As Director of the Cooper Learning Center, Richard Selznick oversees a program that assesses and treats a broad range of learning and school-based academic and behavioral problems. A nationally certified school psychologist with over 20 years experience in the field, he’s also a school consultant and author of  “The Shut Down Learner: Helping Your Academically Discouraged Child."

Name: Richard Selznick, Ph.D.
Title: Director of the Cooper Learning Center, Department of Pediatrics, Cooper University Hospital, Voorhees, N.J., Adjunct professor, Education, St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pa.
Education: Ph.D. education, Temple University, Philadelphia; M.A., educational psychology, New York University; B.A., English and secondary education, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, R.I.

The book focuses on that portion of the K-12 population who struggle with core academic skill development—up to 40% of students, according to Selznick. It describes the common, but poorly understood, characteristics of these students, whom he calls "shut down learners." Such kids thrive with hands-on tasks that "load" on visual and spatial abilities. They excel in many areas, yet when it comes to the core skills necessary for school success, they’re often quite lacking, Selznick said.

The bright side? If these shut down learners manage to get through school relatively unscathed, they often become successful adults, ending up in a wide range of occupations, including architecture, engineering, computer programming, dentistry, interior decorating, and business.

Q: What characterizes a "shut down learner"?

A: I call them "LEGO™ kids" because, when they were little, they often could be very creative and show a lot of imagination with building. They tend to have great spatial abilities. They’re more hands-on, but they often struggle with reading, spelling, and writing. By fourth or fifth grade, they start to lose motivation because the difficulties start to mount.

The traditional school curriculum weighs these kids down. They truly can’t handle it. I’m not saying that they shouldn’t have basic skills, but they’re not wired to manage the traditional curriculum of the five major subjects – science, social studies, English, math, and foreign language.

Q: What’s the long-term impact?

A: It’s a cumulative effect. The boys can be frustrated and angry by the time they reach high school. The girls are often presenting in more socially pleasant ways, but underneath it is a core insecurity.

College is often a better place for these kids because they can spend more time with a better ‘brain match.’ They have more latitude than they did in high school.

Q: Is there a connection with learning disabilities?

A: They fit in. These are the kids with reading disabilities, learning disabilities, and attention problems.  However, often they’re not identified because by the school’s standards, they’re not seen as severe enough.

Q: At what point do parents bring them to you?

A: I might see a kid with ‘cracks in the foundation.’ The mom knows he’s struggling—it’s always the mom. She knows he’s having trouble with reading, but from the school’s standpoint, his deficits aren’t enough to warrant classification in special education. Then they muddle along.

Q: What can help shut down learners?

A: There’s a perception that traditional vocational technology is a place for kids who have behavior problems, which is a shame. That’s what shut down learners often need. They need a lively, hands-on, visual, spatial curriculum, something that’s more tangible to them than the traditional learning experiences--like a class in robotics or criminal investigation procedures.

Q: How can K-12 teachers identify them early on?

A: In kindergarten and first grade, weaknesses with rapid letter naming or phonemic awareness tasks are strong indicators of concern. Research is really clear that weaknesses in those areas will likely result in deficits in early reading development.

Particularly with boys, pediatricians and teachers may say, “He’ll grow out of it.” If the kids are showing these indicators, they’re not likely to grow out of it. Very quickly they’re going to be having decoding and reading fluency problems.

In the later grades, fourth and fifth, reading fluency becomes a strong variable. These children detest reading and want to avoid it all costs. One of the best ways a teacher would know is to open up the text informally and listen to how they can read. When a child is reading in a stilted, mechanistic manner, that’s a problem.

Sheila Riley is a San Francisco-based freelance journalist. She is also an experienced online editor and ESL curriculum developer, and teaches ESL at City College of San Francisco.

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