Archive for the ‘parenting’ Category

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Help for LD, Dyslexic, ADHD Students with Reading Skills, Writing Skills, and Spelling Skills

July 19th, 2010
Parents want to help their kids improve their skills. That is a given as far as I'm concerned. All parents want the best for their children and when learning reading, writing, or spelling is hard they often don't know where to turn. Parents often spend a small fortune seeking the help they need for their child.  I know what it is like, being a parent as well as a teacher. I can't tell you how many times I've purchased materials that haven't worked. That is what I keep in mind when I design materials to use with my struggling (LD, dyslexic, ADHD, or gifted) students - whether they are in 1st grade, 5th grade, 8th grade, high school, or even adult students. I want to create materials that will work, that will improve their reading skills, writing skills, and spelling skills and be affordable at the same time. It truly is one of my passions. Each reading, writing, and spelling product is developed out of the needs of my students and is tested with them to be sure they work. We look at ease of usage and the results the reading, writing, and spelling materials produce. But, I don't want you to take my word for it. After all, I created the materials, although I am truly inspired when I create them, so I can't take total credit at all! What I would like to do is to share what Donna Morello has to say about our program here - our Awaken the Scholar Within Program where I coach you on how to help your children yourself and provide you with the reading, writing, and spelling materials to do so. Because I walk you through the materials - the program, holding your hand so to speak, they work. You are no longer alone just buying something and hoping it will work. With our Awaken the Scholar Within Program you have the opportunity to ask me your questions twice a week. You have every avenue of support available to you. Do yourself a favor and listen in to hear what Donna Morello and Janet Landerholm have to say. Donna Morello Janet Landerholm Awaken Your Scholar Within Today! Give our international office a call today: 530-888-0351

Posted in ADD/ADHD, children with disabilities, dyslexia, family, homeschooling, LD, parenting, reading, spelling, writing | Comments Off

The 5 Critical Steps You Need to Help Your Child Improve Their Learning Skills

July 15th, 2010
For those of you that missed last Wednesday night's call ... I wanted to pass this along as soon as I could.
Here is the link where you can go to listen to the Mid-Summer Activities to Improve Your Child's Skills Teleseminar.
You will want to listen over the next 3 days as it may not be available after that.
You will hear:
  1. Case Studies
  2. A current client talk about her daughter and how this method has changed their lives.
On the call you will learn:
  1. Why children and adults struggle with learning
  2. The Cone of Learning
  3. The 5 critical steps you need to help your child improve their skills
  4. The 6 activities you can do right now to help them improve their skills and still have fun.
Especially for parents wanting to help their:
  1. Struggling learners
  2. Reluctant learners
  3. Learners that take a long time to complete their work
  4. Learners that are 'falling through the cracks'
  5. LD, Dyslexic, ADHD learners
  6. Gifted learners
These activities work with kids of all ages - and even adults, too! Improve reading skills, writing skills, spelling skills, and math skills in minutes a day.
Listen before the recording is taken down!
Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

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Posted in auditory processing, children with disabilities, dyslexia, family, homeschooling, parenting, phonics, reading, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Mid Summer Training – What You Can Do to Prepare Your Kids for School

July 9th, 2010
Mid Summer Training – What You Can Do to Prepare Your Kids for School I Can Hardly Believe It? Check it out... The FREE Live Teleseminar is filling up fast – Only 100 68 52 Spots left! Reserve your spot now. Mid-Summer Training Call I have had so many calls from parents recently, wondering how to help their child between now and when school starts back up. They realize it’s not too late to give their child a boost, but they also want to be sure they have an enjoyable rest of the summer. So, I decided to have a teleseminar where I will present information on summer activities to help your child's skills improve as well as activities rich in experiences and family time. I'm hosting a FREE Live Teleseminar on Wednesday July 14th at 8 pm Eastern, 7 pm Central, 6 pm Mountain, and 5 pm Pacific. Upon registering you will receive a FREE Handbook on the 5 things you can do to help your child over the summer. Those that attend live will receive a surprise FREE gift. Searching for Mid-Summer Activities to Improve Your Child's Skills and Still Have Fun? FREE Live Teleseminar on Wednesday June 2nd at at 8 pm EST, 7 pm CST, 6 pm MST, and 5 pm PST. Space is limited. You can attend via phone or via internet! Reserve your Teleseminar line now at: Title: Mid-Summer Activities to Improve Your Child’s Skills and Still Have Fun Time: Wednesday, July 14th at 5:00pm Pacific Listening method: Phone + Web Simulcast To attend, visit: Mid-Summer Training Call LD Specialist and Board Certified Educational Therapist Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., is answering your questions about summer activities to help your child improve their skills. The teleseminar will be recorded; if you can't attend, you'll be able to listen later. Plus special surprise bonus just for registering! Those that attend live will receive another surprise FREE gift. Mid-Summer Training Call

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Posted in children with disabilities, dyslexia, family, homeschooling, LD, Learning Disabilities/Learning Difficulties, parenting, special education, speech & language | Comments Off

Searching for Mid-Summer Activities to Improve Your Child's Learning Skills and Still Have Fun?

