Written by Dr. John Carosso
I wrote earlier that the chatter in our heads can be as distracting as any external annoyance, and more anxiety-provoking than the actual fear. Our ability to self-sooth, through calm and reassuring self-talk, and re-direct our internal dialogue is vital and can make a big difference in completing tasks. In my earlier post on the subject, I mentioned a few ways to calm that chatter, but here I’ll describe three even more powerful tools. Okay, here we go:
Prayer is calming and channels our thoughts to a higher power, which is reassuring to know that the King of the Universe has you and your family’s back, and powerful in terms of God directly intervening and calming our thoughts, spirit, and situation. Memorizing scripture, such as cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you, 1 Peter 5:7, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, Philippians, 4:13, slows the chatter and fights those negative thoughts that counter our kid’s progress. God also seems to think that such contemplation it’s worthwhile and the-more-the-better, i.e. pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5:16.
How many times have you been doing something with your children or spouse, or maybe walking the dog during a quiet and peaceful evening, and you should be enjoying the moment but, instead, your mind is a million miles away contemplating all sorts of negative and fretful things about tomorrow, last year, and what you should be doing instead of what you are doing? There are few things that so thoroughly steals our joy, robs us from being present with loved ones, and inhibits our ability to enjoy any given experience. So, don’t do that!!! Instead, take captive every thought, 2 Corinthians 10:5 (bonus Scripture), that is to say, take control of your thoughts and focus ‘in the moment’ on who you’re with, what they are doing, the smells, sounds, how you’re feeling, the sentiment of the moment – wrap yourself in the experience and truly live in that time and place. It’s really not hard, and it’s so worth the effort.
So, I’m not entirely familiar with the eastern philosophies and their spiritual underpinning and techniques, but if the goal is to clear your head then this technique is apparently something worth considering. I understand that even kids can learn this mantra, so to speak, which slows things down and is quite calming. I’m far more familiar with progressive relaxation, which is essentially self-hypnosis. In that respect, most don’t know that hypnosis is essentially a deep state of relaxation. In any case, if you try progressive relaxation, which involves, paradoxically, actively and purposefully relaxing your body and thoughts, you’ll notice how much more relaxed you become compared to only, for example, laying down and taking a nap. In fact, ironically, we can actually be quite uptight and tense even when we think we’re “relaxing.” Kids can easily learn to take control of their body and mind, and quickly progressively relax, at any point during the day. It’s quite powerful and calming.
Try these techniques and see what works for you and your kids. Please provide feedback in that respect on my Facebook page. Okay, now go and calm that internal chatter.
A young man named Ryan Langdon, from his post at InsideMyMind https://insidemymind.me/2020/02/05/how-my-internal-monologue-affects-my-attention-deficit-disorder/ wrote of his internal dialogue, as a person with ADHD, that he referred to as being hyper-neuro-vocal in that he tends to have hyper self-talk that interferes with his concentration. In his own investigation, he found that others with ADHD tend to get carried away in their hyper self-talk, while those without ADHD sometimes report not even being aware of any self-talk or internal dialogue (what he refers to as being hypo-neuro-vocal). In fact, Ryan speaks of the primary challenge, for him and his experience of ADHD, as being his internal dialogue that interferes with his concentration.
Do you think in words, in an internal dialogue, in pictures, or are you not aware of any internal thoughts (must be rather quiet)? I’ve had the opportunity to interview literally tens of thousands of individuals ADHD, anxiety problems, depression, and autism. The bulk have described active self-talk that seems to interfere with daily functioning. I don’t know anyone with no internal dialogue. Maybe there are some who are not aware of their own self-talk, which does not mean it’s not present. In fact, such thoughts are often referred to as automatic thoughts, which are simply thoughts that are so automatic that we don’t even realize we’re having them. However, everyone is different and we’ve all heard of individuals (maybe this is your experience) who tend to think and process information predominately in pictures (visual learners…). I would imagine that most of us think in both words and pictures (we talk to ourselves, and visualize people and experiences). The primary issue, in terms of a ‘disorder’, is the extent to which our thoughts interfere with our daily functioning.
