(Strength based training and strength based parenting works for these students)
Parenting for success by third grade has been a priority for us for 20 years. We have changed our focus to success by third grade or sooner, because it is even easier to help a student succeed in the earlier grades. We focus on the right brain kinesthetic learner because that is the way most smart struggling students learn best. Feel free to share this with others.
For the purposes of this blog post, we will define success by third grade or sooner to include:
- Being on grade level for reading fluency
- Reading comprehension consistent with a child’s intelligence (e.g. a gifted student is often a grade ahead or more by third grade, while the gifted right brain kinesthetic learner may be a year or two below their peers). Success for the gifted right brain kinesthetic learner may be having their reading comprehension be a year above grade level.
- Being a good speller
- Both mastering math facts and being good at math word problems
- Attention, working memory and/or processing speed being significantly better, where an issue exists
- Low anxiety and self-confident
Here is a classic case:
A mom, whose daughter was identified with dyslexia and ADHD, was told to enroll her daughter in a traditional dyslexia treatment. Mom called a friend who asked the questions the following questions:
- Does your child remember places visited, even from years ago?
- Does your child learn best when he or she sees and experiences information?
- Is your child a lot smarter than her present level of reading comprehension would indicate?
The mom said, “That describes my child”.
The friend then asked about reading comprehension and spelling. Mom said reading comprehension was a big issue, but the recommended program focused on reading fluency. She added that spelling was a nightmare for her daughter. Spelling consumed over 3.5 hours a week, her daughter got 50s and 60s on the spelling tests, and often forgot the words by the next week.
The friend recommended she call us and …
We helped her third-grade daughter. She improved from the lowest reader in her 3rd grade class to the best reader in her 4th grade class. . Her spelling was mastered in under an hour a week and she got 90s and 100s on her spelling tests. Her dad commented, “What was really surprising was she remembered the words a year later”. Math became much easier and she learned how to check her work. In 4th grade, there was a contest to see who could read the most pages in a month. This young lady read 726 pages, while the average kid read 181 pages. When her dad asked her how she got so much better in reading and why she now loved reading, she commented, “3D Learner taught me how to visualize what I read; do you know how cool that is?”.
If you would like to discuss how to put your child on the
Pathway to Success by Third Grade or Sooner, call us at 561-361-7495
Why We Focus on Success by Third Grade or Sooner
We focus on Success by 3rd Grade or Sooner because:
- It is far easier to help a child in these grades than in the later grades
- While 3rd grade is critical, addressing the opportunity even earlier can be even better
- Both the gifts and the challenges are obvious in 1st and 2nd grade — even sometimes in kindergarten.
- It helps to avoid grade retention and many sleepless nights
- In a number of cases, it has allowed students to get into more advanced or gifted classes — where they may previously have been excluded.
Note, the smart or gifted right brain kinesthetic learner often does far better when they have the skills to succeed and are in classes with other smart kids.
The bright right brain kinesthetic learner often has 3, 4 or 5 of the following strengths and challenges
- Learn differently and are right brain kinesthetic learners
- Have auditory and/or visual processing issues
- Have one or more executive function challenges (attention, working memory and/or processing speed)
- Have a learning disability or dyslexia
- Are frustrated and/or anxious
Bright Right Brain Kinesthetic Learners Benefit When One Capitalizes on Their Strengths,
while Identifying and Addressing the Relevant Issues
This Often Requires The Parents to Take Charge
Is your child a bright right brain kinesthetic learner?
- Does your child remember places visited, even from years ago?
- Does your child learn best when he or she sees and experiences information?
- Is your child a lot smarter than present results would indicate?
For a more comprehensive screening tool, download our “Is my child a right brain kinesthetic learner”.
If your child is a right brain kinesthetic learner, you play a pivotal role. Too many of these kids are identified by their challenges. These could include dyslexia, executive function issues, auditory or visual processing and/or anxiety and frustration. We have been there with two of our four kids. Over the last 26 years we have helped thousands of kids like this succeed with a process that starts by helping parents to be an informed, empowered and proactive parent.
We FRAME this differently than most. Specifically:
– Frustration comes with the territory. We encourage you to embrace the frustration and to commit to helping your child to be all they can be. If your child is a right brain kinesthetic learner, there is a good chance that when you leverage their strengths, identify and address their challenges, and leverage their desire to succeed, success is much more likely to follow.
– Reject the status quo. Too often we have heard, wait, your child will outgrow the problem. The numbers tell a far more sobering picture. Almost 90% of the 1st graders with a word identification problem will become poor readers in 4th grade. 74 percent of the 3rd graders with a reading disability (dyslexia) will still have the problem in 12th grade.
Note, Success by Third Grade is relevant for public, charter, private and homeschool students. We are seeing more and more parents homeschooling their child. This gives parents the time to invest in developing foundational skills.
Call us at 561-361-7495 if we can help
Waiting is Not an Option
Even more alarming is how often this has happened to smart and even gifted kids, whose parents gave them all the support. The challenge is, too often the support did not leverage these kids strengths or address all the relevant issues. We too made this mistake.
The next critical step is to:
Assess for Success. This would include assessing for:
- How your child learns best
- Executive function issues (e.g. working memory, processing speed and attention)
- Auditory and visual processing issues.
- Dyslexia or another learning disability
- Your child’s present level of reading fluency and reading comprehension
If the assessment shows considerable upside potential, we recommend you adopt the:
Mindset that Success is the Only Option. Then you consider:
Enrolling the services of the right professional for your child and you. Ideally, you want to work with professionals who will:
- Leverage your child’s strengths
- Address their challenges
- Boost their confidence and resilience
- Help you to be the coach and advocate your child needs
- Produce excellent results within months
If you would like to put your bright right brain kinesthetic learner
on their Pathway from Stress to Success by Third Grade or Sooner,
call us at 561-361-7495.
Feel free to share with others, who have a smart struggling child with significant upside potential.
