Thanks to friends who freely shared their expertise with me: Laurna Champ, Ph.D., parenting specialist; Larry Engelmann, audiologist; and Darleene Harris, psychometrist. And thanks to the following teachers I interviewed: LeAnn Butin, Mary Ann Seefeldt, Trudy White, and Jerri Wilson, who make it a practice to teach to all styles of learners—whether by making banana splits to teach the "b" sound or by taking a trip to a planetarium to experience a night sky. These fine teachers equate life experiences with learning.

My special thanks goes to Dr. Jerry White, director of the counseling center here at Oklahoma City University where I work, for his continuing support of my writing, and to my daughter, Isabel, for her willingness to share me with the computer that so often claimed my weekend time at home.

And finally, I am indebted to the hundreds of children who, over the years, have granted me access to their personal perspectives, frustrations, and insights about their particular learning styles.

Preface

This book is the result of twenty years of hand-picking materials and fine-tuning techniques that have helped the children who come to me for speech, language, and reading remediation become better learners and, as a result, more confident human beings. My training and clinical experiences were what led me to select the best toys, learning aids, tactics, and activities to use with my young clients. How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability will help you do the same for your child at home.

Within this book, I will explain the discovery that has helped me to help my clients: that pinpointing a child's personal style of learning and then tailoring the interactions, playthings, and activities that are part of his ordinary home life to fit that style will help him become a happier, better rounded, more academically successful individual.

You'll find this book the perfect tool for identifying your own learning style and that of your child, and for putting this newfound information to use during your regular play times to head off potential classroom struggles and to lessen or eliminate any that already exist. Your child will gain self-confidence and needed skills from your gentle guidance of his play and, if your child is of school age, of his homework. You—particularly if your time with him is limited by the demands of job, home, and other children—will gain the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your everyday interactions are exactly what he needs to reach his full potential. Here's how it all began . . .

During the 1970s, two gentlemen by the names of Richard Bandler and John Grinder developed something called Neuro Linguistic Pro-

Vlll

How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability

gramming (NLP) from studies about peoples' "preferred modalities"— that is, their favorite ways of absorbing information. At about the same time, I was also noting the existence and effects of distinct learning styles among the much-younger people who constituted my practice in communication disorders. Bandler and Grinder went on to organize NLP seminars, designed to make participants aware of communication patterns and to change unwanted habits or behaviors. I put my recognition of learning style's impact to work for my young clients.

You see, in my office at Oklahoma City University's counseling center, every day of the week, I encounter children who are wrestling with a learning problem or two. I talk with them, test them, confer with their parents, and then set up therapy programs when needed. The nature of my work dictates that I see many of these children over a span ranging from several months to—in the most severe cases—as long as ten years. So I've had the luxury of observing the development of different types of learners, and what I've witnessed from the earliest days of my career has supported my conviction that the way a child learns during his first years has a very predictable effect on his later ability to socialize, to perform athletically, and to function in the classroom. In fact. I've been able to anticipate the label of "Learning Disabled" in my clients and to predict their grades with incredible accuracy, simply by determining their inborn learning style.

It was also apparent from the start that the conclusions I'd reach about learning style after evaluating a particular child—did he prefer to use his eyes, his ears, or his sense of touch to absorb the information around him?—rarely came as a surprise to Mom and Dad. Most of these parental "suspicions," I found, had begun way back in the child's infancy, because the methods he used even then to explore his surroundings, combined with the kinds of toys he most enjoyed, made his preference for looking, listening, or moving pretty obvious. But it was just as obvious that no one was putting this valuable knowledge to work for the child! I was quickly convinced that if a child's learning style could be identified in infancy, before family experience had a chance to exert any influence, it must surely be inborn. And—much more important— awareness of this style could be a most useful piece of information to parents eager to plan the experiences and play the games from which their child would derive the most benefit—and the most fun!

To test my theory, I asked some parenting-class members at the Infant Center in Oklahoma City to complete a checklist of behaviors typical of infancy, marking those items that seemed to describe their babies. (A copy of this checklist appears on page 39.) I used educated guesswork

to list the infant behaviors. It seemed likely that a baby "Looker" would explore with his eyes and hands, enjoy toys he could manipulate, and delight in the sight of familiar faces and objects. A "Listener," I reasoned, would babble early and often, prefer toys that made noise, and respond quickly to familiar voices and to music. To wear the label of "Mover," a baby would have to be physically active, achieve motor milestones somewhat ahead of schedule, and love to be held and rocked. Naturally, many babies would have characteristics from two or even three of the categories. Nevertheless, I felt that a strong preference would be evident.

