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Dyslexia Treatment for the Visual Learner

July 21, 2019 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Mom was looking for a dyslexia treatment. The psychologist had recommended a traditional dyslexia treatment, a more expensive dyslexia treatment. She had also suggested mom check out 3D Learner. She added that we were what she would call a non-traditional dyslexia treatment She said but two of her students had done very well with 3D Learner. She added that 3D Learner’s expertise is with the visual learner with dyslexia – and that her daughter appeared to be just that. Dr. Linda Silverman calls these students visual-spatial learners — this article describes the student we are discussing — the visual learner with dyslexia.

Dyslexia Tutor Visual Learner with Dyslexia

Dyslexia Treatment for the Visual Learner with Dyslexia

Mom called us and we asked a few questions.

1- What are you most concerned about?

2- What do you really want for your child from a dyslexia treatment?

3- What is your child really good at?

Mom’s Concerns About a Dyslexia Treatment

Mom said that one thing that concerned her was her child might find rebel the other dyslexia tutor frustrating. Mom had tried a home dyslexia program and phonics really frustrated her child.

Mom also said she was concerned about the lack of focus on reading comprehension with the other dyslexia tutor. She realized reading fluently was important, but mom’s primary concern was comprehension.

Her daughter’s anxiety at home and at school was a real concern. Her daughter was complaining about a lot of things and anxiety appeared to be the biggest challenge.

Opportunities with our non-traditional 3D Learner Dyslexia Treatment

Dramatically improving her daughter’s reading comprehension and love for learning were mom’s top desire.

Reducing the anxiety and boosting self-esteem were right up there

Freeing up time for sports and music were important to her mom. Homework time and stress were consuming far too much time

Strengths

We asked if her child was good at:

Remembering places visited, even from years ago?
Learning best when she saw and experienced information?
Loved to learn when she was engaged in the process?

Mom said, “Yes, but how did you know that?

The vast majority of students with dyslexia we see are also visual learners. At 3D Learner, one of our strengths is helping the visual learner with dyslexia succeed. We teach the way our student’s learn best; we identify and address their challenges; and our focus is on improving reading comprehension and the love for learning; reducing anxiety and building self-esteem; and freeing up the time for a child to enjoy being a kid.

The good news is that we have helped students as young as Kindergarten all the way through high school to succeed.

To learn more you can:

Take our Success Assessment with your child. This screens for their being a visual learner and for attention, eye-teaming and anxiety challenges. Your child’s answers may surprise you and help you to understand why your smart child is struggling. Click her to access our Success Assessment
Call us at 561-361-7495

Visual Learner with Dyslexia – Parents Have Choices

July 15, 2019 by Mira and Mark Halpert

A visual learner with dyslexia is a term that describes a student who has dyslexia and is a visual learner. That is he or she learns best when they see and experience information.

We had previously done several dyslexia programs, but reading comprehension was still an issue. The defining moment came when our then 8th grade daughter was told she was not college material, because her reading comprehension was 3 years below grade level. We challenged the school, but …

they called us pushy shovy parents who set unreasonable expectations for our daughter. We were unwilling to accept that and …

As her mother and an experienced educator, I did my research. I discovered that my daughter was a visual learner with dyslexia, who was more likely to benefit from a program that capitalized on her strengths. I then developed the 3D Learner (R). The program helped her to improve her reading comprehension 4.2 grade grade levels.

We estimate that over 80% of the students with dyslexia we have are also visual learners. It is important to note that only 25% of the visual learners have dyslexia. Either way, we estimate that 16% of the population are a visual learner with dyslexia.

