Staying Current on Topics of Cognitive Development and Educational Development for Special Needs

Dr. Paul CatesDr. Kirk Cates Faith Christian Ministries Faith Christian Academy

Special Needs…

Has your child felt like a square peg in a round hole?

Does he or she beat to his/her own drummer?

Has he or she been diagnosed as having a certain condition?

…Special Needs…

Some of the names you have heard for special needs are: Autism Anxiety and Stress Disorder ADD ADHD Asperger Syndrome

…Special Needs…

We believe that all students are special and each is unique

We believe that God gives us the gift of these children

We believe that some children learn differently

We believe that all children can and do learn – some just need extra and special assistance

…Special Needs…

We are not trying to simply label your child as one thing or the other

Instead, we want to get to the root of your child’s needs and potential

Sometimes having a name for something can help in our planning but it shouldn’t hold your child or you back

…Special Needs

Some kids learn differently We believe that is okay and the

tools are there to teach your child We want to help with finding the

right tools in order for your child to have success

Staying Current

We at Faith Christian Ministries do our best to stay current on what is the latest news and information about special needs

We stay current on curriculum materials available for special needs

Our mission is to help all students learn the best way they can

Testimonial from a parent

“Not only was Colin not generally a good tester, but he was definitely weak in English. The curriculum you recommended for him this year (which was very heavy in language arts…) has very definitely strengthened, sharpened and bolstered his aptitude in English (from vocabulary and grammar to comprehension).”

Our Philosophy

We work to find each student’s unique abilities and build on that

God makes us each unique and we help our students know how special they are

We work with families in teaching Christian principles with the academics

Testimonial From A Student…

“My parents took me in for diagnostic testing, which Dr. Cates used to both diagnose my impediments and to develop a curriculum that was suited to my special needs. After the testing, he told my parents that I had dyslexia, acute articulation disorder, and severe hyperactivity, but he advised them not to label me thus.

…Testimonial From A Student…

“Instead, I should be encouraged to do my best and never be compared to others, nor should my problems be used as an excuse for poor performance. He showed them how to teach me and reap the most benefits. His enthusiasm and wisdom greatly encouraged my parents and I.

…Testimonial From Student

“Without his continued support and knowledge, I would not have been able to succeed in academics or even been able to accomplish many of the goals I have set for myself. I owe my entire education to his work and would have never been able to go to college without his help.”

Faith Christian Ministries (FCM)

As part of our ministry, we have an academy for students from Preschool to 12th grade

The Faith Christian Academy’s mission is to partner with parents in helping them “raise up a child in the way he should go”

We work with gifted students, special needs students and all others as well

What We Provide…

We provide and conduct diagnostic and educational testing to determine your student’s strengths and weaknesses

We then prepare an Individual Curriculum Plan (ICP) of recommended curriculum and how long and how often to work on each item

…What We Provide…

We provide a variety of curriculum for your student to work with, including a variety of therapies that you purchase from us

We provide training for you and your child in how to most effectively use and teach each book or CD that we recommend

…What We Provide

We provide help in getting special accommodations at multiple schools and institutions

We provide college credit classes while still in high school that can later be transferred

We provide help to you with the Common Application for colleges

Faith Christian Academy…

FCA’s purpose is to educate the next generation of Christians to be well-educated, critical thinkers, excellent communicators, and influencers of their world for the cause of Christ in their realm of professional and personal pursuit.

…Faith Christian Academy…

We supervise each student’s education through annual testing, providing ICPs, educating parents on instructional methods and content, and working with students in intensive courses designed to supplement their home education.

ADHD and Educational Effects…

One problem with ADHD and other academic delays is reading and reading achievement

Research has shown that approximately 60 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD and other learning problems also have co-morbid reading difficulties

…ADHD and Educational Effects…

Co-morbid means having more than one diagnosis or issue.

The reading problems are usually associated with processing issues – such as processing speed, memory issues or intra- or inter-neuro-sensory dysfunction

…ADHD and Educational Effects…

Currently there are two major approaches to managing ADHD/ADD: Medication – it is effective for 40 to 60%

of children but has known side effects Behavioral Treatments – these are

limited in their effectiveness Both approaches have limitations and

may not be the best for your child’s educational abilities

…ADHD and Educational Effects…

Alternative Treatments for ADD/ADHD: Occupational Therapy Biofeedback Vitamins and Herbs Food Supplements These are helpful in managing the special

needs but none of them address cognition, reading, and other academic abilities

Cognitive Development…

Cognitive Development is information processing, intelligence, reasoning, language development, and memory.

