Q: How Can I Modify Curricula for Dyslexic Students Without Compromising Standards? [Premium]

Q: How Can I Modify Curricula for Dyslexic Students Without Compromising Standards? [Premium]

  We were asked: How can I modify the curricula for dyslexic students without compromising standards? MODIFICATIONS VS. ACCOMODATIONS Usually, when 504s or IEPs are discussed, accommodations are mentioned more often than modifications. Accommodations refer to...

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Using AI and CHATGPT in Higher Education [Premium]

Using AI and CHATGPT in Higher Education [Premium]

        Here’s a brief summary of what entrepreneur Stan Gloss shared about using Chat GPT in Higher education:  Embracing Assistive Technology: Stan advocates for the use of generative AI and other assistive technologies as legitimate tools to support learning and work, especially for those with dyslexia. He uses generative AI to create outlines and formulate questions for writing assignments, which helps him overcome the initial challenge of starting with a blank page. Generative AI for Academic Work: Stan discusses using generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, to aid in the writing process by generating outlines and prompting questions,.

Personalized Learning Tools: – Voice Dream Reader: An app that reads texts aloud, which is vital for individuals who struggle with reading. – ChatGPT: […]

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What is ‘Explicit’ Instruction and Why Does It Help with Dyslexia? [Premium]

What is ‘Explicit’ Instruction and Why Does It Help with Dyslexia? [Premium]

If you look at almost any evidence-based guidelines for students with dyslexia, you’ll see the word ‘explicit’ in how instruction is delivered. Merriam’s Dictionary defines explicit as: “fully revealed or expressed without vagueness, implication, or ambiguity; leaving no question as to meaning or intent.” WHY IS EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION FOR DYSLEXIC STUDENTS? Remember that people with dyslexia tend to store information in explicit or declarative memory – with episodic memory areas being especially active. Activities that non-dyslexic people seem to acquire more effortlessly – like recognizing printed words, writing by hand, or retrieving math facts – are difficult if not impossible to learn without explicit instruction. For example, many non-dyslexic people may learn grammatical structure just through encountering different sentences when they are reading; dyslexic students, […]

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Don’t Do This: Dyslexia in The General Classroom [Premium]

Don’t Do This: Dyslexia in The General Classroom [Premium]

With all the demands that teachers face regarding classroom management, and the pressures getting students up to speed in reading and math, dyslexic students may find themselves experiencing additional stress from common classroom practices. We now know that as a group, dyslexic children are more emotionally reactive than their classroom peers (UCSF research). In addition, we know that over half of dyslexic adults experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder when returning to school settings as parents. In the the Dyslexia at School study from Dyslexic Advantage, 43% of parents surveyed reported that their student was punished because of dyslexia-related challenges. What were some the punishments recorded? – given extra homework – physical seclusion (work in hallway or closet) – singled out in classroom to do […]

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Should I Help with Homework? [Premium]

Should I Help with Homework? [Premium]

“His mother had read everything to him and in medical school his wife was reading aloud all books and references…there was some opposition to his continuance in medical school on the part of the dean and one other faculty member, but the opposition subsided… After his graduation a report came from a distant medical school hospital stating that this man was the best intern they had had for some time. He passed his American boards in internal medicine and became the head of a group practice clinic in a large city…” — Lloyd Thompson, Reading Disability Should you help with homework? The answer is YES. There is a qualifier on that – you should help but only to the point that you’re helping your student […]

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Q: What If My Professor Rejects My Accommodations Request? [Premium]

Q: What If My Professor Rejects My Accommodations Request? [Premium]

Q: WHAT IF MY PROFESSOR REJECTS MY ACCOMMODATION REQUEST? A: You haven’t said what accommodation you are seeking, but the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA requires that postsecondary institutions must provide “reasonable accommodations” to participate in courses, programs, and activities. From the American Psychological Association: “These accommodations can be in the form of academic adjustments or modifications such as extended time for test taking or completing course work; substitution of specific courses to meet degree requirements; modification of test taking or performance evaluations so as not to discriminate against a person’s sensory, speaking or motor impairments, unless that is what is being tested. Accommodations can also take the shape of auxiliary aids and services such as qualified sign language interpreters, note takers, readers, braille, […]

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The Letter – Getting a Good Start to the School Year [Premium]

The Letter – Getting a Good Start to the School Year [Premium]

  If you’re the parent of a student with significant academic challenges due to dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia, crafting a letter is a familiar ritual.   THE GOALS The big picture goals are for your student to have a good year – to enjoy being at school, to be developing in all areas, and to have good relationships with teachers, the school in general, and friends. But all students don’t start the school year on the same footing. If your student is below grade level in reading and is trying to overcome anxiety and/or feelings of failure, she or he may be bringing that to school before the first bell rings. THE CHALLENGE The challenge is that many teachers may not have had training in […]

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Public Education is General, Make Your Education Specialized [Premium]

Public Education is General, Make Your Education Specialized [Premium]

  I had been re-reading Taylor and Vestergaard’s Developmental Dyslexia: Disorder or Specialization in Exploration? and reading more of the background studies that led the authors to suggest that dyslexia was a cognitive specialization with evolutionary advantages. If that is the case, it seems more important than ever to specialize education to nurture abilities that build on how dyslexic minds are optimized. Successful human problem solving groups often exhibit different types of “intelligence” and the importance of explorers can be seen in many different types of problem solving groups. For instance, studies of groups addressing crises have shown that groups that insist on consensus may develop decision inertia or persist in using solutions that worked in the past although current crises involve new problems. The […]

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The ‘Why’ of Accommodations: Motor, Language, Speed [Premium]

The ‘Why’ of Accommodations: Motor, Language, Speed [Premium]

Although dyslexia is typically defined in terms of its effect on reading, research studies have established much broader effects on motor systems, language, and speed of processing. If professionals are not aware of these differences, they won’t request accommodations for the students who they test, and as a result, these students will miss out on supports that help them in higher education and beyond. MOTOR AND LANGUAGE – WRITING There are motor difficulties associated with dyslexia that are unrelated to reading (Turesky et al., 2023), but rather than being a difficulty affecting speed or coordination, it is more subtle – affecting automatic learning. If you are able to sign your name without thinking about all the twists and turns your fingers make for each letter, […]

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