July 8th, 2010
It’s the almost middle of Summer Vacation and as you know, it is the perfect time to give your child a boost in their learning skills, but you still want to have fun… Join Bonnie Terry’s call and find out what you can do in just 20 minutes a day to boost your child’s reading, writing, and math skills and have fun at the same time. I'm hosting a FREE Live Teleseminar on Wednesday July 14th at 8 pm Eastern, 7 pm Central, 6 pm Mountain, and 5 pm Pacific. Upon registering you will receive a FREE Handbook on the 5 steps you can take to help your child over the summer even if they have a learning problem, LD, dyslexia. The activities and steps are for all age students - kindergarten through adults. Those that attend the Live Teleseminar will also receive a surprise FREE gift. And, of course, if you can’t make it live on the call, you will get access to the recording! Mid-Summer Training Call FREE Live Teleseminar on Wednesday July 14th at 8 pm Eastern, 7 pm Central, 6 pm Mountain, and 5 pm Pacific. Space is limited. You can attend via phone or via internet! Reserve your space for the Teleseminar now at: Title: Searching for Summer Activities to Improve Your Child’s Learning Skills and Still Have Fun? Time: Wednesday, July 14th at 5pm Pacific, 6 pm Mountain, 7 pm Central, 8 pm Eastern. Listening method: Phone + Web Simulcast To register, visit: Mid-Summer Training Call Learn About: 1. How to improve your child's reading, writing, and math skills in just 20 minutes a day 2. 5 steps you can take to help your child 3. Activities to do at home, in the yard, or in your neighborhood Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

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Posted in ADD/ADHD, auditory processing, children with disabilities, dyslexia, family, Games, homeschooling, LD, Learning Disabilities/Learning Difficulties, parenting, reading, special education, speech & language, Uncategorized | Comments Off

How do I Motivate My Child?

June 14th, 2010
Hi, Bonnie. We spoke on the phone when I ordered your materials, which I've since received. Thanks very much! You mentioned at the time that you are open to questions as I began using the materials--and, of course, I now have those questions! -My son will be entering 3rd grade. His 2nd grade teacher noted his reading fluency as low proficient at end of year (technically passing, according to the DRA2-28 which they started using this year). At some point in the last few months of school, some one of his reading teachers at school appears to have told him that he read at 120 words per minute, and he adamantly clings to this. However, I clearly see where he is still skipping or guessing at words inaccurately (and I don't know if they measured that). So, when I put the 5 minutes to reading book in front of him, he was insulted--very put off. I tried explaining to him that we were not measuring speed so much as accuracy, and that we could chart his accuracy as it improved. I explained that even adults use this program. I offered to let him start with one of the later exercise if we would then go back to the first and didn't get much more cooperation than I had originally gotten (though he did a fairly good job of reading exercise 45). Do you have any thoughts on how to break the resistance without forcing him to do it? -My son's other complaint about the exercises is that they feel to him like tongue twisters because all the words sound the same, and he really doesn't like that. Do you have any suggestions for changing that perception? I am very interested to see if I can get him to use this program, and interested to see if we will see results--but I am meeting with HUGE resistance up front. I really don't want to force him to do it because I think that will diminish the results. Thanks for any suggestions! Joan Hi Joan, I'm glad you see that he isn't actually reading 120 words per minute with accuracy. I never understand how they are measuring the kids when they say things like that because you can see from what you've done already, that is NOT the REALITY! When you time him, you can show him what he actually did. That should start to get him to see the reality - his words per minute and mistakes per minute. Explain how you are scoring him. If you need to press the point, you can even have him total his words up after you time him, so he knows how many there are. I've had to do that with a few students over the years. I don't do it to be 'mean,' but sometimes they need a reality check so you can move forward. We start with easy words - because we are working on accuracy as well as speed. Big words are just little words (syllables) put together. If you can't read the small words accurately, you won't be able to read larger ones efficiently and accurately either - which will mean you will end up re-reading your social studies book or science book 3-4 times in order to be able to answer the questions. I know this, this happened not only with many students, but with my own son. In fact, he flung his 3 pound social studies book at me saying, "Mom, I've read it 3 times and still can't find the answers. You do it." This was because of his skipping, repeating, or mispronouncing words. Once we consistently did the 5 Minutes to Better Reading he was able to read his book one time and get the answers - because he read with accuracy in a quick amount of time. Doing the program - 5 minutes a day, will end up saving hours and hours of homework time. We are looking at the big picture here - making his life easier for the rest of his schooling - which at a minimum is the next 10 years (through high school). But, you really need to start at the beginning - even though it may seem easy at first. Even my adult students start at the beginning! You are competing against yourself, no one else! And, yes, some of the drills are like 'tongue twisters'. That is on purpose - to be sure you learn to read exactly what is there. Your son may think it is 'too easy', but his 'fussing' about it is actually telling you how much he needs it - that it is actually taxing and stretching his visual processing system. Hang in there! And remind him, it is only 5 minutes a day. It is not like you are expecting him to work for 2 hours or even one hour. You are only asking 5 minutes. And, when you are consistent, you will see results in just a few days. The more you do it, the easier it gets and the more they see themselves improving the easier it gets. Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

