Wait & See Now = MORE TIME & MONEY LATER

A newsletter from Ann Dolin linked to a great article at ReadingRockets.org, "Waiting Rarely Works: Late Bloomers Usually Just Wilt". During my teacher training in college and the classroom, it was repeatedly emphasized that "kids learn at different speeds" and "one day things will just click". Sadly, many of my clients are the victims of the "late bloomer" fallacy and have suffered the consequences:

• students getting further and further behind

• students suffering emotionally - anxiety & frustration about learning struggles leads to depression, "shutting down", acting out, and other behavioral / emotional problems

• all family members and relationships suffer due to homework battles, unsatisfactory grades, poor behavior, etc.

Although it is never to late to get help, research and common sense show time and again that EARLY intervention is key. The sooner a child receives help, the better.

Think of an onion... every time a child associates a negative experience with learning, the pattern gets stronger, creating layer upon layer of negative associations and coping behaviors. When parents and students are referred to me, we all work together to peel away those "negative" layers by:

• identifying the root cause(s) of learning difficulties through comprehensive assessments
• showing the student the beauty of neuroplasticity, the importance of training the brain to make new connections and making those connections more efficient through continued practice.
  
• training up weak skills to increase learning efficiency
• working with teachers, parents, and student to reduce stress & anxiety while increasing postive learning experiences.
  

Please do your part to eliminate the "late bloomer" fallacy. Problems that aren't dealt with bloom & grow -- like an invasive weed.

Also, realize that different students will hit learning stumbling blocks at different points depending on the individual's skill strengths and weaknesses. For example, a student who has very strong visual memory can "regurgitate" information quite well, so this student will do great until school demands more advanced applications of information learned. Students who hit learning stumbling blocks later may actually suffer MORE, since parents and teachers may assume the student "just isn't working hard enough" or "just needs to study more". So, whether learning struggles happen in Kindergarten, 3rd, 4th, middle school, high school, or college -- seek immediate professional help! Difficulties during transition years in middle and high school are often dismissed, but a poor transition year usually leads to continuing problems.

Lastly, don't UNDERESTIMATE your child's learning potential -- each child has great gifts, and training up weaker skills enables a child to harness those gifts. We all suffer when a child with "A" potential is labeled as a "C Average"!

***REMEMBER: Taking the "wait and see" approach now means spending more time and money to remedy problems later -- not to mention the emotional damage. Don't wait to get help!

Independence Day -- Developing Independent Learners

INDEPENDENCE DAY certainly got me thinking about how important it is to remember that the ultimate goal of parents and teachers should always be to develop INDEPENDENT LEARNERS. UNLESS, that is, you LOVED the CO-DEPENDENCE of doing homework together this past school year -- complete with tears and frustration!

Ultimately, while some colleges MAY accept student / parent enrollment, most employers aren't hiring employee / parent teams! So, developing the ability to learn efficiently and independently is a requirement for more than making the upcoming school year more pleasant for all. LEARNING is a LIFELONG ENDEAVOR!!!

IF you've been caught saying, "WE were up (late last / all) night (doing homework / studying for a test / finishing the science project)", then you have a learner who needs to get started on the"JOURNEY to INDEPENDENT LEARNING". Developing an Independent Learner is a Journey -- NOT an instant process. However, once you have committed to the ultimate goal of INDEPENDENCE, YOU CAN GET THERE w/ effective short term goals and a comprehensive action plan.


The first step is to figure out EXACTLY "where the learner is" right now. Since this is the JOURNEY to INDEPENDENCE, we need to know our starting point as well as our ultimate destination. At F-U-N-Training, I determine that "starting point" by identifying the learner's strengths and weaknesses using a proven and comprehensive evaluation / assessment process: the Structure of Intellect / Integrated Practice Protocol ( SOI / IPP ) assessments and training programs developed by Robert and Mary Meeker and proven in over 30 years of use. The SOI / IPP tools enable me to identify both strengths and weaknesses in 27 Cognitive skill areas as well as evaluate visual and auditory processing, and sensory motor integration skills. When a comprehensive assessment is combined with parent and student interviews / questionnaires, I have a detailed map for our "JOURNEY to INDEPENDENT LEARNER", and I am ready to serve as CO-PILOT for the trip.

If YOU would like a map for YOUR LEARNER'S JOURNEY to INDEPENDENCE, please contact me immediately. I have just a few assessment appointments left in August, and THIS is not a journey to postpone.

The next steps involve working with parents to develop an action plan and working with the learner's classroom teacher(s) and school specialists to make sure that the learner's CURRENT needs are being met. These plans usually involve BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION, which is jargon to express the idea of rewarding the actions that we want to see more of.

We open the lines of communication with school personnel, so that we can track the learner's growth and make modifications to our action plan as necessary. While we may need accommodations to address CURRENT needs, our ultimate goal is always to REMEDIATE underdeveloped skills. True remediation / training of underdeveloped skills leads the learner to independence.

In future entries, we'll explore the use of Behavior Modification and how to develop a strong Parent - Teacher Partnership.

In the meantime, please check out my Parent Tips & Tools and Parent Resource List for lots of great learning activities your child could be doing RIGHT NOW!

Remember...
Learning is a Year-Round, Life-Long Endeavor!!!

Please Use Your Summer Learning Time Wisely : )