"It’s fascinating how much we judge others on their ability to spell – when in reality most of the time this has little effect on our ability to do our work effectively. If you get an email that no one else will see apart from you and the recipient, does it matter...
SENSING SHAKESPEARE: New Book of Teaching Strategies
This book has wonderful strategies and examples that will be helpful for many dyslexic actors and actresses, but also middle, high school, and college students who are tasked with reading complex texts. Listen to my interview with Petronilla here: "For me, as a...
The Calm Before School
When it comes to big picture wisdom, one of our favorite people to listen to is Dr. Michael Ryan, who has a life counseling practice in Michigan. He came to our first Dyslexia and Talent Conference, now many years ago and for years we've enjoyed his various letters...
Great College Application Essay
Here is one of our favorite college application essays of all time (shared with permission): Please provide an answer below if you wish to provide details of circumstances or qualifications not reflected in the application. When I started the process of looking for...
The Unappreciated Benefits of Dyslexia
This article can be read aloud or translated into over 70 languages by using the red ReciteMe button at top left. To close Reciteme, click the "X" at top right. This Q & A was originally published in Wired Magazine. Normally dyslexia is considered a handicap: a...
Q & A: Can I be a Doctor if I am Dyslexic? [Premium]
Answer: Yes. Absolutely. There have been many famous physicians who were dyslexic, and many today that you might not know who are dyslexic because many don’t identify in the workplace and many more weren’t formally identified. The typical profile of a dyslexic physician is to have had early troubles in elementary school, then a jump in abilities in middle to high school, and then further jump up in college and medical school. There are probably several reasons why medicine can be a popular occupation for adult (often gifted) dyslexics. First, it is a complex domain to master that nevertheless also requires an ability to grasp the big picture, make decisions, and execute a plan. Medicine is based on science, which is a strong suit and […]
Thinking in 3D
"Spatial ability is not a simple matter. It is not just a picture-like memory for objects, places, and people. This kind of memory might be helpful in carrying out spatial tasks, but it is not at the core of what is meant by spatial ability. Spatial mechanical...
[PREMIUM] How to Talk About Dyslexia in Interviews
Although it’s not required to disclose one’s dyslexia in job interviews, many people make decisions to do so. Some want to be assured that they are joining a workplace that is welcoming to dyslexic employees. Others feel as if they want to be open with their prospective employer, while others choose to disclose for other personal reasons. Regardless of the reason, if you’ve decided to disclose, interview prep can only be be helpful. “If [the medical disability] is not obvious, unless it is germane for the actual job, I don’t think it’s necessary to discuss it during an interview.” – Roy Grizzard, Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy at the US Department of Labor. 1. HOW MIGHT OUR PROGRAM NEED TO BE MODIFIED TO […]
[PREMIUM] What Wild Guesses are Telling You on Read Aloud
After initial success with the basics of decoding, students may begin to flatten out in their progress as the words and sentences get longer and more complex. Many reading programs focus on monosyllabic words when teaching phonics, but the problem is by the 5th grade, more than 90% of new words are polysyllabic… and more variations can exist in how vowel sounds can be pronounced when they are surrounded by consonants. From a recent helpful article Helping Students with Dyslexia Read Long Words: When Nicholas read “advice” for “adventure,” he didn’t know how to break down the word “adventure” into syllables. The word “beautiful” was read as “beetle” because he could see the letters “b,” “t,” and “l,” but didn’t know how to figure […]
Spelling Difficulties as a Source of Dysgraphia
In an interesting study, researchers in France looked at the impact of spelling difficulty on the writing performance of students with dyslexia. From the study: "Dyslexia weakens spelling skills, even when the child presents no motor problems. By varying the degree of...
The Belief of Fathers
This post is for all those great fathers who never lost sight of the young men or women their children could become. Here's a story from the past - some of the experiences will sound familiar: "Several of my uncles and aunts had tried to teach me to read, and because...
Blooming in Middle School
In our one of our Premium magazine issue, we wrote about the scientific basis of late blooming and why dyslexics students - and gifted dyslexic students in particular are likely to be this way. Shelley Wear, a long-time Dyslexic Advantage volunteer and teacher of...