Dr. Richard Selznick advice to parents - Trust your gut

 

Here is another post by Dr. Richard Selznick that I have copied in full. LINK

Don't Wait for the School's Blessings: Trust Your Gut 

Anxiety over a child’s school-based problems can start very early.

After reading The Shut-Down Learner, a mom contacted me. “My son’s drowning in in school. Do you think he could be a shut-down learner,” she asked.

After asking a few more questions, I was struck by the fact that the child in question was only six in the beginning of first grade.

Disengaged students

                                     

                                          

I prefer the term disengaged/disconnected/shut-down students to dyslexic students. The term dyslexia is being misused by people with vested interest to include many conditions that would be best excluded from the dyslexia definition. For instance, kids with auditory processing difficulties, kids with acuity problems, kids with neurological problems, and kids with sight problems should all be excluded from the dyslexia umbrella.

I have reasons for wanting to differentiate between individuals who are said to be ‘dyslexic’ and disengaged students. Problems faced by disengaged students can be 1) prevented and 2) overcome as disengaged students are a result of schooling-caused teaching problems. Disengaged students form, I believe, a majority of kids who leave school as illiterates.

Learning disabilities and dyslexia Part 2

Over the past 8 years I have taught 26 dyslexic students. Most of them were certified dyslexics by experts in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Among all the 26 students, only 2 had exceptional problems with mathematics. I have also taught one student mathematics. She is an intelligent girl and was very fluent in her English and could read more fluently than most students in her school but had problems grasping mathematics. She READ FLUENTLY and as such she cannot be dyslexic. But she had a problem with mathematics. Would it be proper to call her dyslexic just because some Association decides to include dyscalculia and dysgraphia under the dyslexia umbrella?

Phonological Awareness Deficit is not the cause of dyslexics being unable to read fluently - A Myth Busted

                                                               

It is a fallacy to state that phonological awareness deficit is the main or even one of the causes of dyslexia as claimed by many researchers and Dyslexia Associations.

Let us clearly define what is not dyslexia.

 

Dicourse with Dr.Selznick Part 7 & Lesson 44

31.5.2010
Dr.Selznick: Yes, understood.  But, give me an example of a logical and an illogical thing that they learn, so I know what you are referring to.

Discourse with Dr.Selznick Part 6 and lesson 43

Doc,

Another point for elaborating please:

Your book pg 39 : For example, take the name Darcy, which is on the list.

Discourse with Dr.Selznick on Shut Down Learner - Part 2 & Lesson 39

27.5.2010
Doc,
I have come to learn that most of the people "shut down" when something different from their experience or understanding is mentioned. They do not read with an open mind. I believe one should listen to any suggestion and weigh it before accepting or discarding it.

Discourse with Dr.Richard Selznick - Author of Shut Down Learner & Lesson 38

This is the first of a series of e-mail discussion between Dr. Richard Selznick PhD and myself, based on his book the Shut Down Learner.

11.5.2010
Dear Luqman:
Here are some of the observations that I can share with you relative to some of the issues that you raise: