SISIUTL Center for Learning

Dyslexia and High School

2008-06-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

From my Seattle PI Reader Blog, Learning Connections: Insights on ADHD/LD

Seemingly "simple" tasks of everyday high school classes create a daunting minefield for a student who lives with a dyslexic learning profile.

Last week I visited a local high school to observe a freshman. Even though the end of school is near, I wanted to see first-hand how the teachers were implementing accommodations and modifications for his severe dyslexia.

Before school began in the fall, I had met with this student twice a week to build his reading, writing and study skills. He began the year rating school as a "-1" on a one-to-ten scale. By mid-winter, he had moved his self-assessment of school to a "10." Since then he had become increasingly discouraged. Finally I realized that I better get a first-hand look at what was going on in his classes.

So, his teacher kindly let me sit in the back of the class. I spent the hour noting the tasks that he was asked to complete along with the other students in his literature class.

First Task---
Copy the definition of a vocabulary word from the overhead.
This task is very difficult for him to do, especially in the time allowed.

Having severe dyslexia means that he has trouble making accurate and automatic memories for print. Spelling words requires an accurate memory. Even copying from the board is tedious, slow, and oftentimes, not very accurate. At this point, probably a real waste of time.

Alternate ideas:
Students could scan the board with their cell phones using ScanR
Or the teacher could have text available online so students could use various software, for instance CLiCk,Speak for text-to-speech support. Helpful, as students could access the vocabulary words at home or at school on their computers.

Second Task---
Note the date of the upcoming vocabulary test.
Again, this went by too fast for him to write down.

Dyslexia is a language-based disability. For many students, processing language is slow. For instance, when I was traveling in Germany, I had a moment in the train station when I heard an announcement with my ears---and, after a long pause, my brain translated the meaning. If you are sitting in class trying to listen to the teacher, but your language is being processed slower than your ears take in the sound--watch out! Students zone out just from the fatigue of trying to "translate" meaning and keep up!

Alternate ideas:
The teacher could post assignments on Google Calendar and have reminders sent to students' cell phones automatically. Also, calendars can be set up so parents can check assignments, too. At this point, many of his assignments were illegible when he brought his written notes home.

Third Task---
Read a paragraph aloud from the overhead.
The teacher good-naturedly asked him if the print was "too small" or if he could read the paragraph aloud, seeming to include him with the other students who read aloud.

I have to admit, I was pretty surprised by this one! Most students who read well below grade level will not even attempt to read a passage aloud in front of their peers. When you read to yourself, you can skip over big words, or unfamiliar names--words don't have to be pronounced correctly to get the meaning.

The student quickly agreed that the print was still "too small" to see; however, I knew this as an excuse. The teacher called on students around the room to read aloud, and meant to be inclusive.

Alternate Idea
Don't do it! Let students volunteer to read aloud.

Are you tired out yet? Already, this student has barriers to accessing the curriculum akin to walking a minefield - and this only in the first 15 minutes of class! Read Part Two

Trouble with Organization?

2008-05-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

Do you have trouble managing your day to day tasks? Here's something to try!

Check out Jott, a free software program that converts your voice into text. You can send voice messages from your cell phone to e-mails, lists, calendars, other people.

Or, using Google Calender, you can send reminder messages to your cell phone, or to your co-worker, child, friend, students cell phones!

Thanks to Ira Socol for the tips on technology. BTW If you are taking algebra or other math courses, or use a graphing calculator on the job, check out the on-screen graphing calculator Graph-Calc.

Learning Connections: Insights on ADHD-LD

2008-05-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

Join the conversation on LD and ADHD. Check out my new Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reader Blog Learning Connections: Insights on ADHD/LD

What's up in the field of education and learning? I will post interviews with innovators from education, science, learning disabilities, ADHD, and technology. The focus will be on how to create successful environments for all learners.

Busting the Myth of Normal

2008-05-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

I have been working with students who struggle in the traditional classroom setting for about fifteen years.

I started working with high school students who were served by Special Education Services--which mostly meant me. I traveled to different classrooms with the students. My job was to get students to connect to the class, help them if they didn't understand, cajole, encourage, remind... yet, many of them continued to fail.

During my second year working at the high school, feeling like I was failing the students as they continued to fail classes, I attended a free workshop on ADD. One of the guest speakers, Judy Schwarz, described teaching adult non-readers to read---in short, helping all ages of students master all sorts of learning tasks--reading, writing, math, organization, time management, etc. Hearing Judy's stories captured my attention. Wait, I didn't see learning happening like this!

So, I began my training in educational therapy at Another Door to Learning in Tacoma with Judy and her staff. First, I learned to do "Assessments" for different learning profiles. What strengths does this person have? What processing pieces work well--auditory, visual, motor, language, tactile, etc? How does this person make sense of the world? All of a sudden, a whole world of learning diversity opened up around me.

Then, I learned how to design and deliver individualized, direct instruction using some typical and non-typical methods, along with lots of multi-sensory activities to tie the learning together. All of a sudden, the process of learning opened up for my students! They began being successful, and could build on their successes. Failure could return to its rightful place as an exploratory step in learning, not an individual label of "stupid."

Basically I was trained in using a "medical model" of learning. Something is wrong, here’s what it is, and here’s how to fix it. This moved us away from interpreting learning disabilities as just “laziness” or “moral ineptitude” on the part of the student, and many times, the parent. Yet, over the years, as I have watched individuals develop their skills, and make substantial progress toward their learning goals, I have changed my idea of the "normal" in learning. Normal is different! There is no normal!

We all have areas in which we process more easily. Some like to listen, some like to move, some like to build, some like to daydream, some like to draw, some like to talk, some only hear music... As a culture, we enjoy the fruits of learning diversity, but as an educational system, we've missed the orchard.

What if we don't have to "label" students any more to provide "services." What if we were curious about how many different ways each of us makes sense of the world around us? What if we focus on each person's unique set of strengths, while providing all sorts of avenues for their success in areas that are more difficult? What if we spent the energy we expend writing up Individualized Education Plans (IEP's) just helping all students be successful in their learning process?

Intelligences can be developed. I know this on a profound level from years of facilitating learning with struggling students. Language-based learning disabilities, the bulk of learning difficulties, can be ameliorated with universal design technologies such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech software. Classrooms no longer need to pose barriers for students who struggle with reading or writing. What are we waiting for?

Here is the first part of a presentation I gave at the local high school at the end of April. Still working on the technology!

Using AT for Educational Access!

2008-05-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever used a mobile phone's word prediction for typing in-school answers? Or think about the advantages of wearing a baseball cap to help focus attention and block out the flickering from fluorescent lights? Did you know that Firefox Browser v2 works with CLiCk, Speak, for free text to speech---reading text to you?

Check out Ira Socol's thought provoking blog, SpeEdChange. Lots of useful information on how to use technology to open access to traditionally printed materials and paper/pencil tasks. Many solutions are FREE.

Ira writes powerfully from his experiences with the education system. A Special Education Technology Scholar at Michigan State University, Ira presents workshops on how to create access to classroom materials and every school, parent, and student needs to read his article, "Toolbelt for the Lifespan: Learning How to Learn Assistive Technology."

You can't really claim to be educating all of your students if academic (and school life) materials are not all accessible. So write your plan down, and get yourself started. - Ira Socol

An author, Ira has two published books of fiction. His recent book, The Drool Room, is written from the point of view of a young man who doesn't mesh with the school system. The story is painfully personal, yet familiar for youth and adults with LD.

Check out LD Live!

2008-05-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

Since January, SISIUTL is sponsoring a weekly online radio call-in show LD Live! Connecting Innovators, Ideas and Individuals within the field of Education and Learning Disabilities.

Join me, your host, Melinda Pongrey, for our live broadcasts on Friday mornings at 9 am PST as we speak with special guests from around the country and the world. Bring your questions and concerns for our guests.

