What Reading Speed Has to Do With Leadership: Nothing
Many leaders succeed because of their dyslexia, not in spite of it. President Trump stirred up a hornet’s nest when he suggested that Governor...
Storytelling as a Dyslexic Strength
Storytelling is not simply a language skill. It is a form of reasoning. Recognizing these strengths helps shift how we think about writing instruction and creative expression.
Rethinking Auditory-Only Phonemic Awareness Training for Reading in the Early Grades Does Not Work
A new study reported on in Education Week found that a widely-used phonemic awareness program (the oral-only Heggerty curriculum) did not improve gains in word reading or oral reading fluency, although it did significantly improve phonemic awareness skills.
Free Back To School Reading Apps
Some of the most common free apps that dyslexic students use for school.
Beyond Behavior: Attention, Working Memory, or Something Else?
The problem with trying to diagnose with behavioral checklists is that behavior can result from many different sources. If you have a 3rd grader...
Math Difficulties Common with Dyslexia
Although the pace of research into dyslexia beyond reading proceeds very slowly, there is some welcome recent research into some of the...
![Dyslexia in the General Classroom – YOU DECIDE : 2nd Grader and Reading [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/2nd-grade-our-shutterstock.jpg.webp)
Dyslexia in the General Classroom – YOU DECIDE : 2nd Grader and Reading [Premium]
YOU are a 2nd-grade teacher in a busy public school classroom. You just learned that Teddy, a student in your class has been tested and found to be dyslexic. Teddy already gets pull-out instruction with multisensory learning to help him read. What can you do to help Teddy make more progress in reading? ************ 1. Alliteration, Rhyming, and Singing – All students can benefit by alliteration and rhyming. New readers will find the books easier to read and reinforcing in terms of the patterns of sounds and printed word families, but good readers can also use alliteration and rhyming as a prompt for poetry and humorous writing. Here is a nice graphic organizer for alliteration: (click here for more). This teacher created alliteration spinners to […]
Gwen Stefani The Voice and Dyslexia
"It was such a turning point to find that I had a talent and I had something to contribute, somewhere." - Gwen Stefani, singer, songwriter, fashion designer, actress As a child, Gwen was very creative, performing puppet shows for friends and neighbors with her...
![This is Your Brain on Words [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2019-10-08-at-4.20.07-PM.jpg.webp)
This is Your Brain on Words [Premium]
In breaking research from UC Berkeley, researchers have found a complicated filing system when it comes to how we process words that we hear. While listening to stories, individual words triggered tiny activation explosions all over the brain associated with word associations – “Words were grouped under various headings: visual, tactile, numeric, locational, abstract, temporal, professional, violent, communal, mental, emotional and social.” So a well-working human brain responding to stories functions more like a wall filled with stickie notes rather than a linear filing cabinet? Which sounds more like the dyslexic way of wiring? Check out the video explanation below. The finding certainly points out the fallacy of viewing language in simple right-brain-left brain terms, but it does support the complexity of language and the right-left […]
Count on Your Fingers – It Helps with Math
The researchers found that when 8-to-13-year-olds were given complex subtraction problems, the somatosensory finger area lit up, even though the students did not use their fingers. This finger-representation area was, according to their study, also engaged to a...
