Why me and my business? As an educator doing IM in group modes, I see a lot of individuals for a lot of different reasons. And... I take WAY TOO MANY notes! When a child leaves from 3 weeks of training with me, I have a file about 15 pages thick on them! I might as well share what I learn.
How is information gathered and shared? All the posts to come will be kept anonymous, of course! But I will try to paint a clear of a picture including the child's age, sex, diagnosis if any, beginning scores, ending scores, gains seen and most importantly, comments heard! I write down quotes from individuals on a daily or weekly basis, starting many days with the question, "Have you noticed anything different?" I work hard to give open ended questions. IE, if the child says, 'You're wearing a blue shirt' I might say, "Yes, and how about changes in yourself? Is there anything that's happened in the last day or two with you that seemed different?" I get very predictable responses... after I hear the same comment enough times, I am pretty confident IM is the reason for the gain. Some children will say some thing too general, ie, "I'm reading better." I'll seek more information by saying, "How are you seeing that, How can you tell?" and that's how I get the second half of the comment, usually an "I read 2 chapters last night, I usually don't get that much done."(speed) or " The words are easier, I know them." (Accruacy) Or "I got a 100% on my AR test yesterday."(Comprehension)
Am I an expert? Funny! (Wish I was but my brain is just not that big.) I am an educator, special education degree with a lot of reg ed experience, turned IM provider in 2002. Here's my take on this blog. I am not an expert, but I am very dedicated to the IM program and learning about how it impacts the brain. I read the lastest on dyslexia, autism, OCD, and other neuro- developmental disorders continuously. I read not just books but research. Does that mean what I say on this blog is fact and set in stone. Far from it. It's my best educated guess. I try to interpret to the best of my ability and share it with you. Take what you find helpful, throw away the rest. My ideas will probably change as new information becomes available anyway. Enjoy! Lori
