Dyslexic in America

My daughter has a 504 for her dyslexia, which is a...

2010-02-17T10:50:43.337-05:00

My daughter has a 504 for her dyslexia, which is a little different than an IEP, but still allows accomodations for her in the classroom. The school does pretty good with it, but I had to be a very firm advocate from the beginning. I recommend the Wright's Law website and their book, "From Emotions to Advocacy" for any parent of a child with any learning disability.

To LeslieHill, By law they have to follow all of t...

2010-02-11T14:05:08.886-05:00

To LeslieHill,
By law they have to follow all of the accomodations listed on his IEP. I had an hour long meeting w/ the principal on Tuesday because some of my daughters accomodations were not being followed and we got it resolved immediately! It is so important that you stand up to them and make them do their job! ITS THE LAW!!!! I would suggest calling the principal and telling him/her you would like to have an ARD or perhaps just a conference as soon as possible so that everyone can get on the same page. If you let them get away with not doing what is in his EIP it is an injustice to him. You are his only true advocate.

Sincerely,
Mandy
A mom in Texas

Thanks for taking the time to write this. I think...

2010-02-11T08:14:52.226-05:00

Thanks for taking the time to write this. I think many of my childhood memories will run parallel to yours. My high school transcript has me as mildly retarded. The struggles that go with being labeled as stupid or any common name of a lower intelligence can be harmful to the soul of the person. I still feel the affects of the name calling and isolation that the school system put my through.

My strongest memory of the high school years was needing to know how to spell the word "kept". The answer always seem to be "Look it up in the dictionary". How do you even start to look it when you have no clue what letters make the sounds that form the word. I remember even trying to read through all the words that started with the letters of c, k, and q trying to figure it out. I spent over two years of high school in search of the spelling of this one simple word. This did teach me there are ways you can reword a sentence to avoid the word kept!

Its really great knowing that the horrors of public schools were not mine alone. Thanks again for sharing.

I fought for an IEP for nearly two years for my so...

2010-02-10T22:31:48.693-05:00

I fought for an IEP for nearly two years for my son. My child's school tried to tell me that dyslexia wasn't a recognized learning disability. I had to "threaten to get P & A involved(which I did speak with) and they decided he maybe needed and IEP. After the IEP was in place, I am seeing that it is not being followed. His problems is with spelling and reading and even his spelling tests are supposed to be pre-written and he is supposed to circle the right one, but he is still having to hand write them. I think fighting so hard for it was a waste of time when the school won't follow it like they should

my muther was fonder of manitoba assosheation 4 ch...

2010-02-06T16:26:00.150-05:00

my muther was fonder of manitoba assosheation 4 children with lerning disabilitys or dislexea i remeber as a kid buzuka gum came with a comic my frends wood pas it arnd and reed it i wood cont in my head and when it came 2 me i wood cont then lafe no 1 knew i could not reed i was a master at hiding it now at 52 i dont care i have lived a very full life and dun more then moste pepel cory

Congratulations!

2010-02-05T06:58:27.838-05:00

Congratulations!

I think an information sharing site is an excellen...

2010-01-29T12:36:30.795-05:00

I think an information sharing site is an excellent idea. I recommend that every dyslexic and parent with a child diagnosed, or exhibiting dyslexic symptoms get a copy of the book, "The Gift of Dyslexia" by Ronald D. Davis. The book is available on audio-tape and explains the creative, visual-spatial thinking stlye of most dyslexics. It also explains the reason why many dyslexics struggle with certain words when reading, writing, spelling, etc., AND outlines a simple approach to correct the many symptoms of dyslexia. This is not a phonics program, nor does it rely on drill and repetition, rather it focuses on the creativity and visual strengths of this kind of learner and gets to the "root cause" of the problem. You can get more info. and order the book/tapes at www.dyslexia.com.

another thought...I have been trying to find a dys...

2010-01-25T22:15:32.770-05:00

another thought...I have been trying to find a dyslexia research center similar to the one at Yale that would be willing to take me on as an intern or subject of research. I would appreciate a compilation of the various language research organizations in America. I could certainly provide a initial list from my research.

In addition to the wonderful ideas listed above, I...

2010-01-25T22:13:03.251-05:00

In addition to the wonderful ideas listed above, I would like to see Dyslexia in America highlight LD initiatives accost the country. I am currently leading a SPED Action Group at Monument Mt. RHS in Great Barrington, MA. I have been impressed by the impact of this effort and think that these types of stories need to by highlighted. If anyone is interested in joining our Facebook page follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=352736920496

I really like the info on the state and federal la...

2010-01-23T15:36:26.790-05:00

I really like the info on the state and federal laws and updates. I think a lot of people would like information on how to bring their concerns to the attention of the ones who matters in their state. Maybe a list of things to do and people to talk to if you would like to try to have new laws passed or old ones modified.

I live in Piqua, Ohio and fortunately I was dignos...

2010-01-22T09:58:15.366-05:00

I live in Piqua, Ohio and fortunately I was dignosed with Dyslexia in 1985 and was a junior in high school at the time. There was a special education school also in Piqua, but it was very rarely heard of, because they specialized in working with children that were "Brain Injured" and many didn't know that they also worked with those who also had learning disabilities such as Dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, Autism and many others. It is a great school and they just opened their doors a few years ago in a brand new state of the art facility to offer special K-8 schooling for all school children, even if they attend regular school during the day. The web address for this school is www.rcnd.org. They are worth checking out. They are in a separate part of a larger facility that also houses a neurological center, an aquatic center for rehabilitation and a brain wellness center. The students are able to participate in all area's as well as using the pool for their disability. If you would like to send me a message or need more information, I welcome your feedback at strostel@woh.rr.com

You may want a section of success stories of peopl...