The Visual Learner With Dyslexia, The Visual Learner and Dyslexics

For the Visual Learner with Dyslexia, Parents Have Choices

For these students, parent have many choices, including:

Should they pursue a dyslexia program that focuses on reading fluency — how well your child can read word
A program for visual learners or
A program like 3D Learner — that has been adapted to helped many the visual learners with dyslexia to succeed

Three things that differentiate our efforts:

1- We shift the focus to the student’s strengths and teach the way they learn best

2- We identify and address their challenges — that include some combination of attention, eye-teaming, working memory, processing speed and/or anxiety challenges. Most visual learners with dyslexia have some combination of attention, eye-teaming, anxiety and/or related challenge

Visual Learner with Dyslexia

3- We tend to get significant gains in months not years

We have now helped over 500 students who had been diagnosed with dyslexia and have learned many lessons, including:

The visual learner with dyslexia often struggles with logical, sequential and auditory approaches.
Students can often make more significant gains in a quicker time frame with an approach that plays to their strengths and identifies and addresses their challenges

Reading comprehension is often a key issue, and frequently parents are not aware that reading programs focus on reading fluency, how accurately a student reads, and not reading comprehension. As discussed in the Understood.org article on Orton Gillingham (R) what you need to know ” Orton–Gillingham focuses on teaching kids to read at the word level. While it can help develop reading comprehension, that is not their primary goal”.

By also addressing attention, eye-teaming, visualization and anxiety, we can significantly
- Improve reading speed and love for reading are often important
- Reduce homework time and stress
- Improve standardized test scores
- Boost self-esteem

Parents and students really appreciate shifting the focus from your child’s challenges to their strengths and how he or she can succeed

As a parent, you have the option of:
- Relying on school based interventions
- Using a tutor
- Investing in a dyslexia program
- First considering the following:
  - Is your child a visual learner?
  - Does your child have attention, visual processing and/or anxiety challenges?
  - Should you consider a program for the visual learner with the challenges your child has?

Is Your Child a Visual Learner and What Other Challenges Do They Have?

When we look at a visual learner with dyslexia – we acknowledge the dyslexia, but our real focus is on determining if your child:

Is a visual learner
Whether your child has attention, eye-teaming, anxiety and/or related challenges
Has the potential to do far better with an approach that plays to his or her strengths and identifies and addresses his or her challenges
Would benefit from additional help from their school — we work closely with parents and schools on this

Three ways to learn more

Take our Success Assessment with your child. This screens for learning difference and for attention and visual processing challenges or
Bring your child for our Focus Assessment this in an in office assessment where we assess your child’s reading comprehension and whether there is an attention and/or visual processing issue or
Call us at 561-361-7495

Florida Reading Scholarship with 3D Learner

July 14, 2019 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Florida Reading Scholarship 2019 – Now Accepting Applications

The Florida Reading Scholarship in 2019 is for students who scored a Level 1 or 2 on the third or fourth grade English Language Assessment. The scholarships provide parents with $500 to be used for approved programs. The 3D Learner Program (R) has been approved by Step Up for Students – the only funding organization.

Third grade English Language Assessment were released in late May. Schools now have the fourth grade results. Parents should be able to access the results now.

For your information, Step Up for Students has not opened up registration for this year. Last year, they opened up registration for the Florida Reading Scholarship in mid-August. They are now taking applications – click her to apply for the Reading Scholarship

Why 3D Learner in Combination with Florida Reading Scholarship

Our expertise is with smart students who are operating well below their potential. Our goal is to help your child to make dramatic gains in their reading comprehension in months not years
3rd graders who got a Level 1 on the 3rd Grade English Language have made 2 and even 3 year gains in their reading comprehension with our program.
4th graders who got a Level 1 on the 4th Grade English Language Assessment to make 2, 3 and even 4 years gains in their reading comprehension with our program.
We have helped students to increase their reading speed by as much as 100%
We improve students attention, visual processing, and self-esteem

Three ways to learn more

Take our Success Assessment with your child. This screens for learning difference and for attention and visual processing challenges or
Bring your child for our Focus Assessment this in an in office assessment where we assess your child’s reading comprehension and whether there is an attention and/or visual processing issue or
Call us at 561-361-7495

