The Dyslexic Corner
Dyslexia Information for WRE Parents, Staff, and Students
February 2020
Gifted and Dyslexia: 2e Students
In the case of a bright dyslexic child, the child may appear average, in spite of significant dyslexia and gifted thinking ability. Dyslexia may mask giftedness, and giftedness may mask dyslexia. Many well-known dyslexic individuals, such as Einstein, Edison, Walt Disney, da Vinci, and Steve Jobs reflect on their school experiences and reveal childhood pain despite their achievements later in life. Dyslexia is referred to as an “invisible disability.” Neither giftedness or dyslexia can actually visibly be seen, aside from diagnostic profiles specifically designed to identify each difference and characteristics lists. Spotting them together is far more difficult. As a result, they often don’t qualify for specialized instruction and don’t qualify for gifted programs because they can’t keep up with the written work.
Signs to Look For:
- Strong Oral Vocabulary
- Ability to elaborate on advanced ideas and draw conclusions
- Exceptional creativity and problem-solving skills
- Specific talent or consuming interest (Academic or Non-Academic)
- Sophisticated sense of humor or ability to connect with others at any age.
"Stealth dyslexia" is the term created by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide, the husband and wife team. The term describes students who struggle in school, despite having excellent reading and/or verbal skills and reflects the idea that such children fall under the radar and escape diagnosis for dyslexia because their symptoms are not those we normally think of as being associated with dyslexia. Children with stealth dyslexia may use their advanced verbal skills as cover for their mild issues with auditory and visual processing; issues that in other children may cause the reading difficulties more typically associated with dyslexia. As a result, these students don’t receive the help they need to manage their learning problems.
2e children with stealth dyslexia may be able to compensate well enough to avoid actual failure, especially during the early elementary years. As a result, they may not be correctly identified as having dyslexia or any other learning challenge, and may not receive the appropriate interventions. When they meet the heavier writing demands and more complicated reading assignments in middle and high school, they frequently find themselves unable to keep up. A downward spiral of failure and despair is often the result.
Your Next Read: Suggestions From Mrs. Dunham
** Reviews included in this newsletter are from Amazon.com
How Children Succeed by Paul Tough
How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators, who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through their stories—and the stories of the children they are trying to help—Tough reveals how this new knowledge can transform young people’s lives. He uncovers the surprising ways in which parents do—and do not—prepare their children for adulthood. And he provides us with new insights into how to improve the lives of children growing up in poverty. This provocative and profoundly hopeful book will not only inspire and engage readers, it will also change our understanding of childhood itself.
The Good Egg Presents: The Great Eggscape! by Jory John and Pete Oswald
Based on the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book sensation The Good Egg, Jory John and Pete Oswald present: The Great Eggscape!
The Great Eggscape is when the Good Egg and his pals escape their carton and drop into the store for a morning of fun, enjoyed by everybody.
Well, almost everybody.
Shel (an egg) isn’t a huge fan of group activities, especially when he’s made to be “It” for a game of hide-and-seek. Nevertheless, Shel doesn’t want to let his friends down, so he reluctantly plays, anyway. But after a morning of hiding and seeking, somebody’s still missing. Will the dozen eggs friends ever be reunited?
Find out in this hilarious egg hunt adventure that reminds us to break out of our shells and help our friends in need!
Brave. Black. First.: 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World
Harriet Tubman guided the way.
Rosa Parks sat for equality.
Aretha Franklin sang from the soul.
Serena Williams bested the competition.
Michelle Obama transformed the White House.
Black women everywhere have changed the world!
Published in partnership with curators from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, this illustrated biography compilation captures the iconic moments of fifty African American women whose heroism and bravery rewrote the American story for the better.
They were fearless. They were bold. They were game-changers.
