Preschoolers can learn to read and do math – in just minutes a day

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June 2, 2008

dEcode for Kids has proven to be simple and effective in teaching kids how to read and do math

June 2, 2008, TORONTO -- dEcode for Kids is a unique program that teaches children between the ages of 3 and 6, earlier is even better, successful literacy and numeracy skills ­ in just minutes a day.

What parent doesn’t want their child to learn early and give them a head start at reading and doing math before they enter kindergarten? Generally speaking, when it comes to teaching their children how to read, parents don’t lack desire but more often it’s the lack of the tools and the time to do it. dEcode for Kids solves both these problems.

"In dEcode for Kids, both the reading and math programs are designed for maximum efficiency which is so important for children at this age whose primary job is to play!" says Leslie Grant (M.Ed.), Director of The Lawrence Park School in North Toronto, which uses the dEcode for Kids programs. "Ten minutes a day is more than enough, and the children really enjoy both the books and the CD programs."

Just about every level of society, inclusive of governments, municipalities, school boards, teachers and parents are recognizing the importance of starting the process of reading and doing math in the preschool years of a child’s life.

Teaching a child to read is considered the key to building self-confidence and instilling the necessary skills to succeed in school and life, according to the Ontario Ministry of Education.

dEcode for Kids is an effective program for teaching pre-kindergarten children how to read, because dEcode for Kids was founded on the same principles as ABC dEcode and 123 dEcode. Both ABC and 123 dEcode were developed through over thirty years of clinical practice with kids and adults struggling with dyslexia, Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), Learning Disabilities (LDs), and low literacy. These programs have proven to be successful 100 per cent of the time where the student follows the recommended course. The difference is that the full dEcode system, provides more in-depth drilling practice to overcome specific sorts of problems which for most children are not necessary.

With over thirty years of clinical practice, working with hundreds of young children between the ages of three and six, Dr. Debby Chesnie Cooper recognized a need for the very young to have an enticing way to learn about sounds and numbers. The dEcode for Kids curriculum delivers a solid learning foundation in reading for pre-school children and gives them an accelerated head-start in learning to read.

"dEcode for Kids is different than any other program as it is the only reading program that starts at the very beginning ­ with the auditory coding of single sounds," says Dr. Debby Chesnie Cooper, Developmental and Educational Psychologist and Director of The Chesnie Cooper Educational Centre*, leaders in child and educational psychology. "Other reading programs skip too quickly over the early stages of phonetic decoding­ only dEcode for Kids takes all the steps required to truly learn to decode. The dEcode for Kids program, with its careful early attention to auditory coding can even overcome certain mild LDs which may then never manifest in the future for the young learner."

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For further information contact:

Peter Turkington
Strategic Communications Solutions
ON BEHALF OF DR. DEBBY CHESNIE COOPER
Direct Phone: 905.901.9218
Email: pturkington@stratcommsolutions.ca
Web: www.stratcommsolutions.ca

Can medication cure all ills?

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September 20, 2007

Maybe not – Dr. Chesnie Cooper focuses on remediation

September 20, 2007, TORONTO - Attention Deficit Disorder, or as it's currently known, Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder, is a medical condition affecting approximately three to five per cent of the population according to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH).

However, many more children are being medically treated for AD/HD than this statistic implies.

• Children who have been in remedial programs for years.
• Those who have had occupational therapy recommended to them.
• Kids who have been told that they have ADHD, and been put on medication, only to discover that there's little or no improvement.
• Occupational or speech and language therapy isn't yielding the necessary results.
• The prescribed medication doesn't help, the child is angry and there are behavioural problems at home around the issue of homework.

These children have been misdiagnosed.

Due to the similar symptoms, it is not uncommon for Central Auditory Processing Disorder/Deficit (CAPD) to be diagnosed as ADHD, behavioural difficulties, language and communication disorders, autism, dyslexia and learning disabilities.

The term Central Auditory Processing Disorder/Deficit or just Auditory Processing Disorder/Deficit is new to many people. Even for those parents, educators and professionals who are aware of this term, it is difficult to understand exactly what it is, how significant it can be, what the behavioural symptoms are and how it affects individuals academically, socially and in work situations.

In defining CAPD, The American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) 2005 includes the word "central" because part of the definition includes difficulties within the central nervous system.

The definition refers to difficulties in the processing of auditory information in the central nervous system (CNS) as demonstrated by poor performance in one or more of the following skills: sound localization and lateralization, auditory discrimination, and auditory pattern recognition.

