Raising Smarter Children

 

In part 3 of our back to school success series, both Joe Biden and Sarah Palin showed specific preparation strategies and memory techniques we’d recommend to your child for superstar school success.

1.  The Vice Presidential debate gave some excellent tips for our third part of the back to school success series.

While each person “crammed for this debate” they both anticipated and knew what would be asked during the debate.  It’s important that your child speak in detail with each teacher to find out as much as possible about the type of test and what information will be covered on that test. 

When studying for a test, be prepared - not just out loud, but in writing too.  Students who get terrific marks turn all their material into pictures, because the brain can retrieve pictures thousands of times faster than words.

The old saying, one picture is worth a thousand words is never more true than in school.  Good readers turn the print they read into mental movies.

2.  When taking notes - make picture perfect summaries - and use a circle, putting information on spokes that go around the circle clockwise.

3.  Notice that Palin and Biden held their heads high - that fact alone is a long known technique that puts kids in visual success positions.  Tests are highly visual and holding your head up high and even looking up, will help your child retrieve what they studied on their picture perfect summaries.  It’s almost as if they are at a movie - and we all know how easy it is to recall movies.

4.  When answering essay questions, take “some” tips from Biden (more than Palin) - use more facts to support your thesis and don’t sidestep issues simply because you don’t know the answer, or won’t follow the rules the teacher’s given - and above all, don’t make up things you don’t know about.

Step 4, last in our back to school success series will be next week, and contain specific strategies in every subject.

Remember, every child is smart!

Warmly,

Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredakis M.D.

If you like this post, hit the “share this button” below and help more parents get tips for their child’s school success.  If you don’t have a copy already, the 210 page e-book, Instant Learning For Amazing Grades, at http://www.howtolearn.com/amazinggrades.html has all the proven strategies that have helped over 250,000 students get A’s and B’s over many years.

We welcome your comments and questions and will answer them.  Bookmark this site and return often for the best ways to help every child fulfill their full potential.

Tags: back to school success tips, brain, Erin Mavredakis M.D., good readers, Joe Biden, one picture is worth a thousand words, Pat Wyman, preparation strategies, Sarah Palin, school success, vice presidential debate

 

This is part 2 of our back to school success series.

How to Diagnose and Correct Your Child’s Learning Problems

You can use the following questionnaires to determine your child’s or learning needs.

This information may save your child hours of specialized and expensive testing and can be used to report the information to your child’s teacher.  If necessary, you may bring this information into a special education IEP meeting.

The information that follows the testing will help you design an individual solution to meet your child’s learning needs.

Before you begin, it is helpful to understand what causes most learning problems. Once you read through these, you will want to have your child or student present so that you can read the questions aloud as they look at them in print. 

That way, you’re involving your child in determining what is needed to solve his or her own learning problems and it preserves their self-esteem once they see that these issues are not the result of being a “slow” learner as most kids tend to think, because they compare themselves with other kids. 

It also helps their self-esteem because you won’t get a “grade level” score, but a true picture of how the world looks and sounds to your child.

The Four Primary Reasons for Learning Problems/Disabilities

Years of research and teaching experience has revealed that most learning disabilities, ADHD or “at risk” student learning problems are basically the result of only four things:

1. Learning Styles: a mis-match between how your child learns and how s/he is tested in writing. Kids learn in 3 primary ways - in pictures (visual);, by listening and repeating (auditory) and physically, by touching or feeling the information (kinesthetic).

The problem is that schools test in only one of those styles - the written visual style.  If your child is more auditory or kinesthetic, they may not be able to show what they know on a written test.

This mis-match may cause problems in learning math facts, spelling, vocabulary, reading comprehension and study skills.

2. Vision and Perception: undetected eyesight or visual perception stress problems which cause reading and writing problems. 

You don’t know how the printed page looks to your child, and your child’s school vision screening misses over 90% of what children need in order to read, copy from the board, and even play sports.  This is more than just eyesight - perception of what they see is involved and most schools never check for these items which may cause untold reading and learning problems.

