WIL Blog

List of 18 items.

  • Understanding NVLD Symptoms: What You Should Know

    Michele Heimbauer, MA CCC-SLP 
    Associate Director, Winston Innovation Lab

    In recent studies, it has been estimated that 2.2 to 2.9 million children and adolescents in North America are struggling with NVLD (Nonverbal Learning Disorders). That is 3-4% of children and adolescents.
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  • The Importance of Relationships in Teacher to Pupil Connections

    Michele Heimbauer, MA CCC-SLP
    Associate Director, Winston Innovation Lab

    Beginning in 2013, WPS kicked off the Lives Over Time study (LOTS). The study explores the post-high school experiences of our alumni. Our goal was to better understand what factors promote success and life satisfaction.
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  • AI in Education: An Ever-Evolving Landscape

    Michele Heimbauer, MA CCC-SLP
    Associate Director, Winston Innovation Lab

    All across the nation, schools are making use of AI supported assessment and analysis tools. They are being used to track and better understand student performance, outcomes, and growth. Furthermore, AI technology also supports many administrative tasks, such as transportation and scheduling.
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  • The Importance of Background Knowledge

    Jaclyn Baharestani
    Special Projects Coordinator, Winston Innovation Lab

    When we consider the building blocks of comprehension, background knowledge is an often overlooked, integral component of the learning process. 
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  • Winston Preparatory School Publishes Research on Success of Social Emotional Learning for Students with LD

    [NEW YORK, N.Y. — Oct. 25, 2023] Winston Preparatory School's Innovation Lab research team announced the publication of their first research article with Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, the official publication of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, over the summer. The published article, titled “Supportive Environments Explaining Success in People with Learning Disabilities through Social and Emotional Learning,” details how Winston Prep’s emphasis on social emotional skill building leads to higher rates of post-graduation success, compared to schools nationwide.
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  • Our Student Life Cycle: A Day in the Life of a Winston Online Student

    Tabitha Mancini, Director Winston Online
    Jaclyn Siegel, Head of School Winston Online

    At Winston Prep, we begin with the overarching belief that every student can learn when given the right environment and instruction. Winston Online creates this space. 
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  • Developing Self-Advocacy Skills

    Jaclyn Baharestani
    Special Projects Coordinator, Winston Innovation Lab

    Michele Heimbauer

    Associate Director, Winston Innovation Lab

    Building an Understanding 
    For students who struggle with conceptualizing, prioritizing or problem solving, Self-Advocating can be a challenging skill to grasp, as these learning difficulties exacerbate the already arduous task of identifying and accessing needed supports. When we work to develop our students’ Self-Advocacy skills, it is often most important to begin with a clear explanation of what Self-Advocacy actually means in practice and how it supports growth and progress.
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  • Problem Solving: Understanding, Approach & Skill Building

    Jaclyn Baharestani
    Special Projects Coordinator, Winston Innovation Lab

    Our Understanding of Problem Solving
    As students strive to meet their academic, social and personal goals, they are sure to encounter obstacles varying in size, scope and complexity. While problem solving can be difficult for people of all ages and abilities, breakdowns in comprehension and executive functioning skills which involve skills such as sorting, organizing, prioritizing, and decision making, impede the ability to effectively and consistently identify and solve problems.
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  • How Can We Support the Development of Self-Reflection Skills?

    Jaclyn Baharestani
    Special Projects Coordinator, Winston Innovation Lab

    Self-reflection can often be the gateway to the independence and self-efficacy we hope to foster in our students. This awareness of self, particularly one’s own strengths and weaknesses, gives them the tools to consciously pause and assess their thoughts, actions, successes, and needed supports. 
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  • Struggles with Math and Comprehension? Visual-Spatial Skills Could Be the Reason.

