Reading is a complex skill set with five essential components – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension A child with dyslexia may struggle in one or more of these areas, yet these struggles can also be heavily influenced by environmental factors. This is also true for children with ADHD or who have difficulties with executive functioning.

Many parents want to support their child’s reading but feel short on time, or, are unsure where to start. The good news is that even small “reading moments” at home make a big difference.

Below are easy-to-do ideas that fit real family life. This is true, whether you have two minutes before bed, ten minutes on a car ride, or a few spare moments during breakfast. These simple strategies will help build a strong home reading environment that can aid children to build their vocabulary, strengthen their reading skills and learn to enjoy books, even on the busiest of days.

Many children are not getting enough quality sleep. Busy schedules and digital distractions are leading to later bedtimes, with bedtime routines missing the wind-down time that children need to prepare for sleep.

Research shows that insufficient sleep impairs children’s attention, memory, and self-control. These are important skills that make up executive functioning and promote cognitive development (abilities of processing information).

Children are surrounded by digital screens that minimize quiet time and reading time. Tablets, smartphones, games, and TV are everywhere, often replacing traditional reading and face-to-face interactions (social communications).

A recent study found that 40% of children have a tablet by age 2 and nearly 1 in 4 has a personal cellphone by age 8. Another finding was that over time screen time has remained the same at about 2.5 hours per day.

Example of what to replace screentime with are presented along with explanations of how each activity benefits learning. All are fun and are easy to do.

In this section we will look at the effects of too many structured activities—specifically,  those activities directed by others in which the child is engaged. These are different from a child’s self-directed activities.

‍Not all reading difficulties stem from lifestyles. How reading is taught in school can also determine whether a child learns to read fluently or struggles to learn. Research on the “science of reading” has shown that explicit instruction in phonics and phonological awareness is crucial for most beginning readers.

The research shared in this article highlights how environmental factors can influence reading development in a child. The research makes clear that parents can make a difference in the child’s journey of learning to read.

This post explains how federal laws address bullying in schools, particularly when students with disabilities are involved. It outlines the responsibilities of schools under the Office for Civil Rights and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and guides parents on how to document incidents and seek remedies when a school fails to act.

“SAY IT IN CRAYON” means to put your thoughts in the simplest and easiest wording so that it can be readily and immediately understood by anyone.

Progress reports with descriptive statements such as “making progress” are anything but descriptive. They actually mask any form of measure and do not explain where your child is performing and certainly not when compared to where she was when the IEP was written.

The Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) process is helpful for any child whose behaviors may affect learning—theirs or their peers. It may include off task behaviors, disruptive behaviors, or even severe behaviors such as aggression.

Is the school refusing to evaluate or reevaluate your child for special education related services? Here is how to collect the data they need and a sample letter to make that request.

All IEP decisions require the use of data. Let us help you understand how to use the data in an IEP meeting.

Believe it or not, you can request parental training in support of your child’s IEP.

READ ON INTERNET AND IS SO WRONG: “I like GE and AEs for all test scores…scores for reading. Parents can understand GEs and AEs a lot better than it is for them to comprehend Scaled Scores, Standard Scores and Percentiles.”

He said, “READ THE SIGNS!”...what he actually implied was “CAN’T YOU READ?” (which might just be what he really said).

“Can anyone help me understand the significance of a "relative weakness" in word attack skills...I've read all the test manuals and literacy research, yet I still struggle..."

To my students,“More than anything, I’d like to understand how you learn. I would like to have the answers and solutions for you—for all of you.

Way back in the dark ages neither AT (1990) nor accommodations (1997) had seen the light of day in IDEA. In IDEA, AT can be found in Section 300.105 and under Section 300.324, a, (2) (consideration of special factors). In IDEA, the term “accommodations” is found in 300.160 (Participation in assessments).