American Dyslexia Association

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  • Approaches to Dyslexia Training

    Approaches to Dyslexia Training

    by IFDDA.org

    I. INTRODUCTION

    The phenomenon of dyslexia is often referred to as a “learning disability”. However, these exceptional individuals just have different sensory perceptions due to genetic dispositions (Galaburda, LoTurco, Ramus, Fitch, & Rosen, 2006). Their different sensory perceptions cause them to view and experience our world differently, which can lead to significant accomplishments in arts, sports, and science – just not in reading and writing. Many researchers of different disciplines have dealt with this topic, mainly on how to address the reading and spelling issues that dyslexics have and how to render assistance. The approaches to research in dyslexia are as diverse as the various methods of training. What is needed is a comprehensive approach to dyslexia training that addresses all elements that cause the affected individuals’ problems to deliver faster and longer-lasting improvements.

    The different sensory perceptions of a dyslexic person cause his or her attention to diminish when confronted with symbols, like letters. The results are errors while reading and writing. The logical consequence is that dyslexics require assistance in all three areas: improvement of sensory perceptions, as well as enhancement of the attention span while reading and spelling, and last, but not least, practicing reading and spelling. Training techniques for dyslexics and research about such, however, tend to focus on only one (or at most two) of the three mentioned areas. Multiple studies have already proven the benefits of sensory perception training (Bonacina, Cancer, Lanzi, Lorusso, & Antonietti, 2015; Flaugnacco et al., 2015; Fraga González et al., 2015; Gori & Facoetti, 2014; Habib et al., 2016; Ikeshita-Yamazoe & Miyao, 2016; Wang et al., 2014). Other research focused on the advantageous role of attention training (Franceschini et al., 2015; Heim, Pape-Neumann, Van Ermingen-Marbach, Brinkhaus, & Grande, 2015; Valdois et al., 2015), while other scientific inquiries concentrated on increased practicing of the basic academic skills of reading and spelling (Law & Cupples, 2015; McArthur et al., 2015).

    Nevertheless, there is one approach to dyslexia training, which incorporates all three elements and, therefore, promises superior results: the so-called “AFS-Method” (A=attention, F=function/sensory perception, S=symptom). This method is open source and not a commercial program, and has been practiced by dyslexia specialists for the past 20 years in over 50 countries worldwide in different languages with much success. Kopp-Duller and Pailer-Duller (2011) conducted a long-term qualitative study investigating the effectiveness of the AFS-Method, which showed that 85% of test subjects were able to improve their reading and spelling abilities. Other researchers have also reported on the uniqueness of the AFS-Method in contrast to other standard practices for rendering assistance to dyslexics (Ablinger, 2006; Halfarová & Cigánková, 2006; Karli, 2006; Levski, 2011; Mészáros, 2011, Szimmuck, 2014; Zachbauer, 2011). A central key point of training in the AFS-Method is the concept of teaching word using multiple senses called word formulations, which was confirmed as beneficial by Aylward and Berninger from the University of Washington (Schwarz; 2004).

    Further research, specifically quantitative in nature, should be conducted on the distinctive AFS-training method to generate quantifiable and tangible results so the method gains more acceptance in the dyslexia community and thus more affected individuals would be able to benefit from it. If more educators knew how to support dyslexic children successfully, fewer children would struggle at school and ultimately would be able to remain in school longer and receive a better education as a result.

    II. CAUSE OF DYSLEXIA

    Dyslexia is a hereditary condition that causes different sensory perceptions (Galaburda et al., 2006). Dyslexic individuals see, hear, and experience the world differently from non-dyslexics. This can have an upside because dyslexics are often talented in areas like technology, art, music, and sports – just not in reading and writing. The different sensory perceptions cause the dyslexics’ attention to diminish when confronted with the abstract concept of letters. This lack of attention results in errors while reading, writing, and spelling, and in turn in poor academic performance in language studies (Kopp-Duller, 2012).

    Some research focuses on the aspect of auditory processes during reading, spelling, or writing: Bonacina et al. (2015) said that dyslexia stems from difficulties in auditory information processing, which results in impaired phonological awareness. Gori and Facoetti (2014) also agree that dyslexia is an auditory-phonological processing deficit, while Franceschini et al. (2015) said that dyslexics exhibit weak linguistic-phonological processing. Other researchers put the emphasis on the visual aspect: Wang et al. (2014) concluded that dyslexic individuals have an issue with their visual perceptual processing.

    The bottom line is that dyslexia is a multisensory integration deficit (Fraga González et al., 2015). Dyslexic children have a unique way of processing information which results in a unique behavior during the learning process (Kopp-Duller & Pailer-Duller, 2011). No manifestation of dyslexia is alike because not every dyslexic person’s sensory perceptions are affected in the same way. Some children exhibit difficulty in visual processing, others with auditory, and again others in spatial perception. This is the precise reason not every training program to better the effects to dyslexia works on any child. The training efforts always need to be individualized to reach faster improvements without frustrating the child in the process.

    III. ELEMENTS OF DYSLEXIA TRAINING

    The approaches to dyslexia training are as diverse as the approaches to research on dyslexia. Researchers from a spectrum of disciplines have made it their duty to explore this complex subject and ways how to deal with it. Neurologists focus on processes in the brain of dyslexics to better understand the problem this phenomenon causes during reading and spelling (Heim et al., 2015). Geneticists view the issue from a hereditary standpoint (Galaburda et al., 2006). Psychologists focus on diagnosing dyslexia using intelligence tests although these tests were not designed for this purpose (Habib et al., 2016). At last but not least, pedagogues discuss how to help affected children more effectively (Berninger et al., 2008).

    The success of various training programs has been well documented in countless studies, as demonstrated in the following subsections. Noticeably, training techniques tend to focus only on one aspect of the causation of dyslexia: training of attention, training of sensory perceptions, or training of symptoms, while the scientific evidence of the success of sensory perception training dominates. The question remains about what happens if dyslexia training is conducted using an individualized approach that covers all areas that cause the dyslexic child’s problems.

    A. Training of Attention

    The thoughts of a dyslexic person tend to wander, especially when they are confronted with the task of reading and writing. Dyslexic children reject these tasks because they cannot perform them well and would rather be doing something else. So they might act out and give the impression of being hyperactive. The wrong conclusion is often drawn from this behavior, that the child is hyperactive and, consequently, cannot read and write. However, the opposite is the case: The child cannot read and write, which causes him or her to misbehave. An important part of dyslexia training, therefore, is the focusing of attention. The goal of attention exercises is to give the affected individual the tools to focus his or her thoughts on the task at hand, which automatically yields positive results in reading and spelling (Kopp-Duller, 2012).

    Various training techniques can be used to bring forth the desired outcome of focusing a child’s attention. Franceschini et al. (2015) used action video games in their study to increase the attention span in children with dyslexia. Heim et al. (2015) showed that the training of visual attention improves reading abilities. Another study where the training of visual attention improved reading abilities was conducted by Valdois et al. (2015). Breteler, Arns, Peters, Giepmans, and Verhoeven (2010) used qEEG-based neurofeedback training to increase the attention span, where the subject learned to self-regulate and thus improve brain activities, and subsequently were able to reduce reading and spelling deficits. Research by Kast, Baschera, Gross, Jäncke, and Meyer (2011) revealed that phonological awareness exercises increased the focusing of the test subjects on the task at hand.