3D Learner offers three ways parents can utilize the Florida Reading Scholarship

The 3D Learner Program (R) — an intensive learning program provided at our Boca Raton facility — this program is designed to help students to make 2, 3 or even 4 year gains in their reading comprehension over a 4 to 6 month period.
A program that can be done remotely that includes the Reading Plus (R) software to improve reading speed and comprehension. It also improves vocabulary. Vision training can be provided, where needed.
The 3D Learner Program (R) done with a small group — if there is sufficient interest

For more information either:

Take our Success Assessment with your child. This screens for learning difference and for attention and visual processing challenges or
Bring your child for our Focus Assessment this in an in office assessment where we assess your child’s reading comprehension and whether there is an attention and/or visual processing issue or
Call us at 561-361-7495

Smart Struggling Child? Parents, Take Control

June 10, 2019 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Is your smart struggling child a visual learner?

Does your smart struggling child:

Remember places visited, even from years ago?

Learn best when he or she sees and experiences information?

Frustrate you, because you know they can do better, but you are exhausted trying to figure out how.

We are Mira and Mark Halpert. We could have answered yes to all these questions in 1994, when we were told our smart struggling child was not college material. We became Parents on a Mission, and Mira, who has her Masters in Education from the University of Michigan, developed the 3D Learner Program (R). This helped our daughter to improve her reading comprehension 4.2 grade levels in 7 months. She later became a Nationally Board Certified Teacher.

After helping over 20,000 frustrated parents,we now know that a smart struggling child is often a visual learner. These students often have a combination of attention, eye-teaming, anxiety and/or related challenges.

3 Things You Can Do To Help Your Smart Struggling Child

To better understand how your smart struggling child learns, and how you can capitalize on those strengths, DOWNLOAD Mira’s short, uplifting book “Life is a Ball, Don’t Put Me in a Box.”
Take our free Online Success Assessment. It will help you see if your smart struggling gifted child learns differently. It also screens for attention and eye-teaming issues. After taking the assessment, give us a call at 561-361-7495. We’ll help you better understand what your smart struggling child is dealing with, and what you can do to make a positive difference.
You can just call us at 561-361-7495

“Sammy went from the bottom of his reading group to the top in six weeks.”

“We always knew that Sammy was intelligent, but wondered why he was struggling in school. Specifically, learning to read was a definite challenge to him, while verbally and intellectually he was soaring. The day that we met you we were amazed to find that many children have these same issues, and that there is a way to overcome them. As Matt said, ‘The optometrist you sent us to was very helpful, but the results from the program are spectacular.’ Sammy went from the bottom of his reading group to the top in 6 weeks, and he received the only A on a Rosa Parks Project. I feel lucky to have found you.”Andrea and Matt Jacobs
Parkland, FL Take The Free Success Assessment Now

Third Grade Retention Options – Focus on Success

June 6, 2019 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Third grade retention options are often not obvious. Two of the most common options are private school and homeschooling.

Jack was a classic case. Mom knew he was a lot smarter than present results would indicate, but …

He got a Level 1 on the third grade English Language Assessment. Mom told us she was looking at two options and did not like either one.

Homeschooling was an option, but we she had neither the skills, the time nor the disposition to do it.

When her friend was considering third grade retention options, she did put her child in an expensive private school. Two years later he had gone from 1.5 to 2.5 years below grade level in reading comprehension. Even worse, her son was not prepared for middle school.

Third Grade Retention Options, 3D Learner Favors Improving Reading Comprehension

When a parent is looking at third grade retention options we recommend that you consider …

The one that offers the best value and focuses on improving your child’s reading comprehension over the summer. Then, your child can increase his or her chances for promotion.

The Florida Department of Education has generated a detailed set of Good Cause Exemptions . All these can lead to promotion to 4th grade.

At 3D Learner, we have helped students who started in June to both be promoted to 4th grade and be successful. One teacher commented about one of our students, “Tyler made bigger gains than any student I have had in 27 years of teaching”

His comprehension went up 3 grade levels in a year.