Today I spoke with Maria Kelley, OTR/L from the Washington Assistive Technology Act Program. Maria explained how WATAP and partner programs promote access to assitive technology AT for individuals with disabilities across Washington State. Also, check the WATAP website for the upcoming training in June at the University of Washington.

Last week, I spoke with author, speaker, director of Project Eye to Eye Jonathan Mooney. Jonathan reaches into his past experiences growing up as a student with labels of dyslexia and ADHD and tells it like it is! He shows us the gifts inherent in re-framing LD as part of a continuum of learning diversity. Challenging the concept of "normalcy," Jon lays out LD/ADHD as a civil rights issue, pushing us away from our present special education model toward reforming our whole educational system.

onathan says, "Disability and normalcy are ideas we create as a culture and society and something we can transform."

Check out the podcasts of our previous shows, too. You can download to your favorite mp3 player. Let me know what you think. Who would you like to talk to?

The Gifts of ADHD

2008-04-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. Ned Hallowell and Dr. Kenny Handelman's "Unwrapping the Gift of ADD" series, is in the fourth evening tonight, 5 - 6 PM PST. You can listen in tonight and next Monday through Thursday evenings through your computer for free. After next week the shows are only available for a fee.

So far, the conversations have proved interesting. Very positive look at the benefits and gifts that can accompany ADHD, especially as one learns to use them. Good info for parents and teachers working to nurture children.

For instance, to quote Dr. Hallowell "Creativity is impulsivity gone RIGHT!"

Unwrapping The Gift Of ADD

2008-04-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

Part 1: Dr. Kenny Handelman flies down to visit Dr. Edward Hallowell in 'The Hallowell Center' in Sudbury, MA. They discuss Unwrapping The Gift of ADD, a free teleseminar series that features "8 of the TOP EXPERTS in the field of ADD.

The Unwrapping The Gift Of ADD website went live today at 12 pm EDT, 9 am PST! Check it out and download a free copy of Find the Genius in ADD - Moving beyond the moral and medical models of ADD to a Strength-Based Diagnosis!

Part 2: Dr. Kenny Handelman flies down to visit Dr. Edward Hallowell in 'The Hallowell Center' in Sudbury, MA.

Yes, children with ADD/ADHD may require more effort to get out the door in the morning with all needed items intact, and may require more innovative and energetic educational opportunities! But the Dr.'s note that with impulsivity can come "thinking and acting outside the box" which can lead to innovation. They note creativity is often wrapped together with ADD! Inspirational and helpful information for parents, adults with ADHD, teachers, counselors, therapists, doctors...!

Claymation on Learning to Read!

2008-04-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

Check out the videos from Lab School in Washington and others! Re: on learning to read and other dilemmas! On LD Online....Reading Rocks: From Zero to Hero!

Project Eye To Eye

2008-04-11T09:48:00.001-07:00

Check out this innovative mentoring program! Project Eye to Eye links adults who have LD/ADHD with students who have LD/ADHD. Listen to a conversation with Co-founder and Executive Director, David Flink, on LD Live!

Combining mentoring, advocacy, art, parent support, and professional development for teachers, Project Eye to Eye tells it like it is! and empowers participants to drop the deficit model of LD and embrace the empowerment model of living with LD and ADHD.Project Eye to Eye Video

Effective Advocacy!

2008-04-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

Check out this excellent LD Online article by Rick Lavoie on keeping your focus on the student's needs. While written for special education teachers, his tips are good for everyone advocating for children in the schools.

Fighting the Good Fight: How to Advocate for Your Students Without Losing Your Job

Read How You Want

2008-04-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

Read How You Want Founder Christopher Stephen has degrees in Mathematics, Physics, Economics and Law from the University of Sydney. Starting as an interest in finding ways to help his sister continue to enjoy reading as the effects of her multiple sclerosis progressed, Read How You Want has developed into a unique company that offers the capability to print documents and books in all kinds of individualized formats, including large and atypical print formats, braille, audio and e-books.

Listen to an interview with Melinda on LD Live!

New Audio Tool! Odiogo Listen Button

2008-04-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

Cool new tool! Just click on the Odiogo Web 2.0 "Listen Button'" on each blog entry to hear the post read aloud!

The free service can be added to a variety of blogs. What a cool tool for teachers who use blogs for posting work for students. Now, every post can have the added support of audio in addition to the printed text!

Be sure to let me know how this works for you!

Assistive Technology for Learning

2008-03-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

Maria Kelley, OTR/L Assistive Technology Specialist from WATAP demonstrates Clicker5 for Ryan while Jacob enjoys Dragon Naturally Speaking!

Maria will return to SISIUTL Friday April 25th, 2008 to meet individually with you to demonstrate available assistive technologies that might be helpful. Hear Jacob after using Dragon Naturally Speaking to "write" on the computer!

Call 379-1223 to book your hour appointment for Friday April 25th, 2008 --limited space!
WATAP ---Washington Assistive Technology Act Program--serves Washington residents of all ages with disabilities of all types, their families, employers, and employment service providers, educators, health care and social service providers, and others seeking information about assistive technology (AT) and assessible information technology.

Thank you to Jefferson County Literacy Council jefflitco@aol.com
for sponsoring Maria's presentation on November 1, 2007
What? Why? Assistive Technology for Learning!

Balametrics: Learning Breakthrough Program

2008-03-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

In the early 1960’s, Dr. Frank Belgau, working in the classroom with children with reading problems, began carefully experimenting to see if he could find activities that made an immediate observable improvement in the children’s reading and academic performance. The procedure was simple and straight forward - the children read a passage orally, they did ten to fifteen minutes of motor skill sensory integration activity, and then read a different passage from the same story. He listened to and compared the two reading samples. He also asked the students to report any differences they observed themselves. He found activities that made a difference in reading and in vision.

In the above video, Dr. Belgau explains the basic principles in his Balametrics program.

Melinda asks Dr. Belgau to explain the principles of his balance board.

Delinquency or Disability?

2008-03-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

This week on LD Live! I spoke with Ron Hume, Exec Director NCO Youth and Family Services, and chair of the LDA Committee on Justice about the high prevalence of ADHD and LD in youth who meet up with the juvenile justice system. While some parents are finding that the NCLB measures are insuring a higher level of education for their children with disabilities, (Washington Post article) we still have a long way to go in meeting the needs of students with learning difficulties.

Benna Golubtchik, Senior Faculty Advisor Teachers Network, posts several ideas for creating more multi-sensory classrooms, and she tells students not to ask how smart they are, but ask, "How am I smart?" Watch video! How are you smart?

LDA Interview: Mobility International and Show Updates

2008-03-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

powered by ODEO
I spoke with Melissa Mitchell last week at the LDA National Conference - she had a booth representing Mobility International- FYI - thought it sounded quite interesting - they had a youth summer leadership camp in Costa Rica this summer for students ates 18 - 24 I think - For all types of folks with all types of disabilities or who know someone well with a disability - so, sibling, close friend, etc -

FYI - I will be LIVE on air tomorrow morning - Wed, March 5 - at 9 am PST - at 9:00 interviewing Deborah Meier, leader in the field of education, author of several books,--and one of a host of presenters at the Teaching and Learning Celebration which runs this Friday and Saturday in NY, NY

Then at 9:30 (PST) , I'll be interviewing the VP of WNET, Ronald Thorpe - channel 13 public TV New York - to discuss their upcoming Teaching and Learning Celebration which begins Friday in NY NY - !! So, if you have questions or ideas for these guests, be sure to listen or chat in! Show will re-run Friday morning at 9 am (PST)

You can always listen to saved shows, as podcasts, and sign up for notices of upcoming shows, through the link on the sidebar at LD Live!

Melinda

PT's Pongrey produces live broadcast of learning disabilities conference

2008-02-26T08:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Port Townsend's Melinda Pongrey, individuals worldwide will have the opportunity to listen and participate in live informational broadcasts for the first time from the 45th Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) International Conference, Feb. 27-March 1 in Chicago.