I’ve never talked with a person struggling with anxiety who did not have anxiety-provoking self-talk or a depressed person without depressing self-talk. Individuals struggling with ADHD tend to have thoughts they can’t shut-off that manifest in non-stop talking (that is rather distracting for them and those around them), and individuals with autism tend to have a strong internal focus and/or obsessive thoughts about any random item or interest. Frankly, there is barely anyone on this planet who doesn’t have trouble, at one time or another, getting a handle on their thoughts. One of the primary aspects of therapy is helping to control what’s going on in our heads.
We learn to control our thoughts, that’s what we do. We use internal forces to think about something else, which is the basis for the best-research therapeutic approach used today; cognitive-behavioral therapy. We also use external cues to remind us to stay focused; either way, we learn to redirect our thoughts to more healthy topics and perspectives, and back-to-task. Medication can be very helpful and tends to quiet the background chatter and sharpen our focus. Auditory and visual cues can also be a plus in terms of, for example, wearing ear-buds that play a recording, every minute, of a friendly voice reminding us to stay on-task, or a visual cue on our desk to remind us to focus, or highlighting every noun or verb in a paragraph so we must stay active and focused in our reading, and on-and-on it goes. There are countless strategies.
Ryan’s post, which got about a million views, has been appreciated by so many who can relate to his challenge of controlling his internal dialogue. In fact, like so many who can relate, Ryan perceives his challenge with ADHD as not being distracted by external stimuli (such as a tapping pencil) but, rather, his own thoughts. That is a fascinating and integral aspect of ADHD, not to mention anxiety, autism, and every other disorder with which we struggle; if we can control our thoughts, we can control the disorder rather than it controlling us. I’m looking forward to hearing more from Ryan, and from those who learn productive ways to overcome their daily challenges. God bless.
We find the rate of ADHD increasing by upwards of 10% over the past ten years, and the boy/girl ratio is upwards of 3:1.
Maybe the rates are rising because practitioners are better at assessing and diagnosing this condition. Or, maybe the condition is actually increasing due to toxins in our environment or some other cause.
I wonder if we’re becoming less tolerant to the types of behaviors typical of boys?
My goal is not to be political, and maybe I’m off-base, unenlightened, and not entirely ‘woke’, but it’s hard not to see a war going-on against boys. I understand that girls have been stereotyped, and that is wrong, but I wonder if the pendulum has swung too far the other way? In that respect, boys seem to get the short-end of the stick across the board. The things that make boys, well, boys, are increasingly seen as negative, punishable, and are prohibited if the behaviors come from boys. Those traits that are seen as masculine are labeled as “toxic” and boys are compelled to be, well, more like girls. Ironically, girls are being taught to be more like boys, which is fine (I guess), so long as boys can also be like boys. When it comes to males, we are averse to anything rough-and-tumble, so to speak, in favor of those things compassionate, sensitive, and nurturing. There are zero-tolerance policies that tend to target boy-like behavior. We tend to avoid males competing or being adventurous. No more “conquering” our world and we don’t confront or have conflict but, instead we hug, and God-forbid we play with toy guns, or even draw a gun, or pretend to be a cowboy, don’t dare draw a picture of a tank blowing something up, no more dodge-ball, and everyone has to win. Instead, we have to sit, pay attention, be quiet and mindful of our manners, and control our impulses for an increasingly longer period of time. It’s a world tailor-made for girls, but not-so-much for boys.
I fully appreciate the need for sensitivity regarding guns and weapons given the reality of school shootings. However, I can’t help but think that, at least in some cases, we take that sensitivity to the extreme. Maybe we need to have a sensitivity, as well, that boys need to be permitted to be boys, and not perceive a threat where there isn’t one.
It’s alarming to look at the graduation rates between males and females. It’s actually a national tragedy that no one seems to care too much about. In that respect, ten percent more females graduate high school than males, and there is almost a 20% disparity between males and females in earning any type of advanced degree (Associates, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate). What’s your best guess as to why this might be the case?
