News, commentary, and resources about Learning Disabilities
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In an publication called Falkirk (Scotland, UK) Today, there is an anonymous story entitled “Getting to grips with dyslexia: Local help for sufferers” that echoes the important fact that Learning Disabilities such as dyslexia are not the result of low intelligence. Here’s a snippet:
OF all the myths surrounding dyslexia, perhaps the most common is that those affected by it are somehow lacking in intelligence.
However, a quick glance at some famous names who have achieved success despite having dyslexia proves just how wrong that is.
Richard Branson, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, and Jackie Stewart are some of those who have overcome the problems associated with the condition.
It’s good to have the press bust the myth that individuals with dyslexia are unintelligent. It’s too bad that this story indicates that Einstein had dyslexia. As Gerald Coles notes in his book, The learning mystique: A critical look at “learning disabilities,” (1987, Pantheon Books), Einstein reportedly read serious philosophy books as a young child; that makes the idea of him having dyslexia pretty untenable.
Link to the article quoted here.
“Xtraordinary People.” That’s the name of a group in Great Britain that is challenging schools to do a better job of addressing the needs of students with dyslexia, the Learning Disability that affects reading and often other areas of literacy. Kate Griggs, the parent of a boy with dyslexia, founded the organziation, connected it with the British Dyslexia Association, and promoted the effort in many ways, including get national news coverage. On the BBC Web site, in a follow-up to a television broadcast on BBC One Wednesday 13 December 2006, Ms. Griggs explained why she was angry about schools’ failure to provide needed services and what she did about it.
When my eldest son Ted, now 13, was in primary school he started having problems learning. The school said he was being difficult and could not concentrate, and were suggesting he go to a special school.
I was shocked because I believed he had dyslexia and needed support. So I trained as a teaching assistant to help him but, realised he needed more help than that.
So we moved him to a school where there was good support and he started to do really well. But we were lucky because we could afford to pay for it.
Not all parents can do that and have to watch their children struggling at school with no proper help.
Link to the BBC news magazine article. Link to the British Dyslexia Association Web site. Also see the press release on the show, as available Craegmoor Health.
As employees, many adults with Learning Disabilities elect to conceal their difficulties, according to a story by Eileen Zimmerman of the New York Times. Using several different cases, Ms. Zimmerman explored the effects of Learning Disabilities on people in the workplace. In addition, Ms. Zimmerman conferred with scholars working on the topic of Learning Disabilities among adults, as indicated in the following quote.
Link to Ms. Zimmerman’s article. Search via Google Scholar for articles about LD and work.
The Weblog Awards folks announced the competition for best blogs, including one for the Best Educational Blog. Here are the entrants:
Here’s the link to the page where one can vote.
Teachers with LD
Paige Iseminger, who teaches in a preschool for students with severe disabilities, has a special connection with her students, according to a story by Julie Finley in the Natchez (MS, US) Democrat. Ms. Finley paints Ms. Iseminger as having unique understanding of her teaching responsibilities, because she was identified as having Learning Disabilities during her high school years.
Continue reading ‘Teachers with LD’