Dyslexia is not a neurological disorder or even an impairment, but rather a concession for having cognitive strengths in exploration, big-picture thinking, creativity, and problem-solving that have contributed to human survival amid changing environments. This insight...
"This study identified that emotional trauma took place in all participants, and this resulted in many having Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder manifestations as a result of returning to school for their own children. Participants still noted anger and resentment as...
![The Social-Emotional Side of Dyslexia [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/The-Social-Emotional-Side-of-Dyslexia-400x250.jpg)
“A lot of the time I take the parts of learning that are still hard for me as rejection — as someone telling me I can’t. I see points taken off for misspelled words on in-class English essays, and I start to see my future crumbling. I see the colleges that my dyslexia could prohibit me from going to. I see the kids with better scores, who don’t need tutors, or extra time, and I feel jealous. I feel worthless.” – Anna Kopelmann The social emotional journey for dyslexic people can be complex and change over time depending on one’s life contexts, support, and environment. As few as 1 in 4 dyslexic students may be formally identified in public school systems, leaving the majority […]
![Eugene Matusov on Teaching and Motivation [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Eugene-Motivation-400x250.jpg)
I recently discovered Eugene Matusov’s writings on motivation and agency. He is a professor at the University of Delaware and he is also dyslexic. I found it interesting that he ended up choosing a career teaching other teachers and yet his early years seem to be fairly traumatic in school. He had some very bad learning experiences, but also good ones, and it’s clear that today, he remembers the good teachers that impacted his life and that the choices he made in his own career were influenced as much by the negative experiences as the positives. One negative experience that was shared involved a writing assignment that many of us are all-too-familiar with – “What I Did Over Summer Vacation.” Listen to Eugene tell […]
![Dyslexia and Motivation [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Dyslexia-and-Motivation-e1636482950160-400x250.jpg)
“Self-esteem and motivation are important in a child with dyslexia. It is important that they not feel like a failure just because their mind thinks in a different way. It is important to understand what dyslexia is in order to be able to understand the importance of motivation in a dyslexic child… A personal note – This is a very personal topic for me because I am dyslexic…nobody recognized that I had dyslexia until I was in college… I had gone through school thinking I was dumb…” — Dr. Eugene Matusov INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION One popular way of looking at motivation is to consider that there are intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. An intrinsic reward tends to be internal – something that is rewarding for […]
![Creating An Environment That Works [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Creating-Environment-2-400x250.jpg)
Sunlight, air, water, nutrients…we know these are the things that allow plants to grow and flourish, but what are the same essential factors for dyslexic students or employees? FLEXIBILITY AND SOME CREATIVITY Good environments for dyslexics tend to be those that have some flexibility. Flexibility might take the form of how you may choose to do something vs. the standard way. In college, it might mean a reduced course load when taking difficult subjects, or at work, it might be focusing on project quality and program execution more than hours logged. The classic “bad job” for a dyslexic is work that is assembly-line, repetitive, and lock-step. Sometimes the dilemma is how to get to the good flexible jobs when you’re just starting out […]
![The Late Bloom [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/late-bloom-4-400x250.jpg)
The cognitive profile associated with dyslexia is the quintessential “late blooming” profile. There can be a lot of stress and angst that comes with late blooming, but the good news is that the bloom is a gift when it arrives. Here are some facts that are helpful to know about late blooming and dyslexia: 1. DYSLEXIC DEVELOPMENT AND READING: DELAYED AT FIRST, SPURTING AHEAD LATER In the figure below, look at the spurt in reading comprehension that takes place especially after the 4th grade. Between the 4th and 8th grade, the “poor decoders” (dyslexic readers with weak phonology) actually improved faster than typical readers. This improvement was very different from poor comprehenders (poor readers with more pervasive language difficulties) who hit a […]
![The Strength Switch [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/strength-switch-4-400x250.jpg)
Lea Waters is a psychologist and author from Australia who has developed a helpful strategy to reframe and help common childhood challenges. She suggests 5 Questions to overcome a natural tendency to be negative. Here are the 5 questions. 1. Is It Strength Overuse? 2. Is It Strength Underuse? 3. Is it the Flipside of a Strength? 4. Could It Be a Blocked Strength? 5. Could It Be Forced Overuse of a Weakness or a Learned Behavior? #1. Is It Strength Overuse? Lea gives the example of her husband’s playfulness and humor. He could make his classmates laugh, but his playfulness and humor could also get him in trouble with teachers and other authority figures. From Lea: “A strength-based parent taking a child […]
![Dyslexia and Perfectionism [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Screen-Shot-2021-06-07-at-9.42.35-AM-400x250.png)
For many, college is a “perfect storm” for personal stress. Reading and writing workloads may be astronomical, student and family expectations are high, and many students for the first time may be without personal and academic supports that allowed them to enter college in the first place. College is the time when students could find their organizational and time management abilities stretched beyond their ability to cope. There are surprisingly few studies looking at coping strategies for dyslexic students in college or universities. Recently, in the United Kingdom, researchers discovered that unhealthy patterns of perfectionism may negatively impact students’ well-being and the likelihood to reach out for help. Perfectionism is now thought to be a common personality disposition characterized by the making of high personal […]
There's some great advice in this online webinar from Emotional Intelligence Coach (and also dyslexic!) Monique Wintle Camp. Some highlights: Be alert to signs of stress...
![Dyslexia and Stronger Emotional Responses [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Stronger-Emotional-292x250.png)
Neuroscientists at the University of California San Francisco, just reported their finding that dyslexic children ages 7-12 showed stronger emotional responses as measured by a variety of measures than their non-dyslexic peers. From the study abstract: “..we examined whether right-hemisphere-based emotional reactivity may be elevated in dyslexia. We measured emotional reactivity (i.e., facial behavior, physiological activity, and subjective experience) in 54 children ages 7–12 with (n = 32) and without (n = 22) dyslexia while they viewed emotion-inducing film clips. Participants also underwent task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging. Parents of children with dyslexia completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children, which assesses real-world behavior. During film viewing, children with dyslexia exhibited significantly greater reactivity in emotional facial behavior, skin conductance level, and respiration rate […]
"What do teachers need to know about teaching math? Strategy over speed, and math thinking over rote memorization." - Stanford Professor Dr Jo Boaler Check out Jo's tips from her new article, Speed and Time Pressure Block Working Memory (below). "I was always deeply...