There is no doubt, in my humble opinion, that ADHD is a genuine disorder and that some kids are well outside the norm in terms of their ability, or lack thereof, to maintain focus, control impulses, and remain settled. However, while that might be the case, in some cases, we may be setting-up boys for failure, not doing them any favors, unfairly targeting them with unrealistic expectations, and straight-up pathologizing typical boy-behavior. At the very least, it may serve us well to at least entertain that possibility.
What type of classroom helps boys to be boys, and achieve? First, let them be active. In that respect, activity-based programs allow for more movement throughout the day, stretch-breaks, use of clipboard with standing, sitting or lying on the floor, high-interest topics (let them choose their own topics), more change of pace in the classroom, teach outside, allow pretend ‘army’ and dodge-ball and gross topics that boys find captivating. Learn by doing, invite men in the classroom, permit choices in assignments and projects, more opportunities for hands-on projects, group-work, experimental learning, collaboration, competition, and creating avenues for boys to reach-out and accept help as opposed to shutting-down or acting-out. An environment such as this would help boys in general, and those with ADHD, to feel more comfortable in a classroom and achieve higher levels of success.
My goal is not to be political or controversial, but instead to help boys perform to their fullest potential. That’s all. Now let’s go out and advocate for these boy-friendly environments, at home, and at school. God bless you and your kids, both boys and girls alike.
So, here is the DSM-V diagnostic criteria for ADHD. We are pretty familiar with these symptoms and recognize the impact they can have on a child’s life. Look them over for a quick review, and then we’ll discuss whether there is something missing from this list?
Six or more:
__ failing to pay close attention to details or making careless mistakes
__ problems sustaining attention in tasks or play activities
__ often not appearing to listen
__ having trouble following through with directives or fails to finish tasks
__ being less than well-organized and poor time management
__ reluctant to engage in tasks requiring sustained mental effort
__ losing things
__ being easily distracted by extraneous stimuli
__ forgetful
Six or more:
__ being fidgety or taps hands, squirmy
__ often leaves seat when remaining in seat is expected
__ often runs or climbs when not appropriate to do so
__ Unable to play quietly
__ moving around excessively and always being ‘on the go’
__ talking excessively
__ blurts out answers
__ having problems waiting for turns
__ having a tendency to interrupt and intrude at times
These signs need to be seen prior to 12 years of age and notably impacting a person’s life.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that emotional dysregulation is such a primary aspect to ADHD that there is a consideration of adding that specific symptom to the list of criteria. We don’t often think of emotional outbursts being related to ADHD symptoms, but they are. In fact, a secondary though related symptom is also very common; a hypersensitivity to rejection or redirection. I’ll be many of you are all too familiar with that aspect of ADHD even though it’s not part of the criteria.
Medication often helps to improve attention and concentration, but an interesting additional effect is that kids often appear calmer and more at ease, even when faced with being told ‘no’ and when frustrated. That’s a reflection of the medication’s impact on that specific executive function of emotional control.
Hope that helps
It’s important to understand the scope of symptoms and executive functions associated with ADHD. If not, then we tend to feel confused, we can’t target treatment, and may even pursue unnecessary secondary diagnoses. If we know what we’re looking for, it’s easier to grasp, and then it’s easier to treat. God bless you and your kids.
ADHD is described as a disorder of the prefrontal lobe of our cerebral cortex, which is the area of the brain that controls higher-order thinking. This ‘higher-order thinking’ is also known as a set of executive functions that help us to more effectively get through our day.
The specific executive functions include: Impulse control, flexible thinking and ability to shift between topics, emotional control, initiating a task, working memory (keeping thoughts in our memory and quickly acting on them before we forget), planning and prioritizing, organizing, self-monitoring (assess our own performance and measure it against some standard of what is needed or expected), and monitoring the passage of time.
