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Does your child struggle with spelling? Many parents assume that since their child can read, they can spell well. However, this is not the case for some students. What we know from the research and science of reading is that first children need to build sign/symbol correspondence. Sign/symbol is recognizing letter shapes and corresponding letter sounds; the letter B makes "buh" sounds. Then, students can string sounds together to make words, this is reading emergence. For some students, especially those with orthographic processing disorders (orthographic processing is the ability to identify, store and apply correctly, the components of spelling in writing) spelling is often a source of struggle. These students often benefit from multi-level, explicated structured spelling programs that provide teaching, practice and application of spelling rules and families. If your child needs support in this area, please contact me at My Learning Farm (www.mylearningfarm.com). I provide support to build spelling skills with a 7-level Orton-Gillingham spelling program that helps build spelling skills, confidence and fun!

Neurodiverse students need consistently delivered services to achieve to their full academic potential. Consistency matters most to students with learning challenges for several reasons: it reduces anxiety, students can predict what will happen next, students have confidence that small foundational chunks of new material will be delivered, lots of opportunity for practice, builds confidence, builds trust, reduce brain alarm bells. Students who learn differently are sometimes well aware of that difference and school and learning are HUGE sources of anxiety, resistance and avoidance-delivering services that maintain the same flow throughout each session helps students to reduce anxiety because they know what happens at each step along the way. Chunking new information into smaller, manageable portions increases student confidence and lets them be in the drivers seat to work towards mastery. Providing generous amounts of practice to build skills, increases confidence. Student-paced learning helps kids understand they can achieve. Researchers know that brain alarm bells play a key role in learning. Learning cannot happen during stress, trauma and in a brain flooded with fight or flight hormones. At My Learning Farm each session in math, reading, writing, specialty services and agriculture education are delivered consistently with predictability, opportunities for practice, student pacing, trust and relationship building to increase skills and provide a place where learning grows. Please visit my website www.mylearningfarm.com for more information.

Navigating special education and beginning the IEP and 504 Plan process is daunting for parents and families. I remember the mounds of paperwork that went home from the school psychologist, school nurse, occupational therapist and teachers-it seemed that everywhere I turned I was shoved another piece of paper and asked for a signature. I started to feel like a weird celebrity. Then, I took the time to read through things...I realized that as a parent I could ask questions, push the pause button to breathe, provide input, feedback and ensure the tests that my children underwent were the BEST ones to look for, access and provide a clear diagnosis for Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia. If you are struggling with this process, please contact me today to help support you in your journey through advocacy www.mylearningfarm.com.

