More Than Words: Treating the Whole Child The Reading and Language Learning Center

In today’s episode, we’re talking to Irene Ilachinski about ADHD in Mothers. Irene is a licensed clinical social worker in the Northern Virginia area. She specializes in treating adults with PTSD and High-functioning women with ADHD. Her practice is called Open Bridges Counseling and it’s located in Fairfax, VA. Today we will answer these questions:
 
What signs do mothers see that lead them to believe they have ADHD?
How do mothers get diagnosed with ADHD?
What age do adult women often get diagnosed with ADHD?
How can this new diagnosis affect the family?
What strategies can mothers use to manage their ADHD?
 What is it like for someone to find out later in life that they have been masking for ADHD all along? Is it hard for them to get out of habits that they picked up to help them compensate?
What’s your biggest piece of advice for a mother who is just finding out she has ADHD?
You work also with Acute and Chronic PTSD in adults. How does ADHD affect Trauma? 
Conversely, how does Trauma impact ADHD?
 
Links and Resources:
Irene’s website:  www.openbridgescounseling.com
Driven to Distraction, by Ned Hallowell and John Ratey (book):  https://a.co/d/0aZML8YF
CHADD - https://chadd.org/understanding-adhd/ - organization for children and adults with ADHD. 
ADDitude - https://www.additudemag.com/ - online journal with articles, resources by and for people with ADHD
ADHD-friendly Ways to Organize Your Life, by Judith Kohlberg and Kathleen Nadeau (book): https://a.co/d/0056etrz
The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare (book): https://a.co/d/045sIKML
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In today’s episode, we’re talking to Dr. James Siddall about How Schools Identify And Support Students With Dyslexia. Dr. Siddall is a licensed school psychologist in Northern Virginia. He owns his own practice where he offers psychoeducational services to students of all ages. Today we will answer these questions:
 
Can you tell us what happens before a student begins the identification process? I know there are acronyms like RTI & MTSS, what exactly does that mean? 
IdentificationHow does the identification process work and who is the catalyst, the parents or the school? 
Does the school do testing and if so what does that look like? Will they provide a diagnosis if warranted?
Do you recommend that parents get outside testing?
How does a student qualify for support services?

SupportWhat kind of support is available for my child?
What’s the difference between special education, Section 504 & IEPs? How do I know which one is best for my child?


Links and Resources:
Dr. Siddall’s website: http://jdspsychoed.com/
Dr. Siddall’s email: jsiddall@jdspsychoed.com
 
More about Dr. Siddall:
Dr. James Siddall is a Licensed School Psychologist and the owner of JDS Psychoeducational Services. Dr. Siddall obtained his doctorate in School Psychology from the University of South Carolina and completed his internship at Loudoun County Public Schools in Northern Virginia. Dr. Siddall then worked as a practicing School Psychologist in Arlington Public Schools for seven years, working at both the high school and elementary school levels. He is currently a practicing Psychologist at The Child and Family Practice of Washington, DC in addition to his work at JDS Educational Services.
 
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In today’s episode, we’re talking to Joan Green about The Benefits Of Tech To Support Attention, Organization, Literacy, and Communication. Joan is an SLP and Inclusive Assistive Technology Specialist in the DMV area. Through her practice, Innovative Speech Therapy, she specializes in assistive tech for individuals of all ages. Today we will answer these questions:
 
What is assistive technology?
What kinds of technology is out there? Are there low-cost vs. high-cost options?
Which piece of technology is best suited to the different areas we’re focusing on today?Attention
Organization
Literacy
Communication 

Should parents and teachers use their child/student’s technology when working with them, and if so how should they practice with this technology?
How has technology improved a child’s life? Academically, socially, home life etc.

