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.
“…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.
When my copy of Secret Code Actions™ — Parent Edition arrived, it barely fit into my mail box. That’s a good thing. At 370 pages, it’s wonderful weightiness is matched by the depth and breadth of its content — it is the ultimate guide to understanding and deciphering the English alphabetic “code.”
I’m a child and this is how I learnt to read or you could say how I didn’t.
When you think about giftedness you think that reading would be like a first sense, but it’s not. I didn’t learn the way the school teaches, here’s the summary:
Teacher: “Here kids this is how to pronounce the alphabet, now go read.”
Me (in my head): “teacher, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, that was so vague TEACH ME!”
The student panel at the 2016 dyslexia conference in Toronto blew the audience away with their eloquent and inspiring presentation (if Richard Branson is looking for future executives, look no further!). By sharing their stories, they are helping to empower a generation of children and youth. Thank you! Continue reading
Halloween is here! If you’re dyslexic, you’re in luck. There are lots of great costumes you can wear to celebrate your dyslexic strengths and honour your dyslexic heroes.
1. Super hero. Dress up as yourself!! Unpack your cape and tights, and unleash your incredible dyslexic super powers: brave, resilient, persistent, creative, super smart, change makers. Continue reading
After spending most of my life living in the shadow of undiagnosed dyslexia, I am starting to feel really hopeful about increasing dyslexia awareness and support in Canada.
This–the first–video by Decoding Dyslexia Ontario is a sign of the changing times:
“These are the faces and wise words of some of our young people in Ontario who are spreading the word about dyslexia and helping us understand what we can do to help them succeed in school and in life.” ~Decoding Dyslexia Ontario
Understood.org is a helpful and trusted source of information about learning and attention issues. Their website is full of easy to use, helpful tools and resources created by experts.
In September 2016, just in time for back-to-school, they launched a public service campaign called “Two Sides”. The goal is to help parents identify and understand their child’s learning disability:
“It’s no accident this campaign is launching early in the school year. As schoolwork ramps up for kids, signs of learning and attention issues can become more noticeable. The goal of the campaign is to help parents understand these signs so they can seek out the right support for their kids.”~Understood.org
Does any of this sound familiar? 🙂
Hello I’m a tween and this is one of my favourite books, and no NOT James Bond [but he’s her uncle]. The first book was made by jill marshall in 2006. jane blonde is a book about a girl who lived an ordinary life doing ordinary and boring stuff until… the horror G-MAMMA a grotesque women who seems to be insane! She tells her that her mother is a hostage of Copernicus hench men [Copernicus is an evil guy with a sun mask hmm] and she is a spylet, obviously she does not believe her and walks home. When she gets there her mother’s not home. In summary, in the rest of the series *inhales*, she finds her mom, find her dad, she fights Copernicus and morphs him into a human/squid, save the world more then once and changes the history of the earth DONE *huff puff*.
Age: 4 and up
Rating: 
more info at [tap here]
