Date published: 8/7/23

Listen to the full podcast here

Dr. Levy appeared on this Bodacity podcast with Jannette Anderson to discuss how to build academic skills and self-esteem for students who struggle in school.

Children with learning challenges often have many gifts. Those with dyslexia may be brilliant artists. Individuals with ADHD may be incredible visionaries who go on to be successful leaders or business owners later in life. Getting through school, however, for these students, can be a challenge. You can help your child with learning challenges excel in school with the strategies detailed below.

Take action!

If you notice your child is struggling with a skill or set of skills, such as reading, writing, or math, or is having trouble staying focused, don’t wait to take action! Many parents don’t learn about their child’s struggles in school until parent-teacher conferences or sometimes even the end of the school year. If you notice your child is having difficulty in school, set up a time to meet with their teacher to discuss what you are seeing at home. Perhaps there are some techniques the teacher can use to further help your child, such as sitting them in the front row or checking in with them periodically to make sure they understood the directions for an assignment. If your child continues to struggle, you may want to seek a formal evaluation to see if there are any learning or attentional challenges. Special education tutoring to address their unique needs may also be beneficial.

Seek services

You as a parent should always be your child’s best advocate! Try to seek services to help your child thrive in school. Once an evaluation is completed and it is determined that your child has a disability, either an IEP or 504 plan is typically created detailing the services and accommodations your child should receive. Services may include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or special education tutoring, depending on your child’s challenges. Accommodations may include preferential seating, extra time on tests, a scribe, modified tests, and many others. Always keep tabs on how your child is doing; certain accommodations may work at a given time but they may need to be tweaked as your child progresses through school. 

Try special education tutoring if necessary 

If your child continues to struggle academically despite receiving support in school, you may want to consider specialized tutoring outside of school. Children with dyslexia, for instance, typically benefit from Orton Gillingham tutoring to build their reading skills. If this approach is not offered at your child’s school, you may need to seek this help
outside of school. Children with writing, math, or executive functioning challenges may need similar research-based tutoring or executive functioning coaching outside of school. Learn more about how tutoring can help your child at Importance of Tutoring to Help Kids Struggling with Reading, Math, Allow Them to Catch Up with Their Classmates.

Many students with learning challenges struggle in school. However, with the right support, you can help your child thrive academically. 

Learn more at Learning disorders: Know the signs, how to help – Mayo Clinic.

The post Dr. Levy on the Bodacity Podcast with Jannette Anderson: How Parents Can Advocate for their Special Needs Child appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Date published: 2/15/23

Listen to the full podcast here

In this podcast, Dr. Levy discusses ways parents can advocate for their special education child to help them thrive in school.

Special education students often have many gifts, but they also have unique and individual needs. Some thrive in math but struggle with reading and writing. Others have strong academic skills but have difficulty with their executive functioning skills, including organization, planning, prioritizing, and time management. Students might have autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, ADHD, or a combination of diagnoses. As a parent, it is important that you consistently advocate for your child, year after year.

Many different services and accommodations are available to special education students based on their needs, as defined by their IEP or 504 plan. Students may qualify for extra time, preferential seating, a scribe, speech therapy, occupational therapy, pull-out special education tutoring, or other related services. You might find that your child is thriving in school one year with a certain set of services and accommodations only to find that the following year – or even partially through the current school year – their performance begins to sink. 

As a parent, you should always be advocating for your child. At the beginning of the school year, schedule a meeting with your child’s teacher and any other service providers. Tell them about your child and what has or hasn’t worked in the past and try to make sure they read your child’s evaluation reports, IEPs, or 504 plans if available. Then stay in touch with them throughout the school year. Schedule periodic calls or meetings; don’t wait until the end of the school year to find out about any struggles or challenges. Be active in constantly evaluating and reevaluating the services and support your child is receiving to make sure they are consistently getting what they need. Learn more about strategies for helping your special education child at Strategies For Your Child with a Learning Disability or ADHD – EBL Coaching.

With the right support, students with special education needs have the potential to thrive academically.

Read more at Navigating the special education process | LD OnLine.

The post Dr. Emily Levy on the My Child Will Thrive Podcast: Tips for Advocating for Your Special Needs Child 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.

