Busting myths about learning differences

Over the past few weeks, I have been sharing – and busting – some common myths regarding learning differences such as dyslexia, ADD/ADHD and autism.  The final myth in the series is:

Myth #5: “To improve, all my dyslexic child needs to do is try harder.”

 Because dyslexics rely more on the right ‘visual-spatial’ side of their brain, rather than the left ‘linear-sequential’ side, literacy (and sometimes numeracy) does not always come as naturally to them as it does to more linear-sequential ‘word thinkers.’ Dyslexic learners often have to work a lot harder to get to the same point as their peers in reading and writing. Please believe me when I tell you that they are trying hard. They are trying very hard. Just to keep up. To keep their head above water. Often they are trying so hard, they are utterly exhausted by the end of the school day.

Instead of telling your child to try harder, you could acknowledge how hard they are already trying, let them know that you understand that reading/writing/spelling (or whatever else) can feel difficult for them, and ask them what you can do to help make it easier for them.

For some tips on reading with your dyslexic child to make it easier for them (and you), you can read my blog post: Reading at Home with your Dyslexic Child – 10 Tips for Parents.

In the Davis Dyslexia Programme, we teach your child how to focus and their brain, to eliminate feelings of stress and anxiety, and to regulate their energy levels, so that they are able to be relaxed and focused (and re-focus when needed) when reading and writing, rather than having to ‘work hard’ or ‘concentrate’.

For more information on dyslexia, autism and other learning differences, head over to my website: http://www.optimumlearning.co.nz or drop me an email at melanie@optimumlearning.co.nz.  I’d love to hear from you 🙂

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Previous myth-busting posts:

Myth #1 – Dyslexia is a learning disability

Myth #2 – We need to make autistic people learn how to act normally

Myth #3 – My child just needs to concentrate more

Myth #4 – Using technology is cheating

Busting myths about learning differences

Over the past few weeks, I have been sharing – and busting – some common myths regarding learning differences such as dyslexia, ADD/ADHD and autism.  This week’s myth:

Myth #4: “Using technology is cheating.”

Technology is a wonderful tool for those with learning differences. It can not only put these children on the same playing field as ‘neurotypical’ learners, it takes away unnecessary stress, and empowers them to use and display the true extent of their knowledge and strengths.  Why not embrace the support it can offer?

Speech to text

Using speech to text software allows a student to share their knowledge and ideas without being hindered by their difficulty with punctuation or spelling. When our students write, it is their ideas, creativity, vocabulary and creativity we should be celebrating. It is so sad – and all too common – to read a piece of writing by a dyslexic learner who is bright
and articulate, but who has ‘dumbed down’ their ideas and their language to play it safe with spelling. Speech to text technology removes this barrier.

If you are researching speech to text software, here are some great places to start:

• Google Docs Speech recognition
• Dragon Naturally Speaking
• On a mac, you can turn on Dictation in System Preferences and then you are ready to go. No cost, no special training required!

Word processing

There are some wonderful word processing programmes for computers and tablets that also offer excellent support when it comes to writing. Word Q and iWordQ offers spelling support, and will read back what you have written. Clicker docs has the added feature of adding word banks for specific topics.

Audio books

Audio books give a child access to text just as a print book does – it is just through their ears rather than their eyes. Is this cheating? No it is not.

Blogging

Is you child writing a classroom blog? Why not give them this app to use? Easyblog.org does what no other platform has managed to do. It has harnessed the true power of visual-spatial learning. It is simple to use and allows students to create photo, video, audio-over-photo posts, as well as adding text if they choose. But typing text is not mandatory.  It is the perfect blogging option for those with learning differences.

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For more information on dyslexia, autism and other learning differences, head over to my website: http://www.optimumlearning.co.nz or drop me an email at melanie@optimumlearning.co.nz.  I’d love to hear from you 🙂

Previous myth-busting posts:

Myth #1 – Dyslexia is a learning disability

Myth #2 – We need to make autistic people learn how to act normally

Myth #3 – My child just needs to concentrate more

Busting myths about learning differences

Over the past few weeks, I have been sharing – and busting – some common myths regarding learning differences such as dyslexia, ADD/ADHD and autism.  This week’s myth:

Myth #3: “My child just needs to concentrate more.” 

