Comment

Comment by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide on April 10, 2012 at 8:57am

I'll leave the comment wall up, but please use the add a discussion button if you can. Discussions are searchable and comments aren't. It's also a lot easier to follow replies with a discussion. THANKS!!

Comment by Jono on April 8, 2012 at 1:39am

Hi Heather 

I am glad it is not just me.. I find short paragraphs with blank space so much easier to deal with. I now write in the style that helps me read and think about what I am writing. After all I have to read it too. 

I think it is not only the visual tracking but it also helps with my short term memory as it breaks things up into  managable chunks. While reading it give my brain a brief rest like a little reset where i can pause before moving on. While writing it gives me space to think and seperate the current thought from the previous one. 

When composing some writing, if i get muddeled I will often put a great big space around the bit I need to focus on until I feel I have got it right and then reduce that down to a line break.

My writing will look a bit like bullet points, but that's the way i like it.

Nice to meet you too

Comment by Phebs on April 7, 2012 at 6:56pm

I thought I got a email that this website was adding some features; from that email:

1. Option to Edit Your Name Because Google and other search engines can index our site, we are asking new members for their first name only and wanted to tell previously registered members that they are free to remove their last names or substitute a nickname on their profile pages. You'll find the setting for editing your name at the top of the right hand column after you've logged in under 'Settings'. After you've edited your name (if you want to), click the green Save button at the bottom.

2. Text to Speech - we now have a simple text to speech for our community members. Select the text you want to listen to and then hit the green "click here for speech" button in the right column above the Amazon box. It may take a few seconds, but you should be able to hear the text written.

3. Ginger Spell and Grammar Checker - We've also added a Ginger spell and grammar checker bar for your convenience. This is completely optional (i.e. only if you want to use it), but if you'd like your writing spell and grammar checked, put your sentence or sentences in the top line (erase what's written there) and click the green button 'Ginger it!'

 

Seems like these are useful enhancements!!!  I'm all for text to speech and use Adobe Reader's built in text to speech capabilities w/ Read Iris Pro to get the pdf in a readable format.

 

Jono, I know what you mean about paragraphs that are too long to read. I can only handle maybe 5-6 lines max before my visual tracking becomes a issue.  I use the blank space between paragraphs like a ruler to find the next line to read but it requires that only 5-6 lines are group together, at a time. Otherwise, lines get read again or skipped (a painful bother on top of likely both phonological and fluency (rapid naming) issues).

 

I'm all for making paragraphs shorter, Jono.  And thanks for doing likewise for me.  More power to those of us needing likewise!  Whether it be visual tracking or visual processing or ?? concerns.  Nice to meet you!!!

 

Comment by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide on April 7, 2012 at 3:15pm

Hi again Jono,

We'd like to make this network more accessible - especially the forums. We know it's a problem. We have no outside funding and don't personally have much web design experience ourselves. I am trying out a new format that will help for some of the pages like technology and dyslexia test. We will have to think hard about the forum.

One day at a time. If anyone has more HTML experience and would be willing to volunteer their expertise, please let us know. We recently heard a dyslexia foundation may be willing to support our efforts to strengthen our community and accessibility. Maybe our network will be getting even better very soon.

Comment by Jono on April 7, 2012 at 1:07pm

My name is Jono and I am dyslexic, I have been reading the Dyslexic Advantage since just after Christmas and have not quite finished yet.

I still find dyslexia to be disadvantageous to me dispite some interesting side effects it may give me. Every day everything is a muddle of confision and disorginasation amongst a blizzard of thoughts and ideas that spin around in my head competing for an outlet.

I wanted to outline my feelings here about the things I identified with and remembered from when I was growing up, even this I have found difficult to turn from random thoughts into any meaningful order that would make sense to you.

I have read books that have often given me the hope than on completion my dyslexia would go away or become insignificant, it never did.

I really worry that to many people dyslexia is not and advantage to them, it may be that their unique thinking is an advantage to canny imployers but not to the person themselves.

Please don't misunderstand me I am not complaining here just sending out a reminder of the frustration the dyslexic mind has to contend with.

What I have read in the book and the idea behind this website is very good but to understand and to improve things some dyslexic input may be needed.

For instance of all the useful things a computer is able to do for me, I have found the “Forum” formate to be the most useless (for me) method of picking up information.

I have also noticed a lot of very long paragraphs here which for a dyslexic reader (in my case) is a major barrier or disincentive for continued reading.

I hope that I will be able to discuss things and thoughts here so please say high. I will try to comment on things where I have been able to follow the reading through.

Maybe I should just jot things down on mypage as and when I remember them in whatever random order that appear.

In the meantime the book has generated some ideas in my head which have not landed yet, when theydo I will let yon know.

Jono

Comment by Marnie on April 7, 2012 at 11:09am

Hi All! I just finished reading The Dyslexic Advantage... what a refreshing approach to focus on the Advantage versus the Disability. My son Remy, a freshman in high school, was diagnosed in January. Originally he was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder and has had an IEP since late third grade. Unfortunately the school system was content to label him and look no further, despite my continuous concerns.

After years of struggles, and finally after getting better educated instead of trusting the "special education professionals", I asked for an IEE which led to Remy's diagnosis. The psychologist who did the testing was incredulous that his dyslexia hadn't been picked up as he demonstrated classic signs of dyslexia since first grade. Although he had taken part in the Reading Recovery program, he has never had a reading goal in his IEP. We discovered he is reading between a 3rd and 5th grade level...at the same time attempting to read Homer's Odyssey!

I am trying to get over my disappointment in the school system (claiming "Remy just wasn't motivated"), and disappointment in myself for not being more proactive in advocating for my child.