Additionally, If a child has something like a visual figure-grouud problem, he or she will not be able to distinguish what is on certain pages from the background (remember where’s Waldo? - It is very much like that)- so imagine how much a child struggles to read with a visual figure ground problem.

3. Nutrition: nutritional deficiencies or food sensitivities and allergies can masquerade as learning disability/behavioral symptoms. Your child may be labeled with ADHD and it could be, according to pediatric allergist, Doris Rapp, M.D., numerous other problems that look like ADHD.

4. Speech and language, or auditory perception problems: the inability to hear and create various sounds or auditory figure ground problems (the inability to hear the words one person speaks when there is other background noise in the room).

Although other factors such as hearing difficulties, severe emotional distress or organic brain dysfunction may be at the root of a smaller number of learning problems, but the vast majority of children respond with overwhelming success when the four aspects discussed above are addressed.

Be sure to check with your pediatrician about other possible causes of learning difficulties like autism, dysgraphia (my son suffered from this, which is a small motor control problem which makes things like writing or cutting with scissors very difficult), etc.

 Resources: 

Questionnaires to Discover the Causes Of Your Child’s or Student’s Learning Needs

By answering the following questionnaires, you can determine the actual causes of most learning difficulties. You will receive more information on how to solve most learning challenges at the end of each questionnaire. You may find that your child or student has a combination of needs, which when dealt with directly, will result in the inspiring success we have found in our 25 years of positive educational experience.

With the exception of true organic brain dysfunction the three causes of most learning problems listed above can easily be determined by answering the questions on each of the following questionnaires:

A. Want to know how your child learns best and how to fix a possible mis-match between learning and testing?

Use the Personal Learning Style Inventory at http://www.howtolearn.com

B. Want to know how to improve your child’s reading?

Use the Parent and Teacher’s Guide to Vision Problems at http://www.howtolearn.com/ireadisucceed.html

C. Want to know if food is causing your child’s learning problems?

Go to: http://www.howtolearn.com/add-adhd.html for the chart on what may be masquerading as ADHD.

D.  See your local, highly recommended speech and language pathologist if you believe your child is having speech and language issues which may impede learning.  Be sure to check for auditory figure ground perception problems.  Next, take your child to a hearing specialist to check hearing and listening levels.  This is critical to school success.

We hope you find these resources helpful and if you have comments or questions, please submit them below - (add the two numbers together so the system knows you’re a real person :)

Also, if you want to share this information with your friends, hit the “share this” button and pass the information around to the social communities where millions of parents can see it and get the help they need.

Bookmark this page and return shortly for part 3 of our Back To School Success Series.

Remember, every child is smart!

Warmly,

Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredakis, M.D.

Tags: ADHD, auditory, auditory learning style, back to school, back to school success series. http://www.howtolearn.co, Doris Rapp M.D., Erin Mavredakis M.D., IEP, kinesthetic, kinesthetic learning style, learning, learning challenges, learning problems, math facts, nutrition, Pat Wyman, pediatric allergist, pediatrician, perception, questionnaire, school success, self esteem, special education, speech and language, speech and language pathologist, success series, vision, vision problems, visual, visual learning style

Dear Readers,

This was to be the second of our 4 back to school success posts, but I’ve just finished surviving the devastation of Hurricane Ike.

So, next post will be number 2 in our back to school success series, and I thought this was too important a time not to write down these thoughts.

I’ve never been in a hurricane before and while visiting my sister in Texas, it happened.  Did it ever - and I pray it never happens again to anyone, anywhere.

Being from California, and knowing absolutely zero about hurricanes, I got a crash course in how they work, but more importantly, how people can bond together and help each other get through with no power, no water, no energy, gas and food.

Folks, my first thought when I heard this was coming is what does it mean?  What  will happen?  The kids that live in Texas are used to hurricanes, but this was very, very different.  I certainly had no idea what to expect.  It’s one thing to see things on T.V. and quite another to be in the middle of it when it’s happening. 

