Students with dyslexia & ADHD in independent and public schools

Excerpt:

"...Given the impressive achievements of so many famous dyslexics, it’s easy to see why some people refer to their dyslexia as a gift. A condition that presents challenges also bestows excellent coping and problem-solving skills that serve as valuable adjuncts to traditional education. With increased awareness of the condition, better teaching techniques, emotional support and exposure to positive role models, today’s dyslexic children have every reason to believe they can fulfill their dreams and enjoy the best life has to offer.

Blake Charlton is a resident physician in internal medicine and a published novelist. He spoke at the at the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation Conference on Dyslexia and Talent. His op-Ed piece suggests that we have moved the conversation regarding dyslexia to new considerations of what it means to have a challenge or a strength. I was fortunate to be at the conference with Blake and I was struck by remarkable collection of human talent in the room who despite extraordinary success in a wide range of fields and carreers; spoke of feeling like impostors--still limping as it were through grade school, still wounded by the injuries sutained in reading groups in primary school.---Lou

Excerpt:

"Though slow out of the gate — I couldn’t read fluently until 13 — I went to Yale, then medical school at Stanford, and I published two fantasy novels with disabled heroes (think Harry Potter and the Special-Ed Classroom). At every step, I used my diagnosis to my advantage, arguing that I had succeeded despite being dyslexic. It helped me stand out.

Now a growing body of research suggests that I was unintentionally lying.

Last month, at the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation Conference on Dyslexia and Talent, I watched several neurobiologists present evidence that the dyslexic brain, which processes information in a unique way, may impart particular strengths. Studies using cognitive testing and functional M.R.I.’s have demonstrated exceptional three-dimensional and spatial reasoning among dyslexic individuals, which may account for the many successful dyslexic engineers. Similar studies have shown increased creativity and big-picture thinking (or “gist-detection”) in dyslexics, which correlates with the surprising number of dyslexic entrepreneurs, novelists and filmmakers."

Good on you, mates!--Lou

Excerpt:

"...Dr. Snider will discuss:

This presentation is free and open to the public, however, space is limited. Reservations are required no later than Friday, May 17th.  To reserve your place, please RSVP to julie.kizerball@thesummitschool.org."

Informative, focused, and carefully researched!-Lou

http://www.interdys.org/FactSheets.htm

Funny thing about this research--Dell and I have been married for 43 years.  She got me through college, and has helped me every step of the way. I am still totally in love. Believe me when I say she has had her challenges dealing with me: a male, dyslexic Italian! I am sure she has wondered particularly when trying to help me write papers if I only had half a brain! I have wondered that myself! Now look! Our friends at Georgetown have research to suggest males only use the left half of their brains for language, while females use both! Bottom line boys: listen to the girls! they are smarter than we are and they are a civilizing influence!  ;-) Lou

Excerpt:

"Previous work outside of dyslexia demonstrates that male and female brains are different in general, adds the study’s lead author, Tanya Evans, PhD.

“There is sex-specific variance in brain anatomy and females tend to use both hemispheres for language tasks, while males just the left,” Evans says. “It is also known that sex hormones are related to brain anatomy and that female sex hormones such as estrogen can be protective after brain injury, suggesting another avenue that might lead to the sex-specific findings reported in this study.”

The study of 118 participants compared the brain structure of people with dyslexia to those without and was conducted separately in men, women, boys and girls. In the males, less gray matter volume is found in dyslexics in areas of the brain used to process language, consistent with previous work. In the females, less gray matter volume is found in dyslexics in areas involved in sensory and motor processing.

The results have important implications for understanding the origin of dyslexia and the relationship between language and sensory processing, says Evans." 

Excerpt: "This summer, another young hero film, "Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monster," is expected to attract millions of moviegoers. Based on the true situation of the novel writer's son -- who is suffering from dyslexia and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) -- the film will continue the adventure journey of Percy, son of God of Ocean in Greek myths, in his search for Golden Fleece.

In 2010, 20th Century Fox turned the first novel of the "Percy Jackson" series into movie, which made 226.5 million dollars worldwide. Compared to the gross revenues of the eight-film franchise "Harry Potter" and the three-film franchise "The Lord of The Rings," it is relatively small.

However, the film provoked strong reactions from audiences, especially children and parents who are struggling with dyslexia and ADHD.

Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series of novels, told the press that he received a great number of emails and letters from families who have children who are ADHD or dyslexic patients. Some children used to be ashamed that they have dyslexia, but now they feel different about themselves.

Haley, the son of Riordan, said: "You read a lot of books and none of them have a hero who is dyslexic or has ADHD. It's always perfect people in a perfect world doing perfect things. Percy is, in fact, very flawed and he has to fight against that and at the same time fight monsters."

Percy is a person unlikely to become a superhero. He grows up with a single mom, has dyslexia and ADHD, has never scored above a grade C and considers himself as a loser until he discovers that he is actually the son of Poseidon, the God of Ocean, which he once thought only existed in mythology. This leads his life to another path. He finds that his difficulties are not a weakness at all, but a sign of greatness. Percy steps into an unknown world, where he learns to battle with all kinds of different obstacles along the journey and grows up to be a young hero."

This should be a standard for getting into schools of education to be teachers and administrators as well!-Lou

Excerpt:

"...Can a standardized test of “emotional intelligence” predict success in business school? The Yale School of Management is the latest MBA program to make a bet that the answer is yes. Starting this year, the school will begin testing MBA students on their ability to understand and manage emotions. The admissions committee will use the results to decide if applicants make the cut. And students can expect to learn more about what makes fellow MBAs tick as Yale incorporates its findings into the curriculum.

Tom Kolditz, director of the school’s Leadership Development Program, says the school will begin testing incoming students during orientation, and use the findings to teach leadership. All full-time MBA students will take the test next year as part of the leadership program, according to Yale spokesman Nathan Williams. Yale plans to incorporate the test results into the admissions process, but a formal plan hasn’t been decided, he adds..."

The key is early literacy instruction that is effective in preventing children from falling behind by fourth grade.--Lou

Excerpt:

"...The exit data collected on students with disabilities includes only those who were covered by the IDEA when they left high school. Students who transferred into general education are not included in the calculation, even if they received special education services for most of their school career. The most recent data is for the 2010-11 school year.

The 68 percent rate of students leaving high school with a standard diploma marks an increase from 57 percent in the 2001-02 school year. But 17 states were below the 68 percent national average. Nevada, at 25 percent, had the lowest rate of SLDs earning a regular diploma.

Nationwide, the dropout rate for SLDs was 19 percent. But 22 states had dropout rates higher than the national average; South Carolina, at 49 percent, had the highest dropout rate.

Many states allow students with disabilities to leave school with some sort of completion document that does not meet the same requirements as a standard diploma. In Mississippi, the percentage of SLDs earning an alternative certification approached 60 percent..."