Best Writing Apps [Premium]

Best Writing Apps [Premium]

We’ve talked a bit about speech to text for writing, but over time, many dyslexic students may prefer to write by typing or by hand. Technology can help dyslexic writers in many different ways, depending on their needs.     For young children with little or no eideitic (snapshot picture) memory for letters may benefit by an alphabet strip pasted inconspicuously in a folder or perhaps on a bulletin board. Students who are able to write by hand, but write very little because they’re uncertain of how to spell words, benefit tremendously by apps like Easy Spelling Aid which will find the spelling of words by speaking into the microphone. It also translate words. Check out these apps! Click on photos to access their sites. […]

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Writing: Elaboration [Premium]

Writing: Elaboration [Premium]

If you were to compare dyslexic and non-dyslexic university students in writing, it’s usually the case, that on average, dyslexic students write fewer words and fewer words that are polysyllabic. The reasons are several; slowness with word retrieval, writing, and spelling, organizational challenges, and working memory overload are likely contributors. Because multisyllabic words are more challenging phonemically, not only are they harder to recognize and remember while reading, but also they are harder to spell.   THE BIG PICTURE OF ELABORATION The big picture of elaboration is that you want writers to fall in love with words, whether it’s a beautiful passage evoking imagery, or funny turn of phrase, or incisive argument. Students who are the easiest to cultivate as great writers are those who […]

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The Writing Process From a University Tutor [Premium]

The Writing Process From a University Tutor [Premium]

I recently came across a helpful account from a university-based tutor who worked with a fellow college student at Reed. There are many points that are helpful to consider if you are working with a student in the area of writing. For some, writing is the most frustrating task they are likely to encounter in school. It is often the gateway to higher education and most common way their knowledge and ideas are assessed as they progress through education. The full article is HERE. She begins with a disclaimer, recognizing that she is “no expert,” but I think she is an expert of sorts, having worked through many difficult challenges with her student and helping him to reach a higher level of proficiency. “As my […]

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Expressive Language Difficulties & Dyslexia? [Premium]

Expressive Language Difficulties & Dyslexia? [Premium]

Perhaps because dyslexia is already woefully under-identified in today’s schools, the expressive language aspects of dyslexia have taken a back seat in the schools as well as by researchers. Yet, on a daily basis, it may be helpful for dyslexic children and adults to know that expressive difficulties they may indeed be associated with dyslexia. In fact, knowledge about oral expressive language difficulties and dyslexia dates back at least to Samuel Orton in 1925. For those who would like to read more about this point from speech language pathologists, read HERE. A typical pattern is for preschoolers to have some mild noticeable difficulties in speech intelligibility. Error patterns may be corrected and a student is discharged from speech therapy. By the time a student reaches […]

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Unleash Dyslexic Writing with Dr. Nicole Swedberg [Premium]

Unleash Dyslexic Writing with Dr. Nicole Swedberg [Premium]

In step-by-step fashion, learn how to unleash the dyslexic writing talent of students through Dr. Nicole Swedberg’s idea of Mini-Writes. In her talk, Dr. Swedberg talks about short writing assignments can help students master small achievable goals. She describes how she can take a student through the writing process in 1-3 sessions. Some strategies include using wordless picture books, a word bank, and afterwards a routine involving spellcheck and finally use of text-to-speech for each sentence. Other topics include strategies for overcoming a report meltdown and strategies for note taking using assistive technology. Dr. Nicole Swedberg has generously donated this 20-minute webinar on Teaching Writing to LD Kids as a fundraiser to support the programs here at Dyslexic Advantage and we are very grateful.  

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Dyslexia and the NEW SAT [Premium]

Dyslexia and the NEW SAT [Premium]

The new SAT started March 2016. From the New York Times, “What’s true of the writing section is true of the new SAT in general: There’s much more to read. “The most fundamental change is that there are many, many more words,” said Aaron Golumbfskie, education director for PrepMatters. “If you don’t read well and happily, this test isn’t going to be your friend.” Even the math section will require more reading, with fewer questions based on equations and more word problems. Some prompts will present the same type of real-world situations that the Common Core emphasizes — “The recommended daily calcium intake for a 20-year-old is 1,000 milligrams (mg). One cup of milk contains 299 mg….” Mr. Golumbfskie describes the math section as “tighter […]

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How Dyslexia Changes at Different Ages [Premium]

With all of the advances in our understanding of early intervention, dyslexia in older students and young adults often gets short shrift. The paper by Dr. Kathleen Niesen and colleagues has some interesting findings that have important points for identification, accommodations, and understanding of both the challenges and strengths of adolescents and young adults with dyslexia. Importantly, the authors made this point: “…if dyslexia was not diagnosed earlier in schooling, young adults do not qualify for accommodations even if as adolescents and adults they meet research criteria for dyslexia on evidence-based assessment. Such assessment practices do not seem fair or sensible or consistent with the spirit of the Americas for Disabilities legislation.” The point made was that dyslexia missed in the early grades usually meant dyslexia […]

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Could it be GRAMMAR? [Premium]

Could it be GRAMMAR? [Premium]

Hidden grammar difficulties can be common reason why older students with dyslexia hit a plateau with reading, writing, and even testing. The problem is so subtle at times that many difficulties may be missed for years if not for their entire academic careers. One of the reasons that the problem is difficult to detect is that even many standardized tests that are commonly used for assessing the possibility of dyslexia either don’t test for it or they don’t pinpoint the problems that cause the student to struggle. In the early grades, students who have “overcome dyslexia” by the mastery of decoding, may find they hit a plateau as sentences become longer and more complex. In the middle and high school years, unrecognized grammar problems may […]

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