KPTV story on The Shadow Project tells how 8th grader, Nick, went from writing three words to three pages! http://www.kptv.com/story/22699168/local-program-vying-for

Or read a transcript of the report below:

Shadow Project vying for big grant to help kids with learning disabilities

Posted: Jun 26, 2013 8:50 PM PDT

Updated: Thursday, June 27, 2013 10:55 AM EST

PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) –

A local organization that aims to change the lives of children with learning disabilities is calling on the public to help fund the program.

The Shadow Project, which partners with special education teachers, is up for a big grant this year that could bring in thousands of dollars to support local students.

The program was inspired by a Portland boy and named after his dog Shadow.

Organizers say they work with more than 1,300 kids with learning challenges in the Portland metro area, and the program is so effective it’s already spread to 33 different schools.

“The program really helped me. It helped a lot,” said Marysville School student Nick Burbank.

As a seventh-grader, Burbank says he struggled with reading and writing and turned to the Shadow Project for help. Soon after, he says he started to see a big change in himself.

“Before, I would get distracted, and I just wouldn’t listen. Last year, I could only write three words in a journal, but the Shadow Project came along, and I started reading and writing, and now I’m writing three or four pages. I’ve improved a lot,” Burbank said.

Kids who turn to the Shadow Project for help have a variety of learning barriers. Organizers say some deal with ADHD, dyslexia and even autism, and the program can be part of overcoming those challenges.

Students get the one-on-one attention they wouldn’t normally get in a classroom, are then provided with incentives to study at home and are rewarded when they achieve their goals.

“Why not give them the tools and resources they need, so that kids can reach for the stars and be what they want to be?” Founder and Executive Director Christy Scattarella said.

When students complete their reading and writing each week, they get Shadow Bucks that can be used at the Shadow Store in their schools to buy special prizes.

The hope, teachers say, is that they become self-motivated and, in turn, develop the passion to learn on their own.

“You know the toys and books fade away, but the confidence will stick with them for life, from grade school to college and the rest of life,” Learning Center Teacher Janice Holstine said.

It’s a sense of belief Burbank now feels as he gets ready to head to high school this fall, full of confidence he never thought possible.

“I want to tell people, don’t give up. Never give up,” said Burbank.

The shadow project and 13 other local organizations are up for a $50,000 grant this year.

The online voting is only open for another 24 hours.

Visit https://www.advantiscu.org/grow/vote.html for more information.

Copyright 2013 KPTV-KPDX Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.

Shadow Project Board Member and founding member of Decoding Dyslexia Oregon, Diana Sticker, is once again featured on the National Center for Learning Disabilities Blog! In the first of a series of articles that will highlight teacher-tested strategies for instilling perseverance in kids with LD, Diana draws from her personal experience as a mother whose daughter has dyslexia, as well as the stories of teachers participating in The Shadow Project, to provide tips to other parents on how to keep your child with LD from giving up.

Instilling “Stick-to-itiveness”: Teacher Tips on Perseverance and Goal Setting With LD can be found here: http://www.ncld.org/ld-insights/blogs/teacher-tips-perseverance-goal-setting

Or read a copy of the article below:

Instilling “Stick-to-itiveness”: Teacher Tips on Perseverance and Goal Setting With LD

By: Diana Sticker, Parent Contributor,
Published Date: June 21, 2013 12:00 AM

Topics: LD information and resources

As parents, we know that our kids with learning disabilities (LD) have two choices: give up or try again. Sometimes it is as simple as that. But perseverance is also very challenging. Our kids with LD have enormous mountains to climb—and every day we ask them to stick with it.

I have sat for hours with my daughter who has dyslexia at the kitchen table as she struggled with a homework assignment, encouraging her to see past her tears, work through her frustrations and keep going. During one of her low moments, I told her that we are a family of fighters; that she comes from a long heritage that has never given up. At that instant I saw in her face a glimmer of hope.

My encouraging words were helpful that evening. But quite honestly, my tactic was not well planned. I wondered, “What do I do next to keep her going? What works? What doesn’t?”

As it turns out, perseverance is a hot topic these days. And teachers—especially those who work with students whose disabilities put them at high risk for giving up—are keenly aware of the importance of instilling perseverance.

