When Your Child has a Reading Problem....and ADHD

Learning difficulties don't like to travel alone. They almost always have another issue accompanying them. Often times, this "companion" is ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

A diagnosis of ADHD is based on behavioral symptoms of inattention. But evidence suggests that children with ADHD also often exhibit cognitive weaknesses in other areas essential to learning, including: 1) executive functioning 2) working memory and 3) processing speed.

These are important facts to consider when determining how to best address the specific needs of your child. Just as you need to consider these facts, we consider them in determining how Langsford can best meet the learning needs of your child.

That's why when your child comes to Langsford their work will be:

One-to-One

We provide specific instruction developed and tuned weekly, (sometimes day-to-day) for each child by their assigned Learning Coordinator. Your child's instructors will be working with him or her on a one-to-one basis so that they can adapt their teaching techniques to best serve your child alone.

If needed, they can accommodate your child's learning style by allowing more time to complete tasks or process information, or by providing as much repetition as your child requires to master a new task.

Highly Interactive

Our work is highly interactive--no work sheets or boring lectures. We keep your child engaged by using manipulatives, visual stimuli, and making tasks into games when appropriate. We ask lots of questions, model tasks when needed, and work at whatever pace is optimum for the student.

High Interest

We understand your child cannot sustain attention for long periods of time. Therefore, we move through a variety of tasks each session, spending no more than about 10 minutes on any given activity. We select reading material according to your child's interests and independent reading level. We keep the sessions moving and fun!

Rewarding

We offer lots of praise and encouragement. We are skilled at figuring out what motivates different children, and we work out an individualized reward system when needed. This might mean a goal sheet, earning points, or getting stickers or a trip to the treasure box for a job well done!

The learning difficulties and ADHD symptoms that your child experiences are unique to him or her. Understanding this and structuring intervention that is as individualized as your child is the key to your child being a successful learner.

STAFF Spotlight

Marsha Ahrens

This is Marsha-the Langsford Center bookkeeper You may have talked to her about a billing question. We all love her because she makes sure we get our paychecks! We asked Marsha a few questions so that you can get to know her better. Here is what she said:

Where were you born and how long have you lived in Louisville?

I was born in Parkersburg, WV and have lived in the Louisville aread since 1992.

What is your school/work background?

I graduated Cum Laude from Hanover College in 1997.

How do people describe you?

People say I am dependable and that I know everything. My son says my head is full of trivial information. That's why I always win at Trivial Pursuit!

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a secretary like Della Street or Miss Moneypenny--they always knew what was going on!

Who are your favorite authors?

Some of my favorites are DH Lawrence, HP Lovecraft, and Shakespeare. I love to read!

What do you do in your free time?

Ballroom dance, read murder mysteries, and cook.

Ode to Ian

There once was a boy named Ian,

with a smile that could light up the sky.

He came to Langsford for reading,

and left with his head held high.

He accomplished his goals,

and made friends to boot!

He captured our hearts,

like a robber does loot!

We will miss him like crazy,

'cause boy, was he fun!

But alas, he is leaving,

his work here is done.

So Good-bye, Ian!

Thanks for all the good times!

Keep on reading those books,

and writing those lines.

But mostly keep smiling,

that light-the-sky smile,

and come back to see us,

every once in a while!

Congratulations on completing your Langsford work, Ian!

Everything is More Fun With a Friend!

Allie and Kara go to the same school. Kara started at Langsford about a month beforAllie.

On Allie's first day, she and Kara were totally surprised to run into each other. They excitedly ran up to each other and shared a huge hug!

They ended up carpooling to and from school and each provided moral support for the other. It was hard when Kara finished before Allie.

But Allie stuck with it and accomplished her goal of reading a Junie B. Jones book before she finished sessions. It's true! Everything is more fun when you share it with a friend!

Putting his Spelling Skills to Good Use!

You never know when you'll run into someone you know. Over Christmas break, one of the Middletown clients did sessions at our Highlands office and ran into one of his friends from Tae Kwon Do!

Griffin recently returned to the Highlands office to retest and see what kind of gains he made while attending sessions here. He asked about his friend and found out that it just happened to be his friend's last day of sessions!

So Griffin decided to write his friend a letter of congratulations! One more way to use those new spelling skills!

(Mom and Dad don't know it yet, but I took a peek at Griffin's scores and he increased his grade equivalency for spelling by one whole year while he was here, and his spelling skills now measure above grade level! Yay, Griffin!)

"You signed me up for what?!"

This is for all you kids out there who have just been told by your parents that they have signed you up to come to Langsford.

I know what you must be thinking. "What a bummer--working on my summer break, " or, "oh man, I have to go there everyday AND after school?!" But I think you'll be very surprised once you get here. We will be doing things that are very different from what you've done at school.

All of our work is one-on-one and we have some really fun instructors. Some are women and some are guys. They've been taught some special stuff so that they know how to teach you in a way you can learn. Their goal is always to make whatever is hard for you-reading, spelling, comprehension-easier. If it's easier, you'll like it better and you won't have to spend so much time laboring over homework at night!

Most kids come every day, for 2 hours. Don't panic! It's not that bad. You'll have two 55 minute sessions with a 5 minute break in between. During the break, kids socialize in the lobby, eat a snack, or talk to some of their instructors. We even have some cool puzzles and games you can play with during the breaks.

In sessions, a lot of the tasks you do will feel like games. Our thinking is that learning should be fun! You'll have different instructors for different hours, so you'll get a chance to work with several really interesting people while you are here.

We're going to do some activities with you that will help develop your brain's ability to process information. We'll also teach you some cool rules and strategies that will make reading and understanding what you read easier.

While you're here you'll have a Learning Coordinator that will figure out the best ways to teach you to make things easier. They're really easy to talk to and you can tell them if something feels hard or if you think you're ready for a challenge.

The time will go by really quickly while you are in sessions, and we won't be sending home a pile of homework with you! Usually we just ask that you read 20 or 30 minutes a day outside of Langsford. We've got some really cool books and we'll help you pick out some that you'll enjoy.

Most kids really like coming here! We've had kids come from all over, as far away as Dubai and Africa! How cool is that?!

Remember: We're going to make learning easier for you, and we plan to have a good time with you while we're doing it!

We can't wait to start working with you!

Literacy Milestones From Birth to Age Six

Ever wonder whether your young child is on track in his or her reading development?

Click on the site below for information provided by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

Literacy Milestones From Birth to Age Six

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