LD & ADD/ADHD Support in Florida

Our founder, Judi Robinovitz, recognized firsthand the value of these strategies when her son Jason was growing up. Diagnosed in elementary school with dyslexia and ADHD, Jason became a successful student because of the almost-daily tutoring support he received from Judi’s dedicated tutors. Jason graduated from a top-tier law school and passed the Florida Bar Exam the first time; after practicing law for five years he joined the family business as the Chief Operating Officer of all Score At The Top Learning Centers! The strategies that worked best for Jason, and other students like him, remain with Score At The Top today to ensure every student’s success.

The skilled tutors at Score At The Top can help that student with a learning disability or attention deficit to master academic subjects, learn coping strategies and compensatory skills, become better organized, and build confidence. We have worked with hundreds of students with a wide variety of learning and attention issues, successfully helping them to score at the top of their potential.

We recommend scheduling more than one lesson every week for a student with a learning disability or attention deficit disorder. Such students typically need much practice and repetition to master skills, improve grades and achieve higher scores. It takes time to see improvement, so please don't expect a quick fix.

Students with learning disabilities or attention deficit disorder may experience some of these challenges:

• See letters reversed or half-there

• Hear only part of a story or word

• Struggle with short-term memory, or experience difficulty recalling a word from memory

• Have limited patience for the learning process

• Appear confused

• Read slowly and with less-than-full comprehension

• Misspell words

• Struggle with the writing process

• Have limited facility with numbers, calculation, and quantitative reasoning

• Be focused one day but not the next

• Forget to do homework or study

• Become distracted by background noise or visual stimulation

• Take more time to start and finish tasks

• Not complete tasks

• Lack the ability to plan ahead, and fail to complete tasks

• Process information slowly, needing "think time" to respond

• Struggle to simultaneously listen to a teacher’s lecture and take notes

• Ask the same questions over and over

• Be disorganized and not manage time effectively

• Feel lonely, rejected, isolated, shame, fear, bitterness, low self-esteem, anger

• Lack self-confidence

To help students overcome these challenges, Score At The Top’s sensitive tutors implement a variety of techniques during tutoring sessions. They...

• Review previous lessons

• Capitalize on a student’s strengths

• Use multi-sensory materials (visual, oral, tactile)

• Give both verbal and written directions

• Keep instructions simple

• Use more than one example

• Incorporate diagrams, maps, and other visual aids when teaching

• Create flashcards and flowcharts

• Create mental pictures

• Use mnemonic devices

• Use role-play techniques

• Create outlines with the student

• Regularly review material to reinforce learning

• Highlight key points and concepts

• Break lengthy presentations and assignments into shorter segments

• Work slowly to allow time for processing

• Speak slowly and clearly

• Repeat directions, ideas, and explanations

• Frequently ask questions to check for understanding

• Have the student “teach” the tutor

• Relate new concepts to a topic already learned

• Connect content to the student's real-life experiences

• Make sure every session is hands-on and highly interactive

• Combine direct teaching with guided practice

• Take short breaks when necessary

• Select the quietest room for tutoring sessions

• Continually give positive reinforcement and encouragement

• Write 1 question on a page to avoid distraction

Our professional staff provide structured, consistent tutoring sessions that include:

• Review of previous lessons

• Overview of topics to be presented

• Summary at end of session

• Emphasis of key concepts

• Timeline for completing assignments

• Clearly defined expectations and student's responsibilities

What are Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder?

The skilled tutors at Score At The Top can help a student with learning or attention challenges to master academic subjects, learn coping strategies and compensatory skills, and become better organized.

Also known as learning disabilities and ADHD, these conditions cause many students to struggle with school work. The term "learning disability" covers a broad spectrum of problems – with listening, thinking, math, speaking, reading, or writing. A learning disability is more than a difference or difficulty with learning; it is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to receive process, store, and respond to information. It can hamper or slow down a student's ability to make sense out of information. ADHD (formerly known as ADD) can include inattentive, impulsive, and/or hyperactive behaviors. It can affect a student's ability to focus, stay organized, finish an assignment, sit still, or even follow instructions.

Common Types of Learning Disabilities

Dyslexia - Difficulty processing language
Problems reading (decoding), writing (encoding), spelling, speaking

Dyscalculia - Difficulty with math
Problems doing math problems, understanding time, using money

Dysgraphia - Difficulty with writing
Problems with handwriting, spelling, organizing ideas

Dyspraxia (Sensory Integration Disorder) - Difficulty with fine motor skills
Problems with hand–eye coordination, balance, manual dexterity

Auditory Processing Disorder - Difficulty hearing differences between sounds
Problems with reading, comprehension, language

Visual Processing Disorder - Difficulty interpreting visual information
Problems with reading, math, maps, charts, symbols, pictures

ADHD (formerly known as ADD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), while not considered a learning disability, can certainly disrupt learning. Children with ADHD often have problems with sitting still, staying focused, following instructions, staying organized, and completing homework.

Students with learning disabilities or attention deficit disorder cannot try harder, pay closer attention, or improve motivation on their own; they need help to learn how to do those things and how to compensate for their challenges. Learning and attention challenges are not problems with intelligence. (In fact, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and Walt Disney were dyslexic!) Rather, they are caused by a difference in the brain that affects how information is received, processed, and/or communicated. Students with learning disabilities have trouble processing sensory information: they see, hear, and understand things differently. 

The diagnosis of a learning disability is an inexact science. Even the experts disagree on the best ways of determining whether a learning disability exists. Why the confusion?

• Methods used to diagnose learning disabilities in public schools are different from those used by evaluators in private practice.

• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulations governing diagnosis of learning disabilities in public schools are somewhat general and leave the diagnostic details up to states to define.

• Regulations governing evaluators in private practice (licensed psychologists or psychiatrists) are less specific than those used in public schools.

• Different states may have different standards for diagnosing a learning disability. Thus, a student may qualify for a diagnosis of learning disabilities in one state but not in another.

• Public school systems typically use a combination of:

  • Formal evaluations, using an aptitude achievement discrepancy to determine the severity of a learning disability, and

  • Response to Intervention methods to determine if a learning disability could be the cause of a student's academic problems.

• Evaluators in private practice tend to use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV), which relies heavily on an evaluator's professional judgment. However, these evaluations tend to be the most detailed and informative.