When the parents had finished their task, I observed the babies myself and completed a second checklist on each one. When I compared my more-objective observations with those of the parents, I found our conclusions to be identical in almost every case. So, learning style could be determined in infancy. This simple fact revealed two exciting possibilities. First, armed with knowledge of their baby's learning style and with carefully chosen toys and activities, parents could use their child's everyday play times to develop his weaker skills while reinforcing his natural strengths. Second, parents' early recognition of their child's learning style would give them plenty of time to gear their play and interactions with him towards building the skills that he would need as a student.

And, sure enough, in the years since my discovery of the major role played by learning style in a young child's development. I've been able to minimize my clients' classroom problems and help them become happier children. Language delays, poor eye-hand coordination, lagging reading-readiness skills, distractibility, weaknesses in the visual and conceptual skills needed for art and arithmetic—all have been improved simply by employing the teaching methods, the playthings, and the learning materials best suited to a child's age and preferred learning style.

Why is it important for a child to achieve learning-style balance? Certainly, a child absorbs quite a bit of information on his own, by way of his preferred sense. But, because school work and socializing rely on so many different skills—phonics on Listener skills, for example, and number formation on Looker skills—a child left to learn through a single style usually has less success than a child who can put all of his senses to work.

Fortunately, it's simple to encourage new ways of perceiving and learning. By making it a practice to sing, chant, and hum to a seemingly unappreciative Mover infant, you'll gradually sharpen his ability to

How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability

listen. And, while a baby Looker may initially be less than thrilled by long periods of holding and rocking, persisting with these actions will slowly increase his sensitivity to touch. In fact, once you begin to think in terms of your child's learning style, you'll automatically change the tone and style of your daily interactions with him—and this new approach is what will help you help him to maximize his learning ability.

Bill and Judy Lynner, for example, used some of the infant techniques discussed in Chapter Two to encourage their eight-month-old Mover to meet their gaze when they spoke or sang to him and to sit still long enough to enjoy a picture book. The Friedlanders employed several of the techniques for toddlers (see Chapter Three) to improve their Looker daughter's vocabulary from less than ten words to a level appropriate for two-and-a- half-year-olds—and within only six months! The DeVitos needed even less time, and a handful of activities geared for preschoolers (see Chapter Four), to help their Listener son overcome his confusion over letters and numbers and his anxiety about attending kindergarten.

But, what of the older child, the school-aged Looker, Listener, or Mover, who gets top grades in language arts and social studies but struggles endlessly with penmanship and such hands-on projects as map making and artwork? Or the after-school soccer star who is in constant demand when teams are chosen in gym class but holds a seemingly permanent spot in his grade's lowest reading group? Can anything be done to help a child whose particular style of learning is already affecting his happiness by slowing his progress in math or science, reading or language?

The answer is yes! Whether your child is two-and-a-half or twelve, in preschool or in junior high, the tools, toys, methods, and activities outlined in this book can be used to help him reach his potential. How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability will show you that though your child's learning style is an inborn and permanent feature, you can help him develop other ways of learning and, in doing so, round out his overall development.

Sprinkled throughout this book, you'll find a series of Learning Style QuickChecks, similar in design to the one I originally compiled for my Oklahoma City parenting class, but tailored to various age groups from babyhood through adulthood. These QuickChecks will help you to identify both your child's style of learning and your own.

In Chapter One, you'll discover how these learning preferences affect you, your child, and all of your daily dealings with your child. Additionally, Chapter One contains a list of child-development warning

signals—indications that your child may need assistance from a developmental optometrist, pediatric neurologist, or other professional.

Beginning with Chapter Two, you'll be taken step by step through infancy, toddlerhood, the preschool years, kindergarten, and grades one, four, and eight—key points in a child's development. In each chapter, you'll see the world through the eyes of three same-aged but different-style learners. It's important to note that although your child may show preferences in two categories—for instance, he may be a Looker-Listener or a Listener-Mover—these case studies profile children who each have only one learning style. This has been done to better highlight the characteristics of each type of learner.

After presenting the case studies, every chapter discusses a topic that is of relevance to the age group being examined. For example, in Chapter Two, "Learning Styles in Infancy," we look at simple ways in which you can improve a baby's receptiveness whenever you tend to or play with him, while Chapter Three, "Learning Styles in Toddlerhood," explains how you can choose the type of day-care program that would best suit your child.

