Questions about Lindamood-Bell???

Yes, yes, yes, it’s worth it, but your district should pay for it, not you!!!!

Each of their clinics offers a list of housing options in their respective area. I believe you can find this at their website. They even tell you which housing is “parent recommended”. Good Luck!

How do you get your district to pay for it? How do you go about doing it? I am really, really new to this and I’m just now learning to stand up for what we want from the school district. Any information ANYBODY can give me will be greatly appriciated.

How long are you willing to temporarily move for and how much are you willing to pay? When I looked into LMB, the reading clinic recommended 4 days per week for 9 mo.!! It was an hour away from my house and would have cost us around $8-10K. Just the 2hour drive every night was too overwhelming for me! I could not justify disrupting our life for 9mo. and prevent my dd from doing the after school activities (sports) that she so enjoys.

So, I went to PACE and got certified in PACE and MTC(Master the Code). It cost me $2700 and I have to do it (my husband and I tag teamed), but we have the convenience of no travel and I can go back and redo lessons that I wanted to see more improvement in.

I was really wanting someone else to do the tutoring, but with PACE/MTC you have to do alot of the work anyway as a parent - they call it homework.

PACE/MTC is very easy to learn. You don’t have to be a trained, certified professional. You just have to be willing to put the time into it and be able to work with your child. We have found many creative ways to get our dd to work with us!

I’ve been very pleased with the program. My very dyslexic 8yr old, can now decode most any word and knows HOW to read. She still makes alot of errors, but ALWAYS gets the word right when you make her go back (it’s frustrating). Her spelling is not where I want either, but she is different with her spelling than before. She is starting to visualize words, where she didn’t in the past. She is making progress.

DEA, Can you explain a little more? I’ve never heard of a LMB regional center recommending their intensive program for 9 months! It’s meant to be a short-term, intensive program.

It was not an LMB clinic - it was a reading clinic that does mainly LMB (they also provided PACE and was just starting to provide MTC - fyi - their feedback to me was that they were getting similar results with both).

There is an LMB clinic, also an hour away, but I had been given some negative feedback on them from several unrelated sources. It was even more expensive and people were not getting good results.

I questioned the 9month committment and one of the reasons I chose PACE/MTC was that I thought I could get thru both programs in like 4mo. Well, it’s been 9mo and we did get thru PACE in 4mo., but have peetered out on finishing MTC. We have just been way to busy this spring/summer.

We have year round school, so we don’t have a choice of doing ‘crash’ courses. I’m not sure my dd would fare well with a 4hr a day LMB course - she loses too much intensity. So it’s something else to consider.

I have to start by saying that I am highly skeptical of a place that asks a 9 month commitment. I work in a private practice (not mine) so I am familiar with how to get people in and keep them as a marketing strategy. I myself never do anything I think is unethical or crossign the line and guess what, I have a large number of very happy patients who refer others. In my eyes, this clinic is selling itself too hard if they offer housing and the like. There is no one program out there that fixes or cures a problem. There is no one right methodology to try. Each child is an individual and that is why it is so important to find a therapist and/or tutor who can adapt programs for your individual child’s nees. Lindamod Bell is useful and effective for some and not others. But it should never be your only option , and not for that proce. You could buy the stuff yourself for under $300 and its really not so very hard to learn to use with a good consultant therapist. I pisked it up quickly as a graduate student without certification. Certification courses are great if you want to learn the technique, but often they aren’t needed to learn the technique. As a parent you need to be careful of any method that promises quick and/or amazing results across the board. And to be honest, Lindamood Bell is boring and will not be motivating for your child if done alone in a clinic. Its better done in combination with other activities at home or with a tutor/therapist who incorporates other things esp. movement activities. Programs are only programs. You need a good tutor or local therapist.

I hear what you are saying and appreciate your comment. How do we avoid the traps? Some of us are desperate parents and I myself tended to fall too quickly in the past. Now that I am “gun-shy” I am hesitant about pursuing any program. That can’t be good either.

It is very difficult to find someone who is a “straight shooter” and will give an honest professional opinion about what your child needs. They will convince you that their program is the right one for you and if they sense your desperation, they turn up the pressure. Its all about money, whether their service is appropriate for your child or not.

There are just so many different programs out there, how do you know what is right for your child. Every professional I have seen has a different opinion and a different course of treatment.

What professional would you seek out for a neutral opinion on course of treatment. Any suggestions?

I was only offering Wendy an alternative to going to an LMB clinic that she would have to uproot and move for some period of time.

We have found PACE/MTC a good alternative to that, got the training myself and it was much cheaper.

I did not use the reading clinic that wanted a 9mo. committment. I was skeptical myself, but like I posted before, I am finding that it sometimes takes that long when you are dealing with cognitive remediation.

There are many other programs that do require a year committment to see optimal results. Audiblox, NACD both come to mind(I will also add PACE/MTC although they advertise less, it is taking us much longer - it will be a good year before we are done).