Trying to determine how to treat “ADHD” can be daunting. In that respect, the diagnosis shows-up in a bunch of behaviors, there are lots of different symptoms, and it can be challenging to prioritize which behaviors and symptoms to target. However, if we look at select executive functions, as opposed to a bunch of symptoms and behaviors, then we can target treatment in a way that will be most effective, practical, and helpful.
There are lots of examples and, in that respect, check-out our Parent Resources, for our ADHD AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING pamphlet that highlights specific strategies to improve each executive function. An example for time-management includes using a chore-card that lists the chore, the steps to complete the chore, the time allotted for each step, and the time the entire chore should take, then set a timer.
I hope that information helps.
Understanding executive functions is super helpful. Here is a checklist to help in determining where your child may be struggling, which targets the treatment process. More to come in the next post, specifically about emotional control.
God bless you and your kiddos!
Dr. C
Executive Functioning is overseen by the Pre-frontal Cortex; it’s the “command and control” center of the brain and helps to manage life tasks. It involves mental control and self-regulation. These functions allow for managing time, paying attention, switching focus, planning and organizing, remembering details, and avoiding saying or doing the wrong thing.
___ Inhibition and Impulse Control: Stop one’s behavior at the appropriate time, thinking before acting, and filtering-out distractions in the environment.
___ Shifting, and Flexible Thinking: Move freely from one situation to another both in thought and behavior.
___ Emotional Control: Control emotional reactions by bringing rational thought to bear on feelings.
___ Task Initiation: Ability to begin a task and to independently generate ideas, responses, or problem-solving strategies (getting started on a task…)
___ Working Memory: Capacity to hold information in mind for the purposes of completing a task (shortly after a direction, remembering the task-at-hand)
___ Planning and Prioritizing: Ability to plan how things are going to be accomplished and order the items in terms of importance.
___ Organization of Materials: Impose order on work, play, and storage.
___ Self-Monitoring: Ability to monitor one’s own performance and to measure it against some standard of what is needed or expected.
___ Monitoring Time: The ability to self-regulate based on time-constraints and have a sense of urgency. The capacity to plan for a task or goal, no matter short or long-term. The ability to accurately judge the passage of time.
Written by Dr. John Carosso
Most parents rely on raising their voice, pestering, threatening, loss of privilege, and time-out, in that order (with the last two being used interchangeably). We have to ask ourselves, as parents, is this effective (especially the first two options)? If you’re taking the time to read this post, probably not.
Does raising our voice and pestering work? I think we all know the answer; for neurotypical kids these approaches work only sometimes, but enough to keep us doing it. It’s similar to playing a slot machine; we get a positive outcome on a variable-ratio schedule (random and unpredictable) that, by the way, is the most powerful form of outcome to keep us trying the same approach, even if not entirely effective.
As we examine outcomes, we see that raising our voice and pestering is even less effective with children who struggle with attention problems, distractibility, and preoccupation. We pester, raise our voice, and carry-on to no avail and it’s frustrating for everyone involved. In fact, a common complaint from parents is that they find themselves “yelling all the time” and the situation is quite unpleasant.
The problem is that we are usually standing far across the room and relying on ephemeral sound waves, transmitted from our vocal cords, floating through the air, vibrating the inner ear of our child, and hopefully being processed by our child’s brain and acted-upon. That’s a tall order to promote compliance, especially for a child who has ADHD or autism and is not always paying attention and is easily distracted along the way to carrying out the directive. If we think about it that way, we can see how silly we are, thinking that we can impact physical behavior by relying on intangible sound waves from far across the room.
Think of the difference between relying on our voice (sound waves) from across the room, to instead using the ‘softer and closer approach’ (see my earlier post) that entails getting physically close to your child, using a soft tone to get your child’s attention, and guiding your child through each step of the task.
Who says you should not have to do that? I try not to use the word “should”; it just causes frustration. If your child needs some extra attention at this point in their life, or on any given day or time, so be it. I suggest accepting this reality, which will greatly reduce frustration. Remember, frustration is based on expectations. Change your expectations, and you’ll be far less frustrated and so will your child.