During the LDA conference, Pongrey, of the Sisiutl Center for Learning, will produce a daily online talk show titled LD Live! from her downtown office on Taylor Street. The web broadcasts are through the LDA website, www.ldaamerica.org.

Over the past two weeks, Pongrey has interviewed conference organizers, association board members, and experts in the field of learning disabilities. Three hours of live show recordings are now published as podcasts on her blog LD Live! at http://ldlive.blogspot.com.

Read More

Click here to read the press release the above story was written.

Live with Whitney Hoffman!

2008-02-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

powered by ODEO

Our guest this week is Whitney Hoffman, creator of LD Podcast, a free weekly podcast for parents about learning and learning disabilities! Whitney, a parent of two children with learning differences, has been podcasting for two years, talking to authors, parents, experts...creating a community of support and information for parenting children who struggle with learning.

When Whitney travels, she uses Utterz to mobilecast reports.

LIVE with Domenic Greco, Ph.D.

2008-02-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

Click To Play February 8th Interview

Domenic Greco, Ph.D., CEO Smart Brain Games, has been in the business of delivering Biofeedback services, both peripheral and EEG NeuroTherapy since 1982. He has successfully developed and operated treatment centers specializing in Biofeedback for stress related disorders, and EEG NeuroTherapy for ADHD on both the East and West coasts. Dr. Greco is an innovator in the ADHD field and has operated some of the largest ADHD, EEG NeuroTherapy centers in the country. He has lectured nationally and appeared before NIMH as an expert in EEG NeuroTherapy. Read More

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Live with Daniel Amen, MD

2008-01-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

powered by ODEO
Update February 1: The interview with Dr. Daniel Amen

Dr. Amen is a leader and innovator in the field of psychiatry who has helped to pioneer the use of SPECT imaging to diagnose and treat ADHD and other brain disorders.

With 25 years of clinical experience, Dr. Amen is an outspoken proponent of how to keep brains healthy. He has appeared on multiple television shows, including PBS Special, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life. He is the author of many books, including his most recent, Sex on the Brain: 12 Lessons to Enhance Your Love Life (Jan 2008)

Photo: A Healthy Brain Scan

Article: Healing The Hardware Of The Soul Nine Principles of the Amen Clinic

Live with Francinne Lawrence!

2008-01-18T16:07:00.001-08:00

Click To Play

Interview with Francinne Lawrence,
new Executive Director for
ADDResources

Read Francinne's bio!

Live with Cyd Imel

2008-01-11T10:50:00.000-08:00

Click To Play

PODCAST: Interview with Cyd Imel, Executive Director of the Learning Disabilities Association of Washington -Cyd is a leader in the field of learning disabilities, social justice, and social skills/life training!

On Monday, January 14th at 1:00 Cyd talked with me about the work of LDA of WA as well as her experience of living with dyslexia and ADHD. READ her bio!

Press Release

Deciphering Differences

2007-12-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

Sequim Gazette Wednesday, May 14, 2003
By Betty Oppenheimer
Sequim Gazette Staff Writer

Education therapist Melinda Pongrey helps people of all ages figure out how to learn. Focusing on clients who have been struggling with learning, Pongrey works to understand how their brains process information, using the body's auditory, visual, motor, tactile, spatial and language systems. Read More

Using Dyslexia to Advantage

2007-12-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

BUSINESS | December 6, 2007
Tracing Business Acumen to Dyslexia
By BRENT BOWERS
A study concluded that dyslexics were more likely than nondyslexics to excel in oral communication and problem solving and to own two or more businesses.

Dyslexia-Overcoming day-to-day challenge of living with learning disability

2007-12-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

Learning Difficulties Awareness

2007-11-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

Famous people with learning difficulties

What Are Learning Disabilities?

2007-11-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

A short animation about Learning Disabilities (LD).

Dyslexic Me( poem)

2007-11-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

About This Video
I was diagnosed with a "learning disability" as a young child. However before that my parents were told I was mentally handicapped and that I would never make it pass the 8th grade. I did make it pass the 8th grade. In fact, I graduated high school at the age of 20 and went on to graduate from College with a degree in Special Education.

OUTPUT FAILURE: The Myth of Laziness

2007-11-05T12:52:00.000-08:00

Back to School: Support Your Child's Learning

2007-11-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

What can you do?
Students with learning disabilities/differences typically begin the school year with a bang, yet somehow, mid-way through the year, find that they are behind and struggling despite every one's hard work. Here are a few tips to make sure your student makes steady progress during the school year. Read More

To Label or Not? The Learning Assessment

2007-11-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

Understandably, many parents are reluctant to have their children identified with a learning disability label. Read More

Peninsula Daily News Article: On The Fast Track

2007-09-19T15:27:00.001-07:00

On the Fast Track: Innovative ways help overcome reading disability

By Jennifer Jackson
Peninsula Daily News April 4, 2005

PORT TOWNSEND---Anthony Short has been on the fast track all his life.

He races hydroplanes as a hobby. He goes "4 bying"---4 by 4 trucking on back roads. He rides motorbikes, and enters and wins mud bog competitions in vehicles he repairs and maintains.

Now 21, he has taken engines apart and put them back together since he was 9 years old.

But in school, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get off the mark in reading. Read More

Binocular Teaming affects READING and Attention

2007-09-11T09:29:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.nytimes.com

Experts estimate that 5 percent of school-age children have convergence insufficiency. They can suffer headaches, dizziness and nausea, which can lead to irritability, low self-esteem and inability to concentrate.

Interesting article---Convergence can be quickly screened using the string and bead test. Convergence most often improves using the Belgau Balance Board activities--Melinda

WHAT IS LEARNING ANYWAY?

2007-09-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Why do physical activities affect reading, writing or attention?

PT Project Won't Quit on Learning Problems

2007-09-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

Advisor Shows how to cope with disabilities over the long run By Philip Watness Peninsula Daily News
January 2000 Port Townsend

Output Failure: The Myth of Laziness

2007-09-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

We naturally understand other individuals from inside our own experiences. From the outside looking in, learning disabilities are difficult to comprehend, especially when you live or work with children or adults who do not perform as you do. For example, failure to produce organized, written work is difficult to understand for those of us who manage to generate written materials. "If only he'd apply himself....If only she'd work a little harder....He just isn't living up to his potential....She can do it, I've seen her do it..." Today, schools are under increased pressure to have students perform. Now, instead of filling in bubbles and blanks, much of performance is measured by constructing written responses. Indeed, the current Washington State Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) requires students to write cogently about their thinking.

In his book, The Myth of Laziness, Mel Levine, M.D. argues that low productivity is almost always a product of a neurodevelopmental bottleneck. So, when writing output is minimal, haphazard, or inconsistently produced, Dr. Levine checks for possible breakdowns in the motor system. He uses a seven step Motor Chain----looking at sports coordination (gross-motor), arts/crafts/repair work (fine-motor), and writing (graphomotor). Using his model, there are 21 possible points of "breakdown" for motor performance!

But the cause of output failure might not lie in the complexities of the motor system. Dr. Levine identifies seven other neurodevelopmental areas where output failure can occur: weak production control, social distractibility, low mental energy, disorganization, language delays, impoverished ideation, and insufficient memory. Of course, an individual might have a combination of the above affecting performance! The first step in understanding output failures, is to examine the individual's performance across different types of motor, attention, and language tasks to determine their unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses. Then, effective remediation and appropriate instruction can be designed so that hard work leads to successful outcomes.

Back to School: Support Your Child's Learning

2007-09-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

Listen and Observe

People learn differently. Understand as much as you can about your child's learning. Naturally, we expect our children to do the things that we can do, well. So, as parents, we are puzzled when our children struggle with tasks that came easily to us. Alternately, sometimes parents were able to "power through" their learning difficulties, and so expect their children to be able to do the same. Many children do, but some cannot.