You might want to ask a school therapist what they think, they aren’t pushing any program? Or a therapist who offeres a variety of programs, many places offer more than one and wouldn not push any one on you, a speech, learning clinic might work.

I think we have to separate out the LMB regional center from the “reading clinic” described above that recommended LMB for 9 months. That sounds to me as though it’s simply a clinic of hired tutors who happen to use LMB as their reading remediation program.

As a private tutor, I would never say to a parent that I think their child will need to see me for the entire school year (9 months or so, right?) I usually say that I’ll commence work and we’ll reassess every couple months to see where we are because I can’t predict how quickly a child will progress. But some tutors DO say that it would be best for a child to work with them for that school year. I don’t think that’s necessarily a terrible thing. Nearly all the kids I work with do end up needing this tutoring for most or all of the school year and I”ve worked with some children for several years.

So I wouldn’t be terribly critical of a reading clinic who thinks a child is so behind that it would be advisable for the child to work with them for a year after school. I imagine it’s for an hour a day several times a week? It isn’t something I’d feel comfortable saying but I don’t think it’s designed to be an evil, money-making scheme. I questioned it only because I THOUGHT initially that it was an LMB regional center stating the child needs to work at their intensive level of several hours a day for 9 months. THAT would be terribly excessive! So I’m glad it’s cleared up.

I do take issue with what I see as a blanket statement about LMB being too boring to be motivating to kids. I use LMB, not exclusively (I would never make the claim that it’ll solve everyone’s reading problems), but very frequently and my students don’t find it boring. There are parts of it some of them find hard (the blocks!) but I’ve learned how to vary it and keep the pace moving so we pass through those parts quickly each session. Anyone trained by LMB will tell you that the trainer has gotten stuck in a rut if the child is feeling that way. There should be a rhythm to those sessions. They emphasize short segments, no more than 5 minutes each, of the various activities. I would describe the method in the hands of a good trainer as a “hit the ground running” style where over the course of the hour, you constantly move in about 5 minute segments from one activity to the next, none ever long enough for a child to find tedious. If it’s plodding, the trainer’s doing it wrong.

I love LMB because there are so many different ways to approach a stumbling block. I question the trainer’s ability to use everything available in the LMB method if the children are finding it so uninspiring.

little lulu, as a parent, I faced the same problem. The only way I felt I got an objective opinion was by getting a full psycho-educational eval by an excellent private sector psychologist. His report included recommendations on which programs would best meet her unique needs - and Lindamood-Bell was certainly within the realm in our case. It turned out he was right.

although I find that each person I speak to (and there are many on our team) has their own paradigm. Only time and experience has shown me who is the best advisor. In our case a speech therapist he saw 4 years ago has proven to be the most up to date, and smart about what would work for him. But I always get as many opinions as I can - I learn more that way too.

??? I don’t really see your point?? I’m not advising that you go to a reading center for tutoring for 9mo???

I’m saying there are alternatives to LMB that a parent can do at home that are cheaper alternatives rather than having to ‘move’ to get the help.

I don’t believe I stated that LMB was boring either??? That was someone else’s post. I stated that if a clinic was offering an intensive crash course and it’s like a 4hr hour at a time sitting - that is way too long for certain age children. My dd is only 8 and will lose intensity after an hour. I learned a great deal from when we were on program with NACD and you need the right intensity, duration, frequency to get optimal results when you are doing cognitive remediation - which is what my dd needs.

P.S. My dd did LMB 3 yrs ago with a private tutor and then again with the school a year ago. Both times I saw 0 results. Not because LMB was a bad program, but it was not implemented with the right intensity, duration, frequency etc. As a parent, I was also frustrated with the program because I could not reinforce what she was learning with LMB at home. It is not intuitive unless you have been certified. That is a big plus for programs like Master the Code - it’s very easy and parents are doing the same lessons with the child at home.

I’m very happy I chose the route we took vs. going to ANY clinic or tutor. (also, the reading clinic we were looking at was not just a bunch of tutors - they are a highly reputable reading clinic in our city, and the instructor we would have seen was trained by the Lindamoods and worked in their clinic in California - she was extremely knowledgeable on the program and had alot of experience. The reading academy was actually much more experienced than the LMB clinic that opened in our city.).

Joan,

I just want to also say that I have not unilaterally heard great things about the Lindamood clinics. I have heard that at least some provide people with pretty minimal training, pay them low rates, and charge parents high rates. I have heard that this is especially a problem in the summer when demand is high.

I don’t know if there is any way to totally guarantee what you are getting for your kid. Some of it is asking enough questions. Some is luck.

Beth

Hi DEA, If you trace the pathway of my post, you’ll see it’s in response to Cheryl’s, not to yours. I was addressing some of what she said about LMB being boring. That’s why I made sure my branch of the “tree” was connected to hers.

I was originally confused by your initial post on the topic of that reading clinic but when you explained in your response to my question that it wasn’t an LMB regional center, but a reading clinic unconnected to LMB, then I understood. As I stated at least once, maybe twice previously on this thread, LMB wouldn’t recommend 9 months at their intensity of several hours a day. That’s what I originally misunderstood your first post to mean. But you clarified and I understood.

