All--

I need to clear something up.  I know about Lindamood-Bell techniques.   
I have listened to a researcher here at MIT who ran a study one summer,  
at the request  of the company that makes Lindamood-Bell materials, or  
has a hand in their distribution.  The finding was that students  
increased in their ability to distinguish individual sounds, but  this  
increase did not generalize to reading.  Any reactions to this?  I  
believe the researcher, absolutely, but in what ways does the program  
increase literacy skills in children?  Any reactions from the field?   
Observations?

Thanks.

Andrea


On Nov 29, 2006, at 4:19 PM, Lucille Cuttler wrote:


> May I suggest that the right question is to ask what teaching  

> approaches have been used thus far to remediate comprehension  

> difficulties?  Does the student know how to ask questions about the  

> material?  Is the obhjective to make a diagnosis merely for the sake  

> of diagnosis?  Or is the objective to improve comprehension skills.   

> If the latter, then you will find a search of catalogs from Academic  

> Therapy and EPS.  Qualified tutors trained and certified in  

> Orton-Gillingham and Lindamood Bell will be helpful.  Lucille Cuttler

>> -----Original Message-----

>> From: learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov  

>> [mailto:learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of maureen

>> Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006 5:09 PM

>> To: The Learning Disabilities Discussion List

>> Subject: [LearningDisabilities 778] Re: A view of learning  

>> disabilities fromaconsultant's prespective

>>

>> Thank you for your reply.  It was helpful and did answer some of my  

>> questions. 

>> I have an additional question for all of you out there.  Does anyone  

>> know of standardized test which will identify a reading comprehension  

>> problem which is extreme but does not show up on the "typical"  

>> tests.  My son scores at grade level on most tests because he can  

>> process and integrate small chunks of information.  I need to show  

>> that he has a problem with integrating, processing, and therefore  

>> comprehending information which is in more "real life" situations,  

>> such as reading a book of any kind.  He cannot complete an assignment  

>> that is just two pages long because although he can "read" the words  

>> very well, he cannot interpret what he's read, find the themes, etc.   

>> If anyone knows of such a test, please let me know.  His  

>> neuropsychologist is looking for such a measure too.

>> Thanks,

>> Maureen

>>> ----- Original Message -----

>>> From: Judith Sinclair

>>> To: The Learning Disabilities Discussion List ; RKenyon721 at aol.com

>>> Sent: Saturday, November 18, 2006 11:53 AM

>>> Subject: [LearningDisabilities 777] A view of learning disabilities  

>>> from aconsultant's prespective

>>>

>>> Hello, Miriam, Josh, Maureen, and all members of this wonderful list:

>>>  

>>> I could not help but be impressed with the personal stories you have  

>>> shared about your own experiences with learning disabilities, and  

>>> your sensitive descriptions of inherent problems and possible  

>>> solutions.  For many years I have worked with individuals with  

>>> learning disabilities as an educational consultant and advocate, and  

>>> continue to do so today as part of my professional activities.   

>>> Consequently, I have learned a great deal about the effect of  

>>> learning disabilities from people who have them, including how it  

>>> affects their lives and the lives of those around them.  In essence,  

>>> the effect leaves no one out—not the members of the affected  

>>> individual’s family, school system, or community.  The inherent  

>>> issues and ramifications are often complex.  So to help, here are  

>>> just a few things I would like to share, if you have a moment. 

>>>  

>>> 1.  From my own observation, many learning disabled people go  

>>> through most if not all of their school and career lives never  

>>> knowing that they are learning disabled.  This occurs often because  

>>> of their ability to compensate, that is, to adjust their thoughts  

>>> and behaviors to social and other needs in their everyday lives so  

>>> that the problem(s) is obscured.  For example, a child may not be  

>>> able to read, but will pretend to read, thus risking the attendant  

>>> poor grades.  An adolescent with an undiagnosed hearing loss may  

>>> effect a certain stance, not out of style but in an effort to hear  

>>> better.  An adult may see him or herself as a “slow reader,” yet for  

>>> a variety of reasons not be consciously aware of an actual  

>>> disability.

>>>  

>>> 2. What may appear at first to be an individual’s learning  

>>> disability may in reality be some other kind of learning difficulty,  

>>> or it may be that the person has a learning disability as well as  

>>> some other mental condition.  For an accurate diagnosis, the  

>>> individual’s condition must fit the accepted criteria and  

>>> characteristics for this diagnosis (see the Diagnostic and  

>>> Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for the exact criteria).   

>>> Students may be delayed in learning for other reasons, including  

>>> environmental.  For example, children suffering from abuse are  

>>> unable to process information efficiently, yet often display signs  

>>> indicating “special needs” or a learning disability. 

