Over the years, we've met many dyslexic adults with people strengths that span the full range of careers. Sometimes people with strong empathy are drawn to jobs that really need the human touch - whether it's counseling, nursing or other health professions, or in...
![Dyslexic Cognition and Processing Speed [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dyslexia-Cognition-and-Processing-Speed-Dyslexic-Advantage-400x250.png)
Processing speed can be a very frustrating aspect of dyslexia and dyspraxia. It doesn’t have its own DSM diagnosis code and in truth, processing speed in the context of dyslexia and or dyspraxia have very different sources. Some people think that it doesn’t matter what the source of the speed problems are, but I think it’s more important than people realize. Most people in the dyslexia field don’t have the experience of being a neurologist – but it’s a pity that more people haven’t had those experiences. If you have assessed people throughout the life cycle (kids through adults) and in the setting of disease (like brain injury) or learning difference (like dyslexia), there are dramatic differences that affect learning and communication. Common issues that […]
![Learning Outside the Lines [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Learning-outside-the-lines-400x250.jpg)
Many adults with dyslexia only discovered that they were dyslexic late in life. Those who return to learning may enjoy more successes as they can choose routes of learning (and assessments) better matched to how they learn best. ONLINE LEARNING Many K-12 students may have disliked online learning based on pandemic experiences, but careful selection of online programs (some with 1:1 tutors) may result in better options than a particular classroom. If a student is failing, the school may be open to trying something different. The option to replay and re-listen, then have a tutor to follow up with additional explanations may be a way that some students can get through and succeed with math CERTIFICATIONS AND SCHOOL-TO-WORK PIPELINES The pandemic led to an explosion […]
It doesn't replace early identification, remediation, and support, but reading at home supported the long term reading success of children with a positive family history of dyslexia. The study is interesting one because it followed children for 13 years! The youngest...
![Your “Mini-Me” and Bullying [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Your-Mini-Me-and-Bullying-400x250.png)
English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams recently shared that he was saddened after learning that his 10-year old daughter who is like a “mini-me”, dyslexic also with musical abilities, was rejected by a friend who decided she didn’t want anything to do with her after learning that she was dyslexic. “I tried to make it clear to her that sometimes you just have to let other people go, that you should let them go – but without sacrificing your self-esteem in the process…This girl did not deserve her love and friendship…I speak from experience.” Because many adults today discover that they are dyslexic only after their children are identified in school, this reliving the school and social-emotional stresses as their own children try to navigate their lives […]
![Memory Problems and Math [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Memory-Problems-and-Math-Premium-400x250.png)
Many students and adults attribute difficulties in math to memory problems, but probing these difficulties further often leads to the realization that it’s not a simple matter of remembering or forgetting, but rather trouble defining, organizing, then retrieving what has been learned. PROBLEMS DEFINING AND UNDERSTANDING ‘WHY’ First of all, if a student is struggling with remembering new information, it’s best to check and see if the definitions, procedures, and the why of procedures are clear. In fact, it may be a flipside of a strength in long-term memory that contributes to dyslexic students’ confusion with ambiguous terms. A good example of this James Tanton’s blog post: When fractions are introduced as pieces of pie, 3/5 + 1/5 makes sense to equal 4/5, but what […]
Recently, a bilingual teacher in my Dyslexia for Teachers class shared his experiences being a dyslexic writing in both English and Chinese. With his permission, I am sharing some of his reflections: "Under an educational system that attaches great importance to...
![Q & A: Bilingual and Dyslexic [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/bilingual-dyslexia-400x250.png)
Question: Our 9 year old son is bilingual and also dyslexic. We have decided to allow him to attend a bilingual school with his older sister for cultural and family reasons. Will this harm his educational development? The school seems supportive, but does not have teachers trained to remediate dyslexia. There are many reasons why families choose to raise their children with two or more languages, not the least being ties to two cultures and communicating with extended family members. As you may be aware, language learning can be very difficult for some dyslexic students, leading them to seek waivers for foreign language instruction. That being said, we have known many families over the years who have done just as you plan to do. The […]
![Question: How to Help with Reversals [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/reversals-300x250.png)
Question: My middle grade student still has trouble with reversals. What can I do to help? Answer: Reversals can occur in different contexts, so understanding the different causes can help determine the best solutions. PERSISTENT LETTER REVERSALS Reversals can be a normal developmental finding up until the age of seven years. After that, severe difficulties with letter reversals may require intensive training or even therapy. Letter Recognition Persistent letter recognition problems are usually helped by a variety of multisensory sensory and mnemonic approaches. Programs like Zoophonics combine little memory associations and character drawings to help improve letter recognition. Hand visual mnemonics may help some children to distinguish between the letters b and d, as shown in the bed image: See more: Usually older students develop […]
![Text-to-Speech is Getting Better [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Phone-and-speech-bubbles-400x250.png)
If you haven’t been using text-to-speech lately, you’ll be in for quite a treat. Innovations in voice generation and cloning have made many free and premium (pay) voices better than ever. If you haven’t visited our Dyslexic Advantage online library lately (HERE), you may not know that we’re adding audio players to all our articles. After 160 issues (newsletter and premium combined), we have a tremendous library that we’ll be converting to playlists for those of you who prefer to listen. If you access the audio on our web pages, you can also adjust the speed. If you or your student had trouble with listening to text-to-speech in the past, you might want to retry text-to-speech apps or programs. They have improved dramatically and if […]
![Visual Learning [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/visual-imagination-400x250.png)
Two of the strongest differences seen in our survey of 12,291 members of our Dyslexic Advantage community were answers to questions below: LEARNING THROUGH PICTURES, DIAGRAMS, AND IMAGERY “I generally prefer diagrams or pictures to written instructions or explanations.” 70% of definitely dyslexic people strongly agreed with this first statement compared to just 7% of definitely not dyslexic people. And look at the different profiles in response to this question: “When I think of historical facts or events, I see “scenes” or images in my mind, rather than just recalling verbal descriptions. 64% of definitely dyslexic people strongly agreed with this statement, compared to just 8% of definitely not dyslexic people. Think about the implications for schooling, but also workplace communication! No wonder clashes are […]
![What’s the Connection between Auditory Processing and Dyslexia? [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Auditory-Processing-and-Dyslexia-Dyslexic-Advantage-1.jpg)
It’s not uncommon when we speak to groups about dyslexia that someone asks why we are mentioning auditory processing when they (mistakenly) believe dyslexia is only about reading. In fact, there is substantial research literature about dyslexia and auditory processing difficulties – sometimes the problems can present with difficulty in learning phonemes, but other times it may affect sensitivity to auditory distractions, trouble listening to rapid or foreign speakers, and problems hearing in the presence of background noise. People who are dyslexic themselves or live with people who are dyslexic may know all about this. It’s a good example of how simplistic definitions can confuse rather than help. There’s been extensive work about auditory processing differences found in dyslexic vs. non dyslexic groups. The figure […]
