In hindsight it makes perfect sense, but as reporters interviewed young male students from inner-city schools they were surprised to find that they students rarely mentioned school or teachers as being a hindrance to their academic success. Rather, almost every reason they mentioned for not completing school or performing well had to do with their family life and culture. So often we see people placing academic discrepancies on teachers, but for these students – the …
Dyslexia Research: Can Dyslexia Be Diagnosed in Younger Children?
One major concern many parents have is that they can’t get their child a formal diagnosis for dyslexia until their child is in the third grade. Many parents start to see their child struggling with reading long before this, but they can’t get a formal diagnosis until third grade, thus they have to wait until their child is in third grade to get the school to provide their child with the proper interventions. By the …
30 Facts About First Graders that Every Mother Needs to Know
For quite awhile I have wanted to target a very specific group of people with our marketing efforts. I refer to this group as “neurotic moms.” Although neuroticism is sometimes viewed in a negative light, in this instance the aspect of neuroticism that I’m referring to is vigilance (I could just call them “vigilant mothers” but it’s not half as catchy as “neurotic moms”). To be vigilant means to take careful watch and to be …
What Parents Can Do To Help Their First Graders Succeed
Imagine this… you’re sitting in a parent teacher conference, the teacher goes over every aspect of your child’s performance and then… they point out an area of weakness. You instantly want to help your child. You don’t want your child to struggle in school. You don’t want your child to fall behind. You have to do something about this! But what? You’ve never taught. You don’t even know where to start. How do you move …
Are Colored Lenses an Effective Solution for Dyslexia?
Despite the many gifts that come along with dyslexia, so do many challenges. As a parent of a dyslexic child you are always looking for ways to better assist your child and minimize the challenges that are associated with dyslexia. One solution that has helped many dyslexics is color-filtering lenses. Here is some commentary from Dr. Michael R. Politzer about his experience with color-filtering lenses: Misconceptions About Vision vs. Sight I often hear about parents …
Reading Removes Limits to Learning
It’s amazing how much information is available. In today’s day and age, if you want to learn something – you can. There is a book/article/video/class on almost every conceivable topic. And with reading skills in place, almost all limits to learning are removed. Recently I discovered this video and I’m amazed by how much a child can teach himself/herself simply with access to technology: Once you remove the obstacle of reading: learning becomes limitless.
What Every Parent Should Know About RTI
Before 2004, children who were struggling in school or had any type of learning disability, were automatically relegated to a “wait to fail before we intercede” philosophy. But that all changed with IDEA 2004 which required schools to implementResponse to Intervention (RTI). Ideally, RTI identifies children who are at risk for learning disabilities and requiring the school to addresses these issues at onset. Parents Should Know About RTI: Tier 1 Support– Three times a year, beginning in …
Reading is Not Optional – Even for Struggling Readers
Recently the upcoming ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Walter Dean Myers, spoke on NPR about the theme he has chosen for his ambassadorship: Reading is Not Optional. I can’t think of a stronger statement to convey the importance of literacy. This statement is of crucial importance because every child wants to succeed. There is not one person on this planet that doesn’t want to thrive and reach their potential. And for children to thrive and reach their potential: reading is not …
Top 10 Reading Horizons At Home Blog Posts of 2011
Here are the top 10 most viewed blog posts from the Reading Horizons At Home Blog during the year 2011: Top 10 Reading Apps for Children Games that Improve Phonics Development 18 POSITIVE Dyslexia Symptoms How to Get a Professional Dyslexia Diagnosis Helpful Hints for Adults with Dyslexia or Other Learning Disabilities Which Interventions Are Best for a Child with Dyslexia? Pinpoint Your Child’s Reading Problem this Summer How Does ADHD Affect Reading Skills? Mnemonic …
50 Interesting Facts About Dyslexia
What is Dyslexia? Dyslexia is a learning disability that includes difficulty in the use and processing of linguistic and symbolic codes, alphabetic letters representing speech sounds or numeric representing numbers or quantities. The first description of dyslexia appeared in 1896 by Dr. W. Pringle Morgan in Sussex, England, this is what he wrote: “Percy F.,… aged 14,… has always been a bright and intelligent boy, quick at games, and in no way inferior to others of his age. …
