Does your child come home with messy notes, filled with scratch-outs, missing information, or words copied verbatim from a Smart Board? If that’s the case, your child is not alone. Many students, including those with ADHD and executive functioning challenges, struggle with note taking. Poor note taking skills can be a sign of executive functioning challenges. What are some ways to help your child build stronger note taking skills?

Steps in Taking Notes

Taking effective notes can be a challenging task for almost all students, especially those with ADHD or executive functioning weaknesses. They must listen to their instructor, process the information, and organize their notes on paper, while remembering to include the key details. Even the most gifted of students can feel overwhelmed by this process. Learning strategies for organizing information that they both hear and read can help students excel academically.

Using Short Hand

Where should students with executive functioning challenges begin? For starters, it is important to learn how to jot down information quickly. This skill is especially important in class, when teachers often speak at a rapid pace and relay an incredibly large quantity of information that students must comprehend and jot down. Students often hear dates, names, numbers, and key facts, and try desperately to capture every bit of information into their notes. Learning shorthand strategies can help students combat this I-must-get-it-all-down syndrome. Students should try to integrate the following elements into their notes:
• abbreviations
• symbols
• contractions

Let’s take a look at each of these elements:

Symbols

Using symbols helps students with executive functioning challenges save time when taking notes. Symbols are quick to write and take up less space than the much longer words they represent. Some examples of symbols include: percentage (%), question (?), number (#), and money ($). For practice, have students come up with symbols for the following words: and, equals, question, star, and square. You can then dictate mock sentences including these words and have the student write each sentence using abbreviations. For example, you might dictate the sentence, “Sam has a question about problem number three and would like an answer!” The student might write, “Sam has a ? about problem #3 & would like an answer!”

Abbreviations

Abbreviations, or shortened versions of longer words, can help students break down words into smaller chunks of letters. Some examples of abbreviations include: Thursday (Thurs), pages (pgs), people (ppl), and school (schl). Students can feel free to make up their own abbreviations – there are no set rules for abbreviating most words! For example, he or she can choose to abbreviate because as bcs, maybe as mbe, or assignment as asgmt. Students can be as creative as they’d like, so long as they remember what the abbreviations stand for. For practice, have students come up with abbreviations for the following words: Friday, notes, problem, class, and lesson. Then dictate sentences integrating these abbreviations for extra reinforcement.

Contractions

Contractions save students time by combining two words into one shorter, more compact word. Some examples of contractions include: wouldn’t (stands for would not), she’s (stands for she is), and hasn’t (stands for has not). Have students come up with contractions for the following words: she is, is not, it is, and we are. For a bonus practice session, dictate sentences containing symbols, abbreviations, and contractions. Your students will be writing shorthand in no time! Read more at 4 Tips To Help Your Child Become More Organized At School – EBL Coaching.

The Notes

Once students have mastered shorthand techniques – a helpful tool for those with executive functioning challenges – they must learn how to integrate these symbols, contractions, and abbreviations into well-organized notes. There are many different styles of notes, but one of the most effective strategies that helps students “chunk” information into well-organized diagrams is Column-Style Note Taking. This note taking strategy can help your child build their executive functioning skills.
Column-Style Note Taking helps students structure information that they read or hear into two different columns. The left column should be drawn 1/3 from the left side of the page, and the right column should be 2/3 from the right side of the page. The student should label the left column “Main Ideas” and the right column “Notes.” He or she should pre-prepare 3-4 pages of notes (depending on what grade the student is in and how complex the lecture is) using this column-style set-up.
Read more about how executive functioning coaching can help your child at: https://eblcoaching.com/can-executive-functioning-coaching-help-my-child/

In class, when the teacher begins speaking, the only place on the page where the student should take notes is on the right side, under the “Notes” column. During class, nothing should be written under the “Main Ideas” column on the left. When the student comes home from school, he or she should re-read the notes and group different sections of the lecture into specific main ideas. For example, if the entire lecture was on World War I, the first part may have been about causes of World War I. Thus, the student would write “Causes of World War I” on the left side of the page, under the “Main Ideas” column, next to the information corresponding to that section of the notes. The student would move through all of his or her notes in that manner, categorizing the notes into different main ideas. A sample of this style of note-taking might be as follows:

Column-Style Note Taking encourages students to look back at their notes at the end of the school day to ensure that they understood all of the information from the lecture, and that there were no information gaps. If there are any holes in the notes, students can either ask their teacher or a friend for the missing information, or research that information in their textbooks. Column- Style Note Taking is a very comprehensive strategy for taking notes and preparing well for upcoming exams.

Read more at Study Strategies for your ADHD Child – EBL Coaching.

The process of listening in class and taking well-written notes can be an anxiety-filled activity. Students will be required to perform more complex executive functioning tasks, including taking more detailed notes as they progress through school. Learning these techniques for shorthand and note taking can ease this process and help students develop confidence in their own classroom abilities.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is note taking an executive functioning skill?
Yes! Note taking is a form of executive functioning. It involves planning, organization, working memory, and other aspects of executive functioning.

Can one-on-one tutoring help my child with note taking?
Yes, one-on-one tutoring can help your child learn different types of note taking strategies. They might respond well to methods like column-style note taking, webbing, or outlining. The note taking instruction should be customized to your child’s needs.

Is messy note taking a sign of ADHD?
Messy note taking can be a sign of ADHD. Students with ADHD often rush, have poor handwriting, and create messy notes that they themselves often can’t read. Helping your child with ADHD build stronger note taking skills can be immensely helpful!

