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| Date: From: Subject: | 6/9/2011 9:42:54 AM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter--June 2011 |
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---------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter June 2011 -- Kids with Auditory Processing Problems ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---[ Free e-book from AllAboutSpelling.com ]-------------------------- All About Spelling is an excellent multi-senory, logical program if you are just beginning to teach your child spelling, or if your child needs remedial help. Click the link below to get "Unlocking the Key to the Silent E" FREE! http://www.hslda.org/alink.asp?ID=317 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- by Dianne Craft, MA, CNHP "Is my son just not paying attention to me, or does he have an auditory processing problem?" "Help! My daughter sounds out the same word over and over again when she reads." "My child's spelling is horrible. Is this an Auditory Processing Problem?" Children and teenagers who are struggling with an Auditory Processing Problem can be a puzzle to parents. Let's explore this subject in-depth this month. Common Myths about Auditory Processing Two common misconceptions about children with auditory processing problems are: 1. "My child must be an auditory learner because he loves to listen to stories." 2. "My child has an auditory processing problem because he can't follow three simple directions I give him!" In reality, when a child is listening to you read a story, he is busily converting your words into a movie in his head. This is actually more of a visual, right brain process. Many children who have auditory processing problems love to listen to stories or books on tape. When a child can't seem to follow a parent's oral directions, we think more of a focusing issue, versus a true auditory processing problem. If the parent reports that their child "can't follow oral directions," but no other symptoms of auditory processing problems are found, it would be good to explore further a child's focusing ability. ( See The Four Learning Gates http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11472). Characteristics of an Auditory Processing Problem This is the most encompassing of the three academic gates that can be blocked. Dr. Mel Levine, in his book, "One Mind at a Time," calls these blocked learning gates "energy leaks." He says that these children are using too much battery energy to process information auditorally. When a child is experiencing an Auditory Processing Problem, it generally affects two distinct areas: ACADEMICS 1.Reading 2. Spelling 3. Math 4. Memory EVERYDAY LIFE 1. The child is easily confused 2. The child misunderstands information 3. The child scrambles words such as "mazagine" 4. The child finds saying months difficult 5. The child's problem can look like Attention Deficit Disorder A child can have symptoms of an Auditory Processing Problem at several levels: Mild: A child has difficulty understanding a large amount of oral information given at one time, but has no trouble with reading. Moderate: A child has difficulty processing oral information and some difficulty with reading phonetically. Severe (often presents as dyslexia): A child has more difficulty with information presented auditorally and also has great difficulty with reading phonetically and remembering sight words. Let's look at each of the academic areas that are most commonly affected: READING: 1. Sight word memorization (word retrieval) 2. Phonics > Phonics "rules" don't stick (too auditory) > Child sounds out same word over and over again while reading (can say "f-a-t", not "fat") > Child reads letters in words that aren't there, such as "n", "r" > Parents have used at least three phonics programs unsuccessfully SPELLING Spelling has no phonetic pattern to it. Leaves out consonants or syllables...not just vowels. Examples of spelling mistakes when an Auditory Processing Problem is present: Saturday=Satday ; Thursday=Thusday Examples of spelling mistakes when an Auditory Processing Problem is NOT present: Munday=Monday; Toosday=Tuesday. Phonetically, this is the way the words sound, so this is not necessarily an auditory processing issue. This is just a child who needs to be trained to use his or her photographic memory for storage of sight word spelling. MATH 1. Math facts hard to memorize, even with music and "wraps" 2. Skip counting (sequencing) can be difficult 3. Mental math is difficult (hearing his or her own silent voice) What to Do? If you have a child who has some of the symptoms of an Auditory Processing Problem (a child doesn't have to have all the characteristics to qualify), you can make learning easier for this child. The most important thing to remember is that it is necessary to do TWO STEPS with these children: Two Steps: Bypass and Correct In this newsletter we will focus on teaching methods you can use at home to help your child by bypassing his Auditory Processing Problem. In next month's newsletter we will explore methods that help to correct the child's Auditory Processing Problem using various therapies available. The Brain Model: The left brain hemisphere is our auditory learning hemisphere, while the right brain is our visual learning hemisphere. The auditory hemisphere learns using oral repetition, writing repetition, black-and-white flash cards, and rules to learn and retain material. If the child we are working with has an auditory processing glitch, we want to avoid using those auditory methods of teaching exclusively. The right, visual brain uses color, pictures, stories, humor and emotion to store information. Therefore for this child, instead of using only auditory methods to teach him, it would be best to focus on the right brain hemisphere methods of learning and retaining material, whether the child is right brain dominant or not. Since most curricula available tend to use the more auditory method of learning, parents will need to make many of the materials (easy and inexpensive to do) to help their child become successful. Teaching methods to help this child at home: 1. Reading a. Phonics For a list of curricula that uses more visual techniques to teach phonics/phonemes, decoding, please see the newsletter, "Understanding and Correcting Reading Difficulties" at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11473 b. Sight Words The visual method of teaching sight words is such an easy, effective method of teaching a child to finally memorize sight words. It involves imbedding the picture of the word onto the letters. Very struggling readers love this method because they can immediately remember the words. Just reading the words daily on black-and-white cards is a slow method for the child. 2. Train Child's Photographic Memory a. Spelling Since spelling rules tend to use too much space in a child's auditory hemisphere, this is not an easy way for him to learn. Instead, you can easily train your child's photographic memory using spelling cards that you make yourself at home. This easy, free spelling program is demonstrated for you on an HSLDA @home e-vent that you can download and watch on your own computer at your convenience. Just go to http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11474 . Click on "Teaching the Right Brain Child, Part 1." You may also want to choose a conventional, but less "rule-oriented" method of spelling such as Sequential Spelling. http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11476 b. Math Math is one of the most auditory subjects that we teach. The math facts and processes are often taught using rules and auditory repetition. For a child with an Auditory Processing Problem, this can be very discouraging. The child or teenager just needs to be taught how to use a more visual method to store facts and processes for long term memory storage. This unique method is demonstrated in the HSLDA @home e-vent, "Teaching the Right Brain Child, Part 2." For a list of math curricula that can be helpful to you, read the newsletter, "Attacking the Math Monster" by Faith Berens at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11475 . Look for more ideas for the child struggling with an Auditory Processing Problem in next month's newsletter. HSLDA has three struggling learner consultants available to talk with you at any time about your child. Please call 540-338-5600 to ask to speak with one of these consultants. We love to talk to our families! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> You can only do so much... No one can be everywhere at once. And you can't be at home, teaching your children, while monitoring your state's legislature. Through electronic legislative services, HSLDA is monitoring state legislation for you -- watching and listening carefully for any proposed laws that could erode your right to homeschool. Join HSLDA today-we'll watch out for your future. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1942 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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