Many children are fidgety at times, forget to turn in an occasional assignment, or misplace their favorite shirt.   However, if you find these scenarios frequently occurring with your child or you notice that he is constantly distracted, forgetful, disorganized, or unfocused, your child may have ADHD. ‎

Here are some signs of ADHD in your child to look out for:

• Your child constantly loses belongings. Papers from school seem to disappear regularly, and she consistently misplaces her notebooks, lunch box, folders, tablet – you name it. One minute she has her belongings, and the next minute you are helping her frantically search your home for them, regularly. 
  
  
• ‎Your child misses class instructions. You may have a brilliant child, but he constantly completes assignments incorrectly (and thus loses points) simply because he wasn’t listening to the instructions and didn’t follow the directions correctly.
  
  
• Your child is a daydreamer. His teacher notices that he frequently daydreams and loses focus at school, missing key information and notes from class.
  
  
• Your child has trouble waiting her turn. When playing a game or completing a group activity, your child tends to compulsively jump in and interrupt her peers rather than waiting her turn. This may frustrate her friends and others around her.
  
  
• Your child can’t sit still. When eating dinner, doing a homework assignment, or traveling on a plane, your child can’t sit still. He is constantly wiggling and squirming, unable to stay in one place for a long stretch of time.
  
  
• Your child has trouble completing tasks. She starts one task and then impulsively moves onto the next one before completing the first one. This leads to a multitude of unfinished tasks, assignments, and projects.
  
  
• Your child has trouble keeping his emotions in check. He has regular outbursts, both in private and public places, and can’t seem to contain his emotions.
  
  
• Your child makes careless mistakes. She might be a rock star at math and can correctly answer complex long division and multi-digit multiplication problems, but answers  4+1 incorrectly, possibly even subtracting instead of adding, and rarely self-checks her work.
  
  
• He is completely disorganized. His room is a mess, and the inside of his backpack looks like a load of garbage. Loose papers, notebooks, and old assignments are piled inside of it, and he rarely (if ever) cleans it out.
  
  
• She has poor time management skills.  She rarely turns in ‎assignments on time and underestimates how long it may take to get ready for a party, eat dinner, complete a homework assignment, or study for a test. This makes her, and possibly the rest of your household, constantly late or in a rush.
  
  
• He has trouble maintaining friendships. Your child may not always pick up on social cues, and you might find that his interruptions, lack of sharing and turn-taking, and impulsive behaviors negatively affect social situations. Thus, your child might have difficulty making and keeping close friendships.

So what should you do if your child exhibits some or all of these traits? First off, don’t panic! ADHD is more common than you may think, and it’s certainly not your fault. However, the sooner you can seek a diagnosis, the sooner you can identify a plan of action to help your child. Start by talking to your child’s teacher and see if he or she is noticing the traits above in class.  Ask the teacher whether he or she notices your child having trouble sitting still, remaining focused on activities, listening to instructions, waiting his turn, and staying organized.

If your child’s teacher notices these struggles, and if you are also noticing these challenges at home, you may want to consider having your child evaluated. An evaluation performed by your school district is free, or you can choose to have a neuropsychological evaluation done privately. The evaluation will help determine whether or not your child has ADHD (and/or other learning challenges). At that point, he or she may qualify for support services either through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 plan. You can also help your child at home by creating routines, limiting distractions, breaking down tasks into individual steps, and encouraging movement. The more proactive you can be at identifying your child’s ADHD and seeking the right strategies and services to support him, the more successful and confident he will be as the demands of school progress.

Dr. Emily Levy is the founder of EBL Coaching, a tutoring program that specializes in one-on-one home and on-site instruction for students in grades preK-12 in NYC, NJ, and Westchester. She is also the author of Strategies for Study Success, a study skills workbooks series emphasizing test taking, note taking, reading comprehension, writing, and executive functioning strategies, and the Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham student workbook series. These books are currently used at schools nationwide. Dr. Levy studied at Brown University and later received her Masters Degree in Special Education and her Doctorate Degree in Education. She has spoken nationwide on research-based methods for teaching students with and without learning disabilities. Dr. Levy is currently the Director of EBL Coaching’s learning centers.

The post Does My Child Have ADHD? appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Your Child and Autism
Many parents have that ‘a-ha’ moment when they realize their child may have a more profound challenge than previously expectant. Unlike your friend’s kid at the same age- your child has trouble maintaining friendships, struggles to communicate, or demonstrates repetitive body movements. Perhaps they have difficulty relating to the world around them and seems inflexible with their thoughts and behaviors. If you notice these characteristics, don’t ignore them. While your child could be delayed, it may be wise to seek a professional opinion and check if your child may be on the autism spectrum.

