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"Experience with the arts, sports and the outdoors can teach social skills, expand attention span, develop a work ethic and reinforce academics, said Craig Pohlman, a psychologist and author of "How Can My Kid Succeed in School?" (Chicago Tribune, October 25, 2009)
Table of Contents
The author vii
Preface xiii
Introduction 1
Part One Conquering learning problems at home 11
1 Looking for clues at home 13
Starting Pointers 14
Deciphering the Clues 16
Making Discoveries During Homework Time 17
Locating Clues in Work Samples 27
Detective Work During Down Time 44
Deciphering Disorganization 53
Bottom Line 55
2 Picking strategies for home 57
Starting Pointers 58
Strategies for Unreliable Attention 60
Strategies for Memory Gaps 66
Strategies for Limited Language 73
Strategies for Weak Graphomotor Function 79
Strategies for Shaky Concepts and Reasoning 82
Talking About Learning 84
Bottom Line 87
Part Two Conquering learning problems at school 89
3 Looking for clues at school 91
Starting Pointers 92
Observing During Independent Work 94
Clues Emerging from Student Interactions 99
Detective Work During Downtime 107
Locating Clues in Work Samples 109
Deciphering Disorganization 117
Bottom Line 120
4 Picking strategies for the classroom 123
Starting Pointers 123
Strategies for Unreliable Attention 125
Strategies for Memory Gaps 130
Strategies for Limited Language 137
Strategies for Weak Graphomotor Function 143
Strategies for Shaky Concepts and Reasoning 144
Talking About Learning 146
Bottom Line 147
Part Three When more help is needed 149
5 Being a “smart shopper” for educational assessments 151
Starting Pointers 152
When Is It Time for an Expert? 153
Search Criteria: Picking the Right Expert 155
What Makes a Good Written Report? 160
You Get What You Ask For: Effective Referral Questions 164
Bottom Line 165
6 Getting the most out of the assessment process 169
Starting Pointers 169
Share What You Know 170
Head Off Simplification 173
Observing the Assessment 182
Bottom Line 186
7 Using what you’ve learned from the assessment 189
Starting Pointers 189
Keeping Your Sights on Insights 190
Navigating Paths to Success 198
Finding a Good Tutor (If You Need One) 199
Keeping Tabs 202
Bottom Line 205
Conclusion 207
Things to Let Go Of 209
Things to Hold On To 212
Appendix one: profile worksheet 215
Appendix two: case story index 217
Appendix three: atlas of neurodevelopmental terms 223
Appendix four: glossary of academic skills 239
Appendix five: glossary of testing terms 251
Index 257
