Orton-Gillingham and Reading: What Are The Essential Skills Your Child Needs to Know?

Most individuals can look back and retrace the first steps that their parents took in helping them learn how to read. Although I am unable to remember the first time I learned how to read, I remember being a teenager and working with my niece who was always mesmerized by my collection of notebooks, textbooks, and pens. She would sit beside me and I would write simple three letter words out for her in my notebook and have my mini-me learn how to read. It was not difficult for me to come up with a short lesson and play "take away the letter" games with her to see if she could manipulate the letters to see if she could read. I enjoyed that time and realized that reading for her (as well as the rest of the individuals in my family) was as natural as speaking, singing and dancing.

For some individuals reading does not come as naturally. Some teachers have been taught that children can simply look at the words and pictures on a page and that will essentially help the child learn how to read. It may be the case for most children but for others this simple act of image memory does not correlate with reading. 

Reading is a complex linguistic task that may need to be broken down for some children. For those who may not think of it being a natural task, it needs to be acquired through direct instruction and simplification. Without the proper training or the skill sets needed to help remediate students with Dyslexia or other processing disorders, the task will present itself as overwhelming and time that is misused.

If you think that your child is in need of Dyslexia support or may need the Orton-Gillingham Methodology of Reading Instruction, here are some skill sets that you may need to check on from your provider:

1. Language Development

Is there a particular stage in which children need to develop expressive or receptive language skills? What types of articulation errors are common in a four, five, six year old? If these questions are not easily answered by your provider, they may not have the foundation to create an outline of when these errors in language will be remedied.

2. Phonology

Are there sounds that your child produces that make them sound less "local"? Is your child in a setting where they may pick up incorrect speech patterns or are not exposed to proper grammar? 

3. Vocabulary

Some students who may have a much more advanced spoken vocabulary but do not utilize this in writing may also be challenged in various ways.

4. Spelling

If your child receives great marks on their spelling tests but are unable to apply these spelling rules a provider may need to determine what splinter skills your child is lacking.

5. Fluency

Having a student read the same passage or book five times does not correlate to fluency. If the methodology your tutor is using becomes exposure to one particular approach, it may not be what your child needs to feel challenged.

If you feel that your child is having difficulty with learning how to read or may need reading remediation such as Orton-Gillingham and you are in the Atlanta area, feel free to contact Christine at 404-964-8533 or you can email me at christine@learningridge.com . We have helped clients in the Atlanta area for over 11 years and would love to show you how we can help your child. 

JATP in Atlanta: Do You Know How To Help Your Child Become More Creative?

Happy New Year to all of those parents who are excited to have their child participate in the process otherwise known as "Atlanta Private School Admissions" or in other circles, "JATP Prep".

When parents begin this process, one thing crosses their mind: "Do we need to do anything to prepare our dear four to ten year old for this process?". Many parents ask their friends about what they need to do during this process. After countless coffees, dinners and play dates they are presented with a multitude of options that seem daunting to the blind eye but are keys to practical (and productive) parenting.

In my practice of helping parents with Admissions Preparation, we take a different approach in ensuring that students feel confident and successful with this process. Outside of our traditional cognitive development approach that relies on a European-Asian model of enhancing intellect, we take into account one important faculty need to be strengthened when children engage in metacognitive .

One area of focus that seems to be missing in many family dynamics is creativity. Parents strive to give their children the very best in their lives.  These attempts are commendable however, this provides children with an environment bereft of problem solving and self-reliance.

Recently I was able to spend time with the man who created the multi-colored single chamber clicker pen. When describing his inventions, he was able to give historical accounts about what was happening in history during the time. Each of his inventions and patents had made history and this humble man left the conversation with giving us one piece of information that made us understand why he was able to create so many innovations: he was comfortable with being left alone.

Unlike most children who grow up being shuffled from one scheduled activity to another, this man was left to analyze and observe the world around him. His keen sense of awareness enabled him to examine what was wrong or what could be improved if given the opportunity. It takes discipline, motivation, and follow through to be successful in life but happiness through accomplishment sometimes requires contentment in being alone.

