SOI-IPP Success for a Student on the Autism Spectrum

SOI-IPP Success for a Student on the Autism Spectrum

In 2004, our SOI-IPP clinic was working with a number of mildly autistic students. We were receiving referrals from a psychologist who offered sound therapy based on the work of the French physician Tomatis. All of the autistic students he tested had auditory processing issues – some of them quite severe. The psychologist was open to the benefits of IPP for his clients because he understood how improvements in auditory processing deficits need to be built on the foundational skills of sensory-integration. He had seen that for sound therapies to be fully effective long-term, a strong vestibular system is required.…

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Building a Real Student Support Team

Building a Real Student Support Team

YOUR SCHOOL CAN DEVELOP A VERY PROVEN WAY OF ADDRESSING RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION (RTI) THROUGH YOUR STUDENT SUPPORT TEAM AND HAVE STRATEGICALLY TAILORED INTERVENTIONS TO MEET INDIVIDUAL STUDENT NEEDS. What if you were able to... anticipate, identify, and intervene with ninety percent of your “at-risk” students in kindergarten or first grade help eliminate students’ self-esteem issues related to failure in school bypass reliance on the observations of overextended classroom teachers for most intervention referrals develop an individual and developmentally appropriate plan to effectively intervene with students by the first semester of kindergarten develop an efficient, systematic, easily documentable Student Support…

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Students With Giftedness Can Benefit from SOI Assessment

Students With Giftedness Can Benefit from SOI Assessment

There are many kinds of giftedness. One of the most common misconceptions about gifted individuals is that they will excel in all areas. Some individuals who are highly academically gifted can be very average when it comes to creativity. The reverse is also true. Some of the most highly creative individuals have gaps in their ability to thrive in a primarily academic setting. Dr. Mary Meeker, who was given the Torrance Creativity Award (a prestigious national award given to an educator of gifted children), was concerned about meeting the emotional needs of the gifted child. She wrote, “Since the gifted…

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Case Study: Atypical Gifted/Learning Different

Case Study: Atypical Gifted/Learning Different

HOW SOI IDENTIFIES, DIAGNOSES, AND TREATS THE MOST DIFFICULT CASE: A SCHOOL REPORT As a psychologist and the director of the SOI Diagnosis and Testing Center of Manhattan Beach, I assessed Ryan, 11, using a variety of ecologically valid tools to measure neuro-processing, including the following: developmental history, parent and teacher-report checklists, clinical interview, visual motor screening, the Structure of Intellect (SOI) Test of Learning Abilities, the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2), and the House-Tree-Person Personality Screening. Ryan presented with a history of poor reading comprehension, hyperactivity, sensory issues (difficulty turning pages while reading), an awkward pencil grip, “quirkiness,” poor frustration…

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The SOI Program Changed My Life

The SOI Program Changed My Life

I gave my friend Sean a call the other day to see how he was getting along. “Great,” he said. “In fact, I’m doing really well. You knew that I’m working on my Master’s degree, didn’t you?” Yes, I knew Sean was doing well. I always make it a habit to inquire about his well-being. Since I met him in 2010, shortly after his return from two tours of military service in Afghanistan with the U.S. Marine Corp, he has become someone I often think about. When I asked about his field of study, he shared, “My area of interest…

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The Problem with Low Evaluation and High Creativity

The Problem with Low Evaluation and High Creativity

There was a recent request for a dialogue regarding a combination of SOI scores from the learning abilities assessment in the area of low evaluation (judgment) skills and high divergent (creative) ability. This is a worthy discussion and as was pointed out, “It is critical for parents and educators to know the consequences of low evaluation and high creativity skills.” For discussion purposes, it is important to bring convergent ability (problem-solving) into the mix. Low evaluation, higher problem-solving abilities, and creative thinking abilities can often lead an individual into making decisions too quickly before evaluating the outcome. All we have…

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Daughter’s Reading Disability Diagnosed with SOI

Daughter’s Reading Disability Diagnosed with SOI

Did you know that SOI can identify and address a reading disability? My family traveled a very long road before finding out about SOI in 1982. As a nine year old in the fourth grade, our daughter had not yet learned to read. We had exhausted the medical community (we thought) and her school was perplexed and at times agitated with our daughter or with us. The SOI program gave us the solutions that resulted in her ultimate success in reading, in her education, and in finding her self-esteem and confidence. Her avid love of animals sustained her through those…

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