Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. Individuals with dyslexia have trouble with reading, writing, and spelling despite having at least an average intelligence.
It is estimated that 15 to 20 percent of the population is dyslexic but most are never identified or diagnosed and left to struggle their entire life.
We know how to fix the reading, writing, and spelling issues that dyslexics struggle with. But there is a tremendous roadblock in the way and it is there because our governments, schools and educators are simply misinformed about what dyslexia is or they have no information at all.
By carefully weaving together interviews with parents, experts, and adult dyslexics, "Embracing Dyslexia" tackles the issues surrounding dyslexia like no other documentary film has before.
Parents share emotional stories of their anxiety and frustration over failing to understand why their children were struggling with reading, writing, and spelling and the life-altering impact the word dyslexia had on their lives.
Adult dyslexics courageously open up and speak candidly about their dyslexia, sharing their struggles and successes they have had in school and in their adult lives.
Experts define what dyslexia is, illustrate why early dyslexia screening for all children is vital, and share how effective tutoring, classroom accommodations, and fostering the natural strengths dyslexic's possess can take them from experiencing failure on a daily basis to believing in themselves and knowing that they can be successful.
Learn basic facts about dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and ADHD and visit LD.org for resources on how to get the most out of your relationship with your child's doctor.
Dyslexic and Loving Words asks the question -- "What if you're dyslexic but you love to write or use words?"
Through interviews with seven practicing wordsmiths, the film highlights how it's possible to overcome dyslexic issues or work around the challenges they present if you have a passion for words.
Within the testimonials we find a poet and author, a storyteller, a spoken word artist, a creative writing student, a novelist and the founder of an initiative for dyslexic writers.
Arrowsmith-Young is recognized as the creator of one of the first practical applications of the principles of neuroplasticity to the treatment of learning disorders. Her program is implemented in 54 schools internationally.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience
What is the best way to ease someone's pain and suffering? In this beautifully animated RSA Short, Dr Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.
Do you remember a mentor in your life that always comes to mind when you think of someone who really listened closely, influenced your outlook and performance, and taught you life-long lessons that helped shape who you are today?
Jay BerckleyMeritas Family of International Schools, remembers, and is driven to help connect all students to the right mentors and methods that will shape the decision makers of tomorrow.
He will bring his experience and passion to the stage this November as he shares with us his own lessons learned and how multi-disciplinary environments can play a role in truly shaping a better future for us all.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.
The young boy, Jack, shyly approaches his friend in the classroom at Whiting Lane Elementary School. This is the last time they'll see each other, and Jack has a gift for his playmate: a picture of the two of them together, and the words, "I'll miss you."
A common enough scene, except the "you" in this case is a humanoid robot programmed by researchers affiliated with the University of Connecticut and Movia Robotics to help children with learning delays like those on the autism spectrum improve their social and communication skills.
"Hi, Jack," the robot chirps in greeting, before he and the student get into a sequence of activities designed to help Jack not just in the classroom, but in his daily life.
Timothy Gifford – who is the CEO of Movia Robotics as well as the director of the Advanced Interactive Technology Center at UConn's Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention (CHIP) – sees the work as having potential to cross over into the marketplace.
"That's really the goal: to take this out of the lab and into the classroom," he says.
"One of the reasons we wanted to make this a commercially available product is to get it into the hands of as many schools and students as possible."
That's going to take some time, and the project is still in development, as Gifford and his team learn what works, and what a high-tech product like a robot needs to have in order to function in the world of elementary school kids and daily use.
At his lab at the Connecticut Science Center, where he's currently scientist-in-residence, Gifford works with programmers who are developing the sequences the two-foot-tall robots, which are made by a French company called Aldebaran Robotics, use in their interactions with students.
While the robot engages the students one-on-one, someone else – right now a researcher, but hopefully soon a teacher or teacher's aide – guides the interaction from a laptop computer.
The six sequences are flexible enough to be effective when working with children with different levels of ability: one child delightedly bangs on a drum along with the robot, while another runs through more complex verbal exercises designed to improve his ability to communicate with peers.
THE CHALLENGES
Among the challenges Gifford is working to address are the wear-and-tear the robots absorb over the course of sessions with the students, and what Gifford calls "the novelty factor."
