When a parent is told that their child is at risk of being retained, their initial response is often full of emotion. Frustration, anxiety and even guilt are felt. We can relate to that. As parents and Directors of 3D Learner, we strongly encourage parents to take a proactive approach to helping your child succeed. At 3D Learner our goals are to:
- Help parents realize that third grade retention risks are not your fault.
- There are a number go Good Cause Exemptions to help your child to avoid third grade retention and to be promoted
- Help you be an Informed, Empowered and Proactive parents who:
- Work together to help your child to be promoted
- Understands the depth of your child’s reading comprehension and related issues
- Becomes even more aware of your child’s strengths and challenges
- Partners with your child’s school and the right outside professionals to help your child to make significant gains in their reading comprehension and processing skills, so they are promoted and are much more successful in 4th grade and beyond
If your child is at risk for third grade retention or grade retention in any grade, we encourage you to join us for a presentation on March 13th at 9 pm on:
How to Beat Third Grade Retention or Other Grade Retention Risks by
Improving Reading Comprehension
Click here to register or
Call us at 561-361-7495 to discuss your situation or click here to schedule a
Beat Third Grade Retention by Improving Reading Comprehension Conversation
As one mom said, “How is it that after 5 minutes, you appear to understand my son’s strengths and challenges better than people who have known him for years?”
Our advantage is we have been helping bright right brain learners succeed for 27 years.
5 Key Points About Third Grade Retention
1- There are a number of Good Cause Exemptions that can be utilized to help a child to be promoted. The Florida Department of Education has created a valuable Read to Learn Document that can help you understand your options.
2- Most students facing third grade retention are 1, 1.5 or even 2 years below grade level in reading comprehension. If their reading comprehension issue is not addressed, the student is likely to struggle even more in 4th grade. After 3rd Grade, students are expected to READ TO LEARN; there is no more emphasis on reading instruction in the general classroom. That is the time when math, social studies and science require students to understand what they read. It is also a time when the print gets smaller, the pictures disappear and students with reading comprehension really struggle. Conversely, students who make significant reading comprehension gains by 4th grade have done much better.
3- In a small number of cases, third grade retention is right for a child. The child does not have sufficient all-around foundational skills to succeed in 4th grade. These might include cases where the child has a late summer birthday, they may have learning and attention challenges, and they would be better off not being promoted. This past year, we helped a few students where parents chose to homeschool their child, have a catch-up year, and make the decision about promotion later. In Florida, the Florida Empowerment Scholarship provides parents whose child has a qualifying disability to get around $10,000 a year that can be used for tutoring. For other students, there is a Personalized Education Program scholarship for $8000 that can be used for tutoring.
4- Many students facing third grade retention are right brain, kinesthetic or neurodivergent learners, who learn differently than the way most schools teach. These kids learn best when they see and experience information. They may also have dyslexia and/or working memory, processing speed, attention and/or visual processing issues.
5- By capitalizing on your child’s strengths and addressing their challenges, it is often possible to both beat third grade retention and to position your child to be far more successful in 4th grade and beyond.
Note, we have helped third graders to:
- Beat third grade retention and score well above grade level by 4th grade
- Improve their reading comprehension by 3 grade levels in a year
A year later his teacher commented, “He made more progress in a year than any student I have had in 27 years of teaching”
- Improve their academic and athletic skills, boost their self-esteem and lower their anxiety
If your child is at risk for third grade retention or grade retention in any grade, we encourage you to join us for a presentation on March 13th at 9 pm where we will be discussing:
How to Beat Third Grade Retention or Other Grade Retention Risks by
Improving Reading Comprehension
Click here to register or
Call us at 561-361-7495 to discuss your situation or click here to schedule a
Beat Third Grade Retention by Improving Reading Comprehension Conversation
Reading comprehension is a LOT about language and visualization! This is especially true for the right brain learner, who learns best when he or she sees and experiences information.
So much is being discussed about how children learn to read or being taught HOW to read. These “reading wars” have been going on forever! No doubt, they will continue for a long time to come. The truth is…THERE IS NO ONE WAY TO TEACH READING!!— Yes, I said it!