The next time you sign your child up for another activity think to yourself - how can I help play a role in my child's creativity. It is a wonderful thought that you are a good parent because you are able to give your child what they want and need, but looking towards the future, how can your child apply the knowledge to become great.

If you have questions about Admissions Preparation and/or Cognitive Development, feel free to contact Christine at 404-964-8533 or christine@learningridge.com

Do You Have A Disorganized Child? Here Are Some Tips To Help..

Students in this day and age are given more resources and devices to use than the generation before them. Growing up in the "Transitional Technology" Age, my senior Praxis Class was conducted online and when our professor asked us "what do you think about our discussions held on the internet platform", each and everyone in our group said, "it is nothing compared to our interactions face to face. That is where the real learning takes place!"

If you open your child's backpack and see their papers shuffled as if they were trying to avoid a tax audit, here are some simple tips that you can use to help them get back into shape:

1. Provide a time to complete tasks

You've seen it with some families - and I hope that I am not speaking to you, but there are times when children come home, throw their backpack on the floor and start playing with their iPad or video games and command you to bring them something to snack on.

Understand that your child has a hard day and by the time they walk into your house, they have used all of their brain power to get through the last few hours of school without wanting to fall into a frenzy. Instead of having them look like Grandpa sitting in the rocking chair after school, prepare a light snack for them and communicate what needs to be done when. If you have a timer that can be used that could work; if your child becomes a bit more sensitive to alerts like I am, have them listen to their favorite song or play outside for the duration of a television show and they will be centered.

2. Provide a place to complete tasks

All houses are different and there are some parents that subscribe to the kitchen table method of homework and others that have a desk set up in their child's bedroom because it looks great.

Regardless of where you decide to have your child spend the next thirteen years building their foundation for the future, make sure that it is clean and organized for them to begin their work. Yes, my parents had a desk for me when I was younger but to be honest with you, the drawers had yearbooks from the previous year and handwritten letters from my grandfather and other members of my family.

I personally like using the kitchen table because it signaled to us that we were renting out the space from mom until she made us our delicious family dinners:)

3. Establish a routine

I know that most parents over schedule their children. It's great to have some sort of routine so that your child knows what to expect and when.

We shared a nice home cooked meal with my husband's family and (unfortunately) my husband was reminded of the one "go-to" meal that his mom made on Wednesdays. Wednesdays was a hard day for her so she fed the family meat and potatoes and what he said was his most unfavorite day was something that she said was a necessity. "I spend three hours making a great roasted meal on Sundays for the family and know that on Wednesdays - I don't have much time. So that was it. I know that you do that do with your omelette dinners on Wednesdays!".

Yes, a routine a great and make it easy and something that your children will enjoy.

4. Create a chart to show progress (or regression)

Simple charting of what they need to do helps children visualize what it is that they are doing and how to respond to you when they do not.

The truth of the matter is, there is a certain amount of anxiety that disorganized children feel and if you are to take that anxiety and have them see that the task is easier to overcome once you see it, they will understand what needs to be done and learn how to be accountable.

5. Leave necessary materials where needed

When you are at home and the phone rings and you need to jot down notes and cannot find a pen or a paper to write that information down? Think of how your child feels when they begin to do their homework and/or project and every 30 seconds they need to march upstairs or downstairs to grab their supplies.

Ask yourself, "what does my child need every time they begin a project" and have it accessible. They'll need a few pencils, a sharpener, highlighters, sticky notes, a few pens, a digital device to download course materials and all of their books right in front of them. Make it easy for them to be successful and don't get in their way!

6. Minimize materials

If you know me personally, I am motivated by beauty in writing craftmanship. I have access to a certain amount of pens/pencils and rotate them out on a bi-monthly basis so that I can enjoy everything that I have.