![Shakespeare and Dyslexia – Making Words Physical [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/shakepeare-pixabay.jpg.webp)
Shakespeare and Dyslexia – Making Words Physical [Premium]
Today is National Shakespeare Day, and dyslexia and Shakespeare have been on our minds. We recently mentioned that Lloyd Everitt (yes, he’s dyslexic) is the youngest actor to play Othello at Shakespeare’s own Globe Theater. But we’ve also been thinking about Shakespeare recently because, on our trip down to California, we had the pleasure of stopping by the Oregon Shakespeare Company’s Rebecca Carey, the head of Voice and Text. Rebecca has an accomplished career that includes acting herself as well as teaching and consultant roles with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Oxford School of Drama, Broadway, and American Repertory Theatre. Rebecca is also co-author (with her husband, David Carey) of The Shakespeare Workbook and Video, a brilliant practical course for actors that includes such topics […]
![How to Accommodate or Modify Assignments and Tests for Students with Dyslexia and ELLs [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/shutterstock_388591456.jpg.webp)
How to Accommodate or Modify Assignments and Tests for Students with Dyslexia and ELLs [Premium]
Many teachers don’t realize that many dyslexic students need modifications in assignments and tests in order to accurately assess their knowledge. Some of these changes will also benefit other students in class including English Language Learners or ELLs. Homework and test questions are sentences that often present information out of context, so that the content is more difficult to read. CLASSROOM ACCOMMODATIONS / MODIFICATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA AND ELLs 1. Less! Reduce the amount of homework to 1/3 or if a student needs to completely redraft work, eliminate assignments until the redrafting process is finished. 2. Be aware that your students may not be able to read word problems or instructions on assignments. 3. Highlight clues. 4. Reduce Choices. Eliminate “All of the above” […]
![Latest Research: Advances in our Understanding of Dyslexia, ADHD, and Giftedness [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/brain-pixabay.jpg.webp)
Latest Research: Advances in our Understanding of Dyslexia, ADHD, and Giftedness [Premium]
It’s long been known that Dyslexia and ADD / ADHD have high rates of overlaps or “co-morbidities”. Dyslexia and ADHD co-occur 30-50% of the time (Germano, 2010) and only 40% of children with dyslexia and 20% of children with ADD/ADHD have it in isolation (Wilcutt and Pennington, 2000). Science has progressed on many fronts over the past 5 years, and both attention and dyslexia are now known to be much more complex than originally suspected. It has long been known that dyslexia is associated with attention and working memory differences, and that reading, writing, and spelling difficulties are higher among children identified as having ADHD. Both Dyslexia and ADD / ADHD are associated with slower processing speeds and both seem to be connected with the […]
Dyslexia and Superhero Film Director Zack Snyder
With news that Batman vs. Superman just passed the $700 million globally, powerhouse film director Zack Snyder shares his story about dyslexia in Bloomberg. Zack is known for a series of blockbuster movies, beginning with Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen, Legends of...
Dyslexia – How to Thrive
"Self-esteem is not an internal quality fed by easy success and diminished by failure. It is a positive way of experiencing yourself when you are fully engaged and are using your ability to the utmost in pursuit of something of value." - Dr. Carol Dweck, Stanford...
![What Works for Dyslexia? RTI and Tier 3 Intensive Reading Intervention [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2019-09-21-at-10.21.54-AM.jpg.webp)
What Works for Dyslexia? RTI and Tier 3 Intensive Reading Intervention [Premium]
Response to Intervention or RTI has been adopted by 1/3 of US states, although the details of its use and requirements varies considerably in terms of how it addresses the needs of dyslexic students. At its best RTI is a multi-tiered approach to the identification and support of students with different learning and behavior needs. At its best RTI provides high quality, scientifically-based classroom instruction, ongoing student assessment, and tiering of instruction to students who require differentiation or individualization. At it’s worse, RTI has been criticized as a “wait to fail” program where student neither get adequately assessed nor provide with appropriate instruction. Wrightslaw’s article The RTI Hurdle begins with “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Certainly vigilance and advocacy on the part of […]
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Higher Creativity of Dyslexic Children and Adolescents – New Research [Premium]
“…dyslexic children around the age of 10 years old were found to be particularly creative in our study…” – Kapoula et al. University Paris PLOS One 2016: 11(3). From creativity researchers in Europe, some striking new information about how well dyslexic students and adolescents performed on the Torrance Test of Creativity Thinking compared to non-dyslexic peers. Particularly large differences were noted in the areas of originality and elaboration. Figure 1 shows A, the test prompt, B, the drawing from an art student, C, a drawing from a non-dyslexic student, and D, a drawing from a dyslexic student. “When comparing the most creative group of students (i.e., from ENSAD) and the most creative group of dyslexic children and teenagers (i.e., from BRUXELLES) (Fig 2F, Table 9), the only […]
![Dyslexia and Speaking Difficulties in Children [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/quiet-boy-our-shutterstock.jpg.webp)
Dyslexia and Speaking Difficulties in Children [Premium]
“Two years after starting school, 1/3 of children who had experienced articulatory problems or whose language acquisition had been delayed were significantly behind in reading and spelling. By contrast, only one of twenty children in the control situation were behind.” – Dr. Marcel Just, Dyslexia Characteristics and Causes Although dyslexia is quite common (up to 15-20% of the population), many equate it as being a problem of reading, whereas there are a wide range of differences (as a group) between dyslexic and non-dyslexic individuals – including speech difficulties but also strengths. Speaking difficulties may be one of the earliest ‘signs’ of dyslexia including, but not limited to late talking, tendency to stutter / cluttering (rapid speech, irregular rate, rhythm, and sequence), word retrieval difficulties, mispronunciation […]
High School Students View Their Dyslexia as an Advantage
Things are changing. From ABC: "Fortunately for Christa Hills, her dyslexia diagnosis came when she was in primary school. She was able to access appropriate help from a young age. Now studying for her Year 12 exams, she regards dyslexia as a gift. 'It's really great....
