How Background Noise Affects Dyslexic Students

Student using headphones to reduce background noise

Noise, loud or soft, effects learning environments, especially for neurodiverse students. These students may have especially acute hearing, hear outside the normal range of human hearing, or have trouble sorting background noise from what they need to pay attention to. Loud Noise Can Be Problematic for Everyone Loud noise can harm our hearing, whether it […]

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Audio-Assisted Reading for Dyslexia: What the research says

high school student using headphones to do audio-assisted reading

Does Audio-Assisted Reading Help Dyslexic Students? Audio-assisted reading refers to reading text silently while hearing it read aloud. Hearing and seeing the words at the same time is the key. Research on audio-assisted reading shows widely different results. Some research shows that audio-assisted reading does not improve comprehension or retention of information by dyslexic students. […]

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Proust and the Squid — A DTK Book Review

Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf, book cover

Proust and the Squid: The story and science of the reading brain, by Dr. Maryanne Wolf Dr. Maryanne Wolf has authored more than 160 scientific articles, she designed the RAVE-O reading intervention for children with dyslexia, and with Martha Denckla, co-authored the RAN/RAS naming speed tests, a major predictor of dyslexia across all languages. Currently […]

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A Conversation about Audiobooks and Dyslexia

The Dyslexic Advantage (Revised and Updated)

The Dyslexic Advantage is Real I first encountered Brock and Fernette Eide’s ground-breaking research on dyslexia when they published the first edition of The Dyslexic Advantage, back around 2011. At least that’s when I found it. It changed my life and my career. That book explained how my daughter could be both brilliant and extremely […]

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The Dyslexic Advantage: A DTK Book Review

The Dyslexic Advantage (Revised and Updated)

The First Edition was Great; This One is Even Better! I first reviewed this powerhouse of information back in 2017. So why did I buy the 2023 Revised and Updated edition? Because A LOT has happened in dyslexia research in the past few years, and the Eide’s are in the thick of it. This book […]

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Phonics and Word Identification: A DTK Book Review

Dr. Andy Johnson, author of Phonics and Word Recognition of Phonics and Word

A DTK Book Review: Phonics and Word Identification Skills — Strategies for Teachers and Parents, by Andy Johnson, PhD Phonics is Not the Same as Reading Dr. Johnson serves as Professor of Literacy and Distinguished Faculty Scholar at Minnesota State University, Mankato. His work currently focuses on research-based teaching strategies for students with reading difficulties. […]

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Tracking: Why Dyslexic Readers Need Audiobooks

boy in wheelchair tracking reading on ipad

What is Tracking? In reading instruction, tracking refers to readers watching the words on the page while someone else says them aloud. This can be done in person or with an audiobook. Audiobooks provide students with more independence and more reading time than most parents or teachers can spare. I recommend using both and responding […]

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This is Dyslexia: A DTK Book Review

This is Dyslexia, by Kate Griggs (book cover)

Made by Dyslexia Kate Griggs, herself dyslexic, makes waves in the U.K and beyond by claiming — and demonstrating — that dyslexic thinking is precisely what the world needs to solve the challenges of the future. She explains, “dyslexic minds process information differently,” making them experts at problem-solving, empathy, and communication. She gave a TED […]

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