I've seen some parents attack this differently (and there is no one solution - there is the one that you have that works for you). One of my favorite clients had a closet of office supplies that he kept for his children (very basic) and some other parents have it stored in the garage or basement. In my industry I've noticed that children love ergonomic materials that they have never seen before and for some reason, this motivates them to write longer and with more purpose.

7. Provide an organizer

There are different types of organizers that are used in the United States however, I feel that they are not necessarily organizers but storage systems. (There is a difference between the two).

As I've become immune to "pouches", I subscribe to a system that has room for me to see my belongings so that I do not accidentally poke myself with a sharpened pencil reaching for a pair of scissors.

Here's an example of what you could have your child use:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/cocoon-innovations-grid-it-organizer/

8. Have a checklist

Checklists - some people hate them, without them I would still be working on my term papers from middle school.

Keep it fun and simple for your child and if you've had a great week, have them create a checklist for you on the weekends.

Example:

- Decompression Time
- Snack
- Homework
- Break
- Homework
- Family Time

Nothing more, nothing less and the more you plan - the less you stress:)


9. Label materials

This is important so that your child knows what is their property and what is not. I have to laugh because when working with children, they cannot seem to identify their coats, jackets, books, materials from their classmates because it all looks alike. One piece of advice that I have for children and their parents is to label everything. When their teacher hands them a piece of paper they need to write their name and the date on it, otherwise it becomes useless.

10. Act as a model

Great parents do not just tell their child how to live, they act as the role model. My mother (one of the wisest individuals I know) learned from her mother to put things back in it's place and have a place for everything. (Okay mom, what about your shoes?)

Children will take you seriously if you can walk the same walk. If they are having problems, they need to be encouraged to do better and have the confidence that they can do it.



If you have any questions about how to help your child become more organized or if you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact Christine at 404-964-8533 or you can email me at christine@learningridge.com .

What is Missing in STEM Education?

Here's the deal: I walk into a classroom and it is decorated with the latest in technology, curriculum, and gadgets that would make one believe that someone in your child's class is about to become the next Elon or Bill Gates. Your child comes home with passwords from websites and information on applications written by people who have spent less than 8 hours with a child that has the same learning disposition and/or attention span as your child. Rubrics are passed around to tell you what to do to complete an assignment in each of their STEM classes but there is one thing that is missing in the fundamental success of each and every teacher preparation program and student evaluation rubric: How to give proper (and adequate) feedback.

Today children are left to their own (personal devices) to learn and the expectation is that we can teach children through an app or a workbook. We've replaced education with a series of discrete trials that have been used on monkeys and testing groups and wonder why children are failing. What surprises me the most is the mere fact that many students in this country have succumbed to a phenomena also known as "learned helplessness" and expect that when they cannot do something or if their parents are unable to do something that will allow them to feel confident - they do not bother trying.

The fact is really simple, in more ways that can be counted, students need to learn how to take feedback and criticism as a way to build character and their own sense of self-determination. Never before have I seen students fearful of failing when they never learned how to ask a question or became intimidated to look through the answers to a test where they could have received more credit if they had only informed the teacher that the answer they presented was correct.

Parents in this day and age have learned to argue with teachers and not look at themselves on how to become role models in what they want their children to be. They have tossed the book aside on how to raise a human being and have replaced it with "How to Overnurture Your Child" .

I would love to see the day where parents teach their children life lessons on how to work hard and to look at your mistakes as opportunities of learning and understanding instead of grades. Or when a child comes home to complain about problems they are having at school - parents can step in and share what their family stance is on how to treat other people instead of attending some class on "how we all need to parent children in the 21st century".

When I spent some time with my father-in-law, I rummaged through some old school records that he had kept from when my husband was in elementary school. Somehow, I came across a letter that might have been written in response to a teacher that perhaps, thought my husband was unfocused (that's surprising - what most professionals call "unfocused" I call, "it's called being a bored boy?"). The letter (albeit written in a different language) was a beautifully written letter that gave my husband some life lessons on being a good student. It put into perspective that even though your parents are not there with you everyday, it is important to communicate what it is that you want your children to be, otherwise they will have to walk that journey alone.