Yes, you do want to raise expectations, while being realistic. If your child needs some extra guidance, give it. You can provide close supervision, get your child started on the task, then work on progressively backing-off while continuing to watch, praise, and prompt from nearby. This is a form of backward chaining and it works quite well.
A sure-fire way to avoid feeling frustrated is, first, to change your expectations. Next remind yourself that someday, when they’re older, you’ll greatly miss these close times with your child. Also, there is no better bonding experience than the softer and closer approach.
Discipline-based in the use of air-waves is often counter-productive and ill-advised, especially if your child needs some extra attention. So, go have a great day getting softer and closer with your child.
Written by Dr. John Carosso
On one hand you’re excited for the start of summer and to have far more access to your kids. If you’re a stay-at-home Mom, then you’re home all day with the little darlings and the sky is the limit in terms of the potential for fun-in-the-sun!! Even if you work, it’s most likely you’ll be seeing your kids quite a bit more over the next few months. Of course, you’re thrilled; they’re your kids and you want nothing more than to be around them and enjoy their company. However, deep down, you’re also a little scared because you’ll be, well, trapped, all day, with the little stinkers; they’ll all be together tag-teaming against you, not to mention tag-teaming against each other. You’ll have to play referee, teacher, cop, and playmate possibly all within any given 5-minute period.
Not to get off-topic, but what’s the deal anyway with this three-months-off-thing over the summer? Are we all still farmers and need our kids help to work the family farm? I like a little vegetable garden as much as the next person, but three months seems a bit extreme. But I digress…
Well, that’s just it, ya gotta have a game-plan. I suppose you could just wing-it, and many do, and they seem to do okay. However, especially if you have kids with special needs, the more routine, structured, planned, and predictable you can make the summer, oftentimes the better it will go. Not that every minute will be planned (summer is about spontaneity, freedom, and fun) but for some kiddos going from a highly regimented daily school routine, to a free-for-all, can be rather unsettling. Many parents find a nice balance between the two, some structure for part of the day, and some planned activities and trips, and a more relaxed and free-flowing part of the day (and even this “free-flowing” portion of the day can be planned).
You go to Hawaii and hire a full-time nanny to watch the kids (just joking, sort of). First, get a Family Calendar with daily and monthly activities and events planned in advance. This gives the kids things to look forward to, lets them know what is planned for any given day or week, and reduces the pestering about ‘what are we doing today…’? You may want to use lots of visuals and pictures to convey information about the activity or event(s).
You may want to be a bit more accommodating and less rigid with chores and expecting a super clean house. Having everyone home, all day, is going to result in more messes and whatnot, and your frustration likely will skyrocket if you’re expecting complete order and a pristine environment. However, by the same token, clearly defining rules (maybe even posting summer-time rules on the wall) that include not getting out other toys or items until the first are put-away, will be helpful.
Since other parents have their kids home too, take advantage of them and give them your kids for an afternoon (or a few days?). Of course, you’ll have to return the favor, but the kids can enjoy playing together (or not) and you get a break every so often.
Set out a bucket for suggestions, and get a ‘bucket list’ from your kiddos to find out things they want to do over the summer. They likely will have some good ideas for local trips and activities you can do at home or in the local neighborhood.
Many of you have arranged day and/or week-long camps for your kids. Your kiddo usually has a great time, and it also gives you a break. However, keep the family fun going; remember, you only have so many summers with your kids, while they’re still kids, so don’t forget to savor these moments in time (that reminds me; take lots and lots of pictures and you’ll have them for your scrolling home-screen the rest of the year).
Here are some local summer camps you may find interesting. These are divided into special needs camps, regular day camps, and art, theater, and dance-camps.
