Headstrong Nation: Dyslexic Community

The site, Headstrong Nation, provides help to the world’s largest disability group—those with dyslexia. It includes videos, books, and other resources for those with dyslexia and those working with those with dyslexia. You’ll find information on classroom accommodation tools and mapping children’s dyslexia. The fact section features information such as: 35% of American entrepreneurs are dyslexic, there are many different ways to read, being dyslexic does not mean those who have it are slow learners or stupid, dyslexia is not something anyone outgrows, and boys and girls are just as likely to be dyslexic. The mapping feature encourages parents and teachers to assess children’s strengths and attitudes by using the assessment survey provided. Areas used for mapping are Visual, Kinesthetic, Spatial, Narrative, Social, Verbal, Musical, and Mathematical/Scientific.  Resources available on the site help parents and students learn to use technologies to help with learning, learn to understand the world of dyslexics and those with attention deficit disorders, and learn to understand how disabilities affect family dynamics.

Read&Write GOLD Assistive Software Use Training for Teachers

textHelp, which provides excellent software for students with special needs, has teamed with Atomic Learning to provide free training videos for teachers. Using 2-3 minute videos for each of the features of the software, those who work with students who need special help are better able to meet the needs of their students.  Atomic Learning’s learning sessions takes users on a “walk” through the menu options for reading, writing, and self-editing. Both Mac and PC training versions are available for you to browse.

Self-Confidence for Students with Learning Problems

Designed for all ages, textHelp’s Read&Write GOLD provides students with literacy support for applications they’ll use at school, at home, and in the Cloud. Documents in applications such as Microsoft Word and Apple’s Pages can be changed from text to speech. The program allows students to hear what is on a PDF or text that may be inaccessible. Options include a picture dictionary, pronunciation tutor, and a translator that can translate single words and paragraphs from English to Spanish, French, German, or Italian. Some of the writing, editing, and study skills options are: Spell Check, Word Prediction, Sounds Like, Confusable Words, Verb Checker, Fact Finder, Fact Mapper, and Vocabulary List Builder. textHelp’s  Web apps are compatible with Mac, PC, iPad, and iPhone. If you are interested in Read&Write GOLD, download a trial version.

Does “I’m Bored” Mean “I’m Stressed Out”?

How many times over the years have we heard these words from parents, “My child isn’t doing well because he (or she) is bored?” Associate Professor of Psychology at York University in Toronto, John D. Eastwood, and his colleagues say that most “boredom” is caused by problems within people, not by the outside environment. Although students may claim they are bored and can’t concentrate because the material or teacher isn’t interesting, the actual problem might be that the material is too challenging for the student, the classroom or homework area is distracting (such as a television playing in the next room at home), the student may have an attention deficit disorder, the student may be experiencing emotional problems, etc.  Eastwood and other researchers and educators not connected with the study note that “over-stimulating” is not what “bored” students need. So—it’s not completely your fault if some of your students are staring off into space while you are teaching.  It is, however, important that you work with students and parents to try to find the cause of the boredom.

Autism: An Epidemic?

Estimates, according to Nirvi Shah’s article in the Special Education Blog of Education Week, are that one in every eighty-eight children in the United States has been identified with what is called “Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Mark Roithmayr, president of Autism Speaks, says, “Autism has now officially become an epidemic in the United States.” Although the Center for Disease Control is involved in a study to attempt to discover risk factors that lead to the problem, little is known about why some many children have the disorder or why the percentage of Autistic children is increasing.  Researchers believe it is highly likely that the number of Autistic children in the U.S. may be underestimated even though some say that part of the increase may be due to better identification of children with Autism. If you have an autistic child in your classroom, you understand that not all who are diagnosed with this disorder have the same problems. Because of this, some are proposing a change in the definition of Autism, which would narrow numbers (omitting those with Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder) of children currently diagnosed as Autistic. The definition has not been received well among advocates for those who would be excluded from the definition, because getting adequate services for these children may become a problem.