Decoding Learning Differences with Kimberlynn Lavelle

ADHD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can be thought of as a disorder, a disability, something negative OR as something positive!  A benefit and an advantage to the person with that brain structure.  This episode is a summary/overview of the book by Dale Archer, MD, with some highlights that parents of children with ADHD, or who have ADHD themselves will find empowering.

Watch video, read the transcript at https://www.yourparenthelp.com/podcast_0141 

This week’s podcast episode is based largely on the book, The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock L Eide, MD, MA; and Fernette F Eide, MD.

This book takes a refreshing view of dyslexia, not as a disorder characterized by deficits but as the result of a brain that has been wired differently, with significant benefits to that wiring! (and with some reading and spelling challenges as a side effect)

Watch the video or read the transcript at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0140 

As someone who meets a lot of children with ADHD and a lot of children with dyslexia, I began to notice that a lot of my “ADHD” students have struggles that mimic those of my students with “dyslexia”, and those with “dyslexia” often seemed to exhibit ADHD characteristics, and sometimes children were diagnosed with both.

I was often told all the reasons that dyslexia might cause inattention and all the reasons why ADHD might cause reading struggles, but it wasn’t enough to explain what I was seeing, so I started digging.

If you are a little bit of a research nerd, you’ll find this episode especially fascinating!

Brain scans reveal a link between ADHD and Dyslexia.  Parents of children with dyslexia or with ADHD should understand that there is scientific evidence to watch carefully for the other “disability” if there child has either ADHD or Dyslexia.  And, a differently wired brain does not actually need to be seen as a disability.

Also check out episode 17: Dyslexia: What too many people misunderstand

Watch the video or read the transcript at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0139 

“Help them be as autistic as possible.”

About 6 months ago, I had an episode of the podcast talking about the sometimes overlooked strengths of those with autism.  I gathered some of my research for that episode from a website by Peter Crosbie called The Autism Advantage.

I then reached out to Peter and asked to interview him for the podcast.  We had a long conversation that could have gone on MUCH longer!  He shared his personal story, his insight, and his wisdom.

And one of his pieces of advice to parents of children with autism was to help them be more autistic.  Watch, or listen as he shares his insight into his (perhaps radical to some) recommendation to accept children, exactly as they are. 

After you watch or listen, I would love to hear how that resonated with you!

Warning- I did have to cut out a few minutes of the episode because of some sound issues, but we immediately wound up summarizing what he had just said right after that.

Watch the interview at www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0138

Check out Peter's website: https://autism-advantage.com/about-the-autism-advantage.html 

I have often seen people post something like, “I’m learning so much more homeschooling my kids than I EVER did in public school!”

While this is GREAT!  It doesn’t actually mean what they think it means. 

There is a valuable lesson here, and one that SHOULD NOT be missed!

When we’re educating our kiddos, we need to keep in mind the truth about how all kids learn best.

There are a million ways to… (not going to finish this the usual way because that just disturbs me!)

I sometimes roll my eyes when I see Facebook posts asking for a particular recommendation without many specifics.  

What someone else finds successful is SO often not what you will find successful!

When it comes to teaching a particular skill, it can be taught SO many different ways.  For example, I have taught multiplication to probably hundreds of kids at this point and I’ve taught it a lot of different ways.  And different ways of teaching it work better for different kids.

In this week’s podcast, we discuss why we need to be open to a variety of strategies for teaching our kids because what worked for us or our friend’s kid might not work for our kid!

Check out the video and transcript at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0136

And then let me know- What were your takeaways?

I have a bit of a pet peeve (or several, if we’re being honest)... I get rather tired of posts on Facebook saying that they will absolutely not use “Common Core” and they want a recommendation on a curriculum that doesn’t use Common Core. As you may recall from my previous episode on Common Core, there’s not much to really be against, if you really dig into it. Check out that episode (episode 5) to learn more about what Common Core is and what it isn’t and why I think it’s a good thing, overall. (Though not perfect, of course!) This week, I’m talking about Common Core again, this time with some examples of what actual Common Core curriculum looks like and why you might not be able to tell it apart from other math curriculums. We’re talking about “Old Math” v. “New Math” and what the problem around math instruction REALLY is!

Watch, Read, or Listen! Join the fun and read the transcript at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0135

How many times have you had the experience of going from “I would never!” to considering it, or actually doing it? I once thought that I would probably never homeschool! Now I’m a huge advocate of homeschooling (but I also still strongly support public schools). When I first heard about unschooling, though, I thought, “I would never!” and now I find myself constantly considering it. If you’re not familiar with the term “unschooling”, it’s essentially about not having a set curriculum or schedule and all about letting your child learn whatever they want to learn, when and how they want to learn it. Different families do it in different ways, but the kids have the reins on their own education. But I had some doubts and wondered- is it a good fit for kids with disabilities? I came across Talia Tallman who runs the Facebook Group: Unschooling Disabled Learners and I knew I just had to interview her to hear her insights. Watch the video and read the transcript and get in the know at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0134

When a toddler is first learning to stack blocks, what do they always do? One block on top of another, as high as it can go, right? And then it falls over. As they get older, they start to realize that if they build a larger base, they can get a taller and more stable tower. In this week’s podcast episode, I go deep into how to apply this same concept to your child’s education. Sometimes, we get so focused on our child’s progress, we push them further and further along, going as fast as possible to the next milestone, and we leave gaps in their foundation. We need to constantly be checking for gaps and not be afraid to backstep in order to build up that foundation to then move forward once again.

Watch the video, read the transcript, and join the fun at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0133