Mindspark

School is ending and summer is a great time for professional development!

Just under a week to take one of the amazing classes at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension's Educational Therapy program.

Principles of Educational Therapy with

Understanding Learning Differences

and Assistive Technology for Learning Differences

Educational Therapy Empower your students

Join me tomorrow for the UCSC Silicon Valley Extension Educational Therapy info session. Learn about our courses and how they can help you on your journey to becoming an educational therapist and be more effective in meeting the needs of all your students. As bonus content, we will have a smidge about the why and how of gamification with a few easy, no prep games you can begin using immediately. Sign up today or share with anyone you know who wants to work with neurodivergent kids!

Educational Therapy Program Info Session Transform learning

Management of Clinical Practice at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension is starting tomorrow. Due to special circumstances, the prerequisites have been waived, so you can take it now even if you thought you had to wait.

In this course educational therapists and learning specialists delve into the business realities of establishing a successful independent educational therapy or a learning specialist practice. Students focus on best practices for one-on-one instruction to young students and adult learners with learning differences. Learn how the role of the educational therapist/specialist includes working as an investigator/support person and strategically communicating with a client's family, school, community, and culture.

Management of Clinical Practice Course Description In this course educational therapists and learning specialists delve into the business realities of establishing a successful independent educational therapy or a learning specialist practice. Students focus on best practices for one-on-one instruction to young students and adult....

A meme has been going around claiming that eliminating processed food from a child's diet can reduce ADHD symptoms by half. Not surprisingly, the meme has no reference or link to a source for this claim. What does the science say?

"For a small group of children, dietary changes may help improve some behavioral symptoms if an underlying food intolerance or allergy is involved. But for most children and teens with ADHD, restrictive or elimination diets are unlikely to significantly improve ADHD symptoms. These diets cannot make ADHD “go away” or cause someone to “lose” their ADHD symptoms, regardless of what popular memes or social media posts claim."

Before You Believe the Meme: What ADHD Experts Want You to Know - CHADD ADHD NEWSSTAND FOR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS   contents Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)CHADD does not endorse products, services, publications, medications, or treatments, including those advertised in any CHADD publications, webinars or podcasts. LOGOUT LOGI...

Next couple of classes coming up at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension Educational Therapy program--Management of Clinical Practice with Dr. Sharmila Roy, Ph.D., May 12th, Assistive Technology with Brian Gadus on June 9th, and also June 9th Understanding Learning Differences and Principles of Educational Therapy, both with Dr. Bibi Pirayesh. Fun fact--I took Management of Clinical Practices with Dr. Roy (who was not doctor yet!) lo these many years ago before I transitioned from classroom teacher to Educational Therapist. I still use more or less the same intake form I developed for that class!

New research from Daniel et al that is not surprising but is troubling: "Whether a child gets identified with specific learning difficulties—an umbrella term for conditions involving difficulties with reading and mathematics—depends not just on how they perform academically, but on the school they go to, their gender, their family's income, their first language, and even the average ability of their classmates.”

Why some children with learning difficulties get identified – and others don’t Boys were twice as likely as girls to be identified with specific learning difficulties

My Structured Literacy I class with UCSC Silicon Valley Extension starts tomorrow! I am very excited. 10 weeks, all online. One of the best parts is getting to know the students and seeing them learn so much, as well as build a community together. Still time to enroll! Please share with anyone you think would be interested!

Here are a few real-life responses to the end of class survey (not to brag ;-)

• Diana taught a huge amount of content that allowed me to strengthen my understanding and skills in structured literacy. Diana did a nice job balancing the theory/brain science and the practical aspects of structured literacy.

• Diana was extremely engaged with and passionate about helping us learn. She was very responsive to responses and discussions and had a wealth of information to impart.

Educational Therapy: Structured Literacy I Skills you will gain Neurobiology of Literacy Learning: Understand how the brain processes both oral and written language. Structured Literacy Instruction: Implement evidence-based practices to teach reading and writing effectively. Speech to Print Strategies: Create spelling interventions and evalu...

Less than one week until my Structured Literacy I class at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension starts and there is still time to register!

Structured Literacy I introduces you to the theories, issues, strategies, and materials related to literacy instruction and assessment for both reading and writing. While not focusing on students with learning difficulties, in this literacy course you will learn foundational skills for supporting all your students.

We will emphasize the science of reading and structured literacy, as well as best practices of instruction and informal assessment. You'll also practice developing materials and gain the skills to teach literacy to a broad range of students.

And here are some real-life comments from student evaluations:
"Diana is an exceptional human being and teacher. I am so grateful to her and her class. I have learned SO much over the last 10 weeks and I wish the class wasn't over. She is extremely knowledgeable, approachable, relatable, and also a complete expert in her field. Diana's approach is research-based and grounded in her own work experience. She is the ultimate professor and I hope to take SLII with her in the spring."

"This course was amazing- I learned so much and walked away with so many great resources to continue my learning. The instructor was approachable, understanding, and very knowledgeable. I really enjoyed our zoom meetings. Canvas also had a lot of great videos and readings to compliment the weekly topics and deepen my understanding. I would definitely recommend this course to another teacher looking to learn more about structured literacy."

"Not only does Diana have an incredible wealth of knowledge, she is excited to share it with others and her passion for educational therapy really shines through. She is incredibly fair and clear, while also maintaining empathy in every aspect."

Educational Therapy: Structured Literacy I Skills you will gain Neurobiology of Literacy Learning: Understand how the brain processes both oral and written language. Structured Literacy Instruction: Implement evidence-based practices to teach reading and writing effectively. Speech to Print Strategies: Create spelling interventions and evalu...

Another great class at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension's Educational Therapy certificate program: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the classroom

Starts April 1st, live online with Ninet Moradi.

This course provides the tools needed to better understand, identify and evaluate the ADHD student. It addresses school-related problems associated with ADHD. In-depth coverage of practical, effective instructional strategies is offered as well as social skills training activities that can be easily incorporated into the regular curriculum. You'll learn how to implement effective classroom behavior management systems.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the Classroom Skills you will gain Understanding ADHD: Gain insight into the challenges students with ADHD face in academic settings. Diagnostic Framework: Learn the DSM-5 definition of ADHD and its broad impact on students' lives. Effective Classroom Strategies: Implement instructional techniques and behavior ma...