Each of the chapters dealing with younger children lists dozens of specific toys, games, and techniques that are appropriate for that age group. These activity suggestions have been grouped according to the skill that you wish to build—looking, listening, or moving. First, you'll learn how to enhance an existing skill through activities and toys that draw upon that skill. Then, you'll learn how to encourage the development of a lagging skill through activities and toys that are multisensory in nature—that involve both the sense to be developed and another sense. Those multisensory playthings and games that employ a child's preferred sense are, of course, the ones that will wofk best for him.

Beginning in first grade, children are expected to master certain prescribed subject matter, and the ability to cope with class work and homework assignments becomes a priority. Chapter Six through Chapter Eight take subject-by-subject looks at the relationship of learning style to a child's school performance. Tips are also provided for working with your child's teacher, choosing appropriate extracurricular activities, and selecting homework strategies that best suit the learning style of your child. In Chapters Seven and Eight—which discuss fourth graders and eighth graders, respectively—techniques are presented for improving your child's academic performance in specific subjects, such as science, social studies, and language arts.

Because each chapter focuses on one age or grade, you'll find it easy to locate the information you're looking for. For instance, if your little

learner is five years old, by turning to Chapter Five, "Learning Styles in Kindergarten," you'll be able to read about other children—Lookers, Listeners, and Movers—who are the same age as your child. These case studies, coupled with a QuickCheck specifically designed for a five- to six-year-old, will allow you to easily determine your child's learning style. Chapter Five also contains a wealth of suggestions designed to enhance and develop the learning skills of the kindergartener, as well as a section on picking the best kindergarten class for each type of learner.

A special chapter. Chapter Nine, "Learning Problems and Possibilities," is designed to provide guidance for the parent whose child may require assistance beyond learning-style-based techniques. This chapter examines learning problems that can become learning disabilities, as well as learning disabilities of other origins. Information is provided about standard educational and diagnostic testing, and definitions of common diagnostic terms are included. Finally, treatments and therapies are examined, and suggestions are provided for parents who wish to offer their child maximum at-home support.

The concluding chapter of the book summarizes the role of learning style in everyday activities and examines how the three different styles eventually affect education and career choices. A recommended reading list is included for those parents who wish further information about learning patterns in children and adults, and a resource list guides the reader to distributors of those recommended toys, games, and educational materials that may not be available in stores.

As you browse through the lists of toys, techniques, and learning strategies, please bear several things in mind. First, be aware that my suggestions for the enhancement and development of your child's learning skills are just that—suggestions! I don't for a moment intend that they serve as ironclad rules around which parents should restructure their home lives, nor do I feel that it's important to try each and every one in a determined quest for academic perfection. What's important, however, is that you consider your child's and your own personalities when making toy and activity selections. Each of us is unique, after all, and an idea that you find quite appealing or that you feel would be just perfect for your little learner may be discarded just as quickly by the next parent!

Second, I urge you not to restrict yourselves to the recommended toys and educational materials if your search of store shelves turns up something even better. Nor should you limit your activity choices to a single list within a chapter if you spot an idea listed elsewhere that

sounds like something your child would really enjoy. For example, you may feel that your young Looker would be enthralled by a particular toy from a list aimed at non-Lookers. Go ahead and try it; no doubt, you'll be right!

Finally, please remember that in presenting the learning-style modification techniques that follow, my goal is not that your child become class president, valedictorian, or world-class athlete, but simply that he move through his childhood and teen years as a happy, well-adjusted individual. Positive results may well occur immediately, but often take much longer. If your child is of school age, you can certainly look for improvement from one report card to the next. If he is younger, and so has little incentive to focus his energy on any sort of self-improvement, winning him over to a particular toy or activity may take several tries spanning several months. But, whether your child is fourteen months or fourteen years of age, you're sure to get the best results when your times together are unhurried, undertaken when you're both relaxed and rested, and kept short enough to end on a high note.

It's been hammered home by my clinical experiences that what a child is like in the crib foreshadows what he'll be like in the classroom, on the playing field, at club meetings, and at home. It stands to reason, then, that the earlier parents understand their child's style of learning, the better their chance to help him improve and broaden that style by gently shaping his home experiences. We know that early learning preferences hold firm over time. Though one learning style will continue to take the lead throughout your child's life. How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability will enable you to reinforce those skills and traits with which your child was blessed at birth while also encouraging those skills that do not come as naturally. And it's a tossup as to which of you will be more delighted with the results!

