Your child may excel in certain academic skills but struggle with others. Some students, for example, do well in math, but have difficulty with reading and writing. Others might have strong academic skills but need help with their executive functioning skills, like planning, organization, and time management. You may know that your child needs a tutor, but how can you find a good tutor for your child in Manhattan?

Start with a tutoring evaluation 

When seeking a tutor in NYC for your child, it’s important to start with a tutoring evaluation. You may know your child is struggling with a skill, such as reading, but you might not know the specific aspects of reading they need tutoring in. For example, they might have difficulty decoding consonant-vowel-consonant words, words with blends, consonant digraphs, or vowel digraphs, or multi-syllabic word patterns. They may struggle with reading comprehension, including identifying important details, synthesizing the main idea, or making inferences. Before beginning a tutoring program in NYC, your child should start with an initial evaluation. This tutoring evaluation will help determine their specific areas of need in order to come up with an effective tutoring plan.

Choose a tutor who specializes in your child’s needs

It’s important that your child works with a tutor in NYC who specializes in the skills they need help with. For example, if your child has writing challenges, you wouldn’t want them to work with a math specialist. If your child has dyslexia, they would likely benefit from Orton Gillingham tutoring in NYC to effectively remediate their reading skills. When using a tutoring service, after receiving an evaluation, your child should be matched with a tutor in Manhattan who specializes in what they need the most help with, including specific techniques and methodologies.

Learn more about reading tutoring in NYC at
https://eblcoaching.com/what-to-look-for-in-a-reading-specialist-in-nyc/

Find a tutor that uses a structured plan in tutoring sessions

Before your child starts a tutoring program in NYC, a structured plan should be in place to specifically address their areas of need. The tutoring should follow a systematic approach, beginning with your child’s levels and areas of weakness and moving upwards as they progress with their skills. For example, if your child has a learning disability or reading challenges and struggles to read consonant-vowel-consonant words, like mug, pat, or sit, they might benefit from a structured Orton Gillingham tutoring plan. This tutoring plan may begin with teaching your child individual letters and their corresponding sounds, and how to blend those sounds together to form words using a multi-sensory approach. The Orton Gillingham lessons might include tools such as colored sand, magnetic tiles, and a mini whiteboard, all as part of the structured lesson plan. Once your child is effectively able to read consonant-vowel-consonant words, the tutor can move onto words containing blends, consonant digraphs, vowel digraphs, silent e patterns, multi-syllabic word patterns, and so on, all following a structured, systematic approach.

Look for a tutor that has a personality connection with your child

While it’s important that your child works with a tutor in NYC or tutoring service in Manhattan that specializes in the skills they need help with, it’s also important that your child feels a strong connection with the tutor. The right personality match is key and is important in helping your child feel open and receptive to new ideas and strategies that the tutor will teach them. Many children don’t respond as well to tutoring from someone they don’t feel a strong connection to. When using a tutoring service in NYC, after the evaluation, your child should be matched with a tutor who both specializes in the areas they need help with and who is a good personality fit for your child.

Learn more about tutoring and executive functioning coaching in NYC for your child at https://eblcoaching.com/can-executive-functioning-coaching-help-my-child/
Finding the right tutor in NYC can be a game changer for your child. Follow these ideas to identify a great tutor and help your child thrive in school.

Is your child struggling in school? Learn how EBL Coaching can help them with reading remediation, writing tutoring, math tutoring, executive functioning coaching, and Orton Gillingham tutoring at www.eblcoaching.com. At EBL Coaching, we have helped hundreds students in Manhattan strengthen their reading, writing, math, and executive functioning skills through individualized one-on-one instruction.

Frequently asked questions

What are some signs your child may need a tutor?
If you notice that your child is struggling with an academic skill or set of skills at school; avoids homework; struggles to stay organized or manage their time; or has grades that are falling, you may want to consider a one-on-one tutor for them.

When should my child start tutoring?
If you see your child struggling in school or has declining self-esteem, don’t wait! It’s better to be proactive in seeking academic remediation for them than waiting until the struggles become greater.

What are some skills my child may learn from one-on-one tutoring?
Your child’s one-on-one tutoring sessions should be tailored to their specific challenges. If they struggle with reading and writing, for example, the tutoring sessions should remediate those skills using a structured approach that meets their needs.

Dr. Emily Levy, the founder and director of EBL Coaching, has been running a specialized tutoring program in NYC for over 20 years.

