Jennie Sjursen 0:01
My child has been working with the dyslexia therapist after school and is doing really well. But summers coming up, can we take the summer off and start back up in the fall?
Jennie Sjursen 0:12
I'm Jennie Sjursen. As a special educator turned dyslexia interventionist ot wasn't so long ago that I too, was overwhelmed by balance literacy versus structured literacy, education speak, and everything in between. Fast forward after many, many hours of self driven education. And you'll see I've built a thriving dyslexia practice helping students from ages six to 18. My specialties, working with, quote unquote difficult almost always to the student, and breaking down the complexities of dyslexic to everyday language strategies and action steps.
Jennie Sjursen 0:53
Before we dive in, can you do me a huge favor? Would you mind sending this episode or just sharing my podcast with three of your friends, I've been working really hard to put out valuable content to support parents with dyslexic children. And I want to make sure it gets into the hands of the people that need the most. So grab the link to this episode or podcast, texted to three friends, or just click the share button while you're listening and send it that way. Whatever works for you. But I would be forever grateful. Thank you.
Jennie Sjursen 1:23
Some of you are already in the last couple of days of the school year. Others are just weeks away and you've got summer on the brain, you know, summer, a time of relaxation and recharging. Plus, you've watched your child work really hard all school year. And you're questioning if they really need to continue their reading intervention over the summer. What would happen if they took it off? I recently had a similar conversation with the parent of one of my clients. She asked what I thought I told her balance. So how do you find balance? Before we even answer that question? It's important to note that research has shown that many children, especially dyslexic children, will lose reading skills over the summer without some support.
Jennie Sjursen 2:13
You need to think about what the fall will look like for your child based on the decisions you make for them in the summer. Unfortunately, for most dyslexic students, taking the whole summer off, sets them back a step or two, it makes the start of the new school year even harder. Okay, now that I said that, let's consider a couple of things. When you think about this summer, what are your main priorities and goals? What do you want to achieve for yourself, your family and your dyslexic child? Next, what experiences and events do you want to attend this summer for yourself, your family and your child? Once you've answered those two questions, ask yourself, is there a way to balance these two things?
Jennie Sjursen 3:01
For example, maybe you really want your child to have a camp experience. But you also want to keep them moving forward academically. Believe it or not, there are some summer camps out there that blend both summer camp fun and academics. The OTA fellow I'm working with on my certified level certification runs one of them done a Becca Kildonan. They provide both day and boarding camp options with one on one OG instruction and activities ranging from outdoor things like archery and mountain biking to builder activities like Lego design and woodworking. It's pretty impressive. I'll put a link to it in our show notes. Maybe you're not in the New England or New York area and can't get to done a BEC Google dyslexia summer camps near me or in your state.
Jennie Sjursen 3:51
You might be surprised what you find. I just did a quick search and found camp options in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Illinois, Colorado and California. Maybe camp isn't an option for you. Maybe your best option is a balance of therapy sessions and family time. That may look like meeting with your dyslexia therapist three times a week, instead of five. I'm taking a week or two off for a family vacation. Believe it or not, I have some families who bump up services in the summer. Quite a few of my students get bumped from two to three days a week to four to five days a week for about six weeks, with a couple of weeks off at the beginning or end of the summer. Those families make this decision because they feel once the extra stress of school is taken away and their child has more downtime. Their child would benefit from an increase in intensity in their therapy. And they believe it really sets their child up for starting the school year off strong in the fall.
Jennie Sjursen 4:49
Oh ultimately, this is a personal decision. There are many combinations of options that may work for you, your family and your child. In the end, I say strive for balance. and trust your parent gut. If you have any further questions about summer sessions, please feel free to sneak into my inbox. We'd also love your input. What would you like to hear from us in the future? Is there a topic we haven't covered yet? You really want to learn more about or do you have a pressing need and you're not really sure how to handle it or move forward? Send us a DM on Instagram or drop us an email at Jennie at literacy untangled? That's [email protected] We can't wait to hear from you. Until next time, bye bye
Jennie Sjursen 5:36
I hope you enjoyed this episode of Literacy Cntangled if you love this episode as much as I did, head on over and rate and subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you want to continue the conversation or share your takeaways, head on over to our Instagram at literacy, untangle and comment on your favorite part. I can't wait to hang out with you again soon. Bye
