1. How to help children who learn differently succeed at school: A Neuro-developmental Model of Assessment and Interventions

2. Agenda Housekeeping Introduction of Rudolf Stockling Presentation
Discussion

3. 1. Introduction of Rudolf Stockling
EDUCATION / MEMBERSHIP
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) UNE Austr.
Dip. in Education (Dip. Ed.) UNE
Grad. Dip. School Couns. (Western Sydney)
MSc (Psych) Wollongong
Member Australian Psychological Society (APS)
Registered Psychologist NSW Australia

4. Secondary Teacher (4 Years) Educational Psychologist (12 Years)
EXPERIENCE
Secondary Teacher (4 Years)
Educational Psychologist (12 Years)
Psychologist in Private Practice (8 Years)
Director of Assessment Lexicon Reading Centre Dubai (at present)

5. Aim of Presentation introduce participants to the
Neuro-developmental Model of Assessment and Interventions
that will
measurably improve their children's success in school and life by
providing interventions that integrate
educational, scientific, and clinical expertise.
are based on sound evidence

6. Objectives of Presentation
Participants will be introduced to
eight neuro-developmental functions (processes involved in learning) that make up a person’s learning profile
indicators of strengths and weaknesses in their children’s neuro-developmental (learning) profile
strategies for some of the more common profiles leading to difficulties at school
When students are having difficulty with a particular academic skill, the task of parents, teachers, and clinicians is to pinpoint the areas of difficulty, to specify the weak sub-skills, and to create a plan for strengthening strengths and areas in need of improvement.
There is a need to ask: Where is the breakdown occurring? And within that sub-skill, which related functions are not operating well? For example, students with strong vocabulary skills and memory abilities may still have problems remembering words. In this case, the difficulty might lie with their word retrieval ability, a very specific sub-skill that enables students to remember words on the spot.

7. Objectives of Presentation (cont.)
Participants will be able to
discuss some individual issues relating to their children
discuss the next steps in supporting their children at home and school

8. Introduction
“Too many children struggle and fail needlessly simply because the way in which they learn is incompatible with they way they’re being taught.”
Dr Mel Levine
Too many children struggle and fail needlessly simply because the way in which they learn is incompatible with they way they’re being taught. Schools are filled with students who give up on themselves, are convinced they’re “losers,” and conclude they’re just dumb.

10. Introduction (cont.)
Each student has an unique “neuro-developmental profile.”
A neuro-developmental profile is a
balance sheet of individual strengths and weaknesses
in the various processes involved in learning
Each profile facilitates work in some areas, while hindering work in others. Some students have strengths that make them strong achievers at six years old, but weak performers in high school. Others may have early difficulties and find success in later years. Just as expectations change over time, so do students’ performances.

12. The Neuro-developmental Model of Learning
The human brain is like a complex orchestra, with many different instruments playing many roles. These roles, or neurological functions, desperately need to be coordinated, integrated, and synchronized. As with any orchestra, each player's role varies depending upon the situation. Just as the strings or woodwinds may be highlighted in music, different neurological functions take the lead when students study English or math, have to write a report, or take part in athletic activities. And, just as instruments create harmony in an orchestra, the different neurodevelopmental functions interact to enable students to acquire certain knowledge, skills or sub-skills, or to accomplish specific school tasks, such as being well-organized, efficient, or strategic planners. When students are having difficulty with a particular academic skill, the task of parents, teachers, and clinicians is to pinpoint the areas of difficulty, to specify the weak sub-skills, and to create a plan for strengthening strengths and areas in need of improvement. There is a need to ask: Where is the breakdown occurring? Which sub-skill is not playing its role? And within that sub-skill, which related functions are not operating well? For example, students with strong vocabulary skills and memory abilities may still have problems remembering words. In this case, the difficulty might lie with their word retrieval ability, a very specific sub-skill that enables students to remember words on the spot