Lauren Bradway Oklahoma City, OK

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A Word About Gender

Your child is certainly as likely to be a boy as a girl; however, our language does not provide us with a genderless pronoun. To avoid using the awkward "he/she" or the impersonal "it" when referring to your child while still giving equal time to both sexes, the feminine pronouns "she," "her," and "hers" have been used in odd-numbered chapters, while the male "he," "him," and "his" appear in all the rest. This decision was made in the interest of simplicity and clarity.

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Introduction

I first met Joey Billings late in his kindergarten year. This bright six-and- a-half-year-old had started school as an inquisitive, outgoing chatterbox, but an ensuing eight-month struggle with printing, drawing, and letter recognition had left his self-esteem badly battered. Joey had taken to calling himself "dumb-head" and "crazy," and lately had begun inventing reasons to stay home from school.

Because of his classroom difficulties, a special education setting had been recommended for Joey for first grade. His mother, distraught over the effect this confirmation of his feelings of inadequacy would have on her son, wanted to know what she could do at home to help him avoid the transfer and regain his self-confidence.

To determine Joey's learning style, his mother and I took a close look at his interests and preferred ways of learning. Next, we compiled a list of activities that would draw on Joey's well-developed vocabulary and excellent verbal skills—his inborn Listener skills—while improving his visual memory, printing, and eye-hand coordination—the lagging Looker skills that were causing him so much distress. Throughout these consultations, I called upon my background in educational diagnosis and remediation, my familiarity with the Listener style of learning, and my experiences with similarly troubled schoolchildren. For her part, Mrs. Billings needed only her knowledge of her son.

Three things were resolved at the start. First, Joey's home "therapy" must be fun. Simple mazes and snap-together blocks soon replaced the puzzles that Joey found so frustrating, and projects and outings were planned with the boy's interests in mind. For example, an ant farm and

trips to the planetarium and video arcade were all used as fun ways to focus visual attention. Moreover, game-like strategies were employed to incorporate Joey's strong verbal skills with beginning reading and writing. For instance, the letter T was printed in green and called a "tree," and when writing, Joey pretended that each letter sat on the grass, some with parts that reached underground, others with parts that touched the sky.

Second, Joey's mother and I decided that all activities and techniques would be presented to Joey as play , rather than as a prescription for academic success. Thus, Joey would not feel pressured to "succeed" at what appeared to be a task.

Third, it was important that everything could be implemented in a minimum of time and as part of Joey's and Mrs. Billings' ordinary routines. Joey's mother, like so many parents with jobs and other children, simply couldn't squeeze any extra one-to-one time into her day.

Just four months later, and in plenty of time for first grade, Joey's readiness skills tested on grade level. Mrs. Billings continued tailoring her son's home experiences to his Listener learning style throughout the year, and, to her delight, Joey's June report card praised both his strong reading skills and his positive attitude toward school!

I've met many Joeys over the years. Of course, they didn't all share the strong language skills that are part of the Listener learning style. Some have been Lookers, with excellent visual skills but difficulty hearing the distinction between sounds, and trouble following directions. Others have been Movers, with great coordination but problems recalling and using what they'd seen and heard. But, no matter what the child's age or gender, and no matter what the lagging skill that led his parents to consult me, a communication disorders specialist, in the first place, an understanding of that child's learning style has enabled his parents to help him in the same way Mrs. Billings helped Joey.

You see, even so-called "remedial" activities can be approached at home through a child's strong suit, allowing him to have fun and do what interests him while actually bolstering a weak skill. Multisensory teaching devices, which are based on the same practice of simultaneously appealing to two or more senses, have long been a staple of extra-help programs. These materials have become equally popular in the classroom, where they take such forms as science kits, hands-on math apparatus, and books on tape. And, for a child too young to have displayed specific weaknesses, shaping his interactions and play according to the way he learns best will ensure a pleasingly balanced development. With his toys, his outings, and even his physical care approached with his learning style in

mind, the child will be happy at home, happy at play—and happier still for having been able to circumvent potential learning problems! And his parents? What greater thrill could Mom or Dad have than watching their child bypass frustration and classroom problems on his way to becoming a well-rounded, sociable, confident individual? What greater benefit could there be than to watch their relationship with their child blossom as they gain a new understanding of his needs?

Joey was a client, so I was able to guide his mother's home-therapy efforts in person during our office sessions. But, since this book contains all that I shared with Mrs. Billings—the same background information, the same Learning Style QuickChecks, and the same explanations of the toys and tasks best suited for each of the three types of learners in each age group —How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability will perform exactly the same function for you.