Learning Disabilities are common, affecting between 20 - 30% of the population. Learning differences reflect unique patterns of strengths and weaknesses. MOST IMPORTANTLY,

Intelligence can be developed and trained with the appropriate tools!

So, the first step to successful learning is to be a careful observer of your child's performance. What activities and skills are improving? Where does "trying harder" only lead to frustration? What does your child tell you? For instance, a student having trouble writing, exclaimed, "I hate it when your pencil gets stuck! All the words I want to say jam up in the pencil point!" I never noticed my pencil getting stuck! Yet, as I thought about his comments, and realized that this student experiences grapho-motor delays in addition to language delays, I realized that his exclamation described this perfectly! Another student asked, "Why are the letters moving around on the page?" I never had letters move on the page, but now I know that this is fairly common among students who have difficulty learning to read.

Get Informed

Learning differences are everywhere! In fact, learning difficulties arise when we are asked to do a task in a way that we cannot! For example, if an individual is gifted spatially, and everything you ask them to do is in two-dimensions (for instance, reading and writing), they may not excel until they can make connections from the 3-D world into the 2-D world of print. Find out all you can about any areas that seem difficult for your child. Do they have fine or gross motor delays? How is their language system? Do they know the meaning of words? Do they express themselves well when speaking? writing? Do they process sounds accurately? Can they interpret what they see accurately--i.e. do letters stay still on the page, or do they frequently reverse letters or words like b's and d's or was and saw? The more you learn about learning, the better observer you become.

Fair does not mean the same route for everyone - Fair means appropriate
and perhaps, different paths for each learner!

Set and Review Goals

Have your child set their learning goals for the new school year. What skills to they want to improve? Reading chapter books? Writing reports? Learning study strategies for tests? Passing algebra? Goals that are personal and set by the child are meaningful to note and post. I like using a 1 - 10 scale, and noting improvement toward a ten for each goal. Check in monthly. How does your child feel they are progressing? Celebrate your progress! When you reach your goals you can set new ones!

Be Your Child's Best Advocate

If you note that your child is not progressing despite their efforts, avoid the "just try harder" myth and search out other ways to approach the task. Discuss your observations and concerns with teachers, use the parenting resource section of the library, and check out info on the net. Consider professional support when you feel that you are not making progress, but "hitting the wall" repeatedly. With the appropriate instruction and tools, students make progress!

Quantity vs Quality

Monitor your child's homework, especially if your child works slowly. Check with teachers to see if doing less work may be appropriate. Sometimes you can agree on a time limit for homework, 15 - 30 minutes in the evening for younger grades, and perhaps 60 - 90 minutes for upper grades. Remember that if a student takes longer to complete work, they are almost always working harder---and have been working harder all day at school. For instance, for math problems, I might pick out 10 out of 30 problems that reflect the learning objective for the day for a student who works slowly.

Another strategy is to ask your child to do the number of problems they feel they can complete within a reasonable amount of time. Let your child increase their goal as they feel empowered. Feeling like you can complete the task successfully is important!

Success motivates!

Accommodations and Assistive Technologies

In addition to providing appropriate accommodations, students need instruction and practice in how and when to use specific learning strategies and assistive technology. For example, books on tape are wonderful tools to develop fluency, ease reading fatigue, and provide multi-sensory input when the student reads the book while listening to the tape. Being able to adjust the speed is important, as well as learning to stop the tape and note the important information in a given section.

Be a scribe for a student who has trouble producing written work. Part of writing is learning to develop one's expressive language. Student's language development can suffer when they are not able to produce the quantity or types of print expected. Add voice recognition software so students can begin to "write" independently and gain experience manipulating written language.

CHERISH UNIQUENESS!

Look for the gifts in learning differently! The more I work with students and learning, the more I appreciate individual complexity. We can learn from each other. Each of us is unique in how we makes sense of the world around us!

Don Winkler uses his thinking outside the box to lead corporations. Read his story at www.CyberWink.com

Don't Miss Out on Strategies!

2007-09-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

Strategies for Success is an invaluable introductory course that puts the tools of Educational Therapy into your hands! Useful for:

Parents trying to understand their child's learning
Teachers trying to understand how to differentiate instruction effectively
Home school parents working to keep learning fun
Tutors or professionals working with children with learning struggles

The Learning Channel

2007-09-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

PT Project Won't Quit on Learning Problems

2007-09-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Advisor Shows how to cope with disabilities over the long run By Philip Watness Peninsula Daily News
January 2000 Port Townsend

Letters have a life of their own when Shelley Wolff looks at them. "P's become q's because Wollf has dyslexia. Shana Cannavaro learns from images rather than words on a page. Both women have learning disabilities and both of them somehow got through Port Townsend High School.

They have since learned that they can compensate for their learning limitations. Wolff, Cannavaro and two other individuals will share their experience as part of "Success Stories: Living with Learning Disabilities<' from 3:30 - 5 pm at The Upstage Restaurant, 903 Washington St.

The two women and John Vass of Port Angeles and Melody Haugen of Chimacum are clients of SISIUTL: New Paradigms in Learning, operated by Melinda Pongrey of Port Townsend, who counsels people with learning disabilities.

Wolff, 25, said she felt depressed a year ago because her dyslexia barred her from studying to be a veterinarian. She sought out Pongrey and discovered that she could overcome the disability. She also had to overcome self-esteem issues after years in a school system which failed to help her, even after the dyslexia was discovered.

"I told one teacher the letters were switching back and forth and she just told me to make them turn back," Wolff said. "It wasn't until my sophomore year that I was tested and they figured out I had dyslexia, but the problem was they had no clue how to deal with it. Nobody taught me how to go through the problem."

Cannavaro, 22, also experienced learning problems throughout high school, though she got into the Mar Vista Alternative High School as a junior where she received more individualized attention. But she still needed effective learning tools when she began attending Peninsula College.

"I learn in a totally different way than most people," Cannavaro said. "I learn really well doing hand's on work. I also have to put things in my own words to really understand something."

Pongrey said many people have similar experiences as Wolff and Cannavaro but won't seek help because they either don't know help is available or they have been shamed into not revealing their disability.

"I talked with a lady who had taught herself to read in her 20's" Pongrey said. "When I told her she was working 100 times more than others (to learn to read) she said thank you and began crying. She had been told she was lazy or not trying hard enough. I've never worked that hard at anything!"

Wolff begins study at Peninsula College this week and she feels confident she will earn an associate in arts degree. She hopes to go on to Washington State University and enter its veterinarian technician program.

Cannavaro said she hopes people who come to the talk Saturday will come away with a better understanding of learning disabilities and the reassurance that they're not alone.

"There are tons of kids I'm sure who have learning disabilities and the school district isn't taking the time and taking the care of their needs," Cannavaro said. "It's going to create a problem for them later in their life."

Wolff also hoped people would learn about the tools available to them to overcome learning disabilities.

The talk at the Upstage is free. For more information about Pongrey and SISIUTL, call her at 379-1223.

Why? What? Assistive Technology for Learning!

2007-08-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

What? Why? Assistive Technology for Learning!
ATTENTION! Parents-Teachers-Social Service Providers-Students of all ages!

FREE Presentation!
Sponsored by the Jefferson County Literacy Council

DATE: Nov 1, 2007 Thursday evening
TIME: 6:30 - 8:30 PM
PLACE: Jeff Co Library Pt Hadlock

LEARN
Learn how assistive technologies---voice recognition software, etc.---are used as effective learning tools by people with all kinds and levels of learning challenges to improve reading/writing/computer literacy.

Learn about WATAP--Washington Assistive Technology Act Program. WATAP serves Washington residents of all ages with disabilities of all types, their families, employers, and employment service providers, educators, health care and social service providers, and others seeking information about assistive technology (AT) and assessible information technology.

Melinda Pongrey, MSEd will present an introduction of learning disabilities and how multi-sensory input supports learning and the learning process.

