The Florida Empowerment Scholarship For Unique Abilities – FES UA Voucher Program and Others Expanded for New Students Through December 15th, 2023 at 5pm

The Florida Empowerment Scholarship For Unique Abilities – FES UA Voucher Program and Others Expanded for New Students Through December 15th, 2023 at 5pm

Sign up for one hour of training and we will provide valuable insights on whether your child has dyslexia, their present reading comprehension level and more.

Our focus is on the visual learner, kinesthetic learner or neurodivergent learner, who learns best when he or she sees and experiences information.  We also identify and address dyslexia, ADHD, visual processing issues and executive function challenges.

We are Dyslexia certified trained for the UFLI ® Program — the University of Florida’s Reading Intervention that incorporates a Core Assessment, and an engaging and effective dyslexia treatment.  This is an Orton-Gillingham based program.

Call us at 561-361-7495 to discuss your situation or to schedule a time to
Discuss How Your Child Can Make Significant Gains in months

The Florida Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES – UA) has been changed.  They are now accepting new students through December 15th, 2023.  This is for homeschool and private school students with a qualifying disability.   Here is a list of qualifying disabilities.  Parents can register at https://www.stepupforstudents.org/scholarships/unique-abilities/ (FES UA).  

According to our sources, those granted the FES – UA scholarship now will be given the full scholarship amount for the year.  This will allow for an intensive and game changing effort.

We provide integrated, engaging and effective training – both live in Coral Springs and Boca Raton and via zoom.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can help your child and you, call 3D Learner at 561-361-7395 or click here to schedule  a Conversation on How The Florida Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities can help your child    

3D Learner is a provider for this program

Homeschool successes with 3D Learner. We have helped:

7 ways 3D Learner is different than any other provider:

  1. Our hands-on program is designed to help the right brain learner, kinesthetic learner or neurodivergent learner who learns best when he or she sees and experiences information,
  2. We address both reading fluency and reading comprehensionWe have had students make 2, 3 and even 4-year gains in their reading comprehension in 4 to 6 months.  While we are a hands-on program, we also address phonemic awareness and reading fluency with the University of Florida’s UFLI Program ®.
  3. We identify and address executive function, visual processing and related issues,
  4. We strive to ignite a love for learning, while boosting self-esteem
  5. We help parents to be even more effective coaches for their child,
  6. We tailor our program to meet the individual child’s needs.  We can also address math and writing issues.
  7. Our assessment, that can be done live or online, will show a parent:
    • How your child learns best
    • Their learning strengths and challenges
    • Whether there is an executive function or visual processing issue
    • The child’s present level of performance for both reading fluency and reading comprehension

Note, we do provide our services in Boca Raton and Coral Springs, FL and via zoom.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can help your child and you, call 3D Learner at 561-361-7395 or click here to schedule  a Conversation on How The Florida Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities can help your child.

3D Learner is best known for helping bright right brain kinesthetic learners succeed.  These are the students who learn best when they see and experience information and who are often a lot smarter than present results would indicate.

3D Learner has helped many homeschool and private school students improve their:

  • Reading fluency
  • Reading comprehension — often, but two, three or even four grade levels in months
  • Self-confidence and so much more (e.g. attention, executive function skills, math etc.)

Our first goal is to help parents with a child who learns differently to realize their child can do far better with strength-based training.  We often start with a no cost Stress to Success Conversation parents can have by either calling us at 561-361-7495 or clicking on Stress to Success Conversation and finding a mutually agreeable time to talk.

Our second goal is to help you as a parent to understand your child’s reading fluency and reading comprehension levels and to determine where your child is at, what help they need, and to tailor a solution to help your child to be all he or she can be.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can help your child and you, call 3D Learner at 561-361-7395 or click here to schedule  a Conversation on How The Florida Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities can help your child              

How are Stress and Anxiety linked to language and the words we use? Especially for the visual learner

How are Stress and Anxiety linked to language and the words we use? Especially for the visual learner

Has your child had a meltdown or negative response when asked to do something?  

Anxiety and stress can go hand in hand, as there is fear in the unknown and what we do not understand.  For us visual learners,  we can visualize (often called pictures) many different scenarios in our head.  These pictures are as real to us as if we actually experienced them; if we observe something that is similar to something we have seen, it can make us anxious or fearful.  

Past experiences and words are what make up our ability to understand what we read, or are to learn. What if we don’t fully understand those words, or language, and jump to conclusions. What kind of movies do we make up in our mind that are REAL to us?