My current focus is to get him what he needs, to get through high school, and keep his opportunities for higher education intact. I meet with the school on Monday to go over the test results and come up with a plan on how to move forward. I am quite sure they will suggest moving him into the LRC based Language! class and have already suggested an LRC Geometry class for next year.

While I understand Language! is a good program for dyslexics, it seems to have better results one-on-one, than in a classroom setting which includes some cognitively impaired students and moves painfully slow. I am in the camp of keeping him in the general ed population with the appropriate supports and accommodations (no modifications) and start him on some intense remediation this summer. He does not want to be homogeneously grouped with Special Ed kids, as all that matters to him is that he be a normal kid like all his buddies who have no labels. He is a gifted athlete and is very social. However, he is frustrated and still believes he's "dumb" despite the results of his IQ which place him solidly in the average to high average range. We are hoping to help build up his self-esteem and get him closer to performing at the level of his peers.

I have done a tremendous amount of research and I am looking for opinions on appropriate interventions for a boy his age. Some of the Orton Gillingham providers have suggested 2-3 hours a week, while Lindamood Bell recommends intensive 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. It makes sense to get as much intervention as possible, but we worry about pushback if we go the more intensive route.

At this point he is not convinced that anything will help him, especially after years of battling a hidden disability. I have also looked into summer camp programs but the lists are long and it is difficult to decipher what might be the best fit for him. Any feedback regarding interventions would be beneficial and appreciated as we try to navigate the future.

After initially feeling overwhelmed by his diagnosis, I now understand he can be successful given some perseverance and movement in the right direction. Thank you in advance for any feedback you might offer.

Comment by Jan Peck on March 11, 2012 at 10:28am

I'm so glad to have found this group!  I've known I had dyslexia since I was young.  My father is 92 and went to school in a little one room school house.  He didn't learn to read until sixth grade.  He had a special teacher who took him aside and said he was too smart to not learn to read.  My father ended up being the first in his family to graduate from college with honors in Electrical Engineering.  He also later went into Software and Hardware Engineering.  So successful.  We tested his DNA and found that he has functional dyslexia plus extra non-verbal intelligence genes. 

I am a children's book author with dyslexia and tell about dyslexia in my school programs.  I'm so happy to be able to add that there is a book available called The Dyslexic Advantage!  Wonderful!

Comment by Ethan on December 11, 2011 at 9:23pm

Hi, my name is Ethan and after finding this web site have come to believe I am an undiagnosed 2e(stealth dyslexia).  When I read the descriptions and the slide presentation I cried.  Most of the big and little things(both good and negative) sounded like me.  My father is GT and my mother is classic dyslexia/dyscal but my whole life I was, "just not trying hard enough" or "skating by on average".  Not only was I too smart to be LD, I was also never smart enough to be GT according to my parent and teachers.  I am almost finished with undergrad and would like to learn more about my possibly 2e self to improve grad school, future careers and most importantly my understanding and acceptance(see improved self worth/concept) of who I am.  Thank you for this website and the oppertunities it brings!

Comment by Noelle Gibson on October 22, 2011 at 5:50am

My name is Noelle and I am the parent to one diagnosed dyslexic (16) and another probable LD (9).  I know my eldest is dually exceptional - dyslexic and gifted.  Probably one of my most satisfying moments was the day her elementary school psychologist called and said "There is a serious issue here - her IQ scores indicate she should be one of our highest performing students and she's not!".  After a year and a half of fighting them to "prove" there was a problem I'll admit that I said those four delicious words "I told you so".

 

It's been a challenge to me to learn how to help and parent a dyslexic child - particularly because I was an early and avid reader.  I feel my greatest accomplishment as a parent is that my eldest LOVES to read and devours books for pleasure.  Reading and processing information for knowledge content is our current challenge but we'll make it.  I'm scared stiff about college though - she is a good advocate for herself, tired of accomodations yet not afriad of her diagnosis, and has made a lot of progress but my research is showing that many/most colleges are not accomodating or understanding about LD.  Also she went through a "rebellion stage" with regards to her accomdations and her grades suffered for it in 9th and 10th grades.  I'm worried it will effect her chances of getting a scholarship, which would be a shame because she has worked her behind off to get where she is now (starting advanced courses).

My youngest is in 4th grade and is only now learning to enjoy reading.  She might be a stealth dyslexic as her problems are not as pronounced as her sister's were; we've been "making do" with lots of reading supports and tutoring both inside and outside the classroom.  But we live in a high-pressure district and 4th grade is a benchmark testing year.  I hate to see her working so hard and not making the progress she should as a result of all her effort.  Her classroom anxiety is intense - thankfully the school psychologist has noted that she is a markedly different child once she steps foot outside the classroom (even down the hall!) and has put in the testing request.  I hope it helps us figure out what we need to do. 

I haven't read this book yet but I'll be adding it to my library.

Comment by Texas Geek on October 4, 2011 at 5:08am

My first real encounter with recreational reading was during the summer after high school graduation when I read a James Bond novel. Easy words. Easy ideas. A world of words that formed movies in my head. Alister McLean novels were next. I pretty much stick to SciFi (where there is an adventure story involved), intrigue and thrillers - Robert Ludlum, Steve Berry, Clive Cussler, Preston & Child genres.

Reading which involves aviation is not always a pleasant experience as I can pick up the flaws in the authors aviation assertions and that screws up the movie.

OBTW, even though my BS is in Math, does not mean that I am any good at math. Loved geometry (same mental problem solving as computer programming) and trig (pattern recognition). I stumbled through calculus and stats, In the 60s, there was no computer science degree - you majored in math to do computers.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• …
• 5
• Next ›
• Page