People with dyslexia (and ADD) have brains that will ‘disorientate’ when they strike confusion. This means that they will use their imagination to look at the problem, often from different perspectives, until they have solved it. This works really well when dealing with real life objects. But when they become confused with a word, and try to look at it from different perspectives – all of a sudden the word ‘but’ becomes ‘put’ and ‘was’ becomes ‘saw’. Disorientation is the opposite to being focused. When someone is disoriented, they will not be ‘present’, and will be experiencing inaccurate perception.

Can you imagine how difficult it must be to stay focused when your brain is constantly wanting to disorientate because you are confused about a word? So many words cause confusion for dyslexic leaners. Any abstract word has the potential to do so, because they are not able to create a picture for it. It is easy to picture a horse. It is not so easy to picture a ‘the’.

Concentrating doesn’t work. In fact in my experience all it seems to do is cause stress and headaches.

If your child is not concentrating, there will be a reason for it. Take a short break if possible, and have them find a way to re-focus – whether it is through something physical such a jumping on the trampoline or running to the end of the driveway and back; or it could simply be taking some deep breaths.

In the Davis Dyslexia Correction Programme, students are taught a simple, effective method that allows them to re-focus when they disorientate, without the need to concentrate or ‘try harder’.

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Previous myth-busting posts:

Myth #1 – Dyslexia is a learning disability

Myth #2 – We need to make autistic people learn how to act normally

For more information on dyslexia, autism and other learning differences, head over to my website: http://www.optimumlearning.co.nz or drop me an email at melanie@optimumlearning.co.nz.  I’d love to hear from you 🙂

Busting myths about learning differences

Over the next few weeks, I am going to be sharing – and busting – some common myths regarding learning differences such as dyslexia, ADD/ADHD and autism.

Myth #1: “Dyslexia is a learning disability.”

Image source: Huffington Post

Dyslexia is a different way of thinking, processing and learning. There is nothing ‘broken’ about a dyslexic brain. It certainly does not need curing or fixing. In fact dyslexia brings with it many great strengths and gifts.

John Britten, talented dyslexic, designed and built the Britten Superbike

Dyslexic learners rely heavily on their right brain, thinking predominantly in pictures. Because they are highly visual, they usually show strengths in areas such as:

• creativity
• the arts
• design
• engineering
• leadership
• problem solving
• science
• building
• and much more….

People with dyslexia generally learn things easily when they are taught in a way that works for them – which is visual and hands-on. What they do tend to experience is some isolated challenges when it comes to the written word (and sometimes numbers).

So when talking to your child about dyslexia, let them know that their brain learns in a different way, which brings many gifts that other people don’t have. Instead of calling it a learning disability, you could tell them they have a learning difference – or even a learning preference (as let’s face it – they do prefer to learn in a certain way – just not the way a lot of schools want them to!)

You could also spend time looking at some famous, successful people who have succeeded because of their dyslexic thinking style. This often does wonders for a child’s self esteem, to know that they are in the company of some great achievers.

For more information on dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, autism and other learning differences, head over to my website: http://www.optimumlearning.co.nz or drop me an email at melanie@optimumlearning.co.nz.  I’d love to hear from you 🙂

Image source: azquotes.com

Reading at Home with your Dyslexic Child – 10 Tips for Parents

#1 – Read to your child

It is never too early (or late) to start reading to your child. Reading to them every day is one of the greatest gifts you can give to them, whether they are dyslexic or not. It encourages:  

• a love of stories,
• curiosity,
• vocabulary development
• Imagination,
• listening skills,
• memory and more.

#2 – Teach them how to remove feelings of stress

Stress blocks learning. If your child is stressed, they are going to make mistakes, forget what they have read, and most importantly, will not be enjoying the experience of reading. Find a simple strategy to help them feel relaxed before they start. This could be as simple as a deep breath, or imagining something they love to help them feel at ease. In the Davis® programmes, we use a strategy called “Release” to help induce a calm mental state*.