    B. Training of Sensory Perceptions

    As already discussed, dyslexics exhibit deficits in sensory perceptions, so-called functions. Logic and practice dictate that only with functioning sensory perceptions is a smooth learning process possible. The training and, therefore, improvement of these sensory perceptions leads to automatically better performances in reading and spelling, as the presented evidence from multiple studies will demonstrate. Training can focus on visual, auditory, or spatial sensory perceptions, while it is vital to find out in which areas the child has difficulty before starting with the sensory perception training (Kopp-Duller & Pailer-Duller, 2011).

    Fraga González et al. (2015) disclosed that training of letter-speech sound mapping led to substantial reading gains in dyslexic test subjects. Ikeshita-Yamazoe & Miyao (2016) used a specifically for dyslexics designed visual training tool for learning symbols, where test subjects were able to give 83% correct responses after two months in post-tests, compared to the traditional teaching method, where no correct answers were given. The overall concept of perceptual learning led to improvements in visual attention and reading in research by Gori and Facoetti (2014).

    Furthermore, Balido-Dean, Kupczynski, and Fedynich (2011), Berninger et al. (2008), in addition to Kast et al. (2011) showed that multi-sensory training using letters has positive effects on the reading and spelling abilities of dyslexic children. But even sensory perception training without the use of symbols leads to improvement of reading and spelling skills in a study by Burger, Kastenhuber, and Loidl (2001).

    A new approach to sensory perception training is the use of music. Training of basic musical rhythm perception skills had a positive impact on reading speed and accuracy in a study performed by Bonacina et al. (2015). Likewise, Flaugnacco et al. (2015) used music training to improve phonological awareness and reading skills in children with dyslexia. Habib et al. (2016) specifically used the concept of cognitivo-musical training to yield improvements in auditory attention and reading.

    C. Training of Symptoms

    Another part of dyslexia training is the improvement of reading and writing skills and, therefore, the eradication of errors while reading and spelling. This is achieved through practicing these basic academic skills. In the end, even for dyslexic children, reading and spelling can only be learned through reading and spelling (Kopp-Duller, 2012). A lack of recent investigations in this area demonstrates that the scientific community of dyslexic research has reached the consensus that dyslexia needs to be addressed on the multi-sensory level. Nonetheless, Law and Cupples (2015) found that the increased practice of reading led to improvement of real-world reading for dyslexic children. Likewise, McArthur et al. (2015) showed that practicing sight word and phonics reading leads to improvement in reading.

    IV. A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

    Kopp-Duller (1997), through her extensive experience in working with children who struggle in school, found that the classic method of increased practice of reading and spelling did not bring forth the desired improvement when dealing with dyslexic children. The reason for this is the sensory perceptions that are not well developed in dyslexics. These need to be activated and formed to facilitate a smooth process of learning to read and write. An altered approach to helping children who struggle with reading and spelling due to dyslexia was needed that took into account all the things that cause dyslexic children to make mistakes when reading and spelling: inattention while reading and spelling, different sensory perceptions, and errors in reading and writing.

    A. The AFS-Method

    The result was the A(=attention)F(=functions)S(=method)-Method. This method is considered comprehensive or holistic because it offers training in all areas where dyslexic children struggle and where improvement measures should focus. The AFS-Method is also considered open because it only provides the framework for dyslexia training and allows the trainer to incorporate any program, tool, or resource that can help the child. Individuality is essential in dyslexia training since every child has his or her unique difficulties and, thus, the training needs to cater to these individual problems (Kopp-Duller, 2012).

    The AFS-Method consists of three parts: Every training session should start with an attention exercise, so the child learns to focus their thoughts on the reading and spelling task. This is followed by exercises for sharpening sensory perceptions. Not every child has issues in the same perception areas. Therefore, it is critical that an assessment takes place before training starts to find out which sensory perceptions need work. Last but not least, dyslexic children also need to practice reading, spelling, and writing (Kopp-Duller & Pailer-Duller, 2011).

    Kopp-Duller (1997) also came up with the concept of so-called word formulations to integrate into symptom training. The practice of core academic skills should also be conducted by activating the senses. Word formulations involve exercises that teach children about word picture (letters make up words, what do the letters look like, etc.), word sound (letters have sounds and these sounds together form a word, etc.), and word meaning (every word has one or multiple applications, how can the word be used in a sentence, etc.). Elizabeth Aylward and Virginia Berninger from the University of Washington, as reported by Schwarz (2004), found in their research that words are not just words but that they are stored in the human brain by using neural circuits to code words in three forms. They found that the most effective way to teach dyslexic children is by showing them explicitly how letters, sounds, and meaning are interrelated.

    It is also worth mentioning that the AFS-Method is not a commercial program but is open source, unlike most training programs for dyslexia. The AFS-Method can be practiced by teachers, parents, and other professionals alike. Practice has shown that greater success in training is achieved if children see a specialist once a week for a training session, and additionally, that 10-20 minutes daily at home with their parents (Kopp-Duller & Pailer-Duller, 2011).

    B. Evaluation of the AFS-Method

    Certified dyslexia trainers in over 50 countries worldwide have been practicing the AFS-Method for over 20 years now with much success (Kopp-Duller & Pailer-Duller, 2011). International academics have discussed this distinctive approach to dyslexia training in various publications and papers and highlighted its uniqueness compared to other standard practices in the teaching of dyslexics (Ablinger, 2006; Halfarová & Cigánková, 2006; Karli, 2006; Levski, 2011; Mészáros, 2011; Szimmuck, 2014; Zachbauer, 2011). The overall consensus is that a variety of training programs for dyslexia work, but this method might bring better results because of its comprehensiveness.

    In 2008, Kopp-Duller and Pailer-Duller published a long-term qualitative study on the effectiveness of the AFS-Method. Data for the study were gathered between 2001 and 2006, and 3,370 dyslexic test subjects (71% boys, 29% girls) between the ages of 7 and 14 years (1st-4th grade: 61%, 5th-8th grade: 39%) participated. The results showed that after being instructed using the AFS-Method, all children improved their reading and spelling skills, while 85% of the participants showed significant gains in their reading and spelling abilities. The improvements were not short-term but occurred continuously over the two-year observation period. After two years of instruction, the dyslexic children had caught up with their non-dyslexic classmates and were able to fulfill the requirements at school. Parents also reported in a survey that conducted in the course of the study that their children seemed more motivated to do their school work.

    V. SUGGESTED RESEARCH AND RESULTING BENEFITS

    New programs to help dyslexic children emerge almost daily on the market of teaching aids. Most of them probably work and help dyslexic children in some cases. Scientific inquiries tend to focus on exactly such tools that have a narrow focus and only address one issue at a time, be it attention issues, individual sensory perceptions, or new ways of how to practice reading, spelling, and writing. Continuing research, however, should focus on training approaches that offer a holistic concept to tackle the problem as a whole and not investigate what can help in a niche area of training for dyslexics.

    A starting point for further research could be to conduct a quantitative study about the AFS-Method to generate quantifiable and tangible results. This might lead to a greater acceptance of this framework of dyslexia training among professionals and would promote the dissemination of dyslexia training techniques. The more educators practice this open-source method, the more children will benefit from it. Dyslexic children would be more motivated to stay in school if they had fewer failures because of inadequate teaching methods that do not cater to their needs and hence would be able to receive an adequate education. The implications for better qualifications when they enter the labor market go without saying.