Is one style of note taking best?
Not necessarily. Some students respond better to a visual style of note taking, like webbing, while others prefer outlining, making lists, or column-style note taking. Students, or an executive functioning coach you hire for your child, should identify the method that works best.

At EBL Coaching, we help students build their note taking and executive functioning skills with one-on-one tutoring. With this coaching, your child can develop stronger organization and working memory skills, along with improving their overall performance at school. Reach out now to see how we can help your child build their note taking and executive functioning skills with one-one-one tutoring! Contact us at www.eblcoaching.com.

Learn more about executive functioning at https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resource-guides/guide-executive-function/

The post Is Weak Note Taking A Sign Of Executive Functioning Challenges? appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Having a child with learning difficulties can be challenging. You see them struggling in school, losing focus when completing tasks, or frequently forgetting to turn in assignments. You want to assist them but you just don’t know how. Help your child with learning challenges excel with the ideas detailed below.

Start early!

If you notice your child struggling with learning, attention, behaviors, or any combination thereof, speak to your child’s teacher as soon as you can. They should be able to share valuable advice on how your child is doing in school and any difficulties they are noticing. If your child’s teacher is seeing notable challenges, it may make sense for you to request a formal evaluation from your child’s school to gauge any learning disabilities, attentional challenges, or other diagnoses your child may have. If a diagnosis is made, an IEP will likely be created and your child may be entitled to special services at school, such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, special education tutoring, and other related services. Read more at Could My Child Have Dyslexia? – EBL Coaching.

Set routines at home

In addition to special services your child may receive at school, you can help them at home by setting routines. They should wake up at a certain time, do their homework at a specific time, and go to bed at a set time – ideally roughly the same time each day to establish consistency. If your child has weak organization or executive functioning skills, you may want to use checklists for tasks that need to be done at home. For instance, a morning checklist might include brushing their teeth, getting dressed, having breakfast, and packing their backpack. An afternoon checklist might include having a snack, completing their homework, putting their homework in the appropriate place to be turned in the next day (or submitting it online that night), and organizing their backpack for school the next day.

Create a study space

Your child should have a well-organized, well-lit study space for completing their homework each day. This space can be a desk in their room or even a table in a communal area if that is the only option. Just make sure the space is fully equipped with all supplies your child may need for competing their homework – pens, pencils, notebooks, scissors, markers, paper – anything they might need for all types of assignments should be there. This will help prevent them from getting up midway through homework time to find supplies, which could ultimately lead to distractions and diversions. Read more at Organizational Tools for Academic Success – EBL Coaching.

Read with your child

The more you read with your child, the more they will learn to enjoy reading and the better their reading skills will become. Encourage your child to select a book on a topic they are interested in, like dinosaurs or sports. If your child struggles with reading, you might start by reading aloud to them. Stop throughout the book as you read to ask questions and discuss the characters, plot, and setting. Try to encourage your child to form a visual picture of what they are hearing in the story. You can even ask prompting questions, like “What time of day do you think it is?”, “What season is it?”, “How tall do you think the characters are?”, and so on. Eventually, when your child is ready, perhaps alternate the reading, where you read a section, then your child reads a section, and go back and forth. Down the road encourage your child to read the whole book aloud to you, and discuss the story while they are reading and after they are finished.

Seek a tutor

If your child continues to struggle despite your help at home, you may want to consider a special education tutor. This tutor should not just be a “homework helper,” but a tutor who specializes in helping students with learning disabilities or ADHD. If your child has dyslexia or reading challenges, you might want to find a dyslexia tutor or an Orton Gillingham tutor, someone who can utilize the Orton Gillingham method for the tutoring, which is a research-based, multisensory approach, for helping students build stronger reading and writing skills.

Having a child with learning challenges can feel overwhelming at times. Yet with the right support and tools, you can help your child at home and guide them towards academic success. Read more at Orton Gillingham Tutors NYC – EBL Coaching.

Other Related Blogs:

Helping Autistic Students Build Stronger Executive Functioning Skills

ADHD Tutoring

The post How Can I Help My Child with Learning Challenges at Home? appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Focusing

Individuals with ADHD tend to be distracted easily. As kids, they may start a homework assignment but quickly lose focus when they hear the doorbell ringing, their phone buzzing, a newscaster speaking on the television, or people talking in another room. They may continuously start and stop an assignment, taking what seems like forever to complete it. As adults, they may have similar trouble staying focused on tasks; writing emails, creating a weekly schedule, or completing a project may take hours to complete with all of the surrounding distractions.

Those with autism tend to have trouble focusing on a task they don’t like. For instance, they may not want to read a particular book, complete a math sheet on multiplication, or finish a puzzle. If that’s the case, they may “act out” and demonstrate poor behaviors out of sheer frustration. Read more at Wondering if Your Child Has ADHD? – EBL Coaching.

Communication

Children and adults with ADHD may talk incessantly, regardless of whether others are truly listening or seem interested. They may interrupt their peers when speaking, and may not tell a story in an organized, sequential fashion. They may also overstep boundaries, sharing inappropriate information with others.

Those with autism often have trouble expressing their thoughts and feelings using appropriate words. They may speak out of context, often bringing up a topic (like the rainy weather outside) during an inappropriate time, like when the person they are with is talking about their favorite subject in school or what they plan to have for dinner that night. Those with autism tend to have poor social awareness and weak language skills, and may struggle with appropriate eye contact when speaking.