If you have not already done it, we recommend doing our Success Assessment with your child. Then you can call us at 561-361-7495. If you have, call us today at 561-361-7495.

We recommend putting your child on his or her Pathway to SUCCESS.

How to Beat Third Grade Retention and Be Ready for Fourth Grade

April 10, 2019 by Mira and Mark Halpert

If Third Grade Retention Risk is Now Real

Third Grade Retention is now a risk for the 20% of the Florida Third Graders who got a Level 1 on the third grade English Language Assessment.

How do I beat third grade retention and make sure my child is ready for fourth grade now that testing is done”, asked one concerned parent last year. “We do not want our child to go to fourth grade unless she is ready”, the parent added, “can you help?” This is a parent with

exactly the right attitude. Florida has done a good job of providing Good Cause Exemptions that allow a child to be promoted to 4th grade, even if they got a Level 1 on the Third Grade English Language Assessment.

The other risk is that even students who just got by are not ready for 4th grade. With the new Common Core Standards, 4th grade is now much harder than it has ever been.

The good news is that 3D Learner has helped many students to both beat third grade retention and to be prepared for success in 4th grade and beyond. Act NOW!!!

Several key points about third grade retention and being ready for fourth grade:

1- Many students at risk for third grade retention are 1.5 or more years below grade level in their reading comprehension. These students often learn differently and have some combination of attention, visual processing, anxiety and/or related challenges. Half of our students have all the challenges listed below. The key is that the learning difference and the visual processing challenges are often missed.

Reading comprehension is often the issue. Too often a child can meet a good cause exemption, but they struggle in fourth grade. You may want to give us a call at 561-361-7495 for a no cost Beat Third Grade Retention and Be Prepared for Fourth Grade Strategy Session. We can then discuss strategy options. Do this ASAP.

Beat Third Grade Retention by Improving Reading Comprehension

School portfolios or IReady tests are the first line of defense. Schools will often give a test the last week of school. For most students, this will oftennot yield the desired result. The best chance to be promoted is to either:

– Pass the end of July test or

– Be reading on grade level by the start of the next school year

3D Learner has done this for many students, with an intensive reading program. The key is to act now!!!

Even if your child gets promoted, there is a good chance they are way behind.

If third grade retention is a risk and/or your child is below grade level, either:

Take our no cost Success Assessment and call us at 561-361-7495 or
Call us at 561-361-7495 and

Put your child on his or her Pathway to Success by Fourth Grade and beyond

Do this ASAP — because there is precious little time to close the reading comprehension gap.

Pre-Tests Brain Training

March 29, 2019 by Mira and Mark Halpert

This Brain Training video can be used before all tests and all grades!

Success by third grade is often measured by how well a student does on a third grade English Language Assessment. Parents, on the days before a test, you can prepare your child with simple and effective tools to do their best.

For more information on how to achieve Success by Third Grade and to avoid Third Grade Retention click HERE

If you have any questions on Success by Third Grade call us at 561-361-7495.

Third Grade Retention Risk Rises with Opting Out – Shift the Focus to Success by Third Grade

March 24, 2019 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Third grade retention is a real risk for a student with a significant reading deficiency. If a Florida third grader gets a Level 1 on the Third Grade English Language Assessment they could face third grade retention. In Florida, there are Good Cause Exemptions to Third Grade Retention, that allow a third grader to be promoted to 4th grade, if they meet these more rigorous requirements.

Watch this video on how to avoid third grade retention and to prepare your child for success in fourth grade and beyond.

Over the years, we have had many parents call us in March saying they were going to opt-out of the third grade English Language Assessment. They often thought this would reduce the risk of their child facing third grade retention. We shared our perspective that:

The opt-out movement has a legitimate case that Florida public schools focuses too much on one test, but
All the Good Cause Exemptions are harder to achieve then getting a Level 2 on the Third Grade English Language Assessment — this is the minimum score needed for promotion to 4th grade
Students who are at risk for Third Grade Retention take the Third Grade English Language Assessment. Our logic is that one only needs to be at about the 21st percentile to be promoted, but they need to be at the 45th to 50th percentile on the alternative assessments to be promoted
Parents check with the teacher and check to see if the school has started a student portfolio. Florida Statute 1008.25 states that:

“A parent of a student in grade 3 who is identified anytime during the year as being at risk of retention may request that the school immediately begin collecting evidence for a portfolio.”