2010-01-22T09:36:02.226-05:00

You may want a section of success stories of people who have achived success in spite of this learning disability. I'm sure there are many stars, atheletes, etc and even your average Joe that still rises to the top and overcomes Dyslexia. Showing people that do not have Dyslexia people they may not even have known had can succeed may open some eyes.

I believe that their should be Educational facilit...

2010-01-22T07:21:17.049-05:00

I believe that their should be Educational facilities K-12 that specialize in working with students with dyslexia, but I think that they should be school for people with other learning disabilities too. I have dyslexia and I wish I could have had an opportunity to go to a school like that. The state college I am current at has an excellent program for students with Learning Disabilities.

Good for you, Leon. Way to look at the bright side...

2010-01-08T19:24:57.977-05:00

Good for you, Leon. Way to look at the bright side.

Maybe your situational depression can be uplifted ...

2010-01-05T15:35:04.380-05:00

Maybe your situational depression can be uplifted by the fact that many parents who have children with dyslexia are choosing to home school. Most dyslexic kids respond better to lessons in 15 minute intervals with some kind of physical activity between. Both adults and children have less stress and anxiety when this learning strategy is used. We, at the AVKO Foundation, are trying to increase the awareness of the public school system to these facts. But the truth is, it is such a bureaucracy that new innovative methods are NOT encouraged or supported.
Keep on plugging away, just know you are in some fine company. Many, many famous people are dyslexic. They didn't let it stop them or their passions. Dyslexics are bright, clever,ingenious people. They learn differently, but there is nothing wrong with their intelligence. If you contact me, I would love to make an e-book available to you, "To Teach a Dyslexic". It is the autobiography of Don McCabe, the Research Director of the AVKO Foundation. I think you would like it.
Sincerely,
Gloria Goldsmith
AVKO Curriculum Consultant
gloria@avko.org

Good for you, Leon. Just say what you mean.

2009-12-26T14:00:43.215-05:00

Good for you, Leon. Just say what you mean.

my niche is helping the small minority of dyslexic...

2009-12-21T13:39:36.653-05:00

my niche is helping the small minority of dyslexics that describe visual problems that make reading difficult. It seems we disagree on whether or not there is a subset of dyslexia that is caused by visual problems.

You state that you would like to provide resources for dyslexia. In my travels around the web I found that many products, services and programs designed to help dyslexics that are provided free. I've made a collection of free dyslexia help links, that while not the total answer , that many dyslexics will find useful.

The address for free dyslexia help links is www.dyslexiaglasses.com/links . There are many other longer and more inclusive places on the web to find dyslexia help but I've yet to find another collection of free dyslexia help.

Off topic but of interest to me, as it seems that most of the evidence you and your wife use to generate your ideas of the truth about dyslexia is based on brain imaging data, is why the the brain imaging data of the visual centers ,which just as clearly shows differences between groups of dyslexics and non-dyslexics, can be ignored.

I often read that your position is that dyslexia and vision are not related.

It is not my position that the MRI data for the visual centers of the brain reflect a problem for most dyslexics. My position is that there is a percentage of dyslexics that can and do describe visual problems that make reading difficult. It seems reasonable that those visual dyslexics have a need to seek a visual intervention for their problems.

I sell a product that removes described visual problems that make reading difficult and is successful enough at that to offer a money back guarantee. I am well aware of misleading overblown claims by others that offer expensive visual interventions with no effort to try to identify who would or would not be likely candidates for the intervention and use a business model I call take the money and run by not offering any guarantee. I believe that behavior has tainted the idea that there is a need for visual intervention for even some dyslexics.

Comments?

Two thumbs up!

2009-12-17T16:05:08.315-05:00

Two thumbs up!

It's very unusual to come across a post/article ab...

2009-12-16T11:46:14.535-05:00

It's very unusual to come across a post/article about dyslexia that mentions the other symptoms, as opposed to focussing exclusively on the reading element! It's good to see someone talking about the other faces of dyslexia, because they're not particularly well understood, in my experience.

The company I work for runs a reading scheme that does focus on helping children with reading difficulties, and we've had a lot of success; but now we're working really hard on building a version for adults which should be ready next year. We would love to get feedback from people who actually have first hand experience of dyslexia; if you're interested, there's a form here where you can register to be notified when it's up and running:
http://www.easyreadsystem.com/home/adultsystem.html

This Numara solution has lots of issues, and is wa...

2009-09-18T11:23:23.505-04:00

This Numara solution has lots of issues, and is way too expensive. I suggest you look elsewhere. For an ITIL solution that is right priced try www.sunviewsoftware.com.

This Numara solution has lots of issues, and is wa...

2009-09-18T11:23:23.505-04:00

This Numara solution has lots of issues, and is way too expensive. I suggest you look elsewhere. For an ITIL solution that is right priced try www.sunviewsoftware.com.

We evaluated Footprints but decided to go with the...

2009-09-18T10:45:00.622-04:00

We evaluated Footprints but decided to go with the help desk software by Web Help Desk.

It was over half the price of Footprints!!!

We evaluated Footprints but decided to go with the...

2009-09-18T10:45:00.622-04:00

We evaluated Footprints but decided to go with the help desk software by Web Help Desk.

It was over half the price of Footprints!!!

Thumbs up!

2009-09-17T13:27:57.998-04:00

Thumbs up!

2009-09-17T13:27:57.998-04:00

Thumbs up!