    VI. CONCLUSION

    The scientific community agrees that dyslexia is a multi-sensory processing deficit that causes affected individuals to make errors while reading, spelling, and writing (Bonacina et al., 2015; Fraga González et al., 2015; Franceschini et al., 2015; Galaburda et al., 2006; Gori & Facoetti, 2014; Kopp-Duller, 2012; Kopp-Duller & Pailer-Duller, 2011; Wang et al., 2014). This is precisely why training approaches have to take into account that dyslexics have different sensory perceptions and what issues these different sensory perceptions cause: On the surface, only the symptoms are visible, namely the mistakes dyslexic children make while reading and writing. But the subject matter is more complex than that. The different sensory perceptions that dyslexic children exhibit cause them to be inattentive when they encounter letters because the concept is too abstract for them to grasp using traditional teaching methods. This inattentiveness ultimately results in erroneous reading and writing.

    Many different training approaches for dyslexia yield positive results, as was extensively demonstrated in this paper. However, training tends to focus on only one area where the dyslexic student has difficulty. Some research centers on improving the attention span of dyslexic children to teach them to focus their thoughts better on reading and spelling tasks (Breteler et al., 2010; Franceschini et al., 2015; Heim et al., 2015; Kast et al., 2011; Valdois et al., 2015). Other research focuses on sharpening the sensory perceptions to guarantee a smoother process of learning to read and write (Balido-Dean et al., 2011; Berninger et al., 2008; Bonacina et al., 2015; Burger et al., 2001; Flaugnacco et al., 2015; Fraga González et al., 2015; Gori & Facoetti, 2014; Habib et al., 2016; Ikeshita-Yamazoe & Miyao, 2016; Kast et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2014). The last camp of dyslexia research focuses on increased practice of the basic academic skills of reading and spelling (Law & Cupples, 2015; McArthur et al., 2015), although the lack of evidence in this area is promising that the scientific community has realized that traditional teaching methods do not work for most dyslexics.

    Because every manifestation of dyslexia is different, the logical implication must be that the procedure to improve symptoms of dyslexia needs to be adapted to match the dyslexic’s issues. The AFS-Method is the only training method that offers a solution to address all the areas the dyslexic child needs training in. Approaching the issue of dyslexia from a comprehensive angle seems more sensible in any case. The AFS-Method is considered not only holistic but also as open because it allows the trainer to incorporate any training program or tool in the individual areas of training: focusing of attention, sharpening of the sensory perceptions, and practicing of reading and spelling. But even the betterment of symptoms is done by using a multi-sensory concept called word formulations (Kopp-Duller, 1997). Aylward and Berninger from the University of Washington agree that words need to be taught to dyslexic children by explaining to them word picture, word sound, and word meaning (Schwarz, 2004).

    The AFS-Method has been practiced worldwide for over 20 years now, and international research agrees on the advantages of the AFS-Method (Ablinger, 2006; Halfarová & Cigánková, 2006; Karli, 2006; Levski, 2011; Mészáros, 2011; Szimmuck, 2014; Zachbauer, 2011). Kopp-Duller and Pailer-Duller (2008) investigated the benefits of the AFS method in a qualitative study. While observing 3,370 test subjects with a confirmed diagnosis of dyslexia between the ages of 7 and 14 years over a period of two years, they found that 85% of participants showed significant gains in their reading and spelling abilities, motivation was improved, and the students were able to fulfill the requirements at school.

    A good amount of research has already been conducted on the topic of dyslexia, and hopefully, researchers will continue to do so in the future to find new ways to help dyslexic individuals more effectively. However, further research into the ways on how to improve reading and spelling abilities of dyslexic children should focus on a comprehensive approach to training, like the AFS-Method. Addressing all areas where dyslexics need assistance delivers greater and longer-lasting results, as has already been found in qualitative research. But generating quantitative results about the success of the AFS-Method would prove to the education community a sophisticated way to help dyslexic students.

    If scientific research can show ways on how to train dyslexic children in practice, educators, other professionals, and parents alike would be able to facilitate a training process that brings lasting improvements for affected children. The result would be more motivated students that are able to stay in school longer and received a better education. This would allow them to achieve ultimately greater things and hopefully, lead better lives.

    Putting these approaches into practice takes structured training. The Dyslexia Trainer Certification Program teaches the AFS method in 48 self-paced online lessons and is open to teachers, learning specialists, and homeschooling parents, with no prior professional training required.

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  • Wisconsin Institute for Learning Disabilities/Dyslexia endorses special paperback edition of The Hypnotist

    Wisconsin Institute for Learning Disabilities/Dyslexia endorses special paperback edition of The Hypnotist

    WILDD

    “As a dyslexic, the typeface used in the special paperback edition of this book [OpenDyslexicAlta] assisted me with the tracking issues I have and made this a much more positive reading experience. The Hypnotist is a ‘must read,’ dyslexic or not.” Ervin Carpenter, Executive Director of WILDD

    Special Edition of “The Hypnotist” by Alyssa Devine for Readers with Dyslexia

    When Tom Lassiter hypnotized his friend Amanda Wilcox, the last thing he thought she would reveal was an abduction and murder that took place 25 years earlier. But who were the murderers, and why did Amanda and Tom have them to fear now?

    “A great story from a new author . . . entertaining and fresh, even fascinating at times.” Lee Ashford for Readers’ Favorite

    When, on an afternoon outing in Bayou Vermillion, Lafayette, LA, Amanda Wilcox has her fortune read by Madam Zu-Zu, she and her friend, Tom Lassiter, never thought it would lead to her having a nightmare in which she dreamed she was being choked to death. Under hypnosis, Amanda reveals to Tom that she once was a woman named Kyla Decker, who disappeared 25 years earlier after being stopped by a policeman while driving home early one morning after partying with her girlfriends. An Internet search reveals the name of another woman, Cindi Lathrop, who disappeared some years after Decker under similar circumstances. As Amanda’s and Tom’s relationship blossoms, the teenagers uncover evidence linking a former Lafayette, LA, policeman and a funeral home employee to the abductions, men who they suspect murdered the two women. But then, in what appears to be a real-life enactment of what the fortune teller told Amanda, Amanda and Tom find their lives threatened by one of the two men they think was responsible for the murders committed 25 years earlier. Can the teenagers survive, knowing the last of the five tarot cards read to Amanda by Madam Zu-Zu was Death? The only way to learn the answer to that question is to read The Hypnotist.

    Available in Kindle and two paperback editions (Georgia and OpenDyslexicAlta fonts).

  • My story and that of many mothers by SANDHYA P.R. B.A., LL.B., M.B.A., DIRECTOR, TRAVANCORE NATIONAL SCHOOL

    My story and that of many mothers by SANDHYA P.R. B.A., LL.B., M.B.A., DIRECTOR, TRAVANCORE NATIONAL SCHOOL

    TRAVANCORE DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION

    This is the account of a lonely and tiring journey that I set myself on some years ago for my son Tejas, and for other similar children and their hapless mothers. Tejas was diagnosed as dyslexic some years ago. Even before that shocking diagnosis came and shattered our lives, his everyday in school was a terrifying experience for him and us.

    A restive kid by nature, Tejas could not cope with the grinding routine of regular school. He was speedily pronounced a troublemaker, lazy, and prone to throwing frequent tantrums, maligning the decorum and discipline of the classroom. The teachers could not comprehend his behavior, since no one, save me, knew of his malady, that he was the victim of a medical disorder.

    As regular schooling became nearly impossible for my son, I began searching for a different educational environment, one that would not castigate him for his disorder but would reassure him of his abilities and instill confidence in him. To my dismay, I discovered that there was no such institution in Kerala that could satisfy the mother in me, and maybe even provide a measure of comfort.