Dyslexics in the Future Workforce
LinkedIn, a professional networking site, designed to help people make business connections, share their experiences and resumes, and find jobs, states the following about hiring dyslexics. "Hiring people with dyslexia will help companies prepare for a future dominated by automation, according to a new report by consultancy EY. This is because they possess “specific strengths” that will become increasingly in demand. Skills such as reading, mathematics, and active listening are on the decline, according to the report, but a slew of capabilities and skills typically seen in people with dyslexia — including leadership, social influence, creativity, initiative, and idea generation — will be vital to all industries by the year 2022."
Companies and employers are being encouraged to create neurodiversity in the workplace that appreciates and values the different ways that people's brains work and interpret information. Forbes Magazine offers these tips for supporting neurodiversity in the workplace.
Homework Connection
Tips From Students
Use Time Wisely
If you’re dyslexic, you already know that extra time on tests is critical to demonstrating your actual knowledge of a subject. But don’t stop there. If you need extra time for tests, there’s a good chance you need extra time on homework assignments as well. These tips should help:
- Break up big projects into smaller, less intimidating pieces. Have a three-page paper due in a week? Set dates for working on little tasks related to the paper, like picking a topic, doing research and writing the first draft. Don’t be afraid to ask a teacher, parent or tutor to assist you.
- Give yourself enough time to work slowly and carefully. You don’t want to rush or end up skipping part of a task.
- Do what’s due first. If you’re faced with a long list of short assignments, it’s easy to just grab them all at once and start working in random order. But that’s not the most effective approach. Take a minute to prioritize your work according to what’s due first and what is likely to take you the most or least time to complete. Study tonight for the French test you have tomorrow, not the vocabulary test that’s coming up next week.
- Don’t fall into the “no homework tonight” trap. If your calendar is clear, look ahead to see what’s coming up: an earth-science quiz at the end of the week or a math worksheet due Thursday? Use this free time to get a head start on the work you need to turn in later.
- Outline a task before you start. For a science project on plant growth, what materials will you need to gather? How many days will you have to allow for the beans to sprout? How long will it take you to write up your results? Think it through in your head and figure out what steps you’ll have to take so you know what you’ll need — and how much time to allow — to get it done.
- Don’t do more than you have to. For instance, you don’t have to research everything on the Civil War to write a few paragraphs on the second Battle of Bull Run.
- Preview reading to identify words you can’t pronounce and talk through the material with your teacher or tutor on a one-to-one basis. Avoid multiple choice-tests; instead request tests that are based on short essays.
Embrace Simple Tools
- Make flashcards to help you remember everything from math formulas to historic facts to vocabulary words. Breaking down content into these smaller chunks rather than trying to tackle everything on an entire sheet or in a book chapter will make studying far less overwhelming. And you can use your flashcards as a portable study guide to keep on hand and quiz yourself whenever you have a few minutes to spare.
- Work in a quiet place with few distractions. Earplugs or noise-canceling headphones can help to block out noises that compete for your attention.
- Give yourself visuals and models to work from. Examples: Use diagrams for capturing the structure of a story or for remembering the animal kingdom; use highlighters or color-coding to bring out the main ideas in your notes, drafts or worksheets; create symbols, initials or doodles to help you remember concepts.
Make the Most of Technology
- Create a PowerPoint presentation of the material you’ll need to know for a test. (Think of it as a high-tech version of flashcards.) Some computers, like Macs, also have a computerized voice that can read your PowerPoint slides back to you.
- Compose written work on a computer, which can be more efficient and easier to read than messy handwriting. Using a computer allows you to focus on the content rather than your handwriting so you can get your thoughts out in the first draft. And when you make edits, you won’t need to write the entire essay over again.
- Consider using dictation programs like Dragon dictation software. Alternatively, on many newer computers with a microphone, you can enable the “start dictation” feature directly in Microsoft Word. Some students find that dictation allows them to be more creative and capture the details all at once.
- After you complete a writing assignment, whether it’s a paragraph or a longer paper, read it aloud and record it on your cell phone. (You can also have a member of your family read it to you.) Several free apps make recording easy and convenient. Listening to what you wrote as you read it over several times can help you spot errors and identify edits you’d like to make. Listening as you read your notes also helps you understand and remember what you’ve learned.