Learn the Milestones
Many children with autism show developmental delays early on and don’t meet typical milestones. For instance, by 6-9 months, most babies can sit up without support, babble sounds, and respond to their name. By 9-12 months, babies typically grab objects and toys, crawl, and stand independently. Most children can walk independently between ages 1-3, climb stairs, jump, stack objects, speak in short sentences, and follow basic directions. Between ages 3-5, children can typically toss a ball overhand, get dressed independently, and draw a full person with all features. Children ages 6-12 generally have developed strong friendships with peers and are usually independent in completing their school work. If you notice delays or regression in any of these milestones and your instincts tell you something is off, your child may be at risk for autism.

Identifying Autism
If you think your child has autism, take action. The sooner you identify and address autism, the better it will be for your family. Speak to your child’s doctor; he or she may inquire as to whether all developmental milestones have been met and may recommend an autism screening. This screening typically consists of a series of yes or no questions regarding symptoms. If your doctor suspects that your child may have autism, your child may need to have a full diagnostic evaluation by an ASD specialist. Typically, the evaluator will observe your child, ask you as the parent a series of questions, fill out questionnaires, and administer a series of tests to your child. These factors will allow the evaluator to identify whether or not your child may have autism so you can take appropriate action for a concrete diagnosis.

Your Child Receives an ASD Diagnosis — Next Step
First off, don’t panic. There are many resources and a great deal of support available for children with autism, and your child is certainly not alone! However, the earlier you intervene and seek your child’s services, the more gains you will see. Once you receive the diagnosis, which typically includes a full report, read it thoroughly and review the evaluator or doctor’s recommendations. Reach out to your child’s school to let them know about the diagnosis and inquire about creating an IEP (Individualized Education Program) to map out the services your child will receive based on their needs. These services may include special education classroom placement, speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, physical therapy, social skills groups, etc. Also, learn what you can do at home to help your child, such as creating a set structure and routine and rewarding good behavior. The more you can work as a team with your child’s doctors, educators, and therapists, this will help provide consistent support to your child.

Many children with autism are kind, loving, high-achieving individuals who have countless gifts. With the right support, your child can succeed academically and thrive in life.

Dr. Emily Levy is the founder of EBL Coaching, a tutoring program that specializes in one-on-one home and on-site instruction for students in grades preK-12 in NYC, NJ, and Westchester. She is also the author of Strategies for Study Success, a study skills workbooks series emphasizing test taking, note taking, reading comprehension, writing, and executive functioning strategies, and the Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham student workbook series. These books are currently used at schools nationwide. Dr. Levy studied at Brown University and later received her Masters Degree in Special Education and her Doctorate Degree in Education. She has spoken nationwide on research-based methods for teaching students with and without learning disabilities. Dr. Levy is currently the Director of EBL Coaching’s learning centers.

The post Your Child and Autism: Steps to Take If You Think Your Child is Autistic appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Have you noticed your child struggling in school? Perhaps they are having a hard time learning to read, can’t grasp multi-step math problems, or are having difficulty staying focused in class. Their self-esteem is plummeting as schoolwork becomes increasingly challenging, and their struggles seem insurmountable. Your child may have special needs and, if so, the sooner you can identify these needs and address them, the better it will be for their overall confidence and academic performance. So what can you do?

For starters, if you see your child struggling, talk to their doctor ‎and teacher. Discuss milestones they may or may not have met and determine if their teacher notices the same challenges you see at home. If you feel these struggles are getting worse or think they may benefit from additional accommodations at school, you might consider having them tested. This testing can be done for free either through your state’s early intervention program (if your child is under age three) or through your child’s school district. The evaluation and specific tests administered may range, but evaluators will typically test your child’s IQ and will likely also test language, motor, behavior, and achievement skills.

Psst…Winter isn’t over, here are Perfect Snow Day Activities for Kids in NYC

IEP or 504 plan
Depending on the evaluation results and your child’s needs, your child may qualify for either an IEP or a 504 plan. An IEP details your child’s specific goals and a plan for what your school will do to help meet those goals, including specific services, like speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and academic support. A 504 plan helps provide accommodations for support within the classroom, such as additional time on tests, an aide in the classroom, preferential seating, and/or modified homework. Typically students who have a less severe disability (like anxiety, ADHD, etc.) and not a diagnosed learning disability will receive a 504. Students who need more services, including speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, special education teacher support services, etc., would receive an IEP.

