"It’s fascinating how much we judge others on their ability to spell – when in reality most of the time this has little effect on our ability to do our work effectively. If you get an email that no one else will see apart from you and the recipient, does it matter...
Just over 1/3 of the U.S. adult population has a 4-year college degree, but as tuition rates skyrocket, many dyslexic families with young people might reasonably ask - "Is it worth it?" or even "Do I even want it?". Even if we know in theory that we want our children...
This book has wonderful strategies and examples that will be helpful for many dyslexic actors and actresses, but also middle, high school, and college students who are tasked with reading complex texts. Listen to my interview with Petronilla here: "For me, as a...
"My teachers loved me first and taught me second..." - Chad Beam 3x Teacher of the Year Chad Beam has won Burns High School's Teacher of the Year for the 3rd time in 2019. From the Shelby Star: "That floors me. I'm the dyslexic kid. I'm teaching what I...
"Over the long term in reading, the lowest performing students – those readers who struggle the most – have made no progress from the first NAEP administration almost 30 years ago..." There are discouraging reports from the 2019 NAEP Reading Assessment. NAEP stands...
![Q & A: Can I be a Doctor if I am Dyslexic? [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/doctor-image-dyslexia-our-shutterstock.jpg)
Answer: Yes. Absolutely. There have been many famous physicians who were dyslexic, and many today that you might not know who are dyslexic because many don’t identify in the workplace and many more weren’t formally identified. The typical profile of a dyslexic physician is to have had early troubles in elementary school, then a jump in abilities in middle to high school, and then further jump up in college and medical school. There are probably several reasons why medicine can be a popular occupation for adult (often gifted) dyslexics. First, it is a complex domain to master that nevertheless also requires an ability to grasp the big picture, make decisions, and execute a plan. Medicine is based on science, which is a strong suit and […]
![Strategies for Addressing Math Mistakes [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/math-dyslexia-shutterstock.png)
Working memory mistakes in math include mistakes such as losing place in problems, errors due to missed steps or key information, calculation errors like near-misses or reversed digits, directional errors, or procedural errors like errors of grouping or carrying. In the video below, teacher Leah Alcala shares how she decided to change how she graded math mistakes in her class. Instead of putting a grade, she highlights mistakes and then gives examples of mistakes and the correct answers in class. Students have a chance to retake their test and better their final scores. This clever approach takes advantage of memory as well as intrinsic motivation and boosts what students learn in math by the time they complete her class. Working memory is such a common […]
![MATH: The Problem with Word Problems [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/word-problems-scaled.jpg)
For dyslexic students, the problem with word problems isn’t just the fact that they have to be read without error – but that there are many aspects of the language commonly found in word problems that will frustrate many dyslexic students if they aren’t explicitly taught where confusions arise. Here are just a few language-based sources of difficult that arise in the reading of math word problems: #1. PASSIVE VOICE Many students need to be explicitly taught about passive voice in grammar. Math problems frequently lapse into passive voice without any attention to the differences that may occur in meaning. For example, consider the differences in 8 divided by 2, 8 is divided into halves, and 8 is divided by half. In the first case, […]
![STRENGTHS MATTER: Intelligence and Dyslexia [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/annie-spratt-OyJweKTYGbs-unsplash.jpg)
Parents and dyslexia advocates should beware – there are vocal proponents arguing against the importance of intelligence and / IQ in determining the educational needs of students with dyslexia. As far as it seems we have come with dyslexia (more states with dyslexia-specific laws, mandatory teacher training), there are areas where the concept of specific learning disability and the definition of dyslexia is coming under attack. SOME “EXPERTS” BELIEVE INTELLIGENCE IS IRRELEVANT FOR EDUCATING DYSLEXIC STUDENTS As surprising as it may seem, Past IDA Vice President Dr. Louisa Moats has argued through questionable selection of data there are “negligible cognitive differences between ‘LD’ and ‘Poor Reader’ ” groups. From her presentation online HERE, she states “Garden variety poor readers” are numerous and very much like […]
"It’s refreshing to read about someone else so successful that thinks like me because of how their brain is wired, which has often only been seen as a learning disability. I’ve always known I had a different way of seeing the world which became more apparent when I...
![[PREMIUM] The Auditory Friendly Classroom](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/auditory.jpg)
ENVIRONMENT – Reduce background noise as much as possible (carpeted, tennis balls on chair legs, closed doors) – Preferential seating for students – away from doors, windows, noisy heaters, overhead projectors, pencil sharpeners, noisy classmates – Allow students to wear musicians earplugs while doing quiet work. – FM Speaker or Headset FOR STUDENTS – Sit at the front of the room with a good view of the teacher. – Request a classroom note-taker and or ask whether you can record classes. – Many students don’t realize how much they may miss by ear alone. – Choose seats away from noise sources like open doors, noisy classmates, heaters, or overhead projectors. – Use an FM speaker or headset which is known to improve classroom learning […]
A few months ago, the news has been filled with details about a college admissions scandal committed by wealthy families and celebrities to boost their children's admission rates to select colleges and universities. Parents apparently paid up to $6+ million dollars to...