What the Research Says

Researchers are beginning to highlight the significance of perseverance. They are looking at specific attributes and behaviors that help students excel in the classroom and in life. There is a growing understanding that kids who have certain characteristics are more likely to succeed—and having these characteristics is just as influential to success and academic achievement as intellectual capabilities. Here are a few of the latest publications:

• The Frostig Report identifies six attributes and behaviors that help LD students achieve successful life outcomes. They are: self-awareness, proactivity, perseverance, goal setting, the presence and use of effective support systemsand emotional coping strategies.
• US Department of Education & Office of Educational Technology, “Promoting Grit, Tenacity & Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century.” (Draft report) Feb 2013.
• For an interesting perspective read Paul Tough’s book, How Children Succeed: The Importance of Developing Grit, Tenacity and Perseverance.

Teachers In the Trenches

Teachers instinctually know the importance of “stick-to-itiveness” in the classroom. Special education teachers in particular support students whose disabilities can leave them frustrated and discouraged with reading and writing. But they know that these youngsters have tremendous potential, and they are constantly seeking and employing strategies to encourage their students to not give up.

I am a board member of The Shadow Project, a Portland, Oregon based non-profit which is helping special education teachers instill perseverance for life-long success. Even though there is no research that tells us if (and how) perseverance can be taught, programs like this one show that certain learning environments can foster characteristics for success. Therefore, I want to bring you a series of stories of special education teachers involved with The Shadow Project and include tips on how they encourage their students to stick with it and succeed. We can learn from their experiences.

Melanie and Sam

Melanie is a special education teacher in a low-income, inner-city Portland, Oregon K-8 school with a diverse population. There are over 40 different languages represented at her school.

One technique that Melanie uses in the classroom to encourage perseverance is to ask students to set personal goals. She uses a prototype of a self-directed goal system that was designed by The Shadow Project. Each student has their own “Goal Setting Book”. In this booklet, students choose a meaningful goal, outline strategies for implementation, and establish measurements to determine success. Melanie says the opportunity for students to take ownership of their goals promotes a feeling of empowerment, and potentially increases self-awareness. Her students earn tangible rewards when they reach a goal and feel motivated to try again.

Sam is a bright 4th grader with severe ADHD. Melanie noticed that he has trouble sitting still and staying focused like most kids with his disability. Although many of his classmates chose academic goals, Sam’s goal was to make a friend.

The booklet asks students to outline the specific steps to achieve their goal and identify who can help. Sam wrote his plan with the following strategies:

• Go up and say “Hi”
• Invite them to play
• Not call any names
• Not burp in their face
• Not call their mom names
• Not stand too close
• Let them have all the turns

The strength of self-directed goals is that they are personal; children can focus on what is most important to them, and the steps to achievement are child-focused.

Sam was able to accomplish his goal. In four weeks, he reported having made seven good friends. The booklet also required Sam to identify how he reached his goal. Sam’s measurement of success was that he did not have any more behavior infractionsduring recess and that he continued to maintain his friendships (which he did).

Instilling perseverance is not the only benefit of personal goal setting. Teachers like Melanie believe that students who practice goal setting in personal ways will transfer the newly acquired skills to other challenges, including learning challenges. Encouraging students to be actively involved in goal setting may eventually help foster self-advocacy. All of these influences may help kids with LD to keep trying everyday.

Tip for Parents

This summer have your child create a personal goal book. Encourage them to choose their goal; even summertime type goals. Help them create and follow steps to accomplish and measure their goal. Let them take pride and ownership in the process. You can do it together for a few days or weeks. It might be fun!

In Summary

With a background in public health research, I understand the great amount of information that happens from those who “work in the trenches”. Anecdotal information can be astounding in its own right. I hope that these stories will offer parents and teachers inspiration to keep going themselves on the long road of supporting our amazing kids with LD.

Diana Sticker is a former research professional with a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She and her daughter have dyslexia. Diana is a Board Member of The Shadow Project, a nonprofit that partners with special education teachers to close the achievement gap for children with learning challenges. Also, she a founding member of Decoding Dyslexia Oregon, a grassroots parent movement that strives to bring dyslexia awareness to public schools.

Shadow Project Board Member and founding member of Decoding Dyslexia Oregon, Diana Sticker, is featured on the National Center for Learning Disabilities Blog for her insightful article on how to talk to children about LD. Diana draws from her personal experience as a mother whose daughter has dyslexia to provide tips to other parents.