"If an incorrect diagnosis occurs, the individual may either receive medication aimed at a medical issue, or receive therapy for behavioural issues, neither of which addresses the basic underlying auditory problem," says Dr. Deborah Cooper, Psychologist and Director of The Chesnie Cooper Educational Centre. "CAPD is not a medical problem. There is no pill that will cure it. CAPD can cause frustration, both with the individual and within the family, but family and behavioural therapy will not cure it either. Only appropriate remediation will."

Upon hearing the label CAPD, many parents are puzzled, since "auditory" represents hearing. Most people assume the term "auditory" deals only with the process of accurately detecting the presence of sound and its physical attributes.

However, it is possible for a person's hearing to test normal, and still have difficulty understanding conversations when background noise is present or when the individual they're speaking to is talking too fast.

This proves that hearing of speech goes well beyond the ear. The situation mentioned above can be explained as a breakdown in the translation system from the ear to the brain.

Once correctly identified with CAPD, the results are often similar to that of Johnny's, a student of The Chesnie Cooper Educational Center who was at the bottom three per cent of reading capability, and after a year and a half, can read anything he wants. "Thank you, Mommy, 'cause now I'm just like all the other kids. And I can read."

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For further information contact:

Peter Turkington
Strategic Communications Solutions
Public Relations Specialists
ON BEHALF OF DR. DEBORAH COOPER
& THE CHESNIE COOPER EDUCATIONAL CENTRE
Direct Phone: 905.901.9218
Email: pturkington@stratcommsolutions.ca
Web: www.stratcommsolutions.ca

Learning disabilities affect up to 20 per cent of North American population

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 16, 2007

Effective treatment available when LD properly identified

August 16, 2007, TORONTO – Learning Disabilities (LDs) are extremely common. Over 15 per cent of the Canadian population have “low literacy skills” according to a report by ABC Canada Literacy 2005. The International Dyslexia Association puts the number at 15-20 per cent. That means in a class of 30 students, 3 to 5 children will have an LD and need special education to overcome it.

In layman’s terms, an LD is anything that causes a student to fail to learn for no apparent reason, this according to DSM-IV-TR, the Bible of mental health diagnosis. A learning disorder does not mean that someone is lacking intelligence. In fact, a person with an LD might earn an “A” in math but “F” in reading, or vice versa.

“This point needs so much emphasis because virtually all people with an LD secretly think they are not intelligent. Almost universally, they believe they are ‘stupid,’” says Dr. Deborah Cooper, psychologist, and director of The Chesnie Cooper Educational Centre*. “Disabilities are neither predictable nor preventable — they are not the result of bad parenting, laziness, lack of will power, or lack of foresight. They are not anyone’s fault.”

The key to successful treatment of LDs is correct diagnosis. However, due to similar symptoms, CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Deficit) can be misdiagnosed as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). This is an important distinction as one requires medication, the other does not.

Christine Rick recalls that her son was in Senior Kindergarten when the school observed he was having experiencing high levels of frustration; it was suggested he needed occupational therapy. A learning disability was not suspected because his grades were good. But in grade 2 he was experiencing even higher levels of frustration and was depressed. The Pediatrician referred him to a psychologist who, after an educational assessment, determined he had ADHD. However, over the next year and a half, his depression heightened and the problem worsened.

“My son [now] is 9 years old and in grade 4…This school year, things came to a head. My son withdrew into himself. He wanted to be alone. He hated school and wanted to be home schooled. He wished he was dead,” reports Christine. “I was distraught and unsure what to do next.”

Mrs. Rick’s pediatrician referred them to Dr. Chesnie Cooper, a psychologist renowned for her research and specialization in helping people with CAPD and other learning disabilities, Her awareness of the similarity of the symptoms of CAPD and ADHD is critical in the depth of her testing as well as her remedial follow through.

“After only 2 visits and a conference call with Dr. Chesnie Cooper, significant changes began to take place in Edward’s life,” says Mrs. Rick. “My son now sleeps through the night; he smiles and laughs. He tells jokes and loves to be around people; he loves school again; and he is feeling more confident about himself.”

“Someone with an LD, by definition, has “at least” average intelligence. As soon as a diagnosis has identified what is holding someone back, the way opens to effective treatment,” says Dr. Cooper. “Such is the case with Edward Rick and many others like him.”

* A division of The Chesnie Cooper Psychology Professional Corp.

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To schedule an interview contact:

Peter Turkington
Strategic Communications Solutions
ON BEHALF OF DR. DEBORAH COOPER
& THE CHESNIE COOPER EDUCATIONAL CENTRE
Direct Phone: 905.901.9218
Email: pturkington@stratcommsolutions.ca