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World of Dyslexia
World of Dyslexia
Newsletter
September 2009

Dyslexia Parents Resource   Dyslexia Certificate course   Synthetic Phonics

Sculptor Says Dyslexia Helps Him FREE Newsletter about Dyslexia in Adults

Sculpture by John MischlerSculptor John Mishler has dyslexia, but says the learning disability gives him a different perspective on art and on teaching at Indiana's Goshen College. "A lot of my students (have dyslexia) and I can really make a connection because they visualize things, too, and maybe writing papers isn't as easy for them, either," he said.
John Mishler specializes in the use of the common metals including aluminum, copper, steel and stainless steel to create both abstract and symbolic woks of art.
John Mischler
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NewslettersDyslexia Assessment and Consultancy produce an excellent email newsletter focussing on dyslexic adults: working with dyslexic/dyspraxic adults both in employment and in higher education, carrying out diagnostic and workplace needs assessments, training and counselling dyslexic/dyspraxic employees, etc.
"Highly Recommended" (John Bradford).
Dyslexia and Assessment Consultancy Newsletter
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Paired Reading An Inspirational Tutor...

Paired readingWhen I was in my last year of school I was in a program to do paired reading with students with reading difficulties. It was very challenging for both of us. The scheme was planned so that the younger pupils would get help by a buddy from an older class. We got paired and then between the two of us we would discuss a time we would meet and where we would meet.

To begin with the pupil I had was so shy and you could tell he was not very enthusiastic about it .... From the start I let him know that I was not a perfect reader either and sometimes I would struggle with some of the words.
Full Story continues (at the very bottom of the page)

Ruth ButlerFor someone who hated school as a child, Ruth Butler has proven to be a natural at helping others succeed in the classroom. "The truth is, I had a terrible time in school," said Butler of McCandless, who preferred not to give her age, but grew up when "groovy" was still a hip term. "I was one of those kids I'm trying to save."
In 1981, Butler decided to tutor children one-on-one. Unlike teachers who punished struggling students like her with a whack of a ruler during her days at Rogers Elementary School in Garfield, Butler resolved to motivate her students with rewards rather than threats. She called her mission Operation Give Back.
She has taught students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities.
Full Story

Magnetic fridge lettersMagnetic Fridge Letters - Lower-case magnetic fridge letters can be helpful for putting reminders of spellings for weekly tests on the fridge door. You can also play with words by jumbling up the letters and asking your child to re-arrange them in the correct order. Great fun!
USA | UK

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Cat in an animal shelterReading to the Animals - My son's reading challenges have lead to a great deal of frustration for him and understandably low self esteem. He has gotten to the point that he absolutely refuses to read. This summer I tried a new approach, taking him to our local animal shelter to volunteer. Each time we go, he gets to help give puppies a bath, walk dogs, brush cats, and read to the animals as well. He looks forward to this trip which we made once a week over the summer. Helping the animals has boosted his self esteem and feeling of self worth. He sees his reading to the animals as providing them with some much needed individual therapy and enjoys it so much that he doesn't realize that he is actually the one receiving the therapy!  (Mindy, MO)
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Hand writingUnderline the letters of the sound you are learning - One very helpful technique when teaching a sound which is made from two letters (like 'ee') is to give a child some sentences and get them to go through them underlining the sound when they see it.
For example:
Peter can see an ant by his feet. (Contributed by J.C., in Dubai, a student on the Dyslexia Certificate course.)

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Girl with a bookForum - What Our Readers Say About Dyslexia - My eight year old daughter is bright and articulate, hungry for books, with a vocabulary assessed as "approaching ceiling level" for her age. However, she has struggled with literacy skills since starting school, and battles every day with frustration and a lack of confidence which has at times bordered on depression...
Full Story

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Spectatcle with tinted lensesTinted Lenses Bring Words Into Living Color - Life may look good through rose-colored glasses, but it's even better through tints of teal and peach - especially for people with migraines and learning difficulties. In some people visual distortions are caused by the brain failing properly to process glare. Sufferers have faulty depth perception and trouble reading because words on a page can appear to be moving, blurred, faded or swirling.
Full Story

