Affect Academics

11/18/2025

For everyone that has messaged me for a repost, this is one of my favourite dyslexia infographics showing how dyslexia affects more than just reading.

Image: unknown

03/27/2024

I think watching the video is important, but since I often can't do that at work, I figure others can't either, so here it is.

A third grader decided to tally the number of times her classmates interrupted each other after her teacher gave them a lecture. The results:

Girls interrupted girls: 5x
Boys interrupted boys: 5x
Girls interrupted boys: 7x
Boys interrupted girls: 63x

And that's how it begins.

127.8K likes, 1286 comments. “this would never happen in barbieland 😤”

01/22/2024

Hi All, a former student is no longer needing their Fit Desk and is offering it free with donation (of any amount) to World Central Kitchen or HIAS in Portland. Fit Desks are fabulous for students with ADHD, the wiggles, or (like me) get cold just sitting for too long. They are sized for late middle/high school. We have one here at the office and I love it! Please contact Ashley at [email protected] if you'd like it or know of someone who would benefit. Thanks!

01/15/2024

To my educator friends (and parents, please feel free to share with teachers), please take a look. Neuro-affirming education benefits ALL learners, not just neurodiverse ones - they are just the ones who can't thrive without it. These strategies will help increase learning and decrease negative behaviors (again, for ALL students) in your classrooms. Thanks for everything that you do for children!!

12/06/2023

Pretty sure the FB algorithm has given up on me lol, but children are struggling with number sense in school, and there is so much we can do at home to support them through games. So as the holidays arrive, here is my list of games that support math development. If you have an older student who is struggling, games can revisit those early skills in a nonthreatening way. I've starred my faves that I use coooonstantly.

Card games:
7ate9*
SkipBo
Uno
24
Savvy Subitizing
Set
Tiny Polka Dots

Board Games:
Chutes and Ladders
Yahtzee*
Prime Climb*
Equate
Quirkle
Shut the Box*
Robbin' Eggs*
Ten Frame Towers* (this looks like it's for little kids, but my middle schoolers love it too!)

Happy Mathing!

11/16/2023

Many of you may have heard of Structured Word Inquiry as a "new" way to teach spelling. Or maybe you have a child who struggles with spelling, whether due to auditory processing, dysgraphia, dyslexia, or simply the timing of covid on their education, and nothing you've tried has worked. Whatever the reason, teaching spelling matters. It improves reading fluency, the ability to read more complex words, analytical thinking, and even just a love of language. Structured Word Inquiry is a way to use etymology to demystify our spelling system and can be used with children on all parts of the bell curve, from struggling to gifted. Check it out:

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/making-sense-of-spelling-gina-cookeWhat can spelling tell us about relationships between words? While spelling ma...

11/14/2023

A bit of a PSA for parents and teachers who have children who don't seem to learn language (both spoken and written) as well as others. Developmental Language Disability (DLD) occurs seven times more often than autism, with an expected prevalence of two students per classroom. It has a genetic basis, is not indicative of intelligence, and occurs in all languages. It's also massively under-diagnosed. If you have a student who doesn't seem to be acquiring language in a typical way, please, please refer them to a neuropsychologist for a diagnosis that could change their life trajectory by gaining access to support under IDEA. All children deserve an education.

In response to lobbying from ASHA members and staff, the U.S. Department of Education has clarified that developmental language disorder may be considered a disability under IDEA.

11/12/2023

Add to this that "we don't have enough children in Maine to support a school for ND learners" and what choice do families have?

I am so tired of a world hell-bent on traumatizing children.

This is an image from my new non-compliance-based school approach (coming soon).

This pic definitely won’t reflect everyone’s journey through school.

But I know it will be familiar to many of us.
Too many of us.

School can be so harmful.
I’m ready to change it.

Edited to add: I'll change bit that says 'school refusal' to 'school can't'. School refusal is misleading. School can't is accurate.

Em

11/10/2023

Explanation in comments: math is not magic! And it is meant to make your life easier, not harder. Gaining power over numbers can have the same effect as teaching someone to read - a whole world opens up and so much fear and stress drops away. It's never too late (coughparentscough) to relearn math!

Did you know... Percentages are reversible. And one way is often MUCH easier! (commutative property)

8% of 25 is the same as 25% of 8.

https://demonstrations.wolfram.com/PercentagesAreReversible/

10/13/2023

Hey all, we have a waitlist for math and EF support right now, and a slightly shorter waitlist for parent support. I cannot give an exact estimate for the waitlist for kiddos, but I know I will not have any more room this semester.

We DO have room for reading and writing intervention support, both in person and virtual. If your child is needing support in those areas, this is a great time to reach out. Sarah and Ash are absolutely wonderful providers, and it has been a joy to watch their students grow as learners.

We meet weekly as a team to workshop student progress, so regardless of who your child's provider is, they benefit from a team approach to learning intervention and support using a child study model. Thank you for entrusting your children to us. We take that responsibility very seriously.