Fostering Growth Mindset in Students with Speech & Language Challenges

Carol Dweck’s research on “growth mindset” supported my work with adults and children struggling with speech and language challenges. Early in my career working with elementary, middle and high school students, the biggest challenge was getting students to produce. No grades were given, the work being done was in the most difficult areas and many …

3rd Grade Communication Goals

Third grade expectations have changed!  It’s a pivotal year because children are beginning to move from  learning to read to reading to learn. If students have a strong language foundation then the transition is not difficult, but children struggling with reading, vocabulary development or comprehension will have a hard time. Here is ASHA’s  3rd grade …

Language is the Key to Academic Success

When there’s inequity in learning, it’s usually baked into life, Harvard analysts say. Source: The Costs of Inequality: Education Is the Key to It All – US News Language is the key to academic success. A few students from backgrounds with limited resources do well often because they love reading and in that way acquire the …

Language Challenges Uncovered: The Foundation for Academic Achievement Part 2

If language is the foundation for academic achievement then what do language challenges look like in everyday life? There are many areas that can impact language including word finding, auditory processing, comprehension and As a speech therapist one of the most telling signs of word finding problems  in children and adults is the frequent use …

Life Long: Language-Based Learning Challenges

“My son is not confident”, says a concerned Mom at a picnic I’m attending. She goes on to say, “He seems to have difficulty understanding what people are saying and responding to them in an appropriate time frame, so he is struggling in college.”unicaLanguage-based learning challenges are lifelong. They do not cease at the completion …

The Potential of a “C”: Developing a Growth Mindset

What we think about our ability to learn matters. Believing that we can only learn a fixed amount, or that others can only learn a fixed amount, does not offer anyone the opportunity to grow.  Without the belief that we can learn and grow, a “C” student can never become an “A” student. In a …