#3 – Share the load

If your child struggles with reading, don’t force them to read to the point of exhaustion and frustration. Have them read a small chunk, and then you read the next part, swapping backwards and forwards. Be OK
with telling them words they don’t know at times – they don’t have to figure every single word out themselves.

#4 – Read together

This works really well. Read out loud together with your child. That way, when they get to a word they don’t know, you can keep reading, they hear the word read correctly and they can pick up again at the next word. This technique not only takes the pressure off of the child, but enables the story to flow in an easy way.

#5 – Help their eyes to focus on the correct piece of text

This can be done in different ways:  

• Put a piece of cardboard/paper underneath the line they are reading to help them focus on the correct line.
• Have them uncover one word at a time, using cardboard or their finger.
• Allow them to point to each word if they find it helpful.
• We have specific techniques in the Davis programme to encourage them to see each word in the correct sequence*.

#6 – Encourage understanding

• Stop after each sentence or block of text and have them picture in their heads what they have just read*.
  

  This could be what your child pictures after reading the text: The black and white cat is curled up into a tight ball, asleep.

  Talk about what you are picturing too.

• Read a short piece of text and have them tell you what they think it means.
• Stop at different points and ask questions (not too many though!).
• For older children who are doing novel studies, they can mind-map the main parts of the novel. Encourage them to use picture and images more than words, as your dyslexic child will learn most effectively in this visual spatial way.

#7 – No sounding out!

A dyslexic learner thinks primarily in pictures and images, and finds it very difficult to think with the sounds of words. If your child has not had success with the phonics approach in their first year of school, then it is likely phonics is not the right approach for them.

Some alternatives to sounding out include:

• Uncovering the word slowly with their thumb*.
• Reading on to the end of the sentence and figuring out what sounds right or makes sense.
• If they are still struggling after trying the above options and you are reading with them, just tell them the word.

#8 – Audio Books

Using audio books is not cheating. They are a great way to allow the dyslexic learner to access the story in a less stressful, taxing way.

They can use the audio version in conjunction with a print version if that works for them too. This can be done by:

• Alternating between the print and the audio version as they choose.
• Listening to the audio book while reading along with the print version.

#9 – Choose books carefully

Help your child to choose books that interest them. They will be much more likely to feel positive about reading if it is about something they like and enjoy.

Choosing dyslexia friendly books can be really helpful. They will often use a nice clear font, which is easier to read, and will often cater to the interest age of an older child at a less challenging reading level.

Some great websites to check out for dyslexia friendly books include: Love Reading 4 Kids has a wonderful comprehensive list of dyslexia friendly books.

#10 – Make it fun and inviting!    

Make reading as appealing as you can. Create a welcoming, comfortable are where your child will love to be in.
There may be a big beanbag, or comfortable cushions to sit on.

Choose a good time of day when your child is happy and receptive to reading. Seriously consider backing off if they show signs of stress or frustration.

Make reading a fun part of your every day routine.

* All points marked with an asterisk come from the Davis® Programmes. To find out more about these Davis techniques I mentioned in this post and more, check out my website – Optimum Learning.

9 Tips for Teachers – How to help your dyslexic students

Your dyslexic students have to work a lot harder in certain learning tasks.  They are usually highly talented, creative individuals, but because of their struggles in the classroom, their self esteem gets constantly knocked.  This can result in disruptive, uncooperative, evasive behaviours, which can be frustrating when you feel responsible for their learning.

Here are some simple steps you can take to make life easier for you and your dyslexic learners.  If you would like the PDF of these tips, please email me:  melanie@optimumlearning.co.nz

One simple thing you can do today to help your child at school

If your child has a learning difference, chances are there are areas of learning at school that are challenging at best, debilitating at worst.

You may be exploring different options for helping your child either inside or outside of school.  Your child might already be receiving extra help.  Wherever they are on their journey, here is one simple tip for making an instant difference to their school experience.

Help them to create an information sheet on themselves to give to their teacher, teacher-aide and other support people.

It can include any or all of the following:

• Their strengths
• How they think/learn
• What they find challenging at school
• How they learn best
• What helps them to learn
• What their teacher can do to make learning easier for them

Here is a fictitious example of a girl called Sammy who has dyslexia:

This idea can be adapted for any child with any learning difference.