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Teenager repairing a carhh Dyslexic Teenager Becomes Apprentice of the Year - A 16-year-old grease monkey has proved he will go far after overcoming dyslexia to become Apprentice of the Year. After being nominated by Epping Forest College, Essex, UK, where is is known among his teachers as 'Sonic' for his energy and speed, he has this month been named the Apprentice of the Year by the Institute of Motor Industry.
Full Story
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Mother at her computerhh Flintshire Mother Overcomes Dyslexia - A single mother from Flintshire, who overcame dyslexia and went on to complete more than 40 college courses, is in the running for a national award. Catherine Davis, from Maes y Dre Avenue, Flint, is hoping to add a national Learndirect progression award to her already impressive list of achievements, after passing 46 training courses with flying colours in just one year.
Full Story
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Boy reading to a classroom assistantWhat is a Classroom Assistant? - A classroom assistant is someone who will aid a teacher in the teaching of his or her classes by spending time with the pupils – who are normally of primary school age – during class time. The role of a classroom assistant is to assist with those classes where numbers are high and the teacher is required to spend most of his or her time teaching the entire class as opposed to spending time on a one to one basis.
Full Story
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World of Dyslexia Newsletter

 

Young girl reading to a teacherSigns of Dyslexia - Spotting early signs of dyslexia: "We want to identify children early because this is basically a treatable condition, and we want to catch them really before they have a chance to fail," explains Dr. Laura Bailet, a neurocognitive specialist. Having a parent with dyslexia boosts a child's chances of having it by up to 40 percent. Warning signs include: trouble recognizing their names in print, struggling with the alphabet, sounds and rhyming.
Full Story
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Boy doing math in his bookUnderstanding Dyscalculia - “I have a 15-year-old son who has been having difficulty in math since grade school. Most of the time, he has been flunking the subject or his grades have always below average. What confuses me is that he excels in other subjects like English and Science. In fact, he even represents his school in these areas. Recently, I have read about dyscalculia and I thought could this be the case of my child? What are the symptoms of this condition? Are there long-term effects? If my child has this, isn’t it too late for him to undergo treatments or therapy? What are the options for people who are diagnosed late with this disability?”...
Full Story

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Computer screenhh TechnoDys Technology and Dyslexia Blog - aimed at the dyslexic user and those supporting them (such as parents, teachers and tutors). The blog, run by Dr Ian Smythe, has a new entry every day, already has over 300 useful entries and has been viewed in over 100 countries. This includes everything from free text-to-speech, to how to make your browser more dyslexia friendly, as well as using online reminder systems. It goes well beyond the usual text-to-speech, speech-to-text and concept mapping software by asking what an individual really needs. For example, how do you remember your passwords? Where can I find free online collaborative concept maps, and Where do I find a video on speech-to-text that comes free with Vista? This blog has the answer to these questions and many more. And with the BabelFish click, you can have the blog translated into eight languages.
Full Story
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Mike Jugginshh Talk - 'Dyslexia - Changing Perceptions' - online talk by Mike Juggins, calling for positive change regarding the way that dyslexia is viewed.


