Did you know Total Learning Centers has a Vimeo account now? We’re uploading past interviews and radio spots so you can learn more about how Total Learning Centers helps prepare students today for success tomorrow! As founders of TLC, Dr. Joe and I are always discussing the leading research in brain-based learning. We shared this knowledge most recently on Spotlight on Pittsburgh with Jack Bogut. If you missed the interview, log onto Vimeo.com. Listen to our interview and check back often for more uploads.
Archive for the ‘TLC’ Category
Watch TLC on Vimeo
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010closed head injury and FAPE
Monday, August 30th, 2010One of our wonderful educational advocates was working with a client who had not received an evaluation after a closed head injury. She wrote a complaint to the state and was awarded 550 to 660 compensatory hours.
How many students miss evaluations, and worse, services are not given? Students who have had bike injuries, sports injuries, concussions of all kinds, any kind of closed head injury, are eligible for FAPE. I thought you might be interested in seeing the Parade Magazine article about Bob Woodward’s cognitive retraining.
Let me know your thoughts.
Online Autism course via Yale
Monday, August 30th, 2010What an amazing offer. Why can’t everyone share knowledge this way? The more we all know the better we all will be. Check it out:
The Yale Child Study Center has recently made their undergraduate seminar course on autism available to the public online at no cost.
This is the same course that has been available to Yale University students. Presentations include .pdf handouts to accompany.
http://autism.yale.edu/ http://autism.yale.edu ****** Introduction to Yale’s Autism Seminar Understanding Autism in the Yale Seminar on Autism and Related Disorders Online
The Yale Seminar on Autism and Related Disorders is the United States’ first undergraduate course of its kind. Our goal for this website is to make all of the lecture content and supporting materials available online for free for anyone who desires to learn about Autism Spectrum Disorders. Topics include Communication in Autism, Parental Perspectives & Supporting Families, Social Brain in Autism, and more.
Appointed to state board of IDA
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010I’m excited to announce after nearly a decade helping our local branch of The International Dyslexia Association get up and running, I’ve been appointed to the board of directors of state division as well. I’ll now be able to help Pennsylvania reach, and teach, more parents and educators about children with Dyslexia.
The Pennsylvania Branch of The International Dyslexia Association (PBIDA), serving Pennsylvania and Delaware, provides support and information for individuals, families and educational professionals concerned with the issues of dyslexia and learning differences.
To learn more about this great group, visit pbida.org. Don’t miss the annual conference in Philadelphia, October 8. Not only is this a great time and wonderful opportunity to learn, but educators and psychologists can also receive continuing education credits.
To view the TLC press release on this appointment visit our website www.totallearningcenter.com.
Add Positives through Appreciation Journal
Thursday, August 5th, 2010Negative thoughts produce more negative thoughts. Obviously that leads our children to themselves and the world not only less positively now but also less HOPEFULLY about their future. As parents, we would like our children to focus more on the good things in their lives. One way to help our children change from negative to positive thinkers is to develop focus on the good things in their life.
Consider beginning an appreciation journal. Start simply, everyday write down as least one item they appreciate. If writing is a challenge, you can write for them. Work up to writing more than one item – don’t make it too overwhelming. Review previous days. Focus on the positive. It’s not that the world is only positive but we need to ADD positive to balance the overabundance of negative that fills their minds. And finally, remember, often a little change is a lot of change.
Inattentive Preschooler, Cause for Concern?
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010With students everywhere preparing to return to their schools, I wonder how we can help our children achieve more in their educational careers. Recently I re-read an article that may help some parents who have questions about their child’s ability to succeed in school.
Researchers at UC Davis conducted a study that shows a direct correlation between attention problems early in the child’s life (as young as kindergarten), and their performance in high school. ”The Impact of Childhood Behavior Problems on Academic Achievement in High School” analyzed 700 children beginning at age five until the age of eighteen. They found that of all the characteristics that were present in the child at a young age, inattentiveness was the biggest factor in poor performance later on in life.
Lead study author Joshua Breslau, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine and a researcher with the UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities said, “By identifying attention problems as the most consequential for academic achievement over the long term, this study helps us decide where to put our clinical resources.”
Co-author Julie Schweitzer added, “The message for parents and teachers is to not ignore signs of inattentiveness in young children.”
I realize that we all hope for the best when it comes to our children and we want to believe that all things will work out in the end, but sometimes it is better to take action early. If you suspect your child has attention issues that go beyond most children their age, please see your pediatrician to discuss your options. While I do hope you will trust the Total Learning Center to help with the evaluation, what is most important to me is that your child receives the best assistance possible, regardless of who offers it.
The full article is available here:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526093928.htm
LISTENING TO MUSIC WHILE STUDYING
Monday, August 2nd, 2010GREAT NEWS! Fox news reported on whether it is better to study in quiet or with music. Finally, a study that compared memory of those in a group that was in quiet, listened to music they liked, listened to music they did not like, and a fourth group that listened to a consistent sound (someone saying three over and over). The conclusion was conclusive and clear – studying in a quiet or while hearing a boring steady sound led to more effective studying. That means that the recommendation is to NOT listen to music while studying but rather in silence or with a sustained boring sound in the background. A compromise is to listen to slow music without words – baroque music is actually a recommendation!
Making a Mistake vs. Being a Mistake
Friday, July 23rd, 2010Making a Mistake vs. Being a Mistake
“We tell kids it’s ok to make mistakes then give them ‘bad grades’ when they do. That can actually lead to valuable life lessons as long as one of them isn’t that the child is the mistake.” Dr. Joe Utay
Your Path
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010“To make a difference on your path, first acknowledge the difference you already make with each step.” Dr. Joe Utay
Making the Invisible Visible: Verbal Cues Enhance Visual Detection
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010I just finished reading an interesting article on the effect of verbal cues on visual detection. Psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California would flash images on a screen so quickly (50 milliseconds) that the brain wouldn’t be able to recognize the image. Even if the subjects were given a preview of the image they would be shown, they still couldn’t identify it. However, when the subjects were given verbal cues they were able to identify the image almost every time!
Gary Lupyan, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, said, “This research speaks to the idea that perception is shaped moment-by-moment by language. Although only English speakers were tested, the results suggest that because words in different languages pick out different things in the environment, learning different languages can shape perception in subtle, but pervasive ways.”
It’s amazing how our brains work. The slightest adjustment in the information that we receive can change our whole perspective on things. That is something I try to impart with every teacher and parent that comes to the Total Learning Center. If you have a child or student who just can’t seem to pick up the information try to present it in a different format. There is no end to what we can accomplish. We can solve complex problems. We can comprehend difficult information. We can even make the invisible visible.
Read the whole article at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100712121855.htm.