STEM Education comes with it a whole set of standards that are great - but it is important that children learn to take into account the importance of receiving feedback, whether good or bad - to reach a final product that they would be happy to call their own.

If you would like more information about Learning Ridge STEM Programs or if you would like to have our STEM workshops at your facility, community center, club house, feel free to contact Christine at 404-964-8533 or you can email me at christine@learningridge.com .

The Case for Handwriting and Fine Motor Skills: Why Are They Important?

At the end of the 20th century, this country had made advancements in technology that would signal a change in all of our lives. What took the manpower of dozens or hundreds of people are now replaced with one app, one click, one touch, or sometimes, one swipe. We've replaced many manual processes in favor of fast, easy to program technologies but one thing that has suffered immensely is the work that is done by hand.

Less than 48 hours ago I was fortunate enough to watch a classical symphony in Stuttgart, Germany. This experience was exciting as it allowed me to see one of the last living performing art forms take over my soul. As I was transported to a time when one could feel Mendelssohn pour  his heart into his music or when Tchaikovsky elevated music through his prose and compositions of various symphonies, it reminded me of the fact that some processes can be replicated and copied but a true artist or craftsman - will never be.

Fine motor skills such as those learned from handwriting, playing music or drawing, is one of the corner stones of development. When children move from one stage of learning to another, they acquire learning experientially and these skills are then moved and stored from short term memory banks to long term memory cartridges. Children who have difficulty in accessing information may not have these processes in tact and direct learning might be more impactful.

If you would like more information on Handwriting and how it can help your child learn in a more fluid meaningful way, please contact Christine at Learning Ridge by calling 404-964-8533 or email christine@learningridge.com .

Orton Gillingham in Atlanta: What are Some Warning Signs of Dyslexia?

Having worked with students who have had various challenges in education for the last ten years, it is normal to hear that some things appear amiss when it comes to your child's learning. 

Despite the fact that your child may have had great experiences during their early preschool and kindergarten years, there are a few things that you may need to pay attention to so that the problems do not persist and create more of an emotional and financial burden down the road.

Here are some warning signs of Dyslexia/Processing Disorders:

Made Up Speech 

Developmentally, your child will go through certain stages of speech and making up speech while they are in grade school may hold them back from understanding how to read or even processing information in general. If your child is of school age, they should begin to have more refined skills in communicating that will make learning more accessible.

Articulation Difficulties 

If your child is four years old and cannot say the word "earth", that is normal (despite the fact that I told my mother that my baby brother had a speech disorder when he kept saying "earf" and not "earth" when he was three) however, there comes a point when children need to learn how to speak coherently. 

There are a variety of ways that articulation impacts learning and the causes might be more than normal progression of where to place the letters in a word. 

Left versus Right Confusion 

Not knowing the difference between your left and your right is one sign of Dyslexia, a popular disorder. There are other tell tale signs, but if your child keeps forgetting which one is which (or if they put the wrong shoe on each foot like my niece did), you might want to see if it is simply them forgetting or if it is one of the other things that they are not able to learn.

Coordination Problems

One of the tests that are conducted in schools all across Europe and Asia are basic coordination tests. Not everyone needs to know how to throw a football like Tom Brady or play tennis like Andre Agassi, but they should know enough about depth perception and visual discrimination to keep themselves safe and alert.

If you have any questions about Dyslexia, or would like to learn more about how Learning Ridge can help your child with a Language Processing Disorder, please feel free to call Christine at 404-964-8533 or you can also email info@learningridge.com

Hello 2017! New Years Resolutions for the Family!

As we ring in the New Year, we all have a better idea on how we can make improvements that will add more quality in our lives. At Learning Ridge, we are beginning the year with spending time with family and understanding what it really takes to have a great foundation for learning and raising great children! (Thank you to my mother-in-law and father-in-law in sharing some great secrets with me!)