Routines

Individuals with ADHD tend to do well with routines but often have difficulty sticking with the routine and following through with it on a regular basis. For instance, they might know they should exercise every day for an hour or spend 30 minutes each day organizing their belongings, but easily become distracted when trying to complete the task.

Those with autism prefer doing the same routines over and over. For example, they may have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast with a specific amount of butter every day, complete the same puzzle over and over, or prefer having the same book read to them time and again. They thrive on routine and don’t like change; any altering of these routines may cause them to become extremely upset. Learn more about this at Time Management Tips For Kids With ADHD – EBL Coaching.

Similarities

ADHD and autism do share some similarities, including impulsivity, executive functioning challenges, focusing difficulties, learning challenges, and social troubles. Some individuals have only ADHD or autism, while others have both. The only way to know what your child may have is to undergo a complete evaluation, which typically includes observations, questionnaires, and formal evaluative tools.

The earlier you can identify your child’s diagnosis, the sooner you can seek treatment, and the more likely your child will be successful in school and in life. Remember that your child likely has many gifts regardless of their diagnosis; learning more about who they are can only help you to best help them.

Other Blogs about Autism:

Helping Autistic Students Build Stronger Executive Functioning Skills

Other Blogs About ADHD:

ADHD Tutoring

The post Differentiating Between ADHD and Autism in Children appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Challenges

Reading & Spelling with Accuracy

Individuals with dyslexia tend to struggle with the mechanics of reading and writing, including accurately sounding out and spelling words. They might look at the initial letter in a word and “guess” at the rest of it, or may simply make up words as they go. They might also replace certain words with others that “make sense” within that spot in the sentence. For example, they might read “Leo efficiently completed his work” as “Leo effortlessly completed his work.” Furthermore, those with dyslexia often have wonderful, creative ideas but struggle to express those ideas on paper when writing. Read more about this at How to Improve Your Dyslexic Child’s Reading Skills – EBL Coaching.

Trouble Articulating

Some individuals with dyslexia have trouble with word retrieval, or finding the right word to use when speaking. This might affect their relationships with peers, since it can be challenging for them to keep up a conversation and have a back and forth dialogue. They also might forget specific words or details within a conversation they had with a friend, leading to miscommunication and misunderstanding, and ultimately negatively affecting friendships.

Low Self-esteem

Many people with dyslexia are exceptionally bright and gifted in a multitude of skills. However, they often find themselves struggling with reading and writing and see themselves as “stupid” or not as smart as their peers. This can lead to low self-esteem and overall negative feelings about themselves, which can sometimes lead to mental health challenges, like anxiety and depression.

Strengths

While dyslexia comes with many academic challenges, those with dyslexia also have numerous gifts. Let’s take a look at some of these strengths:

Great Creativity & Spatial Skills

Individuals with dyslexia are often very creative and have strong spatial skills. They tend to be fantastic artists, painters, and sculptors. They can also visit a place and have an exceptionally strong visual memory of what they saw as compared to their peers. This skill can help them excel in many careers, including architecture, graphic design, engineering, and even surgery.

Strong People Skills

Those with dyslexia often have great people skills. Since they face constant challenges academically, then tend to empathize with their peers in a way that far surpasses those without dyslexia. They know what it is like to struggle and can thus relate to others going through different types of struggles and form a strong bond with them accordingly.

Outside of the Box Thinkers

Many people with dyslexia are forced to think out of the box on a regular basis as they face daily challenges. Since they struggle with reading and writing and may have trouble with daily tasks like writing an email or reading the newspaper, they typically need to find innovative ways to help them overcome these challenges and excel. Their ideas are often unique, creative, and far more advanced than solutions their peers might come up with. These qualities can help them become excellent business leaders and entrepreneurs in life.

Excellent Reasoning Skills

Those with dyslexia tend to have strong reasoning skills. They are often able to understand concepts from different perspectives, analyze and see patterns, and process complex concepts in ways their non-dyslexic peers can’t. While the mechanics of reading and writing are a struggle for them, comprehending the “big picture,” making inferences, and synthesizing the main idea are often strengths for individuals with dyslexia. Many are great problem solvers.

While dyslexia certainly comes with many academic and emotional challenges, it also bears numerous strengths. Those with dyslexia are often creative, bright, have strong critical thinking skills, and show empathy towards others. They hold many gifts that can help them excel in relationships and in life. Learn more about dyslexia at Could My Child Have Dyslexia? – EBL Coaching.

Other Blogs about Dyslexia:

Dyslexia Tutoring NJ

The post How Dyslexia Tutoring Helps Students Thrive appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Choose Interesting Classes

Your child should look at the course options at their school and select classes on topics they are interested in. If they like stars, they may want to take a class on astronomy. If they enjoy writing, a class on poetry or fiction may be a good one to choose. Some students may even benefit from a reduced course load at the start of college so they don’t feel overwhelmed with work and deadlines. They may want to take fewer classes at once and spread out their courses over a longer period of time.  

Scheduling

Creating a well-organized schedule is key for success in college. Once your child has selected their classes, they should organize their schedule using a physical or virtual assignment book. In the assignment book, they should block out their courses so they know exactly when they need to be in class. They should also write in any upcoming assignments and tests, and even carve out study time. If they have a math exam on Friday, for instance, they might want to block out two hours per day, say 4-6pm, Monday-Thursday to spend time studying for the exam.