Just what should you do once you've identified the learning style of your own child? Is it really possible to help your child become a balanced learner? Can you, for example, introduce wind instruments to encourage the love of music in your budding pianist, yet still provide opportunities for his social and physical growth? Can you further channel the energy of your preschool gymnast by enrolling her in dancing school, but also make time in her busy schedule for activities that will boost her language and art skills? In the long run, can you encourage the areas in which she naturally shines and still give support to her less-favored skills—even if you're apart for many hours of the day?

The upcoming chapters will demonstrate that the answer is a reassuring "Yes," because the tactics and toys that have worked for me don't have to be added to an already hectic day. Your understanding of your child's learning style will enable you to incorporate recommended techniques into existing family work and play times.

Read this book, and you'll discover why there's a link between certain skills, balanced learning, and a child's happiness. Fill out the QuickChecks, and you'll gain a new understanding of your child's learning style and of that style's effects on his everyday life. Use the activities and techniques recommended for your child's age and orientation, and you'll do wonders for his development and self-esteem and for your interactions with him. And, most important, have fun!

Chapter One

Learning Styles and Lifestyles

When you step out the door on a spring morning, what is it about your surroundings that seems to command your attention? Is it the violets blooming on the windowsill across the street and the fact that everyone suddenly seems to be wearing pastel colors? Do you first sense the sun's warmth and the way the stiff breeze feels as it ruffles your hair and clothing? Or do you find yourself glancing at the street sweeper hissing its way around the corner while you idly wonder whether your neighbor is ever going to replace that missing muffler?

It's more than coincidence that you find yourself drawn to the sights, the sensations, or the sounds around you above all else. Throughout our lives, we use all of our senses to learn, but tend to consistently favor one sense over the others. This natural preference dictates how we learn best—by looking, listening, or moving—as well as what we learn and how quickly we learn it. Quite often, this preference also helps shape our attitude toward the whole learning process.

This chapter contains information that will familiarize you with the Lookers, Listeners, and Movers in your life. A Learning Style Quick- Check for Parents (see page 16) will enable you to identify your own learning style, and you'll discover how this style colors your daily dealings with your child, and how your child's style can either complement or clash with yours. Then, you'll be given a look at some common child-development stumbling blocks, as well as the professionals who can help your child overcome these problems.

UNDERSTANDING THE THREE LEARNING STYLES

A substantial capacity for achievement is programmed into every one of us at birth. As adults, we'd certainly like to be able to say we've fulfilled our potential; but many of us, thinking back to past learning problems or a disinterest in school, have good reason to suspect otherwise! Consider the brilliant student who later finds himself limited to a series of low-profile jobs because of problems relating to clients and coworkers. Or the dynamic public speaker who gives up his dream of college teaching because of his poor writing skills. Or the gifted high school athlete who is wooed to a prestigious university on scholarship, only to buckle under academic pressures during his freshman year. Fortunately, it's possible for today's parents to rescue their children from a similar fate.

Throughout our lives, we learn by absorbing and using different bits of information from the world around us. Researchers and educators often make reference to "visual," "auditory," and "kinesthetic" or "tactile" learners, depending on whether the subjects in question most often rely on their eyes, their ears, or their sense of touch. However, I've found it simpler to use the terms "Lookers," "Listeners," and "Movers" to describe the way the children in my practice learn best.

While there's certainly no right or wroftg way to learn, nor is there a way to hand-pick one's learning style, my years of working with youngsters have convinced me of the tie between well-developed Looker and Listener skills—those skills that allow us to follow directions, visualize, pronounce, remember, and reproduce material—and a child's classroom and social well-being. Without fail, stronger skills have meant happier, better-rounded children. So this matter surely warrants close attention from parents!

Is there a connection between gender and learning style? Might girls have an easier time than boys fitting into the school picture? It depends. You see, many girls favor the Listener style of learning, being sensitive to sounds and very attentive to such social cues as facial expression, speech pattern, and tone of voice. They also tend to have larger vocabularies and speak earlier than boys. It's been shown that many boys, on the other hand, have sharper visual skills, better coordination and muscle control, and a more accurate sense of space than their female counterparts. So boys are most often Lookers, who possess some of the skills that will benefit them as schoolchildren, or Movers, who won't find the going as easy.

There are certainly as many exceptions to this rule as there are female

Learning Styles and Lifestyles

athletes and artists, or male lecturers and composers. It's also important to remember that learning patterns aren't always clearly defined and may be found in combination with other styles, as in Looker-Movers or Looker-Listeners. But, you're bound to recognize a number of people you know in the following descriptions, indicating that many people clearly exhibit one particular style.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

A Word About Gender

Introduction

Learning Styles and Lifestyles