Recently, a bilingual teacher in my Dyslexia for Teachers class shared his experiences being a dyslexic writing in both English and Chinese. With his permission, I am sharing some of his reflections: "Under an educational system that attaches great importance to...
Brock and I were recently talking with our friend, Dr. Nicole Swedberg about how she came to focus in writing for dyslexic students when so many focus almost exclusively on helping students with reading. It was after finishing her advanced degree and training in...
![Teaching Punctuation [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/punctuation-shutterstock.png)
Learning punctuation can be difficult for many reasons – the challenges of reading, auditory and visual processing problems, symbol confusion, and working memory overload; but usually teaching punctuation explicitly and in manageable bits using multisensory and memory associations can help students master the rules and patterns. The symbols involved in punctuation are simpler than the […]
Writing is so difficult for people with dyslexia, it's a reasonable question to ask whether certain types of writing might come more naturally than others. AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONA WRITING As highlighted in Philip Schultz's example and in his book...
"Schultz, founder and director of The Writers Studio, chronicles the challenges he faced as a poet, fiction writer, and teacher that led him to see the aesthetic and psychological value of creating a writing persona. He has long confronted a pervasive inner critic...
![Pausing while Writing [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Pausing-while-writing-e1655685633950-400x250.png)
There are many reasons why students may pause while writing, but more if students are also dyslexic. Those who remember their thoughts and experiences as nonverbal sensations will need extra steps to put their knowledge and understanding into words. Dysgraphic students will have difficulty writing and those with small working memories, may overload with […]
![A Dyslexic’s Guide to Writing [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screenshot-Tess-Gadd-from-LinkedIn-299x250.png)
“We have so many tools to take care of the spelling, but not the tools to bring a fresh and new perspective to the world. Focus on your voice and your message, and the rest will follow.” — Tess Gadd Tess Gadd is an interface designer based in Cape Town who also writes a popular […]
![If Your Student Can’t Write [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/If-your-student-cant-write-400x250.jpg)
If your student can’t write, no matter what age – prepare yourself for the long haul because so much of schooling and even many aspects of hiring and work can require writing. When writing is difficult for students with dyslexia, it may be that they are having difficulty converting feelings and images to words, trouble […]
![Writing: How to Start [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/thinking-start-write.png)
WRITING FOR THOSE WHO HAVE TROUBLE STARTING Dyslexic writers who have difficulty beginning to write often suffer from knowing too much and not too little. There will be challenges of spelling and putting ideas into words, but more often there are larger structural issues like how do I narrow what I know so that I […]
![Dyslexia and Dysgraphia: What Does Writing Look Like? [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Dyslexia-and-Dysgraphia-4-400x250.png)
What does the writing look like in students with dyslexia and dysgraphia? IMPAIRED AUTOMATICITY, CAPITAL LETTER INTRUSIONS, and SPELLING ERRORS Students who struggle with handwriting automaticity show irregular shapes and sizes of letters. For example, look at the letter ‘e’ in the spelling test at right. They are very different from one another, showing […]
![How to Keep Writing During the Pandemic [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/keep-writing-400x250.jpg)
Despite all of the mechanical and logistical challenges of writing for dyslexics, there are many for whom writing is a strength. What makes good writing? So many things, but keen powers of observation, a good sense of humor, insight, feeling, these are all things that make good stories and storytelling. For some kids […]
![Tips for Academic Writing [Premium]](https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Academic-writing-400x250.jpg)
Here are tips for academic writing from dyslexic grad students and university tutors. 1. REGULAR TIME FOR WRITING Plan regular times for research and writing. Schedule breaks, transitions, and catch-up periods. Unplug from email and social media and tell people not to interrupt you. 2. USE PRE-WRITING STRATEGIES Use key words or […]
