The notion of creative visualization dates back at least from the time of ancient Rome when Cicero commented about his "mind's eye." Since that time, many of the world's greatest inventors and scientists, and writers and artists, athletes and entrepreneurs, have...
If dyslexic students are struggling to decode words, a program of intensive structured literacy will help - but help with phonological awareness may not be sufficient to help them become fluent readers. Why? Because reading fluency, or the ability to read with...
![Managing Information with Concept Maps [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Concept-Map-400x250.jpg)
Although many people may use the terms “concept map” and “mind map” interchangeably, mind maps tend to be simpler, relating information to a central topic, whereas concept maps seek to cover more complex subjects, relating different parts to each other. Concept maps can be used to simplify material because different information can be grouped together and in the making of the map it can be easier to see how new knowledge builds on old. The process of making a concept map also transforms learning into an active process and students who are strong personal and experiential learners may remember the process better than reading through notes again and again. For students who say that they get lost in class, doing a concept map can help […]
"Dyslexics like myself can’t learn anything without a narrative to hold on to. Why am I being given this information? What does it do? What is it relevant to? What similar thing should I store it next to in my head?" - Jay Stringer, Book Riot Jay Stringer has a a...
![Could you have a Math-Gifted Student? [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/shutterstock_1108861430-Could-you-have-a-math-gifted-student-400x250.jpg)
It’s really not easy to tell. “Some mathematically gifted students do not demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, display enthusiasm towards school mathematics programs, or obtain top grades in their mathematics classes. It is important to know that there are such students, because their abilities in mathematics are easily overlooked by teachers and parents. In Bloom’s 1984 study, 6 out of 20 world-class mathematicians reported problems in learning to read. Correspondingly, Colangelo, Assouline, Kerr, Huesman, and Johnson studied 34 inventors and found that, in spite of their mathematical strengths, most of them reported weaknesses in writing and verbal areas and more than half described themselves as low achievers in school who failed in at least on subject.” – A. Al-Hroub, University of Cambridge From Rotigel and Fello: […]
"For many years, I have been homeschooling with my (stealth) dyslexic son, who is now 17. Because of his profile and interests, very few standard approaches have worked, including things like Orton-Gillingham, and speech to text. We have had to make a lot up, and be...
"The first book I ever read was a comic book..." "Comics were my lifeline..." "The way I got through college, was comics..." What is it about comics? So many kids and adults over the years have told us how important comics are to their reading. In fact, they...
From Jason Yeatman's laboratory at the University of Washington comes a deeper understanding of the visual challenges associated with dyslexia. Full report HERE. "It is well established that visual sensitivity to motion is correlated with reading skills. Yet, the...
![Michael Shainblum – World Photographer and Videographer [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/lajollaburn1200-1024x791.jpg)
We recently had a chance to catch up with Michael Shainblum, an extraordinary videographer and photographer who found a wonderful outlet for his creativity and expression. Michael first discovered photography in a summer class he took in middle school. He rediscovered it again in the summer before high school when he got a digital camera and found he could take thousands of pictures in his backyard, looking for patterns in plants or macro pictures of bugs. Michael first started earning work as a professional photographer at the age of 16. We thought it was particularly touching that he had trouble getting other typical high school jobs because he wasn’t good at interviewing. Nowadays, Michael likes playing with time and motion, but still looks for interesting […]
Today, I had a great conversation with Jennifer Plosz, a math teacher currently at the University of Calgary School of Education who is also a talented visualization expert and is dyslexic. She had recently been in touch with Dr. Manuel Casanova, the neuropathologist...
![Understanding Processing Speed and Dyslexia [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/shutterstock_111687563.jpg)
When families come together to discuss test scores, no group of scores surprises them as much as “Processing Speed.” Processing Speed scores on psychometric exams might mean Coding and Symbol Search scores on the WISC intelligence exams or Visual Matching and Paired Cancellation on the Woodcock Johnson. Processing Speed scores on these subtests are typically lower for dyslexic students, but on other tasks like Decision Making and in real life, these students may be quite quick and even quicker than their peers at various tasks such as insight-based problem solving or situational awareness (helpful for athletics, for instance). Understanding the true significance of Processing Speed Difference in Dyslexia, then is important not only for recognizing when accommodations may be appropriate school, but also for identifying […]