More about Joan
Joan is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist, technology consultant, eldertech advocate, mother of four wonderful young adults, and the founder of Innovative Speech Therapy. Her passion is to do all that she can to help families, educators, caregivers, and therapists address a wide variety of communication, cognitive, literacy, and learning challenges. Over her years as a speech therapist, she’s worked to fine-tune her uniquely effective approach to therapy and professional development. Joan believes in empowering individuals, families, and professionals through affordable, cutting-edge technologies that many of us already have in our homes, schools, and workplaces.
Over the past 35+ years, Joan developed systems, techniques, and strategies to help others speed toward their communication, cognitive, and learning goals. To do this, Joan combines the use of the latest assistive technology features, online tools, engaging speech and language therapy apps, evidence-based speech therapy techniques, inclusive family-centered communication training, and multiple means of support. In addition to providing customized individual sessions, Joan enjoys speaking at conferences and creating webinars, courses, and online tutorials about using engaging and motivating resources to enhance communication and learning.
Joan believes that education should never end, and so she is constantly on the lookout for new, innovative ways to help her clients. Joan received the “Most Outstanding Contribution to the Field” award from the Maryland Speech-Language-Hearing Association, as well as the “Technovator Award” from MATN (Maryland Assistive Technology Network) sponsored by The Johns Hopkins University School of Education for Technology in Education and the Maryland State Department of Education.
Joan knows how important it is that you trust and feel comfortable with the person helping you move forward toward your goals so Joan offers a free initial phone consultation. Joan is based in the Washington, DC area but offers the majority of tech advising and coaching sessions online, everywhere.  Along with her one-on-one sessions, Joan also provides video-based courses and often shares her techniques through blog posts, online courses, books, and speaking engagements.

Links and Resources:
Joan’s practice: www.innovativespeech.com
Task breakdown: https://goblin.tools/
Read & Write for Google Chrome: https://www.texthelp.com/products/read-and-write-education/for-google-chrome/
 
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reading-and-language-learning-center

In today’s episode, we’re talking to Judith Bass about Fostering Independence & Self-Advocacy. Judy is a certified educational planner based in Maryland. She specializes in the field of college and postsecondary placement for students who learn differently. Today we will answer these questions:
What is self-advocacy?
How do you teach self-advocacy and independence?
What are the best ways to encourage independence and self-advocacy at home?
Why is it so important to foster strong independence and self-advocacy in a child?
What are some of the challenges neurodivergent students face when attempting to self-advocate in school?
How can being an independent learner and good self-advocate impact a student's postsecondary education?
 
More about Judy
Judith S. Bass, CEP is an internationally recognized expert in the field of college and postsecondary placement for students who learn differently. For the past 20 years, Ms. Bass has provided comprehensive planning services for students with ADHD, ASD, and other learning differences. Ms. Bass is a contributing author in the recently published book, Navigating the Transition from High School to College for Students with Disabilities. Her articles have appeared in numerous magazines, including Washington Parent and ATTENTION Magazine.
Ms. Bass has developed CollegeWebLD, www.collegewebld.com , a one-stop source of information on college disability services at over 400 colleges in the US. She is past Chair of the Commission on Credentialing for AICEP (www.aicep.org) and a past Board Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).  She also serves as a consultant to several independent high schools in the Washington, DC area. Ms. Bass received her undergraduate degree in Education and Spanish from Stony Brook University, earned a Graduate Level Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA and holds the designation of Certified Educational Planner.
 
Links and Resources:
Judy’s practice: https://www.basseducationalservices.com/ 
Make sure to subscribe and follow us on social media so you never miss an episode!
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reading-and-language-learning-center

In today’s episode, we’re talking to Joanna Salzman about IEPs, 504 Plans, the laws that make them possible, and More. Joanna is an educational consultant in Maryland. Joanna is a strong advocate for families in the initial identification of students who need an IEP and 504 plan. She is well-versed in the law, IDEA, and ensures that schools follow the proper procedures and rules.  
 
Today we will answer these questions:
What is the law that provides rights to special education services?IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education ActFAPE - Free and Appropriate Education 
LRE ( Least Restrictive Environment)


What is an IEP?What are the major parts of the IEP?
Who decides what goes into a child’s IEP?
How should a parent prepare for the IEP meeting?
What happens at an IEP meeting?
How often are IEP meetings held?

