 |
Mom HaloAuthor: alana kayfetz
You are listening to the Mom Halo podcast. This sweet ear candy will serve up laughs & aha moments as we talk to best-in-class thought leaders-these folks are dropping gems of genius. I am Alana Kayfetz, a fun freckled fearless millennial mom of 3 kiddos. I love to introduce you to your ideas and people that will rock your world while laughing out loud because that is the only way to get through the daily grind of parenting. Plug in your earphones and lets go get them! Language: en Genres: Business, Kids & Family, Parenting Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
Why Reading Is Hard, and What Actually Helps: A Conversation with Ruth Rumack
Episode 112
Tuesday, 27 October, 2026
Why do some kids pick up reading on their own while others struggle for years? Ruth Rumack, founder of Ruth Rumack's Learning Space and creator of The Yak Pack decodable comics, has spent three decades working one-on-one with kids who learn differently. She joins Alana to explain why reading is so hard for the brain, what phonological awareness is and why it predicts reading success, and why knowing the alphabet song isn't the same as knowing the sounds. Ruth walks parents through the Ontario path from psychoeducational assessments to IEPs and IPRCs, the early signs worth watching for, and why behaviour is the tip of the iceberg. Plus: why what looks like lazy is often anxiety, executive functioning and the "neurospicy" kids who think differently, the shame and comparison kids carry, and why learning needs a safe space. Her message for parents: drop the guilt, find the right support, and don't count your kid out. ────────────────────────────── TIMESTAMPS ────────────────────────────── 00:00 Introducing Ruth Rumack 01:03 From teachers college to her own learning space 03:11 Thousands of students, and now their kids 04:47 Why Ruth created The Yak Pack comics 09:04 Why is reading so hard? 11:18 Phonological awareness: the early predictor 13:03 Letter names vs. letter sounds 15:15 Learning differences: more of it, or better at naming it? 18:43 Psychoeducational assessments, IEPs and IPRCs 23:47 Quiet girls, masking and stigma 24:38 Shame and comparison 25:41 What Ruth sees when a struggling student walks in 29:42 Early signs to watch for 33:07 Behaviour is the tip of the iceberg 34:45 Tips for teachers: what looks like lazy is often anxiety 38:03 What is executive functioning? 41:34 Is executive function weakness genetic? 44:05 Celebrating neurospicy kids 46:19 Creating a safe learning space 49:30 Parent guilt, and never counting kids out 50:41 Where to find Ruth and The Yak Pack 54:17 Outro ────────────────────────────── MOM HALO LISTENER OFFER ────────────────────────────── 30% off Academic Assessments at Ruth Rumack's Learning Space for the Mom Halo community. Enter code MOMHALO in the referral box on the intake form. → https://ruthrumack.com ────────────────────────────── CONNECT WITH RUTH RUMACK ────────────────────────────── Ruth Rumack's Learning Space → https://ruthrumack.com Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rrlstoronto/ The Yak Pack Comics → https://yakpack.rumackresources.com Free sample → https://rumackresources.com/product/yak-pack-comics-free-sample/ Amazon.ca → https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=yak+pack+comics Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/theyakpackcomics/ ────────────────────────────── ABOUT MOM HALO ────────────────────────────── Mom Halo is a podcast for real conversations about motherhood: the messy, the meaningful, and everything in between. 🎙️ New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss one. Website → https://momhalo.com Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/momhalo/ #Literacy #LearningToRead #LearningDifferences #Dyslexia #ADHD #ExecutiveFunctioning #Phonics #Neurodiversity #MomHalo #MomPodcast #Parenting