    By this point, I had come to realize that there were hundreds of hapless Tejases and silently grieving mothers like me in my neighborhood and across the state. I made a resolve to get my son quality education that would not nip away at his talents, but which would nourish his potentials and emotionally support his evolvement into a valued citizen of this society, The efforts I took in this direction bore fruit with the founding of Travancore National School, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, offering specialized education tailor-made for children with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism.

    A lonely journey

    Yes, it was a lonely journey all the way, too, through unfamiliar, uncharted terrain. Now, when the calendar has completed one full cycle, our school, which began with six kids on July 25, 2014, has grown to accommodate 44 students. Within a year of its opening, we could begin classes from kindergarten to class 12. Four of our dyslexia-challenged students passed their class 10 examinations through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

    Tejas, my son, Young Ambassador for dyslexia

    During the initial period of the school’s functioning, we had another eye-opening experience that pointed toward the need for social education and raising awareness about learning disabilities. Some of our students’ parents approached us with a seemingly strange request –they asked if it was permissible to send their children to our school, robed in other schools’ uniforms. When asked why, the answer was invariably that they wished to avoid the social stigma associated with having their children attend a ‘special school’. Dismayed as we were, we managed to convince them otherwise, but the writing was on the wall – measures needed to be adopted to ensure these children would not be socially outcast. Needless to say, what was required was not a short-term solution, but social education to weed out the deeply rooted stigma. As a first step, I volunteered to project Tejas as the brand ambassador for dyslexia. Of course, much more needed to be done on a much larger scale. We would get to it later.

    Sandhya and Teja
    Sandhya and Teja

    ‘Our teachers, their mothers’

    We at Travancore National School don’t refer to our faculty members as ‘teachers’, but as ‘mothers’ who take care of all the needs of their beloved children. Rather than syllabus and examinations, it is the overall growth and education of the children that are the focus of our educational program. Our ‘teachers–mothers’ are ably assisted by child psychologists and counsellors, who also extend their services to the children’s families in order to help them understand the unique qualities of their children.

    We have also set up a well-stocked library, a computer lab, a visual learning studio, and special training apparatuses for our variously challenged children.

    Live the colorful life

    The co-curricular activities offered to our students include training in martial arts such as karate, musical classes including keyboard, computer education, vocational training, yoga classes, and sports, designed to help bring out the best in each individual.

    We acknowledge the importance of students being equipped to thrive in the world outside their classrooms. To this end, we encourage our wards to take part in social activities such as harvest festivals and the planting of saplings, inspire them to grow up to be responsible citizens, and train them to mingle seamlessly with mainstream students through social interactions.

    The summer camp held in May 2015 exposed the children to training in social and artistic skills. They tried their hands at cookery and painting, and also learned the basics of self-defense. They listened to dietitians speak about the importance of a healthy diet, and doctors demonstrated to them the basics of first aid techniques. They were also introduced to performing art forms such as Kathakali, folk dance, etc., in the camp

    Take society with us

    Recognizing the significance of social participation and inclusion, we also embarked on a mission to create awareness about dyslexia. Leading playback singer G. Venugopal joined the campaign by agreeing to be Travancore National School’s goodwill ambassador. This ensured that we got some attention in the press and on social media, which we were able to leverage to our advantage by focusing media coverage on our cause, all of which went a long way in promoting awareness about dyslexia.

    The research cell of the Thiruvananthapuram branch of the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) has joined hands with our school for a unique threefold awareness campaign.

    Together, we are attempting to raise awareness of learning disabilities among parents, relatives, teachers, and medical professionals. We are also lobbying with the government to train teachers to identify and help children with dyslexia, and to set up affordable facilities in government schools to help the indigent children and their parents. Furthermore, we are working to develop a network of such institutions and to train professionals who can help the needy children from low-income families.

    Tejas’s journey forward, our vision

    Tejas is a happy child these days, and he enjoys every moment in school. Happy too are dozens of other Tejases, who shine like the lamps lit from the source, the Travancore National School. However, this is not the end of my journey.
    Indeed, I am at the beginning of this journey and am now at a turning point in my life, as are several others around me. I realize clearly that I need to persist; I have a responsibility to make more Tejases smile, and I need to put my head down and plough on until the path on which I have set out is a smooth one on which hundreds of challenged children can hope to begin their life journeys smoothly. I need to strive hard to ensure that those children’s smiles reflect on the faces of their parents.

    I hope to transform Travancore National School into a nodal center for children with learning difficulties, and to raise it as a training center for teachers who specialize in learning difficulties. I realize that the successful first year is only the first mile on this challenging road, and that I have many, many more miles to go before I sleep…

    TRAVANCORE NATIONAL SCHOOL
    www.travancorenationalschool.com

    TRAVANCORE NATIONAL SCHOOL / FB
    https://www.facebook.com/Travancore-National-School-1413481035600359/

    TRAVANCORE DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION / FB
    https://www.facebook.com/Travancore-Dyslexia-Association-1452503165029522/

  • A message from Tomos Roberts, Author of “The Horse Lord” and “Rose’s Story”

    A message from Tomos Roberts, Author of “The Horse Lord” and “Rose’s Story”

    I was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 7. It was my mother who noticed it to start off with, as I had been able to get past my lack of reading by memorizing books from people reading them to me. The big issue at this time was reading, which I found incredibly hard, and that meant my writing was reams behind my classmates.

    This all came to a head with my mum sending me to go and see a specialist teacher on the weekends, who helped me start to untangle the strange symbols into letters, and then into words, but by this time, I was far behind my friends in my writing. The good news was that as soon as I understood the letters I could read the words, in some fashion, and from there I started to fully grasp the English language and catapulted forwards with my reading, going from the worst in my class to one of the best readers – all in the space of a year or two and kindling a new found love of books that remains to this day. Sad to say, though, I wasn’t out of the woods; in fact, this is where the real issue with my dyslexia started.

    Now I could read, articulate myself as well as the best of them, and had no real downside to my reading, so no obvious outward expression of my dyslexia until I started to write, and it was there I really showed how severe I had it. The fact was that most teachers, classmates, and the like couldn’t understand anything I wrote, so I stopped writing and did the bare minimum of notes in class, which was fine due to my ability to memorize things fairly well. I could still cope in class, but writing each year became more and more of an issue as the assessments got longer and longer, and my ability to string a coherent sentence together got weaker and weaker, resulting in the need for a scribe for my GCSE and A-levels. An issue that was slightly embarrassing at the time. But because I was good verbally and my recall was fine, I was able to sit for my exams, which I passed, and then I went to university. During my exam years I had stopped having specialist support lessons and help from teachers to try and improve my writing because of the severity of my writing meant that I had reached a point where the staff of the school I was at, as well as the staff at my university, didn’t know what to do me, being in the top 1% of dyslexic in the world. But although my writing structure could not improve, having a scribe in the exams allowed me to speak the answers, and as I could read and memorize things, this was fine. However, my lack of writing made it harder to really relate to people work-wise, as people couldn’t understand my emails, and most people find my text messages difficult to decipher!!

    My biggest issue at university, which was almost a forewarning for my later life, was that the majority of people don’t understand dyslexia and definitely don’t understand that it comes at different levels. My dissertation brought down my overall final grade at university because my dissertation tutor had no idea how bad I was and assumed I was like the majority of dyslexics he had seen with a “mild case,” as he put it, but saying that I finished uni, got my degree in History, and set off to join the army. A job I had been working towards for five years, mainly because I had realized at 14, during my first job, that the inability to write coherent sentences without someone checking them puts a big black mark against getting a lot of jobs. So I got myself fit and had always been good at sports, and assumed my life would center on practical things outdoors – a career without writing. An idea I assume a lot of dyslexics have – to get me as far away from writing as possible. Anyway, as fate would have it, it was because of my dyslexia that the army failed me during my officer assessment. I actually have a letter from them acknowledging that my dyslexia is the problem, and as they don’t have to comply with discrimination laws, that was the end of the road for me.