Every child is different. They come to school from varying backgrounds and experiences, and with those experiences come the words or language they are comfortable using. We need to meet kids where they are at- NOT where others think they need to be.
YES, children need to understand, know, use and be able to manipulate or change around sounds that are letters (which are symbols for sounds, but most kids don’t make that connection right away.) Not all children will learn to do that at the same time or at the same rate.
Multiple factors are needed for children to be successful to learn to read and even more to improve reading comprehension. Just like the cartoon suggests, we view our students from multiple perspectives, and rarely look at the whole child and what that child is good at or comfortable doing.
The right brain learner often has a longer list of strengths and challenges than others do. (picture source www.priyankadutta.com)
I have read thousands of reports over the years. To most parents, these reports can be overwhelming. Lots of words and pages of what they assessed and what the child is not good at. Most psychology professionals will report on a child’s strengths but that often gets lost when so much is suggested as to what should be addressed to help the child succeed. One of the most common findings is that a child is “weak in phonemic awareness” or “decoding skills”. It seems like other findings and suggestions – which admittedly are many- are overshadowed by the push to believe that if those skills are worked on exclusively, things will get better. Parents are bombarded by the notion that they need to have their kids spend hundreds of hours practicing and remembering rules of when certain sounds are made and that just by being able to sound out words, they will be able to comprehend what those words mean.
Many parents believe, The Science of Reading premise is that the Simple Formula of Reading is:
Decoding X Reading Fluency = Reading Comprehension
For many of us–and the thousands of students I have worked with, this just is NOT the case!
I, for one, need to have an understanding of what a word means… a picture in my head of an understanding of the word, within a context. In short, I need an understanding of LANGUAGE!
So many of our students can actually learn to decode. In isolation, they are able to tell me the individual sounds, and can put them together. What they struggle with is transferring or generalizing that skill when reading!
Another one of my favorite quotes is:
“Scientists have determined that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain- unless it is done with play, in which case, it takes between 10 and 20 repetitions!” Dr Karyn Purvis, a child development expert.
At 3D Learner, I have coined the term Flearning ® — where our goal is to have our students learn from AHA moment to AHA moment, by discovering the patterns. For the right brain learner, it is incredibly important to leverage their visualization skills and to make learning Fun.
Language, and the use of words come from play and discovery. As parents, it is vital that we create an environment where this is possible. It is also vital that we look at the whole child and sort out what things they CAN do and encourage that. If we only focus on what a child CANNOT do, they lose so much, self-esteem suffers, and anxiety takes over!
Understanding where the Science of Reading fits in the BIG PICTURE of what your child needs will lead to a way better outcome for success for your child. Not every child learns exactly the same way. What we do know is that the most effective way for kids to succeed in reading is for them to make connections: with their teacher, with words and with their experiences. If we listen and observe, they will show us what they need.
At 3D Learner, we provide an Integrated, Engaging, Fun and Effective way to improve reading fluency and reading comprehension.
If you would like to discuss how you can put your child on their Pathway to Reading Fluency and Reading Comprehension Success call us at 561-361-7495 or click here to schedule a no cost Pathway to Reading Fluency and Reading Comprehension Success Conversation.
The neurodivergent, right brain or kinesthetic learner in 4th, 5th and 6th grades missed critical time in school during the pandemic. They often struggle with reading fluency, reading comprehension, math word problems, processing issues and may struggle with anxiety and frustration.
This blog post focuses on the significant risks and opportunities for smart kids who learn differently, the key strengths and challenges of the neurodivergent, right brain or kinesthetic learner, examples of our successes and the pivotal role parents play.
If you would like to discuss how to help your child succeed, you can either
call us at 561-361-7495 or schedule a call at “Let’s Discuss How to Help Your Child Succeed”
9 key points we wish to stress are:
- Many smart struggling students are neurodivergent, right brain or kinesthetic learners. These are the kids who learn best when they see and experience information. They are often a lot smarter than present results would indicate. They often have a sea of strengths and challenges. Most school based and outside interventions fail to recognize and capitalize on these strengths and the need to engage the student in the learning process. You can access our no cost screening tool at
Is My Child a Neurodivergent, Right Brain or Kinesthetic Learner?