A portfolio is a set of mini-assessments that measure skill mastery.

We then recommend parents strongly consider getting reading help. The reason we recommend this is that:

Virtually every child at risk for third grade retention is 1.3 to 2.8 years below grade level in reading comprehension by the beginning of the next school year
Passing the test or any of the Good Cause Exemptions is much easier with a higher reading comprehension level
Passing one of the Good Cause Exemptions requires a much higher reading comprehension level
Fourth grade reading is much harder. Reading comprehension is much more important in fourth grade for Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies

3D Learner offers several ways to help your child avoid third grade retention and to get your child to grade level by the start of the next school year. We offer

A no cost Success Assessment to see if your child learns differently and whether your child has attention and/or visual processing challenges
A no cost Strategy Session — just call us at 561-361-7495
Tips and exercises to prepare your child for the test

A Focus Assessment that assesses your child’s reading comprehension, attention and visual processing at a very reasonable investment
Program options that can significantly increase your child’s reading comprehension before 4th grade — over the last 6 years, we have been able to help every parent who contacted us in April or earlier to have their child be promoted.

If you have any questions or would like help, call 3D Learner at 561-361-7495. We are offering programs during the spring and summer to help your child avoid third grade retention.

College Admissions Scandal – The Silver Lining for Students with Disabilities

March 18, 2019 by Mira and Mark Halpert

“The College Admissions Scandal Hurts Students with Disabilities” is the title of an excellent NPR article on the recent college admissions scandal. Beth McGaw, President of the Learning Disabilities Association, said, “This hurts every individual with a learning disability”, and we agree.

For students with learning disabilities or any disability that qualifies for accommodations, the process is challenging. Starting in 2017, the College Boards made it easier for students with existing accommodations to get accommodations for the SAT. Key points for students and parents:

Get the right accommodations ASAP
Use them appropriately
Make sure your school coordinator submits the right paperwork or you do

In most districts, there is a person at the school who facilitates the process, but parents must be on top the process.

If you have not obtained accommodations for your child, start the process ASAP. Some parents have told us they did not want their child labeled with ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder), so they did not pursue accommodations in middle school. Now in 11th grade, their child is anxious and the College Board rejected their request and the parents believe their request is legitimate. Given the recent College Admission Scandal. late requests will be harder to get. If you have not started the process, start the process today.

For the students with learning disabilities, dyslexia, or ADHD, this scandal may make obtaining accommodations harder, but

The College Admissions Scandal Could Help Students with Learning Disabilities

Here is a video with Mark Halpert discussing the College Admissions Scandal — the Silver Lining for Students with Learning Disabilities.

Below are seven issues facing students with learning disabilities. Most of them have nothing to do with the college admissions scandal, but they are as important as ever to address:

1- Learning Disabilities impact 15 to 20% of the population, but only 5% are identified with learning disabilities. Therefore, 10 to 15% of the population is not identified and may not get the help or accommodations they need. As professionals and parents. we should work to identify students with who learn differently (learning disabilities). The college admissions scandal is drawing attention to people’s minds. Our goal is leverage this publicity to alert parents and students to the risks and opportunities the college admissions scandal presents. If your child is struggling in school or has anxiety, consider asking for an evaluation for special education services. We provide insights and sample letters on Getting an Evaluation.

2- Students with learning disabilities do poorly on the SAT and ACT tests, even with the best accommodations. The challenge is that students with learning disabilities are often 3, 4, 5 and even more years below grade level in reading comprehension. In Secondary School, 45% of the general population are 3 to 5 years below grade level and 21% of students with disabilities are 5 or more years below grade level.

