“Ongoing Themes: #Dyselxia #ADHD #LD Discrepancy #504 #Parenting”
The Shut-Down Learner
by DrSelznick
4d ago
Those of you following this blog for some time know there are some recurring themes in these posts (that mostly irritate me). For others  newer to these posts, I will help to bring you up to speed with some of the predominant ones. The LD-Discrepancy Model: Easily the number one issue that gets under my skin is the LD-Discrepancy model used in many states (New Jersey being one) to classify children in special education as learning disabled.  I discussed it in my recent blog post  (https://shutdownlearner.com/ineffective-inefficient-irrational-immoral-and-indefensible/), bu ..read more
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“Ineffective, Inefficient, Irrational, Immoral and Indefensible”
The Shut-Down Learner
by DrSelznick
2w ago
Most of you understand the concept of standard error of measurement (SEM). In a nutshell, SEM tells us that on any given day that you can be within an interval of confidence that an obtained score is accurate. For example, if the obtained IQ score is 100, you can have about 99% confidence that with repeated administrations the score would fall within a range, say between 95 – 105. For standardized tests such as the WISC-V (the gold standard cognitive measure used in special education assessments), there is no such thing as a “true score” as there is always the standard error of measurement to ..read more
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“Homework??? That’s So Yesterday.”
The Shut-Down Learner
by DrSelznick
3w ago
More and more, parents tell me that their children never get homework. When there is homework, it is often a battleground.  Refrains such as, “It’s stupid,”  “I hate it,”  “It’s not fun,” and variations on these themes occur across the country starting in the afternoon, continuing through until about 8:00 at night. Of course, there are the dutiful soldiers who don’t complain (rarely the boys), getting started on their own, completing the assignment (putting a check next to the completed task in their assignment book) and even putting it  back in their backpack so it can be ..read more
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Podcast Interview Released
The Shut-Down Learner
by DrSelznick
1M ago
As a changes of pace, I am excited to share a recent interview that was conducted with me by “Beautifully Complex:  Navigating Neurodiverse Parenting.” The interview is only about 30 minutes.  Would love to get your feedback on it. If you enjoy it, please share it with others. Here’s the link:     (Selznick Podcast Interview) ———————————————————————————————————————————– Feel free to make comment below.  To receive future blog posts, register your email: https://shutdownlearner.com. To Contact Dr. Richard Selznick for advice, consultation or other information ..read more
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Remember the Child’s Primary Motivation
The Shut-Down Learner
by DrSelznick
1M ago
Understanding what children want can bring about a major shift in your thinking. If you embrace this concept, I predict your perceptions will change for the better, which then will impact your child. So, what is your child’s primary motivation? At the root of most of their challenging behavior, children are pleasure seekers.  Put simply, they want what they want, when they want it. This isn’t fundamentally different from what adults want. We’re all pleasure seekers at heart. But the big difference between adults and children is that adults have learned to delay gratification and to put as ..read more
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“Math Disability? Not So Fast”
The Shut-Down Learner
by DrSelznick
1M ago
Not sure when the reverence for word problems emerged, but it seems that children are almost exclusively taught math through word problems.  I believe it’s linked to the theory that math should always be enhancing “higher order thinking.” Let’s look at Chris, age 7, a second grader who is given a worksheet with 10 problems.  Here’s one that he received as part of a 10-problem test: “Winnie counts the oranges she picks.  Winnie counted between 400 and 500 oranges.  The number of oranges is an odd number.  The number of oranges is the sum of two of the numbers below.&nbs ..read more
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“Pictures Telling the Story”
The Shut-Down Learner
by DrSelznick
1M ago
Largely supported by the medical model, when parents have their child assessed they are often  focused on “the diagnosis.”    Such a model embodies a, “Yes, they have it,” or “No, they don’t have it,” (whatever “it” is) perspective. In my corner of the universe, I wish things were that straight-forward.  I am hopelessly mired in identifying a pie-chart of interacting variables. Less important than a “diagnosis,” a good assessment should  identify major “red flags” of concern and  guide you with  “next-step thinking.” For example if the child has a reading pro ..read more
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“And Now, For a Change of Pace”
The Shut-Down Learner
by DrSelznick
2M ago
My marketing manager (my daughter Julia) has been pushing me to create more short videos to spread around. So, as a change of pace here are two that were posted to YouTube.  TRUST ME.  THEY ARE VERY SHORT!!!!  Hope you enjoy.  Let me know what you think. The first one was posted a little while ago.  It’s a brief introduction to the purpose of these videos: 1. Introduction: Selznick Video Productions! The second is adapted from my new book, “Beyond the Power Struggle: A Guide For Parents of Challenging Kids.”  It’s one of my favorite tips. 2. Challenging Children ..read more
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“Does Spelling Matter?”
The Shut-Down Learner
by DrSelznick
2M ago
Let’s say your 12-year-old sixth grader spells the following words:  (brief)  bref (should) shood (grown) gron (success) susess  (educate) edcccate  (result) resolt (kitchen) kicten   Then  the child writes the following story to a prompt:           “Once a o pon a time there was a kid that was a million air and he whated to buy a house   he look at so many house and finally found a house. but it needed a lot of work So the kid hierd lots of pepul to help him but after thay were all done the house went back  to it whent ba ..read more
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“Floaters”
The Shut-Down Learner
by DrSelznick
2M ago
  A common concern raised by parents (well, mostly the moms) is their child’s lack of what they label as “executive function deficits (EFD).” With EFDs there’s always the underlying question of whether these issues are a biproduct of immaturity, skill deficits or a legitimate neurologically based disorder? I’ve met a gazillion of these kids and by now I should have an answer to that question, but I’m embarrassed to admit I still am not sure. What are the signs of  EFD? A low level of  “sustained mental effort” is one of the big indicators. With low sustained mental effort, there ..read more
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