Maria Kelley, OTR/L Assistive Technology Specialist will present an overview of AT software and programs useful for individuals with learning disabilities. She will explain WATAP and related services.

Find out how WATAP, a non-profit organization, partners with other agencies to help people with disabilities learn about, try-out, compare, borrow and/or acquire Assistive Technology that can support educational, employment and independent living skills.

Deciphering Differences

2007-08-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

Sequim Gazette Wednesday, May 14, 2003

By Betty Oppenheimer
Sequim Gazette Staff Writer

Education therapist Melinda Pongrey helps people of all ages figure out how to learn.

Focusing on clients who have been struggling with learning, Pongrey works to understand how their brains process information, using the body's auditory, visual, motor, tactile, spatial and language systems. She then creates exercises and tools to help them catch up on reading, writing, math, social skills, time management or whatever areas are problematic in their lives.

"People with learning differences are not lazy or abnormal," she said. "They have different wiring, which can distract them. I work to help the person and those around them understand those differences, and learn to function with them."

As a way to comprehend how learning differences might be distracting and discouraging, she suggests trying to draw or write while looking at the pencil and paper in the mirror. Most of us cannot do it.

"Amazing things can happen when people are given the tools they need to learn," she said.

Ary's Story
Ary Webb, now 12, went to public school until third-grade, when he just didn't seem to be progressing like the other students. His mother, Kerry, began to home school him, but she didn't have much luck teaching him reading and writing, either.

"At a program at Olympic Peninsula Academy, I met Melinda Pongrey, who talked about different ways of learning...Her methods have become the main core of our home schooling, " she said of teaching sons Ary and younger brother, Corbin.

Pongrey spent time "playing games" with Ary, and in the process recognized that he comprehends in a more visual way than most. She gave him exercises to help him recognize letters, including flash cards of the identifying features of different letters, which look like hieroglyphics to the average eye, but help dyslexics differentiate between similar letters. He completed dozens of exercises in which he identified similar grouping of letters, so that, according to his mother, "he no longer has to decode each word separately."

Pongrey's literature explains, "Reading includes figuring out how the marks on the page represent sounds and words, then figuring out what those words mean by linking words and sentences to their meaning, and then storing the information in your memory bank by linking the information to something you already know. If you read effortlessly, reading is like balancing when riding your bike--after you learn, the process is automatic and mostly unconscious...If you haven't mastered riding, it requires your full attention and riding is a scary, fatiguing, usually short-lived event."

Pongrey worked to find books on topics that would interest Ary, including sumo wrestling and medieval knights. She taught him to take "picture notes," instead of words.

When he was doing his homework on knights, Kerry was taking notes on cards, and Ary started taking picture notes.

"Then I use my picture notes to type notes into the computer," said Ary, showing a pile of papers with small drawings, some recognizable, some not.

"From my notes, he wasn't able to type the report, bu his own notes made sense to him. I realized that we simply don't think alike," Kerry said.

Kerry said that dyslexia runs in her family. When she noticed the learning problems in Ary, she worried that he, too, would not progress. But since spending eight months with Pongrey, everything has changed.

"I used to put books down without finishing them. But now, I read the whole book," said Ary.

"Now that he has these tools we can really see Ary going to college," said Kerry.

Learning how people learn
Pongrey grew up in Port Angeles, but now lives in Port Townsend. More than a decade ago, she got a job in special education in the Chimacum School District, where she was required to take continuing education classes. As one workshop, she met Judy Schwarz, the author of "Another Door To Learning,: the program where she learned how to assess and teach those with learning differences, including various kinds of dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, language delays, motor-spatial and visual-spatial difficulties.

"I just couldn't stand watching kids who were failing kindergarten," she said, explaining what sparked her to additional training.

Often, she said, people who suffer from a learning problem also experience psychological and/or social ramifications, as their differences impact how they interact in society.

After training in Tacoma with Another Door to Learning, seven years ago Pongrey opened an office for them in Port Townsend. When the Tacoma home office folded, she started her own private practice, called Sisiutl, named after a mythical beast that transforms people's greatest challenges into their greatest gifts. She provides assessment, instruction, workshops, training and consultation to clients of all ages as well as parents and teachers.

Sequim office
After working with Dr. Al Phillips' patients in Sequim, she recognized that having a Sequim office might be helpful to Clallam County clients. She now works three Tuesdays per month in Phillips' Sequim office in the Blue Mountain Professional building on Old Olympic Highway.

Pongrey works with private pay clients, often referred by teachers and therapists, as well as those referred by the state Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.

"She's a gifted teacher and a very non-critical person," said Phillips, a psychiatrist.

Phillips said he has several patients who had a terrible time in school and were convinced that they were not bright and not able to learn.

"She has been able to talk with them, hear information that enables her to develop an approach that they can use for learning," he said, mentioning a student struggling to get through junior high school, who after 10 weeks with Pongrey, was able to work at college level.

"He gained the confidence," said Phillips, stressing that besides learning, the attitude changes are all-important, "to believe he can learn and tackle anything life presents...If teachers could approach teaching in a similar way, we'd have a great deal of improvement in the rate of learning and pleasure in living."

It goes beyond school. Sixty-two percent of students with learning disabilities were unemployed one year after graduation and 31 percent will be arrested within five years out of high school.

"It could be a lot more fun at school for a lot more people if more teachers understood (these assessments and specialized study tools)," said Pongrey. "Even within large categories like dyslexia, each person is different. That's what makes direct instruction so important," she added.

Ary's Letter to the Sequim Gazette

Sequim Gazette,

I am Ary, from "Ary's Story" in the article printed last week on learning differences. I am writing to tell you about how great dyslexics are. These people are good at learning other things besides school. Most of these people had a hard time with school but turned out to be famous dyslexics. Bill Cosby, John F. Kennedy, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Cher, Thomas Edison, Mozart, Tom Cruise, Robin Williams, Nolan Ryan, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, Whoopie Goldberg, and Dustin Hoffman. I think this list is cool, because I am a dyslexic.

Ary Webb
Age 12
Sequim

To Label or Not? The Learning Assessment

2007-08-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

Understandably, many parents are reluctant to have their children identified with a learning disability label. Concerns range from the possibility of stigma, shame, or embarrassment, to not wanting the child to use their learning difference as an excuse not to work hard or achieve to their potential. While no child’s or adult’s unique potential can be encompassed within a learning label, naming a learning difference can be useful when the label leads to increased self-awareness, understanding, appropriate instruction and accommodations.

More than one model may be helpful in describing how a child functions. Since learning differences can affect a wide range of life-skills, understanding why a unique, wonderful, intelligent, and gifted child cannot achieve up to expectations in certain areas, is very healing both for the child and the family. Instead of the child collecting labels of “lazy,” “stupid,” or “space cadet” one can gain an understanding of learning strengths, what gets in the way of those strengths and how to use strengths to meet challenges. Labels describing a person's experience then become a tool for building confidence.

Assessments are tools for self-understanding, healing and empowerment---Mel Levine, M.D. uses the term, "demystification" to describe how a learning assessment works. By carefully observing at how an individual processes different types of information and approaches different tasks, a picture of how different areas are developing emerges. From this individual learning profile, appropriate direct instruction and accommodations can be developed.

Carefully designed, individual direct instruction builds more efficient neural pathways and connections as well as builds specific skills. Individuals try new methods to approach difficult tasks, and in the process, personalize strategies that work for them. Additionally, Instruction in how and when to use appropriate accommodations and assistive technologies builds independence and success.

