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Helping
kids catch up when theyíre falling behind
Brad Hutchinson ñ Audiologist / Speech Pathologist
Claire Corbitt ñ Occupational Therapist
Since starting
school four years ago, Lukeís parents suspected that, being a boy,
he was just taking longer to mature than his younger sister. Despite
being obviously smart, he appeared to be lazy or to have selective
hearing whenever he was asked to do something that didnít interest
him.
Luke was falling further
and further behind at school and his report cards continually read:
ìÖ Luke doesnít seem to listen and heís
easily distracted.î
ìÖ Heís taking too long to complete his work.î
ìÖ Luke has trouble following more than one instruction at a
time.î
ìÖ He can sound out words but has trouble comprehending what
heís reading.î
Luke was a fairly typical
underperforming kid. Unfortunately too many children like Luke slip
through the net and struggle the whole way through school. These kids
usually form a pretty low self-perception as a result, some becoming
disruptive in the classroom while others try to make themselves as
invisible as possible.
So what was going on with
Luke and how could his parents best help him? The first thing they did
was to send Luke for tutoring, which saw him improve a little bit, but
he continued to struggle at school because the cause of Lukeís
learning difficulties was yet to be addressed.
Towards the end of the
year Lukeís teacher attended a seminar on (Central) Auditory
Processing difficulties, one of the leading causes for learning and/or
behavioural problems in students of all ages. Lukeís teacher had an
ìaha!î moment, immediately thinking of Luke, and called his
parents to suggest that he be assessed.
Lukeís (Central)
Auditory Processing assessment revealed that despite having
ìnormalî intelligence, he was only able to understand information
at the level expected of a year one student. Equipped with this information, Lukeís parents understood the cause of
his learning difficulties and provided him with very effective and
specialised training through the Fast ForWord computer program.
That was seven months ago.
Luke has just been re-assessed after completing a 12-week course of
the Fast ForWord computer program and weíre thrilled to report that
this has made significant changes to this young manís learning
abilities, with scores that show a 3.2-year learning improvement. Luke
isnít the class genius, but his parents and teacher report
significant improvements in his memory, attention, auditory
processing, sequencing and reading skills. Most importantly, Luke is
much happier and more confident in his ability, which means he isnít
disruptive in the classroom and he believes he can do the work if he
tries.
His mother Nadine said:
ìHe has improved in everything at school and his teachers are really
commenting on the difference. I just wish weíd known about auditory
processing problems and the Fast ForWord program earlier because it
would have saved a lot of grief.î
For more information about
(Central) Auditory Processing assessments or the Fast ForWord computer
program, contact one of the health professionals at Sonic Learning on
9271 7711 or visit www.fastforwordAUSTRALIA.com.au
Creating
happy & successful primary & secondary students
Julia Gilmore (M.Ed.,B.Ed.,Dip.Tch)
One
of the most rewarding aspects of my job as a consultant teacher is
helping primary and high school students to confidently achieve their
full potential academically, socially and emotionally.
Students attend the centres or receive home help after school
and on weekends, July holidays included.
Often
parents need practical, effective advice and support from an
educational specialist in one or more of the following areas:
*
Comprehensive assessments, clear verbal and written reports and action
plans with proven results for students from Kindy to Year 10.
* Help to improve or extend reading, writing, spelling, phonics,
grammar, essay writing.
* Extension programs for bored, capable students.
* Self-esteem and confidence building.
It is
really rewarding to watch a reluctant student who has become a
specialist in avoiding reading, writing and maths work develop far
more confidence and achieve his or her potential.
Gifted
and talented students love to be recognised for their abilities and
given real challenges that involve lateral thinking.
Now,
itís report time again! Current report documents present each child
as a dot in a grey area, no matter how far ahead or behind their
academic performance may be. Accompanying computer-driven comments are
often bland, with little real information.
High
school reports are slightly more revealing but, because they are also
generated by the failed OBE system, they are significantly flawed.
The
results of recent NAPLAN testing (previously WALNA) for Years Three,
Five, Seven and Nine are delivered in a hit-and-run style at the end
of the school year. Although this style of testing is flawed and the
results are ëseasonally adjustedí it is the only way parents see
how their children are performing in comparison to others of a similar
chronological age.
What
do parents want? They want verification as to whether their child is
ahead, average or struggling academically and for each child to be
performing at his or her level of ability.
Recently
I have assessed many students who range from months to years behind or
ahead of the required levels for their age groups in English and
Mathematic skill development. Very
few had been identified at school as needing support or extension.
At A1
Learning, individual assessments are highly recommended because they
show where the child is performing for his/her chronological age in
literacy and numeracy skills. Individual programs are designed to
match his or her needs.
Specialised,
standardised and diagnostic testing procedures are used and full
written reports provided. It is important to find out whether the
child is cruising, has teaching or learning gaps, is developmentally
behind or ahead, or has specific learning difficulties, sometimes
known as Dyslexia (literacy difficulties) or Dyscalculia (numeracy
difficulties).
Bookings
are now open for assessments, July Holiday and Term programs. An hour
per week can make a huge difference. Term Three programs start
straight after the holidays.
For
booking or just a friendly chat about your child, please call Julia
Gilmore on 9402 5080 or email juliagilmore@iinet.net.au
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