What if your child appears to have missed the seemingly magic ability to read?

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

Reading seems like a naturally occurring event, but your child may struggle to sound out words, or read slowly and choppy. The ability to read requires the ability to create sounds from letters (phonics), to do so fluently, and to access meaning from those sounds (comprehension). In a two-part series, I will discuss many possible causes for reading difficulties.

In order to learn to read, a child must be able to distinguish one letter from another. Many young children experience reversals (especially the letters b, d, p). If this continues after the age of 7 or so, there may be a problem.

Have your child hold up his fingers to create the letters. Thumbs and index fingers form a circle, while the pinky, ring and middle fingers point upward. When your child’s palms face each other, the left hand forms a b, right hand forms the d. Another trick is to have the child trace the letters in sand, shaving cream, etc. Using the body, and not relying on the eyes, can help children learn letters.

Some children have light sensitivity issues, which can result in difficulty reading. The letters are seen with distortions and this is made worse by glare off of white paper.

Reducing bright lights and fluorescent lighting, wearing a cap, and using pastel paper can all help. Additionally, go to Irlen.com to learn more and to find a professional screener in your area.

If your child’s eye muscles don’t work together properly, it can cause difficulty with reading and copying. A child who leans on his hand to read (covering an eye), or lays on her forearm (looking from an angle, which removes one eye’s view) may be compensating for this problem. Ask a developmental / functional optometrist to check visual convergence as well as acuity (20/20 vision).

Your child’s ability to remember what has already been seen, also called visual memory, or re-visualization, is imperative for spelling, copying, and reading.

Play games like “Memory” where picture cards are revealed and then hidden again, in order to see if your child can remember where specific pictures are in order to create a match.

Your child needs to grasp all these skills in order to master phonics, the recognition that each letter, or group of letters (consonant and vowel blends), make a certain sound.

Phonological skills are the other major element of successful reading. Phonological skills are the ability to recognize the sounds that go with letters, without needing visual cues. For example:

Say bat. Now say it again without the /b/. (The proper response is at.)

That exercise demonstrates your child’s ability to manipulate sounds in his mind without looking at any letter or words. Phonological skills are not always directly assessed, or taught, by classroom teachers, particularly after second grade. They are frequently tested as part of an assessment for a learning disability.

To address phonological skills, there are several games that you can play with your child. Keep in mind that the responses do not need to be real words. The first level is to play rhyming games:

Do these rhyme? mat/bat (yes); cat/nat (yes); sad/mad (yes); pon/tag (no).

The next step is to ask your child to rhyme with a word you provide:

Man/Pan rhyme. What rhymes with fat?

After your child can reproduce these consistently, then clap words. Say a sentence to your child, and clap for each word in the sentence. Begin with 2 or 3 word sentences, each word having a single syllable:

Let’s clap together: “How-are-you?” “This-is-fun.” “I-like-to-swim-with-my-friends.”

Next teach your childto clap for compound words: cup-cake; rain-storm. Then apply the clapping method for more complicated syllables: hel-o; Ju-dy; di-no-saur; li-on.

Only after your child can recognize rhymes and clap for words and syllables should you begin manipulating words. First ask your child to remove the beginning consonant sound of a 3 letter word: Say bat. Now say it again without the /b/. (The proper response is at..) Next have your child master the final letter: say bat, say it again without the /t/, (ba).

There are additional, more difficult, requirements for adequate phonological proficiency as well.

You now have an idea of the variety of skills that are required for your child to master the mechanics of reading. Learn more about the challenges of reading in the article titled Reading Comprehension. If you have significant concerns, especially with an older child who has these difficulties, contact your child’s teacher or counselor, or consult with a professional.

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, February 2012

Homework is the most frequent concern for students, parents and teachers. Let’s look at some of the reasons students have trouble with homework and specific ways to ease the conflict.

The student doesn’t turn in homework that you KNOW was completed: This is often the most distressing for families. Some students don’t remember to turn in the work; some can’t find it. The solution is to give the student a specific homework folder. The left pocket is for homework that needs to be completed and for notes or returned work to be filed (file that evening into the appropriate subject folders). The right pocket is for assignments to be turned in. With this system, papers won’t be lost in the bottom of the backpack. Also, if the student did not hear the teacher’s instruction to turn in the assignment, there is a much better chance that it will be found in a later class. The student can then turn it in before points are deducted.

The student won’t do the homework: Even if they don’t recognize it, many students find the school setting overwhelming. Once home they are exhausted, and the last thing they want to do is more schoolwork.

Some students are challenged by the instructional style or the concepts. They might think, “I didn’t understand this earlier today, how will I be able to do it now?” And, it is a human tendency to avoid what we don’t feel at ease in doing. To help this child, find out when the teacher offers tutorial sessions (most do). Ask the teacher for a meeting to learn more about your child’s difficulties. You can also find a National Honor Society student to provide tutoring.

Many students are not comfortable writing due to fine motor difficulties. Even if they only did the minimal work during the school day, they feel exhausted and avoid any tasks that require writing. This is a common difficulty for bright children or those with ADHD or other learning disabilities. Get the child off paper to solve this dilemma. Use a computer whenever possible or have the child dictate responses. Talk to their teacher about reducing the amount of work they need to copy from the board.

Some students are actually perfectionists (even the ones who appear to be the most uncaring and sloppy). If the end result may not measure up to what they think they should achieve, they won’t even try. Encourage the child and praise their effort (in all activities,  not just school). Keep expectations for yourself and for your child reasonable and reachable. Ask a counselor/therapist to work on the underlying issues of anxiety, self-worth and motivation.

In addition, follow these techniques for homework avoiders:
• Require homework/study time every day.
• Schedule frequent but short breaks. Some students can only work for 10 minutes, others for a 1/2 hour or more. Breaks for 10-minute workers should be 1or 2 minutes; for  30-minute workers, breaks are 5-10 minutes. Effective breaks: movement, snack or fresh air. Avoid: electronic games, phone or TV.
• Allow music. Some students use it to tune out the world and then they tune out the music.
• Work in a place with few distractions – working at the kitchen table might keep you available, but the noise of other family members can distract.
• Dim lighting reduces eye strain for those who are sensitive to bright lights or glare (more on sensitive children in a forthcoming article)
• Your child might like to be seated at a desk, lying on the floor, balancing on a large exercise ball or standing (try a tilted podium)
• Periodically switch assignments to a different subject that uses another part of the brain. Some students however, especially perfectionists, need to finish one assignment before moving on to another.
• Break down long assignments (which can seem overwhelming) into manageable chunks.

Some parents believe kids with homework problems just need to be pushed harder. After working with hundreds of families, I know that you ended up with poor results if you tried that. It is important to identify the child’s specific difficulties (there are usually more than one) and help this child to use their strengths and abilities so that they CAN be successful when they are pushed. The magic in the homework solution, in addition to the strategies, is to help the child rebuild self-trust, motivation and self-esteem. I hope that you understand your child better after reading this article and will try some of these strategies. If I can be of assistance, please contact me.

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, October 2010