LD Podcast

Show # 91- Write On Handwriting with Amy Ford Hebert- Part II

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:11:00 +0000

In today's show, Amy and I discuss what is age appropriate for motor skills, how many kids have problems with right-left orientation, and how small things like a good pencil grip can make all the difference in a kid's writing ability. Strength and coordination and spatial attributes all contribute to good handwriting, making the overall writing process easier.

We are trying out Amy's program at home (This is not a freebie- I paid for it) and John, my younger child, seems to be particularly interested, and it seems to be showing up in his writing. The daily journal page requirement is not overly popular, and I share some of the funnier moments in today's show. But the bottom line if that writing is both a physical and mental task, requiring the coordination of both simultaneously, and it won't improve unless the kids get more practice- so this is the summer of non-stop practice for this skill.

Click here to download Write On Handwriting with Amy Ford Hebert - Part II

Please check out Pocketful of Therapy for resources like Write On Handwriting, Handwriting without tears, raised line paper, pencil grips, slant boards and other writing helpers. I have been ordering from them for years- this is where the occupational therapists I know get many of their supplies, and this is a convenient resource for these materials that can be hard to find in the local stores.

As always, please email us at ldpodcast@gmail.com with any comments and questions. The survey will be closing shortly, so if you haven't filled it out, please do!

Show #90- Amy Ford Hebert- Write On Handwriting

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:35:00 +0000

The LD Podcast Is officially two years old!

We all know how important reading is; equally important is the next step along the literacy pathway- writing. Writing requires that we synthesize our thoughts, and then express them, coherently, in text. For kids with learning disabilities, this can present a unique challenge. Some children have fine motor issues that make the physical act of handwriting difficult, which then acts as a barrier to developing good written expression. And interestingly enough, the answer to these problems isn't always as simple as teaching kids keyboarding or how to use programs like Dragon Naturally Speaking (Although these skills can help struggling writers immensely).

Other children may be overwhelmed with keeping their ideas straight long enough to express them on paper- the open-ended question that asks “Write whatever you want” seems to siphon any idea right out of their head. And for others, problems with organization or impulsivity can keep them from expressing themselves in an orderly, coherent way.

Today's guest, Amy Ford Hebert, has developed a computer program to help coach kids through the formation parts of print and cursive letters, and then take that practice and transfer it to the page. Write On Handwriting is a multi-sensory approach to handwriting geared mostly towards the classroom, but we are trying it at home this summer, along with daily journaling, to help both of my children work on the mechanics of handwriting as well as fluency in producing written expression.

And shockingly enough, the Nation's Reportcard on Writing, published by the Department of Education reports that only 33% of the nation's 8th graders are writing at the profiecient or advanced level- only 2 % at the advanced level. This means two thirds of the students are writing at a level that makes the demands of the classroom a challenge for them, largely because they do not have the skills they need to meet the demands they face. We need to do something to change this.

Handwriting is just one of the many factors that influence a child's written expression and output. Unfortunately, if the written output is poor or illegible, kids often get labeled as careless, sloppy, messy, or "not putting enough effort into their work" which certainly does not encourage them to write more. What may be something as simple as a fine motor problem becomes a moral failing in the eyes of teachers, and then a battle of wills can easily follow, where no one wins and the child certainly loses.

Amy has inspired me to put more resources about writing, handwriting and the writing process on the website- you'll find a new page under the Specific LD Resources menu addressing writing. Next week, we'll finish our interview with Amy Hebert, and I'll give you an update on how our home writing program for the summer is going.

Click here to listen to Amy Ford Hebert, Write On Handwriting

Show #89- News, Announcements and Money In Science and Education

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:57:00 +0000

In this week's show, I have some great information about upcoming trainings open to parents and educators at the Academy in Manayunk, including a RAVE-O training; Wilson reading and the LETRS program by Louisa Moates and taught by Nancy Hennessey , former president of the International Dyslexia Association.