- There is a significant risk that things will get worse.
- These students can do far better with an integrated, engaging and effective system that significantly improves reading fluency, reading comprehension, math skills, attention, executive function skills, and confidence, while reducing anxiety. We have found it important to:
- Tailor solutions to meet the student’s needs
- Leverage their strengths and engage them in the learning process
- Identify and addresses their challenges
- Lower their anxiety and boost their self-esteem
- Helps parents to secure the help the schools can provide
- Helps the parents to be more effective coaches and advocates for their child
- Psycho-educational testing by itself is valuable, but the benefits are much greater when it leads to a transformational program that allows your child to make significant progress.
- For those students with dyslexia, a dyslexia treatment is often recommended. The Science of Reading, that focuses on improving reading fluency, may be an integral part of the solution, but most of these programs are not designed to improve:
- Vocabulary and reading comprehension
- Math and writing skills
- Attention, working memory and processing speed — executive function skills
- Your parenting skills
At 3D Learner, we address dyslexia and reading fluency issues with the UFLI Program ®, a dyslexia intervention developed by the University of Florida Learning Institute. It is an excellent option, that allows us to tailor a solution to meet your child’s specific needs.
- For those students with ADHD, Attention Deficit Disorder, ADHD medication is often recommended. We use the Interactive Metronome ® to improve attention. This can either be used to complement medication or as a stand alone offering. Our students have done very well with the Interactive Metronome, that has several unique benefits:
- It builds neural connections in the brain, that are still there years later.
- It works all day, so you do not have the problem of your child having difficulty paying attention when doing homework, because the medication has worn off.
- It also improves handwriting, reading and math fluency, sports skills and impulse control.
Note, the Interactive Metronome produces very different results, depending on the provider. We have used it for over 24 years with excellent results.
- If your child is a neurodivergent, right brain or kinesthetic learner, it is up to you to find the solution that can help your child be all they can be.
- 3D Learner has helped thousands of neurodivergent, right brain and kinesthetic learners to make significant gains in months.
If you would like to discuss how to help your child succeed, you can either
call us at 561-361-7495 or schedule a call at “Let’s Discuss How to Help Your Child Succeed”
One mom commented, “How is it you know my child better after less than 10 minutes than people who have taught him for years?. Our response, “That is our focus, helping kids who learn differently succeed.”
Her son gained 3 years in his reading comprehension is less than a year. His teacher said, “Tyler made more progress in a year than any child I have had in 27 years of teaching”.
Specific challenges may include some of the following
- Reading fluency and reading comprehension. Reading comprehension gaps often widen and start to impact math, social studies and science,
- Writing. Handwriting may be an issue, but putting their thoughts on paper is almost always an issue
- Math. Some are good at arithmetic, but math word problems are often a nightmare
- Processing skills. They often have an excellent memory for what they have seen and experienced, but have great difficulty remembering what they heard or read
- Attention. They can often hyper-focus on video games or something they like, but they often have great difficulty paying attention to that which is boring or frustrating
- Visual processing. The neurodivergent, right brain or kinesthetic learner often has good peripheral vision, that is seeing the world around them. Their challenges often include skipping words and lines when reading, missing signs when doing math problems and with handwriting and misaligning their math work, that results in mistakes
- Anxiety, frustration and lack of confidence. These have always been a problem for many kids, but these issues are more common and more significant with this group in this post pandemic era.
- In some cases, being rebellious. These students often are in fight or flight mode and sometimes the relationship with their parents are really strained.
There is a risk that academic, frustration and anxiety issues will worsen, as the work gets harder and hormones kick in.