The post How to Find The Best Tutor in NYC For Your Child appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Interviewing Dr. Levy, an educational expert, business owner, public speaker and author that specialized learning needs in grades Pre-K to 12, you will sure be inspired by this short interview.

Coming from a family of educators, she finds her calling at her young age and started her teaching journey since 1993 as a speaker of an event hosted by Ministry of Education.

We journey with her on her 31 years of teaching journey to become the founder of her own education business in 2004 helping kid and young teens learn better using research based multi-sensory techniques, and here is her story.

The post Dr. Emily Levy: Founder of EBL Coaching & Expert in Student Success appeared first on EBL Coaching.

EBL Coaching Offers Specialized ADHD Tutoring To Help!

Does your child with ADHD have difficulties at school? Do they struggle with time management, organization, task initiation, note taking, or planning? If so, your child may benefit from specialized ADHD tutoring to help build these critical skills. ADHD tutoring can help your child thrive with the strategies detailed below.

Time Management

Students with ADHD often struggle to effectively manage their time. They may over or under estimate how long they think a task may take to complete. They might start working on their homework later in the day, only to find that they aren’t able to finish it or must stay up very late in order to do so. They may be tardy in turning in their homework assignments or might forget to turn them in entirely. ADHD tutoring can help your child build stronger time management skills. One strategy that may help them is the ET/AT strategy, where students are taught to predict how long they think a task might take to complete (and write down the ET, or estimated time), then compare it to the actual time it takes to complete (and write down the AT, or actual time). Students who struggle with time management typically find that there is a big discrepancy between these times when they start using this strategy but the more they practice this strategy during ADHD tutoring sessions and on their own, the more these times will start to merge.

Create a Study Space 

Students with ADHD often lose their belongings and can’t always find the supplies they need in order to complete their homework. They might sit down to start an assignment, only to find that they don’t have the necessary materials at hand and spend ample time wondering around looking for pens, pencils, paper, or highlighters. ADHD tutoring can help your child create a study space that has all of the supplies they may need to complete their homework. This space should include their computer, writing tools, paper, scissors, and so on. If you notice your child’s supplies are running low, encourage them to refill the supplies or help them do so, so they always have the supplies they need in their study space.

Prioritization 

Prioritizing tasks can be a challenge for students with ADHD. They may start a less important assignment only to find that they run out of time and aren’t able to complete a more important assignment or study for a critical upcoming test. ADHD tutoring can help your child evaluate all upcoming assignments and tests and come up with a plan for completing them, prioritizing the more important tasks first, followed by the less important ones. ADHD tutoring can also integrate the ET/AT strategy for deciding which tasks to prioritize, building time management skills along with prioritization.

Note Taking

Students with ADHD often have trouble taking effective notes. They may lose focus during a lesson and miss key elements that they needed to take down, or they might scribble down disorganized notes that they may not be able to read or understand later. ADHD tutoring can help your child develop more effective note taking skills. One strategy they may learn from ADHD tutoring is the column style method, where students learn to write the topic of the lesson on the top of their page (like “World War 1”), then divide their page into two columns: one for main ideas on the left side and one for notes on the right side. In school, they should only take notes on the right side of their page, in the notes section. Then when they get home and look at their notes, they should categorize their notes into  main ideas and write those main ideas in the left column, like “Causes of World War 1”, “Battles of World War 1”, and so on. Students can learn to effectively use this strategy with ADHD tutoring to help them become more effective note takers. 

Hire a tutor

ADHD tutoring can help your child tremendously with developing these key skills. Building stronger time management, studying, note taking, and prioritization skills with ADHD tutoring can help your child excel in school.

The post Can Tutoring Help Your Child with ADHD? appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Date published: 6/8/23

Listen to the full podcast here

In this podcast, Dr. Levy discusses ways to help children with autism do well in school.

Being a parent to a child with autism can be challenging. These children might be distractable, struggle to communicate, have behavioral challenges, or demonstrate difficulty with transitions. Yet children with autism can have many gifts too – they can be very caring individuals, can have great memories for facts, and are often good rule followers. It is important that you know your child’s strengths and weakness and always advocate to make sure that they receive the most appropriate services.

