Supporting Young Dyslexics during the Pandemic

Supporting Young Dyslexics during the Pandemic

With all the continued upheaval due the pandemic, here's some advice for trying to keep the big picture of the coming school year. DYSLEXIC DEVELOPMENT HAS ITS OWN TIME TABLE There can be a very late bloom for a lot of the younger years for dyslexics - so don't...

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Dyslexia and Social Studies [Premium]

Dyslexia and Social Studies [Premium]

Many dyslexic students are natural storytellers and may even have a passion for history and analyzing various aspects of society and social change.   As a subject Social Studies can be difficult for dyslexic students, so the question is how to build on strengths, but bypass challenges due to extensive reading and writing demands, and rote memorization.   Dyslexic Strengths in Social Studies: Strengths in Social Studies may reflect all 4 of the dyslexic MIND strengths: spatial strengths in geography or movement of people, Interconnected reasoning strengths may allow students to see complex events from multiple perspectives and through multiple lenses. Narrative intelligence may help them immerse themselves in stories of the past and analyze decisions of different people experiencing different events. Dynamic reasoning strengths […]

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Creating An Environment That Works [Premium]

Creating An Environment That Works [Premium]

Sunlight, air, water, nutrients…we know these are the things that allow plants to grow and flourish, but what are the same essential factors for dyslexic students or employees?     FLEXIBILITY AND SOME CREATIVITY Good environments for dyslexics tend to be those that have some flexibility. Flexibility might take the form of how you may choose to do something vs. the standard way. In college, it might mean a reduced course load when taking difficult subjects, or at work, it might be focusing on project quality and program execution more than hours logged. The classic “bad job” for a dyslexic is work that is assembly-line, repetitive, and lock-step. Sometimes the dilemma is how to get to the good flexible jobs when you’re just starting out […]

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The Late Bloom [Premium]

The Late Bloom [Premium]

The cognitive profile associated with dyslexia is the quintessential “late blooming” profile. There can be a lot of stress and angst that comes with late blooming, but the good news is that the bloom is a gift when it arrives.     Here are some facts that are helpful to know about late blooming and dyslexia:   1. DYSLEXIC DEVELOPMENT AND READING: DELAYED AT FIRST, SPURTING AHEAD LATER In the figure below, look at the spurt in reading comprehension that takes place especially after the 4th grade. Between the 4th and 8th grade, the “poor decoders” (dyslexic readers with weak phonology) actually improved faster than typical readers. This improvement was very different from poor comprehenders (poor readers with more pervasive language difficulties) who hit a […]

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The Strength Switch [Premium]

The Strength Switch [Premium]

Lea Waters is a psychologist and author from Australia who has developed a helpful strategy to reframe and help common childhood challenges. She suggests 5 Questions to overcome a natural tendency to be negative.   Here are the 5 questions. 1. Is It Strength Overuse? 2. Is It Strength Underuse? 3. Is it the Flipside of a Strength? 4. Could It Be a Blocked Strength? 5. Could It Be Forced Overuse of a Weakness or a Learned Behavior?   #1. Is It Strength Overuse? Lea gives the example of her husband’s playfulness and humor. He could make his classmates laugh, but his playfulness and humor could also get him in trouble with teachers and other authority figures. From Lea: “A strength-based parent taking a child […]

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Cognitive Overload [Premium]

Cognitive Overload [Premium]

Here is a nice overview of cognitive load theory – the only downside is due to some ads, but that’s YouTube for you.   Everyone is susceptible to cognitive overload, but overload increases with stress (pandemic anyone?), younger age, and dyslexia. Some people have small working memory capacities which may make them more prone to cognitive overload. As a group, dyslexics tend to be more susceptible to cognitive overload, meaning that they are more dependent on how information is taught.     If you’re dyslexic yourself, it’s good to periodically do a productivity check. If you’re a college student, chances are you already know what it means to have memory overload. Students can prepare for tough subjects by reviewing in advance (finding a relevant video […]

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Dyslexia and Perfectionism [Premium]

Dyslexia and Perfectionism [Premium]

For many, college is a “perfect storm” for personal stress. Reading and writing workloads may be astronomical, student and family expectations are high, and many students for the first time may be without personal and academic supports that allowed them to enter college in the first place. College is the time when students could find their organizational and time management abilities stretched beyond their ability to cope. There are surprisingly few studies looking at coping strategies for dyslexic students in college or universities. Recently, in the United Kingdom, researchers discovered that unhealthy patterns of perfectionism may negatively impact students’ well-being and the likelihood to reach out for help. Perfectionism is now thought to be a common personality disposition characterized by the making of high personal […]

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Emotional Resilience [Premium]

Emotional Resilience [Premium]

                            A Short Video on Building Personal Resilience     The second video is a good cartoon introduction to the idea of Emotional Intelligence. It has some good examples and insights, but occasionally has some misses. Try it out first yourself and see if it might be helpful sharing with a student.  

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