What I learned is that a tragedy can actually be time for some very good and powerful learning for your children. (and me too).

1.   You are your child’s model.  What you do in a crisis, will influence them forever.  Be calm and steady - if not for you, do it for the kids.  If you’re calm and prepared, your kids will be too.  Work together getting the house ready (if you don’t have to evacuate), shop together telling the kids how much easier it will be with lots of water, ice, canned items and the rest of food that you will need,  because most likely the power will go out.   

2.  Study hurricanes together as a family, again calmly.  Learn about how they work and why the sky may turn aqua green just after what looks like lightening.  Learning new things together helps children want to learn and builds their curiosity about other things too.

Have lots of games to play together when the power goes out, and a whole lot of flashlights.  When it’s really dark, everybody feels better with light.

The games will help your kids feel happier when you’re playing, and can calm them too.  Play every single game you can with them.  Read happy stories to your kids because it releases the ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. 

3.  Make contingency plans since you can’t predict everything.  Insure your kids know what to do and that you will be there for them.  This helps your kids learn to think ahead when things are unknown.

4.  The neighbors here had one of those wind up radios from radio shack and they let us use it to get more information.  I highly recommend, after what I’ve just been through, to invest the few dollars and get one.  You don’t need any power - just wind it up.  It was so helpful.  Again, your kids will learn what they need during a crisis.   Information is one of your most powerful allies.

5.  When your kids are informed about what’s coming, they are far more likely to want to help you and each other and quickly learn the value of what it means to be a real family - stick together. 

6.  Answer their questions - all of them.  Again, be calm.  Let the kids know it’s O.K. to be afraid, but that you’re doing everything you can to prepare.  You’ve got plenty of warning time so you have a real opportunity to help your children help themselves and make amazingly good choices during a crisis.

7.  If they want to be right next to you when the hurricane hits, find that room with no outside walls and put the mattresses there, or make a game of jumping in the tub and putting the mattress over your heads before it hits. Try to lighten things up a bit for everyone.  Believe me, this goes a long way toward both teaching the kids what they need to know, and helping them laugh at the same time.

8.  Tell them why you need to fill your tubs with water, why to duct tape your windows and board them up.  Have them help you - they will feel much safer and more secure when you’re doing these things together. 

9.  Assume the very best of your kids - they will surprise you with their creativity and thoughts if you let them.  This is a time they can quickly learn kindness, humility and courage - all at the same time.

10.  When the hurricane is over, go outside, look around and thank God you’re all safe.  It may be a huge mess (it sure was here), but you’ll be surprised at how the neighborhood bonds together to help each other.

This is the time for your children to learn compassion for others too.  We heard that the first response teams needed food and water because they had none.  Remember these are the folks who are supposed to rescue others.  And they had no food or water.  So when the call went out to help, we gathered up all our extra water and food we could, and took it to them.  They were so happy and grateful.

Imagine how good your kids will feel helping the police or firefighters or even the national guard with simple things like water.  What does that teach them?  We’re a community and all in this together.

I learned a lot from this and pray you never have to experience anything like it, but if you do, some real good can come from it.

With gratitude,

Pat Wyman

If you like these ideas, please hit the comment button and share your thoughts.  Help others by clicking on the “share this” button and letting the social community know.  That’s what it’s really all about -sharing and caring.  I thank you for reading this and if you’ve been to our other site for back to school help and resources,  http://www.HowToLearn.com I thank you now for your patience because things are understandably delayed.

Warmly,

Pat Wyman

Tags: back to school, California, compassion, contingency plans, courage, creativity, curiosity, decisions, devastation, dopamine, evacuate, flashlights, food, games, gas, God, http://www.howtolearn.com, hurricane, Hurricane Ike, Ike, learning, neurotransmitter, Pat Wyman, play, pray, preparation, reading, role model, school success, sky, T.V., tragedy, values

This is the first in a 4 part Back To School Success Series. 

Bookmark this page and return to read for our experts’ solutions to help your child be a school superstar this year.