13. Important Elements of the Neuro-developmental Model
1. Positive View of Learning Diversity
2. Stress on Individual Learning Profiles:
3. Quest for Specificity and Individuality
A Desire to Strengthen the Strengths and Affinities of Children
Children vary widely in their neurodevelopmental strengths and weaknesses, and this variation has powerful implications for educating all kinds of minds. No one can be good at everything. Many students possess highly specialized minds and deserve to be recognized for their abilities, while not being declared defective for their shortcomings. Deficiencies need not be considered abnormal or somehow pathologically deviant.
All of us have highly individual neurodevelopmental profiles (our current but ever-malleable spreads of strengths and weaknesses), which might work well at some ages and under certain circumstances, but not as well at other times or places.
We can and must achieve a high level of specificity in our understanding of children’s strengths and weaknesses, penetrating well beyond labels. The more specific we are in our descriptions of a student’s profile, the more effective we can be in helping him/her find success.
Teachers, in particular, have unique access to day-to-day observable phenomena and behaviors that are windows on learning and neurodevelopmental function. They are in a unique position to identify underutilized strengths and interests, as well as breakdowns in the learning process. Knowing what to call and how to describe a particular phenomenon greatly facilitates a teacher's understanding and management of that phenomenon in the classroom.

15. The Eight Neuro-developmental Constructs (systems) are:
The Attention Control System
The Spatial Ordering System
Temporal-sequential Ordering
The Memory System
The Language System
The Neuro-motor Control System
The Social Cognition System
The Higher Order Cognition System
In order to understand problems, observing students in as many situations as possible and looking for patterns of behavior or breakdown are needed. Testing alone cannot supply all the answers. Educators, clinicians, parents, and students can all contribute to the understanding. Each has a different perspective and different insights. When this input is combined, using the observation tools and techniques that have been developed, the organization of the findings can pinpoint recurrent themes in students' learning and performances - themes upon which individualized management plans can be created.
Each profile facilitates work in some areas, while hindering work in others. Some students have strengths that make them strong achievers at six years old, but weak performers in high school. Others may have early difficulties and find success in later years. Just as expectations change over time, so do students' performances. In order to better understand how students' profiles affect their learning and performance at any time, those profiles are divided into "neurodevelopmental constructs." Constructs are groupings of related neurodevelopmental functions. They help to organize thinking and communicate about learning differences by focusing on the roles and interactions of neurodevelopmental functions with regard to specific behaviours. They also allow for flexibility in the ways that differences in learning are evaluated, while at the same time, pinpointing areas of learning breakdown and creating very specific plans for helping students succeed.

16. 1 Attention: The ability to concentrate,
to focus on one thing rather than the other,
to finish tasks one begins,
to control what one says and does.
Attention is more that just “paying attention.” It includes such aspects as

17. 2 Spatial Ordering: The ability
to distinguish between a circle and a square,
to use images to remember related information,
to visualize steps in a process,
to understand tables, graphs etc.
Closely related to the functions of time and sequence, spatial ordering is the ability, for instance, to distinguish between a circle and a square or to use images to remember related information.
On a more complex level, spatial ordering helps musicians, for instance, to be able to “see” a piano keyboard, and enables architects to “imagine” the shape of a particular room.

18. 3. Temporal-sequential Ordering:
The ability
to understand and use time and sequence of
events
and
pieces of information
The ability to understand time and sequence of various items or pieces of information is a key component of leaning.
Whether it’s being able to recite the alphabet or knowing when to push a button to give a response on “Jeopardy,” this ability is important

19. 4. Memory:
The ability to
to keep information in the mind long enough to perform an operation
to store the transformed information and
to recall that information when needed
Even if, in the moment, people are able to understand, organize, and interpret the most complex information, if they cannot store and then later recall that information, their performance often suffers dramatically.

20. Memory

21. 5. Language: The ability to understand and articulate language
involves many separate kinds of abilities:
awareness of different sounds
pronouncing words
comprehending written symbols
understanding syntax
telling stories.
Being able to articulate and understand language is central to the ability to do well as students and learners. Developing language functions involves elaborate interactions between various parts of the brain since it involves so many separate kinds of abilities - pronouncing words, awareness of different sound, comprehending written symbols, understanding syntax, and telling stories.

