Creating an environment of success

There is motivation that comes from within and motivation generated from external rewards. Working for money is an example of external motivation. Volunteering is an example of internal motivation. We all are motivated in a variety of ways. When working with a young adult with a learning disability motivation is often a primary issue. After …

Motivation: The Circle Part I

If a young adult is not motivated in school because of prior academic experiences, who is responsible for motivating them? Should the child be responsible for self-motivating or is it the teachers’ or parents responsibility to motivate them? Day after day, some students with language based disabilities meet academic failure,”F’s” and “D’s” on assignments, demeaning …

Reading: Video games, DVDs’, and books

What about video games and videos? I loved the Leap Pad “Letter Factory” series and other DVD’s by Leap Frog, but I did not see any benefit in my child’s reading ability or knowledge that was a result of her watching those DVD’s. Although the series is well done, she did not automatically apply what …

Pushing

My biggest lesson I learned from my continued reading journey with my daughter is that I need to calm down and relax. She is reading. She has a great imagination and can visualize what is happening in a story without pictures. Visualization is an important skill that is necessary for good reading comprehension. Most of …

What did I learn teaching my daughter to read? Part II

What was my biggest discover teaching my daughter to read. I already knew a lot, but it is different to teach reading to your own child. From day one the reading process slowly begins. Daily reading, word play, and rhyming games are all included in a rich language environment and provide the foundation for reading. …