Posts

Does Insurance Cover Testing?

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I am an out-of-network provider so I don’t accept insurance.  However, I do provide you with an invoice that shows procedure codes and a diagnosis (if there is one).   Most of the time the insurance companies say testing is educational and not medical so they don’t cover it.  Some parents don’t want to use insurance even if they have it because they are concerned about a permanent record.  Additionally, I find their services too restrictive and not compatible with most people’s real needs.  Lastly, the amount of paperwork is excessive.

Holding Kids Back

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It is the time of year when parents and/or school personnel consider retaining a small percentage of children to complete another year in the same grade.  The argument that parents often hear is something like, “Mark is immature and lagging academically behind his peers so another year would allow him to catch-up and boost his confidence because he’ll do much better with the curriculum a second time.”  In most cases, I disagree.  If your child is average or only has a learning disability, ask yourself the question, “What will be drastically different in the academic curriculum that makes you think Mark will need another year?”  The answer is “probably not very much.”  A second time will not solve most problems.  Major research studies indicate that retention (regardless of grade) is associated with later high school drop out, lower levels of academic achievement in the 11th grade, and decreased self-esteem.  It’s cited that children perceive retention as one of the most stressful events they could experience (see my www.wrightslaw.com for references). 

If your child is doing so poorly that the school is considering retention, have a thorough psychoeducational evaluation completed as soon as possible.  The evaluation provides answers so you don’t use a hit and miss approach for helping your child.  An evaluation should be thorough and information should be gathered from parents, teachers, the child, and others.  At minimum, a licensed school psychologist’s evaluation should include intelligence, academic, self-esteem, and information processing tests.  Parents should receive a through, in person, follow-up explanation of results with specific recommendations in a written report.  A psychoeducational evaluation is the main way to identify your child’s strengths and weaknesses to form an appropriate action plan.  The plan is used so parents and school personnel can work together to improve your child’s performance without retention.

Change Your Child’s Mindset

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Everyone is talking!  We are usually talking out loud to someone or talking to ourselves.  When we talk in our mind this is called self or inner-talk.  Inner-talk is important because it is how we think about, conceptualize, and solve many of our daily problems.  It is important to teach children to develop positive inner talk because it is related to our self-esteem.  If our inner talk is mostly negative, then we start to believe it and feel negative about ourselves.  Positive inner talk leads to positive actions.  Think about how many times a day you say positive versus negative thoughts to yourself.  What do you say to yourself when you look in the mirror?

Think about your child in school.  Do you think he or she says positive statements such as: “School is OK. I’ll give it my best shot.  I can do well on this quiz because I studied.”   If your child is not using positive inner-talk then she is less likely to perform well in school or in other areas of life such as playing sports.  I use an analogy that goes like this with my son when he is thinking negatively.  I say, “Tommy’ when you get up to bat in baseball do you tell yourself you’ll strike out or get a hit?  Right, you tell yourself you’ll get a hit.  So now when you are doing this homework are you telling yourself you can try to get it done or that you just hate homework?”  Next we discuss how he can perform better with a positive mind set and thought process.

Parents need to show children how we use positive inner-talk during everyday events.  The next time you are preparing for an event such as a job interview, client presentation, sport event, or trying on a pair of jeans, explain your thoughts.  Give your child some insight into your thinking by talking about your thoughts aloud.  Teach your child to believe in him or herself and they will start to perform better in school and life.  A sudden drop in school performance can be related to self esteem or motivation problems.  Your child may believe that no matter how hard they try, they will fail.  I can help you with this.

Understanding Your Child Behavior

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Last month I introduced the general principles that Dr. Mel Levine describes to helping parents and teachers understand differences in a child’s learning. Dr. Levine’s ideas are presented in his book, learning systems everyone has are:

1. Attention Control –The system that controls focus, alertness, planning and completion of tasks.

2. Memory – The system that helps the child store information and retrieve it.

3. Language – The way a child uses words to speak, write, and read.

4. Spatial Ordering – How your child organizes information in visual patterns, seeing how things fit together.

5. Sequential Ordering – The system that helps your child see the steps in solving a problem, follow directions, or manage time.

6. Motor Skills – How your child writes or draws, plays a sport, or ride a bike.

7. Higher Thinking – The system that helps your child solve problems and think critically and creatively.

8. Social Thinking –How your child makes friends, works in teams, and addresses conflicts.

In this column, I discuss the learning system Attention Control, keeping in perspective that these systems are interrelated and all need to work together for learning to occur  (Attentional Control is not necessarily ADHD or ADD).  Attention control is the command center for our mental processes that control learning and behavior. In school students must use their attention skills to pay attention, attend to important information, and produce products (such as tests or assignments) that show what they learn. Different students will show different strengths and weaknesses in this area. Helping students understand their different facets of attention and ways to strengthen all aspects of attention can increase their success throughout life.

For example, if your child has difficulty concentrating try strategies such as having him complete his most difficult homework first, rather than waiting until the end when he, and you, are tired. Give her advanced warning before you transition to a new activity so she can mentally prepare for the adjustment (e.g., “In two minutes it is time to clean up and brush your teeth before bed.”) You can also allow your child to use brief periods of stretching or walking to refresh themselves. For example, your child can complete his spelling assignment, stretch as you lead a game of Simon Says, then return to work to complete a math assignment. Suggestions for teachers include providing frequent breaks during the day such as collecting papers, assisting the teacher, or by having students talk to each other about one or more facts or skills they are learning.