It is also the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.

…Cognitive Development

All of these are very important in your child’s learning

We can work with your child to ensure all of these types of learning are occurring for your child

We work with thinking skills and life skills as well as many other curriculums

Educational Development… We also want your child to learn reading,

writing, and arithmetic and so much more We have individualized programs that

include the following: Philosophy Logic Reading Language Arts World History World Geography Thinking Skills Critical Thinking Life Skills

…Educational Development…

We believe in learning precept upon precept

We believe in tailoring an academic and cognitive plan to you child

We include your child’s strengths to be built upon and your child’s weaknesses to be enhanced

We want your child to love learning

The ICP…

We provide an ICP for each child The goal of using the ICP is to bring

about a positive change in the cognitive and academic abilities in children with special needs

We have 40 years of experience in developing these plans and have seen great results

…The ICP…

Before these reports are given to you, testings are done of your child

During these testings and the subsequent results, we can determine each child’s cognitive and academic levels

Then, the ICP is developed for teaching at the independent level – not instructional or frustration levels

FCM Testing Study…

While Dr. Kirk Cates was working on his dissertation, FCM had students participate in a study

The three groups of participants were: Non-Special Needs Non-Medicated Special Needs Medicated Special Needs (If students changed groups during the

three-year study period, they were removed from the study)

…FCM Testing Study…

The Special Needs Groups met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for the diagnosis for their condition

The study lasted for three years and the participants were tested once each year

314 students participated Participants were from 16 cities Ages ranged from 6 years old to

16 years 10 months old

Male Female Total

NON- ADHD Count 27 22 49

% 55.1% 44.9% 100.0%

ADHD-Non-Medicated

Count 110 72 182

% 60.4% 39.6% 100.0%

ADHD-Medicated Count 56 27 83

% 67.5% 32.5% 100.0%

Count 193 121 314

% 61.5% 38.5% 100.0%

Results of Group Study…

Testing Results of WRMT-A…

One test used during the study was the WRMT-A

On the WRMT-A, a child is expected to make one grade level progress for each academic year in school.

This was achieved by all groups after one year following the ICP.

We were pleased with these results.

…Testing Results of WRMT-A

However, after three years the Medicated group were below that goal in Word Identification, Word Comprehension, and Passage Comprehension and Full Scale Reading scores.

The other two groups showed further improvement above that which would be expected.

Testing Results of WRMT-A…Pre-Test - Year 1 Year 1 - Year 3

Sub-test Change Score

Non-ADHD ADHD

ADHD Medicated

Non-ADHD ADHD

ADHD Medicated

Letter Identification

Mean 1.94 2.33 1.71 4.99 4.90 3.02

N 40 163 73 14 65 25

WordIdentification

Mean 1.49 1.46 1.38 4.33 4.24 2.92

N 37 155 68 14 57 24

Word AttackSkills (Phonics)

Mean 2.93 2.26 2.49 6.78 5.52 5.15

N 37 150 68 14 57 24

WordComprehension

Mean 1.68 1.55 1.17 5.81 3.67 2.02

N 37 149 68 14 57 24

PassageComprehension

Mean 1.30 1.35 1.11 5.81 3.29 1.88

N 37 151 68 14 57 24

TotalReading Score

Mean 1.81 1.43 1.18 5.75 3.80 2.31

N 36 142 66 13 53 23

Analysis of Study

The analysis shows a significant difference between groups in three areas of reading: Word Comprehension Passage Comprehension Total Reading

Also shows significant differences between the three groups’ results

What We Are Doing Now

This test study showed us the importance in finding the right curriculum material for each child

It also showed that students on medication and those without medication test quite differently

Learning can be done successfully without medication

What Does This Mean To You

We can work with you to determine the “right fit” for your child

Learning can be accomplished no matter what diagnoses or label has been given

We just have to find what works best for each child and his/her unique abilities

How To Reach Us

We would love to chat more with you – come see us at Booth 209

Please contact us via the following methods: Name: Faith Christian Ministries Phone: 828-435-0670 Email: pcates@att.net Web site: www.faithchristianmin.org