Can you please tell us about your field of expertise, and explain your personal mission?

My field of expertise is working with individuals (students of all ages, as well as adults) who have characteristics or diagnoses of ADHD, anxiety, Autism Spectrum, Aspergers Syndrome, learning style differences and other IEP or 504 conditions. My intention when providing psychotherapy or academic support is to facilitate each client’s journey toward their most complete expression of their truest self.

What is your background and what led you to this business?
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. My primary career for over 30 years, was working in public education (special education and counseling). I had begun my private practice, Spiral Wisdom LLC, in 2002. When I was recently offered an opportunity to expand the time dedicated to my business, I welcomed the opportunity to increase the number of students and schools that I could assist – offering academic strategies, recommending accommodations / modifications for teachers and parents, and providing counseling to improve student’s self-esteem and motivation. Devoting more time to my business has also allowed me to expand the holistic and metaphysical aspects of my therapy practice. When appropriate, I utilize Guided Imagery. This is a meditative state that allows people to access their Inner Wisdom, heal their Inner Child, and access past (life) experiences. Since clients are able to share their experiences verbally during the Guided Imagery, I can effectively guide their journey into self-understanding.

How does holistic health apply to your business and your lifestyle?
I look at my clients as whole beings – recognizing the many facets that have created who they are (society, family, peers, self, soul purpose). I also strive to recognize and identify any difficulties that may be apparent with other systems (i.e.: educational, of which I have considerable knowledge). I also apply mind/body/spirit principles during counseling. In my own life, I strive to be environmentally responsible and take a holistic approach to my health. I am aware of the mind – body connection for myself and use spiritual principles to direct my activities and personal inner voyage.

What makes your business unique and sets you apart from your competition?
Trust: My clients (adults and children) feel at ease in my presence and trust me with the uncomfortable aspects of themselves.
Intuition: I hear the client’s words, but I also hear the messages between the words and in their body language.
Gestalt: When evaluating an educational or therapeutic situation, I look at the gestalt (how the parts contribute to the whole; recognizing that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts).
Knowledge: I have worked as a special education teacher, teacher consultant and crisis counselor in the schools. I have worked with children of all ages from elementary thru senior high, and assisted with their transitions to college. I have been the 504 building coordinator and the building Accommodations Coordinator for ACT testing. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor.
Experience: 30 years in various schools has provided me with the knowledge of what is really important to help a student to succeed, what they likely encounter in classes and curriculum, and what types of accommodations the staff will find reasonable and realistic.
Communication: I have a gift for explaining a situation or an individual – to that client, their family, and to the school people – in a way that is understood.

Does this (your services) work for everyone?
I am most effective with verbal clients. When working with non-verbal clients (for instance a child with autism) I support the client indirectly by providing the family and educational system with information to help them to understand the child and with effective, reasonable interventions to be considered.

Has the recession impacted your business, and if so, how have you adapted?
I am a fee-for-service provider and have always been aware of financial challenges that face families. I am able to reduce my fee when necessary. Also, I can offer a reasonably priced, one-time consultation with a student and provide academic strategies and numerous recommendations.

Is there anything you wish people knew about your business that they probably don’t know?
I provide Guided Imagery for people prior to medical procedures, I facilitate a parent support group, teach a meditation class, have a professionally recorded Meditation CD, and speak on many topics including There Are No Lazy Students, anxiety, bullying, the inherent gifts of autism, and de-stressing methods.

What is one of your favorite stories about a client who benefited from your service?
An adolescent student with significant ADHD was brought to me for strategies and recommendations. On-going support was requested to increase motivation. During these sessions the student began to talk openly. As the underlying issues were revealed, he learned to express his feelings. As his anger decreased, his ADHD symptoms reduced. Subsequently his school performance and relationships (with family and peers) improved.

What resources would you recommend for those who would like more information about your field?
I love the following books:
Dr. Hallowell and Dr. Ratey’s Delivered from Distraction (ADHD adults and children)
Doreen Virtue’s The Care and Feeding of Indigo Children
Dr. Brian Weiss’s books including Many Lives, Many Masters

Come with me on an informative journey to learn about learning disabilities. You will learn how to recognize a possible learning disability in your child, as well as strategies to make the challenges easier (whether or not there is a certified learning disability).

For a child to have a learning disability there must be a discrepancy (difference) between their IQ Score (intelligence) and their achievement scores (academic levels). School districts use different discrepancy scores.

There are 7 areas of learning disabilities and a person can have a learning disability in one or more of these areas.

Oral Expression is how well the child speaks their thoughts or how clearly they make the letter sounds. If this is the only problem, then the child is Speech and Language Impaired (SLI) rather than LD. A speech and language therapist can offer ideas that you can do with your child at home.

Listening Comprehension is the child’s ability to understand words and ideas and remember oral directions. (Listening and follow-through are frequent complaints for children with ADHD, but this may not be a learning disability.)

• Give only 1 or 2 oral directions at a time
• Pair a verbal direction with words or a picture
• Make a list for morning, after school, and evening routines
• Include pictures on the list (let the child help to select)

Written Expression is expressing oneself in writing. Often these children express themselves well verbally, but when asked to write, don’t know how to begin. They also may have difficulty with run-on sentences. Some children’s writing is to the point and they don’t know how to expand their writing. Written expression often includes fine motor coordination and difficulty copying from the board or a book.

• Eliminate or minimize the amount that needs to be copied (provide a set of notes)
• Allow them to write on a computer
• Have them dictate to you
• Provide oral tests
• Have the child brainstorm ideas, then write the essay (start in the middle if needed), then correct grammar and lastly punctuation

Reading Skills (decoding) and Reading Comprehension can occur together or a child might have just one. A learning disability in reading skills can include choppy reading, monotone reading, reversing letters, skipping lines, rereading words.

