In previous posts, I wrote about my friend Melissa Karydas – who designed a learning resource (Looking Learning) to teach her daughter Georgie how to understand the meanings of different words and and how to choose the right words.
Melissa has read my posts and while she was happy that I was singing her praises – she wanted me to make two things clear.
1. She is not a Speech Therapist. She is a motivated mum ( a physiotherapist by training) who has had success in helping her daughter Georgie who has a language learning challenge.
2. She wants to make it clear the commitment you need to help a child with language learning challenges. She wants to help other parents – because she knows what it’s like to be so frustrated when your child can’t master the basics of language.
First you’ve got to give them a vocabulary and the meanings of different words – she says.
Melissa started off collecting huge folders of pictures from magazines to help her daughter.
Do you still have the folders? – I asked
I gave them away to other parents who needed help – Melissa explained.
Melissa has asked me to help her record some videos where she will explain the real challenges and her tips on how to help your kids.
I want to people to know what it’s really like – she says.
Building the vocabulary is a good start – but there’s lots of catching up to do – she says.
A lot of people give up because it’s so hard. I want to show people how to keep on trying and not give up!
I know this site Choose The Right Words jumps between two worlds:
1. my world of training executives (especially people from ESL background – English as a Second Language) and
2. Melissa’s world of helping people with language learning challenges.
I can see the similarities because I often use my corporate training techniques to help my son and I use the simple memory devices I use with my son to help these high-powered, super-successful executives
I can see the benefits of Melissa’s visual system to help my clients in my corporate work (with a modified vocabulary of course).
My son Orlando who has attention challenges and required lots of work to help him remember his schoolwork.
Whereas Melissa’s daughter Georgie was very silent and shy until she built a vocabulary – my son Orlando talks incessantly and has trouble sitting still. I have to work hard to get him to remember different words and how to spell.
I’m using some of Melissa’s Looking Learning images because my son learns visually (especially if there’s some humour).
Anyway, I hope this blog helps you whether you are:
1. someone who wants to help people with language learning challenges
2. a parent who wants to fast track your kids with their schoolwork
3. someone wanting to learn English
I plan to start recording videos with Melissa in the next couple of weeks.
Here are the earlier posts about Melissa:
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