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Proud to Be Dyslexic | Dyslexia Inspirational Story

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:43:40 +0000

Having been branded a dunce at the age of six, Antonio Farruggia left school virtually illiterate. He’s now close to completing a PhD on a subject close to his heart – dyslexia. Tom Henry meets this remarkable man who has embraced dyslexia and made it his great strength.

From Dunce to Degree | Dyslexia Inspirational Story

admin — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 13:20:17 +0000

Birmingham Evening Mail, The Life Mag. 16.04.00 by David Jones Share Education experts have made great strides in the teaching of dyslexic children, but understanding of the condition has been a long time coming. Birmingham youth worker Antonio Farruggia tells DAVID JONES how he conquered his dyslexia to gain a degree “I WAS in my [...]

The Cure for Dyslexia

admin — Mon, 03 May 2010 09:50:55 +0000

I often get asked if it is possible to cure dyslexia to which I generally reply “No”. I reply “No” not because a cure for dyslexia doesn’t exist […], but simply because such a question implies that ‘dyslexia’ stems from some form of ‘deficit’, ‘abnormality’, or some other form of ‘less than normal state of functioning’ that exists within the individual.

Confidence Building in Dyslexic Children

admin — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:40:38 +0000

With sequencing difficulties, any form of writing or math/s is going to present severe problems, and the dyslexic child cannot fail to notice that almost all of the other children are able to do the work which he or she finds so hard.

Malcolm | Dyslexia Inspirational Story

admin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:46:17 +0000

Share As with many ‘dyslexics’ Malcolm’s experience of the British education system was not a good one. Before being labeled as ‘dyslexic’ Malcolm’s lack of concentration was a concern and a mystery to his parents. At the age of seven his parents paid for him to be assessed at the Dyslexia Institute. In Malcolm’s own [...]

Overcoming Dyslexia as an Obstacle to Success

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:14:37 +0000

FAMOUS PERSON OBSTACLES EXPERIENCED Jamie Oliver Famous chef and celebrity Was put in the ‘stupid row’ when at primary school; later, as an unemployed and struggling single parent, wrote on scraps of paper in a local café. F W Woolworth Famous for founding the ‘Woolworths’ chain of shops Enjoys writing songs and tried to get into reading but just can’t get into that ‘book thing’. Richard Branson Famous entrepreneur Achieved his greatest work after the age of 46, by which time he was completely deaf. Ludwig van Beethoven A famous composer Being dyslexic has helped him in the business world – he sees some things more clearly than others. Alexander Graham Bell Famous for inventing the telephone in 1876 Didn’t speak until he was four and didn’t read until he was seven. His teacher described him as ‘mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams’. J K Rowling A famous writer Was told by his employers at the shop where he worked that he was not good enough to service customers. Albert Einstein A brilliant physicist Was told after a meeting with the President, “That’s an amazing invention, but who would want to use one of them?” Robbie Williams Famous singer Didn’t do well at school; people thought he was ‘thick’. Source: Senco_Logo

Dyslexia Awareness Week 2009 – Dyslexic Brian Supporting the Cause!!!

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:48:28 +0000

Dyslexia Awareness Week 2009 – Dyslexic Brian Supporting the Cause!!! Its the British Dyslexia Association's Dyslexia Awareness Week from 1st - 7th November 2009. Dyslexic Brian is doing his bit for the Dyslexia Cause – Spreading the WORD via LIVE Radio Shows, Dyslexia Workshops, and Guest Speaking Events. Do your bit too – tell the world about dyslexia and if they need to find out more then tell them to give Dyslexic Brain a call! Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter to receive the latest Dyslexic Brian News Updates. All the best and have a great Dyslexia Awareness Week.