This happened to me a number of years ago– long before I understood that this concept was possible. Our family was traveling in France and Austria (we were living in England at the time, and we were fortunate to be able to travel with our kids.) We were visiting the famous Salt Mines in Austria, near where we knew Hitler had lived, and the Nazis had created hide-outs. I was already on edge just conjuring up images of the atrocities of WW2. The tour included sliding down the mine shafts on smooth salt slides, and we thought that our kids would think that was fun. Sliding down into the mines WAS fun, and we all laughed and enjoyed that adventure. Our guide for the entire group would explain things, first in German, then French and then finally English- so that we could learn more about these vast caves. Once we reached the bottom of the slide, we were all ushered into a room. The guide started her explanation in German, and then announced that all of us English speakers should just wait there… no explanation. The only German words that I understood were “Hitler” and “Nazi”- and watching her hand movements- pointing everywhere, started to make me uneasy.

She finished her explanation in German and told the small group of us English speakers to ‘wait’.  The others moved on and a door closed behind them. We were alone in that dimly lit area. We were stuck. Here we were, having just had a fun experience, closed off with no warning or explanation or clarification. The movie in my head was in panic mode. Hearing two of the most terrifying words that I could understand from my not knowing German put me into a frozen panic. A minute later (what seemed like much more!), a loud recording in English came over the loudspeakers over our head, to explain IN ENGLISH that it was in this mine that many Nazis had tried to escape to and were caught. It was a considerably different picture than I had created!

This experience happened to me over 30 years ago- yet I can conjure up that image, a gut-wrenching image like it was yesterday. It was that vivid!

I use this extreme example because as parents and teachers of students who ARE more VISUAL learners today than ever before (some studies say that over 60% of students today are more visual learners), we take for granted that our kids understand us. We have no idea that in some way we may be creating anxiety or stress for them without even knowing it.  Although what we say may not be as negatively charged as my experience, who are we to say that our kids don’t feel these extreme emotions– they often cannot express it!  

We live in a world now where WORDS are everywhere. It is our basic and seemingly most efficient way to communicate with one another.

I urge all of us to stop and think about our language.


What are we saying?  How are we saying it?

 


Do our children/students understand our words or the context in which we are trying to explain something?

We need to be doing more Visual Parenting/teaching. Be sure we use visual schedules and explain what new places or experiences will be like. (We are lucky to live in the age of Google to show kids what new places look like or even what words mean!) 

Do not ASSUME your kids will like something or “it will be fun”.  Listen to what your kids want to know about a new place. 

As for coming home from school frustrated, have your child “off load” the movie they are seeing. Make no judgment… just listen.  

Have a conversation with your child’s teacher to problem solve together about making the classroom less anxious provoking for your child. This is NOT a BLAME GAME- each child in the classroom might have a different experience and the teacher has a lot to do. Knowing that you are a good listener for your child can be life changing. DO NOT TRY to FIX things. 

Support that your child has an amazing “superpower” of making that movie in their head, and problem solve together about how they might be able to calm themselves. Do they need to learn to take deep breaths, create positive pictures, ask for clarification?

 

Just understand – words create pictures. And emotions.

 

Sample Letter to Share with a Teacher if your child is a right brain kinesthetic learner

Sample Letter to Share with a Teacher if your child is a right brain kinesthetic learner

Dear [Teacher’s Name],

I hope this note finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to provide you with some insights into my learning style and preferences as a student. I am a right brain kinesthetic learner, which means that I have unique strengths and challenges that might affect my learning experience in the classroom.

Strengths:
  • Hands-On Learning: I thrive when I can engage in hands-on activities and experiences. Interactive projects, experiments, and practical demonstrations are fantastic ways for me to grasp and retain information effectively.
  • Movement and Exploration: I learn best when I am allowed to move around and explore my environment. Incorporating movement-based activities, such as games that involve physical actions, can greatly enhance my learning experience.
  • Creativity and Imagination: My right brain dominance fuels my creativity and imagination. Encouraging artistic endeavors, storytelling, and imaginative tasks will enable me to express myself and understand concepts more deeply.
Challenges:
  • Attention Span: I might struggle with sitting still for extended periods. It could be helpful to incorporate short breaks or movement-based transitions to help me refocus and maintain my attention.
  • Sequential Processing: I might find it challenging to follow strict step-by-step instructions. Breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable parts and using visual aids can assist me in understanding and completing assignments. I’m a “big picture” learner. I need to have an idea of what the end product looks like. Modeling lessons really helps.
  • Verbal Instructions: I may not fully grasp concepts if they are solely explained verbally. Providing visual aids, diagrams, or practical examples can greatly enhance my understanding of complex ideas. If I tell you “I don’t understand“ something, please rephrase it so I get a better picture in my head. Remember- it takes me a little more time to process information because I have to “download a picture” to understand what I need to do.
  • Organization: Keeping track of materials and assignments might be difficult for me. Providing clear organizational tools, such as visual schedules or color-coded instructions, can help me stay on track. Having my own visual schedule will help. Helping me with my planner would be appreciated. Sometimes just writing/copying what the assignments are is stressful. I can do the work, but writing all the assignments can be difficult. We can work on that together this year. 