Know Your Rights
Federal law indicates that every child is entitled to a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment possible. Three specific federal laws apply to children with special needs, including the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Ace, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These laws’ specifics can vary by state, so it’s important for you to understand the procedures and criteria specific to your state.

IDEA‎ stipulates that a child’s issues must fall into one of 13 categories to be eligible for special education services. Section 504 mandates that schools cannot discriminate again students who have disabilities and are required to provide appropriate accommodations to them. Students covered under Section 504 usually have less severe disabilities or do not fall into one of the categories stipulated under IDEA. The ADA indicates that children with special needs cannot be discriminated against and must be provided appropriate services and programs suitable to their needs. If your school district refuses to provide appropriate services to your child, you may initiate a due process hearing to challenge their decision.

Focus on Your Child’s Strengths
It is easy to go into a bit of negative space when dealing with your child’s educational support. Remember to focus on your child’s strengths; they may struggle with reading and writing but may excel with math computation. Or maybe your child is incredibly social, empathetic, and ‎kind. Perhaps they are a beautiful artist, a great storyteller, or a whiz at building Legos. Praise your child for small accomplishments, like sitting next to a friend at lunch who seemed sad, drawing a beautiful flower, or creating an elaborate Lego tower. As you help your child academically with areas where they may struggle, continue to build their self-esteem, and explain that no one is perfect. We all have strengths and weaknesses, as well as areas we need to work on improving. Your special needs child can still have dreams and aspirations that can be achieved with support and guidance.

Dr. Emily Levy is the founder of EBL Coaching, a tutoring program that specializes in one-on-one home and on-site instruction for students in grades PreK-12 in NYC, NJ, and Westchester. She is also the author of Strategies for Study Success, a study skills workbooks series emphasizing test-taking, note-taking, reading comprehension, writing, and executive functioning strategies, and the Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham student workbook series.

The post Is Your Child Missing Milestones? When the Next Step is an IEP appeared first on EBL Coaching.

In an ideal world, your child would love all aspects of school,‎ where they can develop a zest for learning and excel both academically and socially. Yet, if you notice your child is struggling to keep up, loses focus in class, or expresses a hatred for school, there may be something deeper going on. In some instances, it can be helpful to have an evaluation done on your child and possibly seek an IEP (Individualized Education Program).

How Do I Know if My Child is Struggling in School?

• Your child takes a tremendous amount of time to complete homework. While homework policies tend to vary from school to school, the general guideline is ten minutes per grade for night. For instance, your first grader should spend ten minutes on homework per night, your second grader should take twenty minutes, and so on. If you notice your first grader is taking over an hour to complete her homework, that may suggest a problem.

• Listen to your child’s teacher, as he or she spends a significant amount of time engaging with your child‎ and observing their performance. If the teacher indicates that your child is struggling with an academic skill or set of skills, or your child receives poor grades, you may want to consider exploring these potential challenges with an evaluation.

• Your child, who was previously well-behaved in school, begins to misbehave. This may be a coping mechanism to divert attention away from the learning challenges.‎ Rather than vocalizing any issues, they may misbehave instead.

• Your child may have trouble sleeping at night, complain of stomach aches, or lose his appetite as a result of struggles in school that they may not be articulating. He may also suddenly begin to say they hate school or is miserable in class. Any of these actions may be masking a deeper issue.

What Happens Next?
You as the parent must give permission to have an evaluation done of your child, which is typically completed by a school psychologist who determines, based on the evaluation, if your child is eligible for special education services. If so, an IEP meeting is held and an IEP document is created.

What is an IEP?
An IEP is a document that defines the educational program for a special education student and details all of the related services that a child should receive.

Once an evaluation is complete, you as the parent will take part in an IEP team meeting‎, which typically includes the parent, special education teacher, general education teacher, school psychologist, specialists such as occupational therapists and/or speech-language therapists, and others involved in creating the plan. Services that your child needs will be discussed and mapped out in the IEP, including but not limited to speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS), and so on.

IEP meetings will take place every year to assess your child’s progress and to create a new IEP for the following year. Re-evaluations are done every three years to assess whether or not your child is in need of continued special education services.

If you notice that your child is struggling, don’t wait; there are many services and resources that are available to help your child feel confident and successful socially, emotionally, and academically.

The post When an IEP is the Next Step for Your Child and What to Expect appeared first on EBL Coaching.