The sheet can be kept at hand for the teacher to refer to, and can be passed on to the next year’s teacher too.

It is also a wonderful tool to use at parent-teacher meetings.  You can have a copy of the sheet and discuss how the teacher is making accommodations to enable your child’s learning.

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Six things you need to know about learning differences

Do you have a learning difference?

Maybe you are dyslexic, or perhaps you have been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum.  Maybe you have ADD/ADHD.  Dyspraxia. Dyscalculia. Auditory Processing disorder…..the list goes on.

Whatever your learning difference, here’s what you need to know:

#1. You do not need fixing.

Your mind is not defective, you are not broken.  Your brain is wired differently and it is supposed to work in the way it does. Let’s forget labels such as ‘specific learning disability’ and move away from terms such as disorders.  I love the term ‘neuro-diversity’ – a word invented by sociologist Judy Singer, to shift the focus away from the deficits and call attention to the fact that many atypical forms of brain wiring also bring with them unusual skills and aptitudes.*

#2. You learn best through visual-spatial methods.

One strong feature of learning differences such as dyslexia is the ability to think in images rather than words. Learning is so much more natural for you if it can be filled with images, colour, and hands-on experiences, rather than constant reading and writing, which for a picture thinker can lead very quickly to confusion, frustration – and ultimately shutdown.

#3.  You have so many gifts.

You may be a great problem solver, you are probably highly imaginative and creative, you could be really good at designing, or perhaps your areas of strength lie in sport, music, or art.  You might be able to see the big picture easily.  You might excel at thinking outside the box. Or you may be fabulous at detail-oriented tasks. Every individual who I have worked with, without exception, has possessed real gifts. Celebrate them, use them, and let them shine!

#4.  You share your thinking style with many successful people.

Herman Hollerith, who helped launch the age of computing by inventing a machine to tabulate and sort punch cards, once leaped out of a school window to escape his spelling lessons because he was dyslexic.*  The list of successful people who have learning differences are endless.  Successful dyslexics include  Richard Branson, Steven Spielberg and Cher.  Famous people on the autism spectrum include Dan Aykroyd, Temple Grandin and Darryl Hannah.

#5.  You have the right to ask for the support you need.

If you are at school, tell your teacher what it is that will help you learn.  Maybe using a computer or a tablet will enable you to get your ideas down easier.  Perhaps text to speech software will help you to access text through listening to it.  Instead of laboriously copying from the board, your teacher could print out a set of notes for you.  Perhaps you could have extra time, or a reader/writer for tests. If you are employed, get support in the areas you need it.  Be honest with your colleagues – remember your learning difference means you bring many strengths to the table – it is just that you may need help in certain areas.  High quality assistive technology is forging ahead in ways that can offer robust support.  One example is this range of google extensions for dyslexia.

#6.  Your challenges can be overcome. Sally Shaywitz has a wonderful analogy of dyslexia being a small island of weakness in a huge sea of strengths. I would go further to include all learning difference in this analogy. And you know what? You can use your strengths to help you overcome your challenges.  Find a programme that is strengths-based, rather than one that thinks you need to be fixed.  Learn how to harness your gifts.  My personal favourite is of course the Davis programmes – created by a dyslexic, autistic genius that works from a place of strength and empowerment.

And last, but not least, always remember….

Sources: ‘Wired Differently” image from Wrong Planet *Neurodiversity rewires conventional thinking about brains Sally Shaywitz – article on Dyslexia Google Extensions for dyslexia

A Learning Revolution

We might think we have only one climate crisis, but Sir Ken Robinson disagrees.

In this thought-provoking TED Talk, he describes a second crisis – not of natural resources, but human resources.  Human talent is often buried deep – and we need to create the circumstances where they reveal themselves.  And this does not often happen through education.  Education is currently being reformed worldwide, but according to Sir Ken, this is not enough.  We don’t need evolution in education – we need a REVOLUTION.

Check out this talk to find out :

• Why the school system can be compared to fast food.
• How school often dislocates people from their natural talents
• Why not everybody needs to go to college