The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity shared an informative article entitled “Setting People Straight about Dyslexia.” Among the “facts” mentioned was the idea that a dyslexia diagnosis should never make an individual feel compartmentalized and limited in pursuing all that he wants in life: “If we can dream it, we can do it—just like everyone …
In December, we think about those gifts waiting to be opened under our trees or around our menorahs. But at this time of year, I also like to remember different kinds of gifts – gifts that never need to be unwrapped, i.e., the gifts within my dyslexic students that are waiting to be discovered and …
Do you think any of the Pilgrims who stepped on that rock were dyslexic? Most probably. Just like today, dyslexia was often inherited. I imagine if you couldn’t read then, the explanation was simple – you were in some way mentally “defective” – understanding of course, severely limited in 1620! But we too have come a …
Halloween is almost here and it’s got me thinking about tricks and treats from a reading specialist’s perspective of course! The tricks and treats that I see can be found as words. When your child reads, he meets them. Does it appear that he encounters more tricks than treats – the tricks being sight words …
As you look towards the new school year, do you find yourself thinking more about your child’s attitude towards reading, especially if he is dyslexic or if reading is getting more challenging for him? The International Dyslexia Association has created a list of books for young children to teens, that foster positive attitudes and most importantly help …
Have you ever wanted to read a great book aloud to your “older” child but had second thoughts such as “he’s in middle school now? No way would he ever spend that kind of “quality time” with me!” Make Way for Ducklings preschool days seem a distant memory. You believe that reading to him is …
I like to tell a student in any grade, that strengthening comprehension skills is a lot like building up biceps! I explain that when a person commits to lifting “weight”, his muscles strengthen and grow over time. Likewise, I want my student to have the awareness that comprehension “behaves” in the same way! The more …
Dyslexia exists on a continuum, from mild to severe. Some individuals will be more challenged by sound/symbol relationships (phonics) than others and will take them longer to retain what they have learned. Letters on a page, in turn, appear to take on different “configurations” to various readers – neurological explanations are continually unfolding! As parents, …
Most children start demonstrating their phonological awareness around the age of three and develop mastery of skills through the fourth and fifth year. They hear whole words and their syllables, onsets and rimes, e.g., ball-boat (onset), cat-hat (rime) and learn the sounds of individual letters (phonemes). Young children love hearing and making up silly sounds …
I like observing and appreciating how a student positively uncovers his unique learning style, which is a great motivator (by retaining learning) and a structured support for him, no matter what age. And how does he learn? He learns through a multisensory reading approach such as Orton-Gillingham or Wilson Reading System. A multisensory approach to reading …