    A sting that took a long time to get over – I found it hard to accept that something I was born with would stop me from doing a career that I thought I was meant to do.

    From this point on though, a very strange thing happened, I started writing, creative writing, maybe to help better myself or to prove to myself that I could, I don’t know but I started writing reams and reams of stuff and then landed on my series, Riders of the North, and I wrote all three books back to back; the two short stories and the main full novel story. It was at this time that some of my family and friends heard about what I was doing and wanted to read them, to which I hesitantly obliged. Strangely enough, they seemed to like them with comments like “that’s good,” “very visual,” “great battle scenes, very bloody” started coming back to me, followed by “You should try to get that published.”

    Which leads me to here, probably the most severely dyslexic person you will meet who is an author with two books and a very small but still respectable audience, now trying to hit the big time and show the world that even if you are born with something that stops you from doing something, you still can. I shouldn’t be a writer. It’s crazy, if we bumped into each other in the street and you asked me to write down something for you, I probably couldn’t – or if I did, you wouldn’t understand it, but here I am with two books because of hard work and a good team around me. And it’s put me almost into a position that I believe I was born to occupy; writing my stories is something I really enjoy doing. It takes a lot of editing to get it to publication, but I want to show that with perseverance, it can be done. I have no contacts to make my route easy, no parent in publishing, no rich family to underwrite me, just a computer and a ton of hard work sprinkled with a bit of luck, and a heap load of dyslexia, which has made me so creative, something I now realize, and a good editor. So if you are dyslexic or know how hard dyslexia is to deal with, then please help me get my books out there to an even wider audience, and share them with your friends. If I can do it, anyone can, and I hope sharing my story will inspire others.

    Kindle USA: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tomos+roberts
    Kindle UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=tomos+roberts

    Tomos Roberts
    Tomos Roberts

    Tomos Roberts’ Website: https://ridersofthenorth.wordpress.com/

  • Can Print-on-Demand (POD) Publishing Mean More Books for Readers with Dyslexia?

    Can Print-on-Demand (POD) Publishing Mean More Books for Readers with Dyslexia?

    By Theodore J. Cohen, PhD (aka ‘Alyssa Devine’)
    Award-Winning Author of The Hypnotist

    Anyone who’s self-published a book in the last ten years (or more), or who has ordered a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, or Kobo, among other online retailers, is probably familiar with the term print-on-demand, or POD, publishing. Simply put, the book you order isn’t printed until you order it . . . it is ‘printed on (your) demand’.

    That’s a tectonic shift from the way the retail book business used to be run. In the past, when a book was published, whether by a legacy publisher or so-called ‘vanity press’, a fixed number of books was printed and literally put on the shelf (or packed in boxes and stored in warehouses or garages) in hopes they eventually would find buyers. Today, thanks to advancements in printing technology, that’s no longer the case for those of us who publish our own books. (Legacy publishers still print thousands of books for distribution through their retail outlets, and eBooks are a completely different story altogether.) Our books—that is, those usually published by so-called ‘indie’ authors—are available ‘on demand’, thanks to a multitude of POD publishing houses around the US. If you want to see one of these presses in operation—and they truly are a marvel to behold—take a look at this Website:

    So, whether you want to purchase one or a hundred copies of a book available on demand, your order is not printed until it’s received and payment is tendered.

    How can this benefit readers with dyslexia? Well, I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are not many books with interiors specifically designed for readers with dyslexia. In fact, I recently did a search on Goodreads’ Website, and was able to find only a few books, including The New Testament, King James Version, printed in OpenDyslexic.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1481290886

    For more books, check out these two Goodreads groups:

    https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/158134-dyslexia-friendly-publishing

    https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/75371-dyslexics-untie

    The fact is, despite one in five people being dyslexic, most books are not printed for dyslexics, something of which many of you are painfully aware. To some extent, those who labor under this condition compensate for it by adjusting the typeface of the eBook they are reading (perhaps trying such typefaces as Arial, Comic Sans, Verdana, and others), increasing the spacing of the letters and/or the lines, using left-justification only (if that is even an option), changing the color of the letters (e.g., using blue-colored text on a white background or even trying black on a light blue/pink/yellow background), and other ‘tricks’. And when it comes to paperbacks, options are slim to none. Unless someone has gone to great lengths, it’s highly unlikely you’ll encounter special colors for type and paper. Finally, in the case of Kindle readers, there is very little flexibility when it comes to the typefaces that can be displayed, unless you apply a ‘fix’ to your Kindle. (There is a ‘fix’, by the way, that does not require hacking, but few will go to the trouble.)

    So, how do we address the problem?

    Well, a step in the right direction would be to make more POD books available in formats that are ‘dyslexic friendly’, something I recently attempted using the interior of my Young Adult (YA) novel, The Hypnotist. I published this book earlier this year in Kindle and paperback formats under the pen name ‘Alyssa Devine’.

    Know, first, I am not dyslexic. But I came to appreciate the problems readers with dyslexia face not long ago when I read about the work of UK graphic designer Daniel Britton. Britton created a typeface that is intended to recreate for non-dyslexic readers the frustration and embarrassment people with dyslexia experience when they attempt to read newspapers, books, and other literature that most people are able to read every day of their lives. An example of simple text rendered in this typeface is shown below:

    Typeface Britton
    Typeface Britton

    It’s not easy to read, is it?! You can read more about Britton and his work at the following site:

    http://danielbritton.info/195836/2165784/design/dyslexia

    His work also was discussed recently in this article on CNN:

    http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/17/living/dyslexia-graphic-design-typeface-daniel-britton/index.html

    It was Britton’s work that inspired me to move forward with the creation of a special edition of The Hypnotist for readers with dyslexia.

    The first thing I had to do was select the font I was going to use. Without boring you with the details, I’ll refer the interested reader, as my professors used to say, to the following blog I wrote, which should answer most of your questions (and then some):

    https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3251724.Theodore_Jerome_Cohen/blog

    Suffice it to say, I selected OpenDyslexicAlta as my typeface of choice (the same one used in the version of The New Testament cited above). Frankly, the idea of using a typeface specifically designed for people with dyslexia appealed to me, and if it were to be free (‘open source’), so much the better. The Open Dyslexic typefaces fit the bill, here. Bottom heavy, with unique character shapes, help make it more difficult for the reader to confuse letters. You can read more here:

    http://opendyslexic.org/

    Once the font was selected, I quickly eliminated the text’s right justification, which I learned could confuse dyslexics, substituted OpenDyslexicAlta for the regular text’s Georgia typeface, adjusted the font size, and voila, that was it. Total elapsed time: about two hours.

    OpenDyslexicAlta
    OpenDyslexicAlta

    Now it was just a matter of obtaining a new piece of royalty-free artwork and configuring a special front cover (another two hours), and it was completed…the new edition was ready for uploading to Amazon’s CreateSpace for approval.