What Can You Do To Make Sure Your Child Beats The Odds And Is Not Part Of The Majority Of Kids Who Are Below Grade Level? 

The United States Department of Education, Nation’s Report Card says that nearly 70% of our nation’s schoolchildren are below grade level in our four most important subjects:

Reading:  Grade 4:  68% are below grade level

Reading:  Grade 8:  70% are below grade level

Writing:  Grade 8:   70% are below grade level

Math:  Grade 4:      62% are below grade level

Math:  Grade 8:      69% are below grade level

Science:  Grades 4 and 8:  73% are below grade level.

Our goal is to help your child beat these abysmal odds.

Bookmark this page and return weekly, for the remaining 3 parts in our Back To School Success Series.

Next post:  Learning Problems - Top 4 Reasons

Remember, every child is smart - but they simply may not know how to show what they know on their written tests.  But our experts can help.

Warmly,

Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredakis M.D.

P.S.  If you want to get stared with more information on back to school success, visit http://www.HowToLearn.com/coachingstudents.html or http://www.HowToLearn.com/AmazingGrades.html

We’d love to hear from you so make a comment below (just add the two numbers together so we know you’re a human :);)  

If you want to share this Back To School Success Series with others, please click on the “share this” button and send it to all the social media communities.

Tags: back to school, beat the odds, eighth graders, Erin Mavredakis M.D., fourth graders, http://www.HowToLearn.com/amazinggrades.html, math, Pat Wyman, reading, school success, school year, science, shocking facts, statistics, United States Department Of Education, writing, written tests

The predidential candidates have chosen their running mates. Between the four of them, do you believe that the two elected, can solve the nation’s reading crisis?   Do they have the knowledge and ability to get all the facts and do things differently than what led us to this crisis?  

Time Magazine and The Washington Post reports that Mrs. Palin has tried to ban books from her state’s libraries simply because she disagrees with what is in them.  The reports then say she threatened to fire a  libraian if she did not comply with “her governor”.

This act alone, if repeated nationally, might remove a book that your child would like to read in their local library.  So, unfortunately, removing books from libraries might not emplify the best way to get kids reading.

It deeply hurts me, and all of us, to know that nearly 70% of our nation’s children are not reading at grade level.  What will it take to solve this crisis and who can solve it?   I want to hear from you on this one, so please hit that comment button.

As a life-long childrens’ learning and reading success advocate, I believe we must start to help our children read at home, and  then move on to revamping the school vision screening system when children enter school, and each year while they are in school.

Interviews with several recent experts and best sellers, which will be posted shortly, reveal that reading to children increases their dopamine levels - that’s the feel good neurotransmitter in your brain.  Simple things like helping your child make a movie in his or her mind of what you or they read is actually critical to reading success.

As former President Lyndon Johnson’s daughter, Luci said, “Hang a mobile over your baby’s crib.”  It strengthens their visual system and later translates into stronger reading abilities.

There is legislation pending, but bogged down in the House of Representatives, on improving school vision screenings.  You can do something about that - read it, and write to Senators Obama, Biden, McCain and Governor Palin. They need to hear from you. 

When our children don’t read, they lose a gateway to the world that harms them in too many ways to count, and their ability to succeed in school diminishes proportionately.  Kids who don’t read often end up in our prison system, using or selling drugs, and statistics say are more likely to become juvenile delinquents.

Folks, we cannot afford to ignore this crisis.  Find out what the printed page looks like to your child, take your child for a learning related vision exam with a developmental optometrist who specializes in both eye health and learning and reading.  They even specialize in improving athletic skills. 

Here are three websites to visit to learn more. 

1.  Have your child take the free Eye-Q Reading Inventory at http://www.howtolearn.com/ireadisucceed.html and read about Luci Johnson and why she nearly dropped out of school while her father was President.  Then read what she did to solve her reading problems.

