Testing News: DOJ Forces Changes in Need for More Tests GRE AND PRAXIS

Testing News: DOJ Forces Changes in Need for More Tests GRE AND PRAXIS

by | Jun 24, 2023 | , , , , , ,

  Any student who applies to college or graduate school knows that the burden to re-test can be costly for students pursuing higher education. For decades, families have had to navigate a minefield of proof to be granted much-needed accommodations for high stakes exams. The cost may really add up. We have posted on the Department of Justice’s regulations regarding the ADA at work and at school here. Although these guidelines clearly stated re-testing for accommodations should not be burdensome and that generally outside testing should be accepted, families have had to fight battles on an individual basis if their particular request for accommodations was denied. Well, the recent good news is that the Department of Justice has announced at settlement with the Education Testing […]

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Great Reading and Audiobook Apps for Summer

Great Reading and Audiobook Apps for Summer

by | Jun 23, 2023 | , , , , , ,

  If you or your student haven’t tried audiobooks or e-books, summer is a great time. You can get a public library card for free, and have access to thousands of e-books, audiobooks, comics and graphic novels, and movies and magazines from the convenience of your desktop or digital device. Many libraries may even have free 1:1 tutoring and language lab for foreign or English Language Learners. Some schools also have institutional subscriptions for online book services that families can use for free. Contact your teacher or tech support at school to see what additional goodies you may qualify for before school dismisses for the summer. Remember, too, that students with dyslexia or other print disability qualify for free e-books from Bookshare. First, I want […]

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Chief of Design at Nike: John Hoke [Premium]

Chief of Design at Nike: John Hoke [Premium]

by | Jun 22, 2023 | , , , , ,

“I’m dyslexic, so my first real language was drawing,” he said. “Even at the youngest age I can recall, I wasn’t necessarily interested in the essay or the text, I was graphically designing the header. I doodled everything. That was the way I communicated.” — John Hoke From Fast Company: “My father was an engineer and I used to only run in the waffle trainer cause that was my shoe. I had to have it. It was the best. And when I was done, I would bandsaw the shoe in half and I would look at the two halves of the section and I’d look at my air mattresses, my pool, my bike tire or my bike tire inner tube. I was like, why can’t […]

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What to Do This Summer?

What to Do This Summer?

by | Jun 21, 2023 | , , , , , ,

Summertime tends to be a great time for dyslexic students. The grinding schoolwork routine is gone – and school, if at all, has fewer time commitments and less time in a seat. TAKE A BREAK First, especially if your student has had a difficult school year with heavy workloads, make sure there’s sufficient time to rest, recover, and do different things. Many students need a chance to remember that life is not school and they are not their report cards. EXPLORE AND CONNECT Summer can be a great time to explore the world, pursue new interests, and spend time on hobbies. So many people have told us over the years that what matters the most to them in their career success had little to do […]

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Question: Can the Strengths of Dyslexia Be Affected or Minimized by ADHD?

Question: Can the Strengths of Dyslexia Be Affected or Minimized by ADHD?

by | Jun 18, 2023 | , , , , ,

  This question came through our webinar last month and I thought we could respond to it in more detail in our newsletter. There can be a high degree of overlap between individuals diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Both dyslexia and ADHD can run in families and both can be associated with creativity, giftedness, and lower working memory. Dyslexia is usually identified through a “clinical diagnosis” with a professional looking at gaps between certain measures of IQ – like verbal reasoning and comprehension, and lower than expected single word or pseudoword reading (fake words that need to be sounded out and so reflect phonological awareness), naming speed, oral reading accuracy and speed, spelling, and impaired automaticity with writing by hand. An entire book can be […]

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The Mind Map in Your Brain [Premium]

The Mind Map in Your Brain [Premium]

by | Jun 17, 2023 | , , , , , , , ,

Among professionals who work with dyslexic students, there have long been recommendations to mind map ideas. In recent basic neuroscience research, there’s been a growing understanding why. Neuroscientists have long studied how knowledge seems to work in the brain with schemas -or patterns that can form a flexible reference base that helps us understand new or existing knowledge or make decisions for how to act. But these schemas have largely been studied in a context of verbal memory – with only more recent insights into “the other schemas.” As it turns out there are a lot of other schemas and processes involving schema-making. They are non-verbal and spatial – and that is where the implications for dyslexic people may come into play. If you are […]

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Question: Third Grader with Severe Dysgraphia and Moderate Dyslexia [Premium]