    By the way, I felt it only right to include the following statement on the book’s Amazon.com Web page:

    “This special edition of The Hypnotist is printed using OpenDyslexicAlta developed by Abelardo (Abbie) Gonzale: “Your brain can sometimes do funny things to letters. OpenDyslexicAlta tries to help prevent some of these things from happening. Letters have heavy weighted bottoms to add a kind of ‘gravity’ to each letter, helping to keep your brain from rotating them around in ways that can make them look like other letters. Consistently weighted bottoms can also help reinforce the line of text. The unique shapes of each letter can help prevent flipping and swapping.” You can get a good idea what the print looks like by using the LookInside feature on this Web page. Will the use of OpenDyslexicAlta help everyone with dyslexia? No. Because the expression of dyslexia in an individual is as unique as the individual him- or herself, no guarantee can be made that the use of OpenDyslexicAlta will help any given person with readability. This special edition of The Hypnotist, however, is intended, at the least, to provide an option to those readers with dyslexia who might be helped when reading books printed using the OpenDyslexicAlta typeface.”

    You’ll find the special edition of The Hypnotist for dyslexics here:

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/1514789337

    [NB: the LookInside feature may or may not be active when you read this; it often takes several days before the feature comes ‘live’.]

    Importantly, CreateSpace’s editors approved the book within 12 hours of submittal (actually, overnight), so theoretically, what was conceived as a project over dinner with my wife and editor, Susan, could have resulted in the book being available for sale on Amazon.com the next morning. That I waited until I was able to review a proof copy of the paperback edition three days later is simply good practice. (CreateSpace also gave me the option of reviewing the interior and cover online, but you never know what the final product will look like until you hold it in your hand.)

    So, to my question: Can print-on-demand publishing mean more books for readers with dyslexia? It can…if…IF…POD publishers, especially indie authors/publishers, take the time to create special editions for the 20% of the population that would benefit from access to books tailored to their needs.

    Theodore J. Cohen, PhD
    Theodore J. Cohen, PhD

    Editor’s note: The author welcomes your comments and feedback; you may reach him by e-mail through either of his Websites:

    http://www.theodore-cohen-novels.com/bio-contact.html

    http://alyssadevinenovels.com/contact.html

  • How to Inspire Students to Write By Linda Davis-Kyle

    How to Inspire Students to Write By Linda Davis-Kyle

    HOW TO INSPIRE STUDENTS TO WRITE
    By Linda Davis-Kyle

    As a youth, Lisa Shontea Nichols (b.d. May 18, 1966) endured from her speech teacher the words, “Miss Nichols, you should never speak in public,” and from her composition teacher, “Miss Nichols, you’re the weakest writer I ever met in my entire life.” 1

    Rising above Denigrating Criticism

    Yet, about three decades later, Lisa is a world-renowned transformational speaker who addresses audiences of 10,000 plus, and she is a bestselling author of six books with a seventh—Abundance Now: Amplify Your Life & Achieve Prosperity Today—ready for release at the time of this writing. As Lisa puts it, she “writes bestsellers, not books.” She is a co-author of Living Proof: Celebrating the Gifts That Came Wrapped in Sandpaper and the author of No Matter What! 9 Steps to Living the Life You Love and Unbreakable Spirit: Rise Above the Impossible. Not only is she a world-renowned speaker and bestselling author, but Lisa is also the founder and CEO of the multi-million dollar company Motivating the Masses, Inc.

    Hearing Discouraging Comments May Be Quite Common

    While aspiring writers can find a multitude of teachers and established writers making discouraging comments about and to youthful writers, I, as a contrarian on the matter, feel that it is important to encourage young learners to write as soon as they show any interest in writing. Some parents may see their very young children—who have enjoyed hearing stories read to them—sit with a notepad and draw wavy lines before the youngsters can read for themselves or even know the alphabet. When asked, “What are you doing?” they very well may say proudly, “I’m writing a story.” When such an action happens, parents I have known capitalize on that moment and encourage those efforts.

    Appreciating Astute Parents, Grandparents, and Teachers

    From the tiny bit I know from Richard Bandler, the great and wonderful co-creator of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, I suspect he would praise the parent or teacher who fosters the growth of thought in youngsters and their keen desire to put pencil to paper to write. Bandler likely would say that the words spoken are of supreme importance to young and mature alike who are inspired to write. To make it clear, neither Bandler nor I are talking about false praise. I’m referring to looking for and finding something good in the young writers’ compositions, theme papers, articles, stories, poems, songs, and books. Some careless comments can, in a sense, “hypnotize” and devalue the efforts of youthful writers.

    Acknowledging the Impact of Positive Effort and Encouragement

    Some who seem to tell youngsters they are not experienced enough to write, they have not seen enough of the world to write, they have no voice or style to write, may be wholly and completely correct in their assumption. I believe, though, that offering constructive criticism with thoughtful suggestions is totally welcome. Young writers learn to write by writing and being nurtured in their efforts. Giving harsh criticism can crush the spirit of some young writers. It is akin to pulling on a sprouting plant, uprooting it, and killing it before it has a chance to develop strong roots and flourish. Thoughtful communication and correction are to the students as water and sunlight are to the emerging sprouts. Why destroy enthusiasm in any eager writers—young or mature—who choose to share their talent with the world? Why try to stymy the love of a budding talent that needs only attention, direction, and their own devotion to their worthy goal?

    Encouraging and Fostering the Love of Writing

    One learns by taking lessons, by observing others doing their chosen activity, and by diving into the activity with passion. I prefer to encourage young writers. I say to young and mature writers alike that “no matter what anyone says to try to dissuade you or what anyone does to put obstacles in your path, keep studying and reading and working to improve your craft.” 

    Motivating with Encouraging Words from the Heart

    Not all teachers are like Lisa’s. Encouragement can come from the hearts of caring teachers, parents, grandparents, and mentors. Reading and writing daily can keep would-be writers energized. Practicing step by step can help eager writers-in-the-making conquer obstacles that arise not only in writing but also in life. Adults who choose to be their mentors can guide and support teens to improve their writing through serious application of some fun ways of looking at writing. If your teens choose to continue to use some of the modest approaches to writing, such as warm-ups (which seasoned writers may or may not use) while exploring and learning more complicated techniques to polish their talents, all the while, who knows where their writing will lead them as they go forth into the world?

    Looking Inside the Writing World of Some Teens

    Had Jake Marcionette’s mother not encouraged Jake, he would not be a triumphant author with his published books, such as Just Jake #1 and Just Jake: Dog Eat Dog #2.
    His mother “encouraged” him. Actually, he explains that she “forced” him to write an hour and a half each day. As a successfully published author, though, force is no longer part of the equation. Marcionette says he “loves writing” now. 
    Rachel Parent’s family encouraged Rachel with her passion to help bring the important anti-GMO message to her peers, her country, and the world. Had her parents not supported her efforts, Rachel would not have had the opportunity to meet with Canada’s Health Minister Rona Ambrose to speak her mind.

    Books are one of our greatest treasures. Photo by Linda Davis-Kyle, Copyright © 2014.
    Books are one of our greatest treasures. Photo by Linda Davis-Kyle, Copyright © 2014.

