doesn’t recognize rhyming patterns like cat, bat, rat

Source: Overcoming Dyslexia ©Sally Shaywitz, M.D.

What to look for in your preschooler:

6/28/2015

Most Common Learning Disabilities

• Language-Based Learning Disabilities– Problems with age-appropriate reading, spelling, and/or

writing.

• Attention-Deficit (ADHD)

• Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities– Difficulty manipulating, integrating, and learning from non-

verbal information. They often appear socially awkward; misunderstand the nuances of language; and may misread body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.

• Executive Function Disorder– Note-taking– Time management– Organization

www.smartkidswithld.orgwww.asha.org 6/28/2015

Most Common Learning Challenges

In Kindergarten/First Grade

Reading

● Reading errors that show no connection to the sounds of the

letters on the page—will say “puppy” instead of the written word

“dog” in an illustrated page with a dog shown

● Does not understand that words come apart

● Complains about how hard reading is, or “disappearing” when it

is time to read

● A history of reading problems in parents or siblings.

Speaking

● Cannot sound out even simple words like cat, map, nap

● Does not associate letters with sounds, such as the letter b with

the “b” sound

Source: Overcoming Dyslexia ©Sally Shaywitz, M.D.6/28/2015

In Second Grade and Beyond

Reading

● Very slow in acquiring reading skills. Reading is slow and

awkward

● Trouble reading unfamiliar words, often making wild guesses

because he/she cannot sound out the word.

● Doesn’t seem to have a strategy for reading new words

● Avoids reading out loud

Source: Overcoming Dyslexia ©Sally Shaywitz, M.D.

6/28/2015