I then discuss two recent news articles, one from Time Magazine regarding a former Bush Administration official talking about the failures of NCLB in an article entitled: No Child Left Behind: Doomed to Fail? by Claudia Willis. The second article is from the New York Times and discusses unreported pharmaceutical industry income by two of the most respected child psychiatrists in the country- Dr. Joseph Beiderman and Dr. Timothy Wilens. This article came as a complete shock to me, and prompted the recent post on the new LD Podcast blog. (Click here to go to the blog directly)

Thanks again for stopping by, and don't forget to fill out the survey!

Click Here to Download Show- News and Announcements; Money and Science in Educationion

Shelley Dannenberg, Dyslexia Testing and Information Services Part II

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:16:00 +0000

(more extensive show notes coming after resolution of technical issues- hope it will be later today.)

Click here to Listen to Show # 88, Shelley Dannenberg, Dyslexia Testing and Information Services, Part II

Show # 87 Shelley Dannenberg, Dyslexia Testing and Information Services

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:47:00 +0000

Shelly Dannenberg is a certified Dyslexia Testing Specialist, an Ohio licensed teacher with 9 years teaching experience in Language Arts and Reading, and the parent of a dyslexic child. Shelley has taught in both regular education and special education classrooms and has tutored many students with learning disabilities. In today's show, we discuss what dyslexia is, how it effects kids in schools, and discuss how early intervention is the key to helping kids with dyslexia succeed in school.

Dyslexia is genetic and is a language processing disorder. In people without dyslexia, three centers of the brain work cooperatively to process language, for reading, writing and spelling. Functional MRI scans show that people with dyslexia do not have these areas working cooperatively, causing them to process language is a different way. Often there is a family history of dyslexia and/or school struggle, but often adults were not properly diagnosed as children. As many as 40% of kids with dyslexia also have concurrent ADHD, so you need to address attentional issues as well.

There are so many excellent resources available to help people better understand dyslexia and other language based learning disorders- We're starting a new page here on the LD Podcast site just for dyslexia, with other LD specific pages coming soon. Finding information, research, and the tools you need to help your child or student is the first step to helping a struggling child feel the thrill of success. Let us know if these resources are helpful and if you have any to add- drop me a line at ldpodcast@gmail.com !

Shelley and I discuss things you might look for as early signs of dyslexia or other language processing disorders:

Preschool age kids:

Chronic ear infections, severe childhood illnesses
Speech delay
Early stuttering
Late in establishing a dominant hand

Elementary School:

Is reading slow and labored?
Is it choppy? Inaccurate?
Do they skip words?
Do they guess at words based on the shape or beginning letters?
Misreading prepositions and common prepositions?

Do they dread going to school?
Do they have terrible spelling, or have no carry over for the spelling words they just learned last week, in the next lesson?

Many have trouble with math- they have problems with memorizing rote information

Kids with language based processing issues may have a bunch of different labels, including things like expressive language disorder. The most important part of any label is not so much "what" it is, but that it is the key to access for services in a school setting, so kids can get the help and accommodations they need to be successful in school.

Children are painfully aware that they are struggling- what we need to do is construct education and strategies that help them learn and succeed, rather than constantly focusing on their deficits.

Links:

Shelley's Website- Dyslexia Testing and Information Services
International Dyslexia Association

Click here to listen to Show #87- Shelley Dannenberg- Dyslexia Testing Information Service

Show # 86 Jenifer Fox- Your Child’s Strengths

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Thu, 22 May 2008 01:44:00 +0000

This week’s show features the second half of my interview with Jenifer Fox. Jenifer’s new book, Your Child’s Strengths is one of the best books I’ve read this year, and it provides a blueprint for changing your child’s experience in school. This seems like a radical notion at first, but very small changes, such as looking at your child’s true strengths and giving them opportunities to do what they do best can change the way a child sees themselves and the world.

The Search for Strengths

One of the first steps in finding a child’s strengths starts by talking to them, listening, and looking for some patterns in their natural interests. Jenifer and I talk about how to find out more about your child, and how unstructured time can sometimes be a great place to begin looking and observing your child’s natural interests and proclivities. While there’s a trend to make sure children have structured play and are adequately supervised at all times, this doesn’t give them a lot of time or choice to really discover what makes them special as individuals.