I hate being different from my peers; this difference has always been with me, like a big bag I drag along throughout the day. The bag is as heavy as a sack of rocks, though nobody sees my strain. The bag is as big as Santa’s sack, though it contains no gifts. The bag fills the room, yet nobody sees it. Nobody sees the effort it takes to move through my day; I smile through the pain. I work ten times harder than others, though nobody sees the effort. My negativity bag is filled with self-doubt, loathing, and discouragement- ready to spill out onto the floor at any moment. I focus on the negative, letting stress and my obsessive nature consume me and belittle the person I was and became. It all started when I was officially diagnosed with not one, but two learning disabilities; Dyscalculia and Dyslexia. I was consumed with fear and thought this would change everything for the worse. This was the day when I started sewing my bag. It was little at first, but as time went on I collected more fear and doubt, which I sewed into my ever-expanding bag. I remember diagnosis day clearly, it was not like the night before Christmas-staying up all night awaiting Santa’s visit and the presents I would receive. No, it was more like the nightmare before Christmas! I was 9 and in my kitchen when my mom came home with puffy, swollen eyes and a mile-high stack of paper. The Ava chronicles. Each page chronicled what I was not able to do, what I struggled with, where I missed the mark of my peers, where I tried my best, but fell short. There it was all laid out before me; these words I didn’t understand-Dyslexia and Dyscalculia. My mom did her best to tell me that I was smart, I was capable, I was Ava-not a learning disability. I was crying and utterly disappointed with myself; hoping and wishing I was different, “normal.” I wanted to shred that mile-high stack of papers in the nearest shredding bin and start all over. Magically, to get all of the answers correct, to prove to those testing people that they got it wrong-that I was Ava, the girl who exceeded everyone’s expectations. I knew this couldn’t happen. I thought this would change everything, that my world would come crashing down as a learning disability wave. I assumed after people found out it would change how they view me, their actions towards me, and they would feel sorry for me. My parents put me in private after-school tutoring and got me help. My mom fought like a cornered tiger to ensure I had the help I needed at school. She volunteered in the classroom like it was her full-time job to make sure I could succeed. Even with the help offered, I couldn’t readily accept it and embrace it. I was so ashamed and petrified that someone would find out. My worry grew- what would people think of me if they found out? Would they tease me? I became obsessed with keeping my secret safe, my bag grew with every fearful thought, with every moment of self-doubt; I had to work harder I told myself. Every small stumbling block felt like a tattoo of failure stamped on my forehead. I attacked school assignments like a butcher on a slab of meat. My sole focus became to prove everyone wrong-to prove those test people got it wrong. I would spend hours on homework at the dinner table with my mom, trying to get assignments done before the deadline. No matter how hard I worked, or how many hours I put in, I always seemed to fail to meet my expectations, letting myself down in the end. With each disappointment, I added a couple of stitches to my bag of shame. I never appreciated my tutor and my parents’ sacrifice because I was ashamed. When we arrived 3 days per week at tutoring, I would scream and cry, bang on the car door, beg and plead not to go, try to negotiate my way out of it– anything not to go, not to feel that shame. The stab of each disappointment chipped away at my soul- making me retreat into my own Ava world of safety and comfort. I learned not to put myself out there, to keep my mouth shut and my head down. I didn’t want any attention because attention was always negative-I didn’t even want birthday parties any longer. I felt everybody had a low bar for me. I thought if I could hide my learning disabilities then it wasn't real, but no matter how long or well I hid them or shoved them into my bag, it was my truth. In the reality of my life, I was different. I was in that 20% of the population with learning disabilities. I had to come to terms with it or it would tear me down from within and limit my future successes. It wasn’t until I got to high school that I realized I wasn’t the only one who struggled and felt defeated. My focus started to shift, I started to wrestle with the beast and I began to achieve small victories. I wasn’t a learning disability; I was Ava. I wasn’t a disease, I was capable. I wasn’t shamed, I was bold. I wasn’t different, I was stronger. The more I shifted my mindset, the more powerful I became and the more I achieved. My grades reflected the work I put in for the first time ever. I met my expectationsI was finally proud of my achievements. Now as I journey through life, my negativity bag no longer drags behind me, it no longer causes me strain and pain. It is not the cloak of shame that concealed my fears. It is a sandwich baggie that I can tuck away. My thoughts now focus on the things I can do, will do, want to do. I no longer focus on the things I can’t do, the marks I miss or the mistakes I make. I have learned to accept the struggle, even embrace it. I have learned the most from the struggles in my life, from the challenges I face and in the fear I left behind. I have learned to show gratitude to those who help me. I have learned to embrace and utilize the lessons my learning disabilities have taught me. I accept that everyone has their secrets and their truths tucked away in their negativity bags and only I can control the size and shape that I am willing to carry with me. I am Ava and I will let nothing define me.

