Find out Why Public School is Attractive Home-educated children sometimes decide they want to try public school. This can cause a hard-working homeschooling parent to wonder why. In fact, that’s the first question to ask. The student has a reason, and that reason is the most important piece of the puzzle. It may take time […]
Writing Can Be Hard A recent conversation with author and writing coach Arnie Bernstein (@RealArnieB) convinced me I needed to write a piece on writing … with teens … with dyslexia. I’ve done a lot of that, and I’ve learned some things. Since many people with dyslexia also exhibit dysgraphia, writing can be a real […]
Because it’s teaching to the weakness, not to the strength Rote memory comes hard for those with dyslexia. However, I’ve known many students who put in phenomenal effort to memorize all the letter sounds, blends, syllables, and rules of the English language. Unfortunately, the payoff was NOT carefree easy reading! Automatic word recognition just didn’t […]
What’s the Best School Choice? As an educational consultant and tutor, I assist parents in deciding how to provide their children’s education. I ask questions that help the parents define their goals, the children’s goals, the specific needs of their children, and numerous other concerns. Then I help them review the options that are open […]
Expanded Edition Dyslexia Tool Kit Expanded Edition: What to do when phonics isn’t enough, published April 2021, replaces the first edition and costs less! The book is available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback. Dyslexia Tool Kit Expanded Edition includes three new chapters. The new version also answers questions posed by readers of the […]
Are Dyslexic People Organizationally Challenged? The cliché that dyslexics are hopeless at organization misses the truth. In reality, dyslexic people frequently maintain complicated and highly effective organizational systems. These systems simply don’t look right to neurotypical people. In fact, poor organization by a dyslexic person often results from an attempt to impose a “standard” organizational […]
Mastery vs. Grades Students educated at home often work on a task until they master it. A math paper can be corrected. An essay can be re-written until it is concise. A book may be read and discussed. A project might be started, abandoned, and then taken up again. Working toward mastery rather than grades means […]
Answers or Assumptions? A dyslexia diagnosis sends parents looking for answers. Often, the people with the answers are also the people with a program to sell. A common assumption is that children need to do well in school in order to do well in life. Another assumption is that the only way to succeed in […]
Teaching Reading Requires Multiple Methods Marion Blank, Ph.D, authored several great books as well as Reading Kingdom, an online reading curriculum. In this post, I highlight the reading techniques she uses. Dr. Blank doesn’t specifically target students with dyslexia — rather she acknowledges that children come with a variety of brains, some of which are […]
A Diagnosis Brings Relief and Panic Parents who consult with me following a dyslexia diagnosis report two emotions: relief that they know why the student is struggling to read, and panic about the resources needed. Both responses are realistic. Happily, the panic can be laid aside once the parent has more information. From my experience […]