This also means allowing your child to be disappointed and learning how to deal with that- positive psychology and reinforcement is NOT about making their lives perfect and happy all the time, but helping them develop a sense of solving their problems and be willing to take the risks necessary to learn and grow.

If we make our approach in schools more “project-based” (and please, no, I am not recommending any more posters or dioramas on the Book Report for the month…) meaning that children learn from examples and by doing as much as possible, we may be able to make the education they receive more meaningful. By the way, the case-based or project-based learning approach is one used in graduate schools, from business schools to law schools, currently. We just need to begin to apply this to younger students!

We need to collect specific information about what a child does well-this is essential to finding ways to build on the successes, and clues to other talents that might be hidden otherwise.

We also talk about what to do when teacher- student relationships are rocky, and how to go about trying to reach some sort of working relationship- what Nancy Hennessey from the IDA calls “Dystechia” It’s tough, but sometimes it seems we do have to teach our kids how to work the system or play the game. We also talk about the difference between entertainment and engagement, and how teachers need to be able to parse the difference, as do parents.

Recommended books and links in this episode:

The Unhurried Child

Dr. Bob Brooks- Raising a Self-Disciplined Child; Raising Resilient Children

Affinities Program at Purnell School

The Gates Foundation Report on High School Dropouts

Sara Lawrence Lightfoot- The Essential Conversation: What Parents and Teachers Can Learn from Each Other

BBC Article on Basic Sums Stressing Adults

ooVoo- online interactive chat (free service) for up to six people at a time

The Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia and Chris Lehmann- His blog is Practical Theory

Click here to download Show #86- Jenifer Fox

Jenifer Fox- Your Child's Strengths

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:57:00 +0000

Today's show features a really terrific guest- Jenifer Fox-President of the Purnell School, an all-girl's boarding school, and the author of Your Child's Strengths- Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them. We speak about a range of subjects, but the most important one of all is how critically important it is to emphasize your child's true talents and strengths.

(Oddly enough, I had an opportunity just 36 hours later to put this advice to work. One of the boy's midterm report came back, and the news was, at best, mixed and not what he had led us to believe it would be. Rather than getting angry, as he expected, I sat down with him and we used it as an opportunity to learn. What had been going well, and what had not? Which study methods had been panning out, and which were not working so well for him? Instead of using this as an opportunity to make the kid feel worse- (he was doing a pretty good job all on his own of being disappointed and needed no help on that score from anyone), we chose instead to decide together, with him, what we could do differently that would help him.)

If you get a chance, I urge you to read Jenifer Fox's book, Your Child's Strengths. Give it to teachers you know. We all need to begin to change the tide in education, and part of this change starts with identifying what's good in each person, and finding ways of making them feel successful.

Kids face a daily birage currently of what they do wrong- the Gates Foundation reports that many high school dropouts are not dropping out because of anti-social behavior, but because they're bored and fail to see the relevance in the education they are receiving. We need to start making a change now, to keep kids in school, to make school a meaningful experience that sets kids up to be life long learners and problem solvers.

Click here to download Show # 85- Jenifer Fox- Your Child's Strengths

Education 2.0

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:18:00 +0000

In recent weeks, I've had the chance to speak to educators about how New Media is changing education, and what it can and cannot do for the classroom. I recorded this presentation at Podcamp DC, and thought it was something you might want to hear as well- Because regardless of whether your child is a superstar in school or is struggling, every child will need to develop skills to compete in a multi-media world. They will need to use computers, and feel comfortable using on line tools as part of their education. As parents and teachers, we need to adapt what we do in the classroom to help children learn these skills.

You can see the slide for the presentation by going to Slideshare here.

We'd love to have you participate in our survey- you can go straight to it by clicking here.

If you are interested in hearing more about one of my favorite muscicians and my good friend, Matthew Ebel, click here to go to his website.

