Show #48 Conversation with Sally Smith Part II

This week's show is a continuation of my conversation with Sally Smith, Founder and Director of the Lab School. We talk about teaching children with learning disabilities, early identification, and how important it is to have parental support. Sally even answers Kristen's question about Orton Gillingham vs. Linda Mood Bell reading, and why she favors training teachers in both methods, so they can use whatever method works best for the child, rather than assuming one method will teach all.

At the end of the interview, Sally asked me about podcasting, and I decided to leave this part of our conversation in, largely because Sally then spoke about her motivation to write No Easy Answers, her wonderful book about parenting children with learning disabilities. This is one of the best books for parents, as it covers everything from understanding how your child learns, to the very real and emotional rollercoaster parents go through while trying to help thier children.

I'd love to hear your feedback on shows!

I'll be at Podcamp NYC on April 7th- if you're there, please come say hi! Please note that the venue for Podcamp NYC has changed, and will now be held at the New Yorker Hotel - please consult the Podcamp NYC blog and wiki for the most up to date information.

Because of travel, spring break, and the like, shows may be bi-weekly for the next few weeks. As a parent, it's hard sometimes juggling work, family and podcasting. Thank you for your patience! We should be back on track soon.

Click here to listen to Conversation with Sally Smith Part II

Show #47 Conversation with Sally Smith, Founder of the Lab School

Sally Smith started the Lab School in Washington, DC, in 1967, based on her need to find a school for her own son who had severe learning disabilities. Like most moms on a mission, she gathered her friends and turned an old house into a school. Now, 40 years later, the Lab School serves children from age 5 1/2 to age 19, provides support of college students and adults with learning disabilities, and provides in depth multidisciplinary testing. There are now Lab Schools in Baltimore, MD and Manayunk, PA. Sallycontinues in her role as Director of the Lab School, as well as servign as Head of the Graduate Program in Special Education:Learning Disabilities at American University. She has written a wonderful book, which continues to be updated, entitled "No Easy Answers: The Learning Disabled Child at Home and At School".

My conversation with Sally took place at the Lab School in Washington. When you enter the grounds of the Lab School, you are immediately struck by the art work and creativity that permeates the whole school. Sally's office is filled with art, pictures, mementos from travels around the world, and a sense of warmth and home. I've split the conversation into two parts. In Part I, we discuss how Sally founded the Lab School as a way to help her own child, and how it's grown exponentially over the years. We discuss the state of LD education now, and what has changed over the years. In Part II, we discuss early intervention, the deficits many kids with LD share, and how we can help them succeed. We also discuss the importance of parental support, reading methods, including Orton Gillingham and Linda Mood Bell, and why it may be best to have all tools at your disposal rather than just one.

Click Here to Listen to Show #47-Conversation with Sally L. Smith, Part I