I am excited about the upcoming school year and eager to learn in a way that suits my unique learning style. By incorporating a variety of kinesthetic and creative teaching strategies, I believe we can make the learning process engaging and enjoyable for me.

Thank you for taking the time to understand my learning style better. I’m looking forward to a productive and successful year in your classroom.

Sincerely,

[Student’s Name] [Student’s Signature, if applicable]

How to Relieve Stress for your Visual Learner When Traveling this Holiday

How to Relieve Stress for your Visual Learner When Traveling this Holiday

Wow it has been a long almost 3 years!  And many of us have not been able to physically celebrate holidays/vacation with family or friends who live far away.

Travel is stressful as it is; but traveling with kids,especially kids who are VISUAL and sensitive can be even more challenging.

Here are some suggestions you might want to try. Depending on the age of your child, choose the ones that work best for you and them. Just remember though, if your child learns differently than you, you might not think making visuals is that important “I told her what we were going to do” or “I told him what to pack” might work for you, but it has no impact on your VISUAL learner child.

If however….. You too are visual… know that what works for you might not be the same for your child!

Pre “sell” where you are going and who you will be seeing.  Today we have the advantage of so many visual tools. Use them.  “Grandma and Grandpa’s house” ,” the beach”, “snow resort”

Have your child do some research WITH you- about what activities you could do. Plan out a possible schedule with the explicit understanding that plans might change- Plan for change! 

“What could we do if that does not work out?”  Remember, your kids visualize things AS IF THEY are real– and they are to them! It is why putting activities on paper helps so much. If plans change, these can be moved. (“later” means “never”- in their mind.) Have some choices available so that your child does not focus on just one thing.

Familiarize (or refresh memories) of people they may see. Use photos to re enforce  who they are and how they relate to you. (Great Aunt-what does that mean? High School friend,etc). Talk about and practice how to greet and address them. If your child has any hesitation about meeting people, listen to their concerns and problem solve together.  This has been a long period of not having gatherings. We forget that for 10 year old kids, this was a LONG time ago!!

If you have favorite stories to tell about experiences you had with them, share them. Find photos to help. You want to encourage as much positive energy and visual experience as possible. This really helps your kids acclimate to a different environment with the minimal number of surprises that could set them off kilter. 

 Remember to include your coming home! What will be here when you return? You are not just going away; you are coming home too.

Create a packing list together. In writing, (add pictures if needed). Talk about the various activities you might do and what clothing or special items you might need.  

As for preparing for travel- Expect and plan for delays.  (If they don’t happen, celebrate!)

Be sure to have food, snacks and drinks (EMPTY water bottles if flying!).  Besides what you think your child might like- have your child help you with this as well. Cold slices of pizza, cheese sticks, sandwiches- even if flying early in the morning! There is something about airports that make kids hungry and buying food there is both expensive and at this time of year, can take a long time.

Be sure to talk about the different possibilities of delays when traveling– not to scare your child- but to “make it an adventure”. How you frame the conversation, your tone of voice, your body language, your own feelings about it- will be VERY APPARENT to your child. They take their cues from you.  

Check out your local Dollar Store, Target or Walmart for the $1 baskets of puzzles, pocket games. Be sure you include games you can play together. Engaging with your child through this travel adventure should be a positive memorable experience for all of you.  My fondest memories, and longest lasting funniest experiences are travel related! (Travelling Overseas with 4 kids under 10, when your flight is delayed for over 4 hours, resulted in the first ever TWA Olympics. (Note: that airline doesn’t exist, but our happy memories do!]