Click here to listen to Show #84, Education 2.0

Melinda Pongrey- Educational Therapist, Part II

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:04:00 +0000

Take Our Survey- Click Here!

In this week's show, we continue our conversation with Melinda Pongrey, Educational Therapist and producer of the LD Live show. In today's show, we talk about "Dysteachia", educational research, how everyone sees a child through a different lens, and how important a parent's perspective is. We talk about how critical it is to actually include the child in the discussions, to find out exactly how they see the world, and even help them brainstorm solutions.

If you get a chance, please consider clicking on the link above and filling out the short survey about the podcast, so we can better serve you and your interests.

Many thanks to Aveeno Baby for sponsoring the LD Podcast, and be sure to check out the other great shows on the Mommycast & Friends Family Channel.

Click here to listen to Melinda Pongrey, Part II

Show # 82- Melinda Pongey, Educational Therapist

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:02:00 +0000

Today is the first part of my interview with Melinda Pongrey. Melinda is the producer of a live video LD talk show called LD Live, and an educational therapist in Washington State.

Melinda and I discuss what an Educational therapist does, when you might want to consider one, what kids really need to succeed in school, and how listening to kids is one of the best diagnostic tools around.

This is also our first week of sponsorship with Aveeno Baby. I'd love to hear your reactions to our first ever sponsor of the podcast, and any suggestions you might have- please email me at ldpodcast@gmail.com
or call me directly at 302-482-4599 and let me know what you think!

Click here to listen to Show # 82- Melinda Pongrey and LD Live!

Catching Up

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:43:00 +0000

Ever feel like your hanging on by your fingertips? We've been really busy here behind the scenes, setting up interviews, attending a conference or two and -even taking a vacation with the family. After a brief hiatus, the LD Podcast is back!

In todays show, we talk about Autsim Awareness Month; an update on the Ma Chen Autism School in China project, and recent happenings in the news about learning disabilities issues.

You'll here us talk about a new sponsor for the show in this episode, although after I recorded the show, we found out the formal sponsorship will start in May; consider this a preview of coming attractions!

We've got some exciting things for you on the horizon-and It's good to be back at the mike to talk with you again!

Click here to listen to our show- Catching Up!

Show # 80- Nancy Thomas- Early Childhood Education and Spotting Issues

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:46:00 +0000

Nancy Thomas (also my Mother In Law) is an expert in early childhood education. nancy has her master's in early childhood education from Wheelock Coolege in Boston, and has worked in the field for over thirty years. She has inspected day care centers and preschools for Broward and Dade County, Florida; she has owned her own center, and she teaches classes through Nova University.

When a child seems to be having some developmental delays or is not like the rest of the kids, where do you go for help, and what questions do you ask? Nancy was one of my primary resources, and we spoke about what it was like when my oldest son seemed to have some problems and how we handled that.

Nancy has always been a great source for me when I've been worried about my kids, and in this interview, we sit down and discuss how children develop over time and cognitive development; trusting a parent's intuition; why teachers hate giving bad news; contextual learning, the importance of story-telling as a learning tool; making family connections; and teaching children both to take the risks they need to learn as well as learning to be independent over time. Nancy is always thoughtful and provoking, and I know you will find her guidance as helpful as I have.

Sorry for the delay in shows- stomach flu has had us under the weather- but we're back!

As always, please email us at ldpodcast@gmail.com or you can contact me via skype at whitney.hoffman, or on twitter as Ldpodcast!

Click here to Download Show #80- Nancy Thomas- Early Childhood Education

Conversation with Jonathan Mooney Part II (show #79)

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:44:00 +0000

In the second half of my conversation with Jonathan Mooney, we talk about his great book, The Short Bus, and how many kids and parents chase the concept of "normal" or "fixing" their kids with LD. We also discuss how parents can help kids learn to play some of the "games" of school- like giving teachers exactly what they want, plus a little bit more, along with other ways to be successful. Kids need mentoring, and sometimes parents are always the best mentors, which is where Jonathan's Project Eye to Eye comes into play.

