For many, the most frustrating aspect of dyslexia is writing. Writing gets better over time, but it may remain effortful and some will find non-verbal outlets for expression such as drawing, film, building physical objects or managing teams more expressive. Because dyslexic thinkers often have strong associational minds and personal memories, writing difficulties are more likely to be due to difficulty getting information down on paper rather than not having something to say. Common obstacles to writing can be many – narrowing ideas, putting selected ideas into order, putting emotions, complex feeling or perceptions, and experiences into words, then harnessing the physical writing steps and visual memory of words (spelling) to get them down on paper. Students with dysgraphia can be helped by first dramatically reducing […]
How to Teach Dyslexic Students Geography [PREMIUM]
Many people may not know that a dyslexic scientist (Dr. Wally Broeker) led the first research team characterizing the Great Ocean Conveyor Belt – a massive cycling that takes place in the world’s oceans that circulates the sun’s heat around the globe and also has profound effects on marine animal migration and climate. Although the subject of Geography should be a natural fit for many dyslexic students with its high demands on MIND strengths (material, interconnected, narrative, and dynamic reasoning), it can also be taught in rote fashion (memorize map names and features) that can lead many students to struggle. In at least one study, dyslexic students being taught geography learned significantly better than their non-dyslexic counterparts if they were taught using multimedia (text, graphics, and sound). Multimedia was […]
Music and Dyslexia [PREMIUM]
For our last book, it was when we were getting ready to wrap up our interview with compact disk inventor James Russell, when the question “But when are you going to ask me about music?” came up. Music, we learned was a huge part of Jim Russell’s life (and still is) and interest in inventing that eventually lead to his electronic work (Jim was an audiophile who helped set up a complete commercial radio station before he graduated high school). Since that time, we often had folks mention how important music was to them either recreationally or professionally and we recognized the talents in children as well. One need not look far back into music history to find suggestions that some of the most famous […]
How to Activate Read Aloud on Your Mac (Text-to-Speech) – Links Also for Windows and Android
The following instructions are for MacOS Sierra (10.12.16). You can activate Read Aloud (or Text to Speech) on your Mac so that it reads documents (word, pdf, etc.) or websites when you select certain keys. Apple Icon > System Preferences > Accessibility > Speech > Speak Selected Text When the Key is Pressed You can also change the key that activates Read Aloud. I set mine to Control-Shift-R, but you could also do something easier like Control-R. I found some variability re: whether it worked on different apps. On an earlier version of this version of Read Aloud, for instance, it could read books in my Kindle app. Now that doesn’t seem to work. The Kindle app for Mac has it’s own Text to Speech […]
NASP Publishes Advice About Dyslexia Screening [Premium]
NASP or the National Association of School Psychologists recently published an article entitled: “Four Dyslexia Screening Myths That Cause More Harm Than Good in Preventing Reading Failure and What You Can Do Instead.” As many of you who are involved in dyslexia advocacy know, NASP holds a great deal of influence over school psychologists. At least in the past NASP probably contributed to reluctance of school psychologists to “say dyslexia” in schools (see 2007 NASP Position Statement here). Some highlights: “At a time when schools are administering more screening to detect risk for reading failure than at any time in the history of education, it is interesting that legislative mandates are prescribing more reading screening in the name of better identification and treatment of dyslexia. Given that most schools already […]
Dyslexic Master Montessori Teacher ALISON AWES [Premium]
I recently had a chance to talk with Master Montessori Teacher Alison Awes who is based at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota. Alison is dyslexic herself and she has written about how Montessori instruction can support dyslexic students. Alison is also trained in Orton-Gillingham Level1. Like the Orton-Gillingham method, the Montessori approach was created by a physician working with special education students. I knew about Montessori because both our children attended Montessori preschools and we liked many aspects of the educational approach, including self-directed learning, multi-age classrooms, and well-designed hands-on materials. I was interested in hearing about Alison’s experiences because she attended a Montessori school herself until the age of 12 and then transitioned to a traditional middle school. She only discovered that she […]