Full Story
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Womanhh Beat Adult Dyslexia in 2009 - The bottom line for combating dyslexia simply is getting into the hang of rereading, proofreading, double and triple checking everything you say or do. In addition, simple tasks of left and right can be exceedingly difficult for me when I am driving to a location different then how the directions have me approaching the location.
I find that my flip flopping nature has not changed, but with the tools I have put in place, I have been able to figure out quickly what I did wrong to fix it efficiently. What I wasn't realizing at the time was that I was jumbling the instructions in my mind.
Full Story
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Police officerhh Dyslexic Policeman Victimized - A senior UK police officer has told an employment tribunal that he was "victimised" because he is dyslexic. Chief Inspector Phillip Haynes says he was passed over for promotion after he raised the condition with his bosses. Mr Haynes claims a letter detailing extra time he needed to pass his superintendent exam prejudiced the promotion board against him.
Full Story
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TypingAuthor Doesn't Let Dyslexia Get in the Way of her Writing - Even though Danielle Scott was surrounded by literature growing up she didn’t read and write...because she couldn’t. Scott suffers from a mild case of dyslexia and has difficulty reading, writing and spelling. She decided to persevere not only by reading her father’s latest comic thriller “Azteca” but by writing a book of her own called “All In” which is loosely based on her 17 years of experience as a card dealer at the Niagara Fallsview Casino.
With spell check on her side and experienced family members willing to help her as much as they could, Scott is officially a published author.
Full Story
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Quentin Tarantinohh Quentin Tarantino - Inglourous Basterds - ‘I don’t take it too seriously,’ says Quentin Tarantino of critical attacks on his latest movie, Inglourious Basterds. Quentin Tarantino is having a rock-star moment. “This was me reclaiming my place in cinema!” he announces excitedly ... When he gets excited he mixes up his words and can’t pronounce others at all, echoes from childhood dyslexia.
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Jamie Oliver

hh Jamie Oliver in Dyslexia Row on Twitter - Jamie Oliver, the UK chef, branded one of his Twitter followers an ‘idiot’ after they criticised his spelling. A poster calling himself Funditfrog pointed out four mistakes in one of the chef's tweets on the micro-blogging site. ‘Not being funny fella but 4 spelling mistakes?’ they wrote. ‘You're influencing a generation of kids, you owe it them to be correct. Agree?’
Full Story

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Children in class

Class Struggle Over Dyslexia - The social class of a family already plays too much of a role in determining the academic success of children. The suggestion that some middle class pupils are now receiving special favours by being diagnosed as dyslexic is alarming. Every parent wants the best for their child. None should be criticised for this but if the upshot is the creation of a two-tier
system – in which those from poorer backgrounds go undiagnosed in the state education service while those with a disability are given concessions to help them through exams – then something has to change.
Full Story

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Brainscanhh The Age of the Brain - A sharper mind and a brighter future could be no more than a mouse-click away with the launch of a revolutionary new Brain Gym by Funkyfogey.com, the lifestyle web portal. The Brain Gym’s purpose is to help people aged 45 plus enjoy a longer, happier, and healthier life by spending a little time each day on ‘Neurobics’ – mental exercises that do for the brain what aerobics does for the body.
As an example of what is possible Dr Lewis points to the success of pensioner Alex Torrance, who as a schoolboy he was written off by a sadistic master as a dunce. Although he went on to enjoy a distinguished wartime career as a pilot with the Fleet Air Arm and later as a quantity surveyor, his teacher’s damning verdict haunted him for years and led him to conceal, until well into his sixties, the fact that he suffered from dyslexia...
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Boy with ADHDADHD Symptoms: How ADHD Differs in Boys and Girls - "Boys are more likely to be diagnosed -- three boys to every girl," says Marjorie Montague, PhD, professor of special education at the University of Miami. "No one knows if it is more common in boys or just more likely to be diagnosed in them. It may just be that boys are referred more commonly by teachers," says Montague, whose research focuses on learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders. Girls with ADHD may be more likely to be inattentive than hyperactive or impulsive. That may mean they are more likely to be underdiagnosed with the disorder.
Full Story

ADHD Medication Can Cause Addiction and Death
The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that more than 4% of 12 to 17 year olds have abused prescription medication during a one month period. What many don’t know is that a large percentage of prescription drug and stimulant addicts actually started using these drugs legally or were prescribed them by a doctor at a young age.
hh Women with ADHD More Impaired Than Men
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GirlHarnessing the Power of Dyslexic Creativity - Dyslexic thinkers are creative, imaginative thinkers who learn by exploring and by doing. Once out of school, they often excel in areas of life requiring lateral, visual-spatial ability such as architecture, engineering, practical professions and entrepreneurism.
Concentration often results in a dyslexic reader who by straining and tensing up can get to the end of a sentence. It frequently results in a dyslexic reader who will not have understood the sentence they have just read, necessitating multiple re-reads. Seldom does it result in someone who enjoys reading and picks books up unbidden.
Full Story
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