I also talk about the progress we're making on raising money for the Ma Chen- Autism School in China Project! Thank you so much for everyone who has donated! We're running the program through March 22nd, at which time I will wire 100% of the money we've raised to Ma Chen, paying any associated costs myself.

I want to take the opportunity to thank CC Chapman for donating $750 he raised during the My Oovoo Day events towards the Ma Chen project. Joseph Jaffe, head of Crayon, an internet marketing firm, and Scott Monty, put together a great project where people could try out the new video conferencing service, Oovoo, by signing up to speak with some of the great "players" in the internet blogging space. In return, Oovoo is donating money to the Susan Rynolds "Frozen peas" fund for breast cancer research. CC Chapman, whose sister is a speech therapist working with autistic children, asked to have half of the money he earned donated to the Ma Chen Project. This means we will have at least $1,500 to send to Ma Chen, helping towards her goal of buying a farm so the autistic children in her school will have a chance at a future, in a society and culture where there is no real societal safety net for people with disabilities.

I'll be at Podcamp Toronto this weekend if the weather holds, and if you are there, please come say hi!

Also mentioned in the show-

March, 2008 issue of Parent's Magazine- great article about speech and language delays

Click here to download Jonathan Mooney Part II

Conversation with Jonathan Mooney

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 03:02:00 +0000

Jonathan Mooney is the author of two great books, Learning Outside the Lines, and a new book, The Short Bus. Both books tell of Jon's journey from being a child who couldn't read at age 12, to graduating from one of the top colleges in the Country, Brown University. Jonathan is CEO of Project Eye to Eye, a non-profit foundation that helps find mentors for students struggling with LD in elementary and middle school school. Jon speaks extensively across the Country, both to help people realize kids can be both smart and learning disabled, and in the hopes that we can remake education to concentrate less on labels and more on what kids can accomplish.

From Jon's Website:

When his teachers decided Jon needed special ed because he couldn’t follow directions, sit still, or read well, he feared he’d lost his chance to be a regular kid. Suddenly he was “not normal.” Suddenly he was a short-bus rider destined to travel a harder road, a distinction that screamed out his “difference” to a hostile world. Along with other kids facing similar challenges, he was denigrated daily. He almost lost hope. Yet ultimately, Jon shocked the skeptics, graduating from Brown University (with honors). But he could never shake the voice that insisted he would always be "less than."

Jon's first book, Learning Outside the Lines, also contains great strategies geared towards college students, to help them succeed in school- strategies you may be able to adapt to help your younger child figure out the game of school.

Today's show features Part one of my conversation with Jonathan Mooney, and a bit about a wonderful educational conference I recently attended, Educon 2.0. Jon and I talk about Project Eye to Eye, what it was like growing up with LD, and how we can change education to be more compassionate to people who learn differently.

Click Here to listen to Part One of our Conversation with Jonathan Mooney

Making a Difference-Ma Chen and Autism in China

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:25:00 +0000

Imagine, just for a moment, discovering your only child has autism. Imagine this happens while living in a Country of 1.3 Billion people, where only two state-run schools exist to serve all of the people with autism. You live in a culture where the very existence of autism has only recently been recognized as a disability, and your child's disability is seen as sign that you, the parent, did not lead a virtuous life. People with disabilities may be able to work in fields, but are generally shut away to avoid a loss of face for the family. What would you do?

What would you do if you were a Mom a continent away, but also realized you could, with a few calls and emails, help this Mom who is struggling against odds you can't fully imagine?

A week ago, an article in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye- a mother in China, Ma Chen, discovered her daughter had autism. There were only 2 schools in all of China for autistic children. Ma Chen opened an additional school, and is currently hoping to buy a piece of farm land for $10,000, so that the children will have a place to go and something to do after they finish school.

Just like Sally Smith starting the Lab School, or my attempts to help parents and children with learning disabilities through this Podcast and website, Ma Chen is a mother who just doesn't take no for an answer and is making things happen in China for her daughter and other children with autism.