Above all COMMUNICATE- CALMLY with your child(ren). Give them some autonomy to make choices. Laugh often. Bring music. BOTH ARE GAME CHANGERS for changing moods.

Most of the delays are beyond your control; you can only control how you respond. ENJOY the ADVENTURE.  BE SAFE.   REPEAT often!

How to Help Your Child Succeed and Get the Most Help from Your Child’s School

How to Help Your Child Succeed and Get the Most Help from Your Child’s School

For Your Kinesthetic Learner with Executive Function and/or Visual Processing Issues

How to Help Your Child Succeed

(Assessment Special at the Bottom of the Page)

Most students we see are a kinesthetic learner with some executive function issues.  They often have visual processing issues.  Frustration and anxiety appear to be impacting these students even more than others.

This blog post is focused on how you, as a parent can:

  • Stabilize the situation now.  We are seeing large numbers of kinesthetic learners with frustration and anxiety issue
  • Get help from your child’s teacher to do the same
  • Start the investigation process to consider what else needs to be done
  • Do the same process with their school
  • Take control of the process and look for a program that assesses and addresses the Whole Child — with a focus on your child’s strengths and challenges.

7 Key Points About the Kinesthetic Learner with Executive Function and/or Visual Processing issues

  1. The kinesthetic learner learns best when he or she sees and experiences information.  Too many words often overwhelm them.  Keep instructions visual and use a few words — focused on what you want them to do and why
  2. Working memory and/or processing issues are often challenges.  Checklists and visual schedules really help.  Psycho-education evaluations often identify these issues.
  3. Visual processing is a very common challenge for the kinesthetic learner.  The kinesthetic learner often has better peripheral vision and their eyes are often scanning the environment.  The kinesthetic learner often skips words and lines when reading and/or has problems copying off the board.
  1. Anxiety and frustration are often present.  As parents, we recommend you:
    • Stay calm.  Nothing reduces stress and anxiety quicker than a calm parent
    • Use checklists and visual schedules

At a quiet moment, ask your child:

    • What are you enjoying about school
    • What is causing you any stress or anxiety
    • How can we help

Share the relevant information with their teacher

    • Where your child is strong
    • Where they tend to struggle
    • What small changes might make big differences
    • Ask them if they are seeing the same thing or something different
    • Ask them if they have your child’s present level of performance on reading comprehension and math and if not, when might they have it.  In Florida, public schools are required to complete their first round of assessments by September 30th.  They are now required to share that with parents

We have an excellent system that reduces stress and anxiety called the Safe and Sound Protocol.  This is normally a $300 investment.  For those parents investing in our Comprehensive Assessment for your child by September 16th, we will be including the Safe and Sound Protocol at no extra cost

To start the conversation, either call us at 561-361-7495 or
click here to schedule a Conversation on How to Help Your Child Succeed

  1. Use the next few weeks to initiate action where needed and to investigate the following:
    • Schools are often slow to assess a child for a learning disability, dyslexia or some other learning problem.   If you think your child needs to be assessed, we encourage you to initiate the process ASAP. . Schools will often tell a parent, “We do things sequentially.  We need to initiate either RTI or MTSS (Response to Intervention or Multi-Tiered System of Supports), before we assess.  The Federal Government has issued guidance that RTI Cannot Be Used to Delay or Deny an Evaluation.  If this is an issue, we recommend you visit our webpage www.3dlearner.com/rti-mtss where we provide a link to the letter from the Office of Special Education Programs and a sample letter you might share with their school.  
  1. The single most important point for the kinesthetic learner with executive function and/or visual processing issues is that neither schools nor most programs identify or address the whole child. Specifically:
    • Schools do not often assess a child’s learning style. 
    • Executive function issues are often identified, but rarely addressed
    • Visual processing issues are often missed and rarely addressed
    • Anxiety, attention and frustration are often left to the psychologist and/or the parent, when there are natural and effective ways to address them   
    • Parent coaching is rarely addressed, and it can be incredibly helpful

At 3D Learner, we recognize the need for:

  • An assessment that focuses on the Whole Child
  • Training that teaches the way a right brain, visual or kinesthetic learner learns
  • Addressing the executive function issues as part of an integrated program
  • Identifying and addressing the relevant issues
  • A solution that will lead to significant gains within months
  • Combining a program that offers
    • Immediate benefits
    • Provides an Assessment for Success
    • Offers a program that can be tailored to your child’s needs
    • Provides you with the tools and processes to be the parent your child needs

