"My mother was partially dyslexic, and she had terrible trouble spelling. This got her into trouble as she was obviously highly intelligent, so teachers thought she was naughty and lazy. I think when she did mathematics, she had none of these problems, which is why it...
Talking Through Math [Premium]
As the pandemic continues, more and more parents and tutors may find themselves supervising students’ math. For dyslexic students, the talking process can be especially valuable, but it may be difficult. If you are a parent or tutor helping explain a lesson or homework, it’s good to help your student talk through the steps of math; this may be especially difficult for some students. If a student has trouble finding words or has a limited working memory, talking through math may be difficult for a while until either or both of these functions develop. Such students may especially benefit when YOU talk through math, slowly and precisely. There are also ways to make the talking process easier – like having a list of math vocabulary […]
Reading and Mathematics [Premium]
“Mathematics texts are more conceptually dense than almost any other type of text…Additionally, reading mathematics often differs from other types of reading because in addition to reading left to right and top to bottom, students must jump around the page to associate text with tables, graphs, symbols, and vice-versa…” The subject of reading in math class often receives very little attention in explicit instruction, because most math teachers receive little training in the specific needs of dyslexic students; in some cases, neglect of these needs may the primary reason that students underperform in this important school subject. Math teachers get little or no instruction in teaching students with dyslexia, although dyslexic students are likely to comprise 1 in 5 of their students. “…many mathematics textbooks […]
STEM / STEAM: Dr. Doresa Jennings, Steam Chasers
Dr. Doresa Jennings is the author of an exciting book series that has positive role models for dyslexia and underrepresented minorities, and it's an exciting book with humor and amazing facts. From Doresa's successful Kickstarter: "Middle Grade readers (9-12 year...
Cultivating a LOVE of Reading
Q: Is it possible? A: Yes it is. The Cult of Pedagogy explored this topic from an opposite point of view, but the challenge is a formidable one, especially if a reader is dyslexic. GOOD THINGS TO DO Allow kids time to read for enjoyment. Let them choose their...
Teacher of the Year Again, CHAD BEAM
"My teachers loved me first and taught me second..." - Chad Beam 3x Teacher of the Year Chad Beam has won Burns High School's Teacher of the Year for the 3rd time in 2019. From the Shelby Star: "That floors me. I'm the dyslexic kid. I'm teaching what I...
Beautiful Minds – What New Research Shows Dyslexia and Artists Have in Common [Premium]
BBC Science: “…artists had increased neural matter in areas relating to fine motor movements and visual imagery. The research, published in NeuroImage, suggests that an artist’s talent could be innate…these detailed scans revealed that the artist group had significantly more grey matter in the area of the brain called the precuneus in the parietal lobe.” From Cerebral Cortex 25:3502-3514: “we found that connectivity between multiple reading-related areas and areas of the default mode network, in particular the precuneus, was stronger in dyslexic compared with nonimpaired readers.” In an interesting study comparing drawing ability and enrollment in art student group with structural brain studies examining brain matter density in specific areas, researchers found greater representational art ability and enrollment in an art school (Royal College of Art […]
Connecting the Dots
"It’s refreshing to read about someone else so successful that thinks like me because of how their brain is wired, which has often only been seen as a learning disability. I’ve always known I had a different way of seeing the world which became more apparent when I...
Q: Why Doesn’t My Dyslexic Student Like Audiobooks?
You're not alone. Some dyslexic students may prefer to read silently rather than 'read' all their books by ear. Reasons for this vary, but usually these students have significant auditory processing weakness or trouble with sustained auditory attention. At younger...
HOW THEY DO IT! University Students with Dyslexia [Premium]
Fortunately, there’s been growing interest from educational and scientific researchers for understanding how people can compensate for some of the academic challenges of dyslexia. POSITIVE FACTORS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA A recent study by Drs. Rebecca Wiseheart and Lori Altmann (Int J Lang Comm Dis 2017) had a nice review of compensating factors as well as providing some new research data about oral fluency among college-attending dyslexic students. Background “In recent years, dyslexia has been reconceptualized as the combined sum of risk factors and protective factors. A number of protective factors have been investigated including verbal intelligence, vocabulary knowledge, morphological awareness, executive functions, and social-emotional resilience…Vocabulary knowledge has been implicated as a protective factor that allows some individuals to achieve good reading comprehension, despite […]
How to Help With the Social and Emotional Side of Dyslexia
Dr. Michael Ryan is a Michigan Clinical Psychologist who developed one of the first clinical programs for LD students at Colorado State University and he spoke at our first Dyslexic Advantage conference. From his writing at LDOnline and the IDA: How can parents and...
From the Community: Difficulty at Work
Q: I'm trying to help a friend who's having some difficulties at work. What resources are available for adults? A: As you may already know, there are many more resources for children than adults when it comes to dyslexia testing and support. Not all assessment...