22. Decoding Activity: Recognizing Phonemes
When you see
Pronounce as q
d or t z m p b ys er
a, as in bat
e as in pet
Phonemes are the building blocks of language. Represented by letters of the alphabet, they are the component sounds of spoken words. Most people automatically hear, for example, that the word "goat" is made up of three sounds: "guh," "oh," and "tuh." Reading requires the ability to map the phonemes we hear to letters on a page, and vice versa. But what happens when this basic skill, called decoding, doesn't come automatically? Imagine struggling to sound out every word because you can't distinguish among phonemes.

23. Passage
We pegin our qrib eq a faziliar blace, a poqy like yours enq zine. Iq conqains a hunqraq qrillion calls qheq work qogaqhys py qasign. Enq wiqhin each one of qhese zany calls, each one qheq hes QNA, Qhe QNA coqe is axecqly qhe saze, a zess-broquceq rasuze. So qhe coqe in each call is iqanqical, a razarkaple puq veliq claiz. Qhis zeans qheq qhe calls are nearly alike, puq noq axecqly qhe saze. Qake, for insqence, qhe calls of qhe inqasqines; qheq qhey're viqal is cysqainly blain. Now qhink apouq qhe way you woulq qhink if qhose calls wyse qhe calls in your prain.

24. We begin our trip at a familiar place, a body like yours and mine
We begin our trip at a familiar place, a body like yours and mine. It contains a hundred trillion cells that work together by design. And within each one of these many cells, each one that has DNA, The DNA code is exactly the same, a mass-produced resume. So the code in each cell is identical, a remarkable but valid claim. This means that the cells are nearly alike, but not exactly the same. Take, for instance, the cells of the intestines; that they're vital is certainly plain. Now think about the way you would think if those cells were the cells in your brain.
Excerpt from NOVA Online "Cracking the Code“

25. 6. Neuro-motor Functions:
The ability to
to coordinate motor or muscle functions
to match brain processes with motor activity
The ability to coordinate motor or muscle functions
Involved in: Writing, Note taking, Sport
Whether students are trying to write their first words, catch a football, or punch away at a computer keyboard, their brains’ ability to coordinate their motor or muscle functions are key to many areas of learning. (writing

26. 7. Social Cognition:
The ability to succeed in social relationships with peers, parents, and teachers
One of the most often overlooked components of learning is the ability to succeed in social relationships with peers, parents, and teachers. Students (and adults) may be strong in other construct areas, and yet have academic difficulties because of an inability to make friends, work in groups, or cope effectively with peer pressure.

27. 8.Higher Order Cognition:
The ability to
understand and implement the steps necessary to
solve problems,
attack new areas of learning
think creatively.
Higher order cognition involves the ability to understand and implement the steps necessary to solve problems, attack new areas of learning, and think creatively.

28. The Process of Identification
How do we identify a child’s neuro-developmental strengths and weaknesses to develop a learning profile?
In order to understand problems, observing students in as many situations as possible and looking for patterns of behavior or breakdown are needed. Testing alone cannot supply all the answers. Educators, clinicians, parents, and students can all contribute to the understanding. Each has a different perspective and different insights. When this input is combined, using the observation tools and techniques that have been developed, the organization of the findings can pinpoint recurrent themes in students' learning and performances - themes upon which individualized management plans can be created.
There are a variety of programs to help parents, educators, clinicians, and children understand and manage learning issues. All are based on a neurodevelopmental approach to learning, a method of identifying the specific brain functions that affect the ways a student learns and performs in school.

29. Step 1: Profile Development
Look carefully at each of the functions of the brain that can affect a student’s learning and performance.
Involves:
Student
Teacher
Parents
Clinician
Our process starts with in-depth assessment by parents, teachers, and/or clinicians to develop a comprehensive learning profile – a kind of balance sheet that accounts for the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests. This approach also allows us to pinpoint the exact breakdowns in leaning that are interfering with an individual’s school success. We look carefully at each of the functions of the brain that can affect a student’s learning and performance, including memory, language, attention, and the ability to organize information. We also access neuromotor functions such as fine and gross motor skills or physical coordination, as well as social cognition- the ability to understand as well as have successful social interactions, and higher order cognition- being able to solve problems, think critically, or reason about oneself and the world.