America’s Greatest Designers, CHUCK HARRISON [PREMIUM]
Chuck Harrison‘s designs are so ubiquitous that it’s said that every household in America has something designed by him. Growing up in rural Louisiana, Chuck’s first attempts at design involved the building of a “skate box” when he attached wheels to an old two-by-four, creating an early version of a skateboard. Chuck’s father was an industrial arts teachers first at Southern University, then Texas A & M. Chuck knew he loved to create things with his hands, but didn’t know how to translate it into a career until he took an aptitude test at the City College of San Francisco. His dean advised him to go into industrial design, so he applied to all 5 programs in the country. In college, Chuck had the […]
Positive Affirmations [Premium]
A dyslexic woman and successful tech entrepreneur was interviewed and asked what helped her overcome ‘the odds.’ Here’s what she said: “Affirmations…I literally told myself the naysayers were wrong about me. I told myself exactly what I needed to hear, every single day, to move my life forward.” Here are some of the affirmations on her list – what are yours? 1. “The biggest and most complex obstacle I will ever have to overcome is my mind. If I can overcome that, I can overcome anything.” 2. “I cannot control exactly what happens in life, but I can control how I respond to it all. In my response is my greatest power.” 3. “I have to accept whatever comes my way, and the only important […]
Precis Writing … or when less is more
“English A was ‘a disaster and French was like medieval torture. To sit down with a blank piece of paper and write was the most traumatic thing that had ever faced me in life. I had ideas in my head, but I could not get the stuff down. It was a crushing time.” – Charles Schwab “It will be particularly helpful if they give themselves practice in precis writing, paraphrasing, and note-taking. If one has to write a precis one is forced not only to think out carefully what are the key ideas in a particular passage but also to express them concisely, accurately, and clearly. Paraphrasing makes similar demands and also forces one to consider the style of the original and to be critical […]
[PREMIUM] Step-By-Step Beginning Reading Program
Q: I’m a homeschooling mom of 3. There is dyslexia in our family. I’d like to be able to start an inexpensive no-frills reading program with my oldest child who is 9. Are there programs that work that don’t require extensive training? A: Yes. There are effective and inexpensive programs that a parent can work through with a child without a lot of additional training. Premium Subscribers, you must be logged into your Premium account to read the answer below. Any questions? email us here. When many people first hear the words Orton-Gillingham or even multisensory structure language intervention, it seems like a lot of big words that mean specialized training, but there are many programs designed for parents or other partners to teach dyslexic […]
MATH: When Words Get In the Way [Premium]
For dyslexic students, the language of math can confuse and obscure. Teachers, tutors, and parents should be aware that language could be interfering with math performance and not mathematics itself. From Dyslexia and Mathematics: Here is an example of a dyslexic student’s sharing of how she becomes confused by what a teacher is saying. The capital letters indicate words that required her to stop and think. Teacher: “We are going to TAKE 25 FROM 61. WRITE DOWN 61 first (I sometimes wrote the first figure I heard before the second one). WRITE DOWN 25 UNDERNEATH it. Put the 2 UNDER the 6 and the 5 UNDER the 1. Draw a line UNDERNEATH. Start at the bottom on the RIGHT. Take 5 AWAY FROM 1. […]
Dyslexia: The Twenty-Something Years [PREMIUM]
“These are the years when it will be easiest to start the lives we want. And no matter what we do, the twenties are an inflection point- the great reorganization – a time when the experiences we have disproportionately influence the adult lives we will lead.” – Meg Jay, author of The Defining Decade “Life for emerging adults is vastly different today than it was for their counterparts even a generation ago. Young people are waiting longer to marry, to have children, and to choose a career direction. As a result, they enjoy more freedom, opportunities, and personal growth than ever before. But the transition to adulthood is also more complex, disjointed, and confusing. ” – Christian Smith, lead author of Lost in Transition Many ‘experts’ have […]