Talk It Up: Eight Ways to Have Self-Esteem Boosting Conversations About LD can be found here: http://www.ncld.org/ld-insights/blogs/talk-it-up-self-esteem-boosting-conversations-ld 

Or read a copy of the article below:

We loved our drive to school each morning. It gave us time to chat about the upcoming day’s events. But in 4th grade our morning routine changed. My daughter became anxious and teary eyed on the way to school. She frequently had stomachaches. Some days she complained about being overwhelmed in writing class. Many times she refused to go to school. This was unusual. She was a bright, hardworking, creative and enthusiastic student. But unknown to me and her teachers, she was struggling to keep up. Over time I started to recognize the root of the problem:dyslexia.As parents, it’s overwhelming when we begin to realize that our child has a learning disability (LD). We find ourselves in an unexpected world with a steep learning curve, dealing with our own feelings about the diagnosis while ensuring our child gets appropriate services through new means such as IEP or 504 plans. When we began this journey, I tried to keep central the goal of restoring emotional well-being and self-esteem regardless of how well she learned to read, write or spell.But I was unsure of how to talk my daughter about her LD. Her self-esteem was already low and her anxiety high. For many, encouraging a child to talk openly about their LD is thought to be the first step in teaching them how to advocate for themselves. But I found limited information on how to begin talking about LD. How do you break the news to your child? By trial and error, here is my personal sketch of what worked for our family.

Begin by talking about specific challenges or behavior.

Calling the disability by its true name is important for complete understanding and helps children learn how to advocate, but is not necessary at first. Begin by talking about your child’s specific challenges or behavior — not the disability’s name.

Gradually have ongoing, age-appropriate conversations.

Choose words and concepts that your child understands. Keep in mind that this is a long road and the goal is to have many ongoing, age appropriate conversations.

Talk about learning differences.

Introduce the concept of learning differences, before talking about your child’s LD. The goal is to speak about challenges comfortably, normalizing the concept of differences. Kids benefit from a clear understanding that we all have strengths and weaknesses. Without our differences the world would be a very boring place.

Increasingly share in-depth information and terminology.

As time passes, begin sharing in-depth information and accurate terminology for your child’s struggles, increasing the level of detail over time. I started to introduce basic ideas on how the dyslexic brain works to my daughter. To take the focus away from my child, I talked about myself. “I read slowly because I need more time for the pathways to reach the reading areas of my brain. But I can do it!” Eventually, with the help of books and online sources, we discussed the unique attributes of the dyslexic brain and how it processes written language. You know best how much and how quickly to share. The goal is to have balanced discussions that help your child understand their LD, as well as their abilities.

Move little by little, one day at time.

Talk about their LD gradually — little by little, one day, one week, at a time. Do more listening than talking and answer tough questions as they surface. Drop the conversation for a while, leaving time for reflection. Then try talking again. Self-awareness comes in waves. Allow conversations to come up where ever they rise, pausing if interest fades. Our best talks were whiletraveling in the car!

Find connections with people who have LD.

In your conversations, bring focus to other people, like family members or famous people who struggle with LD. I talked about my difficulty with spelling, how it makes me feel and how I deal with it. I revealed that other people in our family have dyslexia like us, including grandparents and cousins. Share information about others so they may not feel alone. It doesn’t matter whom you talk about, as long as it’s someone with whom your child has a connection. Kids can even connect with characters in their favorite books—check out NCLD’s book list for some great books for kids with LD.

Eye to Eye has a wonderful mentoring program that pairs kids with college or high school students who have similar LDs. Through mentorship, this organization strives to build self-esteem and encourage the skills necessary to be a self-advocate. Check out the FAQ section on their website for information on how to find a mentor for your child.

Always talk about their strengths.

Our kids have amazing abilities. Enroll them in activities that foster their natural talents. Remember to celebrate and talk with them about their gifts and accomplishments. Let them have the time each day to shine! This will help your child define themselves by their ability, not by their disability.

Discover online resources.

Every child is so different, and there is no one correct way to talk about LD. For other online tips, check out these articles:

• Talk to Your Child About His Disability (PBS)
• Talking to Children About LD (LD Online)
• Talking with Your Elementary School Child About Learning Difficulties (Great Schools)
• Tips for Talking About a Reading Disability (Learning Ally)
• Talk With Your Child About Dyslexia (Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity)

 

NCLD’s Your Child’s Social & Emotional Skills section is another great resource for parents.

Talking with your child about their LD can be eye-opening. One day, before our family comfortably used the term ourselves, a friend inadvertently spoke to my daughter about her dyslexia. Later, I asked how it felt. She said “Oh mom, I know I have dyslexia. It just means reading and spelling are harder for me, but I don’t mind. Besides, I am good at the fun stuff!”

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Diana Sticker is a former research professional with a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She and her daughter have dyslexia. Diana is a Board Member of The Shadow Project, a nonprofit that partners with special education teachers to close the achievement gap for children with learning challenges. Also, she a founding member of Decoding Dyslexia Oregon, a grassroots parent movement that strives to bring dyslexia awareness to public schools.