2. Go to www.covd.org and www.oep.org to find optometrists who are specially trained to diagnose the real reasons behind most reading problems and how to fix them.  You’ll discover everything you want to know about what it takes to be a good reader, how to help your child, what to look for when they read, success stories and so much more.   If you truly want a “smarter” child, help your child be a great reader.

As many of you know, the co-founder of this blog, my daughter, Dr. Erin Mavredakis, (you can read more in the ”About” page up on the nav bar), had some reading problems in the first grade - and yet, she could read at age 4. 

It wasn’t until we took her to a developmental optometrist and discovered the hidden causes of her reading problems and fixed them with vision therapy, that she could really succeed in school. 

Readers, I am a reading specialist whose vast training did not include anything about the types of reading problems my daugher had, and new statistics say that nearly 1 in 4 children in America alone, have reading problems.

As you can see in the “about” section of this blog, Erin is a pediatrician today.  Certainly she had love, support and commitment, but without diagnosing and solving her reading problems, I have to question whether she would have achieved her dream. 

So, no matter who you believe should be our President, all politicians need to be made aware of the inadequate school vision screenings we have now (like the eye-chart, which has nothing to do with reading at near point), and how to implement a more thorough school vision screening that makes sense for reading and learning.

The tips for parents, will continue in other posts and you’ll hear our doctors, authors and educational experts give you profoundly simple tips to insure that your child reads at or above grade level - with complete comprhension and the ability to use the information they read.

So, please cast your votes, and as you’re doing so, write or call the legislators - we need some real change in our schools, and one of the first places to begin is with screening for reading readiness in a way that relates to reading.

Remember, every child is smart!

Warmly,

Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredakis, M.D.

If you like this post, or not, please, do comment.  We want to hear what you’re thinking.  Also, you can click on the “share this”  button below and do a lot of good by spreading the word about solving our reading crisis in the social media networks.  Thank you.

Tags: baby, Biden, crib, dopamine, Erin Mavredakis M.D., how to learn, illiteracy, Joe Biden, juvenile delinquents, knowledge about reading, legislation on school vision screenings, literacy, Luci Johnson, McCain, mobile, neurotransmitter, Obama, Pat Wyman, President Lyndon Johnson, raising smarter children, raising smarter kids, reading, reading crisis, school vision screenings, Senator Barack Obama, Senator Joe Biden, Senator John McCain, smarter children, Smarter kids, vision screen

Who knew that playing video games could be a good thing for your child and even more astounding, for laparoscopic surgeons?

According to The American Psychological Foundation, certain video games improved dexterity and problem solving ability.

A while back, I wrote an article on how some types of video games gave kids skills they need in life - motivation, ability to keep going when things get rough, and forethought.  A study at Fordham University in New York, showed that playing video games improved cognitive and perceptual skills in 5th, 6th, and 7th graders.

At several other universities, continuing studies show that video games improve the scientific thought process. However, violent video games fostered violence among students, while social video games made the students more helpful to others. 

Ongoing research definitely shows that playing video games all the time makes kids obese and reduces their school performance. 

One of the most surprising results of the research is that laparoscopic surgeons improved dexterity by playing video games.  According to psychologist Douglas Gentile, Ph.D., of Iowa State, doctors who played video games were able to “perform surgery 27 percent faster and made 37 percent fewer errors.  He also said video games were good predictors of suturing capabilities.

The bottom line is what most parents already know.  Video games are like anything else.  Good value games, played in balance with other life activities can enhance education and important life skills. 

Gentile says, “This means that games are not good or bad, but are powerful educational tools and have many effects we might not have expected they could.”

The tip for today is attention - look closely at the type of video games your child plays, limit the time, and know that there may be some inherent value for your child who wants to play a video game.  You never know, s/he may turn out to be that laparoscopic surgeon.

As it’s gettng close to back to school, here’s another “tech smart” tip your child can use on the computer. 

There’s a free, one hour online CD, for you and your child, if you’re serious about making this the best school year ever.  It’s the first of 8 CD’s in the How To Win The School Game System, showing your child how to get A’s and B’s with “how to learn” strategies.