China is a place where disabilities are often seen as a sign of being a bad parent, even though we know that many of them are genetic disorders. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that there is at least one form of autism caused by a spontaneous "micro deletions and "micro replications" of specific genes. You can read more about it here.

I want to help. By coincidence, one of my childhood friends is the Senior Cultural Attache for the US Department of Agriculture in Beijing, China, so it seemed easy enough to email him and ask if there was any way to verify the story. If we could, I want to try to raise enough money, $10,000 US, to help Ma Chen purchase this farm as a "Mothers to Mothers" way of making the World better for our children. I asked Eric if there was a way to get the money directly to Ma Chen, and also not cause an international incident in the process. Eric is continuing to pursue the matter through diplomatic channels, and to look into whether there can be help offered through the USDA directly as a development project, and is hoping to have more news shortly.

In addition, Ian Johnson, the writer from the Wall Street Journal, has been in contact with their office in Shanghi. He can help us arrange a Western Union transfer directly to Ma Chen and her organization to help her with her school and the purchase of this farm for the children.

I think it is currently "safe" to try to raise funds to help Ma Chen and her school and have confidence we can get the money directly to her.

As a mom of a child with a learning disability, I know how painful it can be, and how much worry it causes. Starting from a sense of something not being right with your child, to finding out what is wrong, to trying to figure what you can do to make it better can be exhausting and a frustrating process. It's even harder for the parents I know who have autistic children, who don't know whether their child will be able to hold a job or make a living when they grow up, or what will happen to them after the parents pass away. And that's here in the US, where we acknowledge autism as a disability. Ma Chen faces challenges dealing with these same issues in China that make all of our very real worries seem insignificant by comparison.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 for Ma Chen, to help her purchase the farm, so these children have a place to go- a sheltered work environment, where people understand them, and a place where they can be productive. This is a tangible way we can collectively help make a lasting difference in the lives of children a continent away, for little more than the cost of a latte.

I've started a Chip-in page for this cause at http://ldpodcast.chipin.com/ma-chen-autism-school-in-china. If you are interested in supporting this cause, you can make donations of any size here- for the cost of a latte, we may collectively be able to make a big difference in the lives of children with autism in a place where the parents and children face obstacles it's hard for us to imagine.

Thank you so much for your consideration- I would not ask if I was not assured we could get the funds directly to Ma Chen and make a difference in the lives of the children.

Whitney Hoffman
The LD Podcast

Click here to listen to Show #77- Autism and China- You can make a difference!

Show # 76- Dr. Steve Graham, Part II

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:40:00 +0000

In the second part of my interview with Steve Graham, we talk about how early we should start to work on a child’s writing, when kids start developing negative attitudes towards writing, and the costs of not being able to write well. We also share a few things about writer’s block, style, strategies and getting into the flow.

I also talk about a recent article from the BBC showing over 13 million adults in the UK are stressed about their lack of skills in literacy and mat, and how adults use math skills up to 14 times a day and literacy skills up to 23 times a day. This sure convinced my 6^th graders that they couldn’t avoid learning this tuff now and it was important to them as adults!

I also talk about the recent PBS Frontline special on The Medicated Child.

Our intro features a clip that Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson were kind enough to record for me at a recent book signing, and I encourage you all to check out their Peter and the Shadow Thieves books- they’re fantastic!

Click here to listen to Show #76- Dr. Steve Graham

Show #75- Dr Steve Graham- The Development of Writing

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:44:00 +0000

When over two-thirds of children can’t write well enough to keep up with the demands in the classroom, you have to wonder what is going on with writing instruction in the Nation’s classrooms. Handwriting, and the minimal instruction given in schools is only one part of the picture- getting an idea, transforming it into words, and then transcribing those words for others to see- are all involved. Add issues with grammar and syntax, and you begin to understand writing is to reading as calculus is to math- it requires you to bring all parts of the literacy puzzle into play, all at once, like an orchestra.

