10 Professionals Who Can Help Your Struggling Child

There are many trained professionals who can help your child be successful despite any difficulties he or she may be encountering. The list below contains 10 professionals you might want to consider when exploring options to help your child.

1) Classroom teacher--works with your child on a daily basis and can provide insightful information related to how your child learns, how attentive he or she is in the classroom, etc.

2) Learning Disabilities Specialist--many schools have a teacher on staff with specific training and credentials to provide educational services above and beyond regular classroom instruction. This instruction my be one on one or in small groups.

3) Educational/Learning Consultant--Independent center or individual who administers educational evaluations and makes recommendations and/or implements intervention work in specific areas of need.

4) School Psychologist--gives and interprets psychological and educational tests; assists with behavior management; provides counseling or consultation with parents, school staff, and students.

5) Pediatrician--provides medical examinations and services, trained in overall child development.

6) Neurologist--a medical specialist that looks for possible damage or weakness to specific brain functions.

7) Psychologist--provides psychological and intellectual assessment and treatment for mental and emotional health. Also administers ADHD evaluations.

8) Psychiatrist--diagnoses and treats behavioral and emotional problems, most notably those requiring prescription medications.

9) Occupational Therapist--helps improve motor and sensory functions to improve ability to perform daily fine and gross motor tasks.

10) Speech and Language Therapist--can assess, diagnose, and treat disorders related to speech, language, and cognitive communication impairments such as attention, memory, and problem solving disorders.

While there are other professionals available in the community who might also be helpful, these 10 are a good starting point to think about.

Talk to Me!

I've been thinking this weekend about what I want to accomplish with my blog posts and I've decided that what I want is CONVERSATION! I've been trying to supply my readers with useful information. But I realize I haven't tapped an incredibly knowledgeable resource pool--YOU!



Duh! It should have been the first thing I thought of when I started writing the blog! A few years back Langsford started a Leadership Team to tap into the wealth of knowledge and talent that can be found in our staff. Since then, we amaze ourselves at times! Who knew we knew so much?



So I'm thinking, I need to tap into the readers of this blog (Let's see...present and past staff, present and past clients and their parents and relatives, other professionals, people just curious about what we do.......). Anyway, just imagine what we could accomplish if we all put our heads together? So I'm inviting you to dialogue with me and through me so that we can all work together to help kids learn to read and to love it!



So....first question for you.....



What books get your kid/s all excited? Parents ask me every day, "What's a good book or series for my child?" I've learned from experience that sometimes one great book is all it takes to get a kid hooked on reading. If that book is part of a series...lookout! They'll be flying through the books and begging for more!



So, my dear audience, what books are popular with your young readers? Let's hear some titles and what age child they'd be good for. Most of all, why do they like it?

You can send me responses and comments via the Comments option on this blog, or on Langsford's Facebook page. You guys can even comment to each other on what you post! (I'm all about making my job easier!)



Oh, and by the way, while I want some good books to recommend, I'd be interested in anything you have to say.

So.....I'm waiting.....

Early Reader Screenings

This is the time of year when many schools are administering Early Reader Screenings. These screenings consist of a few key measurements intended to identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties. The results of these screenings help to identify which students should be closely monitored and/or would benefit from further, more in-depth, assessment.

Research shows that learning to read is a process that begins long before children enter kindergarten. During the pre-k years, children develop early literacy skills that help them to learn to read in the early years of school. Early literacy screenings and early intervention are the keys to avoiding reading difficulties and the problems that are associated with them.

Three of the most important pre-reading skills your child needs to become a successful reader are:

1) Print awareness (understanding the concepts of words and letters and directionality of text)

2) alphabet knowledge (being able to identify letter shapes and their corresponding names)

3) phonemic awareness (ability to distinguish the individual sounds within a word and to blend and segment those sounds)

A word of caution: screenings are but a small picture of your child's overall learning profile. They may not identify all children who will have difficulty learning to read. However, they have proven to be a good predictor of whether a child is at risk of having reading difficulties and allow parents and teachers to be proactive in addressing these areas.

If you'd like more information on reading and reading assessments, click here.