Visit our website at http://www.howtolearn.com/coachingstudents2.html for more on how to get higher grades in 14 days.

Remember, every child is smart,

Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredaks, M.D.

If you like this post, please send a comment or click on the “share this” button below the post.  Join the social media networks and help spread the word about raising a smarter child in every way.  Thank you.

Tags: American Psychological Association, back to school, children and video games, dexterity, Douglas Gentile Ph.D., education, Erin Mavredakis M.D., faster surgery, fewer errors, Fordham University, HowToLearn.com, improve cognitive and perceptual skills, Iowa State University, laparoscopic surgeons, New York, Pat Wyman, playing video games, problem solving, school performance, social media networks, students, thought process, video games, your student

Tags: bacteria, diabetes, Erin Mavredakis M.D., Henry Daniell, Henry Daniell Ph.D., HowToLearn.com, human gene, insulin, intestine, lettuce, molectular biologist, normal blood sugar levels, Pat Wyman, plant cells, Type I Diabetes

Well, according to a new Canadian study from the University of Calgary, researchers said that nearly three quarters of the “fun, so called, kid healthy” foods they examined, are not really as healthy as they claim.   In fact, the ingredients in some of these foods are precisely what lead to an obese, unhealthy child, who either has or is well on the way to type II diabetes.

Many ads that target your child and what he or she eats can easily lead to sickness and a shortened life span, and with all the medical research to back that up, it’s not even a stretch to believe it. 

According to an Associated Press report on MSNBC, The Federal Trade Commission said nearly $1.6 billion ad dollars target your child in every possible way to buy foods, snacks, and soads they see in movies, on T.V., in magazine ads, on cereal boxes, computers and even cell phones.

Given what the American Medical Association has said about the obesity and type II epidemic in children, it’s more important than ever to pay close attention to food labels and what you feed your child.  Fast food in general, the fries, burgers, and soda drinks will only lead to an overweight child who has the chance to get sicker faster. 

When you go to the store, be savvy.  Check the labels.  For example, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity, say to check for fat, sugar and sodium content on the labels. 

Sugar hides out as substances like corn syrup, which hits the bloodstream and causes a sharp increase in blood sugar.  Then, it is it’s harder for the body to lower that blood sugar spike.  Not to get to technical, but if your child eats too much sugar, type II diabetes and more damaging conditions are on their way.

Be sure to check the label for any fat that says hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated because these fats are long proven in every peer-reviewed major medical joural on this topic,  to be unhealthy for everyone.

Even foods that claim to be “lite”, hide artificial sweeteners in the ingredients. which can be just as unhealthy as the regular bleached white sugar you bake with or have on the table. The Food and Drug Administration has countless complaints about the effects of artifical sweetners.

Ad spending on so called “kid friendly” foods, definitely contributes to childhood obesity.  According to the research done at the University Of Calgary, 50% of the calories kids eat come from fat or added sugars.  32% of American children are overweight, which does nothing to help their health or learning abilities. 

According to the organizations above, food is deemed to be unhealthy if more than 35% of the calories come from fat, of if it contains more than 3% added sugar by weight. They go on to say that the sodium cut off for a full meal is “770 mg for main meals and 600 mg for individual servings”.

Given that you want your child to stay healthy and live and long and happy life, here are a few healthy kid tips to help your child stay brain and body smart:

1.  Check the foods your child can get at school.  Ask about the ingredients, whether are there candy and soda machines on campus, and does your school use sugary and hydrogenated goodies as fund raisers?

If the answers are not what you know is best for your child, get a group of health conscious parents together, armed with some facts from medical journals and nutritional organizations and put your concerns before the school board.

If the cafeteria food is brought in from fast food restaurants, petition for something more healthy.  Or, pack your child’s lunch with healthy foods.

2.  Take your child on a trip to fast food restaurants.  Get all the nutrition information from the manager, and take a “field trip” to the cooking area if possible.   Take a good hard look at what the food is made of, whether sugar is added to fries to brown them, what percentage of the “beef” is really pure beef, how much fat, sodium and sugar is in each item.  Look at the oil the food is cooked in.  How many grams of sugar are in a soda? 