Study Smart!

Your child should learn effective study skills to help them excel in college. Taking notes is a big part of college classes, so they may want to identify what kind of learner they are (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) and then use the style of note taking that is most suitable for them. For instance, if they are a visual learner, they may want to use a webbing style of note taking, where they draw a large circle in the center of their page and write the topic of the lecture inside it (like “World War I” ). Then as the teacher lectures, your child should add branches to the bubble with each new topic. If the first topic is “Causes of Word War I”, they can draw a line from the middle bubble to a new bubble and write “Causes of World War I” in the new bubble. Then they can create branches and new bubbles for information on the causes of World War I, and so on. If your child is a more linear learner, then outlining or a column-style form of note taking (with main ideas in the left column of a page and notes that correspond to each main idea on the right side) may be more appropriate. Your child can also work on highlighting important, salient details when reading and learning mnemonics and other tricks for memorizing facts.

Seek Accommodations

Colleges are required by law to provide accommodations to students with disabilities. Take action early to seek these accommodations so that your child has them in place before their classes start. They may qualify for early registration, untimed testing, priority seating in class, recordings of class notes, the use of a calculator, audio books, or other accommodations that may help them excel at school.

Seek a Tutor

If your child is still struggling to navigate college alone, hiring a tutor may help. This tutor can help your child select appropriate courses and create an organized schedule for tackling these courses. The tutor can also help your child build stronger executive functioning skills and explain any content within the courses that might be confusing.

College can feel overwhelming to just about any student. Yet most colleges have a multitude of resources for students with learning disabilities. Encourage your child to try these ideas and they will be well on their way to academic success. 

The post How to Adjust a Learning Challenged Student’s Study Habits and Curriculum to College appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Praise their efforts

It is important to praise your child’s efforts as much as possible.

Many children with learning disabilities work very hard on their schoolwork – often much harder than their peers – but their grades don’t reflect this effort. If your child doesn’t score well on a test or assignment but you know how hard they worked and how much time they put in, praise them! Make sure they know that you appreciate this effort, and that a strong work ethic is a skill that will ultimately help them become successful in life. The more you empower them and praise their hard work, the more confident they will become.

Play up their strengths

Children with learning disabilities may struggle with reading, writing, math, or executive functioning skills (or a combination of these skills), but they often have incredible gifts and talents. Those with dyslexia may be very creative and are talented artists. Others are fantastic actors, and many are very social with strong “people skills”. Play up these strengths with after school art classes or acting workshops – or perhaps even encourage them to babysit younger kids when they’re older to flex their great people skills. You may also want to consider Orton Gillingham tutoring if your child has dyslexia and struggles with reading. This specialized learning disability tutoring can boost your child’s academic skills and self-esteem.

Use a multi-sensory approach

Research tells us that using a multi-sensory approach when teaching children with learning disabilities is optimal for their learning. Aside from instruction at school, you can try using a multi-sensory approach at home with your child to help further develop their skills. With younger children, for instance, you can work on letter writing using colored sand or even sugar on a cookie sheet. Tell them the formation of a letter out loud (for instance “down, up, and around” for p, or “down and across” for t) and have them trace the letters in the colored sand or sugar. You can also try this activity using sand at a beach or dirt at a park. For older children, you can build reading comprehension and active reading skills by teaching them to identify three elements when reading: the topic, which is one two or three words describing the passage; the main idea, which is what the author is saying about the topic; and the important details. They can then highlight the topic in blue, main idea in green, and important details in yellow – or choose their own favorite three colors. Multi-sensory tutoring can help them immensely.

Learn more about the Orton Gillingham multi-sensory approach at The Orton Gillingham Approach – EBL Coaching.

They are not alone!

Remind your child that some of the greatest leaders and most successful people in life have a learning disability or ADHD. Tom Cruise and Whoopi Goldberg have dyslexia. Michael Phelps has ADHD. Steve Jobs had dyslexia, and Leonardo Da Vinci likely had both dyslexia and ADHD. Having a learning disability is a gift, and it certainly should not hold your child back in life.

Turn to academic tutoring if needed

Many students with learning disabilities struggle in school. They might have trouble with one skill, like reading, while others struggle with a combination of skills, like reading and math, or executive functioning skills. Some students receive enough support at school to help them thrive, and certain parents can provide extra support at home. However, if your child continues to struggle despite these efforts, you may want to consider one-on-one multi-sensory tutoring or executive functioning coaching. Make sure, however, that it is not homework help or generic tutoring, but that it is specialized tutoring, ideally using a multi-sensory approach, provided by someone with extensive experience working with children with learning disabilities.

Learn more at Orton Gillingham Tutors NYC and NJ – EBL Coaching.

Parents in New York City and New Jersey who are looking for specialized tutoring for dyslexia, ADHD, or executive functioning will find that their child can benefit from EBL Coaching’s research-based, multi-sensory tutoring that is individualized tailored to each child’s needs.

Individuals with learning disabilities often have so many strengths – they are typically bright, creative, and social, but they don’t always see it. Try these ideas to empower your child, build their self-esteem, and ultimately help them thrive in school and in life.