As parents, there are several key points to recognize:
- School programs and accommodations can help, but they rarely help a neurodivergent, right brain or kinesthetic learner come near their potential
- If your child learns differently, they may have the potential to do far better within months
- If you would like to discuss how to help your child succeed, you can either
call us at 561-361-7495 or schedule a call at “Let’s Discuss How to Help Your Child Succeed”
The Rebellious Baseball Player who was a Neurodivergent Learner
Alan seemed like a normal kid, until you realize that he had been suspended twice by his school. His parents complained that he did not read much, he was at times confrontational and even though he liked baseball and was good at it, he often had games where he was off.
They were also upset that despite an above average IQ, he was now in classes with a lot of kids who were struggling academically and were not a good influence on Alan. A therapist referred the parents to 3D Learner.
The parents were aware of the emotional control issues. They were not aware of how far behind their son was, that it could get worse and that there was a significant opportunity for growth.
Alan was not interested in school, but his ears perked up when we told him we could improve his baseball skills. His assessment showed:
- His reading comprehension was four years below grade level
- He had difficulty paying attention, but the real issue was his impulsive behavior. When he tried to match a beat and he was off, he got frustrated and at times angry. He shared that this anger and impulsivity happened in a number of settings – including the two where he was suspended
- He skipped words and lines when reading and read very slowly
- He learned best when he saw and experienced information
The goals we all agreed to where to:
- Improve his reading comprehension 3 grade levels in 6 months
- Behave well in school, even when he was frustrated
- Get out of remedial reading for 7th grade and to be in classes with his friends
- Increase his reading speed from 110 to 200 words per minute
- Increase his batting average from 263 to 350
- Increase the number of home runs from 1 to 5
- Work respectfully with his parents and to have a nonverbal cue, when he felt himself losing it
The actual results were:
- He improved his reading comprehension 4 grade levels in 4 months
- His behavior was far better at home and in school
- He improved his reading speed to 206 words per minute
- He did get into regular English classes and got a B in English
- His batting average improved from 263 to 403, which was the highest on his team
- He hit 10 home runs that spring and it led the league
A few of the keys to his success:
- His parents saw the potential, were committed to his success and really liked that we could improve his academic, his behavior and his baseball skills. We are always looking for a hook to engage students.
- We taught him how to pause when he was frustrated
- Our hands-on program engaged him and he learned how to visualize what he read
- We improved his attention using the Interactive Metronome ® and showed him how to stay calm, even when he made mistakes
- We improved his visual tracking
- He saw changes within weeks in his reading, his behavior and his baseball performance
The More Typical Neurodivergent, Right Brain or Kinesthetic Learner
Ben could put together Legos for hours, had an incredible visual memory, but in 5th grade, his comprehension was two years below grade level, he often lost focus and he avoided reading. Note, if you only read at 110 words per minute, you might avoid reading too. Ben also suffered from anxiety challenges.
His parents saw an article with this graph that showed that secondary school students with learning disabilities often fall 3 to 4.9 years below grade level and some fall even further behind.
We assessed Ben and it confirmed:
- A significant anxiety challenge — his heart rate jumped to 142 beats per minute when we just mentioned taking an English Language Assessment
- He did lose focus
- His reading comprehension was two years below grade level
- He clearly learned differently and was a neurodivergent learner and very creative.
- He was motivated to succeed
The goals we set were to:
- Improve his comprehension 3 grade levels in 6 months
- Decrease the time it took to get homework time from 2.5 to 1.5 hours
- Have him stay calm
The results with Ben were good:
He improved his reading comprehension 3 grade levels in 4 months.
- He decreased his homework time to 1.25 hours
- He was much calmer
Even better, Ben wound up reading 4 long books over the next 3 months and went on to win an award as the best reader in his middle school.
Smart Neurodivergent Students
Alexa’s mom was really frustrated. Alexa had a 118 IQ, well above average. Alexa’s reading was at the 48th percentile and she was very shy and afraid to ask questions.
Mom had asked the principal what she could do, and the principal suggested there was no need to do anything, he then added, “Someone has to be average”.
Mom became a Mom on a Mission.
She heard us speak on GOLD Students — Gifted Operating with a Learning Difference. We focus on the student’s gifts and when we do, many neurodivergent, right brain and kinesthetic learners do far better.