- Listen to assigned books in audio form, reading along in the hard copy. As an added bonus, you’ll feel much better prepared if you know you’re going to be called on to read out loud in class the next day.
- Ask your parents or a teacher to help you sign up for access to recorded books and other written materials. Bookshare, Audible and Learning Ally are just a few companies that make tens of thousands of audio recordings from text. Each service offers different types of literature, textbooks and reference materials, so if you can’t find what you need on one site, chances are it will be available through another service. Additionally, Amazon has teamed up with Audible to link up audio recordings with Kindle books, so you can read along with the text. The program is called Whispersync.
- If you have access to a newer computer, tablet or other electronic devices, set it up to read your papers, notes and a range of other materials back to you. Macs do this within their accessibility settings, but there are many other options for software and apps that read text for both Macs and PCs. One of the oldest and most popular is Read & Write Gold.
- Consider investing in a Livescribe SmartPen if you take a lot of notes in class and are stressed about not getting it all down on paper. The device can eliminate note-taking anxiety because it captures everything the student hears and writes. You can transfer notes and recordings to a computer, and easily search and organize them for homework study. The audio recording can be slowed down or speeded up as needed, and a specific section of any recording can be played back simply by tapping that part of your written notes.
Ask for Help
- If you’re a college student struggling with a paper, take advantage of your campus writing center. If you’re not in college, ask your peers, teachers or parents to help you talk through your ideas and get them on paper. If you already have a draft written, the extra pair of eyes is helpful to catch typos, spelling mistakes, or incomplete details and ideas.
- Your teachers and peers can be great resources for solidifying topics you are learning. Talk with your teachers to be sure you understood the material, and talk through the main ideas of the lectures with your peers to help form your own thoughts and understanding.
- Request extra time on tests. Extra time on examinations is a necessity. The amount of extra time cannot be determined from testing but should be based on your own experiences. The first time you request this accommodation, you might want to request double time.
Embrace the Power of Dyslexia
- Believe in yourself. Dyslexia teaches you to budget your time and work hard, and that work ethic will help you no matter what you decide to do in life.
- Talk to others who are dyslexic and listen to success stories from other dyslexic individuals. They will inspire and encourage you. If they did it, you can, too!
- Remember that just because something takes you longer to do, doesn’t mean you can’t do it well. And sometimes because it takes you longer, you remember it better.
- While it’s hard to feel different or singled out if you need extra help or tutoring, try to remember that you’re learning the skills to overcome dyslexia—and that you are smart and have abilities no one else does!
DYSLEXIA EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTS & EDUCATORS
DDIG – Film – “Inside Dyslexia”
Film – Inside Dyslexia by filmmakers Nate Hamlin and Josh Easdon, who are both individuals with dyslexia. This documentary follows the challenges and successes of three New York students. A Q & A session will follow the viewing.
Register for the February 10 DDIG MeetingMonday, Feb 10, 2020, 07:00 PM
Fairhill School, Preston Road, Dallas, TX, USA
StandUpU
Take a sneak peek into how one of the workshops works:https://youtu.be/-vUxGszXjXE.
To make StandUpU available to all students, they have waived the tuition and are only collecting a $50.00 supply fee (scholarships available). Parent and teacher volunteers are welcome.
Space is limited. Early applicants have the best chance of admission into the program. I encourage you to fill out the application as soon as possible.
Application form link:(if submitting multiple children, please fill out the application for each child)
StandUpU program dates:
· Workshop 1 (Sat. 3-5:50 pm, 2/8/2020)
· Workshop 2 (Sat. 3-5:50 pm, 2/29/2020)
· Workshop 3 (Sat. 3-5:50 pm, 3/28/2020)
Robyn Dunham
Email: robyn.dunham@risd.org
Location: White Rock Elementary School, Chiswell Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 469-593-2728
Twitter: @robyn_dunham