Revolutionary Technique Helps Chicago Children Overcome Learning Disabilities

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 26 Apr 2011 - 7:00 PDT

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Katherine Bald is an organizational wiz.

The 13-year-old manages school projects in color-coded folders, keeps all homework assignments in separate binders, and carefully divides long-term assignments into smaller, less intimidating "chunks."

"She's much better organizing than other eighth-graders," says her mother Elizabeth Bald

Yet Katherine struggles with a significant learning disability. Her advanced organizational skills have enabled her to succeed at her public middle school.

Katherine took part in a revolutionary program at Chicago's Hyde Park Day School (HPDS). Affiliated with the University of Chicago (with a second Northfield campus), HPDS is the area's only school that specializes in students of average-to-superior intelligence who have learning disabilities.

The cutting edge program applies the science of Executive Functioning to children with learning disabilities. Researchers have found Executive Functions are the skills that help any child or adult to succeed in life. They're the skills necessary to complete any future task, whether a family trip or the night's homework assignment. Such skills include stopping and focusing (turning off impulsivity), prioritizing tasks, staying on track, and adapting unemotionally to unexpected changes.

HPDS's incoming Executive Director Dr. Casey Crnich says, "Our goal is to get bright young children like Katherine back to their home school communities. Studies show Executive Functioning skills are just as important to accomplish that as I.Q., reading ability, or math ability."

Hyde Park Day School recently revised its curriculum to teach those skills. Students are taught to religiously use checklists to break all long-term tasks down into smaller, more manageable parts. The checklists both keep them on-track and make that task less daunting.

"With an eight-page research paper," says Ms. Bald, "Previously Katherine would agonize 'Where do I start?" Now she plots out the ten steps necessary to finish that paper. She's not paralyzed by that ominous end that seems so far away."

To instill Executive Functioning skills teachers also routinely repeat instructions or new information so children can capture the information. In addition, teachers run an extremely organized, predictable classroom day.

Computers are another critical Executive Functions tool. Every student at HPDS has one. Computers aren't just used for teaching but to help students organize their lives. They use them constantly to create project plans, schedules, and checklists

"It's critical that our students can realistically evaluate their success," says Dr. Crnich. "That kind of self-understanding is the key to their ability to be independent and a self-advocate in the future. It's also a key to raising their self-esteem."

Parents have noticed the difference. Most say when Hyde Park Day School students return to school, they not only do well academically, their organizational and self-advocacy skills are often far stronger than their peers.

"This new approach goes beyond academics," says Dr .Crinich. "Someday our children won't have their parents to advocate for them. We're preparing them for more than just entering their community's school; we're preparing them for life."

Ms. Bald looks forward to Katharine's future. The talented singer has already had leading roles in children's productions of "Willie Wonka", "Charlotte's Web", and "Annie Get Your Gun."

"Katharine's going to do great in life," says her proud mother. "We just have to get her through school."

Source:
Dr. Michael Breen Assoc.

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