If you are a parent, here are 7 Great New Years Resolutions for your Family!

1. Stay Organized

One of the most important aspects of life is staying organized. As I walked in and out of the kitchen, I noticed my mother would keep her calendar and a stenographers notebook that showcased what she wanted to buy for the week.

2. Keep up with a Schedule

Yes, you are busy and so is everyone else. It is hard to keep up with one schedule, let alone schedules that include your spouse and your children. However you wish to maintain peace and order in the house, keep a schedule in analog or digital form and make sure that it is updated constantly or else, you'll end up double booking, missing appointments, or annoying providers with cancelations or last minute requests.

3. Communicate

If I learned one important aspect of this holiday season, it was the fact that life is too short to be spent on technology when you are with family. I enjoyed spending time with family and there is nothing that compares to watching old home movies or taking turns catching up on your life. There is an art and a closeness that you feel when you put the phone, video games and tablets away and you begin enjoying life all over again.

4. Gratitude

Before we end our year, we always remember to wish our clients a great holiday season and to thank them for such a great year. It is a tradition that we have in our company that I've held on to for the last few years and continue to do as it makes me remember those who have reminded me of why I do what I do.

When you show your children that they need to be grateful for what they have (and work diligently for things that they do not have yet), it creates character and reinforces the lost art of delayed gratification in a world where everything needs to happen instantaneously. Trust me, you are not a horrible parent if you tell your child, "Not yet.." every once in a while.

5. Walking/Hiking/Enjoying a Moment with the Family

I have only a few memories of enjoying a nice walk with my dad in the deserts of the Southwest, but I do remember him and I spending time together and enjoying memories that only I have of him. He always made it a point to tell me that our weekly trips to Home Depot would consist of buying a toilet even though he would pick out a new tool or a bag of nails. Sorry dad, you always thought that you could fool me but you can only have so many toilets in a three bathroom house!

As I spent the last few weeks with my in-laws,  we would go on far walks with his parents either before dinner or after dinner. It was probably one of the highlights of our day as each walk would be another step towards discovery of my husband's family. He would tell us stories of his childhood and jobs that he had before he finished college (really father-in-law, you were a Volunteer Firefighter?) and sometimes we came to the realization that he had a pretty exciting life before he had kids.

It's important to do something with your child that does not require anything more than you and them whether it is going for a walk or sharing your favorite memory of riding your first bike. Your children love you and want to get to know you. Don't substitute a box full of toys for your chance to show your children who you are.

6. Invent a New Tradition

We came across this just recently as it was something unplanned, unexpected, and extremely embarrassing to even share with you.

Traditionally on New Years, we cook a nice meal and catch up on our favorite television series. This New Years, we travelled in the afternoon, arrived at a home filled with "weekday" food, and a village that was closed except for a gas station and a McDonald's. Instead of engaging in a family duel that would have anyone think that this was a new "Hunger Games" movie (New Years Edition), we went to McDonalds for New Years.

Instead of doing the same old routine, come up with a tradition that everyone in your family can take part in. This one (albeit I would not recommend for us next year as a McDonald's meal is something that takes a few years to metabolize out of my system) is one that is spent with family and reminds us of what is important: don't take life too seriously. It's quality, not quantity and there is nothing better than enjoying a really good laugh with the ones that you love.

7. Make Sure To Support Your Children's Education

For some reason, it is becoming harder and harder for parents and caregivers to build stronger connections with children. No matter what happens, your children look to you first and foremost to have all of the answers. Despite the fact that you really know your children, sometimes you may not know what is best for them because you are too subjective.

If you are having a difficult time in reaching your child please know that it is not your fault. You are simply too good of a parent for them to fire and they want you to find someone else to fill in that role of a psychologist, counselor, or educational strategist. If you need help with your child's private, public, or homeschool education, please feel free to contact Christine at (404) 964-8533 or you can email me at christine@learningridge.com.