I then went on, (read my post) to state that I can understand how a reading clinic might advise a full school year of tutoring at their clinic in LMB or any other method for that matter if it’s one that they feel would work for the child. A full year of after school (one hour a day, I assume, right?) several times a week would be about the equivalent of a short-term intense LMB regional center experience.

I don’t make such recommendations for my students but that’s a personal preference.

Everything else I posted about LMB, and in fact the main reason for my post, was in response to Chery’s post because she may know kids who’ve had bad experiences being tutored in LMB. I’ve seen teachers who don’t apply it right. That’s why LMB won’t recommend anyone who’s attended their training sessions. While it’s maddening to me as someone trained by them, it’s also understandable. They don’t know if I, or anyone else other than tutors at their own centers, is implementing it correctly; it’s their reputation that stands to be smeared, and so they’re protecting their turf. I can respect that even though it probably means I don’t get as much business as I would if they’d recommend me.

As far as their own trainers at their regional centers, all I know is what I see for myself at the one regional center with which I’m familiar. They are vigorously overseen. LMB maintains a strict quality control.

As I said in my post you’ve taken issue with, I don’t claim that LMB will cure all reading woes. I don’t use it exclusively. But I will defend it when I think the issue is more that the method is being used incorrectly than that there’s anything inherently wrong with the program itself. It’s a fine program. There are many fine programs. I’ve stated time and time again on these boards that you can take any fine remediation program, apply it intensively ala LMB for, say, 6 weeks at a time 4 or so hours a day and you’re going to achieve great results. It’s the intensity of the program combined with it being properly taught to a student who needs it that makes it work. There’s no magic bullet there. LMB happens to be the one program that’s married a strong program with strong salesmanship in a short, intense formula that’s not been done by the other known programs.

I didn’t in any way, shape or form criticize your decision. I think if you carefully reread my posts, you’ll see that.

Could some of you give me some of the websites for some of these programs that you have mentioned. I would like to get some more information on them . Specifically ,on any which could help with visualization problems. I need as much information and help as I can get at this point.Thanks!

I didn’t mean to make a blanket statement, I apologize, I rather don’t like to do that. I do play based therapy involving movement because that is what I believe works best for kids with LD. Sometimes I so sit down therapy and it works well for some kids. I guess in my experience as an adult with ADHD/SI issues I really feel for a lot of kids who need help. Sitting still for stuff is boring for me, maybe it really isn’t for them. Much of LMB is great stuff and I use similar stuff in my therapy, but I try to do it in a real life environemnt that will carry over.I also know that kids with reading/writing issues often need movement with therapy to make it stick. Its just personal preference, I am sorry it came out otherwise.

Cheryl, I agree with you about movement as a door to learning. I’ve read some of Eric Jensen’s books on the topic and have incorporated a lot of movement into my work with certain children. Several kids can’t learn unless they are also doing something physical, even if it’s as simple as manipulating some putty in their hands - they need the physical stimulus to their brain. Others sit on those inflated pillows, while others sit on a large ball as we work. Some learn best lying on their stomachs, propping themselves up with their elbows.

I’ve also learned to break the work up into segments with ALL my kids, even those who don’t need it. Everybody takes a 5 minute break (myself included) after a half hour where they MUST move about. Jensen recommends a 5 minute break following every 20 minute segment of concentrated attention for optimum benefits. If I could get my paying parents to understand that, I’d do it with more kids.

Some of his books are “Brain Based Learning”, “Teaching With the Brain in Mind”, “Learning with the Body in Mind”. They’re great books.

I have heard the same thing as Beth. Just before the Lindamood Clinic opened near us, they advertised for college students and others to apply. No experience needed and they would train them in Lindamood programs. The clinic opened two or three weeks after the ad ran, so it’s hard to see how the staff would have been able to gain practice and expertise with the programs.

It seems to boil down to the expertise of the person using the Lindamood materials. They must be experienced, understand learning differences, and be able to adapt to your child’s particular difficulties with the concepts. For example, the V&V (Visualizing and Verbalizing) Program is very valuable, but I don’t think someone could just sit down with the manual and use the program. As someone who’s taken a training at the Lindamood headquarters, I know the manual is written in a rambling style and the upper levels of the program, which involve writing, are not well defined.

Always make sure you get a good independent assessment before you develop your plan for your child. Then base your choice of programs on the difficulties it reveals.

Check out www.Lindamoodbell.com Go into the critical thinking tab. They explain Verbalization/Visualization there.

I agree with Joan. Because my son was making progress he was anything but bored-he was pushing for more. Our tutour said she’d prepare two days worth of lessons and he’d do them in one-and this was 4 hours a day. She varied it,they had breaks and games. I can’t imagine anything else being the real LMB.I just wonder if some of these failed LMB’s are when it was tried in too little doses by untalented teachers. I know our tutour said she was irritated by some of the public school teachers there for training that kept looking for a formula to apply when the message she got was there is no formula -each child is different.