    Putting Writing Rules to Good Use

    Sure. It’s good to have a handle on grammar and the parts of speech before one dives right in to write. The late Gary Provost says, “…you cannot write well without [the rules of grammar].” 
    And, as I say in The Busy English Teacher… “recognizing parts of speech and how writers put the words to work can contribute to great fun and relevant learning for eager scholars. An abundance of practice researching, reading, and noting spelling awaits them around every corner. When given a little nudge in the right direction to motivate them, teens may be amazed at their own power. Young learners can experience the joy of learning. They can stretch their thinking when given fun challenges and exciting opportunities to explore. They can accept challenges they have not even thought of accepting before if presented in a non-threatening and fun way.” by

    Writing Even before Becoming Supersaturated in Rules

    Making a bold effort to keep the joy of writing alive, some educators do not intrude on the creative process for quite some time. Montessori schools, with which I am familiar, maintain an initial hands-off policy and just let budding writers write. After the young learners are comfortable with their masterpieces, their teachers, known as guides, gently introduce patterns and rules of spelling and grammar while still managing not to stifle the creativity of the young writers. Some students may excel in spite of harsh criticism, or even because of it, as Lisa has. Nevertheless, some teachers may choose to nurture rather than negate the writing of young students to help them achieve their dreams. If they wish, teachers can leave a legacy of kindness. Their kindness can live to connect with the hearts of their students to help sustain their inner power long after the teachers have gone.

    Sources

    1 Nichols, Lisa. “Questions That Will Stir Your Soul,” YouTube ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuKCwS8wmls 24:32.
    2 ldk, The Writer’s Friend, p. 14.
    3 Marcionette, Jake. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/thirteen-year-old-author-writes-own-success-story/
    4 Provost, Gary. 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing. New York: Mentor, 1985, p. 107.
    5 ldk, The Busy English Teacher’s Fun Activities & Exercises for Pre-Teens: Grammar Mind Maps, Fitness Games & More. Amazon Kindle Book.

    About the Author

    Linda Davis-Kyle, MA, has been published in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia in professional journals such as Modern Drama in Canada, Chem Matters in the USA, Jewish Affairs in the Republic of South Africa, and Studies in English Literature in Japan, and in magazines such as Common Ground in Canada and Green Farm Natural Health in the United Kingdom. She is also the author of “Exploring ‘Treasure Storehouses’ of the World,” found on the American Dyslexia Association website. Davis-Kyle’s Amazon Kindle book, The Busy English Teacher’s Fun Activities & Exercises for Pre-Teens, is the perfect time-saving gift for overworked educators. It is overflowing with fun learning exercises that nurture the minds, bodies, and spirits of young learners.

  • Should you homeschool your dyslexic child? by Catherine Attia

    Should you homeschool your dyslexic child? by Catherine Attia

    For many, homeschooling is basically a day at home. You could be doing homework during the day and watching TV during lunch. Whether it is doing school work during the week or weekend, homeschooling gives you opportunities that you don’t have in public school. It is time to spend with your family, get your school year done earlier, and take some more educational trips. It is integral that homeschooling continues to be a part of our country and society. Many others may argue that home schoolers are cut off from kids their age, but these are some of the things that can be easily solved. Homeschooling should be a the ideal way to educate children because it offers various types of freedom to the students, such as religious freedom, because students do better on standardized tests and in academics, and because it makes students have more self-confidence, and they feel better about themselves.

    Should you homeschool your dyslexic child?
    Should you homeschool your dyslexic child?

    One reason that students should be home-schooled is that it creates more freedom, such as educational, religious, and emotional freedom. As stated in the article, “The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling,” for educational freedom, “Most home-schooled students have the choice to study and learn what they want, when they want, for as long as they want,”(1). Educational freedom means that you get to learn what you want, when you want, and for as long as you want. This is good because if the student excels in adding and subtracting fractions, then they could move on and finish their school day earlier than other kids. Also, “Homeschooling provides the opportunity for parents to incorporate their beliefs into their daily lives” (The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling; 1). This evidence demonstrates my reason because being able to teach your children about your faith and beliefs. Many parents do home-school for religious purposes. For example, children and students that I watch on YouTube are home-schooled due to religious purposes. Finally, related to the topic of emotional freedom, The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling for Educational Freedom stated “According to studies, self-esteem plummets in middle school girls. However, similar studies of home-schooled girls have shown that self-esteem remains intact and that these girls continue to thrive.” To summarize what the quote said, the self-esteem of kids or girls in middle school drops for various reasons. If they are homeschooled, then self-esteem increases, and they continue to thrive. This evidence supports my claim because students who get bullied often feel so depressed, they don’t want to continue to try to succeed, and they feel worthless. The opposite is true for home-schooled children. Since they are not bullied, they continue to want to succeed. Which leads me to my next point.

    Another reason students should be home-schooled is because of better test scores and academic performance. As stated in the Seattle Times, “Among the positives are better test scores, fewer dropouts, and higher graduation rates” (1). This proves my reason because students have better test scores and standardized tests, such as NJASK. They are succeeding in academics further than students in public or private schools. In the East Brunswick school district, I have learned that in order for you to make it into an honor class, for example, Verbal Gate, you must do well on the NJASK. Home-schooled children may have a greater chance of being a part of an honors class. This proves my argument because the better students do in academics, the more parents would want to homeschool their child. Also, “According to one study, children who were home-schooled achieved an average 1100 out of a possible 1600 on the SAT, a popular college entrance exam.” (Facts on File Issues/controversies Homeschooling pg. 2) Just to recap home- schooled children get an 1100 out of a possible 1600 on the SAT. The SAT is an exam that most students take in the 11th grade. This test is what colleges look at to see if you are good enough for their school. This is good because students who are home schooled have a greater shot at attending schools like the Ivy League. One example of an Ivy League school is Harvard. Many people have said that if you attend a good college, then you will get a good career, which will lead to a good life.

    The final reason I think students should be educated at home is because they are able to receive more sleep. As stated in the Washington Post, “A new study of a few thousand students found that home-schoolers get more sleep than students at traditional public and private schools.” (1) This is very good because of appearance and health matters. In appearance, many students, including myself, have dark circles under their eyes due to lack of sleep. Not as many home-schooled children have this because they are able to get more sleep. This is bad for health-related matters because if students do not get enough sleep, then they won’t function properly and they won’t do as well in school. Also “55 percent of teens who were home-schooled got the optimal amount of sleep per week. 24.5 percent of students at traditional public and private schools got the optimal amount of sleep per week.” (Washington Post pg. 2) This is very good because if more than half of the home schooled teenagers get the recommended 45 hours of sleep per week then I may ask my parents to switch me to homeschooling.

    The lesser researched side may say that homeschooling is bad because it can cut children off from kids their age, but I argue that this statement is wrong. According to Homeschooling companion.com, “One of the more serious negative effects of homeschooling is that children can miss out on the opportunity to interact with other children. This can stunt their development socially as they do not learn how to communicate or behave in group settings. This is obviously a vital skill in living and working as an adult,” (1) This statement can be true, but there are other solutions of interaction, such as team sports. Another con of homeschooling is that the child can miss experiences, such as field trips. This situation can also easily be solved if the parent is committed to homeschooling their child. They can also then take them to the museum.

    Clearly, these are debatable reasons. But when you look at the facts it is obvious that one view makes much more sense than the other. It is essential that parents consider to home school their child because they offer various types of freedom to the students, because students do better in standardized test and in academics, and because they make students have more self-confidence. Sure, many others may argue that it is a waste of money or that it takes too much time, but they are wrong because of what I’ve explained. Sure, homeschooling may not be right for every child, but it might be right for you. You could be the one to homeschool your future or current children.

    I am very excited for you to read and learn from this article. I would like you to get to know me. First I am only in middle school, 7th grade to be exact. Also the reason I was offered an opportunity to present my essay on the blog of the American Dyslexia Association was because of my Language Arts teacher. She wanted us to send our essays out to people so they can learn about our topics. My topic included “Should dyslexic students be homeschooled.” My classmates and I all thought nobody would listen to us because we are just 7th graders. But when I received a reply from the Executive Director of ADA, I was astonished. So thank you so much to my Language Arts teacher for helping me write the essay and ADA for giving me the opportunity to write this blog article and to inform you about the pros of homeschooling a dyslexic child.

