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Many parents despair when they learn that tutoring, educational therapy, or other types of learning assistance is not covered by insurance. Even when there is a diagnosis, getting the needed academic support and cognitive remediation can be an expensive prospect. To make matters worse, more and more families are acquiring support outside of the schools, so the “academic bar” of classroom expectations is continually elevated. As a result, with growing competition for desirable college acceptances, for those who cannot afford this outside support, their children are often placed at a profound disadvantage. You Often Get What You Pay For: Like many things, the more finances you can allocate for professional help, the better the services. Large tutoring franchises do not have the funds to hire highly trained professionals, and if they do have some talented employees, they rarely offer one to one assistance. What’s more, they tend to place kids onto boring workbooks, and they offer somethin

There are all sorts of companies that are trying to sell “speed reading” programs and a “quick comprehension fix.” I often evaluate these products, and I continually find them, too good to be true. What I do know, as a seasoned reading specialist, and educational therapist, is there is not a single solution that serves every struggling reader. So why is this and what can you do? Why Does the Solution to Improved Reading Differ Across Individuals? The secret to improving both reading speed and comprehension depends on each individual’s learning profile and preferences. What are the cognitive weaknesses that are causing the reading difficulties? These deficits need to be remediated through individualized support and accommodated with assistive technology tools. In addition, what are the cognitive strengths of the learner? Tapping into these abilities can help struggling readers develop compensatory strategies or workarounds. Finally, looking at individual preferences can also help. This

From dyslexic jokes to the many documented strengths recently touted in research and the media, having the learning disability, dyslexia has become a “cool” badge that many now proudly display. Because of this recent change of heart, people are continually disclosing to me that they are a self-diagnosed dyslexic that slipped through the system.  Additionally, parents are now openly embracing this label, and with a formal diagnosis in hand, students can receive “reasonable accommodations” that can help them to actualize their true potential.  If you've wondered if you or your child may have dyslexia, you may also wonder what you should do first. The Steps to Determine a Diagnosis of Dyslexia and Acquiring Accommodations The first step: Use my dyslexia screener . This quick, free, 20-question evaluation can be administered and scored by a parent/guardian, teacher, or taken by the individual who may have dyslexia.  This will help to determine whether there is enough symptomology to w