A you may know, my children were both diagnosed with learning disabilities at young ages. Ava in third grade, which is the national average, with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia. Both are learning disabilities; dyslexia, an auditory processing disorder expressed in reading, writing, phonics, executive function and more. Dyscalculia is a math processing disorder; understanding numeral values, mathematic concepts and multi-step operations were especially tough for Ava. Ryker was diagnosed with Dyslexia and dysgraphia in second grade. Dysgraphia is a processing disorder with difficulties in writing and written expression, including letter formation, word boundaries, directionality and more. I was devastated, my world felt like it was crashing down. I felt the strains and fear-how in the world am I going to be able to help BOTH of my kids? Where do I go for help? How can we afford this? What do I do next? No one ever talks about the depression, isolation, fear and doubt that parents feel when children are diagnosed learning/developmental issues. It can be a dark, lonely and isolating place-but please DO NOT let it be!!!!! Sometimes well-meaning friends and family say the wrong thing or lack the empathy to understand how learning disabilities affect families, it hurts-I know. It has been a 7 year journey with my daughter and 5 with Ryker. It has not always been a smooth path with easy footing, sometimes it felt like climbing Mt. Everest with flip-flops. It wasn’t fun; there’s been tears, slamming doors, yelling, screaming-all of it. I’d be lying if I said this journey was easy. I’d be lying if I said we are done. The journey is lifelong, the struggle and the ugly head of fear and frustration rear from time to time, but we put one foot in front of the other EVERYDAY. We work on reading, writing and math EVERYDAY. We build skills gradually EVERYDAY. We support each other EVERYDAY. We keep trying EVERYDAY. We love each other EVERYDAY through the pain. If something isn’t working, we try something new. We celebrate small victories EVERYDAY. We stay positive. We celebrate milestones; reading at grade-level, finishing a novel, writing a paragraph independently, finishing multi-paragraph essays, mastering math concepts, the beauty in legible penmanship. I WOULDN’T change one thing about the journey with my children because they have given me so many gifts. They humbled me; they gave me the gifts of empathy, compassion, patience, love, support, never-quit attitude, determination and tenacity to fight for them. A parents’ journey through learning disabilities is long and hard and worth every ounce of energy I have put in to see my children bloom. And bloom they have. I’m so proud of you Ava and Ryker-even if you never read this. Contact me today www.mylearningfarm.com

I hear from so many parents of children with Dyslexia that their child has tunnel vision for one subject and one subject only. My son and daughter both fell into this category as well. For Ava it was all things animals. For Ryker is was his dog, Faith. Research shows that children with Dyslexia have a tendency to be more hyper-focused on one subject more so than non-dyslexic children. Whether it’s their dog, a horse, golf, animals, Legos or something else, there is evidence to help explain why this may be the case. For children with learning disabilities, academics are often hard, overwhelming and they know early-on their skills don’t match their peers. So children run with their passion in order to become an expert and build self-esteem about their passion. They can be looked to by their peers as someone who knows a lot about this subject to become a resource for other students. Studies also show students who have a specific interest develop their lexicon faster (the words within an interest), build their written and verbal vocabularies, and increase their independent reading skills-reading to learn, not just learning to read. Finding a life’s passion early in life is a GIFT, it took me into my 40’s to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up! Nurture it for your children, find ways to extend horizons with interests. One thing we did for my son, who was and still is obsessed with his dog, Faith, is to find books about Border Collie’s, then moved to books about caring for dogs, then onto books about dog true stories-- all to feed his passion, build his vocabulary, build his reading skills and his reading to learn skills. Feed your children’s passions and build their skills at the same time. Contact me today www.mylearningfarm.com or saramattia1313@gmail.com

Back to school can be an anxious time for parents of students with learning challenges or suspected learning disabilities…but it doesn’t have to be. Start engaging with teachers and support staff before the school year starts by sending an email introducing yourself and your child. Explain your child’s strengths, weaknesses, areas of need and overview of your child’s IEP or 504 plan. If you don’t have an IEP of 504 plan, it’s a great time to prompt your child’s teacher into be on the lookout discrepancies in learning and put a plan together for potential psycho educational testing for your child. I like to schedule a meeting within the first 30 days with my children’s teachers and support staff so that we’re on the same page and communication lines are open. I check back in, volunteer in the classroom and monitor work coming home and classwork throughout the year. If you suspect a learning disability, early intervention is key. Please contact me today saramattia1313@gmail.com

I work with students with learning challenges and one thing I know for sure is this population of students, and most students in general, THRIVE with structure and predictability. Why you ask? There are many reasons, but the ones I hear from students over and over are these: “I know what will happen next; I feel comfortable doing hard things because it’s just us and the more we practice, the better I get.” Structured programs for reading, math and writing that include consistently delivered lessons, language, skills practice and guidance in a predictable, systemic increments helps students know what to expect from one session to the next. Students with learning challenges often experience anxiety around school and school-related learning. What we know from research is that students do not learn and retain new information when their brains are flooded with stress hormones. Programs with consistency help reduce student anxiety levels and get students in "just-right" levels to learn and retain new information . Please visit my Learning Farm for more information: www.mylearningfarm.com