    By Catherine Attia, 7th grade, middle school

    Editor’s note: Parents who decide to homeschool a dyslexic child often want more than encouragement, they want method. The Certified Dyslexia Trainer Program covers exactly that in 48 lessons, built on the AFS method used by more than 17,000 certified trainers in 64 countries.

  • Overcoming the Shame of My Learning Disability

    Overcoming the Shame of My Learning Disability

    By Leana Greene
    CEO of KidsInTheHouse.com

    I think I was 6 years old when I realized I was different. I tried harder than anyone else to please, but I could not spell words or learn how to put letters together to read.

    Leana Greene
    Leana Greene

    How do you not feel stupid when everyone else is learning something that you can’t grasp at the same pace? The shame of not being able to read out loud without stuttering or misspelling something on the blackboard in front of the class was almost unbearable. The fear of being called on by the teacher was paralyzing and made me act out and have panic attacks. My math teacher berated me because she thought I was being careless when I accidentally reversed numbers. I spent countless hours with frustrated but well-meaning adults who wanted to help me but just thought I wasn’t trying hard enough. All of these experiences sent me the message that I was not good enough.

    Being different as a child is not an easy thing, and it can scar your self-esteem for a lifetime. I think that the compounding effect is that you feel ashamed about it, and so your anxiety about trying to do something makes having the disability even harder. While many people struggle with the diagnosis of a learning disability, I think parents of children with learning disabilities might have an even bigger challenge addressing the psychological effects of it.

    As a parent, it is important to really talk to your child and address what is happening. According to pediatric neuropsychologist at UCLA, Sandra Loo, PhD, the first step for any parent who has a child with learning difficulties is to get the right diagnosis. Getting an early diagnosis will help your child get the proper interventions and accommodations, like extra time in school. It’s a good idea to get a complete evaluation because many children have more than one learning disability — around 25 percent of children with Dyslexia also have ADHD. Another way of addressing what is happening is by discussing your own areas where you feel inadequate in order to make it easier for your child to share his or her problems. Sharing my struggles about my disability with my kids has encouraged them to share not only a good grade but also the inevitable challenges of trying to perform in school.

    Most people with learning disabilities, like dyslexia, have a hard time doing well in school, but they often are successful post-education. Dyslexia/ADD specialist and leader of Renaissance Mind learning facility, Angela Gonzales, MD, explains that often the traditional academic environment does not suit a non-traditional learner, but children with learning disabilities have a style of thinking that is a gift later in life. She says, “These are highly visual, spatial, and conceptual learners that have the ability to distort perception and perceive it as reality. That’s a problem in school, but in the real world, this style of thinking allows you to be a Lego builder extraordinaire. It allows you to be an artist. As you get older, it allows you to be the best architect, movie producer, musician, or actor you can be.” While parents need to have realistic expectations about what their child can accomplish in school, they also need to make an effort to understand the different ways their child processes information and appreciate that their child, who is struggling with academics, is actually a gifted and capable individual with an incredible imagination. As Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Communicating this way of thinking with your child may take some of the pressure off and make school bearable.

    Finding people who have faced the same struggles as your child may also be helpful in working through a disability. For me, it has been helpful recognizing that there are other Dyslexic entrepreneurs like Ingvar Kamprad, founder of Ikea, Paul Orfala, founder of Kinko’s, David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue, Charles Schwab, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ben Foss of Intel. Having a role model is important, and if your child has the opportunity to know that there are other people out there facing the same challenges, he or she will feel less alone and know they can succeed.

    For years, I tried to hide my learning disability because I didn’t want it to define me, and maybe I was still ashamed. Many parents have to deal with this seesaw. On the one hand, you want to help your child create a positive label for being different, but on the other hand, you do not want that label to solely define your child. Once you begin being labeled as just “John with ADD” or “Jane with Dyslexia,” it increases the shame and fear of being different. Even for those who have learned to embrace their learning disability, it is always difficult and hurtful to be labeled by others.

    How a child sees his or her disability is dependent on how that disability is explained and communicated by family members. Harvard-trained child and adult psychiatrist and ADHD Specialist, Edward Hallowell, explains the importance of framing learning disabilities in a positive way and communicating with your child that he or she is not so much “disabled” as “different”. Parents need to be sensitive to the fact that kids may not want to be defined as different all of the time, and give their kids an opportunity to be defined by other achievements. A way of doing this is to help your child find at least one other activity in which he or she can excel. That activity may be drawing, music, or sports. Whatever it is, helping your child recognize that he or she has both strengths and weaknesses makes life easier. It also gives children the opportunity to see themselves as more than their disability and more than a label.

    I think it is important for parents to understand that it is not only the learning disability that causes problems, but also the anxiety and paralysis that compound the learning disability. Acting defiantly may be a way of protecting oneself from the fear of failure, and it is good if parents can recognize those signs in their children. Even today, as I go into the doctor’s office and have to fill out a form with no spellcheck or person there to correct my spelling, I can feel that same childhood panic attack and sweat coming down my back, and this is after years of openly talking about my dyslexia.

    Ultimately, I have found ways to work through my disability, and parents should know that, with the proper help, their kids will as well. In the words of clinical neuropsychologist and faculty of Harvard Medical School, Jerome Schultz, PhD, “If we’re starting with a base of failure and fear and frustration, it’s hard to build anything on that foundation. So we really have to turn this cycle around, and it’s quite possible to do.” Many studies are proving that children with learning disabilities can overcome adversity, and this could be the reason why so many dyslexic people and others with learning disabilities end up excelling and becoming entrepreneurs.

    Resources:

    Leana.com – Leana Greene’s Website
    KidsintheHouse.com – World’s Largest Parenting Video Library

    Follow KidsInTheHouse.com on Twitter: www.x.com/KidsintheHouse

  • EasyReading™: A Dyslexia-Dedicated Font with a “Design for All”

    EasyReading™: A Dyslexia-Dedicated Font with a “Design for All”

    Easyreading Font
    EasyReading Font

    Dyslexia-dedicated fonts usually feature an extreme design, which renders them “exclusive”, making reading harder for all other readers. The EasyReading™ font has been created through the “Design for All” technology, whereby diversity is not considered an obstacle, but rather an asset, improving word comprehension for all readers. This feature renders EasyReading™ an effective offsetting tool for dyslexic readers and an improved font for all other readers. This is why it does not bear a name directly linked to dyslexia.

    The EasyReading™ font design counters the crowding effect and the visual misunderstanding of similarly-shaped letters (see website http://www.easyreading.it/en/caratteristiche-grafiche/prova to write a sample with the EasyReading font).

    EasyReading™ was scientifically studied through the research “Easyreading™ as a compensating tool for readers with dyslexia: a comparison between Times New Roman and Easyreading™ in Good Readers and Dyslexic Fourth Grade Children”. This autonomous and independent research has been carried out on a valuable number of candidates and draws the conclusion that: “the EasyReading™ font renders reading easier both for dyslexics and unimpaired readers, therefore can be considered a compensating tool for dyslexic readers and a simplifying font for all readers”.

    References: the research has been published in the scientific magazine: “Dislessia. Giornale italiano di ricerca clinica e applicative” (Volume 10, n. 2, May 2013). The scientific board sees the presence of the major Italian researchers in the industry.

    Written by the designer of the EasyReading font, Mr. Federico Alfonsetti

    www.easyreading.it/en