Our assessment confirmed that Alexa both learned differently and was on grade level for reading comprehension. It also showed she lost focus and skipped words and lines when reading.
The goals were to:
- Significantly improve her attention and visual processing
- Get Alexa to ask 3 questions a day the first month, 4 a day the second month and 5 a day the third month
- To improve her performance on the SAT from the 48th to the 85th percentile
The results were Alexa:
- Made significant improvements in her attention and visual processing
- Asked 4 questions a day the first month, 8 questions a day the second month and we stopped counting
- Improved her reading comprehension from the 48th to the 95th percentile
- Became an extrovert and was a leader in the band in high school
7 Important Things to Consider About a Neurodivergent, Right Brain or Kinesthetic Learner in this Post Pandemic Period
- Too often the neurodivergent, right brain or kinesthetic learner’s strengths and either not identified or the solutions do not capitalize on their strengths
- Capitalizing on their strengths is often a key to improving their attitude and lowering their anxiety
- The learning gaps are more significant than ever, the gaps often widen and schools rarely close the gap
- Reading fluency and reading comprehension may both often issues and you want to address
- Executive function challenges (i.e. attention, working memory and processing speed) need to be both identified and improved
- Visual processing is often an issue
- It takes informed, empowered and proactive parents to make the difference
If you would like to discuss how to help your child succeed, you can either
call us at 561-361-7495 or schedule a call at “Let’s Discuss How to Help Your Child Succeed”
Note, it is often up to parents to put their neurodivergent, right brain or kinesthetic learner on their Pathway from Stress to Outrageous Success
A dyslexia treatment that follows the Science of Reading will help Reading Fluency but may not significantly improve reading comprehension.
The challenge is that many students with dyslexia are also a right brain kinesthetic learner, who learns best when he or she sees and experiences information. For the right brain kinesthetic learner with dyslexia, additional strategies and interventions may be necessary to address their specific challenges.
The Science of Reading is an evidence-based approach to teaching reading that emphasizes phonics, phonemic awareness, and other foundational skills. While it is effective for improving reading fluency, it’s important to note that reading comprehension is a multifaceted skill that involves various cognitive processes beyond just decoding words.
Note, if your child does not have dyslexia but learns differently, all the other efforts discussed below to improve visual processing, executive function skills and reading comprehension may be needed.
Note, these students’ profiles often include a combination of 2, 3 or 4 of the following: the student often learns differently, has auditory or visual processing issues, and very often has more than one executive function challenge that may include attention, working memory, processing speed and …
Most students with dyslexia are also a right brain, visual or kinesthetic learner with a visual processing and/or executive function challenge.
Specific problems we see in right brain kinesthetic learners with dyslexia may include:
Problems recognizing words they have seen and not mastered.
Vocabulary instruction: Enhancing word knowledge is crucial for understanding the meaning of texts.
Sight word vocabulary — where the right brain kinesthetic learner does not have a picture for what the words mean.
Visual processing issues frequently occur in this population.
Working memory. A dyslexia treatment and building language skills often requires students to learn and remember rules. This can be difficult for a student with a weak memory.
Processing speed. Many students with dyslexia process information slowly, but it can be improved.
Reading comprehension strategies: Teaching specific strategies, such as visualizing, summarization, questioning, and making connections to their own experiences, can help students with dyslexia improve their comprehension skills. For the right brain kinesthetic learner, the student will often benefit from a hands-on and visual approach that teaches them what the word looks like and creates a visual for what the words and passages mean.
Text structure or sequence awareness: Understanding how different types of texts are structured can aid comprehension. Explicit instruction in recognizing and understanding sequences can be helpful.
Background knowledge development: Building background knowledge using pictures or videos can improve comprehension. Reading a wide range of texts on different topics and relating to their own experiences can contribute to this.
Explicit instruction in comprehension skills: Providing direct instruction in specific comprehension skills, such as identifying main ideas, drawing conclusions, and making predictions, can be beneficial.
