Showing posts with label Carol Sadler. Show all posts

Monday, February 23, 2015

This is a very special deal and will only be available until Friday to sign up for!!

Lindamood Bell is having their February 1/2 off evaluations. You can purchase the evaluation before Friday and then schedule March or April. These evaluations are good tools to show as "another" evaluation" as to where your child is performing - or not - and use to request District paid summer services. Also, LMB will let you retest for free the next 3 years - so you can compare how your child is doing after almost a full school term. Now that is the short version - and there is a lot more to this. Getting this evaluation does not guarantee anything - however this is a great price, only offered in February and can be a solid tool for requesting District to pay for intensive services. Ask an advocate or attorney - but take advantage if Lindamood Bell has ever been mentioned as a potential teaching tool for your child. It's not for all children however it has helped many of my clients.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

You know it is full out IEP season when your LinkedIn account has more than 9 views stating: LinkedIn member - This member chose to be shown as anonymous.

Please remember it is all about the child folks!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Dear Parents and Professionals

The Cobb County Navigator Team is hosting a workshop on October 27, 2014 from 6:30pm -8:30pm. All are welcome please feel free to forward it to other families/professionals who might be interested in attending.

Reading Difficulties

Presenter:

Jennifer Hasser, Executive Director, Syllables Reading Center & SMART Teacher Training

Is my child really struggling with his/her reading?

When should I start worrying?

What Can I do to help?

Learn the warning signs for reading failure and what you can do to help your child succeed.

Where: North Star Church

True North Auditorium

3413 Blue Springs Road Northwest

Kennesaw, GA 30144

When: Monday October 27, 2014

Time: 6:30PM – 8:30PM

RSVP is not required but preferred. Please RSVP by 4:00 pm on October 27, 2014

To RSVP call or Text Sitara Nayak at 678-993-3008 or email cobb@p2pga.org

You can also send a message to us on Facebook - Cobb Navigator Team

All are welcome you do not have to live in Cobb to attend

--

Sitara Nayak
Cobb Navigator Team
678-993-3008

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2014/08/37-ways-to-help-students-with-dyslexia.html

37 Ways to Help Students with Dyslexia Flourish in the Mainstream Classroom | Minds in Bloom

I really liked this list, I would just like to add one more, ensure the child knows what dyslexia is and they understand they are not dumb just that their brains work differently and highlight some of the amazing dyslexic role models that are out there in the world :)

MINDS-IN-BLOOM.COM

Thursday, October 2, 2014

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-gilman/harvard-schmarvard-why-ge_b_5896976.html

Harvard, Schmarvard; Why Getting Your Kids Into College Should Be the Least of Your Concerns

Posted: 09/28/2014 8:54 pm EDT Updated: 10/01/2014 6:59 pm EDT

It's almost that time of year. I can feel it in the fall air and see it on the faces of parents and seniors everywhere. It's almost college application time and the race begins, as parents and kids vie for the chance to get into their first choice colleges.

For some parents, college acceptance approaches the culmination of every single parenting choice ever made. It can seem the ultimate goal, the ROI of parenthood, the final gold award and the epitome of a parenting job well done. It feels like the end game for every AP class, honors class, volunteer opportunity, and sports involvement that you required of your child. This college acceptance looms as the justification for the hours upon hours of helping with homework, rewriting their essays, doing most of their science fair projects since sixth grade, hiring the most expensive college counselor, and pushing, pushing, pushing your kids to get the A at any cost. "My child got into his first choice university" will be worn proudly and loudly as a testament to how well you have done as mom and dad.

I'm just being honest. I have been hacking into your lives for the past 25 years as a founder and head of school at a private school in California. If you are finding yourself already getting annoyed or a little angry with me, I ask you to hear me out. I was once where you are now, until my son decided on a much different path and forced me to rethink the whole process and what constituted my achievement as a parent. It was not college acceptance.

What I have found in my 25 years in education is that as parents we are almost forced into this artificial race upon birthing our children. We start with our best intentions, of course. We want the best preschool, the best teachers, the best summer camps. Slowly, without our being aware of it, we are competing with our neighbors, our friends, our families. What started out as just wanting the best for our children, suddenly morphs into my child needs to be the best.

So, what do we do as a result? We DO too much! And, we expect our kids to do too much. We start believing that we need to start the protracted process of getting our kids ready for college in elementary school. We begin having massive anxiety about college acceptance when our kids are in middle school. And by high school, oh boy, we get bat shit crazy! We lose our focus on our children and what's best for them and instead start seeing them as a reflection of us as parents. They must get into a great college or we have failed miserably at parenthood. What will our neighbors think? What will we say about our kids at dinner parties? Of course, we don't think we think these things, but I know they exist in some form in our heads! Our societal anxiety about this is, in my humble opinion, at an all-time high!

And it must stop.

We have strangled the creativity out of our children by forcing them to do things they may not want to do, but as good parents we have to check the box that reads competitive sports -- check! We have robbed them of their childhood so that we can feel good about their chances at college entrance. Many of our kids don't even know what it is they like to do because we have been telling them what to like for their whole lives. Our children are riddled with anxiety and we are medicating them more now than ever. Why are we doing this? So that they can get into college and be successful! Let me tell you something -- college acceptance does not make a person succeed, nor does it say one thing about your parenting.