Struggling students often tell me that HATE school because they know their skills don’t match those of their peers no matter how hard they try and it can be embarrassing, lead to self-esteem issues, frustration and overall avoidance of academic engagement. This can all be avoided with easy classroom accommodations for students, families and teachers to support students and build self-esteem, especially while students are working with targeted supports to build skills. Providing students with scaffolding while they need it and gently removing it as student skills grow helps students to feel good about themselves, their abilities and levels the playing field. Classroom accommodations include: reducing the number and complexity of spelling words for students who are emerging spellers. Providing read aloud passages that are shorter, the night before so students can practice them at home with parent support and feel successful when reading aloud in the classroom. Using speech-to-text and text-to-speech computer software to help emerging readers and writers show what they can do, reducing the length and complexity of writing assignments as students build writing and ideation skills. I love what I do and I’d love to support your child build a life long love of learning, please contact me today 916.215.1232

One-to-one instruction works best for students who are struggling because is gives individual students freedom to work on areas of need without feeling pressure, embarrassment or anxiety. It allows students to ask questions, move at their own pace in a setting with constant support, rapport and trust. It allows the support person the ability to see current techniques used by students, evaluate the teach more appropriate strategies for continued success. One-to-one works best for students who are struggling and those students with suspected or When my daughter was learning to read in first grade in her small reading group, her teacher told her if she didn’t know a word to guess it based on the context or picture. She quietly came up to me after school and said, “mom, I don’t want to go to school anymore. The other kids all guess the right words and I never do. I don’t want people to think I’m dumb.” My goal is for every child to feel great about themselves, to thrive in school, to have confidence and to reach their full academic potential.

I am often asked this question by worried parents and I would like to provide an answer in order for your child to receive a complete evaluation to provide support to help your child find a lifelong love of learning. A complete psychological evaluation for learning disabilities is paramount to address, remediate and support students with learning disabilities for several reasons. Testing and evaluation can provide the proper supports, class room accommodations and remediation strategies so that your child can access his/her education. This evaluation must be completed by a licensed child psychologist who has the credentials to test, evaluate and provide results specific learning disabilities. A complete psychological evaluation begins with a student study team (SST) meeting with stakeholders including school administration, special education staff, classroom teachers, school or private psychologist, occupational therapist, school nurse and parents. Before the meeting, parents may be asked to complete various questionnaires. During the meeting the team will discuss key information about your child, ask questions relating to pregnancy, infant developmental milestones, early childhood, current areas of struggle, strengths, weaknesses and potential concerns in order to provide a full picture of your child’s learning struggles. This meeting will provide the child psychologist key information about the type of tests and the array of testing to best understand your child’s learning struggles. A complete psychological evaluation should include a battery of tests including cognitive ability, IQ and tests that target the specific areas identified in the SST meeting. For dyslexia, testing should include phonological processing, auditory processing, rapid naming, working memory, OT evaluation to look at visual tracking and scanning, among others. These tests should take place over a span of days to provide a more accurate picture of your child’s abilities and struggles, not just a snapshot of one day of learning. These tests can be grueling for students, school administration and parents should be aware of the testing schedule in order to support emotions that come with testing.

Dyslexia is a learning disability, which primarily expresses itself as difficulty learning to read. It is a phonological processing disorder, which means some people have a hard time distinguishing and ordering letter, vowel, consonant team and vowel team sounds to form words and read fluently while comprehending. It can affect a person’s ability to speak, read and spell. Dyslexia is a prevalent learning disability, affecting 20 percent of the population. Though Dyslexia cannot be cured, this lifelong condition can be improved through structured literacy, intensive writing and spelling help from professionals like myself who use evidence-based Orton-Gillingham curriculum to remediate reading, spelling and writing skills. Some common signs of Dyslexia include: difficulty writing full name, difficulty writing ABCs in order, difficulty learning ABC song, days of the week, months of the year, difficulty learning nursery rhymes. Often puts shoes on the wrong feet and/or put clothes on backward, difficulty rhyming, mispronouncing familiar words, difficulty reading, difficulty/inability sounding out words, difficulty associating letters with sounds, letter reversals, often guesses at familiar looking words, trouble remembering dates.