Comments for LDExperience

Comment on You are not normal…..you are exceptional! By Karen Disher by Ron Lessard

Ron Lessard — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:02:17 +0000

I have walked in some of the same foot steps with my son Adam since kindergarten. He had a Ms. B, Mrs. M, and a Ms. L.; all teachers that ‘get it’. Adam is now in second year of college and doing just fine thank you. Congratulations to Aiden! We all celebrate ‘working together for rising stars’ through positive, constructive advocacy. Great modeling for our children to develop self advocacy. Well done Karen and thank you for sharing!
Ron

Comment on You are not normal…..you are exceptional! By Karen Disher by Rhonda

Rhonda — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:27:16 +0000

Thanks Karen for the wonderful story it s very encouraging! I have a little boy who s started kindergarten this sept and I had my suspicions for a while with my boy that something was going on with him but was hoping that school would help,but so far it s only made life a little harder ! I am happy to hear that there is help it may just take a while so Im glad we re getting on it early! I would love to hear any other tips you have in dealing with ADHD. Thanks again for the story Rhonda Thompson

Comment on Oh, He’ll Never Be Able To Do That! by Kate Steidl by Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:31:46 +0000

This is a great story and gives so much hope to so many parents. Sometimes you have to stop listening and trust yourself and your children. A lot of Love goes a long way.

Comment on You are not normal…..you are exceptional! By Karen Disher by Linda Siegel

Linda Siegel — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:48:01 +0000

To all parents

I am really not in favor of having a child repeat a grade. I think they should get help as soon as we notice that there is a problem, even a slight one. Of course, the frustrating thing for parents is that help is not always available. But it should be. We keep agitating with schools to make help available early, as early as possible, when it is much easier. Aiden sounds like he is an extraordinary boy – and do are his parents.
Bon courage
Linda

Comment on Fourth Time’s the Charm? Why should there be repeated assessments for Learning Disabilities? by Denise Goegan by Linda Siegel

Linda Siegel — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 04:42:31 +0000

Denise
You are absolutely correct. This repeated assessment serves NO purpose. As you suggest, there are many students who need the first assessment but cannot afford it so it never gets done. Assessments could be useful if they were done with an intervention/accommodation in mind. For example, giving a reading test under timed and untimed conditions might help provide a justification for increased time on examinations. A detailed analysis of samples of written work may help provide clues to strengths and weaknesses in writing. Unfortunately, assessment are rarely, if ever, done with helping students tackle academic difficulties.
There is no reason to repeat them.
There may be some who argue for repeated assessments. It is appropriate to ask why and whether there is a profit motive involved.
You should be proud of your success. I know how hard you have worked. You are an excellent role model. I hope people will listen to your important observations.

Comment on Helping to Develop Phonological Awareness as Your Child Moves into Kindergarten and Grade One – Part Four by Sylvia Hannah by Sylvia Hannah

Sylvia Hannah — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:49:22 +0000

Dear Bonnie,

I am very happy that you found my article written in plain language. If the adults in children’s lives have a better understanding about why their children and grandchildren might be experiencing difficulties with reading, spelling, and writing, then we can truly help them to make sense of sound and print. Phonological awareness activities can be so much fun. Children aren’t aware of how much they’re learning but we, as adults, know how valuable these principles are. Thank you so much for helping both of your grandchildren.

Sincerely,
Sylvia Hannah

Comment on A Continuing Battle by Ashlea Hunt by Sharkey Support Services

Sharkey Support Services — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:53:28 +0000

This is what makes our system fall down… teachers that don’t take the student into the equation. Flexibility, knowledge of possible options, being willing to learn new options come SECOND to knowing your student, encouraging them to meet high standards and letting them know that their success is your priority. My husband had a similar experience in school and in high school he fought to be labelled differently (in BC as well) it makes him fight for kids today to make sure someone is pushing them to succeed.
It is a hard fight – when I go into schools to offer my expertise on the students that I know and help succeed, they are not always open to new ideas or tactics – even if they reduce the need for additional assistance which Alberta schools can’t afford – that is what I work to change, opening eyes to new ideas.

Comment on A Continuing Battle by Ashlea Hunt by Kate Steidl

Kate Steidl — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 17:31:08 +0000

Great article Kathryn. Definitely has some points that could be used when discussing the need for inclusive classes.

Comment on The Myth of an ADHD Friendly Household by Kathryn Burke by Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:19:52 +0000

Oh, how I dream of the day where I could even remotely be organized, after all these years, you would think that I would have mastered some semblance of organizational strategies. Instead, we are often flying by the seat of our pants with my assurance the forgotten items can be purchased/found/borrowed (indefinitely) elsewhere.

For any family who is challenged by ADHD, an ESSENTIAL ingredient is a good sense of humour.

You wrote of your school supply basket – I wish I could actually remember to purchase a basket for school supplies. Last time I went for one, I came home with a “it-was-so-cheap-I-couldn’t-afford-not-to-buy-it” coffee maker. It makes great coffee, but still no supply basket.

oh, my phone is ringing…

I have now started 5 other tasks when I remembered I was writing this. What in the world was I going to write about now?

It was good too…

Oh well, I am sure that I can write something better.

With an interesting balance of 1/2 of our household having ADHD, and the other half simply driven crazy by it; we laugh a lot.

It has taken me years to get to that point of not allowing myself to get that frazzled feeling, and I am learning to deny that sinking feeling that I screwed up again. I have years of practice when it comes to castigating my own “forgetfulness” as I grew up in a time where it was never acceptable to be forgetful, and the conviction of adults around me that “I forgot” was solely to make their existence miserable. I am still learning to forgive myself for not being perfect.

Life happens hard when you have ADHD.

I have a mantra that I have set on a continous loop in my brain, “this will not matter next year, and it probably won’t even matter next week. Smile, lift your chin, and find the solution.”

And then we find the humour in it. I mean, really, how many duffel bags do we need, because I forgot where I put the other 30 duffel bags.

Some day I am going to have one heck of a garage sale.

And always, always, keep a bag of essentials in your car, like underwear and a toothbrush. Nobody likes to loan underwear when you forgot to pack your own.

Comment on Early Identification of Special Education Needs: Doing away with the Ostrich Syndrome by Kathryn Burke by Lori Fankhanel

Lori Fankhanel — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:31:30 +0000

Knowledge is empowering, rather it be for the educators or not. The bottom line is knowing the “bottom line” helps with explaining why we see what we see in the child. It removes ignorance and barriers and provides supports. As a parent, I have come to learn, that there are many limitations on our educational system. However, due to being empowered by the knowledge of our children’s needs, through assessments, it has given me the strength to advocate at very high levels to work collaboratively to make positive changes and shifts towards more universal learning.

What perhaps educators are not aware of is that for many parents especially during the early PUF days, is that we parents believe that like doctors/pediatricians, that you have way more answers/knowledge/training, regarding the areas of concerns we see or feel regarding our children. When you “ignore” it, then either it sets us up for unrealistic pains later ( “they will out grow this”), or by the time screening/assessments occur the esteem and confidence and learned behaviors that come from no support but plenty of shame and blame, is so severe it takes years if not ever to repair the damage.

We must get on beyond the mentality “Waiting to fail”, and shift that to “if we are not able to meet that child’s needs, why? And how do we impress upon our school districts/provincial leaders to make that change.

We should not leave it up to the child, nor family to take the burden and failure of what we as adults/educators are failing to do.