How to Make Safari Talk in 60 Seconds or Less
If you own a Mac, get your Safari browser to talk in less than 60 seconds. If you tell Safari to speak without selecting the text, it will start at the top, but also read details you may not want to read.
Dyslexia Cybersecurity CEO Lior Div – Hacking the Hackers
"Dyslexic people process visual information differently than most people, so instead of starting with letters or sounds, I looked at sentences or even paragraphs as a whole, and then broke them down into parts. That process – starting with the big picture and breaking...
![Why Are So Many Dyslexic Student Good at Science? [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/shutterstock_147597254.jpg.webp)
Why Are So Many Dyslexic Student Good at Science? [Premium]
Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur Geniuses, Engineers of the Century, SiliconValley pioneers, and more. Why are so many dyslexic people exceptional at science and tech? Here are 5 Reasons (there are many more…): Bookmark Please login to bookmark ClosePlease login to access.
Dyslexic American Film and Music Producer David Geffen
One of the most famous film and music producers of all time, David Geffen is known for helping his involvement in Dreamworks, Eagles, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Cher, and many many more, but also for his early school-related struggles due to dyslexia. Geffen's...
![This is Your Brain on Phonics – fMRI and Dyslexia [Premium Subscription]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/shutterstock_229039786.jpg.webp)
This is Your Brain on Phonics – fMRI and Dyslexia [Premium Subscription]
One of the greatest neuromyths about dyslexia is that it’s just about reading. Kudos to the Gabrieli lab (and many others) who are unraveling the differences that exist between dyslexic and non-dyslexic children because the science can inform us about what we may need to do as teachers and tutors. In the following article, we’ll share recent brain research that shows that dyslexic children ‘hear’ or processing sounds differently. Instead of activating a left hemispheric area, they activate the right temporoparietal cortex, a part of the brain important for multisensory integration and imitation. ** To read more, log into your Premium account or become a Premium Subscriber here or. Thank you for your support! Bookmark Please login to bookmark ClosePlease login to access.
The Wisdom of Pooh and Dyslexia
“You are braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne Winnie the Pooh’s advice is smarter than we may think when it comes to encouraging young readers. What’s better than reading intervention and working memory training? Reading intervention and working memory + education about intelligence. If students believe they are not intelligent or bad at school, that negative mindset is likely to sabotage even well-planned educational programs. Students who believe that they become more intelligent step-by-step by persistence and hard work, are significantly higher achieving in reading and working memory, but also math and science. Now researchers are discovering that some studies that didn’t discover significant improvements in working memory training may have been due to this […]
How Harry Potter Taught Me to Read and Now I’m a Writer
“When I was 12 my older sister had recently discovered Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling. She started to read it to me once a day, however, the story was so gripping that once a day was just not enough for me. The exciting and alluring nature of Rowling’s writing drove me to pick up a book for the first time. I was amazed at how she was able to incorporate such complex themes and ideas into her books, but still write in a style that I could understand. It was challenging at first. I blundered my way through the pages, stumbling over words, often not understanding the meaning. But I was so desperate to find out what happened next that I forced myself to get […]
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