Download – Meeting Student Needs: A new school for struggling students
On this episode of Special Kid School Talk Dr. Kari welcomes Wendy Zacuto, director of Pacific Point Academy and Learning Center in Santa Monica, California to discuss what makes this school such a great place for kids with special needs to learn. Even if you don’t live in the Los Angeles area, this show will give you the information you need to find the best school for your special needs child. Every student is unique and deserves a thoughtfully designed, inspiring learning environment. Students with special learning needs require programs that develop the important skills that make learning successful and enjoyable!
Click here to view Pacific Point Academy website or to send an email to Wendy Zacuto Click here.
Download – When Should You Teach Your Child to Read?
On this episode of Special Kid School Talk Dr. Kari interviews reading expert and educational therapist, Dr. Lois Provda, who explains how starting formal reading instruction too soon can have disastrous effects and shares with us the type of skills children need to develop before we begin the process of teaching them to read.
Odds are you were taught how to read in first grade. Today, though, children are expected to read by the end of kindergarten. While the literacy standards have changed, the nature of children hasn’t. Pushing children to read before they are biologically ready can do more harm than good.
Click here to see Dr. Provda’s website.
Download – Disarm Autism and Love Your Child
On this episode of Special Kid School Talk Dr. Kari is joined by Adelaide Zindler, the “Home Office Mommy” who shares her personal story of being a parent with ADHD, raising a daughter with autism. Adelaide will share how being labeled with ADHD impacted her, how she’s learned to have a “multi-sided” view of autism, her struggles as a parent, and how she’s been successful in dealing with the school system.
Download – A Parent With ADHD Shares Her Story!
On this episode of Special Kid School Talk Dr. Kari interviews Nicky VanValkenburgh, a parent of two boys who have ADHD, who has ADHD herself. She shared her challenges in raising kids with ADHD, and how she improved her life. In her new book, “Train Your Brain, Transform Your Life: How to Conquer ADHD In 60 Days, Without Ritalin” she discusses a non-medical approach to treating ADHD. The ALERT brain training device, commonly called a light and sound machine, includes special eyeglasses, headphones, and a control box. The ALERT system boosts the electro-chemical activity in the brain, and can be used in the comfort of your own home.
Listeners can purchase Ms. Van Valkenburgh’s book at a discount by visiting this website.
Education Revolution – 21st Century Success For Our Kids—Skills That Make All The Difference
Schools are locked in a 20th century mentality in the methods they use to educate our kids. Parents can, and must, become more engaged in their children’s learning in order to make a difference. Rebecca Ensign, educational publisher with Gold Leaf Press, shares her strategies for getting kids ready for college and the world of work in the 21st century. Listen in to learn simple techniques parents can use at home to develop the critical “4 C’s” — the skills that schools aren’t adequately developing in our kids.
Seven Unexpected Ways to Increase Your Child’s Learning
When most people hear words such as “learning,” “smart,” or “memory,” they automatically think of the brain. In school, we teach “to the head” only, asking students to sit in chairs for long periods of time, listening and looking almost exclusively at abstract symbols, even when they are very young.
Very few people think the rest of the body has anything to do with academic success. But surprising results from brain research indicate that learning cannot occur without cooperation between the body and the brain.
Emotions and Stress
Because of the way the brain is wired, emotional states run our lives. Every activity in which your child engages is infused by his emotions. Emotions are constantly changing, and are easily influenced.
Emotions such as joy encourage brain cell development by releasing chemicals such as dopamine. When children are happy and calm, they learn and remember more than when they are anxious, tense or irritated. Your child’s brain releases dopamine in response to pleasurable circumstances such chocolate ice cream. But even more importantly, the brain releases dopamine in response to security, recognition, and success. Read more
Educational services for pediatric cancer survivors – Foundation ThinkAgain makes learning possible!
Imagine that you are six years old and you’ve had a fever for days that your doctor can’t seem to bring under control with typical antibiotics. Then one day, when you get out of bed, your legs collapse…
Now you are in a hospital waiting for chemotherapy (you have been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia). Your mother and father are in the room with you, as the nurses get you ready to have a needle inserted into your arm…
You spend most of the time at home. You feel tired pretty much all of the time. You throw up sometimes and you can’t get rid of the persistent nausea. You don’t have any hair…
When you finally return to school and try to take up where you left off, you’re so far behind, you get overwhelmed (the last thing you need now if you are going to completely recover from acute lymphoblastic leukemia) …
You can’t remember everything. Sometimes it’s hard to pay attention. It’s getting harder and harder to read. Your teachers feel sorry for you, but they don’t know what to do… Read more
Guide Your Special Needs Child To Unlock Their Inner Greatness!
February is Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month and National Parent Leadership Month.
Children with special learning needs have experienced more failure and disappointment than other children. Parenting children with special learning needs can be difficult, and calls forth from their parents an extra measure of care in “planting the seeds of greatness.”
Seeds of “greatness” grow into strong, confident children—skilled learners who make bold choices and expect the best for their lives. They see setbacks as temporary and know they can find ways to surmount the obstacles that present themselves.
Children grown from greatness develop a “winner” mentality that supports them when life becomes challenging. Children grown from these seeds problem-solve; they test out theories; they create wonderful new platforms from which to explore and conquer life; they carve out a strong personal identity. They reject thoughts of failure. They create. They succeed. These children lead. Read more
Helping Children Take Control of Their Learning
Too often children and parents experience dissatisfaction and disillusionment in the educational process. Parents can feel frustrated in their efforts to help their child succeed. How can parents help their child be successful and find joy in learning? Parents can help their children thrive in school, and in life, by having realistic expectations of their children’s abilities and by helping them to develop independent work habits.
Leslie was helping her eight-year-old son, Ben, study for his weekly spelling test. Ben was fidgety, jumping out of his chair, running to the refrigerator for a snack. His mind was on anything and everything but learning spelling words. Leslie was losing patience. After all, she had other things to do tonight and she still needed to fix dinner. If only she could get Ben to take this seriously.
Read more
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