2019 Special Needs Camps (pdf)
2019 Sports, Arts, Theater, and Dance Camps (pdf)
Your kids are going to hate me for suggesting this, but it’s important to set-aside some time, weekly if not daily, to keep-up on academics. Take advantage of Extended School Year (ESY) if your child is eligible, or simply crack some books at home for 30 minutes to an hour a day. Or, even better, introduce your child to child-friendly short stories and novels where they can get ‘lost’ in their imagination and experience far-away adventures without even leaving the home. Reading together is even better. Experiential trips are also fun, such as to the library or museum, art show, aviary, and don’t forget about VBS.
Get the names and phone numbers of kids with whom your child will want to visit and play over the summer. Otherwise, you may not have a way to contact them, and many opportunities for fun play-dates will be lost.
Role-play with your child what to do if they get lost, or need help in some way. Keep medications and first-aid kits handy. Always have an epi-pen handy as well!! You never know who may be allergic to insect bites and stings.
When the kids get to bickering and carrying-on, prepare places for them to go to play separately. Separate rooms or areas of the house, or one plays outside while the other inside; whatever it takes. Prepare activities for them to do separately to keep them busy and to at least temporarily end the fussiness. The more structured and planned the activities and play-areas, the more likely such diversionary tactics will work.
If your child has challenges with catching a ball, the Velcro-ball and Velcro catching pad is a wonderful option; frankly, even if your kiddo catches just fine, it’s still a fun activity, as is a trampoline, bicycle riding (or tricycle ride), taking the dog for a walk, having a picnic in the back yard, family hike, catching lightning bugs (we used to use wiffle bats when I was a kid…), going for a swim, stargazing, zoo, kennywood, board games, making a bird feeder and watching the birds, listening to an audiobook, going fishing, jumping rope, blowing bubbles, playing miniature golf, flying a kite, playing badminton, climbing a tree (not too tall), or watching a good movie. Whatever you do together is meaningful and makes a memory.
I hope you found this post to be informative and that it inspired some ideas. Here’s wishing you and yours a relaxing, safe, and memory-filled summer of fun. God bless.
Written by Dr. John Carosso
There are a host of ways to help manage ADHD and its primary symptoms of impulsivity, hyperactivity, and distractibility. People often seek counseling for their child, and that approach is worthwhile, given it’s vital to teach coping skills. Of course, medication is often pursued and that too is quite effective. However, what else is vital in treatment?
The most effective and important strategy in the treatment of ADHD is structure. I’ve explained in prior posts what structure means, and I can’t emphasize enough its importance.
It means that the day is very well organized, you keep the same schedule each day, everything has its place, and the same place, and activities take place in specific places, times, and time-frames. The work environment is distraction free. It’s recognized that, most often, if something is to be accomplished it will occur because the parent is in very close proximity and providing a guiding hand, gentle prompting, and ongoing reinforcement of desired behaviors while not relying on a raised voice (yelling) from across the room. Children’s play activities will be structured, guided, and time-limited. There will be a behavior chart providing stickers for task completion. I could go on and on, but you get the drift.
The hard part about ‘structure’ is knowing how, how much, when, where, and when to back-off. It’s tricky business. I suggest seeking help from a professional who can help answer those questions. I’m always available, just make an appointment or email me at DrCarosso@aol.com. Happy structuring 🙂
Written by Dr. John Carosso
There is not a “cure” for dyslexia. However, to better-understand the answer to this question, it’s best to review the nature of dyslexia and its underpinnings. In that respect, dyslexia is a neurological disorder in the sense that at least three particular areas of the brain, in charge of recognizing and processing written language, simply do not work so well. Consequently, a person with dyslexia struggles with reading (and usually also with writing). The condition can be treated, and skills can be improved, but often the underlying deficiency does not necessarily go away.
We all have strengths and weakness. Some are good in math, or athletics, music, or art. Others, less so. Our strengths are based in our brain development and we’re each born with individual strengths, and weaknesses in that respect. Reading is no exception. As I mentioned, for people with dyslexia, there are a few parts of the brain that don’t work so well, but the rest of the person’s brain is fine!