"We were worried the kids would get bored with the robots after a few weeks, but so far we've been able to consistently stimulate interest," thanks in part to the use of simpler toy robots in conjunction with the state-of-the-art Aldebaran models, Gifford says.
And while more work remains to be done before their research can reach conclusions, Gifford is encouraged by what he's learned so far.
"This is ultimately a very satisfying project to be involved in," he says. "It's something that's not just interesting from a research perspective, but something that can also make a difference in people's lives."
Do you remember a mentor in your life that always comes to mind when you think of someone who really listened closely, influenced your outlook and performance, and taught you life-long lessons that helped shape who you are today?
Jay Berckley remembers, and is driven to help connect all students to the right mentors and methods that will shape the decision makers of tomorrow.
He will bring his experience and passion to the stage this November as he shares with us his own lessons learned and how multi-disciplinary environments can play a role in truly shaping a better future for us all.
Piper Otterbein is a senior at Cape Elizabeth High School. Piper was born in New York, but she has lived in Cape Elizabeth for the past eleven years. When Piper was in first grade, she was diagnosed with a learning disability.
While Piper struggled throughout elementary school, it was not until 7th grade that this disability was identified as dyslexia.
Piper and her family spent a great deal of time and resources trying to fix her dyslexia; during her middle school years, Piper spent countless hours after school in tutoring programs.
Although she was determined to be successful in school, work took a long time to complete, and she frequently found herself frustrated and exhausted.
When Piper entered high school, she had a revelation; rather than focusing all of her energy on the challenges in her life, she decided to alter her outlook and focus instead on her strengths.
While she remained a conscientious student, Piper threw herself into what she loved most: the arts, event organizing, and community involvement. Today, Piper has a strong presence in the CEHS community.
She juggles painting, ceramics, and drawing with her involvement in student council, SEED, the planning of the TEDx youth conference at CEHS, and her part-time jobs working in a furniture store and babysitting.
All of Piper's talent and hard work has paid off, she will be attending the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she will study interior design and accessory design.
Here is a short preview of Zannie Danks Davis outlining, what she believes is an effective tutoring method for dyslexia that can be given by tutors, parents, or teachers to cater for individual needs.
1. An effective multisensory method of tuition for dyslexia to help dyslexic children achieve literacy success. Unlock their potential by using spelling as a doorway.
2. A dyslexia program developed over 7 years by a dyslexic for dyslexics, taking individual needs into account.
3. A practical step-by-step method for weekly 1-hour tutoring sessions that children enjoy. Can be given by tutors, parents, or teachers to cater for their individual needs.
4. An effective method for tutoring children with dyslexia, improving spelling, reading, writing, and comprehension as demonstrated by reassessment results of standardised tests given by registered psychologists. Effective for children and adults with other literacy problems.
Check it out and see if it makes sense to you and fits with your flavour of Dyslexia and let us know what you think.
Children's book author Andrea Davis Pinkney, who has children with learning disabilities, shares fantastic tips about how to motivate young people to read. For more information and free resources, please visit NCLD's Dyslexia page.
As an educational psychologist, Teresa works with children and adults who struggle to function in school or at work.
Particular areas of expertise include behaviour, dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and how schools can combat bullying.
If you need advice on anything covered in this video, you can contact Teresa via Greatvine
It’s difficult socially when you have to live with dyslexia, dyspraxia, and bullying. It makes it more difficult to learn and to be around other people at times.
Among the proposed solutions is the Pomodoro technique, a time-management method similar to timeboxing that uses timed intervals of work and reward.
Human motivation is highly influenced by how imminent the reward is perceived to be — meaning, the further away the reward is, the more you discount its value. This is often referred to as Present bias, or Hyperbolic discounting.
Animation has been captivating audiences for more than a hundred years. From classic forms like hand drawn and stop-motion, to cutting-edge techniques like motion graphics and CGI, animation has a long history of creating style and poetry unachievable through live action filmmaking.
It is a tool for educating, a place for experimentation and play, and a way of telling personal stories that reach the viewer with powerful visual metaphors.
Rarely do we get a look inside dyslexia at the inner city level. Every dyslexic should be in tune with what Headstrong Nation is doing in the arena of Dyslexia advocacy.
We are looking forward to future initiatives from this group!
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