    Michele Heimbauer
    Associate Director of Winston Innovation Lab

    Does your child often confuse their left from right? Do they struggle when asked to copy information from the board or a book? Do they have a hard time arranging their materials in their desk, locker, or room? Do they get lost easily, especially in a new place? Do they have trouble reading a map or chart? Do they bump into people or have difficulty estimating distance between themselves and others? Do they struggle to recreate a Lego construction based on a picture?
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  • A Comprehensive Look at Learning Disabilities and Math Development

    Learning Disabilities And Math Development by Kristen Atkins Head of School, Winston Prep, Marin, CA

    Math, who needs it? We all do! It is a sobering fact that many students with learning differences are falling behind in the study of mathematics. According to a study completed by the National Research Council entitled, “Everybody Counts: A Report to the Nation on the Future of Mathematics Education”, only half of our nation’s students take more than two years of high school level mathematics. 
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  • What is Dysgraphia?

    Kelly Thompson, Monmouth County Project Coordinator and WPS Teacher

    Dysgraphia is a condition that affects a child’s ability to effectively acquire writing skills. Although dysgraphia is primarily linked to poor handwriting, its scope is actually much wider and more complex. Similar to a child learning to read, the process of writing and learning to write incorporates many steps including forming individual letters, recognizing and spelling simple words, transcribing ideas into sentences, correctly applying grammatical and mechanical rules, and maintaining organization and clarity throughout a written piece. Struggles in any of these areas can translate, or point to, dysgraphia.
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  • More Than Just An ADHD Diagnosis

    Michele Heimbauer, Associate Director of Winston Innovation Lab

    Students are often diagnosed with ADHD when they struggle to perform in ways that are expected in the classroom. Though this label can be comforting to some, it is largely inadequate in helping to understand an individual student so that we can develop an effective program for that child. To deeply understand a student, it is vital to go beyond the diagnosis of ADHD, which is simply a label that describes behavioral symptoms that are organized into two categories.
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  • What is the Difference Between a Non-Verbal Learning Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) was first identified in the late 1960’s. Considering that dyslexia has been in the literature since the late 1800’s and Autism (now known as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD) in the early 1900’s, NVLD is in a relatively early period of research. That said, the field of research has made significant gains in developing an understanding of NVLD. Currently, the most important work is focused on demonstrating that, although there is what appears to be some overlap in symptoms of NVLD and ASD, NVLD is a distinct and specific learning disability.
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  • Can a Fidget Spinner Help My Child Focus | Toys for ADHD and Autism

    Fidget toys have become more and more popular WPS teachers and leaders are frequently asked whether these fidget spinners are an Autism and ADHD treatment. At WPS teachers are dedicated to helping students who struggle with self-regulation acquire the strategies they as an individual need to succeed independently, as opposed to offering a universal treatment such as a fidget toy.
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  • Executive Functioning Difficulties

    Executive Functioning difficulties are not well understood. We frequently hear from parents, students and educators who have questions and express confusion about this area of struggle. They see many kids diagnosed with ADHD and ADD, which are ostensibly about “attention”, but many people don’t fully understand what these diagnoses really mean, where the core deficits really lie, and what else is involved beyond a general understanding of what it means to “pay attention”.
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  • What Is Non-Verbal Learning Disorder?

    Caroline Miller, Editorial Director, Child Mind Institute

    This is the first in a series of articles about non-verbal learning disorder developed in collaboration with Winston Preparatory School, a New York area school that has taken a leading role in working with students with the disorder.
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  • How Can We Help Kids With Non-Verbal Learning Disorder?

    Caroline Miller, Editorial Director, Child Mind Institute

    Kids who have non-verbal learning disorder have a wide variety of learning challenges. All of them involve trouble recognizing patterns, but there are many different kinds of patterns they may have trouble with: visual patterns, social patterns, abstract reasoning, math concepts, organizational skills.
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Winston Preparatory School is a leading school for students with learning disabilities, including dyslexia, executive functioning difficulties (ADHD), and non-verbal learning disorders (NVLD).

WPS does not discriminate against applicants and students on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin. The Winston Preparatory School provides programs and services and equal opportunity in the administration of its educational and admissions policies, financial aid programs, employment, and the selection of its governing board without regard to gender, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability status, or any status recognized by federal, state and local civil rights and non-discrimination laws.