Carol provides these educational services:
a confirmed diagnosis of ADD or AD/HD. 2. Counseling for Parents of children, teens, or young adults with suspected or confirmed learning challenges. This can include briefings on the IEP process from elementary school through high school and consultation for creating an informed and supportive college process. 3. Learning Support: Support and coaching for adults and young adults with learning challenges, beginning at age 18.
Psychologists and Neuropsychologists, who focus in assessment and evaluation. Scope of Practice
Frequently Asked Questions
* What is a learning disability? * What kinds of problem behavior might indicate my child or teen has a learning disability? * Are children the only age group who have learning disabilities? * Is ADD or AD/HD the same thing as a learning disability? * What is educational advocacy? * I'm so tired of arguing with my child's school. Can you help? * My partner and I argue all the time about our son's homework problems. He says that our boy is just lazy. What can you do to help us? * How can I tell if Carol can help my child or me? * What are the fees for educational services? * I'm an adult who did poorly in school. I suspect I may have AD/HD or a learning disability. What do I do now? How do we learn? Some very basic brain functions, called sensory brain functions, allow us to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel/touch the environment around us and react to it. Problems with these important senses, as well as muscle control or strength, mental retardation, emotional disturbances, or environmental disadvantage (poverty, broken homes, drug addiction in family members, and so on) can cause difficulties with learning. Example problem: A teen or child who cannot see well will have difficulty learning to read. These problems are usually considered physical or mental health problems, and are treated by medical professionals. More advanced brain functions, called cognitive and processing brain skills, include working (short- term) memory, recall (long-term memory), focus, concentration (sustained attention), visual and auditory processing (making sense of what we see and hear), sequential processing (the ability to keep in mind the steps to a task for example) and other such skills. Example problem: An intelligent teen or child who cannot make short-term memories cannot remember spoken instructions. These learning disabilities are usually treated (where possible) by cognitive training techniques. The most advanced brain functions, called executive and academic brain skills, include planning, organizing, problem solving, using information, seeing patterns, using logic and reasoning to come to new conclusions, creating connections between different kinds of knowledge, and other similar skills. Example problem: A teen or child who cannot organize well will have problems keeping track of homework assignments and getting them done on time, even if he has no trouble doing the work itself. These advanced brain functions can usually be enhanced by various training techniques. What is a learning disability? A learning disability is a brain function problem that affects the way a child learns, but is not a physical or emotional problem such as poor vision or depression. (Many children with learning disabilities have average or above average intelligence, so a learning disabled child is not "stupid".) Learning disabilities may cause difficulties in listening, thinking, using language to speak, reading, writing, spelling, or arithmetic, as well as memory, attention and focus. What kinds of problem behavior might indicate my child has a learning disability? You may be suspicious if your child or teen or college student regularly: * has difficulty keeping up with his grade level * refuses to try to do certain kinds of school work(such as reading) but does well at others (such as drawing or telling stories) * acts badly (throws things, cries, rips up paper, yells) when asked to do certain learning tasks * cannot keep on task for more than a moment or two * complains of a stomachache or other physical problem to avoid going to school * seems to be lazy or willful; won't do some kinds of schoolwork but is clearly able to do favorite activities * has problems remembering lists or following instructions Are children the only age group who have learning disabilities? No. Many kinds of learning disabilities last for a person's entire life, so there are many adults with learning disabilities. However, they may been able to cope for years because of high intelligence, but at great personal cost; have learned to avoid situations where they don't do well, develop coping abilities; or develop skills in areas not affected by their learning disability, so they can do well. Is ADD or AD/HD the same thing as a learning disability? Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder are two kinds of common learning disabilities, but not all learning disabilities are ADD or AD/HD. Attention Deficit problems are characterized by short attention spans and (in the case of AD/HD) "hyper" behavior. Not all learning disorders show either of these two problems. What is educational advocacy? An advocate is a person who performs active support in order to affect or influence the outcome of a process. Educational advocacy, therefore, is the actions taken by someone who assists you to change, update, and improve the process that provides your child or teen with an education, taking learning disabilities into account. Advocacy can be done for a child or teen and is based on the Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) portion of the Individual Education Disabilities Act (IDEA). In college, young adults can request accommodation and should contact their student services to understand the requirements for accommodation. I'm so tired of arguing with my child's school. Can you help? Carol currently refers parents or young adults to advocates who provide individualized help with this frustrating situation and to tutors who can be helpful with course content and learning. The advocates Carol refers parents to can help you read and understand your child's school reports and evaluations, understand the law regarding your child's educational rights, develop a program for you to use to make progress and offer many other kinds of support. Carol helps coach and train young adults to advocate for themselves and will often accompany them to nearby colleges or places of training to help coordinate with the institution. My partner and I argue all the time about our son's homework problems. He says that our boy is just lazy, and we always end up yelling at each other. What can you do to help us? In a situation like yours, Carol will help you to understand your son's difficulties to see if he might have a learning disorder. She may recommend further evaluation by the school or other professionals. She can then work with your family to lower the tension level, create a method you can use to help your son successfully complete his homework, and counsel you about ways to talk with each other about these emotional issues. What are the fees for educational services? Carol charges $75.00 per session. A session is 50 minutes in length. Email: Carol Walnum at carolwalnum@hevanet.com Phone/Voicemail: 503-287-1526 (9AM to 5PM, Pacific Time) I'm an adult who did poorly in school. I suspect I may have AD/HD or a learning disability. What do I do now? While it is certainly true that most of the effort for dealing with AD/HD, ADD and learning disabilities is nowadays aimed at children in school, we know there are many adults who continue to deal with the frustrations of these issues. Some may not have been in school at a time when help was available. Some may have come through school and made a significant personal sacrifice to do so. For others, life circumstances may have prevented you from trying to improve your learning skills in the past. You deserve a fuller understanding of your problem, and assistance in developing a plan if you desire it. For more information on your options, contact Carol via calling 503-287-1526. |
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| (503) 287-1526 Portland, Oregon |