Ed Psych Advocacy

Your child is about 1/4 through the school year. Are they making expected progress? Do you worry about dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD or autism? Reach out to get your child scheduled for an evaluation. Saturday appointments available! Evaluations occur in person in Sandy Springs, Atlanta, Georgia.

EmpowerED Schooling EmpowerED SchoolingAn Educational Advocacy Concierge ServiceDo you worry your child is not learning or working to their potential?Are you exploring Kindergarten options for your child? Do you have questions about the IEPs, 504s and the MTSS process?Do you wonder if your child has a disability such a...

Are you worried about your child's academic progress?

Are you exploring kindergarten options and want to understand your child's current skill level?

Would you like to learn more about your child's academic skills and processing skills for enrichment purposes?

Reach out for educational advocacy and psychological assessments.

EmpowerED Schooling EmpowerED SchoolingAn Educational Advocacy Concierge ServiceDo you worry your child is not learning or working to their potential?Are you exploring Kindergarten options for your child? Do you have questions about the IEPs, 504s and the MTSS process?Do you wonder if your child has a disability such a...

This kind of thing happens to kids everyday! Words, letters and sounds be so confusing for a child and quickly becomes a source of anxiety. Intuitive parents know something is going on but do not know if its really a problem, if they should give it time, or react immediately. Ed Psych Advocacy can help by pinpointing the area of concern, providing a key to instruction, and helping ease the transition from wary reader to confident student.

The new school year is upon us. Do you need help advocating for your child or understanding where they are academically? Let's chat!

EmpowerED Schooling EmpowerED Schooling:School Readiness, Educational Assessment & Student AdvocacyAre you exploring kindergarten options for your child? Do you have questions about the IEPs, 504s and the MTSS process?Do you worry your child is not working to their potential? I’ve had the opportunity to work with hun...

Let's partner to facilitate greater growth in your child's education!

EmpowerED Schooling Are you concerned about your child’s reading, writing and math skills?Academic gifts come in waves and a child does not always develop in accordance with a school’s curriculum and standards. I’ve had the opportunity to work with hundreds of perfectly imperfect children and their families throu...

For a limited time in May and June, I will be providing academic screening for pre-school, elementary, middle and high school aged students. The screenings can help parents to know objectively how their child is performing in comparison to their peers nationwide. This can help support tutoring efforts and provide insight to how you can help at home. PM me for details and to make an appointment!

I'll be offering achievement assessment this summer. Stay tuned for details!

On Dysgraphia. Dysgraphia is a clinical diagnosis regarding a student's difficulty in written expression. This diagnosis comes from the Diagnostic Statistics Manual - Fifth Edition but it is not it's own diagnosis - it falls under the Specific Learning Disorder, but it not considered it own unique disability.

According to the criteria, a set of symptoms should be persistent for a period of at least 6 months in the context of appropriate interventions in place.

IN THE CONTEXT OF APPROPRIATE INTERVENTIONS IN PLACE

Let's talk about these "appropriate interventions" and compare it to the reality of schools.

Dysgraphia is incredibly difficult to diagnosis when most children of this generation -
1. Aren't taught handwriting
2. Rarely utilize pencils and paper during free time.
3. Learn to write by writing sentences and "small moments" at 5 years old

Gen X and Millennial attended school when writing was the norm.
By the time high school or college began - most of us had some form of technology to write. Before that, many of had regular spelling tests, papers returned for being too "messy" and expectation of the 3 paragraph essay.

The reality is - very few Kindergarten and 1st grades classes provide the kind of writing instruction we had when we were younger. Handwriting is rarely taught and if it is, it is even rarer still that it is a part of the daily or weekly schedule.

But the genesis of dysgraphia starts with poor pencil control and fine motor development.

Who cares though? Because YOUR kid isn't writing. Maybe your child was just diagnosed with dysgraphia or maybe your child cries when they have to sit down and do homework.

That's where I can help. I love children and consider each one to be a unique growing universe of future potential. I have decades of experience working with all kinds of students. My gift is in understanding.

In this time of gratitude, you may not know it now, but one day you'll be thankful for your child's journey overcoming dyslexia.

Elementary school is the time of great neurological growth for children. Kids that can do well - do well. Other kids may struggle for a variety of reasons. There are times to watch and monitor, there are times to act. Parenting children isn't easy and its hard to know if you're child is making expected progress. 20 years of experience in all kids of schools evaluating for disabilities and understanding the need beyond what the school can/will offer with the needs of the child front of center. If you wonder, reach out.

Our brain was built to keep the human alive. Over millenia, survival depended on education and reading became important. Reading is not a natural stage of development - it requires direct instruction. It has to be TAUGHT.

For your consideration: Sold a Story, a new podcast exploring why reading scores have dropped for the last 20 years. The answer is found when educators turned their attention to teaching the "love of reading". Is your child truly Learning Disabled (dyslexia, dysgraphia) or "Curriculum Disabled"?