3- Schools are not teaching to student’s strengths, nor are they systematically addressing the visual processing, working memory, processing speed and related issues that impact students. Most students who are struggling in high school learn differently and may have hidden challenges.

The College Admissions Scandal could and should lead to parents being informed, empowered and proactive to help their child succeed ethically

4- The IEP Goals for students with learning disabilities rarely include getting the student back to grade level. Since reading comprehension is either the top issue or close to it, there should be a reading comprehension goal.

5- Tests like the SAT are very tricky. Students with learning disabilities need to be taught how to approach the questions, how to solve the problems and how to check their answers.

6- Anxiety and/or frustration are often present. These could and should be addressed.

7- Preparing a child with learning disabilities for independence and success in life, whether they go to college or not, is challenging, specially in today’s competitive environment. This college cheating scandal make things harder but highlights the importance of the correct support and understanding to help your child navigate the school system to achieve success.

If you have a smart struggling child, the College Admissions Scandal could help you focus on the key goals of:

Making sure your child gets a 504 or IEP Plan ASAP with the right accommodations and services
Getting your child the right help outside of school to help your child to be all they can be
Find a Trusted Advisor who can help you with both goals — recognizing that the real growth often comes from finding the right
outside help.

How to help finance your child’s college education

If you would like more information, call Mira or Mark Halpert at 3D Learner at 561-361-7495

3D Learner, Where Success Starts Now

Improve SAT Scores — Last Minute Tips

March 4, 2019 by Mira and Mark Halpert

Small Changes Can Improve SAT Scores

Some students will be taking the SAT this week.

Your child is likely to be nervous. They know the importance of SAT Scores. They also know they want to do everything to Improve SAT Scores.

Too often we hear parents say things like, “Do not be nervous” or “don’t rush through the test”. As encouraging as this sounds, it can have a negative effect on your student.

We encourage parents to keep the conversation positive and don’t focus on the results.

If your child has done a lot of work to improve SAT Scores, you may want to say, “We are really proud of your hard work”.

This might be a good morning for you to get up early with your teen and go for a walk or do some other active activity inside.

Get your child to the test early, encourage them to use relaxations exercises.

If your child is on ADHD Medication, find out from their doctor, when is the best time to give the medication. Some medications may take 2 hours to fully kick in. If your child is taking the test at 8 am, then they should take the medication at 6 am. This may require them getting up early just to take the medication. It is often worth it to improve SAT Scores.

Here are some tips to help your student before and during the test:

Get everything ready with them the night before the test.

Make sure your child gets the best possible nights sleep the day before the test.

Make sure your child has a solid breakfast and include some protein.

Pack some protein for them to take during breaks (bars, nuts, cheese, water).

Bring a sweater

Get to the test site a half hour before the test. Let your child go for a 20 minute walk. Exercise is really good for them. They should take some deep breaths to relax.

Make sure your child is aware of their accommodations and that they use them. Extra time could and should be used to pace themselves and to check their work.

What to bring to the test.

Your Admission Ticket
Acceptable Photo ID5 No. 2 Pencils with Erasers.
No mechanical pencil
An approved CalculatorWatch (without an audible alarm)
Extra Batteries and Backup Equipment
Snacks/Water

Recommendation for students to Improve SAT Scores:

Read the questions carefully. There is often a trick.
Don’t stay at one question too long. Make a note and come back to it later.
Watch our for key phrases or words that can trip you up. For example “which one is not”, “what is the least”, “what is the most”, etc
Look for short cuts.
Answer all the questions. There is no longer a penalty for wrong answers.
Eliminate answers that are obviously wrong and then make the best choice.
For math questions use graphs and tables to look for the pattern and always substitute your answer into the math equation to see that it works.
CHECK YOUR WORK

If you have other suggested to improve SAT scores, please post them on our 3D Learner Facebook page

If you would like help to improve SAT scores in the future, call us at 561-361-7495.