Learning Differences Archives - Family Pathways Coaching

September 9, 2026

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Executive Functioning: The Skills Behind Success

When my boys were young, I remember sitting in a lecture hall in the public high school listening to a guidance counselor talk about executive functioning skills… Huh? I didn’t know what that meant, let alone how my boys were being affected by any deficits. All these years later, I understand the significance of these skills in my boys’ ability (or inability) to prioritize, organize, and manage their work and life.

August 27, 2026

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Beyond the Grade: Building Lifelong Learners

What does it mean when your child refuses to read a book, complains about every math problem or science lab? When they are oppositional to anything academic at all? What looks like defiance may actually be your child’s way of sending you a message: This is hard, and I don’t feel successful.

August 12, 2026

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Back-to-School: Make it Familiar to Reduce Stress

It’s August, and my friends with elementary-age kids are deep into planning after-school activities. These friends are part of a generation former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy was hoping to reach in his “Advisory on the Mental Health & Well Being of Parents.” In his 2024 report for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Murthy warned that parental stress is increasing, partly as a result of parents’ perceptions that in order for kids to succeed they need to have hobbies and participate in enrichment programs … all the time. And of course it’s mom and dad’s responsibility to get them there, cheer them on, and keep them going. If these conditions are increasing the stress of the general parental population, what is happening to parents of neurodiverse kids?

March 25, 2026

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Twice-Exceptional: An Interview with Heather Goldman, PhD.

There is some confusion in the neurodiverse community about the 2e (twice-exceptional) designation. I have heard it incorrectly used to describe co-occurring conditions, and I have seen those who are 2e misunderstood as either geniuses who shouldn’t need any support or learning disabled so unable to handle the rigors of gifted classes.

February 10, 2026

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Screen Time: How Much is Too Much?

It’s cold in the Northeast right now. Really cold. And when it’s cold out, it’s harder and maybe less pleasant to be outdoors, away from our screens. So what happens to our kids – in particular our neurodiverse children – when they are glued to the couch and even more likely than usual to turn to their screens for entertainment, information, and company? Read on for help discerning between too much and just enough screen time, and how to use technology to support your child’s development, rather than impede it.

August 26, 2025

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Learning Differences

Does My Child Have a Learning Disability?

By the time my youngest child was in preschool, it was evident he was struggling to recognize letters and link sounds to words. Two of his older brothers had already been diagnosed with learning differences, so the red flags were clear to me: Letters had no meaning to him and no amount of time with flashcards were making them any more identifiable. By elementary school, even though he could articulate thoughts and make connections verbally, reading and writing continued to elude him. By age 6 he was formally diagnosed with dyslexia, along with ADHD, and began working with specialists to learn to read and write. It was a long journey, but today he is a huge fan of fantasy fiction, with books stacked across his room. If you are worried about your child’s academic performance, read on for some typical signs to look for in LD students.

February 25, 2025

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Trauma With a Lower Case “t”

When my boys were younger, our local school district spent time and money on programs about bullying – cyber and IRL – and how parents could support their children who were victims of bullying. We heard from psychologists, school administrators, and other child professionals. There was much conversation about how to help our kids if they were being bullied (“Stand up for yourself!” “Just ignore it!”), but these panels and conversations did not address a possible result of bullying: trauma. And they didn’t address how bullying and other types of trauma can affect the neurodiverse population in particular.

January 28, 2025

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Learning Differences

Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, Oh My!

To steal from (and slightly alter) the movie Good Will Hunting: “My boys are wicked smart.” Today, as young men, my boys are physicists, rocket scientists, mathematicians and so much more. And yet, they did not all graduate at the very top of their classes. Intelligence, ability and grit do not always translate to top grades in school. Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and other learning disabilities can get in the way of succeeding in the classroom. The key is helping our kids recognize and appreciate their abilities while at the same time learning to tackle the obstacles that learning disabilities may put in their way.