Archive for September, 2014

Here’s the reminder from Pat Wyman of HowtoLearn.com: Last day of Big Back to School Giveaway 2014! – Doc Meek

Dear Doc,

Dear Doc,

Between September 24th and 30th, HowtoLearn.com is proud to announce our annual Big Back to School Giveaway 2014.

We’re grateful to the Office Depot Foundation for their donations to this program, as well as the Deck and Headset from Sol Republic, and all the back to school items from our HowtoLearn.com Experts.

You’ll find complimentary:

• videos from the World’s Fastest Reader on speed learning, memory, reading and more

• Awaken the Scholar Within Program

• SOS Organization Binder

• Complimentary Consultations [Among others, you’re in here, Doc!].

• Digital Book on Feelings

• Academic GamePlan complete student excellence programs

• Invite-Only Complimentary Kindle Best-Selling Author Course

So head on over and enjoy all the Complimentary Items this year and let all your friends know about the Big Back to School Giveaway at HowtoLearn.com

The Center for New Discoveries in Learning, Inc., 4535 W. Sahara Ave., Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV 89102

Warmly, Pat Wyman

P.S. Let all your contacts know about our Big School Giveaway at HowtoLearn.com!

Today I am grateful for developmental optometrists–such as Dr Margaret Penny of Calgary, Alberta, Canada–who have helped many students overcome reading difficulties. – Doc Meek

Image from: 123rf.com

Visual training may be required

to overcome reading difficulties

Sharon (not her real name) was bright and vivacious, and still struggling with reading in Grade 5. She strained and strained when trying to read and often got headaches. Her school marks suffered despite her strong intelligence.

Her Mom was mystified.

“We had her eyes tested and she has perfect vision. The school nurse told us her vision is 20/20 and she doesn’t need glasses.”

“Good vision involves more than 20/20 eyesight,” I said.

Sharon and her Mom were even more mystified when I said:

“The eyes don’t see–the brain sees.”

“What do you mean?” they both chimed, almost with one voice.

“Reading involves more than 20/20 eyesight,” I said. “The eyes and brain are required to perform an array of complex and coordinated tasks to read well, and to comprehend what is being read.”

See a developmental optometrist

I asked Mom and Sharon to make an appointment with an eye doctor–an ophthalmologist–to check for general eye health and possible astigmatism (imperfections in the shape of the lens of the eye). Sharon returned with a glowing report.

“OK, good,” I said. “I’ve watched you read, Sharon, and I would now like you to find a good developmental optometrist–not a regular optometrist–a developmental optometrist who can give you an assessment of what exactly your eyes and  brain are doing when you try to read.”

I told Sharon and her Mom that visual training supervised by a developmental optometrist may be required.

“But,” said Mom, “the eye doctor told us that Sharon had no problems with her eyes.”

“He also told us that there is no evidence that visual training helps a student read better.”

I said that is what they taught the doctors in medical school and the doctors did not pursue it further when they got into private practice.

“As a neurological learning specialist,” I said, “I have found that visual training can make the difference between school failure and school success.”

Sure enough, Sharon’s eyes and brain

were not performing well for reading tasks

After the initial visit with the developmental optometrist, and meeting with several other students who were taking visual training to help with reading competence, Sharon spent many weeks training her eyes and brain to work together to perform the complicated and coordinated tasks required for easy reading.

Sharon’s marks at school soared as she practiced her visual training skills at the developmental optometrist’s clinic and at home and at school.

The outstanding developmental optometrist Sharon and her Mom went to was Dr Margaret Penny.

Here is a brief description of her work, from Sundre Vision Care near Calgary, Alberta, Canada:

“Dr Margaret Penny also has a Masters Degree in Educational psychology. She has a special interest and passion in working with children and adults who have visually related learning difficulties, tracking, focusing and binocular dysfunctions, and perceptual delays. Vision therapy and rehabilitation of these problems has been an integral part of her practice.”

Thank you, Dr  Penny, for saving many a student from school despair!

Doc Meek, South Jordan, Utah, Wed, Sept 24, 2014

Today I am grateful for people who are very sensitive and for those who help them, like Sharon Heller, expert and author. – Doc Meek Image from: 123rf.com

Super Sensitive Smell

My first experience with super senses came when I first started my private practice at THE LEARNING CLINIC, several decades ago now.

A young boy was brought in by his mother, who was worried about his problems at school and at home. She introduced me to Jackson (not his real name) and asked me to speak with him about school.

Jackson and his Mom were seated about 6 feet away from me in my office.

“Hi Jackson,” I ventured softly. “Can you tell me something that you are good at?”

Silence.

“Maybe you could share with your Mom and me something that you like? Anything. Not just at school. OK?”

Silence

Surprise for Doc Meek (and Mom!)

Mom encouraged Jackson to speak up: “Doc is kindly and gentle, son, and will listen respectfully to what you say, no matter what.”

“Your breath stinks,” ventured Jackson, holding his nose. (Remember that Jackson was 6 feet away from me.)

Mom’s face reddened and she was about to expostulate…

I said, “It’s OK, Mom.”

“It’s OK, Jackson. You are just letting me know what you don’t like and that’s good.”

HSP (Hypersensitive Person)

I recalled my earlier reading about HSP (hypersensitive person), or in plain English: Highly Sensitive People).

Jackson, encouraged, ventured again:

“Your wall clock is so noisy I can’t hear you and Mom real good.”

Neither Mom nor I could hear the wall clock tick.

Thus began my fortunate face-to-face education about HSP (Highly Sensitive People). Of which, more later.

For details on these kinds of learning problems, see the delightful book by Sharon Heller (2003), too loud, too bright, too fast, too tight, available online at Amazon.com and elsewhere:

Thank you, Sharon Heller!

Dialing down the ticking clock

I did not know how to help Jackson with the super smell at the time.

I did know how to try to help with the super hearing.

Using concrete examples such as turning down the volume on a radio, we taught Jackson’s brain how to mentally dial down the volume of items that were distracting him in everyday life.

We had Jackson imagine a picture of radio volume dial out in front of him and and we had him reach out with his hand and turn the volume dial down.

This was not sufficient.

Finally the idea came of hooking up an imaginary small motor with a belt pulley attached to the volume control dial.

As the motor spins the volume dial down “endlessly,” the brain is able to dial down distracting sounds (such as a ticking clock, or tinnitus).

“Magic.” 😮

Doc Meek, South Jordan, Utah, USA, Sept 10, 2014

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

P.S. Highly Sensitive Granddaughter

Years later, the memory of Jackson came back to me when I was walking by a brick building with my granddaughter Katie (not her real name).

Suddenly (“for no reason”) she clapped her hands firmly over her ears.

“What’s happened?” I asked as we walked further away.

“Those pipes are so noisy,” she advised Grandpa, whose hearing is not perfect she knew.

Turns out that two “silent” exhaust pipes were softly “whooshing” air from an unheard fan highly distant from the pipe exit.

“Good luck, little girl,” I whispered inside my head. “I’m glad we know better now how to help you manage better.” ………………………………………………………………………………………………….