Don’t let your child continue to struggle with reading, writing, math, or executive functioning skills! EBL Coaching’s specialized one-on-one tutoring can make a significant difference in their academic skills and self-esteem. Contact us at www.eblcoaching.com to learn how our multi-sensory, individualized tutoring can help your child build their academic skills and confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do children with learning disabilities have low self-esteem?
Children with learning disabilities often struggle academically. They may notice their peers excelling in reading, writing, or math, while they demonstrate challenges with these skills. Remind your child that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Your child may be social and creative but has a harder time with reading or another academic skill. Building your child’s academic skills with specialized tutoring can also help improve their self-esteem.

How can I help my child with dyslexia feel more confident?
Remind your child about their strengths and praise their hard work and effort. Also show them any concrete progress. For example, if they were only able to write one sentence six months ago but can now write a full paragraph, show them the difference in their writing samples and encourage them to feel good about their own progress.

When should I seek tutoring for my child?
If you notice your child is struggling academically and their self-confidence is taking a toll, you may want to seek tutoring for them. The right specialized tutoring can be life-changing for a child, especially if they have a learning challenge.

Other Related Blogs:

Helping Autistic Students Build Stronger Executive Functioning Skills

Differentiating Between ADHD and Autism in Children

The post Why Does my Child with a Learning Disability Have Low Self-Esteem? appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Does your child struggle at school? Do they have difficulty sounding out new words when reading, breaking down math word problems, or expressing their thoughts on paper when writing? It can be difficult to watch your child struggle. Help your child improve their academic skills with the ideas detailed below.

Be your child’s advocate

If you notice your child is struggling, contact their teacher and set up a time to discuss what you are seeing at home. Find out if the teacher is noticing the same challenges (or others) and if so, ask for specifics. Does your child have trouble staying focused? Has the teacher noticed difficulty with reading, writing, and/or math? Try to get as much feedback as possible, and then maintain regular communication with the teacher to discuss any changes or improvements. If your child continues to struggle, you may want to find out what other resources, including extra help or tutoring, the school offers. If these challenges persist, you might want to request a full evaluation to determine if there are any learning disabilities such as dyslexia, ADHD, executive functioning deficits, or other challenges that may require more support.

Build stronger study skills

Help your child build stronger time management, organization, planning, and overall executive functioning skills. To build time management skills, for example, teach your child to estimate how long they think a task will take to complete (and write down the ET, or estimated time) then compare it to the actual amount of time the task took to complete (and write the AT, or actual time). In the beginning, there is often a large discrepancy between the ET and AT, but the more your child practices this strategy, the better their time management skills will become. You can also help your child set up a 3-tier organizational system for filing papers they don’t need to be carrying with them on a regular basis. To do so, select one day per week to be the “clean out my notebook day” and file away any old papers into an accordion file divided into 3 sections for each class: homework, notes, and tests/quizzes. If it’s challenging for you to help your child build these executive functioning skills, you may want to consider hiring an executive functioning coach.

Try using a multisensory approach

Research tells us that using a multisensory approach to help struggling learners is the way to go! For young children who are learning to read and write, try having them practice writing letters in colored sand or sugar. To do so, pour sand or sugar on a cookie tray and have them trace each letter with their finger, while saying the formation aloud, like “around, up, and down” for lowercase a, or “down, up, and around” for lowercase p. For older students, help them build their reading comprehension skills by teaching them to read a passage and then highlight the topic (1, 2, or 3 words describing the passage) in blue, the main idea (what the author is saying about the passage) in green, and the important details in yellow. The more multisensory instruction you can provide, the better!

Hire a tutor

If your child continues to struggle despite your help at home, you may want to consider hiring a tutor. There are various types of tutors who specialize in different areas; for instance if your child struggles with reading, you may want to consider Orton Gillingham tutoring. The Orton Gillingham approach can do wonders in helping your child build stronger decoding and spelling skills. If they struggle with math, you may want to consider a tutor who can use a multisensory approach and lots of manipulatives to build their math skills, or you might also consider a writing tutor or executive functioning coach. The more specialized the tutoring can be, the better!

It can be challenging to watch your child struggle in school. Yet if you advocate for them, help them at home, and possibly consider hiring a tutor, you can help them achieve academic success as they progress through school.

The post How to Help Your Struggling Learner appeared first on EBL Coaching.

A Conversation with Dr. Emily Levy: Mother, Wife, Business Owner and Child Advocate

Dr. Levy is an educational expert, business owner, public speaker and author based near New York City. She took some time out of her business schedule to speak with me about her career, home life and the educational needs of children.

Dr. Levy, in addition to being a small business owner, author and public speaker, you are also considered an accredited educational expert. Most of us get the general gist of what this means, however, please elaborate on some of your daily duties within your career. Further, can you share with me what you feel are some of the more severe academic challenges that all of our children are facing now?

Prior to the pandemic, we were already facing a reading crisis. Reading achievement for students in the United States was sliding at the time, and since the pandemic – reading and learning loss has sadly skyrocketed. So many kids struggle to read, write, and complete basic arithmetic, and without solid foundations, they typically continue to struggle as they progress through school.

On a daily basis, I speak to parents whose children are struggling with their academics. Some children do not know how to decode a basic word; others struggle with reading comprehension and inferencing. Another group cannot write a simple sentence or paragraph; and many struggle with basic math. The struggles are real and significant. It fills me with gratitude knowing that I have been able to help so many children build their academic skills and self-confidence and truly change their lives for the better.

You hold a Master’s Degree in Special Education and Doctorate Degree in Education from Nova University. Some indicate they specialize in education so as to enlighten and consistently engage with children. Why did you decide to pursue this path? To anyone reading this who wishes to carve out a career within education, share some of the pros and cons for this field of practice.

