Can We Play in School?

Spring has arrived in full bloom here in Texas, and with the beautiful weather, I am gratefully reminded of how enjoyable it is to see our kids play. Here at Shady Oak Learning, we take play seriously. It is embedded in our school day. Children who come here have about an hour and a half of free play time outdoors throughout the day. Why? Because research supports that play is an essential part of brain growth and behavior development. Children who move and play show significant increase in IQ. According to David Elkind, professor emeritus of child development at Tufts…

From Real to Ideal: A Classroom Transformation

AN IDEAL CLASSROOM Imagine a classroom of 20-30 students – all with the following characteristics: Good visual acuity Good auditory acuity Good body control and spatial awareness Good attention span Good visual processing – all of the processing skills for reading Good auditory processing –processes extended verbal information Good sensory integration – coordinates simultaneous stimuli Good mental, physical, and visual stamina – alert the entire school day Good social behavior – understands and follows the norms for participation Good intellectual processing abilities – meets the needs of the grade level Good conceptual repertoire – has the concepts expected for the…

SOI and Dementia/Alzheimer’s

I am often asked if SOI can help people with dementia or Alzheimer’s. I immediately answer with an emphatic “YES!” In working with SOI for over a decade, I have found that when improvements in brain function are made in a person who does not suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s, said improvements remain even after SOI sessions are completed (barring any future damage to the brain). However, once improvements are realized with a dementia or Alzheimer’s patient, the results may not remain after sessions discontinue. Here’s why: Dementia is not a disease. Dementia is a set of symptoms, the most…

Trauma Treatment and SOI ALA-PLA Learning Therapy Part 2

AN ADULT DYSLEXIC: PART 2 Click here to read the first part of Juan's story. Juan took the ALA test on the computer and was at the first percentile in every subtest and ability. We began working with LOCAN and the SOI CD and workbook, and retesting with paper and pencil. During our first workbook training session, Juan was nervous because he knew he "did not do well" on the SOI computer test. I asked him why he thought that and he said it was NOT a language issue but a comprehension issue. He did not know what the test…

What Can You Do to Improve Learning Effectively?

SOI's main focus is to improve learning. To unleash learning potential. On Wednesday, March 11, 2015, I had Level 2 training for SOI/IPP (Structure of Intellect’s Integrated Practice Protocol). It was so great! My instructor was Diane Hochstein, and I’m truly honored to have her as both a trainer and friend. Her 20 years of knowledge and experience in the field of special education and alternative learning programs are amazing. I had five students the she IPP screened, and although none of these children have really bad learning issues, she was able to find areas that they could improve on!…

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.…

Labels Work Well On Pickle Jars, Not Students

SOI is successful when students internally own the abilities to learn! What a shock it would be to buy dill pickles only to bite into a very sweet pickle! Proper labeling is important for many reasons. Medicine is tasked with making accurate diagnosis that leads to the care, procedures, and medicine to treat patients. Efficiency in life, play, work, travel, and making purchases are in large part due to correct labeling. Even very young children know what a product is by the picture on the label. However, I’m not writing this to expound on the many positive aspects regarding labels.…

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…

Trauma Treatment and SOI ALA-PLA Learning Therapy

AN ADULT DYSLEXIC: PART 1 A psychiatrist referred an adult male, a 52-year-old American citizen, who grew up in El Salvador. He was on psychiatric disability and taking multiple strong medications. Juan was abandoned by his parents, placed in a brutal orphanage, and had witnessed multiple murders and murders, as well as the assassination of Archbishop Romero, who was declared a martyr by the Pope; he was often beaten severely for being dyslexic. He felt hopeless, useless, and in perpetual panic. He was a hard worker, but eventually, he was unable to do his job. As a psychologist, I used…

The Key to Empowering Your Students

Empower means to make someone stronger or more confident. Whether you’re a teacher, parent, or administrator, you want to see your students succeed! Even though this is every educator’s goal, it’s often much easier said than done. In a classroom of 25 students, there will undoubtedly be a variety of personalities, learning speeds, abilities, and learning styles. Each student is unique, which means that teaching to each student’s individual needs can be a challenge. What if there was an easier way to work with each student on his or her individual learning needs? Fortunately, there is! Here at SOI, we…

Can We Play in School?

From Real to Ideal: A Classroom Transformation

SOI and Dementia/Alzheimer’s

Trauma Treatment and SOI ALA-PLA Learning Therapy Part 2

What Can You Do to Improve Learning Effectively?

SOI-IPP Success for a Student on the Autism Spectrum

Labels Work Well On Pickle Jars, Not Students

Building a Real Student Support Team

Trauma Treatment and SOI ALA-PLA Learning Therapy

The Key to Empowering Your Students

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