"I believe that not being able to read has offered me some fabulous opportunities to see the world differently. " Clark Mishler Clark Mishler is one of the most sought-after photographers in Alaska and one of the top assignment photographers in the country. Thanks to...
![[PREMIUM] Troubleshooting Procrastination](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/shutterstock_102146065.jpg)
IS IT PROCRASTINATION OR TROUBLE KNOWING HOW TO BEGIN? Go Through This List to Get to the Starting Block! DO I HAVE WHAT I NEED TO BEGIN? This may be one of the most common reasons why young dyslexic writers don’t start. They’re not sure what the prompt is asking for or they don’t know how to narrow a complex subject. Often it’s the flipside to the positive ability to see so many possibilities. Sometimes it helps to help them think about how they would explain the subject to a young child. STARTING HACKS: Hacks for this temporary halt include: brainstorming with a partner to get a topic, putting together a mindmap or list of possibilities, then crossing out ideas you want to give up. […]
Once considered a 'dud' because of his dyslexia, David Austin of David Austin Roses became one of the most accomplished rose growers in the world. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire and Victoria Medal of Honor by the Royal Horticultural Society. "Dyslexia...
RTI or Response To Intervention is currently the dominant approach to reading instruction in public schools across the United States (over 70% of school districts), but in a just-released progress report funded by the Department of Education from the Institute of...
![Dyslexia and Firefighting [PREMIUM]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2019-08-30-at-9.19.32-AM.jpg)
In some fire stations where members are outspoken about their dyslexia, an over-representation of dyslexia has been noted. Why is this? Firefighting is a intensely active profession where strengths of situational awareness, dynamic spatial problem solving, and teamwork all come together. Firefighting especially demands M-strengths (material reasoning), I-strengths (interconnected reasoning), and D-strengths (dynamic reasoning). In the United Kingdom, one Fire District conducted a Dyslexia Awareness program that included testing, workplace coaching, and assistive technology. They’ve identified over 70 individuals in their program so far. Dyslexic firefighters often don’t have much difficulty with the actual job of firefighting. Instead, they have trouble with timed test taking required for promotion or the paperwork and paper-based data analysis required for reporting. Here in the US, Frank Ricci is […]
![Dyslexic Innovation: GOOGLE (X) CAPTAIN Astro Teller [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/900px-Astro_Teller_candid.jpg)
Many of the world’s greatest innovators are dyslexic. These creators with a capital ‘C’, more often than not, arrive at their conclusions through wild leaps of their ideas rather than incremental, step-by-step invention. This pattern, which appears in so many accomplished people in every type of field and discipline, should be telling us what to look for in its raw form in young people, and what the end goal of the educational process should really be. A great case in point in Google’s X Lab Captain of Moonshots, Astro Teller. Astro doesn’t talk a lot about his dyslexia, but he did relate this story about his dyslexia at an educational conference: “As a student in school, I fell into the habit of doing things […]
Dr. Carol Greider was folding laundry at home when she got the call in 2009 that she had won the Nobel Prize in Medicine. She decided to wake up her kids and tell them. "Do we have to go to school?". "No you don't," she said, and she took them in to work with her...
![Michael Shainblum – World Photographer and Videographer [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/lajollaburn1200-1024x791.jpg)
We recently had a chance to catch up with Michael Shainblum, an extraordinary videographer and photographer who found a wonderful outlet for his creativity and expression. Michael first discovered photography in a summer class he took in middle school. He rediscovered it again in the summer before high school when he got a digital camera and found he could take thousands of pictures in his backyard, looking for patterns in plants or macro pictures of bugs. Michael first started earning work as a professional photographer at the age of 16. We thought it was particularly touching that he had trouble getting other typical high school jobs because he wasn’t good at interviewing. Nowadays, Michael likes playing with time and motion, but still looks for interesting […]
![Dyslexia and Sailing [PREMIUM]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/sailling-scaled.jpg)
Paul Elvstrom is often recognized by many in the racing world as the greatest sailor who ever lived. Severely dyslexic, Elvstrom struggled greatly in school, but found sailing intuitive. His success in winning four consecutive Olympic gold medals involved not only intuition, but also strategic thinking, serial innovation, and intense physical training. In the beginning, Paul studied the rules of racing fastidiously in order to create clever tactics that could give him an advantage. His interpretations of rules in his Racing Rules of Sailing remain a must-read for elite racers. He visualized his races the nights before to be better prepared, but also was constantly inventing new equipment and physical and mental training methods to be more efficient on the water. Some of his […]
I had a great chance to catch up with uber-talented Krista Weltner yesterday. If you haven't watched her recent Master's work Partially Compensated, check it out now. When we posted it to our Facebook feed, here are some of the comments: "Ok, that made me cry....
Ingvar Kamprad grew up in poverty on a small farm in Sweden. His grandfather had killed himself after realizing he could no longer afford his mortgage. His grandmother was able to save the family farm. Because Ingvar struggled in school because of his dyslexia and he...
![Dyslexia: The Twenty-Something Years [PREMIUM]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Screen-Shot-2019-09-01-at-8.40.01-AM.jpg)
“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 […]