I grew up in the field of special education. My mother was the founder of a school for students with learning disabilities in South Florida. As a child, I worked at her school, observed children, and witnessed the many struggles these students faced. Since I wanted to carve my own path, I decided to work in finance for a few years until I realized how much more gratifying it was for me to work in the field of education and truly help others. That is ultimately why I transitioned back to education.

In terms of pros and cons, the main pro in my option is really being able to shape the lives of so many kids and help them through their academic journey. It is an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling career. Of course, many would argue that teachers are not paid enough – especially considering the crucial role they play in the lives of children, along with the substantial time and effort put in by educators.

Your resume indicates that you have done public speaking in the past, along with publishing a number of workbooks. Both of these talents are considered art forms, and so I ask: how did you use art to impact or influence audiences and readers? Might you be doing more events in the future, and have you considered composing another book?

None of the work that I do is ever generic or “cookie cutter” – there is never one instructional plan or method or book that applies to every child. Each student is unique and has individual needs, so a large part of what I do in my career is coming up with the best instructional plan for each child given his or her past and current struggles and overall profile. I love speaking publicly and educating others in the best practices for working with students who have learning challenges, and have authored three sets of workbooks to help students build their reading, writing, math, test taking, summarizing, and organizational skills. I have many new books in the pipeline as well as an exciting software project for helping students to digitally to improve their writing skills.

I am a big believer that your personal life can greatly affect your professional life in various ways. You have four beautiful children and your husband, Michael, who are the loves of your life. How have they enabled you to be a stronger, successful businesswoman?

My husband and four daughters (Sophie, Maya, Elana, and Hannah) are truly my world! My husband also owns and runs his own business, so we have a natural understanding of when one of us needs to jump on a phone call or Zoom – or take a quick meeting with little notice. We have learned to naturally help one another without having to ask when these situations arise – with the kids, household chores, or just with making sure there is complete silence. We also share all parenting responsibilities, and I have to throw Michael special parenting bones for this one – dishes and laundry are all him. He is an amazing dad and a great husband. I think our secret may be that we truly respect each other in our roles as business owners, parents, and friends.

You are the Founder of EBL Coaching, which offers individualized, research-based tutoring to children with specialized learning needs in grades pre-K to 12. To be more specific, can or do you offer services only to those with learning challenges – or are you able to tutor any child? Is your clientele normally referrals from educators/educational institutions or parents?

Our specialty at EBL Coaching is providing one-on-one tutoring to struggling learners. This encompasses not just students with diagnosed learning disabilities, but any student who has difficulty with reading, writing, math, organizational skills, or executive functioning skills. We receive many referrals from schools, evaluators, and parents. Many times, parents often come back to us for help with their other child, which I always see as a nice compliment. Our philosophy is to provide highly individualized, diagnostic and prescriptive multi-sensory tutoring to each child, and we have seen so much success with this approach.

Can you state for us the signs that indicate someone may need a tutor? When a client approaches EBL, elaborate upon the process for a student to get enrolled. Finally, please advise on how you determine what services a child could or would need – and when they can be completed?

If a child is struggling in school – whether it is learning how to read, comprehending passages, writing basic paragraphs, or solving math word problems – that may be a sign that they need a tutor. Some parents choose to have their child undergo a complete evaluation first, but many prefer to begin tutoring right away to start providing help to their child and alleviate the struggles. When a client comes to us, we typically start with an initial assessment to gauge the child’s strengths and weaknesses – and then come up with the best individualized plan of action for that child. The specific services recommended for each student are completely individualized and based on the results of our assessment, their performance in school, any other outside evaluations they may have, and thorough conversations with the parents.

I understand that your physical address is in the NY/NJ area, however, virtual tutoring is an option, isn’t it? Are the offerings parallel in nature?

Yes, we are doing a great deal of virtual tutoring, which has allowed us to help so many students not just in the NY/NJ area, but throughout the country and the world. We are able to integrate technology and resources that allow us to conduct multi-sensory one-on-one sessions as though they are in person. For many students, we have found virtual sessions to be equally as effective as in person sessions.

As mentioned above, you authored a series of workbooks. Might you share details on each one, and how one might be able to purchase these publications?

Sure! My Strategies for Study Success 17-part student workbook series teaches students specific research-based strategies for reading comprehension, writing, test taking, note taking, summarizing, and executive functioning skills. My Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham student workbook series uses the Orton Gillingham methodology to help students develop their reading and spelling skills. My Flags and Stars Multi-Sensory Math student workbook program uses a multi-sensory approach to help students develop their foundational math skills. These books can be purchased either on Amazon or on our website, located at www.eblcoaching.com.

The post Importance Of Tutoring To Help Kids Struggling With Reading, Math, Allow Them To Catch Up With Their Classmates appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Make sure your child receives appropriate support. If your child is struggling in school, proactively ask the teacher for feedback, observations or an evaluation, if needed. Thereafter, make sure your child receives the appropriate support — whether it is specialized tutoring, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and so on.

School is really not easy these days. Many students have been out of school for a long time because of the pandemic, and the continued disruptions and anxieties are still breaking the flow of normal learning. What can parents do to help their children thrive and excel in school, particularly during these challenging and anxiety-provoking times?

To address this, we started a new series called “5 Things Parents Can Do To Help Their Children Thrive and Excel In School.” In this interview series, we are talking to teachers, principals, education experts, and successful parents to learn from their insights and experience.