You know what does speak volumes about your parenting? Ask yourself the following questions:

Does your child have a compassionate soul?
Does your child have a healthy dose of intellectual curiosity?
Is your child resourceful and independent?
Is your child happy with who she is?
Can your child creatively problem-solve?
Is your child passionate about anything?
Can your child sit with himself and enjoy his own company?

We must stop the competitive, ridiculous, and oftentimes painful race to college. We must remember that our children come from us but are not a reflection of us. Together, we can stop this madness and allow our children to find their way in this world, prestigious college or not. By embracing what makes THEM happy, and by seeing them as the creative beings that they are, we can stop competing with each other as parents, and they can enjoy, flourish and even love this one life they have.

If you are still a little angry with me, the comment section is just below. Thank you for reading.

___________________

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Learn About Positive Behavior Interventions for Your Child and Family!

There are two learning events being held the week of October 20th, sponsored by the Georgia Advocacy Office. These are value based training and these events are around behaviors in children who cannot - for whatever reason - use their voice to communicate - and instead "act out" as it may be viewed by the school, parent, caregiver.

These may include children with PTSD, Autism, Bi-Polar, Anxiety and where conventional interventions do not work. This workshop will provide a myriad of content around behaviors and positive supports.

You are invited to attend one or both of these workshops which are designed for anyone (individuals with disabilities, human service workers, advocates, family members, concerned citizens), who is involved in supporting people with significant impact of disability to fully participate in community life. The workshops are sponsored by the Georgia Advocacy Office, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, and the Georgia Microboards Association.

To receive the flyers for the event details - contact Donna Champion.

Space is limited so do not wait to sign up.

If you have any questions you may contact the event coordinator, Donna Champion by telephone (voice or TTY) at 404.885.1234 (in metro-Atlanta) or 800.537.2329 (toll-free in Georgia) or by email at dchampion@thegao.org

Recommendations:

I highly recommend Robin Lucas for anyone seeking an advocate for their child. Robin helped us navigate the extremely difficult IEP process. She is very knowledgeable and explained the laws and procedures so that we were better equipped to engage in IEP meetings. She not only made us feel at ease but she also spoke with our child on the phone and helped her to understand that her learning disabilities made her unique. Our child became proud of her strengths and saw weaknesses only as areas of growth due to Robin's nurturing and kind words of support. If you choose to have Robin Lucas become part of your IEP team, I am confident that you will be more than satisfied with the support and expertise she brings to the process.

MJS - Cobb County, GA 1/17/2014

If you are having difficulty getting your school system to cooperate in the areas of identifying needs or disabilities, I highly recommend Robin Lucas. Robin attended our son's eligibility meeting with school and county level personel and was a tremendous help. She stepped into a stress filled room and kept the meeting focused on the needs of our son, in a lighhearted tone. I have been in many of these meeting over the years and have never experienced one go so smoothly. Robin's knowledge, experience and carefuly placed comments, made sure that our side was fairly represented. In the end we left the room with the eligibility my son needed. I truely appreciate the help she gave us and give her a double thumbs up!!”

August 30, 2011 Kellie Meckes

Robin has been my guardian angel! She has been helping me every step of the way with a very difficult IEP and I could not be more pleased with her professionalism, knowledge and accessibility. She has a no-nonsense, consensual style that really works! I highly recommend her to anyone needing advocacy services. - Michelle Stern Simon

Dear Fellow Parents,
I am writing this letter to acknowledge my positive experience with Robin Lucas.
Two years ago I was given custody of my eleven year old nephew. In addition to John’s issues regarding his mother, he was significantly behind in school and did poorly in social situations. When made to do work John felt incapable of doing, he would shut down and retreat into himself. If confronted with his behavior, he became angry. John’s special ed teacher suggested that he might have a conduct disorder.
As his therapist got to know him better, she felt that he might be on the autism spectrum and suggested that he be evaluated at the Marcus Institute. Thus began my journey to finally get some answers. After their initial evaluation, the Marcus Institute referred John for further testing by a neuropsychologist. The neuropsychologist diagnosed him as having Asperger’s Syndrome and a processing disorder.
While grateful that I finally had a diagnosis, I was overwhelmed with the responsibility of finding the best school for John and the best occupational therapy. I was in unfamiliar territory and felt very alone. Thankfully, it was at this difficult time that I was introduced to Robin.
From the beginning, Robin instilled in me the confidence that I could make good choices on John’s behalf. She brought me up to speed about how to go about finding the right resources. With her help, I felt prepared to call prospective providers and ask the right questions. When I narrowed my choice down to a specific provider, Robin accompanied me to the introductory meeting. She asked questions that only a person with her experience knew to ask. She has also guided me through the process of obtaining funding for John’s education beyond the SB10 dollars.
Despite all of the professionals who have evaluated John during this past year, Robin was the only person who suggested that he should be evaluated by a pediatric developmental ophthalmologist. Again I was in unchartered waters. Imagine my surprise when I learned that John had a significant vision problem.
So in addition to having Aspergers and processing difficulties, the child had been trying to learn all of these years with this undiagnosed vision disability. John has been in vision therapy for the past couple of months and is showing appreciable progress. Again, I was dumbfounded that while dealing with the best providers and resources for John, after reviewing all his evaluations, Robin was the only person I met who suggested his vision may be compromised.
I am grateful that I met Robin and that she has done so much to aid me in helping John.
Sincerely, Courtney S.