Finding the Positive

Recently, I received an email from parents of a student that we tested almost ten years ago. They were celebrating their recent news of his acceptance into his college “dream” pick. Things had looked very different a decade ago, but since that time, I know he had flourished under homeschooling, tutors, and remote schooling. He won some Dyslexic Advantage student awards and another award at the national level. Almost the same time, a letter came in sharing a similar aged student’s struggle. He was coming to the end of his academic career and yet was frustrated, embittered, and exhausted. What would the future hold for him? EDUCATIONAL MISMATCHES ABOUND FOR DYSLEXIA – FIND THE POSITIVE The reality is that educational mismatches abound for dyslexic students; […]

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Visualization Pathway: Creative Discovery

The notion of creative visualization dates back at least from the time of ancient Rome when Cicero commented about his “mind’s eye.” Since that time, many of the world’s greatest inventors and scientists, and writers and artists, athletes and entrepreneurs, have attributed their insights to creative imaginings and thought experiments. It seems that many dyslexic children and adults also have this gift and for many it may be one of their most treasured resources. Compact disc inventor James Russell used this talent to turn models of his compact disc invention around in his head, while MIT Professor Cathy Drennan used her powers of imagination to visualize how new molecules could combine with each other in three dimensions. Hollywood filmmakers like Steven Spielberg use visualization to […]

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Breaking the Cycle of Shame

“How do you not to feel stupid when everyone else is learning something that you can’t grasp at the same pace? The shame of not being able to read out loud without stuttering or misspelling something on the blackboard in front of the class was almost unbearable. The fear of being called on by the teacher was paralyzing and made me act out and have panic attacks. My math teacher berated me because she thought I was being careless when I accidentally reversed numbers. I spent countless hours with frustrated but well-meaning adults who wanted to help me but just thought I wasn’t trying hard enough. All of these experiences sent me the message that I was not good enough.” – Leana Greene   Shame […]

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A Career of Compassion: Behavioral Health Nurse Toni Howell

I first came across Toni from an article that I read in Minority Nurse. Toni had been writing about the successes and challenges of dyslexia and the nursing profession. I was impressed by the tenacity Toni showed when on her circuitous path through an accelerated nursing program without accommodations, she switched to a certified nursing assistant program instead, then traditional nursing program where her dyslexia documentation was finally accepted to help her succeed. While growing up, Toni had two women who were powerful role models in her journey to becoming a nurse. The first was a friend of her father’s who always spoke to her when her parents were in the hospital for medical reasons. The second became a close friend when she was in […]

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The Many Faces of Actor Paul Bettany

I finally had a chance to catch up on Avengers: Infinity War so I could write an article on amazing Paul Bettany. Paul plays so many different characters so well that I often don’t realize that he was the same actor in so many different roles. After long being heard as J.A.R.V.I.S., Paul Bettany finally has a physical presence in the Avengers as Vision. These are very different roles from his characters in Master and Commander or even Margin Call.       From an interview in Digital Spy: “I was dyslexic so wasn’t reading as a child and fell through every educational crack there is to fall through. Books happened later for me. I was your average bullied kid sitting in his room plotting […]

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Auditory Processing and Remote and Hybrid Learning

“Children with dyslexia often exhibit increased variability in sensory and cognitive aspects of hearing relative to typically developing peers.” – Hornickel et al., 2012 PNAS   There is a long research history establishing auditory processing difficulties among children and adults who are dyslexic. What may be confusing to non-scientific people is that auditory processing is not simply “hearing”. It relates to the complex networks in the brain that interpret what sounds are heard.

Auditory processing difficulties in dyslexic people don’t present with abnormalities on simple screening hearing tests; instead, the difficulties present in tests that examine the effect of listening over background noise, for instance, or processing of rapid sounds. The reason it’s important to be aware of this is that auditory processing […]

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Dyslexia: Beyond Decoding

If dyslexic students are struggling to decode words, a program of intensive structured literacy will help – but help with phonological awareness may not be sufficient to help them become fluent readers.   Why? Because reading fluency, or the ability to read with “speed, accuracy, and proper expression” is also influenced by other factors such as rapid naming. Recently researchers found that: “most adolescents (with dyslexia) were classified as either naming speed only (about a third of the group) or double deficit when defining impairment using performance thresholds to classify groups.

This may suggest that although early phonological deficits are amenable to remediation, identification of language symbols fails to become automatized in most individuals with dyslexia and may require more targeted intervention.” Their […]

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My Pandemic Hack for Classes

Shelley Wear, a long-time volunteer on our Dyslexic Advantage editorial team shared these pandemic hacks for her classroom. Thanks Shelley! “The struggle is real to make sure students understand what you are saying with a mask on. I purchased a personal amplifier (small box with microphone headset) and it has been a game changer for my classroom. Students are much more attentive and I believe it has really helped. I am also using a multisensory approach to decoding, teaching Visual Phonics. The paras have overheard students talking about how fun it is when kids are in the hallways and think no one is listening. I am relieved, because I have limited access to middle school materials to teach decoding and a large percentage of my […]

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David Schoenbrod: Problem Solver and Changemaker

“The fundamental wiring of the brain that causes dyslexia also enhances our ability to see the big picture…” – Attorney, Author, and Professor David Schoenbrod   David Schoenbrod is a big picture changemaker. In fact, in his impactful life, he’s been able to solve huge problems that many may have thought to be impossible. Take the issue of lead in gasoline. The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that some 68 million children had toxic exposures to lead from gasoline, causing brain injury and increased risk of other kinds of organ damage. What David was able to identify, though, is how large systems like the federal government (Congress in particular) and other organizations can drag their collective feet in solving issues that may put health at […]

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Dyslexia Advocacy: Say Dyslexia 2.0

From Chalkbeat’s story, “NYC plans to screen nearly 200,000 students in the early grades to uncover struggling readers. Then what?”   “In a massive bid to gauge reading skills following COVID-related learning disruptions, New York City’s education department is introducing literacy screening for its nearly 200,000 children in kindergarten through second grade… While the education department’s screeners aren’t designed to identify students at risk of having dyslexia, which is the most common learning disability, they are able to identify learning gaps in skills that are often associated with dyslexia, literacy experts say. But many also note that screening alone will not address systemic issues that contribute to widespread literacy deficits across the city, such as uneven curriculum and inadequate teacher training. The success of the […]

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The Dyslexia Crisis in Schools

The house is on fire. There is a conflagration of factors coming together that are affecting dyslexic students in public school beyond COVID.   COVID certainly has its share of blame and breaking the camel’s back when it comes to providing essential services to dyslexic students. If you have a student in public schools now, get informed and be prepared to advocate and supplement your student’s education if necessary. The San Francisco Examiner recently discussed the devastating consequences for dyslexic students in the midst of the pandemic.

COVID CLASSROOMS – HARD FOR STUDENTS TO HEAR AND SEE With the requirement to distance and wear a mask, it is harder than ever for dyslexic students (who often have auditory, visual and motor imitation difficulties) […]

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Singer Tony Bennett’s Last Concert

“To me, life is a gift, and it’s a blessing to just be alive. And each person should learn what a gift it is to be alive no matter how tough things get.” — Tony Bennett   Tony Bennett really sounds great at 95 years old. Check out his duets with Lady Gaga below. After two sell out concerts at Radio Music Hall in New York City, though, his doctor has finally convinced him to retire. Tony’s won 20 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award, two Primetime Emmys and was honored as both an NEA Jazz Master and Kennedy Center Honoree. He’s sold over 50 million records worldwide. Tony grew up during the Great Depression and lost his father when he was 10 years old. […]

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