As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure to interview Dr. Emily Levy.

Dr. Emily Levy is the founder and director of EBL Coaching, a specialized tutoring program that offers individualized one-on-one home, virtual, and on-site instruction using research-based, multi-sensory techniques. She is also the author of Strategies for Study Success, a 17-part student workbook series that teaches students strategies for test taking, note taking, reading comprehension, writing, summarizing, and executive functioning, along with the Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham student workbook series, which helps students develop their fundamental decoding and spelling skills. Additionally, she is the author of Flags and Stars Multi-Sensory Math, a multi-sensory math program that helps students develop a stronger understanding of core math concepts, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions. These workbooks are currently used at schools nationwide.

Dr. Levy graduated from Brown University and received her Master’s Degree in Special Education from Nova University in Florida. She also completed her Doctorate Degree in Education from Nova University. She performed a five-year research study developing an alternative strategy for teaching reading comprehension and won a fifth place Westinghouse Science and Talent Award for this research. She has spoken at national and international conferences on research-based teaching methods.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us a bit about your “backstory”?

Sure! I actually grew up in the field of special education. My mother was the founder of a school for students with learning disabilities in Florida, so I like to think that being in the field of education is “in my blood.” Formally, though, I received my undergraduate degree from Brown University. I then obtained my Master’s Degree in Special Education, as well as my Doctorate Degree in Education. I started EBL Coaching nineteen years ago, which is a one-on-one tutoring program for special education students. We use research-based, multi-sensory techniques catered to the needs of each student. I am also the author of Strategies for Study Success, a seventeen-part student workbook series that teaches students strategies for reading comprehension, writing, test taking, note taking and executive functioning skills. Additionally, I am the author of the Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham and Multi-Sensory Math Student Workbook programs.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

One of my very first students was a first grade boy with ADHD and dyslexia who struggled tremendously with reading. I worked with him for many years, providing one-on-one Orton Gillingham instruction to build his reading skills. School was a real struggle for him, and he had to work much harder than most of his peers. His mother recently let me know that he is now thriving as an engineer! I could not have been more proud.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference in the world.”

I love this quote, as it really defines the work that I do and my life mission. While I love being a successful business woman and a great role model for my daughters, I truly feel that I have made an enormous difference in the lives of so many children with specialized learning needs. It brings me so much happiness to know that I am making a positive difference in the world.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

1. Listening. I find that listening — and truly listening without distractions — is a key element of my success. Many parents pour their hearts out to me and are often crying, telling me about the struggles of their child. I listen to them with compassion and understanding. I realize how hard it can be to watch these struggles and not know how to help. I speak and share my thoughts and suggestions only after they are done, and feel they have shared enough with me to give a full picture of their child.

2. Perseverance. There have been many instances in my career when I did not succeed at my first try. When I started out as a special education tutor, I essentially went from school to school, telling them about my services and background — hoping they would refer clients to me. Some welcomed me with open arms, but others completely shut me out. Some families (in the beginning of my career) would choose to find another tutor or go in another direction for whatever reason. It was crushing at first, but with every failure, my motto was to analyze what happened, think about what went wrong, and decide what I could do differently going forward to have a better outcome. That has helped me succeed and overcome many obstacles in work and in life.

3. Decisiveness. In my work, I literally make decisions all day long. Some are small and insignificant, such as when to send a certain email or schedule a meeting. Others are deeper and involve more thought, like what instructional plan would be best for a student with Autism and ADHD who also struggles with reading comprehension and writing — or how to guide a tutor towards helping a child who exhibits newfound challenges.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes! I am now working on expanding my COINS student workbook series, which teaches students how to break down math word problems and move from language to arithmetic, and then back to language.

For the benefit of our readers, can you tell us a bit about why you are an authority on how to help children succeed in school?

Sure. I have been working as an expert in the field of special education for over twenty years. Through EBL Coaching, I have been able to help thousands of students build their reading, writing, math, and executive functioning skills, and improve their self-confidence along the way.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. Can you help articulate the main challenges that students face today that make it difficult to succeed in school?

Many children with learning challenges are not receiving the appropriate support they need in school. Some are not identified as having a challenge early enough and continue to struggle in school. Others never get evaluated, or do so far down the road once they have already missed most academic foundations. Others receive some support in school, but either it is not appropriate or not enough support. For instance, students with dyslexia really need instruction using the Orton Gillingham technique — but unfortunately, most schools are not able to provide this support.

Can you suggest a few reforms that you think schools should make to help students to thrive and excel?

Sure. More teachers should be trained in research-based techniques for reading, writing, and math. In particular, using a multi-sensory approach for students who have learning challenges is key. When students are pulled out for support, it should be specific and individualized to their needs, using the research-based, multi-sensory techniques that are most appropriate for their specific challenges.

Here is our primary question. Can you please share your “5 Things Parents Can Do To Help Their Children Thrive and Excel In School?” Please share a story or example for each.

1. Be your child’s best advocate. I hear time and again that parents noticed their child struggling with homework, but their teacher never said anything to them; it was not until the end of the school year that the teacher told them their child struggled and may be held back. It is always important to be proactive, check in with your child’s teacher to see how he or she is doing, and not sit back and wait for the teacher to reach out to you.

2. Make sure your child receives appropriate support. If your child is struggling in school, proactively ask the teacher for feedback, observations or an evaluation, if needed. Thereafter, make sure your child receives the appropriate support — whether it is specialized tutoring, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and so on.

