“I’m still slow at reading but I’ve learned to adjust…while you will have dyslexia for the rest of your life, you can dart between the raindrops to get where you want to go. It will not hold you back.” – Steven Spielberg WHAT IS PROCESSING SPEED? Processing speed generally refers to the speed required to take in information, do cognitive work, and respond. For dyslexic children and adults, processing speeds can vary dramatically depending on the types of stimuli, types of mental work, and types of responses expected. PROCESSING SPEED CHANGES AND CHANGES OVER TIME In the setting of dyslexia, processing speeds for different tasks also vary dramatically with age. Typical “late-blooming” children may be much slower than same age peers in early grade […]
Reversing COVID Slide In MATH
]"Early testing data from this fall seem to bear out that the pandemic has hit students harder in math than reading." With increasing numbers of the population getting vaccinated, there's hope for more normalcy, but chances are with all of the disruptions and stress,...
Challenges of Pandemic Learning For Dyslexic Students
As education slowly drifts to a new normal, and parents take stock of where they are and what their priorities are in education, it is best to be aware of what to be on the lookout for because dyslexic students learn so differently. AUDITORY PROCESSING HURDLES Because...
Real World Learning with Dr. Glenn Sterner
In our interview with CEO Brett Kopf, he told us that the experience of being part of the Bailey Scholar program at Michigan State University was life changing in terms of finding a positive future for himself. He told me that his advisor was a really inspirational...
Tips From Hannah: College Junior with a 4.0 [Premium]
KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS – SELF-ADVOCATE – Early in group work, let your fellow students know that you’re dyslexic. Say, “I’m dyslexic, so I can’t read or write well, but I’m creative and can come up with ideas.” – Don’t be afraid of asking students to read things for you. You can help more if people read things aloud to you. – Research on RateMyProfessor ahead of time to find teachers that will work with you re: dyslexia. Are there any warning signs? I like choosing professors who like a lot of class participation. ASK FOR SUBSITUTIONS IF YOU NEED THEM When snow days upset the schedule at school, Hannah had to face learning material and putting together an assignment over Thanksgiving break without the help […]
Keeping Math Alive
Among the many challenges facing dyslexic students in the midst of the pandemic is holding on to skills and continuing to make progress in the midst of disruptions and altered schedules due to the pandemic. Because so much math builds on previous knowledge, many...
Talking Through Math [Premium]
As the pandemic continues, more and more parents and tutors may find themselves supervising students’ math. For dyslexic students, the talking process can be especially valuable, but it may be difficult. If you are a parent or tutor helping explain a lesson or homework, it’s good to help your student talk through the steps of math; this may be especially difficult for some students. If a student has trouble finding words or has a limited working memory, talking through math may be difficult for a while until either or both of these functions develop. Such students may especially benefit when YOU talk through math, slowly and precisely. There are also ways to make the talking process easier – like having a list of math vocabulary […]
How to Avoid the Pandemic Wrecking Ball
The Boston Globe recently published an article saying that COVID-19 has been a wrecking ball for students struggling to read: "Instead of reading, we got websites and circle time.” "Daniel’s progress came to an abrupt halt after Medford Schools closed down in...
Reading and Mathematics [Premium]
“Mathematics texts are more conceptually dense than almost any other type of text…Additionally, reading mathematics often differs from other types of reading because in addition to reading left to right and top to bottom, students must jump around the page to associate text with tables, graphs, symbols, and vice-versa…” The subject of reading in math class often receives very little attention in explicit instruction, because most math teachers receive little training in the specific needs of dyslexic students; in some cases, neglect of these needs may the primary reason that students underperform in this important school subject. Math teachers get little or no instruction in teaching students with dyslexia, although dyslexic students are likely to comprise 1 in 5 of their students. “…many mathematics textbooks […]
Prepared for College: What High Schooler Students Should Know [Premium]
There are many changes impacting high school students because of the pandemic, but it’s never too early to look ahead and prepare for your higher education journey. Many colleges are back in session, but numerous students are also opting to take gap years. For the most part, colleges and universities are waiving their requirements for college entrance exams, so look for new opportunities if test scores or other factors have previously help your student back. I recently had the chance to chat about college prep, the college search, and college success tips with Elizabeth Hamblet, author of From High School to College: Steps to Success for Students with Disabilities. Listen to my interview with Elizabeth here. Here are some pearls from our discussion: – […]
Not Falling Behind in MATH
"The studies vary in how severe they gauge the so-called “COVID slide” to be, but all of them found on average, students would lose more ground in math than in reading. Three studies based on NWEA data predicted students could learn half or up to a full year less math...
Students Untested Due to Pandemic
A recent article has sounded the alarm that schools and entire school districts are unable to assess and meet the needs of LD students. As an example, after a math teacher raised a question that a student was dyslexic, a parent initiated a process last January to have...