Dyslexia can be treated very effectively. The determining factor of progress is severity-level. In that respect, just as with any condition, the less severe the dyslexia, the more progress in treatment, even to the point of improving to reading at grade-level. In some respect, it’s no different than working at any skill. If a child is playing baseball and is not good at hitting, but practices and practices hitting with a skilled coach, there’s a good chance the kiddo will get better. How much better? Well, that depends on how poor of a hitter they were in the first place, and the skill of the coach. The hitter will improve either way, but will likely advance further if the hitting only needs minor tweaks and the child may even ultimately hit better than their teammates.
The research is somewhat sketchy and, surprisingly, there isn’t a lot of it. However, just as I explained, children with mild dyslexia (reading about one grade-level behind or less) tend to do well in treatment, and ultimately advance to read at grade-level. However, upwards of 60% of those with moderate to severe dyslexia show progress in treatment, but don’t advance to read at grade-level.
The treatment approach is largely two-fold. We help the child to be the very best reader they can be, which is accomplished by intensive weekly treatment and regular practice of reading skills with a skilled teacher. We offer a very effective online support in that respect, at DyslexiaTreaters.com. Our reading specialist, Taylor Cole, is superb at turning kids with reading challenges into proficient readers.
At the same time, until the reading improves, we facilitate the child completing their classwork by promoting listening to assignments, i.e. we turn them into ear-readers. There are a number of programs that help in this respect including kindle, Audible, most school textbooks are online, and there is a wonderful app that quickly turns any text into audible; naturalreaders.com.
That about wraps it up for now. I hope that helps to clarify the treatment process and expectations for improvement.
We are pleased to announce our online tutoring program through the Dyslexia Diagnostic and Treatment Center. Ms. Taylor Cole, our online Reading Specialist, knowledgeable in Orton-Gillingham approaches, is available for convenient online sessions. You can sign up for news, tips, and discount offers and arrange a 30 minute free introductory session with Ms. Cole at DyslexiaTreaters.com.
Written by Dr. John Carosso
Reading issues are frustrating for both children and parents. If you your child is struggling, and you have concerns about dyslexia, this post covers signs of dyslexia, and effective treatment options.
I am often asked by parents to assess their child for dyslexia this process usually leads to a discussion about the nature of dyslexia, and how a parent can help.
Dyslexia (disorder of reading) and Dysgraphia (disorder of writing) are two conditions that are often labeled by school districts, more generally, as a “Specific Learning Disability”. In fact, over 90% of students classified as having a ‘Specific Learning Disability’ (and given an IEP) are classified because they have dyslexia.
Dyslexia is almost always inherited and can greatly interfere with a child’s ability to make progress in school.
Dyslexia is, essentially, a problem decoding words. However, these kiddo's are quite intelligent and capable, but struggle with that specific task of sounding-out words. However, dyslexia, more broadly, is also a problem with the processing of language; kids have difficulty processing the sequence of sounds that comprise spoken words. Consequently, you get words like “psghetti” and “amninal.” Interesting, these kiddos sometimes genuinely don’t ‘hear’ themselves saying the words incorrectly so it’s difficult for them to self-correct. Moreover, they also struggle with visually processing the specific sounds. Consequently, they may read “gut” for “glut” and so on.
All of the effective strategies are based in a ‘multi-sensory’ approach that incorporates, in the learning process, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses. In that respect, a child may be shown the word, asked to say the word, hear it spoken by the teacher, write the word on paper, and write the word or letter (using his finger) on a rough surface. Consequently, the child is receiving varied feedback (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) regarding how that word looks, sounds, feels, and is written.
The Orton-Gillingham approach is commonly used, and incorporates this multi-sensory approach.
We are pleased to announce our online tutoring program through the Dyslexia Diagnostic and Treatment Center. Ms. Taylor Cole, our online Reading Specialist, knowledgeable in Orton-Gillingham approaches, is available for convenient online sessions. You can sign up for news, tips, and discount offers and arrange a 30 minute free introductory session with Ms. Cole at DyslexiaTreaters.com.