When your child starts a new school year, set up a meeting with their teacher and any service providers at the beginning of the year. Tell them about your child’s strengths and weaknesses and discuss strategies that have worked well for them and others that have not worked as well. Discuss a plan for regular communication and make it clear that you are fully vested in your child’s success and want to work as a team with them to help foster your child’s growth. Also try to notice how your child learns best. Many students with autism do well with a visual schedule of which activities to anticipate, and students with autism often learn well using a multisensory approach. Discuss the services your child will receive at school. Some students benefit from a shadow teacher to help keep them engaged in class. Others need a behavior plan with strategies in place for if and when they become overwhelmed or demonstrate behavioral challenges. For some students, having one-on-one special education tutoring to build their unique academic needs can make an immense difference in their academic performance. Read more at Organizational Tools for Academic Success – EBL Coaching.

With the right support and services, students with autism have the potential to do well in school. It is important to always be your child’s best advocate and ensure that they are continuously receiving the most appropriate services, both in and out of school. 

Read more at Autism – Tips for Parents – Better Health Channel.

The post Dr. Emily Levy on the Autism Resource Podcast: Tips for Helping Students with Autism Succeed appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Date published: 5/17/23

Listen to the full podcast here

In this podcast, Dr. Levy discusses strengths and weaknesses of students with autism and how to best help them.

Students with autism have varying types of challenges. Some are nonverbal and struggle significantly to communicate, while others are fully verbal and have difficulty with skills such as social communication, abstract language, and changes to their routine. There are others that fall somewhere in the middle, in different ranges of the autism spectrum. 

Many students with autism, however, struggle with similar skills. They often have difficulty with change and benefit from being made aware of their routines and schedules ahead of time, along with any changes to these routines. They often thrive with a visual schedule that they can see, including how their day will start and what they will do throughout the day, broken down into increments. Many have trouble with language and communication and often have difficulty participating in classroom discussions. They tend to have trouble picking up on nonverbal cues and sustaining friendships. Many struggle in environments that have a lot of sensory stimuli, including loud noises and bright lights. Read more at Differentiating Between ADHD and Autism in Children.

At EBL Coaching, when we provide special education tutoring to students with autism, we take these characteristics into consideration when creating individualized learning plans for each student. We often create visual schedules for each tutoring session and limit sensory stimuli. We also target their academic needs during the tutoring using research-based techniques. For instance, many students with autism struggle with reading comprehension – especially inferencing and abstract language. They may also have difficulty expressing their thoughts on paper in an organized fashion when writing and struggle with their executive functioning skills. To remediate these challenges, we create individualized special education tutoring plans using multisensory techniques that are customized to the needs of each student. This type of instruction can truly help students with autism make significant progress with their academic and language skills.

Read more at Parenting a Child with Autism: Strategies and Support (mind-diagnostics.org).

The post Dr. Emily Levy on the Autism Live Podcast: Learning Strategies for Students with Autism 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.

Originally published on the PIX11 website
       

Tutoring services are seeing a sharp increase in demand as students try to bridge the achievement gap brought on by remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While school is out, some families are using the summer months to help their children catch up.

EBL Coaching offers one-on-one sessions in New York and New Jersey.  

“We’ve absolutely seen a rise in the requests for tutoring, mainly because so many kids have these gaps in their learning from having missed so much school,” said Dr. Emily Levy, founder and director of EBL Coaching. “Many kids have missed those critical early foundations of their academic skills.”

EBL sessions, either in-person or virtual, are rooted in multi-sensory techniques.

“A multi-sensory approach means, rather than working out of a workbook, or listening to a teacher, we integrate the visual, the tactile and the auditory modalities simultaneously,” Levy said.

A recent study by Harvard found that in school districts that went remote, achievement growth was lower for all subgroups, but especially for students attending high-poverty schools. Falling behind can also have a devastating effect on a student’s mental health and well-being. 

“We found that so many kids, even before the pandemic, had low self-esteem then they had learning difficulties but now even more so,” Levy said. 

EBL offers tutoring in both reading and math. They specialize in the multi-sensory method, where all senses are engaged while learning. For instance, instead of writing letters out on paper, students can “sky-write” or write on colored sand.

“Kids enjoy the process because it’s so engaging and it really is highly effective; I would say the most effective way of building core academic skills,” Levy said.

While the multi-sensory approach was first developed for students with ADHD, dyslexia and other learning difficulties, Levy said all children can benefit from this form of instruction, particularly those who need an extra boost this summer before starting the next grade in September.

“I think many parents are now just realizing how much their child struggled, how much they missed, how much they’re struggling now,” Levy said.

The post Tutoring Services Help Kids in NY and NJ Catch up During Summer appeared first on EBL Coaching.