How Can My Kid Succeed in School? What Parents and Teachers Can Do to Conquer Learning Problems

Craig Pohlman, Ph.D., directs learning assessment and consultation services at Southeast Psych in Charlotte, North Carolina. Pohlman is a highly regarded expert in learning and in improving the success of struggling students. He has conducted or supervised several thousand assessments of children with learning difficulties. Pohlman routinely authors articles and conducts workshops for parents, educators, and clinicians. He is the author of Revealing Minds from Jossey-Bass.

• The author viiPreface xiiiIntroduction 1Part One Conquering learning problems at home 111 Looking for clues at home 13Starting Pointers 14Deciphering the Clues 16Making Discoveries During Homework Time 17Locating Clues in Work Samples 27Detective Work During Down Time 44Deciphering Disorganization 53Bottom Line 552 Picking strategies for home 57Starting Pointers 58Strategies for Unreliable Attention 60Strategies for Memory Gaps 66Strategies for Limited Language 73Strategies for Weak Graphomotor Function 79Strategies for Shaky Concepts and Reasoning 82Talking About Learning 84Bottom Line 87Part Two Conquering learning problems at school 893 Looking for clues at school 91Starting Pointers 92Observing During Independent Work 94Clues Emerging from Student Interactions 99Detective Work During Downtime 107Locating Clues in Work Samples 109Deciphering Disorganization 117Bottom Line 1204 Picking strategies for the classroom 123Starting Pointers 123Strategies for Unreliable Attention 125Strategies for Memory Gaps 130Strategies for Limited Language 137Strategies for Weak Graphomotor Function 143Strategies for Shaky Concepts and Reasoning 144Talking About Learning 146Bottom Line 147Part Three When more help is needed 1495 Being a “smart shopper” for educational assessments 151Starting Pointers 152When Is It Time for an Expert? 153Search Criteria: Picking the Right Expert 155What Makes a Good Written Report? 160You Get What You Ask For: Effective Referral Questions 164Bottom Line 1656 Getting the most out of the assessment process 169Starting Pointers 169Share What You Know 170Head Off Simplification 173Observing the Assessment 182Bottom Line 1867 Using what you’ve learned from the assessment 189Starting Pointers 189Keeping Your Sights on Insights 190Navigating Paths to Success 198Finding a Good Tutor (If You Need One) 199Keeping Tabs 202Bottom Line 205Conclusion 207Things to Let Go Of 209Things to Hold On To 212Appendix one: profile worksheet 215Appendix two: case story index 217Appendix three: atlas of neurodevelopmental terms 223Appendix four: glossary of academic skills 239Appendix five: glossary of testing terms 251Index 257

"Experience with the arts, sports and the outdoors can teach social skills, expand attention span, develop a work ethic and reinforce academics, said Craig Pohlman, a psychologist and author of "How Can My Kid Succeed in School?" (Chicago Tribune, October 25, 2009)