Talk About Dyslexia A huge mastodon stomps around in the dyslexia education living room. Schools in the United States have done a surprisingly poor job of addressing it. Even though about 15% of students are dyslexic, dyslexia accommodation isn’t part of the regular classroom. Instead, students with the lowest reading scores are pulled out into […]
By Yvonna Graham, M.Ed. Ken Robinson Did a Wonderful TED Talk Whether you read this book or not, please watch the 20 minute TED talk: Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? Twenty minutes feels like about 5 minutes. Sir Ken Robinson is a profoundly good speaker. He’s funny. He delivers on real information about improving […]
Khan Academy Already Had My Attention Khan Academy already had my attention as an educator (and a grandmother.) So I ordered Salman Khan’s book, Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and why that’s a good thing) the day it became available. Sal Khan is, after all, the creative mathematician who drives Khan Academy, […]
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 […]
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. […]
Guest Blog This article on school to career transition is valuable for any student whether dyslexic, neurodivergent, or not. Great ideas — many thanks to guest blogger, Linda Robinson, youdidyourbest.org. School to Career Transition Entering the workforce after high school demands careful planning. This article provides a concise guide to help you make informed decisions […]
Autism from the inside out Autistic author Annie Kotowicz invites neurotypical readers to enter her world. Her writing is both concise and personal. She explains her neurodivergent traits from a biological standpoint, then provides clarifying examples from her own life. I found the book enjoyable reading. Kotowicz covers several neurodivergent challenges including sensory differences, relationships, […]
Culture of Reading is Worth Reading I just read a newly released book from Solution Tree, an education publisher I admire. Leading a Culture of Reading, by Lorraine Radice, surpassed my expectations. The further I read, the more impressed I became with Dr. Radice’s methods for building lasting community around reading and books. She’s carried […]
Partnership Parenting I’m a grandparent of teens, so I was eager to read Seen, Heard & Understood: Parenting & Partnering with Teens for Greater Mental Health, by Lainie Liberti. I received an advance copy as a Reedsy Book Reviewer. This encouraging book guides families toward partnership parenting for healthy family relationships during adolescence. Liberti’s son, […]
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 […]
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 […]