It’s important to recognize that dyslexia is a neuro-biological condition that affects the way the brain processes written and spoken language. As such, a comprehensive and individualized approach to intervention is often necessary, taking into account the unique needs and strengths of each student with dyslexia.
To improve reading fluency and reading comprehension for students with dyslexia who are right brain kinesthetic learners, the student often needs:
- A dyslexia treatment to improve reading fluency.
- A more visual kinesthetic approach to word recognition, spelling and vocabulary.
- Auditory and/or visual processing issues identified and addressed.
- Executive function issues identified and addressed.
- Reading comprehension strategies that utilize relevant text and that leverage the student’s ability to learn best when they see and experience information.
If you would like to discuss your situation, you can either call us at 561-361-7495 or click here to find a time on our schedule to discuss “Your Right Brain Kinesthetic Learner with Dyslexia”.
In this post pandemic era, more students are further behind in reading comprehension than one would normally suspect. Over the last few weeks, we have gotten calls from parents in grades 1 to 9, where the parents are quite concerned. Their child is struggling in reading and often with anxiety. The parents have often have previously tried other interventions to improve reading comprehension and reading fluency including:
- Traditional tutoring
- Learning centers
- Dyslexia treatments
- School based interventions
Parents are being told:
- Grade retention is a possibility in the earlier grades
- The private school their child is at may not be right for their child or in several cases
- The parents are not being told anything, but their child is struggling more this year and they know the problem is likely to get worse
- By a psychologist that their child has dyslexia, learns differently and has working memory issues and needs a program that addresses the whole child
What research has told us is that:
- Almost 90 percent of the 1st graders will be poor readers in 4th grade
- 74 percent of the students with a reading disability (dyslexia) in 3rd grade will still have a reading disability (dyslexia) in 12th grade
- 45 percent of the students with a learning disability in middle and high school are 3 to 4.9 years below grade level in reading comprehension and 21% are more than 5 years below grade level in reading comprehension.
If your child is struggling with reading fluency and/or reading comprehension, there is a significant chance the problems will persist and worsen. Our goal is to help you to get to the root causes of your child’s challenges and to help you lay out a Pathway to Success for your child.
In the press and online, there is a great deal of focus on dyslexia. Dyslexia is when a student has trouble with reading fluency — that is they do not read efficiently or effectively. Having two kids with dyslexia and helped hundreds of students with dyslexia, we know the problem is real, but we also know that:
- While a dyslexia diagnosis and dyslexia treatment are helpful, it often does not translate directly into better reading comprehension
- Most students with dyslexia:
- Have difficulty with rapidly naming letters and words
- Learn differently — they often learn best when they see and experience information and are what we call a right brain learner
- Have a visual processing issue
- Have executive function issues (e.g. attention, working memory and processing speed)
- Struggling with anxiety and/or frustration
- Have a significant problem with reading comprehension, that is often not addressed with a dyslexia program
- Informed, empowered and proactive parents can make the difference
Before embarking on a significant effort, we recommend considering the following ten questions:
- What is your child’s present level of reading fluency and does your child have dyslexia
- What is your child’s present level of reading comprehension
- What is your child’s present level of anxiety/frustration
- If your child was going to be very successful over the next 6 months — what 3 to 5 goals would you set? Be sure to include a personal goal for something they love to do – -baseball, dance, horseback riding etc.
- Is your child a bright right brain kinesthetic learner, who learns best when he or she sees and experiences information
- Does your child have a visual processing issue
- Does your have executive function problems
- Is anxiety or frustration a major issue for your child
- What can your child’s school do to help
- What can you do to help your child to be all he or she can be in the next 6 months
On Monday evening November 6th at 9 pm,
we will be discussing these questions,
with a focus on how to improve reading comprehension and reading fluency, while reducing anxiety for your child
Before watching this webinar, we recommend you download the two screening tools below, and answer the questions. This are designed to answer the questions.
The answers to these two questions are really helpful in your understanding your child, your explaining to their teachers who your child is and in finding the right solution to help your child succeed.
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