Helping Your Student with Intensity [Premium]

Helping Your Student with Intensity [Premium]

by | Nov 8, 2023 | , , , , ,

“Challenging behavior is just a signal, the fever, the means by which the kid is communicating that he or she is having difficulty meeting an expectation. “ — Ross Greene, The Explosive Child The difference between the experience of one student and his or her dyslexia can vary a great deal depending on temperament. In psychology, temperament refers to consistent differences in emotional disposition and behavior that are biologically-based and relatively consistent over time. Temperament is part of a person’s personality, which also includes intelligence, humor, interests, and talents. Among the various temperamental differences, certain “difficult temperamental traits” may make some school experiences (like remediation or pull-out) difficult to accept. Examples of difficult temperamental traits include: negative responses to new people or situations, slowness to […]

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Redefining Dyslexia [Premium]

Redefining Dyslexia [Premium]

by | Nov 6, 2023 | , , , , , ,

In the past year, there have been some remarkable papers published in the field of dyslexia. By and large, the changes seem to be good news and more inclusive of the diverse ways that dyslexia presents – including gifted individuals with dyslexia. But change is likely to be messy – and schools and educational and research groups are likely to different and present different information to students and their families. THE PENDULUM SWINGS AGAIN ON DISCREPANCY Although the earliest professional accounts about dyslexia recognized the unexpected connection of high intelligence with difficulties in reading, writing, and spelling, the dyslexia field has been involved in many warring opinions about whether cognitive tests are worthwhile. Without pointing fingers, many researchers and educational leaders over the years questioned […]

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Math Problems: Does It Matter If It’s Identified As A Math Disability? [Premium]

Math Problems: Does It Matter If It’s Identified As A Math Disability? [Premium]

by | Jul 24, 2023 | , , , ,

There are millions of school children struggling with math at school. Does it matter if a student’s math struggles are identified formally as a math disability or dyscalculia? 40% of dyslexic people are likely to also have dyscalculia, but because dyscalculia is rarely assessed in schools, few individuals ever receive that designation. Does it matter? In the short term, some school professionals might say it does not matter much – because students who need help in math will get it if their scores qualify. What do we believe? Having a math LD formally identified can be helpful – although we realize that testing may not always be easily available. If you are a testing professional, consider adding the WIAT Math subtests to routine comprehensive battery […]

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The Mind Map in Your Brain [Premium]

The Mind Map in Your Brain [Premium]

by | Jun 17, 2023 | , , , , , , , ,

Among professionals who work with dyslexic students, there have long been recommendations to mind map ideas. In recent basic neuroscience research, there’s been a growing understanding why. Neuroscientists have long studied how knowledge seems to work in the brain with schemas -or patterns that can form a flexible reference base that helps us understand new or existing knowledge or make decisions for how to act. But these schemas have largely been studied in a context of verbal memory – with only more recent insights into “the other schemas.” As it turns out there are a lot of other schemas and processes involving schema-making. They are non-verbal and spatial – and that is where the implications for dyslexic people may come into play. If you are […]

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Question: Advice for Jobs Good for Dyslexic Creatives? [Premium]

Question: Advice for Jobs Good for Dyslexic Creatives? [Premium]

by | Jun 8, 2023 | , , , , , , , ,

Someone recently asked this question because his previous job came to an end and he wanted find a job that better matched his dyslexic strengths. It’s hard to answer that question specifically for any one person because a great deal of variation from person-to person can exist within the strengths associated with dyslexia. INTERESTS AND STRENGTHS That being said, it is a good idea to take stock of your interests and strengths  and to ask people who know you well for their opinions. Sometimes it’s hard to identify your strengths yourself. Are there things you love doing, whether inside your career or out, that give you ‘ “flow” and great satisfaction? If there is more than one activity, can you think of any factors in […]

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Dyslexia and the Foreign Language Dilemma [Premium]

Dyslexia and the Foreign Language Dilemma [Premium]

by | Jun 7, 2023 | , , , ,

What to do? Many select colleges require two years of foreign language taken in high school, while telling potential applicants that they prefer four years. Sally Shaywitz of Yale University has said: “…Considering the profound impact dyslexia has on both spoken and written language acquisition, and from both an educational and a scientific perspective, it makes little to no sense to impose a foreign language requirement on students who are dyslexic and, indeed, is counterproductive to the aims of a liberal education in the 21st century.”     In a previous article (Dropping Out Because of Foreign Language), we had described how a Harvard psychologist in the 1970s, Kenneth Dinklage had found that the students at risk for having to drop out of college because […]

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Legendary Filmmaker David Lean [Premium]

Legendary Filmmaker David Lean [Premium]

by | Jun 7, 2023 | , , , , , ,

Sir David Lean CBE was an Academy Award-winning filmmaker who inspired fellow dyslexic filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Joe Wright. David was initially recognized as a “dud” at school, prone to excessive daydreaming. Later he would credit his passion for filmmaking with the gift (from an uncle) of a Brownie box camera at the age of 10. David was considered “dim” especially when compared to his younger brother. He left school at 18 for work, but was bored when he tried apprenticing at his father’s accountancy firm. David’s aunt urged him to find a job that he could love. He was spending every evening at the movie house, so taking her advice to heart, he quit trying to work as an account apprentice, and […]

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What I Know Now About Learning a Foreign Language [Premium]

What I Know Now About Learning a Foreign Language [Premium]

by | May 14, 2023 | , , , , , ,

  When I came across a remarkable article titled, “Dyslexia and Learning a Foreign Language: A Personal Experience,” I knew that I wanted to talk to the author. Charlann had the unique perspective of being both dyslexic and a speech language pathologist. She dodged the college level foreign language requirement by getting a bachelor’s degree in speech and theater and master’s degree in speech language pathology. “I no longer tell the truth about how long I have studied French because people cannot comprehend how I could have studied (for seven years) and…still struggle so severely with spoken and written language. I could not fluently retrieve basic structures or pronunciation patterns to communicate my thoughts in classroom discussions, so I tended to speak in sentence fragments […]

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Curiosity-Driven Learning [Premium]

Curiosity-Driven Learning [Premium]

by | May 7, 2023 | , , , ,

“Life isn’t about finding the answers, it’s about asking the questions.” – Brian Grazer, A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life Although dyslexic people don’t have a monopoly on curiosity, curiosity may be a particular strength among dyslexic people – it may be what drives creative thinking and the exploratory advantage of dyslexic people. In Dyslexic Advantage’s School Survey, 88% of parents responding said that one of their children’s strengths was a high curiosity. Many dyslexic adults we’ve interviewed over the years have shared that their lifelong curiosity is something that has guided their life success over the years. “A lot of leaders would say they’re curious. I can tell you from personal experience that most leaders are not. They don’t ask a […]

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Teaching the Schwa [Premium]

Teaching the Schwa [Premium]

by | May 6, 2023 | , , , , , ,

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 […]

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Highly Gifted with Dyslexia (It may not look like what you think!) [Premium]

Highly Gifted with Dyslexia (It may not look like what you think!) [Premium]

by | May 6, 2023 | , , , ,

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 […]

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Been There Done That College Advice From Fellow Dyslexics [Premium]

Been There Done That College Advice From Fellow Dyslexics [Premium]

by | May 6, 2023 | , , , ,

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 […]

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