Our backstory: Fifty years ago, my husband was labeled as stupid or unintelligent. It was easier for him to become a class clown. Only one high school English teacher recognized his struggles and intelligence and encouraged him. Twenty years ago, our daughter with dyslexia was labeled lazy by one […]
It’s Dyslexia Awareness Month and the perfect time to consider why the alphabet is so much more than A, B, C. Each October, Dyslexia Awareness Month generates awareness about the 1 in 5 people who have difficulty decoding words because of a challenge at the most basic level in […]
New York is making progress towards better dyslexia awareness, and the acknowledgment of science-based approaches to reading. That’s the good news! As a parent, though, what I want to know is will the guidance memo change anything. Will more teachers get trained? Will we get more effective services? In August […]
Each summer, families like ours, with kids with reading and learning issues, have endless debates about our school options for the following academic year. “What are you going to do about school next year?” “We’re in due process. Maybe our district will pay for a specialized school.” “We were moved […]
Nobody likes to tell little white lies about dyslexia services for school-age children, but that’s where we are. What would you do to change the educational climate of teachers and or the kids they teach with reading issues such as dyslexia? We have to do something, and as parents and […]
“It will get better. Your daughter will be OK,” said a friend whose daughter with a reading issue recently started college. Many times, throughout the years, parents of an older child with a reading issue like dyslexia would assure us that their kid was doing fine; enjoying college, succeeding in […]
“Your child should attend a school specific to language disabilities or consider the home-schooling option.” Families like ours receive this type of recommendation all the time, and it is a life-changer. Perhaps you work full-time, or you know that you and your kid are not a good fit for a […]
Most parents are relieved to finally learn what they knew all along; that their kid has dyslexia or a reading issue. For us, it meant that we could finally get the services that we knew our daughter needed. What we weren’t prepared for, were, well, the little white lies. Little […]
Where is the research about dyslexia and adoption? And, why isn’t adoption cited more frequently as a subgroup within the broader dyslexia community when adopted kids are twice as likely as non-adopted kids to have learning or attention issues (Morin, n.d.). Would a specific subset muddy the global effort to […]
Who’s Got Talent? Let’s give a kid who has a reading difference some recognition! Last year our daughter surprised us by announcing that she wanted to sign up for the school talent show-Who’s got Talent! She has always been a fantastic dancer, and since so much of her free-time was […]