Steve Spillane

Steve Spillane, Ph.D., is the parent of two successful, nurturing young adults and lives in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He has taught students with learning disabilities at the middle school through graduate school in both public and private settings.

Articles by Steve Spillane

• Don’t cry over spilled milk

  Monday, July 18, 2016

  Years ago, a family was enjoying a moment of peace in their new addition to their house. They sat together in the family room eating sandwiches and watching a movie. The father, though relatively at ease, was hypervigilant to avoid escalations of his complex, wonderful son that would lead to a highly stressful, potentially traumatic episode. Fortunately, he had enough free attention to observe and seize an opportunity to nurture his son's self-awareness, self-esteem and self-direction.

• There’s no shortcut to success for children with LD

  Tuesday, April 05, 2016

  A parent patiently guides his child who has fine motor challenges to learn how to tie her shoes independently: "That's right Sally! Make the bunny ear, then loop the lace around the bottom." As those words leave his lips, their sound is overpowered by the toot of the bus driver's horn.

• Fostering independence in children with LD

  Monday, February 22, 2016

  A son in his early teens decides to help his single mom out by hand-washing the dishes. He is trying to please her as she is often asking for help keeping the house clean. He has never tried to help out this way before. To her surprise, when his mother returns from work, she sees the dishes in the drying rack. To her dismay, she finds that he hasn't rinsed them.