Comprehensive Assessment Special

For those parents investing in our Comprehensive Assessment before September 16th we are offering:

Our comprehensive assessment that includes:

  • The Structure of Intellect Assessment ® that identifies:
    -How your child learns best
    – heir strengths and challenges
    -Whether there appears to be a visual processing issue
    -Your child’s present level of performance
  • The MindPrint Assessment ®
    An executive function assessment for students 8 and older
  • For local students, in our office
    -A Visagraph ® assessment that shows how your child’s eyes track when reading
    The Interactive Metronome ® that assesses for attention, impulsivity and neural timing

If you have a smart struggling child who might be a kinesthetic learner with executive function and/or visual processing issues, we suggest you

Start the conversation, by either calling us at 561-361-7495 or click here
to schedule a
Conversation on How to Help Your Child Succeed

For the right brain or visual learner, private schools can be a challenge

For the right brain or visual learner, private schools can be a challenge

If your child is struggling at private school, especially in elementary school, there is a good chance they:

  • Are a right brain or visual learner
  • Are below grade level in reading comprehension
  • Have executive function challenges
  • May have anxiety and/or behavioral challenges

If this describes your child, we have found that they can be far more successful with strategies that:

  • Capitalize on their strengths to improve their reading comprehension and love for learning
  • Identifies and addresses the relevant challenges
  • Is designed to help them maximize their potential

Is your child a right brain or visual learner?  Have you noticed that they:

  • Remember places visited, even from years ago?
  • Learn best when they see and experience information?
  • Have a reading comprehension level well below their peers?

These creative “out of box” learners are the students we help.

The challenges for them at private schools are:

  • The best private schools often pride themselves for having a more rigorous curriculum and being a year ahead of public schools,  This makes life much harder for the smart struggling right brain or visual learner
  • Their tutoring programs are often limited and one dimensional.  This approach is hard for a right brain or visual learner who often does not have a good working memory, skips words and lines when reading and/or is bored with the process
  • In many States now, the demand for private school seats exceeds the supply, and they can simply say “we do not have the resources to help your child.”
  • We are seeing more private schools than ever suggesting to parents that their child may not be right for their school.

If your child is struggling at a private school and you want to understand what can be done to improve their performance, give us a call at 561-361-7495 and or click here to schedule a Private School Conversation.

The good news is your right brain or visual learner can often succeed

Donna called us with this exact problem. Her third grader was two years below grade level and his private school was suggesting they go elsewhere.  Donna found us on the internet and called us.  After a 10 minute conversation she commented, “How is it that after 10 minutes, you appear to know my child better than people who have known him for years?’

We explained that our specialty is working with kids like her son who are:

  • Far smarter than their present level of reading comprehension would indicate
  • A right brain or visual learner
  • Appear to have working memory and attention challenges.   

With our help, he was able to make significant gains over the summer and stay in that private school.  The testing the next year showed he had improved his reading comprehension 3 grade levels in a year.  His teacher commented, “Bobby made more progress in a year than any student I have had in 27 years of teaching”.

We have had many similar cases including:

A student whose parents were told to hold their child back.  She went from one of the weakest readers in her class to the top reading group after completing our program.  Even better, in a reading contest over a month, she read 720 pages, while the second place reader read only 374 pages and the average student read 172 pages.  When her mom asked her how she went from a non reader to an avid reader she commented, “3D Learner taught me how to visualize what I read, do you know how cool that is?”

A parent was told, by a professional, not to even consider a private school where the work would be too demanding.  With our help, their son went from the 58th to the 99th percentile in reading comprehension.  He went on to become valedictorian at that prestigious private school and proceeded to graduate from Harvard.
Note: in this case, the psychologist had recommended two more dyslexia treatments.  After he mom said these types of programs did not help her son and asked if there was a different approach, the psychologist then recommended 3D Learner. 

A word of caution.  Sometimes the school is right.  For the right brain or visual learner with a below average IQ, the most demanding private school may not be the right place.  These cases happen and we work with parents to find the right place for their child.

Note: the catalyst for the 3D Learner Program ® was when we were told our daughter had limited potential and was not “college material”.  She is now close to completing her Doctorate in Education.  We love helping kids to succeed whose parents have been told something similar.  No one has the right to put limitations on what kids CAN DO!  The right brain or visual learner can often make far more progress than others thought possible,

If your child is struggling at a private school and you want to understand what can be done to improve their performance, give us a call at 561-361-7495 and or click here to schedule a Private School Conversation.

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