Author Archives: Melissa Mullin, Ph.D.

About Melissa Mullin, Ph.D.

I am the director of the K & M Center in Santa Monica, CA. Our goal is to help children reach their academic potential. We specialize in creating individualize learning programs so each of our students can do better in school and life.

Find your Executive Functioning Strengths and Weakness with our FREE QUIZ

Posted on March 17, 2013

Executive Functioning refers to the skills that help you organize, plan and execute a task. If you would like to discover your own executive functioning strengths and weaknesses, take our free quiz and then read below to see how each … Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, Behavioral Regulation, Executive Functioning, Learning, Learning differences, Processing Speed, Thinking Skills, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Processing speed issues are challenging at all ages

Posted on February 22, 2013

Sara is now 22 years old and still struggling with processing speed issues.  Here is Sara’s story: When I was 12 years old, I was diagnosed with slow processing speed, given a 504 plan, and told this was a part of my … Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, Executive Functioning, Learning, Learning differences, Processing Speed, Thinking Skills, Visual Processing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mastering Executive Functioning Skills Requires Grit and Resilience

Posted on January 7, 2013

 by Melissa Mullin Ph.D. Executive functioning skills enable students to manage their workload and plan for the future. These skills allow students to break down a task and organize it as well as create a time lime for completion. Grit … Continue reading →

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What Does It Mean To Have Weak Executive Functioning Skills?

Posted on December 6, 2012

Many middle school children have difficulty with executive functioning skills. What does this really mean? For many of the students that we work with at the K& M Center this means that they are missing assignments and they are not … Continue reading →

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Dysgraphia: Difficulty writing

Posted on November 9, 2012

Dysgraphia refers to difficulty writing.  Most people with dysgraphia have a hard time holding a pencil or pen. The awkward pencil grip can make forming letters on a page challenging.  When a student with dysgraphia is asked to copy from … Continue reading →

Posted in Learning, Processing Speed, Spelling, Thinking Skills, Visual Processing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

504 Accommodations: Extra Time on Tests

Posted on October 12, 2012

Brad was a third grader who has struggled with reading since first grade.  His teacher shared with his parents that he is easily distracted and although he was performing at grade level he may have an attention issue. Brad was … Continue reading →

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Executive Functioning Workbook

Posted on September 25, 2012

 By Melissa Mullin, Ph.D. and Karen Fried, PysD. Planning, organizing and following through on your plans require strong executive functioning skills. Developing these skills can take patience, guidance and practice. There are parents, teachers, executive functioning coaches and tutors who … Continue reading →

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Summer and Executive Functioning Skills

Posted on May 19, 2012

  Summer is a great time to catch up on material your child may not have mastered during the school year. Teaching reading, writing or math concepts will have clear benefits for your child when they re-enter school in the … Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, Behavioral Regulation, Executive Functioning, Learning, Learning differences, Thinking Skills, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Will My Child Always Be Dyslexic?

Posted on March 10, 2012

Research is ongoing regarding the neuro-pathways of our brains and how they can change with time and intervention, so you will get different answers to this question depending on whom you ask. Can a dyslexic student learn to read… YES!  As … Continue reading →

Posted in Dyslexia, Learning, Learning differences, Reading, Spelling, Visual Processing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Metacognition Helps Build Self Regulation and Executive Functioning Skills

Posted on February 5, 2012

Metacognition is thinking about thinking, knowing “what we know” and “what we don’t know.”  This means students take time to think about what needs to be done and how to do it. These students understand how the mind works and … Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, Behavioral Regulation, Executive Functioning, Learning, Thinking Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments