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Archives for March 2012

Dyslexia Defined – Dr. Luke Waites

March 27, 2012 by Eleanor Munson, PhD

Dr. Luke Waites“Dyslexia” – it’s a word that has become a part of our vernacular.  It used to be that the word was reserved for diagnostician’s offices and schools.  Now we hear it everywhere.  Even TV characters like Christine Yang (Grey’s Anatomy) and Sam Evans (Glee) have dyslexia.

You may be surprised to learn that one of Dallas’ own helped put dyslexia on the map.  Back in 1961, when gas was 25 cents a gallon, the Cowboys went 4-9-1, and Princess Di was born, a pediatric neurologist named Dr. Luke Waites moved to Dallas.  Though Dr. Waites’ arrival may not have been noteworthy at the time, he would eventually become a pioneer in dyslexia, a field that many of his colleagues at the time felt did not even exist.

The year before Dr. Waites’ arrival, Aylett Cox, a teacher at The Hockaday School, had begun a teacher-training program at the school using the Orton-Gillingham method.  The Orton-Gillingham method was a way of teaching students who were having trouble with reading, spelling, and writing.  It was a pre-curser to Alphabetic Phonics and Take Flight,  two curriculums commonly used with learning different students today.

Dr. Waites joined the faculty of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas in 1961 and over the next few years, as a tenured professor, began evaluating children for dyslexia.  Children identified as dyslexic by Dr. Waites were referred to Aylett Cox at Hockaday for remediation.

In 1965, Dr. Waites moved the child neurology program to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, bringing with him a list of 150 kids that needed evaluations for dyslexia.  The Child Development Division was born.  Aylett Cox moved her teacher training program to Scottish Rite and Child Development was able to offer developmental academic evaluations, specialized language instruction for dyslexic students in a laboratory setting, and a training program for teachers interested in helping these students.

In 1968, Dr. Waites and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital hosted a meeting of the Word Federation of Neurology.  It was here that a group of physicians from all over the world developed the first written definition of dyslexia.  This was a defining moment (literally) that officially put dyslexia on the map.  As a result of this event, Texas would become a leader in the field and eventually be the first state to mandate that public schools identify and properly instruct students with the characteristics of dyslexia.

In 1995, the newly built Luke Waites Child Development Center at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children was dedicated in his honor.  Children ages 5 to 14 who are Texas residents, have a physician referral and have learning problems in reading, writing and math continue to be eligible for testing.  Dr. Waites passed away January 11th, 2013, but his legacy continues.

© Eleanor Munson, PhD. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, PhD is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, PhD with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Filed Under: Learning Differences Tagged With: Dr. Luke Waites, learning differences, learning differences Dallas

Learning Differences

March 27, 2012 by Eleanor Munson, PhD

learning differencesIt used to be that learning differences (called ‘learning disabilities’ in the past) were kept very hush-hush.  If you were a child, you downplayed it and did everything you could to fit in with the other kids.  If you were a parent of a child with a learning difference, life was lonely, as no one understood your family’s trials and tribulations.  Thankfully, those days are over and learning differences have become a part of mainstream culture.

Parents and children often feel a bit overwhelmed as they go through the process of testing, diagnosing, and garnering accommodations.  I’ve decided to devote a section of my blog to explaining the various facets of learning differences, from the initial symptoms to remediation and accommodation.  Please email me if there are any specific topics you would like me to address.  Buckle up, here we go!

© Eleanor Munson, PhD. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, PhD is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, PhD with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Filed Under: Learning Differences Tagged With: learning differences, learning differences Dallas

Do Dallas Private Schools Ever Take Kids Off of the Waiting List?

March 11, 2012 by Eleanor Munson, PhD

waiting listLamplighter, Hockaday, Greenhill, Meadowbrook….  Do Dallas private schools like these ever take kids off of the waiting list?  In a word, YES!

Dallas private schools sent out their acceptance letters on Friday, with most contracts and deposits due two weeks later on Friday, March 23rd.  Admissions counselors will start tallying their replies Monday, March 19th when school resumes after spring break.  If prospective families get their replies in quickly, phone calls to waiting list families may begin between Monday and Friday.  However, more commonly, admissions directors start calling on that Friday (23rd) and into the next week (March 26th-30th).  Usually, classes are set by the middle of April.

There may be movement in April due to issues like job relocation, divorce, financial problems, etc.  However, more typically, spots open up around the time that tuition is due (either May 1st, June 1st or July 1st).  Admissions directors pull out the waiting list and start making phone calls again.  And this can continue right up to the start of school in August, and sometimes into the first few weeks of the school year.

So if your child is on a waiting list right now, don’t be discouraged.  Be sure your child has a place to go next year.  Let the admission director know you are interested and will take a place if offered. Then settle in and keep your fingers crossed!

© Eleanor Munson, PhD. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, PhD is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, PhD with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Filed Under: Admissions Process Tagged With: dallas private school admissions, dallas private school waiting list, Greenhill, Hockaday, Lamplighter, Meadowbrook

The Home Stretch…

March 7, 2012 by Eleanor Munson, PhD

home stretchIf you’ve run into any Dallas-area parents applying their children to private school then you know what’s looming……private school acceptance and rejection letters go out this Friday.  The culmination of the lengthy application process revealed in a thick or thin envelope, or even possibly a phone call or email.

As you spend the next few days in limbo here are some things to consider.

If your child is accepted:

    • take a deep breath…and celebrate!
    • read the letter carefully and pay close attention to the date the contract & deposit are due
    • be sensitive to other families going through the same process – before you post the news on Facebook or put the school sticker on your car consider how you would feel if your child hadn’t received the same news

If you child is wait listed:

    • take a deep breath…and try to keep it together!
    • show your interest – call the school and let them know you are very interested and would like your child to attend
    • create a fallback plan – call or email me for help in coming up with alternatives

If you child is rejected:

      • take a deep breath…and don’t panic!
      • regroup & consider your other options – did your child get into any other schools?  Can he stay where he is?  Call or email me for help in creating a backup plan
      • be the bigger person – congratulate friends whose children did get in
      • see the bigger picture!  there’s no denying it, it’s heartbreaking right now – just remember that your child’s happiness and success in life does not depend on getting into one certain school – you can’t see it now, but it will all work out in the end

© Eleanor Munson, PhD. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Eleanor Munson, PhD is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eleanor Munson, PhD with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Filed Under: Admissions Process Tagged With: dallas private school acceptance, dallas private school admissions, dallas private school rejection, private school admission, private school admissions, wait list

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