"From the time I was six, I thought I was stupid. Although I talked well — and a lot — and articulated my thoughts fluidly enough that some folks swore one day I’d become a lawyer or a public speaker, it was all a facade. I couldn’t comprehend what I was reading, a...
![Learning Outside the Lines [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Learning-outside-the-lines-400x250.jpg)
Many adults with dyslexia only discovered that they were dyslexic late in life. Those who return to learning may enjoy more successes as they can choose routes of learning (and assessments) better matched to how they learn best. ONLINE LEARNING Many K-12 students may have disliked online learning based on pandemic experiences, but careful selection of online programs (some with 1:1 tutors) may result in better options than a particular classroom. If a student is failing, the school may be open to trying something different. The option to replay and re-listen, then have a tutor to follow up with additional explanations may be a way that some students can get through and succeed with math CERTIFICATIONS AND SCHOOL-TO-WORK PIPELINES The pandemic led to an explosion […]
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English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams recently shared that he was saddened after learning that his 10-year old daughter who is like a “mini-me”, dyslexic also with musical abilities, was rejected by a friend who decided she didn’t want anything to do with her after learning that she was dyslexic. “I tried to make it clear to her that sometimes you just have to let other people go, that you should let them go – but without sacrificing your self-esteem in the process…This girl did not deserve her love and friendship…I speak from experience.” Because many adults today discover that they are dyslexic only after their children are identified in school, this reliving the school and social-emotional stresses as their own children try to navigate their lives […]
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Maybe you know how to use your Siri or Google’s digital assistant, but do you know how to get all your screens including e-books read to you? For iPhones: Depending on your latest update, some of these settings may look a little different – but Accessibility from your General Settings should lead you to the right area. Some earlier version may just list “Speech”. You can choose to show the controller or hide it and also choose whether you would like text highlighted as it is spoken. The controller overlays any screen. Click on it to open. You can scroll horizontally on the button with numbers to increase or decrease speed. Other commands are listed on the page for Reading all content, speaking on touch. […]
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Many students and adults attribute difficulties in math to memory problems, but probing these difficulties further often leads to the realization that it’s not a simple matter of remembering or forgetting, but rather trouble defining, organizing, then retrieving what has been learned. PROBLEMS DEFINING AND UNDERSTANDING ‘WHY’ First of all, if a student is struggling with remembering new information, it’s best to check and see if the definitions, procedures, and the why of procedures are clear. In fact, it may be a flipside of a strength in long-term memory that contributes to dyslexic students’ confusion with ambiguous terms. A good example of this James Tanton’s blog post: When fractions are introduced as pieces of pie, 3/5 + 1/5 makes sense to equal 4/5, but what […]
Recently, a bilingual teacher in my Dyslexia for Teachers class shared his experiences being a dyslexic writing in both English and Chinese. With his permission, I am sharing some of his reflections: “Under an educational system that attaches great importance to writing abilities, I have been subjected to countless criticisms and reproaches. I should have given up or avoided writing early on, but for a community college teacher who encouraged me, saying that my articles were imaginative and beautiful. That’s why I was determined to continue to study and write.” — Jason Jason’s post: “I love writing a lot, but it is always tricky for me. I used to have too many ideas and didn’t know how to start. Retrieving words and spelling are always […]
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Question: Our 9 year old son is bilingual and also dyslexic. We have decided to allow him to attend a bilingual school with his older sister for cultural and family reasons. Will this harm his educational development? The school seems supportive, but does not have teachers trained to remediate dyslexia. There are many reasons why families choose to raise their children with two or more languages, not the least being ties to two cultures and communicating with extended family members. As you may be aware, language learning can be very difficult for some dyslexic students, leading them to seek waivers for foreign language instruction. That being said, we have known many families over the years who have done just as you plan to do. The […]
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It’s not uncommon when we speak to groups about dyslexia that someone asks why we are mentioning auditory processing when they (mistakenly) believe dyslexia is only about reading. In fact, there is substantial research literature about dyslexia and auditory processing difficulties – sometimes the problems can present with difficulty in learning phonemes, but other times it may affect sensitivity to auditory distractions, trouble listening to rapid or foreign speakers, and problems hearing in the presence of background noise. People who are dyslexic themselves or live with people who are dyslexic may know all about this. It’s a good example of how simplistic definitions can confuse rather than help. There’s been extensive work about auditory processing differences found in dyslexic vs. non dyslexic groups. The figure […]
This is a mind boggling stunt if you haven't seen it. Tom Cruise of Top Gun and Mission Impossible fame rode his motorcycle off a cliff in Norway - not once, but six times in 1 day...and at the age of 60. ...
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Math games are a great way to build a hands-on sense for number flexibility and quantity. The best situation is if hands-on and visual math activities are started from the beginning, but the good news is that it’s never too late to start. Even students who are taught almost exclusively in rote/symbolic ways can benefit by activities and reinforcements at home or in out-of-class tutoring sessions. SUBITIZING AND NUMBER SENSE Subitizing is a term that refers to a rapid and confident judgment about a small number of items. If you have three coins in your hand or five do you quickly know how many coins there are without having to count? That number sense is important before progressing to higher calculations. Click on the photos […]
Reading fluency is defined as an ability to read texts with accuracy, a good rate, and good expression (sometimes the latter two are referred to as automaticity and prosody). Strong reading fluency is a goal that all children should have on their path to becoming independent readers, but reading fluency practice is not sufficient to remediate dyslexic students. Students must reach a certain level of decoding before reading fluency can be meaningfully assessed. Decoding is the process of translating printed words into speech. READING FLUENCY PRACTICE IS NOT SUFFICIENT FOR DYSLEXIC STUDENTS STILL WORKING TO DECODE The idea that simply exposing students to reading quality texts and modeling fluent reading would be sufficient for an overwhelming majority of students is a failed theory that […]
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Almost every structured literacy program uses letter tiles and flashcards. The reason for this is that there are so many word parts and whole words to learn and the use of tiles and cards can give students visual support as they focus on various letters, letter groups, and their sounds while building up reading fluency. Some students may have difficulty learning with tiles and cards if the lessons or demonstrations proceed too quickly, or if working memory is easily overloaded or motor challenges make hands-on activities more difficult than less kinesthetic ones. Activities like word sorts may also provide a little physical activity that help students stay alert and engaged whereas more passive study may have them drifting off. For college kids and adults, flashcards […]
