If you have a dc who fits the Einstein Profile, I need some help

[Storm Bay]

It's been confirmed that my middle one, who is 13, has the learning style called the Einstein Profile; it's also the one that has the highest percentage of dc that end up in special ed in ps. My dd is gifted and has benefitted by being homechooled all through her school years. However, she has passed the test to get into honours Algebra (the conceptual one--she was bored and hungry so did terrible on the easier test that followed, but is still going to be able to take honours Algebra) and so is going to be allowed a trial run at ps in Sept.

 

What would you suggest I do to help her prepare for academic success in ps? She's going to do band and ideally art as well (not sure how many electives she can do in grade 8 since they make them take prep classes for the state exam and she's never had it so won't get out of it).

[wapiti]

Has she been tested for LDs? what are her weaknesses? What, specifically, prompted them to say such a thing? There's "The Einstein Syndrome" book, but I don't think I ever heard it referred to as an actual learning style, especially by school district personnel. Do they simply mean twice-exceptional (2E), or a specific subset of 2E? Interesting. If you know the specific weaknesses, you might find help on the special needs board.

 

Is she a visual-spatial learner? You might take a look at some of the articles at http://www.visualspatial.org/ .

 

Other than that, I'd want to make sure reading comprehension, note taking, outlining and writing skills were ready (did you see the large Nan thread a while back on the K-8 board?), as well as time-management and schedule management - as for any typical middle schooler. I doubt any of this is a surprise, but that is what I'd be focusing on.

 

that's my two cents :)

[Rebecca VA]

There are so many syndromes and traits out there! There's the Einstein Syndrome (late-talking children, so-called from the book by Thomas Sowell) and the Edison Trait (nonconforming, rebellious learners, so-called from the book by Lucy Jo Palladino). I assume you mean the Edison Trait, right?

Edited April 18, 2011 by Rebecca VA

[Storm Bay]

Has she been tested for LDs? what are her weaknesses? What, specifically, prompted them to say such a thing? There's "The Einstein Syndrome" book, but I don't think I ever heard it referred to as an actual learning style, especially by school district personnel. Do they simply mean twice-exceptional (2E), or a specific subset of 2E? Interesting. If you know the specific weaknesses, you might find help on the special needs board.

 

 

Here's the list (I'm summing it up, not puting in every word):

Learns best through movement, focusing on the whole picture, emothional relevance to self [she is highly visual spatial, but also kinesthetic, which I knew by observation]

needs to move while processing internally...needs quiet time alone, esp when integrating new ideas or under stress

prefers not to follow step by step directions, tends to start by imagining the results & then intuitively doing what seems appropriate

may have difficulty communicating under stress (true at times; when she was little she would become silent and still when afraid, which made it easy to x-ray her arm when it was broken, but gave me concern if there were ever danger)

has difficulty accessing her dominant brain side when under stress

 

etc

 

She is gifted, but when she was younger she had trouble with auditory learning. This has improved. It's not so much that she has a learning disability, but that her learning style is the least suited the the traditional classroom. While she has improved, she has trouble with parts to whole learning.

 

There are so many syndromes and traits out there! There's the Einstein Syndrome (late-talking children, so-called from the book by Thomas Sowell) and the Edison Trait (nonconforming, rebellious learners, so-called from the book by Lucy Jo Palladino). I assume you mean the Edison Trait, right?

 

No, the learning profile believed to be the Einstein profile, but not the full Einstein Syndrome. she talked at a normal age and didn't read early, but then eye development in my family is on the late side and no one reads at 3, not even those who are pg. She's not my rebellious learner, but she is very noncomformist without trying to be so.

 

She'll need study skills, self-discipline, and a plan for success that includes turning in homework daily and asking for help immediately: http://stuy-pa.org/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=84 is typical of serious student expectations in my area. One of the nice things recently in my area is that recognition that multiple ways of teaching are needed ...the trend in the last twenty years of verbal explanations only and not using textbooks has resulted in such a high percentage ID'd as LD and remedial that there has been a significant push to include visual, models, multimedia etc in the reg. ed. classroom as well as funding dedicated for tutoring. For example, there is a math teacher paid to tutor during each study hall period. With the hungry issue - get the schedule in advance and talk to guidance about solutions. Many teachers here allow water bottle plus snack in classroom without a dr.'s note as they want students who are ready to learn. Also ask guidance how the planner is used in the school.

Thanks for all ofthis information, and the link. What's interesting is that even though she is undisciplined in some aspects of her learning and can get very distracted, but she takes quite a bit of time to set up her pages just so and freaks out if I start to set up a page for her the wrong way (very artistic and has strong opinions about how things should look, but that may be something separate from the learning profile. This child was drawing animals in motion in kindergarten, and fits the artistically gifted profile, too.) She used to get distracted in dance classes and then would distract other dc, but she has improved in this area (not in dance as she quit, in swimming.)

 

They do have a planner at the school that teens use for passes, writing homework, etc, although my eldest, who has the perfect learning style for ps but terrible executive function skills, and her solution is to write her homework on her arms:glare:.

[wapiti]

Here's the list (I'm summing it up, not puting in every word):

Learns best through movement, focusing on the whole picture, emothional relevance to self [she is highly visual spatial, but also kinesthetic, which I knew by observation]

needs to move while processing internally...needs quiet time alone, esp when integrating new ideas or under stress

prefers not to follow step by step directions, tends to start by imagining the results & then intuitively doing what seems appropriate

may have difficulty communicating under stress (true at times; when she was little she would become silent and still when afraid, which made it easy to x-ray her arm when it was broken, but gave me concern if there were ever danger)

 

 

If you haven't already read it, I highly recommend Linda Silverman's Upside Down Brilliance. It's out of print, but well worth getting on the wait list for at your library. I'd also be keeping introversion in mind.