What is a 504 plan?
What is the difference between a 504 plan and an IEP?
What should a parent know to advocate for their child?
What can a parent do if they feel the IEP or 504 Plan isn’t being implemented as outlined?
How does an educational consultant like Joanna, help advocate for someone’s child?
 
More about Joanna:
Joanna Salzman is the CEO of JMS Education Consulting. Joanna has a wealth of knowledge and expertise with 30 years of experience in the field of special education.
Joanna received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from James Madison University, her Master’s Degree in Special Education from American University, Education Specialist Degree from George Washington University, and an Administration Certificate from Towson University. She completed her special education teacher training at the Lab School of Washington in Washington, D.C.
Joanna’s experience includes observing students from 3 to 21 years of age with differing abilities and disabilities. She has extensive knowledge and expertise in problem-solving and identifying supports that students need to be successful. These skills were perfected due to her time teaching in Prince George’s County Public Schools, as well as in the Montgomery County Public School System as a special education teacher, special education instructional specialist, and special education supervisor.
Most recently, Joanna was a guest speaker at George Mason University for an Advanced Practicum class in Clinical Psychology with Third-year doctoral students. The objectives of the course are related primarily to the application of psychological skills, supervision and interpersonal skills, professionalism and ethical standards, and demonstration of understanding how to function on a team with other professionals.

Links and Resources:
Joanna’s practice: https://www.jmseduconsulting.com/about 
Joanna’s phone number: (240) 994-0330
 
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In today’s episode, we’re talking to Amy Mounce & Shari Perry about removing before and after-school roadblocks for student success. Amy & Shari are the owners of Proactive Strategies & Solutions where they equip all stakeholders with the knowledge base and strategic approaches to facilitate children and adolescents’ academic, behavioral, and social-emotional success. They are based in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area, but provide both in-person and virtual services throughout the country. Today we will answer these questions:
What roadblocks are parents seeing before & after school?
Why are students experiencing these roadblocks? 
How can parents get to the root cause of these roadblocks to help remove them?
Let’s go through some example scenarios/questionsHow do I help my child when they say they don’t understand the homework or what was taught in school?   
What can I do when my child comes home with incomplete and unorganized materials?
Even with constant reminders, my child cannot complete their morning or afternoon routines, why is that and how can I better assist them?
How do I help my child when they have meltdowns before going to school?
How do I help my child when they have meltdowns at homework time?

 
More about Amy
As a passionate educator, Amy is dedicated to empowering students, families, and educators to improve students’ success across all domains.  While student, staff, and school communities’ needs are ever-changing, having a systematic, data-driven approach to identify needs and proactively modify approaches, strategies, and supports results in improved academic and social-emotional success of students and educators.  As an experienced certified special educator in public and private institutions at multiple levels for students with varying disabilities including learning disabilities, Autism, OHI, anxiety, vision impairments, and twice-exceptional, university instructor and teacher intern supervisor, educational diagnostician, advocate, and parent and educator trainer for over 25 years and a mother of two, Amy understands the importance of working proactively and collaboratively with stakeholders to create effective and sustainable supports across settings to meet academic and social-emotional needs of clients.
 
More about Shari
As a lifelong special educator, Shari is dedicated to the success of all students. Over her 30-year career, she has acted as a liaison between students, families, school staff, and community support agencies at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Shari has vast experience in both comprehensive and alternative school settings, supporting students with specific learning disabilities, emotional disabilities, autism, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and those identified as twice exceptional. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a unique set of challenges for schools, families, and students. As a mother, Shari has seen the impact both at home and at work. Her expertise in various parts of the educational field enables her to utilize proven and current data-driven strategies that yield comprehensive, structured plans of support customized to meet the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs of her clients.
 
Links and Resources:
Their practice: https://www.proactivestrategiessolutions.com/
Make sure to subscribe and follow us on social media so you never miss an episode!
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