>>>  

>>> 3.  Many people who are diagnosed as learning disabled fail to get a  

>>> complete report of their true condition, thus limiting their chances  

>>> for a full life.  For example, an individual may be diagnosed with a  

>>> reading problem, yet in the interests of time and/or money and/or  

>>> facilities the examiner fails to notice/test for a hearing loss, as  

>>> well.  This situation appears to be most prevalent with the  

>>> assessment of children, who often are unaware of an additional  

>>> disability or too reticent to report it.

>>>  

>>> 4.  In my experience, learning disabilities are not transient in  

>>> nature but permanent, in that while they may be addressed early they  

>>> never really go away.  Left untreated and without adequate personal  

>>> compensation, the condition may worsen.  Consequently, the earlier  

>>> and more complete the assessment and diagnosis, the better.   

>>> However, not only early assessment but constant monitoring and  

>>> management are essential.  Developmental changes along an  

>>> individual’s life path must be considered at each appropriate time,  

>>> and revised or possibly new solutions examined to prevent  

>>> regression. 

>>>  

>>> 5. Learning disabilities are not simply a cognitive manifestation,  

>>> as is sometimes thought, for evidence of the problem(s) presents in  

>>> the learning disabled person’s social, emotional, psychological, and  

>>> spiritual expressions, even though the individual’s learning  

>>> disability problems have been diagnosed and theoretically dealt  

>>> with.  In sum, learning disabilities affect every aspect of an  

>>> affected individual’s life.  In my opinion, it is always a good idea  

>>> to have a learning disabled person evaluated fully for the  

>>> presence/absence of other problems, and treatment available for all  

>>> additional diagnoses, and for all aspects of the presentation (see  

>>> below).

>>>  

>>> 6.  In my experience, the frustration encountered by almost all  

>>> learning-disabled people who have average or above-average  

>>> intelligence as they attempt to reach their life and career goals is  

>>> incalculable.  This diagnosis along with the constant need for  

>>> compensation and adjustment serves so many times to keep the idea of  

>>> the disabilities or the disabilities themselves at the forefront of  

>>> the affected person’s mind.  Consider, for example, the individual  

>>> with a reading LD.  While he/she may have been diagnosed early and  

>>> treated successfully, the core of the problem itself remains part of  

>>> the person’s life.  The person may know how to adjust for their  

>>> diagnosed dyslexia, but is still fully aware that he or she has this  

>>> condition and must constantly compensate for it.  This awareness  

>>> sometimes prevents people from following their dreams and pursuing  

>>> their goals, because they have in mind that despite all measures of  

>>> relief they are somehow tainted.  This is especially true in a  

>>> society that prizes perfection and excellence above all else.

>>>  

>>> 7.  There are various treatments available for people with learning  

>>> disabilities.  These include the relatively well-known and accepted  

>>> forms of therapy, medication, family and community support, and  

>>> school intervention.   I have also found that people with learning  

>>> disabilities profit from the experience of working one of one with a  

>>> learning disabilities professional who understands the full  

>>> implication of the diagnosis, and can work with the individual to  

>>> set impressive yet realistic goals, and implement manageable  

>>> strategies to reach them.  For example, a young person with a  

>>> reading disability who wants to become a lawyer needs to know that  

>>> there are provisions for learning disabled people now in some law  

>>> schools that will provide the services and structure required of a  

>>> law program.  This person also needs to become acquainted with  

>>> lawyers who have succeeded and who are also in some way learning  

>>> disabled.  

>>>  

>>> 8.  Most K-12 schools today typically provide some learning  

>>> disability services in the form of classes, tutorials, and so on,  

>>> depending on the individual student’s diagnosed needs.  And most  

>>> colleges and universities offer similar services, although I have  

>>> found that this assistance varies from place to place across the  

>>> board.  However, despite laws to the contrary, there remain at all  

>>> levels institutions that seem to flatly deny the existence of any  

>>> condition that could be called a learning disability.  Indeed, these  

>>> institutions insist that the diagnosed student is instead lazy,  

>>> disorganized, mentally disturbed, and so on.  This is an unfortunate  

>>> condition, and if encountered requires delicate management and/or  

>>> outside help.

>>>  

>>> 9.  Most K-12 schools also offer some form of learning disability  

>>> assessment.  Herein lies the rub, as they say.  The diagnosis  

>>> provided may or may not be accurate and complete, two factors that  

>>> must be present if proper and adequate treatment is to be given.   

>>> All too often I have seen the diagnosis of a student left to someone  

>>> who was not properly trained, lacked cultural and social  

>>> sensitivities, was not fully aware of what the label “LD” meant to  

>>> the student now and in the future, and/or had certain biases toward  

>>> segments of the population.  Parent have often complained that the  

>>> school provided diagnostics were unfair, incomplete, and or  

>>> inaccurate, and it has been just as often my unfortunate experience  

>>> to find that the parents were right. 