Question: Third Grader with Severe Dysgraphia and Moderate Dyslexia [Premium]

by | Jun 10, 2023 | , , , , ,

Recently we received a question about severe dysgraphia and moderate dyslexia. The dilemma was how to prioritize limited resources for therapy (if any). There is a high overlap between dyslexia and dysgraphia, but severe handwriting  difficulties in the early grades often suggest dyspraxia (a disorder of fine and gross motor coordination) as well. The practical dilemma many parents and students face is that the amount of support that students receive for dyspraxia or dyslexia may be far below what they need; also intervention may take years – and health insurance may not cover any outside therapy whether it’s pediatric occupational therapy, speech therapy, or specialist dyslexia intervention. There is no simple answer. Decisions about priorities depend on the severity of each, but also on the […]

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Question: Advice for Jobs Good for Dyslexic Creatives? [Premium]

Question: Advice for Jobs Good for Dyslexic Creatives? [Premium]

by | Jun 8, 2023 | , , , , , , , ,

Someone recently asked this question because his previous job came to an end and he wanted find a job that better matched his dyslexic strengths. It’s hard to answer that question specifically for any one person because a great deal of variation from person-to person can exist within the strengths associated with dyslexia. INTERESTS AND STRENGTHS That being said, it is a good idea to take stock of your interests and strengths  and to ask people who know you well for their opinions. Sometimes it’s hard to identify your strengths yourself. Are there things you love doing, whether inside your career or out, that give you ‘ “flow” and great satisfaction? If there is more than one activity, can you think of any factors in […]

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Dyslexia and the Foreign Language Dilemma [Premium]

Dyslexia and the Foreign Language Dilemma [Premium]

by | Jun 7, 2023 | , , , ,

What to do? Many select colleges require two years of foreign language taken in high school, while telling potential applicants that they prefer four years. Sally Shaywitz of Yale University has said: “…Considering the profound impact dyslexia has on both spoken and written language acquisition, and from both an educational and a scientific perspective, it makes little to no sense to impose a foreign language requirement on students who are dyslexic and, indeed, is counterproductive to the aims of a liberal education in the 21st century.”     In a previous article (Dropping Out Because of Foreign Language), we had described how a Harvard psychologist in the 1970s, Kenneth Dinklage had found that the students at risk for having to drop out of college because […]

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Legendary Filmmaker David Lean [Premium]

Legendary Filmmaker David Lean [Premium]

by | Jun 7, 2023 | , , , , , ,

Sir David Lean CBE was an Academy Award-winning filmmaker who inspired fellow dyslexic filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Joe Wright. David was initially recognized as a “dud” at school, prone to excessive daydreaming. Later he would credit his passion for filmmaking with the gift (from an uncle) of a Brownie box camera at the age of 10. David was considered “dim” especially when compared to his younger brother. He left school at 18 for work, but was bored when he tried apprenticing at his father’s accountancy firm. David’s aunt urged him to find a job that he could love. He was spending every evening at the movie house, so taking her advice to heart, he quit trying to work as an account apprentice, and […]

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What’s the Point of the Dyslexic Mind? with Dr Brock Eide [Premium]

What’s the Point of the Dyslexic Mind? with Dr Brock Eide [Premium]

by | May 21, 2023 | , , , , , , ,

This webinar was rescheduled from a planned presentation at Cambridge University. Although dyslexia has traditionally been defined in negative and narrow terms, these definitions are poorly matched to the breadth of research on dyslexic children and adults. Here the Eides present their case that dyslexia should not be defined solely as a defect or deficiency, but rather as a cognitive specialization – that prioritizes episodic cognition. Bookmark Please login to bookmark ClosePlease login to access.

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Managing Test Anxiety

Managing Test Anxiety

by | May 18, 2023 | , , , , , ,

  It’s that time of year again – either time for standardized tests or end of year exams. Test anxiety includes a variety of physical and emotional symptoms that include feelings of nervousness and hopelessness, fear, self-doubt, irritability, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, stomach pains, and headaches. Among elementary school children, standardized tests cause greater feelings of anxiety than routine classroom tests, and students with dyslexia may experience the stress and anxiety more acutely.   Reference   THE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD OF TESTING FOR DYSLEXIC STUDENTS Testing can be a double-edge sword for dyslexic students – because a test result may determine whether a student needs additional support, tutoring, accommodations, or even access to assistive technology. But testing may also inform decisions about holding back students, […]

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