There’s no “silver bullet” to dealing with learning disabilities, but Kathy Johnson thinks she’s found a pretty good process, the “Pyramid of Potential,” that helps. “I came to this as a parent and an educator and from working with many different clients,” said Johnson, a mother who lives in Ballston Spa. “That’s how the pyramid got developed, with the mind and body health being the most foundational.” She’ll share the Pyramid of Potential and other tips at a presentation on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Shaker High School auditorium. It’s open to the entire community and hosted by the North Colonie Special Ed PTA. Johnson has been a private educational therapist since 1999 and began brainstorming how to better address the needs of individuals with cognitive learning disabilities, drawing on experiences with her own children to get things started. Once she started seeing results in her own family, she knew she had to share it. “Seeing the difference it made in my family, I was completely compelled to bring this information to the rest of world,” said Johnson. “Even working individually isn’t enough because I can only affect dozens of kids a year where now I can reach thousands of people a year.” She penned a book based on the process, “The Roadmap From Learning Disabilities to Success” and created DVDs that parents, schools or organizations can utilize. She also runs workshops and speaks at seminars, attracting requests from around the country. “Some workshops are school-based, some are private,” said Johnson. “I speak nationally giving professional development presentations every month.” This time, she offered her services free of charge.
“Usually she charges a fee for her lecture but she waived it for us because it’s getting to know the region a little better,” said David Cohen, president of the North Colonie Special Ed PTA. “This is for any parent who wants to come for the resources and ideas or solutions to assist children for success in school.” Cohen said it’s nearly impossible to pinpoint challenges faced by children with disabilities because each case is different. He’s hoping Johnson can shed some light on how to give children the help that they need. “Whether they have autism or dyslexia issues … they present by degree. With special needs you really have a wide range of issues,” said Cohen. “Some might create learning disabilities, behavioral issues, attention deficits. You need solutions for all of that.” Johnson is confident that her Pyramid of Potential can provide the help and encouragement local parents are searching for. The method starts with addressing mind and body, then neurological development (focusing on vision and hearing) and finally moving on to cognitive development (memory, processing and attention). “Once those things are in place, a person can pretty much learn what they need to learn,” said Johnson. “The programs that schools have in place for reading and writing and math are already excellent but if a child is struggling in school for more than a year, then it’s not the teacher and not the method but probably brain development.” During “mind and body,” a person might see a nutritionist to identify what’s causing the brain to not create the neurotransmitters it needs to, which Johnson said could be a cause for attention deficit. Things like massage therapy, yoga or deep breathing are also recommended to cut down on stress. The books and DVDs offer various occupational therapy techniques and exercises to address neurological development. Johnson said the feedback she’s received has been exactly what she hoped for.
“There was a 10-year-old girl adopted who is able to sleep in her own bed for the first time in her life. A girl, who after listening therapy, could hear the teacher — nobody knew she couldn’t hear the teacher,” said Johnson. “Some children have gone out of special ed and into mainstream classes. It’s been amazing … there’s not one thing that works for every child.” Johnson’s book and products are available online at www.pyramidofpotential.com or at major booksellers.