What is the schwa? The schwa sound is the most common sound in English and symbolized by the upside-down e in International Phonetic Alphabet and is pronounced like “uh” in words like “the”. It’s a maddening sound because it’s not really associated with any specific letter of the alphabet…and that affects spelling as well as reading aloud. Sarah’s Snippets Literacy Nest has a nice series of post on teaching the schwa. Emily recommends starting with “a” words like “alike”, “panda”, “soda”, or “Alaska” that say “uh” instead of the long a sound. Add a little kinesthetic action like thumping the table to make recognizing the schwa more memorable. Students may need to master stressed and unstressed syllables first; The Call […]
Reading Mode: How to Make Web Pages Easier to Read
Do you find it easier to read webpages that aren't cluttered? If so, you're not alone. Popups and even photos can be distracting. Many browser reading modes offer customizations like font size, color, and sometimes character and line spacing. Typically, many dyslexic...
Highly Gifted with Dyslexia (It may not look like what you think!) [Premium]
A recent article caught my eye on CNBC. It was titled, 5 Signs Your Kid is ‘Highly Gifted’ According to Neuroscience Experts – ‘They’re Not Always Well-Behaved. From the article – the five signs: – asynchronous development – emotional depth and sensitivity at a young age – existential questioning – unique interests or a mature sense of humor – underachievement at school The author is from the Davidson Institute, a charity supporting profoundly gifted students (99.9th percentile). Davidson Scholars can be twice-exceptional (gifted with LD) which includes gifted students with dyslexia. Years ago when we had an international practice testing dyslexic students, we saw many gifted dyslexic students through the Davidson Institute. The definitions of highly and profoundly gifted may vary depending on what tests […]
Been There Done That College Advice From Fellow Dyslexics [Premium]
We love the movement of dyslexic post-grads sharing their studying tips. Check out some of these words of wisdom if you’re college-bound, in college, or planning to return to higher education. In general, things are much better than they were decades ago, but you can still encounter hurdles that may make it difficult to complete your degree. If you need additional inspiration, here is a master’s student in architecture writing his 10,000 word dissertation. Over the years, we’ve seen many students stopped at the dissertation stage – or at least stalled. Dissertation requirements are different, so the video below is not intended to be a guide for all – but at least a way to see how important organization is […]
Dyslexia and College [Premium]
It’s becoming increasingly common for dyslexic students to attend college, university and graduate school; some careers require these degrees. IS IT EASIER TO ATTEND COLLEGE? Compared to past decades, it is generally easier for dyslexic students to attend college because more colleges and universities have specifically designated academic support centers and tutors to help manage school loads successfully. Institutions of higher education aren’t allowed to discriminate against students (learn more about ADA regulations here); therefore, teachers and departments try to tread carefully once students disclose their dyslexia and request specific accommodations. That said, there are still wide differences between schools that are well-informed and support their students. See our survey results for the Best and Worst Colleges for Dyslexia FINDING THE SCHOOL THAT […]
Not Broken Movie: Interview with Gifted Filmmaker Lauren Havel
"In 2018, just after I turned thirteen, my mom signed me up for a film camp at a local private school. The moment I picked up a camera, I felt like I never wanted to put it down!" — Lauren Havel Recently, I had the chance to talk with an amazing young filmmaker,...
Dyslexic Advantage Travels to England
In a whirlwind trip, Brock met up with Dr. Helen Taylor of the University of Strathclyde and Cambridge University (Dyslexia as an Evolutionary Advantage) to speak at GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) - the United Kingdom's Code and Cypher School, Imperial...
English Language Learners and Dyslexia [Premium]
Question: An English language learner recently joined my dyslexia classroom. She seems to be having more difficulty progressing on our standard curriculum. Do you have any suggestions or advice? When trying to understand why a new English Language Learner (ELL or English as a Second Language) student in your class isn’t making progress with peers, individual as well as more general second language-related factors can be contributing to the discrepancy. Whenever a particular student seems to be having trouble showing progress with a curriculum, individual factors, such as their vision or hearing (including chronic ear infections, for instance) interfering with their learning should be considered. Beyond this, questions about speed of instruction, working memory, long-term memory, the number of repetitions needed to progress should be […]
Working Memory, Attention, and Learning [Premium]
“When we act on sensory inputs we call it ‘attention,’ but there’s a similar mechanism that can act on the thoughts we hold in mind.” — Timothy Buschman, Princeton University For the past 70 years, psychologists, researchers, teachers have focused intently on the implications of attention to learning, but working memory, a type of short-term memory that seems equally important — if not more significant — to general cognitive processes has received far less consideration. There are several implications for most dyslexic individuals because what many may attribute to attention or attention deficit may actually be due to activities involving working memory. IS IT INATTENTION OR WORKING MEMORY OVERLOAD? A student is struggling in math class. He is watching the teacher write on the board […]
The Karina Eide Young Writers Awards 2023
Congratulations Karina Eide Young Writer Award Winners 2023! Read the creative entries here!
Dyslexia: What About Sequencing? [Premium]
Sequential memory is a challenge for many dyslexic people – and you may be surprised how many very accomplished dyslexics have trouble with it. SEQUENCING DIFFICULTIES PRESENT MANY WAYS Parents and students may first notice difficulties memorizing sequences when they get asked to recite the alphabet or numbers up to 10. Trouble appears learning the days of the week or months of the year (harder) but some are able to compensate with music or associated mnemonics. “You mean you don’t have to sing the ABC song in order to remember which letter is in front of the other? ” – Business Executive Sequencing errors contribute to problems in reading, spelling, writing, and math, but also specific subjects like history or literature. Students with sequencing […]
Free Visual and Hands-On Math Curriculum: Bridges
Recently, I discovered a free visual and hands-on math curriculum from The Math Learning Center, a non-profit organization that grew out of a National Science Foundation project. The curriculum is for Pre-K through 5th grade and it may be helpful as an addition to...