Dear Parent:
“While your child is bright, he is very disorganized and has missed many assignments. He loses papers and frequently forgets to turn in his homework. He is a strong reader but struggles to express his thoughts on paper when writing. He also needs help breaking down and solving math word problems."
Ugghhh … if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a less-than-stellar conference report, or a “hey, can I talk to you for a minute?” parent-teacher chat… if you’re the mom or dad of a kid who struggles with reading, writing, math, time management, or getting things done (not to mention all the head butting with you!) know that you’re definitely not alone. Okay, fine. But how do you change this dynamic? And are these academic and organizational issues simply developmental, or something that could benefit from some outside attention? EBL Coaching, a research-based, multi-sensory one-on-one tutoring program, specializing in helping students with ADHD and learning disabilities, can help sort all of it out.
We recently interviewed founder and director Emily Levy to get her insights.
Is your child easily distracted?
Many students become easily distracted when trying to complete their schoolwork. Identifying triggers and coming up with ideas to avoid these distractions can help them sustain their attention and complete their tasks. To build this focusing ability, it is helpful for students to identify distractions and then come up with a solution for each one. For example, perhaps your child is hungry and therefore can't focus on his homework. Encourage him or her to create a sheet with two columns: distractions on the left and solutions on the right. Have the student list each distraction with a corresponding solution to the right of it. In doing so, they will become much more self-aware of distractions and ways to solve them.
Does your child have a hard managing his or her time?
Time management is a challenge for many students. To help build this skill, teach your child to understand how long tasks take to complete. Start by explaining to your child that ET stands for “estimated time” or the amount of time she thinks it will take to complete a task, and AT stands for “actual time” it takes. Then try various activities at home to practice this skill. For instance, one task may be to sharpen five pencils. Ask your child how long they think it will take, and write down the ET. Then have them time themself to see how long it actually takes and write down the AT. A task like this will help a child understand how to manage their time more efficiently.
Does your child have a hard time taking notes or remembering information?
Two-column study guides can help students build more effective study skills. Have your child turn a horizontal sheet of paper into four parts, and label the middle two columns “questions” and “answers.” Next they should come up with a series of questions and answers based on the information they need to learn. They should write the questions under the second of the four columns and the answers under the third of the four columns. They should then fold over the first column on the left to cover the questions and the fourth column on the right to cover the answers. They can then quiz themselves as many times as needed until they grasp all of the information.
Curious to learn more? EBL provides reading, writing, math, executive functioning and study skills instruction at their Englewood learning center and at students' homes in Bergen, Hudson, Rockland, Morris and Passaic counties. Specializing in one-on-one tutoring for students in grades pre-K - 12 using research-based, multi-sensory techniques, EBL Coaching also offers specialized programs for students with dyslexia, learning disabilities and ADHD. Each student is personally assessed by Director Dr. Levy and then hand-matched with one of EBL's learning specialists who is trained in the methods most appropriate for that child.
For more information, visit www.eblcoaching.com
EBL Coaching
50 East Palisade Avenue, Suite 201, Englewood
(201) 567-8988