3. Help your child build self-confidence and independence. There are some parents who like to sit next to their child when they work on their homework until every part of it is complete, and correct them along the way. Let your child take a stab at it first; then you can check it afterwards or wait to see if he or she comes to you with questions. Praise them for their effort of working independently and know that by doing so, they will not only improve their academic skills, but will also build their self-confidence and independence.

4. Seek outside support. If your child is struggling, even with the support he or she is receiving in school, seek outside support. That may mean counseling, speech therapy, occupational therapy, tutoring, and so on. Specifically with tutoring, receiving the right one-on-one research-based, multi-sensory tutoring can be life changing for a child.

5. Learn effective ways you can help your child at home. If your child has ADHD, for instance, and struggles with organizational skills, help your child set up systems for cleaning out and filing papers he or she does not need. Help create lists and daily schedules, and aid your child in gaining an accurate understanding for how long tasks can take to complete. If your child has dyslexia and receives Orton Gillingham tutoring, ask the tutor what you can do in between sessions to reinforce what is covered.

As you know, teachers play such a huge role in shaping young lives. What would you suggest needs to be done to attract top talent to the education field?

I think that if teachers were trained in cutting-edge, research-based multi-sensory techniques that truly make a difference in the lives of kids, they will be motivated to enter the field and feel like they are making a real difference in the world.

We are blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them

I have always admired Sheryl Sandburg for the incredible work she has done to motivate women, seize opportunities and to “lean in.” It would be amazing to share a meal with her :). She also grew up in North Miami Beach, Florida, which is where I am from!

How can our readers further follow your work online?

They can read more about EBL Coaching and myself at the links below.

www.eblcoaching.com

Https://www.facebook.com/EBLCoaching

Http://www.instagram.com/ebl_coaching

Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!

The post Dr. Emily Levy Of EBL Coaching On The 5 Things Parents Can Do To Help Their Children Thrive and Excel In School — An Interview With Jake Frankel appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Does your child struggle with sounding out words when reading? Does he have difficulty recognizing sight words or understanding what he reads? Perhaps he loses focus when reading or avoids reading at all costs. If so, your child may be experiencing reading difficulties. Reading is a skill that affects all aspects of school, so the earlier you can help your child build this skill, the better. Help your child build stronger reading skills with the four tips detailed below.

Read, Read, Read!

One of the best ways to help improve your child’s reading skills is by doing lots of reading! Starting when your child is a baby, make reading a ritual – every night before bed pick 2-3 books to read to them. Eventually let them pick the books and try to integrate topics they are interested in – mermaids, trucks, animals, you name it!  Any topic that peaks their interest is a good one. As they get older, talk about the plot of the story, the characters, and the setting. Ask questions, like “What do you think will happen next?” or “Why do you think Sara feels this way?” Remember that struggling readers often choose shorter books that they perceive as “easy” so feel free to pick longer, more complex books when you’re doing the reading. 

Make it Multi-Sensory

Most kids learn best by engaging the senses, especially those who are struggling with reading. Rather than sticking a worksheet or mundane workbook in front of your child, engage their visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses when helping them learn to read. For instance, when teaching your young child how to form letters, gather some colored sand, sugar, or flour, and spread it out on a cookie tray. Say the formations aloud as you model tracing each letter. For example, for the lowercase letter “a” use your pointer and middle fingers and say “around, up, and down” as you form the letter a in the sand. Then ask your child to do the same. Practice this technique for all of the letters of the alphabet, and also numbers! Additionally, you can use magnetic tiles, mini whiteboards, and shaving cream for forming letters and words. These elements are part of the Orton Gillingham methodology, which is a research-based, multi-sensory technique for helping students with or without learning disabilities, including dyslexia, develop stronger reading and spelling skills. 

Use a Structured Reading Program

Many children who struggle with reading benefit from a structured, Orton Gillingham based reading program. For instance, the Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham Multisensory student workbook program teaches students to read and spell words starting at a very basic foundational level and moving upwards using a structured, systematic approach. The program starts by teaching students to identify individual letters and their corresponding sounds and blend them together to read and spell CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. It then progresses to words containing blends, consonant digraphs, vowel digraphs, silent e patterns, multisyllabic word patterns, prefixes, suffixes, and roots. This Orton Gillingham, multi-sensory program is a great way to help students who struggle to read, including students with learning disabilities, ADHD, and dyslexia, to build stronger reading skills. 

Get Help!

If your child is still struggling to read despite practice and reinforcement at home, you may want to consider speaking to his teacher about any reading challenges at school, and possibly look into further testing. Public schools offer testing for learning disabilities free of charge, or some families choose to undergo a private neuropsychological evaluation. This evaluation will help determine whether or not your child has a learning disability (like dyslexia or dyscalculia), ADHD, executive functioning challenges, or other formal diagnoses. Oftentimes, if your child struggles with reading, the evaluator will recommend a structured, multi-sensory approach, such as the Orton Gillingham methodology, since this is a highly effective research-based approach for building reading and spelling skills.

Reading is a skill that plays a role in all aspects of school. The earlier you can help your child build stronger reading skills, the better! Use a multi-sensory approach, help engage your child with books on topics he enjoys, and work on strengthening his foundational skills – and he will be well on his way to reading success! 

The post FOUR Ways to Help Your Struggling Reader appeared first on EBL Coaching.