Comments on: How To Help Your Child Focus!

By: Jill Snider

Jill Snider — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:14:20 +0000

As a school Occupational Therapist, I often recommend these tools and others to support students’ needs especially related to sensory processing. Most school districts have an O.T. or access to a therapist who can assist with evaluating and/or recommending strategies to improve students’ ability to focus and attend to the task in front of them.
I plan to see if our lending library has a copy of this book-if not, I will get one.

By: Shelley

Shelley — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:15:37 +0000

Thank you for these tips they are so useful as my son has adhd and mild dyslexia and these are simple techniques to use but in the moment you dont think about the best way sometimes. I will definately look into your book now!

By: Gail @cheap home decorating ideas

Gail @cheap home decorating ideas — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:42:44 +0000

I love to burn candles so i am gonna try the peppermint,lemon and cinnamon.My lttle granddaughter is three and loves gum so using this as an incentive may work great.
Thanks Kayla for the tips.

By: Ellen C. Braun

Ellen C. Braun — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:52:41 +0000

Ok, this is the definitive book for information about how people process different colors differently, and how to work with color overlays: Reading By The Colors- by Helen Irlen

By: Ellen C. Braun

Ellen C. Braun — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:48:39 +0000

Hi Ann,

I’m going to ask the author, Kayla, how she did this and post an answer shortly!

By: Ann Higgins

Ann Higgins — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:53:34 +0000

How do you test for Irlen Syndrome and how do you find out which is the best colour of overlay to use?
Ann

By: Lee

Lee — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:03:44 +0000

I tried the learning styles quiz on myself, and it was very accurate. It will certainly be worth it to get my girls to take the quiz. We’ve talked about learning styles, but never really categorized their specific learning styles. THANKS!

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:40:14 +0000

I teach 6th and 7th grade and reminded students of reading the questions first today! I noticed that many children do this on their own and progress much faster with the work.

By: Ellen C. Braun

Ellen C. Braun — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:17:37 +0000

I want to second that- I truly appreciate all of these comments. By the way, Kayla has a 60-day money-back guarantee on her book, so there’s no risk. About 75% of Kayla’s suggestions worked well for my family- and I’d have paid $150 for just one or two of those ideas by consulting with a professional!

Have a wonderful weekend with your small souls- I intend to!

Best wishes,

ECB

By: Child Genius Minds

Child Genius Minds — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:11:21 +0000

Thanks for all the tips and insights, Ellen and everyone who replied to this post. It’s always nice to hear how teachers think and because we can learn from them.

By: Teresa

Teresa — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:43:59 +0000

As a 5th grade teacher, I strongly recommend reading questions prior to reading the text. It has ben proven helpful to many students.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:15:59 +0000

I used the yellow overlay for my son, it really helped. Also, a stress ball to squeeze in math class, and velcro inside the desk in another class worked well. Teachers are usually very accomodating to these tips. Good luck!

By: Debbie George

Debbie George — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:03:14 +0000

Glad you brought this up because the Irlen Syndrome screening really does work and it helps one know what the most beneficial color overlay is. In very layman terms and working from recollection, each person responds best to a certain color. Thus just picking colors may not do the trick.

By: Sandy Tosta

Sandy Tosta — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:48:54 +0000

Great ideas! Parents should know that difficulties processing black letters on white paper happens not just with reading textbooks but also reading numbers, musical notes and copying information from textbooks. This perceptual processing problem is called Irlen Syndrome, and thousands of children and adults are helped using Irlen Spectral Filters. See http://www.irlen.com for more information or Reading By The Colors by Helen Irlen. The only research based colored overlays are available to purchase from http://www.irlen.com .

By: Dena Gottlieb

Dena Gottlieb — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:15:08 +0000

Thanks for posting those great tips.
I have seen quite a few successes with helping kids with ADHD and ADD issues using Marvalous Omega 3 capsules. The capsules contain the oil of the Salvia Sclarea plant which grows in Argentina and in Israel. This oil contains 50% ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid – vegetarian Omega 3) and another 100 active ingredients like CoQ10, Vitamin E, Sclareol and many others. I have personally met children who got off Ritalin by taking the Omega 3 capsules. I have also met adults who are able, after many years, to finally read a book! The company’s website is marvalous.com. Just make sure to choose “English” as the home page is in Hebrew. My 6 year old with low muscle tone takes this oil and it helps her alot with her muscle tone. I sneak it into her peanut butter sandwiches and drinks.

By: Cass

Cass — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:35:22 +0000

The idea for looking at the questions at the end of a lesson first is GREAT!! I wish I’d thought of that when I was in school! (years and years ago…) Will be sure to implement with our 10 year old.
Thanks.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:30:33 +0000

Stress balls are great as well as those small massage space ships that vibrate (some with a pull string,some run on a AA battery)They always helped my student stay in his carpet spot during story time or a content lesson.

By: Carol

Carol — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:07:54 +0000

As a teacher I feel it is important for children (elementary, middle, and high school) to do something other than sitting down again immediately after school. They need to enjoy life in a manner that is nonacademic such as a brisk walk, bike ride, jumping, etc for about 30 to 45 minutes and then go into a calming routine for 10 minutes to get their body & mind ready for another round of academics. Of course, if that is done between school & home with sports, day care free play, etc. then it has been taken care of.

By: Betty

Betty — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:37:46 +0000

I am a 5th grade teacher in a Catholic School and tutor out of my home as well. I just attended a conference recently where they shared some of these tips. Great ideas and they really do help. Also recommend http://www.learning-styles-online.com for a free 70 question survey of your child’s Learning Style. This is a big help in knowing what the individual child responds to best as to how they learn. Another homework tip, (obvious) to create fewer distractions and interruptions to getting the work done and staying focused is to have everything together you need for supplies in one portable container. I just use a pretty fabric-covered shoe box with all the supplies in it. Easy to take along in the car or to siblings hockey practice, etc. I hear all the time excuses for why the homework couldn’t be done, believe me, I could write a book of the best excuses! Another useful tip is to set a timer and although you want the work to be done well, a lot of kids respond to getting a sticker for getting it done within the estimated time of how long they think it will take. Hope these are some more worthwhile ideas. God’s blessings for a beautiful Advent and Christmas. ~BZ

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:17:54 +0000

These are great tips.

I’m always unsure whether to have the kids start homework asap when they get home or after dinner… it always takes so LOOOONG!

By: Lara

Lara — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:08:02 +0000

There was a woman in college who used to wear green tinted glasses to read… now I know why! Thank you for these tips. I plan to buy the color overlays for my daughter- if nothing else, they are interesting, and hopefully they will help her stay focused to do her homework.

Thanks,

Lara