3 ingredients that make dyslexics successful

Who are those people who have dyslexia AND a really sunny outlook on life?  According to Doctor Michael Ryan, who has over 20 years of experience helping people with dyslexia, 3 things make all the difference.

• As a child, someone was supportive and encouraging to you.
• As a young dyslexic you found an area in which you could succeed.
• You have a commitment to helping others.
•  

To read the article, in LD Online, click here. 

Little words cause dyslexics big problems

Was or saw; on or no; dog or god? -When you have dyslexia the little words can hurt most.

Someone with dyslexia is often able to spell long words, like revolution and combustion only to get hopelessly caught out by words like cheese and oranges  -Inability to spell small words is one of the classic signs of dyslexia.  So I suppose the message in this might be -Expect it and go with the flow, or maybe, don’t sweat the small stuff.  

For a bit more  on this, check out misadventuresinspelling, which is the blog of a young author who’s dyslexic but not letting it hold her back in the least.

Bruce Jenner -Dyslexia is gold

Those Kardashians are SO famous.  But in this post it’s not Kim or Chloe or Courtney, or any of the lead players I want to mention, but the quieter, supportive minor-player, Bruce Jenner. 

Not strictly speaking a Kardashian, not a headline-maker either, Bruce Jenner is nevertheless an Olympic medalist.  That’s right, Olympic medalist! In 1976, in Montreal, he took gold in the decathlon.  Maybe you already knew that though.  -But did you know that Bruce has dyslexia?  If you’re thinking how hard dyslexia is to live with, take a look at how he sees it:

‘If I wasn’t dyslexic, I probably wouldn’t have won the Games.  I never would have realized that the way you get ahead in life is through hard work.’

Ozzie Osbourne's Severe Dyslexia

   

Ozzie Osbourne has some bleak things to say about his dyslexia.  But on a lot of levels, and after a notoriously self-destructive start, he has  achieved enormous success both on and off stage.

Ozzie’s had a “one of a kind life,” which nearly killed him, but still, this man is worth a mint,  and, according to the documentary God Bless Ozzie Osbourne, is now, after his many years of notorious hell-raising (and hurting those he loved), sober, living  a happy family life, and working out every day!  Here is Ozzie's take on his severe dyslexia:

 "The only good thing about having dyslexia is that dyslexics are usually very creative people, or so I’ve been told. We think in unusual ways. But it’s a very bad stigma to have, not being able to read like normal people can. To this day I wish I’d had a proper education. I think books are great, I do. To be able to lose yourself in a book is f**king phenomenal. Everyone should be able to do it. But I’ve been able to get through an entire book only a few times in my life. Every blue moon this thing in my head will release, and I’ll try to read as many books as I can, because when it closes up it goes straight back to the way it was, and I end up just sitting there, staring at Chinese.”

The Simple Ruler (or Rule) Rules, OK!

The plain old-fashioned ruler, or a bookmark, or a piece of blank paper, or anything else that serves the grand purpose of helping you keep your place on a page of text, is GRRREAT!    

-Losing your place on a page is one of the biggest problems dyslexics face.  -So carry a ruler.   Oh, and an erasable pen.  -And a highlighter for marking key words so you don’t have to re-read the whole thing.   Sound too high-tech?  I know. I sometimes get ahead of myself.  

-And if the cost is prohibitive, maybe you can ask for some of the above for Xmas!!

Beware of Rip-Off Dyslexia Assessments

I am about to give you what I think could be a time and money and stress saving tip.  Why the note of hesitance, nay, nervous caution?  -Because a lot of people will argue I’m oversimplifying.  Well, maybe, but here’s the thing.  I just read an article about assessing for dyslexia.  It looked good.  It was persuasive. The writer boasted all kinds of qualifications and experience and kept me happily clicking my way through a couple of screens.  And then, that writer’s advice went something like this:  Read this, try that, and if you’re not crash-hot with this stuff then you need to do my fabulous, cheap at the price, you’re an idiot if you don’t take advantage of this, program of a mere fifty or so lessons.  Pay here.

Beware.  If you struggle with reading and writing do you really need a batch of expensive tests/programs to tell you, hey yes, you really do?  Sure, if you need the psychologist’s or audiologist’s report to help you get support in your workplace or at college, but otherwise, know this. –The most accepted, proven technique for dealing with dyslexia is (in a nutshell, and let’s not quibble)

...to study a phonics–heavy reading and writing program in a systematic, multisensory (hands on, engaging) way, and, to get savvy with helpful technology. 

Ta da!  –And be wary of flourishing your wallet without giving it due thought.

Auditory processing – have you heard the news?

 

If you’ve heard talk about auditory processing being at the root of dyslexia you may have heard right. Research published in the journal Neuron finds that a glitch in the processing of auditory signals (this is not deafness) causes the main symptoms of dyslexia, and the trouble starts in the left auditory cortex.  What does it mean?  It means if you’re dyslexic you most likely have trouble:

·      Following spoken directions.

·      Remembering what you were told.

·      Paying attention.

In your first years at school, sounding out words was probably very hard for you so you fell further and further behind when it came to learning new words. 

Children with learning and reading disabilities are now more often being referred to the audiologist for a hearing and auditory processing test. And some audiologists make a distinction between phonologic dyslexics (whose problems are mostly to do with speech sounds) and comprehension dyslexics (whose problems are mostly with irregular words that don’t fit customary categories).

Software to read your book aloud

If you're thinking of buying text-to-voice software, here's a rundown of 3 of the many products you will find.

1.  Kurzweil  - Kurzweil 3000 (Mac or Windows compatible) will reproduce scanned text on screen, with pictures, as it appears on paper, and highlights the line and word as it reads it  to you, helping you read along. Extra tools include bookmarks, sticky notes, and options to have the text read in English, French, German, Spanish or Italian. The cost seems to hover around $900 US (for the 1000 version) so it's pricey for individuals.  

2. Natural Readers -  Mac and Windows compatible, this product seems to do much the same as Kurzweil with prices ranging from $50 to $300.

3. Speak It - An app for your iPad, costs $1.99 and gets good reviews. Worth a look.