I’ve found this to be one of the best ways to help kids understand why what they eat can really hurt them.

3.  Make a list with your child before you go to the store.  Put it in two columns.  The second column will show your child how much fat, what kind, how much sugar and what kind, how much sodium, etc. can be allowed on the label.  Also, put artificial colors, msg, and artificial sweeteners of all kinds in the second column.

Then, in the first column, put the list of foods together for the week. 

If that list includes fresh fruits, vegetables, hopefully organic meats, fish and chicken and some truly healthy snacks, let your child help you pick these things out, while paying very close attention to the information in column 2 on the list.  If it doesn’t measure up, don’t buy the food.  It’s that simple.

4.  Look at the total carbohydrate count on the label and divide it by 5 amd that will give you the metabolic equivalent of how much sugar your child is eating.  

When I wanted to show my kids how to see how much sugar was in something, we converted those grams on the label and I had them put that much white table sugar into a glass.  Then I said, how would you like to drink that?

Once I learned about how to keep my children happy, I did hundreds of hours of medical research and the result was my book called, What’s Food Got To Do With It? 101 Natural Remedies For Learning Disabilities.

If you think your child has ADD_ADHD, we put together a 3 book set, called ADD-ADHD.  It contains What’s Food Got To Do With It, Instant Learning For Amazing Grades and Success Strategies For Special Education.  Check these out too, because they contain the information you need on health, learning to get A’s, and strategies for any child diagnosed with a learning challenge.

We want to prevent and cure childhood obesity and prevent type II diabetes.  If you follow these few simple steps, you’re a parent who really cares about your child’s health, and you’ll make great strides in keeping your child as healthy as possible.

Remember, every child is smart - and you need to be smart about what you feed your child,

Warmly,

Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredakis, M.D.

If you like this post, please press the “share this” button below and help spread the word to others about the facts and tips for a healthier child.

Tags: American Medical Association, artificial sweeteners, Associated Press, corn syrup, Erin Mavredakis, FTC, healthy kids, hydrogenated fat, M.D., MSNBC, obesity epidemic, Pat Wyman, saturated fat, school board, school cafeteria, sugar, T.V. ads target kids, type II diabetes, unhealthy foods for kids

If you’re child is having a tough time remembering their spelling words, in weely or standardized tests, the best tip is to use the mental image strategy that spelling bee champions use.  If your child suffers week after week with low spelling grades, the good news is this visual spelling strategy will also help improve their self-esteem.

Author, Thomas Armstrong, says, ““The Super Speller Strategy provides an excellent introduction to some powerful learning strategies. 

I hope that parents and teachers will  throw away the old worn-out spelling methods (“write it down 10 times”) and use the kinds of approaches contained in this online strategy instead.”

When you use the visual spelling strategy, you’re going to begin with just a couple of words to get your child comfortable with a new way of learning and remembering. 

Generally, kids who struggle with spelling don’t see the word in their mind like great spellers do, they just look down and know how they feel about it, using a kinesthetic learning style where they don’t make pictures that are easy to remember.

The full Spelling Success Strategy is in the online program, but you can jump start your child’s success by getting them to write their words on colored unlined note cards or construction paper strips, and then have them hold the words above eye level as they trace the letters with their hand.  Next, take the card away, and have your child look up above eye level and actually see the mental picture of the word.  It’s just like they are seeing a movie.

Brain research tells us that pictures are much faster and easier to remember for a written test, so when your child looks up above eye level, he or she will see the whole word in living color, and can easily write it correctly on the test.

One teacher, Cathy Heissler, owner of the Learning For Tomorrow Center, said, “The Super Speller Strategy changes my students’ lives.  All of my students went from failing to getting A’s and B’s.  Their self-esteem improves so much that they do better in all their other subjects too.”

