Monday, November 24, 2008

Umbrellas and Labels

Parents who have children struggling to learn how to read can sometimes find themselves in the middle of a confusing array of educational terms. This confusion affects their basic understanding of the problem which means they do not have the clarity they need to make informed decisions on how best to help their child.

Labels such as learning disability, auditory processing disorder, dyslexia and attention deficit disorder are just a few terms parents may hear from educational professionals. The problem is that most of these terms fall under large umbrellas with a wide variety of symptoms falling under each.

If that’s the case, then are these labels important? Yes and no. Labels are important only as far as they can be used to get help for a child, whether that means help through accommodations for challenges that are innate, and/or specific remediation for challenges that can be improved with research-backed work.

Complicating Factors

One example of how labeling can be helpful is when a child has several factors coming into play that can affect learning in various ways. If nothing else, for a child with a lot of challenges, giving a series of labels about a child can quickly help an educator understand that a particular child has a lot more to juggle in order to learn than another child without those labels. Labels can also help determine specific accommodations or help a school may offer. If the label is used to translate into specific individual help for the child, then that’s what's important.

Uncomplicating the Factors

When it comes to getting some specific help, often there is no reason to think in terms of labels. At Langsford, it’s our philosophy not to label children, especially when we know that the right kind of work can bring a child up to a typical level of functioning. We will certainly use a label if it is helpful in some way for the family to get the help they need, but otherwise we just don't find it necessary or even helpful to the family or the child.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Staff Spotlight: Maryanne


Where were you born and how long have you lived in Louisville?
Covington, KY 31 years

My school/work background is?
Morehead State University BA English/German; University of Louisville MA Creative Writing; Angela Merici HS 1976 -1978 English teacher; Edelson and Associates (psychologists) front desk secretary; Fifth Third Bank; Substitute teacher at Trinity HS, Mercy HS, and Sacred Heart HS; Coldwater Creek in Oxmoor.

When I was a child and thought about what I wanted to be when I grew up, I…
always wanted to be a teacher.

In my free time, I….
read everything, write humorously, sew, bake, and then try to lose the weight from the baking by reading more diet books.

One of my favorite books of all time would be….
Separate Beds by LaVyrle Spencer but this would be just the tip of the iceberg.

One of my hidden talents is…
I can water ski but I am afraid of deep water and can't swim.

I love and I hate…
I love chocolate and I hate panty hose.

People say I…
look younger than I am.

I once won an award for…
Home economics in high school -- the Betty Crocker award. I beat out all the girls who majored in Home Economics ( do you remember that major?)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Langsford's Team-To-One™ Approach



This is Lucas, who is surrounded by two of his Langsford Instructors, Paul (on the left) and Christopher. Lucas really enjoyed having these two fellows on his team.

Lucas had the benefit of a lot of people working together to help him. Mary was his Learning Coordinator. Before Lucas even started sessions with us, Mary had a conversation with his school's principal on how to best structure his day so Lucas could attend daily sessions here. As a team, Mary, the principal and the parents worked out a plan for Lucas to come during the school day.

Once Lucas began sessions, the Langsford Team began to work together on the customized plan of action that Mary designed specifically for Lucas' learning profile. Paul and Christopher were a big part of Lucas' team. As you can see by the photo above, the three of them became great buddies.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Margaret and Tyler






Margaret is one of our instructors who teaches mainly in our Middletown office. I don't think I really need to tell you that both Tyler and Margaret are two energetic and fun people. But I guess I just did anyway.