dyslexia

Brilliant Bea

Despite her struggles with reading and writing, Beatrice is a natural and brilliant storyteller. With the help of a kind-hearted teacher, Beatrice uses an old-fashioned tape recorder so she can speak her words and them play them back, as a technique for learning in whole new way. With her new approach, Beatrice is able to show her classmates who she really has been all along. Brilliant Bea by Mary Vukadinovich and Shaina Rudolph is an endearing and empowering story that demonstrates that a learning difference like dyslexia doesn’t define who you are. Read an excerpt from Brilliant Bea that explores dyslexia and its treatment. See Magination Press books about learning differences.  Hear Brilliant Bea read aloud by Mary Vukadinovich.

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Brilliant Bea 2022-03-08T17:12:13-05:00

Brilliant Bea and Dyslexia

“A child with dyslexia gains confidence in herself… Appropriately, said text is set in a readable, sans-serif type to support dyslexic readers who might encounter her story… Affirming and helpful.” says Kirkus Reviews about Brilliant Bea by Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich. This adapted excerpt from the Reader’s Note by Ellen B. Braaten, PhD, explores dyslexia, its diagnosis, and treatment. Brilliant Bea provides readers with an insightful glimpse into the emotional journey and experiences of a young, creative, and yes, brilliant young reader named Bea, with dyslexia. Bea helps the reader understand the typical challenges experienced at school...She describes reading as a mix of slow motion and fast-forward and says that the words “jump around on the page.” What is dyslexia? Children with dyslexia have difficulty accurately and fluently reading words. A few decades of research have shown that phonological processing is the specific problem that underlies dyslexia. Phonological processing is another way of saying phonics skills--the skills involved in understanding the rules by which sounds go with letters and letter groupings...Children with dyslexia have difficulty perceiving the individual sounds in words, and therefore have trouble with the task of breaking words down to sound them out for reading or spelling. What might symptoms of dyslexia look like in young children? Children with dyslexia do not have an event in their past, like an accident, that caused dyslexia and for the most part, their early development is normal. However some children show problems pronouncing words or have speech delays in early childhood. By first or second grade they typically show problems learning to read. In fact, the problem might be evident as early as kindergarten in that they may have difficulty learning the alphabet or letter sounds. Dyslexia has a strong genetic component and tends to run in families.  How can I find out if my child has dyslexia? An evaluation for dyslexia is typically provided by a psychologist, who completes a test battery tailored to a child’s age and level of education. The evaluation needs to establish that there is a reading problem by evaluating reading decoding, phonetic processing, spelling, and comprehension skills. A comprehensive evaluation will also typically include a measure of intellectual or problem-solving abilities, measures of general language functioning, and other academic areas. It is important to note that no single test can provide a diagnosis of dyslexia. The diagnosis can only be made after a comprehensive battery of tests have been completed. It is the overall pattern that is important, which can look very different depending on the child.   What are the treatments for dyslexia? Two areas are important in treating dyslexia: remediation and accommodation.  Remediation is about helping kids get the skills they need to be competent readers. There are fortunately a number of proven reading methods for teaching children how to read, and they all have a few things in common.  They are multisensory in the approach (using many senses, such as visual cues, touch, visual skills).  They are sequential in

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Brilliant Bea and Dyslexia 2021-11-09T17:15:13-05:00

Resources for Learning Differences

October is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month Magination Press has more than twenty books to support your child with learning differences, from preschool through college. Here’s a small selection: Picture Books Brilliant Bea by Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich is an endearing and empowering story that demonstrates that a learning difference like dyslexia doesn’t define who you are. Despite her struggles with reading and writing, Beatrice is a natural and brilliant storyteller. This book is set in EasyReading, a dyslexia-friendly font. My Wandering Dreaming Mind by Merriam Sarcia Saunders. LMFT provides a “positive scaffold [that is] a hopeful launch pad for progress…. This fills a needed bibliotherapy niche for families, therapists, and school counselors…. A positive spin for all those who struggle with executive function and those who love them.” —Kirkus Reviews Hear My Wandering Dreaming Mind read aloud. Read a post about supporting a child with attentional issues featuring an excerpt from the Note to Parents and Caregivers from My Wandering Dreaming Mind. My Whirling, Twirling Motor by Merriam Sarcia Saunders, LMFT “reinforces that [the child's] being overactive and impulsive is not intentional and does not make him bad. The young narrator eventually internalizes his parents' focus on his accomplishments, rather than his challenges, and he wonders what positive things he will do tomorrow...A must-have for young readers with any type of behavior difficulty and their caregivers.” —School Library Journal (Starred Review) Books for older kids The Homework Squad’s ADHD Guide to School Success by Joshua Shifrin, PhD, is an easy-to-use guide that will help with key study skills to improve reading, writing, math, listening, memorization, concentration, and more! Bite-sized tips and tricks, journal prompts, and advice for challenges help kids with ADHD recognize how they learn best and act on that knowledge. This accessible, straightforward, and relatable guide to key study skills for kids with ADHD features a cast of characters with ADHD to enliven the lessons. The author covers an array of areas where kids with ADHD might struggle academically to help kids recognize how they learn best and act on that knowledge. Read an excerpt from The Homework Squad’s ADHD Guide to School Success here. Putting on the Brakes: Understanding and Taking Control of Your ADD or ADHD, Third Edition by Patricia O. Quinn, MD, and Judith M. Stern, MA  continues to be the go-to resource for kids with AD/HD. This essential guide — celebrating its 20th year in print — is loaded with practical ways to improve organization, focus, attention, time management, and scheduling, as well as studying and homework skills. Importantly, kids will also find strategies for making friends, controlling emotions, and being healthy. Putting on the Brakes gives kids with AD/HD the tools they need for success in and out of school and a plan to manage all types of attention disorders. Learning To Slow Down And Pay Attention: A Book For Kids About ADHD, Third Edition by  Kathleen G. Nadeau, PhD, and Ellen B. Dixon, PhD is packed with practical tips, know-how,

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Resources for Learning Differences 2021-10-19T12:45:22-04:00