Category Archives: blog

The 10% club is knocking: Let us in!

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Can we discuss the elephant in the room? Too many schools are leaving our children behind.

I’m talking about the 1 in 10 children (or more) who are dyslexic — the most common learning disability you’ll find in a typical classroom.

In Canada, numerous studies show that 90% of students are able readers. But that means 10%+ are falling through the cracks of our respected public education system. And if you’re in the 10% club* (which I’m proud to be a member of!)…well…school and work is going to be a lot tougher for you. Continue reading →

Notes from a dyslexic writer: How to let go of your fear of writing and become a tortured artist

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Many people seem surprised when I tell them I’m a writer. Yes, I actually make a pretty decent living as a writer, and have done so for the past twenty years. Before that, I did a lot of writing as a university student and before that as an angst ridden teen with a diary.

John Irving, Dav Pilkey, Linda La Plante, Jackie French — all writers with dyslexia. Writing is something many dyslexics excel at.

Does writing come easy to me? No!

Does it take me 10 times longer than a non-dyslexic person to writing something coherently? Yes!

Does it sometimes feel like torture trying to get the words out of my head? You bet!

But I believe this actually makes me a better writer.

The truth is: I write because of my dyslexia, not despite it.

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5 things a 12-year-old wants you to know about dyslexia

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My 12-year-old daughter has a pretty kick-ass attitude about dyslexia. It’s more of a footnote¹ to her life, rather than something that defines or limits her.

Her success is a testament to her hard work and perseverance in the face of adversity–not caused by her learning differences, but by the lack of understanding and support she experienced early on at school. In particular, how the “wait and see” approach (also known as the “failure model“) made school harder than it needed to be for her in the long run.

Given her experience with the education system, what would she like you to know?

5 things a 12-year-old wants you to know about dyslexia:

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Ask an expert: Q&A with Nancy Young (part 2 of 2)

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In our new series, “Ask an expert,” we talk to the professionals who devote their lives to making the world a better place for children and adults with dyslexia: the educators, tutors, occupational therapists, psychologists, academics, writers, scientists and more, who inform, educate and advocate.

Our first expert is Nancy Young, a Canadian author and educator who specializes in reading, writing and spelling.

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Break the code with reading expert Nancy Young (Part 1)

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“…the alphabetic code is a secret to many people (including many educators), and … not knowing this code prevents many children from learning to read and spell proficiently.” ~Nancy Young, educator and author

I have spent most of my life wondering how to break the code.

I learned to read and spell by memorizing words and just plain old guessing. It was hit and miss, try and try again. Today I’m a good reader, and I work with words for a living, but I still don’t come by it naturally.

Two years ago, my daughter started a structured literacy reading program (Orton Gillingham-based). I heard words like “phenomes” and “sounds and symbols.” I saw her learn how to decode words in a systematic way — not by guessing.

Continue reading →