If you want to understand why a child may struggle in writing, and how to figure out which part of the puzzle may be causing them problems, this two-part interview is for you.

Dr. Steve Graham is a professor and the Currey Ingram chair in special education at Vanderbilt University. He's done extensive research into the development of writing in children and writing instruction. His interests goes beyond just handwriting and into the cognitive processes that go into transforming ideas into words and then into written text. He is the editor of Exceptional Children, and has cowritten many books, including the Handbook of Writing Research, Handbook of Learning Disabilities, Writing Better, and Making the Writing Process Work. He received a career research award from the Council for exceptional Children and Special Education Research Interest Group in the American Educational Research Association.

His wife, Dr, Karen Harris, is just as impressive, serving as editor of the Journal of Educational Psychology, and President of the Division of Research for the Council for Exceptional Children.

Dr. Graham was recently quoted in an article in Newsweek, discussing the importance of handwriting in the learning process, and he was kind enough to spend an hour with me, discussing all aspects of the writing process, as kids develop during the school years. Anyone who has a child who has struggled with any aspect of writing shouldn’t miss this two-part interview, covering the three major stages of the writing process, how to give appropriate feedback to kids learning how to write, and how handwriting has both reader and writer affects, impacting how a child is perceived and how his work is judged and graded by others.

Click here to listen to Show #75- The Development of Writing with Steve Graham, Part I

Audio Holiday Card- Merry Christmas, Happy Haunnakah, Happy New Year!

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:20:00 +0000

This year, as last, I have put together an audio christmas card to thank you, the listeners to the LD Podcast, to the Guests, and to the many friends of the show that all keep me energized to keep this project going week after week.

Special thank you to:

Our guests:

Tom Brown, Dale Brown, from LD Online, Anne Ford, Dr. Perri Klass, Dr. Steve Graham, Sally smith, who passed away on December 1st; Ben Mitchell, Rick LaVoie, Dr. Bob Brooks, Alan Zametkin, Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, Nina Straightman

Friends and Podcasters:

Paige & Gretchen from Mommycast and the Mommycast and Friends Channel, that I am so proud to be a part of; Andrea Ross and Mark Blevis from the Just One More Book podcast; Denis Gray, from 101 Use for Baby Wipes; Erin & Kristen from Manic Mommies; Dr. Mike Patrick from Pediacast;

Podcampers and New Media Folk:

Chris Penn, CC Chapman, Chris Brogan, Megin and Stu over at the GNM Parents blog, Linda Mills, John Havens, Jen Yuan who made me do National Blog Posting Month this year; Howard Greenstein, Eric Skiff, Lynnette Young, Kathryn Jones, Kathy King, Vivian Vasquez, Tammy and Wendy from Podtalk Divas, Bob Goyetche and his wife Kat, who do almost too many podcasts to mention; Michelle Wolverton, Bill Rowland, Adam Plante, Rand, Drew Olanoff, Steve Lubetkin, Alan Chaess, Alex Hillman, Annie from GPTMC, Deni and Lisa Marshall, from Podcamp Philly.

Podsafe artists include:
Uncle Seth
Geoff Smith
Matthew Ebel
Joel Kopieschke
The Alice Project
Gary Sundbad
Craig Cardif
Adreinne Pierce
The Hipcola
The Hot Rods
The New Autonomous Folk Singers
The Candy Butchers with Mike Viola

click here to listen to Audio Christmas card, and Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Sally Smith Interviews

ldpodcast@gmail.net (Whitney Hoffman) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 15:39:00 +0000

I am republishing the Sally Smith Interviews in our feed, to help celebrate the life and work of Sally Smith, who died December 1, 2007. We'll miss her terribly. She founded the Lab School in response to the needs of her younger son, and built the field of educating kids with Learning Disabilities as a result. Sally's insights into learning, children and education changed the world for kids with learning difficulties, and it was a true privilege to sit down and talk with her last spring.

Click here to get Sally Smith Part I
Click here to download Sally Smith, Part II