>>>  

>>> What are the options?  If the parents can afford it, there are  

>>> outside testing facilities for students of all ages that can provide  

>>> appropriate, complete, and accurate assessments of a student’s level  

>>> and category of LD.  It is important to find out in advance,  

>>> however, how reliable these institutions are, and whether they are  

>>> fairly priced as viewed by the wider community.  If the parents  

>>> cannot pay much or perhaps at all, they are left to the mercies of  

>>> outside agencies, both for-and non-profit.  Here again the outcomes  

>>> may be on the mark or less than desirable.  I have seen both good  

>>> and poor results.  But testing is merely part of the equation, and  

>>> only initiates years of work ahead.  Sometimes parents can proceed  

>>> on their own successfully, and sometimes not; it depends on their  

>>> work schedules, attitudes, other demands, personal problems and  

>>> health, for example.

>>>  

>>> Hiring individual help may be a good idea, if, and I emphasize the  

>>> “if,” a qualified educational consultant and advocate can be found.   

>>> Both of these characteristics must be present: the person you select  

>>> should be an experienced and educated professional, one who has  

>>> worked extensively in the school system, and knows how the system  

>>> really works.  In addition to knowing and providing the precise  

>>> method of approach to the schools to obtain the desired goal, the  

>>> consultant must also have in their heart the ability to champion the  

>>> rights of the student.   I say this out of my own experience over  

>>> many years, as I witnessed both good and bad consultants and  

>>> advocates hired by concerned, often desperate parents seeking help  

>>> for their children.  The good ones worked wonders.  They were  

>>> knowledgeable, articulate, analytical, and prepared.  The bad ones  

>>> caused havoc and pain.  They were short-sighted, lacked enough  

>>> education and preparation, and let the school system run rampant  

>>> over the case. 

>>>  

>>> What should you look for in a good educational consultant and  

>>> advocate?  As I began above, both the ability to perceive the real  

>>> problems in each case, and not just the ones provided by the school  

>>> system and family, and the real solutions to each case, that is,  

>>> what in realistic terms can be done within and without the system to  

>>> help each child.  Each case is as varied as the colors of the  

>>> rainbow, a good consultant knows, and each case requires full  

>>> concentration, adequate education and preparation, professional  

>>> manner, adequate time, and a firm, fixed agenda. 

>>>  

>>> In terms of fees, I have seen perfectly decent people working for as  

>>> little as $50 an hour, and I have seen people who should never have  

>>> been allowed near the case charging $400 an hour and more.  There  

>>> seems to be no rhyme or reason to the pricing, and often it is what  

>>> the community will bear.  Here in the Washington, DC metro area most  

>>> consultants and/or advocates charge from $100 to almost $1000 per  

>>> session, with more for special services, depending on what they  

>>> advertise they can do for you and your youngster.  Amazing but true.

>>>  

>>> What you want to look for is someone you like and trust, first, so  

>>> that the time you and your child spend with them will be  

>>> production.  You also want someone who is educated in the field and  

>>> can prove it, and someone who will spend time with you as a parent,  

>>> your child as a student, you and your child as a team, the student’s  

>>> school, the school’s administration, the school system  

>>> administration, the many meetings that are inevitable, available  

>>> resources and alternatives, available treatments and options, and  

>>> access to potentially necessary extended help.   It is also a good  

>>> idea to know if the person works with any lawyers who specialized in  

>>> education law, “just in case.”  While you may or may not need,  

>>> ultimately, to seek counsel, it is always a good idea to have “on  

>>> tap” a name or two of law firms that you have already checked out. 

>>>  

>>> I would recommend that you explore all of this before deciding  

>>> anything.  I would also suggest that you try to work out an  

>>> agreement on an hourly basis, with a letter of contract that lets  

>>> you out of the relationship if you find out that the person is not  

>>> working out.  If they insist on a retainer larger than 5 hours of  

>>> their time on an hourly basis, or if they ask for all the money up  

>>> front, or any other large money arrangement, after deciding whether  

>>> their reasons were sound, I would perhaps look elsewhere.  There are  

>>> many very good educational consultants and advocates who do have  

>>> fair rates and who are more than happy to assist you. 

>>>  

>>> I hope this information is of value to you, and that you will  

>>> contact me with any questions you might have. 

>>>  

>>> All best,

>>>  

>>> Dr. Judith Peyton Sinclair

>>>  

>>>  

>>> Contact information:

>>>  

>>> Judith Peyton Sinclair, PhD

>>> Cognitive Psychologist and Educator

>>> Life and Career Management Services Consultant

>>> Telephone 202-364-3893

>>> www.sinclairsystem.com

>>> j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net

>>>  

>>>

>>> ----------------------------------------------------

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>>> mlavallee at charter.net.----------------------------------------------- 

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