Dyslexia and High School

2007-06-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

Whew! Halfway through the fifty minute class and already, I could see the difficulty of really understanding what having "severe dyslexia" means for a student in our educational system. See Dyslexia and High School, Part One

Being inside a learning difference or disability can feel so invisible. Imagine that you have to go through your day walking across a tightrope. Imagine that no one, including yourself, can see that you are always walking on a tightrope. So everyone treats you as if you can walk without any special considerations. You keep trying to keep up, and can't figure out how everyone else seems to zoom ahead of you all the time. Teachers tell you to "try harder!" and then assign extra laps for you as an "incentive" when you are too slow! You get so tired, when others seem to expend any effort...
Seemingly "simple" tasks, like copying a definition from the board, or writing down a question dictated by the teacher, become Herculean challenges!
Back to the class - - - I sit in the back of the literature class and note the remaining activities and the tasks that the teacher assigns. The student I am shadowing has a very high IQ, most likely one of the highest in the class. Yet, having a dyslexic learning profile affects his ability to use language efficiently. Everything language computes slower. Reading and writing are labored, inaccurate and so slow that he frequently loses his train of thought. Seemingly "simple" tasks, like copying a definition from the board, or writing down a question dictated by the teacher, become Herculean challenges!

Fourth Task---
Read "To Kill A Mockingbird silently for 15 minutes.
This student has documented difficulty reading!

From my work with this student, I know that this is a waste of time. He will have to go home and listen to an audio tape, or use reading software on his computer at home so that he can read with audio and visual support. Probably, his parents will read the book aloud to him. In class, he sits with his book open, appearing to read, yet I know that this is difficult and inaccurate at best.

Dyslexia used to be known at "word-blindness" which is not completely accurate, but might be a helpful concept when thinking about assigning reading to students who have trouble reading print. You wouldn't ask a blind student to sit and read a book for fifteen minutes! You would provide a different format for the book - audio or braille.

Alternate ideas:
The teacher, knowing that the class is behind on their reading, and nearing the end of school, is trying to be helpful. Interestingly, quite a few students don't pick up their books, but sit doing other things for fifteen minutes. I suspect many others in the class would benefit from using various types of software support to "read" the text.

I note that many students have iPods and cell phones. My guess is that because this class is the "rowdy" class, many of the students may not read easily. Perhaps the text could be accessible in various formats so that students could pick how they "read" best. Some might like to listen to a recorded book, usually read by an actor, in mp3 format on the iPods. Some might like to read along with audio and visual support, for instance using WYNN Reader. Of course, some like reading books the traditional way!

Fifth Task---
Listen and write four dictated questions on a piece of notebook paper.
Too much writing, too fast, with difficulty trying to spell words correctly.

Again, back again to the language processing difficulties. Listening requires processing the meaning and being able to focus on what is important---quickly and automatically. Think of how quickly and accurately you process information when learning a second language.

Writing down a dictated sentence requires:
-translating what comes in your ears into printed shapes that make letters
-putting the right letters together to spell words
-funneling the correct information through the end of your pencil.

This is easy if all systems are go! You need:
-an accurate memory for letters and for spelling words
-efficient language processing to sort all the information in your head
-an accurate, automatic fine-motor memory for forming letters and words
-motor-planning skills
-accurately "seeing" and being able to read your writing to edit spelling

Alternate ideas:
Because listening and writing are not accurate and automatic for many students who have dyslexia, the seemingly "simple" task of copying dictated questions is NOT EASY. Processing difficulties could be bypassed by using the traditional format of handing out a paper with the questions printed on it.

Or, more interestingly, the teacher could post the questions on a classroom blog or website for students to access in the class or in the library or the cafe or when at home! Even more engaging, would be to text message the questions to the student's cell phones. Students could text-message the answers back to the teachers e-mail using the free software Jott? Cool? Even cooler is the word prediction support on cell phones, which aids spelling and writing!

Sixth Task---
Listen to class discussion, then handwrite the answers to the dictated questions!
Again, the information is presented in one format---through talking. The student must listen for the main ideas while trying to write down the correct answers--all quickly in a classroom full of distractions.

Okay. The teacher is asking good questions about the story. He has the students write the questions with the answers from the discussion in preparation for a test next week. Many students seem engaged by the "overarching" questions of race and justice in the story.

Alternate ideas:
All of this information could be posted on a blog or webpage so that the material is already written, and available for text-to-speech support. Expanding from the paper-pencil modalities, the teacher could have the students view a movie made from the book. Students could write a play and perform the important events from the book, and/or write a rap about the story. In other words, expand on multiple intelligences using multi-sensory inputs.

By adding free software programs, like Microsoft Reader, or CLick,Speak, a text-to-speech reader for Firefox, Google Docs with Google Docs spell check installed, Jott and ScanR for cell phones, mp3 recordings for iPods, as well as more complex programs, such as WYNN Wizard for more study supports, the classroom becomes more accessible and engaging for all students. Integrating options into the classroom for all students allows all students choices to access information in the way that works best for them. No student had to sit and "pretend" to read.

Live with Francinne Lawrence!

2007-01-23T10:07:00.000-08:00

Francinne Lawrence, MRE, MSW, LICSW is a well–seasoned professional with 25 years experience working with non–profit organizations serving persons with mental illness and their families. While Francinne has worked with charitable agencies and faith–based initiatives on the national, state, and local levels, her involvement with Attention Deficit Disorder Resources is especially gratifying because it allows her to combine her professional work with her personal experiences.

As a parent and former spouse to persons with ADHD, Francinne knows first hand, the challenges that face not only the individual with the diagnosis, but their loved ones. Francinne is an Alumnus of The University of Maryland Graduate School of Social Work and The Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary at Wake Forest, N.C. Francinne has employed her skills as an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University Graduate School of Social Work where she taught non–profit management and group facilitation. An advocate by nature, Francinne has enjoyed her involvement with Federal and State advocacy campaigns affecting mental health systems reform.

Francinne happily resides with her husband in Maple Valley, WA. She is the mother of three spirited and diverse young women who are in college preparing for their own careers. Francinne is an avid swimmer and lover of nature. She enjoys getting together with her daughters for adventures in the wild outdoors and long slow walks with her aged Australian Shepherd.

Cyd Imel, Executive Director of the LDA of WA

2007-01-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

Cyd Imel is the Executive Director of the LDA of Washington. She brings with her experience with ADAWashington issues in the learning disabled community, both as a disabled person and a professional. She has authored three nationally recognized curriculums on social skills development for LD/ADHD adolescent and adults. Cyd has provided training nationally and internationally for 14 years in this field. She works with employers and employees dealing on workplace accommodations.

As an adolescent with an undiagnosed learning disability and attention deficit disorder, Cyd spent time in trouble with school and the law. "It was better to be bad than stupid. This is an uncomfortable world to be in when you have a learning disability and/or attention deficit disorder. It was better for me to get in trouble with my teachers and the law than it was to appear stupid to my peers." Diagnosed at age 35 as dyslexic and having attention deficit disorder, Cyd has successfully completed her education process and is a Certified Criminal Justice Specialist and Registered Counselor. She has worked for the Learning Disabilities Association of since 1987.

Press Release

Strategies for Success: Reaching All Students

2006-09-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS: REACHING ALL STUDENTS

Want to know what do to with your hardest to reach students?

Find out what is getting in the way of reading success!

Improve your assessment strategies!

Know how to target your instruction and add to your tools to reach your struggling students!

Webinar Workshops: Tuesdays 4 - 7 PM PST $180
You will need computer with internet access!

May 20: Performance Clues: Identifying Learning Differences
May 27: Reading/Writing I: Reading Components—Build Fluency
June 3: Reading/Writing II: Building Grammar for Comprehension

Nine OESD Clock Hours Pending for webinar format
Please note with registration if required!
School PO VISA Checks accepted
Register early — Class size limited!

$180 for Nine Hours of Course and Materials:
Fees include workshop materials
Upon receipt of payment packet of materials is mailed to you!
Register early to allow for mailing time.