Remember, kids learn in many styles, but schools tend to test in only one - the written visual style.  If you haven’t already read about how to bridge the gap between test taking success for students of all learning styles, there are more than 20, practical ‘how to” strategies in the book, Learning vs. Testing.  These strategies cover all subject areas and teach students “how to learn” and not just what to learn.

Remember, every child is smart!

Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredakis, M.D.

If you like this post and want to spread the word about helping kids be great spellers, post a comment, and click on the “share this button”.   You can send the post to all the social networking communities and more parents and teachers will see it.  Thank you.

Tags: Erin Mavredakis M.D., kinesthetic learning style, Learning vs. Testing, Pat Wyman, spelling, spelling bee champions, spelling success strategy, spelling test, spelling test grades, standardized tests, super speller strategy, Thomas Armstrong, visual learning style, visual spelling strategy

This type of post is unusual for us, but in the spirit of loving our children and wanting the best for them, we simply had to speak out against the unconscionable remarks that talk show host, Michael Savage, had to say about autism.  The public “spin” in his so-called apology is inexcusable.  

Michael Savage said, “You know what autism is. I’ll tell you what it is in 99% of the cases.  It’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out.  That’s what autism is.”  He then went on to say that autism isa result of lax parenting, a fraud and a racket, and labeled the children with autism both idiots and morons.

A New York Times article says Savage stands by his comments.

Savage was not original and did not bring the autism epidemic to light.  Autism has been in the news for years, and we clearly have an epidemic on our hands.  While his so-called apology fell back on the ADD - ADHD over diagnoses and over medication, there is something terribly wrong with this picture.   In no way does autism even come close to that argument, and his publicity spin was more than unsuccessful.

One has to wonder what such a media saavy man has up his sleeve.  If indeed, he was trying to shine the light on a controversy, he could have done so in a much classier way.  If his goal is higher ratings, most likely he hit the target.

As one of the 44 co-authors of the IPPY Book of the Year in the medicine category, The Official Autism 101 Manual, these real doctors and world’s experts on autism obviously do not share Michael Savage’s views.  Judging by the raving public outcry against Michael Savage’s remarks, parents, teachers, and special caretakers do not share Michael Savage’s views.  He demeaned millions of people and then tried to explain his comments away in a reckless and unbelievable manner.

Yes, he is a talk show host and sometimes knows exactly what he is talking about - and that’s an opinion too.

Autism however, is not an opinion.  Children and adults on the autism spectrum are remarkable, and their parents are heroic for doing everything possible to create a peaceful family life and care for their autistic child. 

As a special education teacher at one time in my life, I taught children diagnosed on the autistic spectrum and loved them deeply.  They were talented, loving, and I”m being honest when I say it was also difficult.  These children light up the world when they smile and at the same time often do injurious things to themselves, like head banging, and we can only guess at the reason. 

If you care look closely enough, you may discover the child has pain someplace in their body, and they think that headbanging or other behaviors may help.

But these are things that Michael Savage apparently doesn’t know about.  I have to wonder how many autistic children he has been around and cared for. 

One of my dear friends has a child with autism, and that child has blessed the world with two beautiful books, and his art-ism.  He has a magnificent talent for art and we are all the better for it.

I’m deeply disappointed, along with The Michael Savage show sponsors, including ABC, and the millions of others who either care for or, are themselves, far enough along the spectrum feel denegrated due to Michael Savage’s remarks.

While our blog is here to promote helping children be smart in their own way, and make good decisions arising from strong values, Michael Savage did not make a good decision today, except to bolster his own self-centertedness and spin his apology with an obvious lack of good values. 

And that, dear readers, is our humble opinion.  If you are the parent or relative of a child or adult on the autistic spectrum, we send you our love.

Remember, every child is smart,

Lovingly,

Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredakis, M.D.

Tags: ABC, ADD, ADHD, autism, autism controversy, autism spectrum, brat, Erin Mavredakis, fraud, HowToLearn.com, IPPY, M.D., medicine, Michael Savage, Michael Savage and autim remarks, moron, Pat Wyman, raising smarter children