Jewel is a multi-platinum singer-songwriter, poet, and actress who found success playing in coffeehouses in San Diego where she was discovered by a music manager and signed with Atlantic Records in 1994. It was 1996 when her first album took off, climbing to #11 on...
![Creativity Boost, How? [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2019-08-30-at-12.22.43-PM.jpg)
From Dr. Robert Brooks: “If someone approached you and said, “I have a recommendation that will require only 10 minutes of your time each day, it poses no risk and will increase your creativity and your overall health,” what would you guess was involved in the 10 minutes? Or, if you were between 70-89 years of age and someone suggested you set aside approximately three hours each week for a couple of activities that would significantly decrease the likelihood of physical disability, what do you think you would have to do to realize this benefit? And, very importantly, once you had this knowledge, how likely would you be to put it into action? From a Stanford Report: “Creative thinking improves while a person is walking […]
![Organizing Tips for the Dyslexic Academic [PREMIUM]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2019-08-30-at-8.50.54-PM.jpg)
A request came through from one of our Premium subscribers. What strategies are helpful for the dyslexic academic or working professional who needs to organize and synthesize from large quantities of information? The first step is SIMPLIFY. Argument Mapping As Dyslexic PhD Dr. Emma Jeffries says in her video below, looking for the key points in an argument helps her map the essence of what a journal article or paper is presenting. When she has a big text or paper that she has to read, she uses key questions to focus her reading. Sometimes a mentor or professor can also focus your reading on key topics or questions. Emma describes how she sketches notes that help get the gist of data that she is analyzing. […]
![Michael Shainblum – World Photographer and Videographer [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/lajollaburn1200-1024x791.jpg)
We recently had a chance to catch up with Michael Shainblum, an extraordinary videographer and photographer who found a wonderful outlet for his creativity and expression. Michael first discovered photography in a summer class he took in middle school. He rediscovered it again in the summer before high school when he got a digital camera and found he could take thousands of pictures in his backyard, looking for patterns in plants or macro pictures of bugs. Michael first started earning work as a professional photographer at the age of 16. We thought it was particularly touching that he had trouble getting other typical high school jobs because he wasn’t good at interviewing. Nowadays, Michael likes playing with time and motion, but still looks for interesting […]
I had a great chance to catch up with uber-talented Krista Weltner yesterday. If you haven't watched her recent Master's work Partially Compensated, check it out now. When we posted it to our Facebook feed, here are some of the comments: "Ok, that made me cry....
![Executive Function: DE-STRESS [PREMIUM]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Screen-Shot-2019-08-30-at-9.05.28-PM.jpg)
Dyslexic children who are struggling in school will be under tremendous stress and have varying levels of anxiety and depression. Stress is well known to affect executive functions and children experiencing stress can look as if they have ADHD. – Destress the Learning Environment. Are expectations well matched to the student’s current ability? Is the workload appropriate? Are accommodations needed? – Is your student being heard and understood? Is your student able to express herself and her feelings? Putting thoughts and feelings into words can have a positive distancing and organizing effect for people under stress. Can your child problem-solve setbacks and disappointments? If not, she may need some help scaffolding her challenges and coming up with a plan. Is there a positive working relationship […]
Despite the fact that dyslexics are over-represented in Art & Design, the field of User Design is surprisingly late to designing for dyslexia specifically in mind. It may be that some design is as good as it is because there are already dyslexics in design teams...
Ingvar Kamprad grew up in poverty on a small farm in Sweden. His grandfather had killed himself after realizing he could no longer afford his mortgage. His grandmother was able to save the family farm. Because Ingvar struggled in school because of his dyslexia and he...
![Dyslexic Master Montessori Teacher ALISON AWES [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Screen-Shot-2019-08-31-at-4.00.40-PM.jpg)
I recently had a chance to talk with Master Montessori Teacher Alison Awes who is based at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota. Alison is dyslexic herself and she has written about how Montessori instruction can support dyslexic students. Alison is also trained in Orton-Gillingham Level1. Like the Orton-Gillingham method, the Montessori approach was created by a physician working with special education students. I knew about Montessori because both our children attended Montessori preschools and we liked many aspects of the educational approach, including self-directed learning, multi-age classrooms, and well-designed hands-on materials. I was interested in hearing about Alison’s experiences because she attended a Montessori school herself until the age of 12 and then transitioned to a traditional middle school. She only discovered that she […]
![America’s Greatest Designers, CHUCK HARRISON [PREMIUM]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-01-at-9.00.20-PM.jpg)
Chuck Harrison‘s designs are so ubiquitous that it’s said that every household in America has something designed by him. Growing up in rural Louisiana, Chuck’s first attempts at design involved the building of a “skate box” when he attached wheels to an old two-by-four, creating an early version of a skateboard. Chuck’s father was an industrial arts teachers first at Southern University, then Texas A & M. Chuck knew he loved to create things with his hands, but didn’t know how to translate it into a career until he took an aptitude test at the City College of San Francisco. His dean advised him to go into industrial design, so he applied to all 5 programs in the country. In college, Chuck had the […]
![Dyslexia: The Twenty-Something Years [PREMIUM]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Screen-Shot-2019-09-01-at-8.40.01-AM.jpg)
“These are the years when it will be easiest to start the lives we want. And no matter what we do, the twenties are an inflection point- the great reorganization – a time when the experiences we have disproportionately influence the adult lives we will lead.” – Meg Jay, author of The Defining Decade “Life for emerging adults is vastly different today than it was for their counterparts even a generation ago. Young people are waiting longer to marry, to have children, and to choose a career direction. As a result, they enjoy more freedom, opportunities, and personal growth than ever before. But the transition to adulthood is also more complex, disjointed, and confusing. ” – Christian Smith, lead author of Lost in Transition Many ‘experts’ have […]
![Dyslexic Entrepreneur’s Advice for the Road [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Screen-Shot-2019-09-01-at-8.30.50-AM.jpg)
Great advice from Stephen Key at Additude. For many adult dyslexics, running your own business is the best way to build on strengths and create a positive working environment. Stephen offers the following helpful advice for those at the beginning their journey. “1. I prepare for every situation. My learning disability has caused me to fear the unknown. Feeling prepared soothes my nerves. Before I attend a meeting, I make sure to have an agenda. I like knowing what is expected of me. Because I don’t like being caught off guard, I am constantly studying up — on all sorts of topics. Much to my wife’s amusement, I even studied up on the first book we read for our neighborhood book club. When I’m traveling, […]