In this interactive 9-hour training you will:

Identify markers of ADHD, dyslexia & motor and visual spatial planning problems
Increase understanding of the neurological processes of learning
Increase understanding of how learning differences affect classroom performance
Use “learning layers” model to assess student areas of challenges & strengths
Rehearse multi-sensory instructional methods that build fluency & comprehension
Rehearse strategies to increase reading, writing, spelling, and memory performance
Combine effective, fun instructional strategies to meet needs of different learners
Reach more students by creating successful learning environments
Integrate research based strategies into instruction—at home and school!

May 20 Tuesday 4-7 pm PST
Performance Clues: Identifying Learning Differences
Experience learning differences in this interactive, informative workshop.
Learn how dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia are related. Find out how motor or visual spatial delays affect learning and written performance. Parents: Understand how to observe and to support your child’s learning efforts. Teachers: Learn to recognize affected learning layers from student performance so you can differentiate instruction effectively. Choose

instructional routes based on assessment observation so your student moves from success to
success! Rehearse picture notes to build memory for tests, vocabulary & comprehension.

May 27 Tuesday 4-7 pm PST
Reading/Writing I: Reading Components—Build Fluency

The second evening adds to the first. Learn to spot the five necessary components
of reading from your student performance. Match instructional strategies to build reading
components. Learn to make letters stay on the page with no reversals. Have fun practicing hand's-on multi-sensory methods that dramatically improve spelling and reading fluency!

June Tuesday 4-7 pm PST
Reading/Writing II: Building Grammar for Comprehension

The third evening builds on information and your questions from previous two sessions. Practice atypical teaching strategies that are keys to improving reading comprehension and written composition. Rehearse questioning strategies that build cognition across the curriculum. Match learning layers to various instructional needs and plug in your new strategies for your students!

For more information reach Melinda at 360-379-1223

Strategies for Success—Participant Responses:
Strengths of this workshop—

“Tools presented/knowledge of instructor –”
“Melinda’s knowledge & experience with real people”
“Melinda is strongly devoted to all learners succeeding and her strategies are specific, practical, effective.”
“Melinda’s enthusiasm and examples of success – “
“I’m very excited to try the things that we have learned.”
“Engaging, interesting, flexible, relevant information.” “Range of applicability”
“Insight to how people learn —examples of ways to help.”
“Found that we got right into issues related to the students and tools to use.
* Excellent! In such a short time I was hoping to come away with activities to try...Definitely met my expectations.”
“Great strategies to use immediately”
“Lots of refreshing and useful info we don’t get in
“Great material—moved fast—kept interesting —interaction—questions—group participation.”
“Really helped me to understand student’s difficulties in regard to their learning.”
“ Very helpful…”

MAY 2008 Online Webinar Workshops
Register Early! Materials will be mailed to you upon receipt of payment

For more information reach Melinda at 360-379-1223

Make registration checks payable to SISIUTL
Mail registration fee to:
SISIUTL Center for Learning
230 Taylor Street Suite C
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Credit Cards Accepted - Call 360.379.1223 or email mpongrey@gmail.com
Please note if you require OESD Clock Hours for class
Include your e-mail address: class packets e-mailed before each class.
Include your correct street mailing address - packet of materials will be mailed upon receipt of payment

WHAT IS LEARNING ANYWAY?

2006-09-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

Why do physical activities affect reading, writing or attention?

The June 2003 Volume 24, Number 6 issue of Discover magazine includes an interesting article outlining neuroscientist Paul Back-y-Rita’s current research into the plasticity of our senses. His thesis is that our brain is so adaptable that any of the five senses can be rewired. By placing a copper electrode on a subject’s tongue, and sending electrical information in place of visual information, blindfolded subjects can catch balls or pick up objects 9 out of 10 times! Sensory information on the tongue is used by the brain to “see.”

Young children explore the world by manipulating objects and taste-testing them. But if you pick up a piece of paper and put it in your mouth, you can’t get much sensory information from the print. Dyslexics tend to have difficulty translating 3-D objects to 2-D representations or visa-versa. By making tactile memories from feeling 3-D alphabet letters, dyslexic learners create more accurate visual memories for letters and words! Reading and writing fatigue decrease, decoding and fluency increase!

Sandy Roberts teaches kids to juggle, beginning with scarves, using lots of bilateral movements to increase eye-hand coordination. Fifth-grade teacher, Sara Murto, asked for her help when she found she had a classroom full of kinesthetic learners. Sandy helped Sara for a year, integrating juggling activities into the weekly classroom routine. The students presented a culminating performance with all sorts of juggling and the teachers presented data that showed an above-average improvement in reading and writing scores for the year. Typically, students who began the year behind grade level, ended the year above grade level.

Because we use the same neurons to throw and catch balls that we use to write letters, all sorts of directed physical activities enhance learning processes! Dr. Frank Belgau set out to find activities that produce the most benefits for learning processes. Through careful observation, he developed the Belgau Balance Board and the Learning Breakthrough Program, which take advantage of the integration and fine-tuning of the vestibular or balance system.

The Learning Breakthrough Activity program that Dr. Belgau developed over many years is used successfully in schools and private programs. The program can significantly increase the test scores in any school and does not only improve scores of children with difficulties, but also improves the scores of normal and gifted students. The program’s greatest value is that it develops intelligence and improves lives. Many years of careful observations made it possible to select the most productive and powerful activities and materials for the Learning Breakthrough Activity program.

“Dr. Frank Belgau’s Learning Breakthrough Program was an integral part of a most successful three year education pilot study in Seattle. The results of the program demonstrate its value.

Student IQ scores increased an average of 24 points
Academic scores increased an average of four grade levels in spelling and reading
Behaviors negative to learning were almost totally eliminated
All children in the study knew that now they had the skills to learn and were eager to do their school tasks.”

---Dr. Jerald C. Winger, Cognitive Rehabilitation Specialist, Seattle School District

On the Fast Track; Innovative Ways to Overcome Reading Disability, cont:

2006-04-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

" A lot of people said you need to practice reading and you'll figure it out," Short said. "It didn't work."

Short, who grew up in Port Townsend, has one of the most severe forms of dyslexia.

Adept at finding ways of coping with life without being able to read, he is now learning ways around the roadblocks that prevented him from learning in the first place.

"I was stuck until I came here, " Short said. "It made me realize what to do."

Here is the second floor in the American Bank Building in downtown Port Townsend where Melinda Pongrey moved the SISIUTL Center for Learning from its uptown home last year.

Learning Disabilities

For the past three months, Short has been meeting with Pongrey, who specializes in assessing and helping people with learning disabilities.

After only 30 hours of work, Short is now reading at the seventh-to-eighth-grade level where he was able to read at only the second-grade mark before, Pongrey said.

"Melinda showed me some paths to take," Short said.

"I'm not fluent, but I read a whole lot better. It's really paying off."

It was his employer, Lee Short, who set Anthony on the road to getting help. A distant relative, he knew Anthony could not read when he was hired to work at his business, Lee's Truck Repair on Center Road in Chimacum.

Anthony had the skills, having grown up near Four Corners, where he rescued power weed trimmers from the nearby junkyard.

"I'd take them apart and repair anything I could get my hands on," Anthony said.

But at school, his inability to put letters together into words put him in the special education program at Chimacum schools, where he spent 13 years before graduating in 2002.

Repeatedly told he needed to try harder, he spent several hours after school every day when he was in junior high, working with his grandfather on a phonics program.

That proved fruitless as well as frustrating, he said. But he didn't say no when his employer suggested he try again.

"I'm game. I"ll try anything," Anthony said.

Customer's Suggestion

A customer at the shop suggested contacting Pongrey, who set up an assessment for Anthony in January.

Lee and Bonnie Short paid for the first set of sessions, Anthony said; he's now paying for them himself.

In addition to instruction, Pongrey also introduced Anthony to balance activities developed by Dr. Frank Belgau of Port Angeles, that help people with visual processing, reading, learning efficiency and academic as well as physical performance.

They include balancing on a balance board while tossing bean bags in the air and tracking a pendulum ball with his eyes.