30. Step 2: Demystification
Demystification means
providing children (and parents) with the language and insights to understand their strengths and weaknesses
making children part of the solution team
encourage communication between clinician, children, teachers and parents
Through a process called “demystification” we help children (and their parents) understand specific differences in learning. We provide children with both the language and insight to deal more effectively with their strengths and weaknesses. This empowering and respectful process makes children part of the solution team and helps them fell better about themselves. It encourages optimism and collaboration between children, parents, and teachers, and restores motivation by giving students a positive vision of their futures. “Demystified” students are far better prepared to implement bypass strategies or direct interventions. They can also better recognize and appreciate individual differences.

31. Step 3: Interventions by Profile
Create an action plan for School / Home
It might include
Accommodations
Personalized Instruction
Tutoring
Remediation
Speech Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Counselling,
Medication,
Based on their understanding of a child’s profile, parents, educators, and clinicians can help the child devise methods to become a more productive learner. Ideally, all parties collaborate to create a practical action plan that the student can easily implement at home and in school. In addition to the tactics developed by All Kinds of Minds®, other provisions might include medication, tutoring, counseling, and additional services.

32. Strategies Bypass Strategies (Accommodations)
how to work around a weakness
One such strategy might allow a student to do extra work in an area of strength, while reducing demands in an area of weakness
For a student having difficulty organizing his thoughts for an essay, for example, interventions such as applying pre-writing strategies, breaking the task into steps, or working with a checklist can lead to better written output.

33. Strategies (cont)
Interventions at the Breakdown Points – (Remediation) I
Interventions specifically designed to strengthen an area of weakness.
For a student having difficulty organizing his thoughts for an essay, for example, interventions such as applying pre-writing strategies, breaking the task into steps, or working with a checklist can lead to better written output.

34. Strategies (cont) Strengthening of Strengths – (Tutoring)
Strategies that allow children
to keep on using and
improving the parts of their minds
that work especially well for them.

35. Strategies (cont) Affinity Development – (Motivation)
This is a process of
helping children discover and deepen
their natural interest in particular areas (such as cars, horses, or nature). and
use these interests to increase motivation to attack difficulties

36. Step 4: Follow-Up
The child’s profile and plan are reviewed periodically, in order to
monitor progress
refine interventions
make adjustments
re-assess if interventions have limited success
Armed with a learning profile and action plan, the child and her/his parents can put them into practice at home. As in all efforts to bring about change, the child’s profile and plan are reviewed periodically, in order to monitor progress and make adjustments accordingly.

37. Assessment and Intervention Process
1. Data Gathering
Teacher observation (questionnaires)
Parent observation (questionnaires)
Clinician’s Testing data
2. Data Consolidation
Evaluation Report
3. Intervention Plan
Case Conference
4. Demystification
Discussion with student

38. Assessment and Intervention Process (cont.)
5. Implementation
interventions are implemented
accommodations are implemented
6. Follow-Up
student progress is assessed
accommodations/interventions are adapted

39. References
Levine Mel (2003): The Myth of Laziness. New York: Simon and Schuster
Fletcher, J. M., Lyon, G. R., Fuchs, L. S., & Barnes, M. A. (2007). Learning disabilities: From identification to intervention. New York: Guilford
Sattler J(2006): Assessment Of Children: Behavioral, Social, And Clinical Foundations Fifth Edition. La Mesa: Sattler Publications

40. Resources for Parents
Professional Organizations American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Provides information fact sheets for parents and caregivers, current research etc.
American Academy of Pediatrics: Contains general information for parents of children from birth through age 21. American Psychological Association: The scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. Websites
All Kinds of Minds: Provides resources to help parents, educators, and clinicians Learning Disabilities Association of America: Provides a wealth of information on understanding learning disabilities
National Center for Learning Disabilities: An online guide to l information about learning, early literacy and learning resources,

41. Thanks