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Posted in ADD/ADHD, auditory processing, children with disabilities, dyslexia, LD, Learning Disabilities/Learning Difficulties, parenting, reading | Comments Off

6 Must-do Learning Games & Activities For the Summer

June 3rd, 2010
Can you do your own summer learning program? Should you do your own summer learning program? Fact: More than half of the achievement gap present in 9th grade between lower- and higher-income children can be explained by summer learning loss. Make Learning Stick with learning games and reading fluency training over the summer. There are many things you can do at home to bridge that summer learning gap.
  1. Reading Fluency using Five Minutes to Better Reading Skills…and Yes…it only takes 5 minutes to do. Sally Shawitz, author of Overcoming Dyslexia states, "I urge parents to make fluency training their number one priority."
  2. Take a weekly trip …to the zoo, a local park, the pool, the river, a local factory…and afterwards as a family write down what you did and what your favorite part was…using the fill-in-the-blank forms from Ten Minutes to Better Study Skills and create a booklet to keep for all of your weekly trips.
  3. Do some nature activities such as listening to outdoor sounds, nature rubbings, shape hike, incher hikes … again use the fill-in-the-blank forms from Ten Minutes to Better Study Skills to describe what you found or did.
  4. Activities to do at home like making puppets and putting on a puppet show. Bake cookies together, have a backwards day where you eat dinner in the morning and breakfast in the evening, do add-on-stories. Again write down your favorite things or worse things about the activity.
  5. Have a Game Night or a Game Day…choose learning games…they are fun as well as work on skills. Some great ones are The Sentence Zone (play & learn sentence building and grammar while having fun) , The Comprehension Zone (play & learn reading comprehension and listening comprehension), or the Math Zone (play & math calculation practice).
  6. Read books together…and write a review or report on it, or have a review night where you all act as book reviewers of the book you read.
Check out the books, games, and guides here: Reading Writing Math Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

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Posted in ADD/ADHD, auditory processing, CAPD, children with disabilities, dyslexia, family, Games, grammar, homeschooling, LD, parenting, reading games, writing | 2 Comments »

Give Your Child a 2 – 4 Year Reading & Writing Advantage Today

February 24th, 2010

“FACT – Some Parents Are Giving Their Children A 2 To 4 Year Learning Advantage In Reading, Writing And Math In Just 20 Minutes A Day!”

The alarming realization that your child is struggling at school, followed by frustration of not knowing why, and the "is there anything you can do about it" often leads to sleepless nights. However, there is much that you can do to give your child reading help, writing, help, and math help. Join us on our upcoming call to find out more. The upcoming private training call is Tuesday, March 2nd at 8 PM EST; 5 PM PST. To register for the call, just go to http://homeworkwars.com/privatetrainingcall

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Posted in ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, family, General, homeschooling, homework, Learning Disabilities/Learning Difficulties, parenting, reading, writing | Comments Off

Learn Spelling – Teach Spelling With the Spelling Patterns

January 19th, 2010
Need help with spelling? Teaching spelling or learning how to spell doesn't have to be daunting even if you have a learning disability, dyslexia, or are even gifted. And, yes, even gifted kids sometimes struggle with spelling. Spelling problems are typically due to areas of auditory processing that aren't working as effeciently as they should and could be working. But, when you teach spelling with the spelling patterns in an auditory, visual, and tactile way, everyone can spell. When I tell parents that there are only 8 spelling patterns they are usually quite surprised. But, we only put letters together 8 ways to make words. Then, they become curious as to how I teach the patterns to my students. They ask me all the time to show them how to use Making Spelling Sense. Here is a home schooling family using Making Spelling Sense with their younger kids. They use Making Spelling Sense II with their older kids. You can even see one of their older kids helping the youngest (who is in preschool) join in the lesson. Spelling is really a family affair! Watch the Woods family using Making Spelling Sense (with one of the first lessons) and see how easy spelling can be. They are doing the spelling lesson with multiple age kids. Scroll down and watch a family learning the 1st Spelling Pattern: Hope this was helpful. Be sure to get your FREE teaching and Homework Tips - go to the upper right side to get them! Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