• Eliminate bright lights
• Use a plain ruler to place under the line they’re reading
• Read to them (books on tape, etc)
• Avoid scantron tests (which use fill-in-the-bubble answer sheets)
• Use colored paper to reduce the glare
• Allow extra time
• See an Irlen screener (www.irlen.com); use colored overlays
• Consider having your child’s vision tested by a Developmental Optometrist to determine if the eyes are working together properly
• Test for phonological difficulties – this is the ability to hear and manipulate sounds without seeing the lettersPlay rhyming games with your child; a specialist can share more ideas

Some children who are poor readers can have excellent comprehension. A learning disability in reading comprehension is when the child has difficulty with “higher level thinking” – analysis, synthesis, categorizing etc.

• Use pictures, your child’s interest areas and what they already understand to teach new concepts
• Offer lots of review
• Specialized tutoring is usually best for this difficulty

Math Skills is completing math problems. It is important that children understand the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Yet, children with learning disabilities rarely find success memorizing math facts.

• Use blocks and other three-dimensional objects to teach math facts and concepts
• Memorize facts in small chunks and review often
• Use a calculator
• Older children often need a math tutor (don’t wait until too many math concepts are missed)

Math Comprehension includes time, money, measurement and word problems.

• Use the child’s interest areas to help them understand the concepts
• A math tutor or specialist in learning disabilities may be needed

I hope that this information helps you to understand learning disabilities and to navigate your children’s challenges. If after reading this information you suspect that your child has a learning disability, contact your child’s teacher or counselor. You can contact me, or another specialist, if you are looking for strategies for your child’s specific needs, want information about Irlen, or are looking for guidance while navigating the world of IEPs, evaluations and meetings.

Judy Lipson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and educational strategist in West Bloomfield. She helps clients of all ages who have learning difficulties; work or school related anxiety; ADHD; Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorders; and those who wish to Remember and Become Who You Really Are. Contact Judy at 248.568.8665 and judylipson@spiralwisdom.net, and visit www. SpiralWisdom.net for more information.

Published in Metro You Magazine, March 2011

By Judith E. Lipson, M.A., LPC

September is here and school begins again. Some children are “cheerful consumers” and can’t wait to learn everything that their teachers give them. Others are less interested and hope to avoid homework whenever possible.

Many readers are familiar with the child who says, “I don’t have any homework. I did it in school.” They end up with a poor grade because the homework was not done. I can hear your sighs of recognition right now. To avoid this vicious circle, I recommend that all students have a daily study time ritual to start the year off right.

A daily study time of 10-30 minutes (depending upon your child’s age) will help you to avoid the “no homework” issue. Homework assignments can be completed during study time (please allow for breaks – more on this in Homework Helper). If there is no homework, the student can re-read academic chapters, read ahead about what will be taught next, create and memorize flash cards or review math problems (choose problems that have answers in the back of the book to self-check). If the child realizes that they will have to work anyway, they are much more likely to work on homework assignments (more homework strategies in the future, too). If they don’t have homework to do, they will benefit by increasing their knowledge and practicing study techniques.

Another important tool to support your child’s success is regular communication. Discuss report cards and mid-progress reports with your child and determine how you can work together to make improvements.

If your child has a history of poor grades, incomplete work or difficulty with concepts, then it is important to initiate regular communication with the teacher(s). It is your duty to follow up. Remember that you have one child in this teacher’s class while the teacher is responsible for 20-150 students. If it is unlikely that your child will bring a progress report home, send a weekly e-mail. I recommend a message similar to this:

I appreciate all that you do for _______. Please let me know if you have concerns about his/her attendance, homework completion, grades or behavior. If there are any large projects or tests coming up, please let me know so I can help _____ to prepare. Thanks!

Only include the areas of concern for your student. If your child never has issues with attendance, don’t mention it. Keep it personalized for your child and brief.

If your child has special education certification or has been approved for a 504 Plan, then you are already having annual meetings with the school staff. I suggest information be given to all your child’s teachers at the beginning of the school year. The key person for this can be your child’s special education caseload teacher, the elementary classroom teacher or the child’s counselor. If no information exists, or if you feel compelled to present the information yourself, then that key person can set up a meeting with the teachers.

Try to set up a meeting for a few weeks into the semester so the teachers have time to get to know your child before you provide information. If there is a significant medical, emotional or physical impairment, then a meeting within the first few days of school may be needed.

The key to a successful meeting is to be polite, clear and brief. The participants probably have only 5-10 minutes to learn your concerns, and they want to best assist your child so:

• be appreciative.
• verbally share the key concerns (not your child’s history since birth).
• provide a short written summary and include your name, phone and e-mail.
• ask teachers to think about how this student’s challenges might impact the curriculum (i.e. note taking, oral presentations, attendance, test taking, timely homework completion, etc).

A few days later contact each teacher by e-mail. Ask the teacher if they have identified areas of concern that need to be negotiated or addressed with the student.

The key to a successful year is twofold. Establish a daily study time ritual and communicate respectfully with your child and the school so that parents, students and educators work together. Develop a partnership. If you have concerns, address them with the individual first, then your counselor and then the administrator if still needed.

Watch for more ideas in future articles, and contact me if I can be of help to you or your family.

Judy Lipson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and educational strategist in West Bloomfield. She helps clients of all ages who have learning difficulties; work or school related anxiety; ADHD; Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorders; and those who wish to Remember and Become Who You Really Are. Contact Judy at 248.568.8665 and judylipson@spiralwisdom.net, and visit www. SpiralWisdom.net for more information.

Published in Metro You Magazine, September 2010