Pongrey has also introduced a program of balance activities, called Balametrics, into Port Townsend and Quilcene school curriculum's.

"It builds neural networks, builds several areas of the brain, including the cerebellum," Pongrey said.

"The cerebellum coordinates motor movements and recently has been shown to effect automatic language responses. With the development of the cerebellum, research shows that the symptoms of dyslexia decrease."

Pongrey also recommended an eye exam.

Dr. Neil Cays, a Sequim optometrist told Anthony that he had a lazy eye, something that is not uncommon with people with dyslexia, Pongrey said.

Now, he has glasses that help his eyes work more efficiently together, she said.

With his new skills, Short, who could only read a little before, is starting to read recipes and menus.

He can also write in cursive, something he's never done before---he wrote "Today is my 21st birthday," on the board last Thursday.

He's still not great at spelling --his brain transposes letters ---but dictates stories about his life to Pongrey that he can read to others.

He's also reading a book on his own.

His favorite is Brilliant Idiot, a biography by Abraham Schmitt, a man who coped with dyslexia in a less-tolerant time--his teachers beat him--but who persevered.

"He got a Ph.D.," Anthony noted.

Anthony also has ambitions--to go to diesel mechanic school and specialize in repairing diesel engines.

It's a goal that up until now has been thwarted by his inability to read the manuals, which use technical terms the average person would have trouble with.

To help, Pongrey has Anthony draw pictures of engine parts and practice matching them with word cards.

"It's been an education for me, too, " Pongrey said.

Determined to continue

Reading is still a lot of work for Anthony, and is easier some days than others, he said. But he keeps on going, determined not to let anything block his way.

"I want to be able to read everything," he said.

"I want to be able to read shop manuals, bank statements, whatever I come across."

"That's what 's keeping me motivated---to be able to read whatever I come across in everyday life."

For more information on learning disabilities and upcoming lectures, workshops and conferences in the Puget Sound area, contact Pongrey at SISIUTL Center for Learning, 360-379-1223.

The International Dyslexia Association website is www.interdys.org, or check out links on the SISIUTL website, www.welovelearning.com.

2006-03-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

EDUCATIONAL THERAPY

Educational Therapy offers children and adults with learning challenges and/or learning disabilities a wide range of intensive, individualized interventions designed to remediate learning problems.

Combining a knowledge of how learning takes place in the brain with knowledge of specialized teaching methods, Educational Therapy demystifies learning problems.

Clients increase awareness of their learning strengths in order to use those strengths to best advantage overcoming or compensating for areas of weakness.

Educational Therapy empowers children and adults with learning challenges to learn and to develop optimally. The mission of SISIUTL is to empower you to —

Learn in a way that works for you!

LIVE with Domenic Greco, Ph.D.

2006-02-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

i-Radio Show: Friday February 8, 9:00am (PST). You can listen to the live show or access the podcast on this blog.

Domenic Greco, Ph.D., CEO Smart Brain Games, has been in the business of delivering Biofeedback services, both peripheral and EEG NeuroTherapy since 1982. He has successfully developed and operated treatment centers specializing in Biofeedback for stress related disorders, and EEG NeuroTherapy for ADHD on both the East and West coasts. Dr. Greco is an innovator in the ADHD field and has operated some of the largest ADHD, EEG NeuroTherapy centers in the country. He has lectured nationally and appeared before NIMH as an expert in EEG NeuroTherapy

Article: ADHD patients play video games as part of treatment (USA TODAY)
Article: Playstation Neurofeedback Hybrid for ADHD Treatment
Mark Dombeck (Mentalhelp.net)

In 2007, Smart Brain Games was awarded the First Annual National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI) Peer Awards for Brightest Idea.

The National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI), funded by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), advances learning opportunities for individuals with disabilities by fostering technology innovation. They seek to broaden and enrich the field by providing resources and promoting partnerships for the development of tools and applications by developers, manufacturers, producers, publishers and researchers.

Dyslexia-Overcoming day-to-day challenge of living with learning disability

2006-01-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

Wednesday Jan 12, 2000
By Janet Huck
Leader Staff Writer

Shelley Wolff, a single mother of two young boys, thought the only job she would be able to get was hanging clothes at a department store. "I wanted more, but I couldn't see how I could get a better job because I could barely write, and working a cash register was out of the question," she said.

But the 25-year-old woman learned to overcome her learning disabilities by working with Port Townsend's Melinda Pongrey, the owner of SISIUTL: New Paradigms in Learning. SISIUTL was names after a mythical beast which transforms people's greatest challenges into their greatest gifts.

Pongrey works with people from age 6 to 60 who have a range of learning differences, from dyslexia to spatial disorders. She provides assessments to establish learning profiles. Then she teaches one-on-one classes that show her clients new strategies to overcome difficulties.

"Just because we have learning difficulties doesn't mean we are dumb," said Shana Cannavaro. "We may be smarter, in fact."

Last Saturday, four of Pongrey's clients gave an informal talk about their achievements after working with Pongrey. The Upstage Restaurant had a full house.

"Many people who don't experience learning disabilities firsthand don't realize the problems exist," Pongrey told the crowd. "But the personal experiences of these four people can open up the world of learning disabilities and give us a peek into the myriad of daily challenges faced by people all around us."

The four speakers said they all recognized their challenges early in life, but they were rarely given help to overcome their disabilities. Wollf said she was having trouble in the second or third grade with reading because the letters were switching back and forth. "I told my teacher at the time, and she told me to flip them the right way," remembered Wolff. "I didn't even question her, but I had no clue what to do. I wished the world could read backwards like me, so it would be easier for me."

Melodie Haugen said she couldn't get the letters to stay still on the page in elementary school. But she was too embarrassed to tell anyone. Cannavaro said she was constantly in tears in fourth grade because no matter how many times someone would explain something, she couldn't grasp it.

And John Vass told how his third-grade teacher took away all his school books for the rest of the year because be couldn't do the work. "It was only January," he said. The teacher would taunt him in front of the other students, giving what, Vass thought, was covert approval for the kids to tease him. "I work every day on trying to forgive her, but sometimes I hope she ended up in teacher's hell," he confessed.

When the schools did try to help, they didn't always help the students overcome the problems. Wollf was in 10th grade when the school finally tested her for dyslexia. "But instead of teaching me how to get beyond my problem, they showed me how to get away with it," she said. "If I couldn't do something, then (instructions) were written to get me out of it."

After graduating from high school, the four found they were still failing. Haugen wanted a better career. When she started at the Port Townsend School of Massage, she found she couldn't pass the required chemistry course. "I was crushed," she said. 'I really wanted to do good."

Instead of giving up, she ended up at SISIUTL. Vass, too, found that SISIUTL was the first thing that helped. "When I found Melinda, it was life-changing moment No. 18," joked Vass.

The four clients had to work hard to learn "coping" skills. If they lost track of the math problems or stories they were reading, they learned to use cues to get them back on track. Wollf used index cards to write detailed notes and pictures to help her remember where she was. She also began using a pink overlay sheet that helps the letters and words jump out oat her instead of dancing all over the page.

Pongrey's instructions worked for these four clients. Wollf, who used to write backwards, found she couldn't do it any more. When she wanted to get her food handlers permit, she worked six months on learning the necessary skills for the test. The test was supposed to take 30 minutes. "I did it in 10 minutes and only got two wrong," said Wollf, who now wants to enroll in community college to get her associate arts degree.

Haugen can read with the letters staying still. "They don't swim around anymore," she said. She is getting A's and B's at the massage school instead of F's. "I keep plugging away," she said proudly.

Cannavaro plans to finish her program at Peninsula College. And Vass will take the last of his GED tests in the next two weeks.

"Nobody else should have to go through what we did," said Vass. "I hope these kind of problems are spotted early, so the kids get the help they deserve. They shouldn't fall through the cracks. I hope they throw out their arms like I did, so they won't fall through the cracks. We aren't the victims; we are the survivors."