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Posted in auditory processing, children with disabilities, dyslexia, family, homeschooling, parenting, phonics, spelling, tutoring | 14 Comments »

How to Improve Reading and Memory Skills and Still Have Fun

January 7th, 2010
What can you do during the winter weather to help your kids improve their skills? This question is a frequent one for me. Parents are always interested in helping their kids, but it is sometimes hard to stay motivated, especially during the winter months. The following activities work well with all kids, whether they have dyslexia, LD, ADHD, are falling through the cracks, or are gifted. I have done the activities successfully with all of them! I have two favorite things to do to not only help my kids, but to stay motivated doing it too. The first thing is to have more frequent game nights, playing educational games - learning games like The Sentence Zone, The Comprehension Zone, or The Math Zone. When you play games with your kids, they build skills while having fun and get a lot of modeling from you too. At the same time you get to have quality family time, so it is a double win situation. The other activity I like to do is to have an evening where I might turn the heat up a degree or two, and everyone gets dressed in ‘summer’ clothes, and we have a ‘picnic’ on the floor of the living room. Afterwards, we might tell stories to each other – what I call ‘add-on stories.’ In these stories one person starts off and then the next person adds on to the story. We keep going round and round and the story gets longer and longer. The only thing is, the kids have to pay attention and so do you, so what you add on makes sense to the story. This builds listening comprehension and memory as well as a really good time. Hope this is helpful! Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

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Posted in ADD/ADHD, children with disabilities, dyslexia, family, Games, grammar, homeschooling, LD, Learning Disabilities/Learning Difficulties, parenting, reading, reading games | 9 Comments »

A Parent's ABC's of ADHD

December 29th, 2009
I just read this by Lindsey Petersen of 5kidswdisabilities and thought you would all appreciate it. It rings true for so many parents, not just those of ADHD kids. Hope you enjoy... The ABCs of ADHD December 27, 2009 by 5kidswdisabilities The ABCs of ADHD/ADD I’ve read the articles and books on ADHD.  I know the discipline methods, rewards and time outs, the methods of Ross Green (from The Explosive Child) and the medications that work best.  But I also know the realities of ADHD, having 2 children with ADHD and 2 with ADD.  In real life terms, the ABCs of ADHD/ADD are: Attention! Always on alert for dangerous situations due to impulsive behaviors, such as running across streets without looking, grabbing a butcher knife to cut the end off a banana, running up the down escalator, and grabbing the dog or any other animal roughly and the dog (or other animal) retaliating by biting (or scratching.) “Be careful!  Be careful!  Be careful” is the parent mantra. Climbing climbing climbing:  out of the crib at age 15 months, out of the bedroom window when a teenager, on rock walls and curbstones and couches. Don’t touch that!  Don’t do that! Don’t hit her!  Don’t pull that!  Don’t eat that! Don’t hurt it!  Don’t break it! Exhausted parents trying their best to keep up. Friendships are difficult. Go!  Go!  Go! They’re always on the go! Helpless parents, unable to control their child’s behavior, especially embarrassing in the grocery store under the staring eyes of others, judging them. If only he’d…    If only she’d….  Parents dream for a different lifestyle. Jumping Bean:  he goes here and there from friend to friend to friend, never staying long enough to establish a real friendship. Kitchen walls are written on, bathroom doors have holes kicked in, curtains are ripped, bedrooms are messy. LOVE.  Parents give unconditional love, but the behavior doesn’t change because the  ADHD remains… MEDICATION!  MEDICATION!  MEDICATION! Alleluia when it works!!!! Not paying attention in school so schoolwork suffers: not paying attention for homework, so it’s a nightly fight: not paying attention to other’s feelings, so no friendships are formed. Overload happens easily and tantrums result. Keep it quiet.  Keep it simple.  Keep it under stimulated for peace. Psychiatrists are our best friends! Questions!  Questions from them all the time! Especially hard to escape when you are stuck riding in the car together. Rewards for good behaviors; stickers, ice cream, Playstation, tv. Self-esteem is low, parent  and teacher patience is limited so he’s always the troublemaker and never measures up. Time-outs in the seat till we’re blue in the face.  All the time spent in time-outs would add up to a year in the life. Understanding is needed from parents, family, friends and teachers; understanding is often in short supply. Very draining on all, child and adults. Whining, whining, whining until their parent’s ears hurt. X-rays, CAT Scans and emergency room visits:  active behavior results in injuries. YIKES! What has he done NOW?!?! Zest for life would be a polite way of putting it… |...................... Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

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Posted in ADD/ADHD, CAPD, children with disabilities, dyslexia, family, homeschooling, Learning Disabilities/Learning Difficulties, parenting | Comments Off

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