 

ETA: what do you know, there's a book you may be looking for: Dreamers, Discoverers & Dynamos: How to Help the Child Who Is Bright, Bored and Having Problems in School (Formerly Titled 'The Edison Trait') http://www.amazon.com/Dreamers-Discoverers-Dynamos-Problems-Formerly/dp/0345405730/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303260769&sr=1-6 Interesting... (I've never seen it)

Edited April 20, 2011 by wapiti

[Storm Bay]

If you haven't already read it, I highly recommend Linda Silverman's Upside Down Brilliance. It's out of print, but well worth getting on the wait list for at your library. I'd also be keeping introversion in mind.

 

ETA: what do you know, there's a book you may be looking for: Dreamers, Discoverers & Dynamos: How to Help the Child Who Is Bright, Bored and Having Problems in School (Formerly Titled 'The Edison Trait') http://www.amazon.com/Dreamers-Discoverers-Dynamos-Problems-Formerly/dp/0345405730/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303260769&sr=1-6 Interesting... (I've never seen it)

 

I'll re-look at Upside Down Brilliance; it's been years since I read it (or the relevant parts, not sure if I read it all or not) and I'll look for that other one, too.

 

Hmm, I am on top of my son's team for control in the classroom - I'd also suggest working with guidance to make sure your child is not placed in any chaotic classrooms - i.e. included emotionally disturbed or clusters of disruptors. Foreign Language and nonhonors science seem to have a lot of these here. Ds uses ipod to block the input from the disruptor activity and give him the time to think and process. He also has a pass to guidance so he can leave before security arrives if the teacher calls for assistance and has the option to take his test into the hallway if the disruptors won't let others finish in quiet.

 

Movement- indoor minitramp if weather is bad. Whiteboard to work problems out.

 

Thanks. All electronics are banned (if they show, they're confiscated), so we'll have to look for something else. I am trying to get her into as many honours classes as possible, and hopefully she'll get into honours Spanish (too bad she doesn't want to do Latin, which is honours and even less likely to have disruptors.) but I'll see what I can do for help with disruptors in the other classes. The counsellor is good (same one as for my eldest dd as it's done alphabetically by surname, and I'm glad we found someone good because some are not.)

[RanchGirl]

Karin, I would like to learn more about the Einstein Profile you mentioned, can you recommend an author or book?

 

thanks!

Edited April 21, 2011 by RanchGirl

[desertmum]

Dear Karin -My ds is a late-talker who is extremely bright in science and anything mechanical, but he is also very intense. He hates it if something he does is not perfect the fist time. I never knew about the Einstein Syndrome until I read this post. Sorry I can't help you but I think YOU just helped me... :blushing:

[Storm Bay]

Karin, I would like to learn more about the Einstein Profile you mentioned, can you recommend an author or book?

 

thanks!

 

This book isn't all about the Einstein Profile, but The Dominance Factor by Carla Hannaford, Ph. D. is the first book I've ever read where the learning styles fit to a T (there are many of them.) No other book has ever had something that fits (usually they have learners lumped into just a few basic categories). It helps to have someone do the testing who knows what they are doing. My dc are all different (not surprising). http://www.amazon.com/Dominance-Factor-Knowing-Dominant-Learning/dp/0915556316 I'm planning to read some of these other books more closely now. The interesting thing in our house is that this dd, who has always marched to her own beat, is the one who is socially the most savvy (but then, one of her dominance factors is right brained--but that alone isn't enough to figure things out. Not that that took a test to figure out her brain dominance as hers has been blatantly obvious for years, but she didn't fit into a neat visual spatial package.)

 

My dd was a late talker compared with my eldest, my mother and my sister, but she wasn't a late talker compared with most dc. That's not a hard and fast rule here. I do have some late talkers among cousins on both sides of the family, though.

[wapiti]

Fascinating. It just so happens that I bought the Dominance Factor recently when I bought Brain Gym (I don't even remember why :D) but I haven't read it yet. Now I'm looking forward to reading it! Thanks for mentioning it!

[RanchGirl]

Karin, thanks for the info, I appreciate it! I'm looking forward to reading that book as I have one that sounds a lot like this and he is right handed but left eye dominant, hmmmmm.

[GypsieFamily]

I read the Einstein Syndrome when Peter was about four or five. It fitted him perfectly. He was later diagnosed with dyspraxia, which explained the speech issues. He still fits the profile perfectly.

 

The only, and I mean only, thing that has ever worked with Peter is to motivate him. He is one highly motivated child! Yesterday he got cross with Lucy for saying 'can't'. "Can't just means you need to try harder." We've worked so hard on motivation, and he frequently will tell me why he should learn /known something.

[Storm Bay]

Karin, thanks for the info, I appreciate it! I'm looking forward to reading that book as I have one that sounds a lot like this and he is right handed but left eye dominant, hmmmmm.

Well, my mother is all right like my dd except that she is left eye dominant and has a different profile, but with a number of things the same. My dd who fits this is what I'm calling "alright" because her dominance is all right, for good and for bad, so to speak. She's an L, but my mother is a K. Obviously, these are learning styles and while surprisingly accurate we don't want to put our dc into boxes; in fact, Dr. Hannaford warns against just that and has suggestions to help improve limitations.