National Dyslexia Awareness Week | November 2009

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:45:21 +0000

Next week is National Dyslexia Awareness Week, and the question posed by Frewen College, the area's only specialist a school for dyslexics, is "Just how aware are you of dyslexia?" Most people think of dyslexia as a problem with reading, spelling, and perhaps comprehension, so assume it cannot be diagnosed until a child is already behind at school. But there are many other symptoms that can alert parents to the possibility in plenty of time to intervene at a much earlier stage. A spokesman for the school said: "Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence, and it can be found across all social and economic strata. Many dyslexics have considerable gifts, but if their difficulties are not identified and addressed early enough these strengths can be swamped by failure and self doubt." Here are Frewen's top ten tell-tale signs of dyslexia that are not reading related. If you can 'tick' three or more, you need to start digging more deeply. 1 There is a strong genetic element to dyslexia, so if there is any family history of dyslexia or reading difficulties, be particularly alert to other warning signs. 2 Being slow to start talking, and then having trouble pronouncing some letters, especially M's and N's, R's and L's. 3 Reversing or mixing up sounds in multi-syllable words (favourites include aminal for animal, hekalopter for helicopter, bisgetti for spaghetti, or even nucular for nuclear!). 4 Trouble with tying shoe laces and getting dressed. 5 Co-ordination problems (excessive tripping, falling over, bumping into things, difficulty with catching or kicking a ball, or clapping a simple rhythm). 6 Difficulty undertaking any task that involves a sequence of actions, such as 'do this, then do that.' 7 Difficulty learning abstract facts, such as days of the week or months of the year. 8 Very slow to learn the names of letters or sounds, or learning the alphabet. 9 May have walked quite early but did not crawl. 10 An unusually high number of ear infections.

DysFest dyslexia awerness week film festival | November 2009

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:54:23 +0000

Exploring dyslexia from a f...resh new perspective. DysFest Is the first dyslexia awerness week film festival. That'll take place in London from the 2nd to the 6th of november 2009.

From car mechanic to teacher | Dyslexic Inspirational Story

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:13:47 +0000

Birmingham Evening Mail published on August 18th 2005 "TEACHING has changed so much over the years," are the opening words from Paul Reid, a 39 year old from Perry Barr, when you ask him what he thinks of his new career. "I really struggled when I was at school. It was differrent back then and admitting you had a problem understanding something wasn't easy.'" Paul was a car mechanic for 15 years before suffering from arthiritis and decided to change career. "I loved mechanics so much that I decided that I wanted to teach others how to do it," he explained. Paul enrolled on a City and Guilds Further Education Teaching Course at Josiah Mason College in order to acquire the necessary skills and gain a teaching qualification. Paul decided to go all the way and since completing his course he has progressed on to a Certificate in Education, a university qualification delivered at JMC in partnership with University College Worcester, which will make him a fully qualified full time teacher. Shortly after embarking on this journey, he was offered a job as a mechanics tutor at Greensprings Training. To find out more, write to us or come to our Dyslexia discussion groups.

Learning disabilities, a silent struggle | By Jay Balagna

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:00:45 +0000

When Eric Thornley was five years old, he was diagnosed with dyscalculia, a specific learning disability that inhibits a person’s learning of math. Coupled with a speech impediment, he quickly fell behind the other children in his class. The now-19-year-old history and international affairs major is forced to spend more time studying and working on assignments than the average student. “I’m not like the typical college student where I sign up for a fraternity and go out and party,” Thornley said. “I have to spend a lot more time on my schoolwork to keep up.” Thornley is one of more than 400 students at the University of Nevada, Reno with a diagnosed learning disability, according to information from the Disability Resource Center. Students with learning disabilities make up the second-highest portion served by the Disability Resource Center after psychological disabilities, Mary Zabel, the center’s director, said. The psychological disabilities include attention deficit disorder, accounting for the higher number, Zabel said. UNR’s learning disability rates largely fit with the national trend. Specific learning disabilities are neurological disorders that affect a person’s ability to learn in various ways. “Learning disability” is an umbrella term used to refer to a number of different disorders, said Christine Cheney, a professor of special education at UNR and the chair of the education specialties department. Included in the list of learning disabilities are dyscalculia; dyslexia, a reading and language-based disorder and dysgraphia, a writing-based disorder, as well as other, less-common handicaps. Most people with learning disabilities are given a general diagnosis and not told which disorder they have, Cheney said. “Generally, in the school system, we don’t tend to break it down and just say people are learning disabled,” she said. That approach has the advantage of preventing decreased expectations for a student in any specific area, Cheney said. It sometimes expands those decreased expectations to all subjects, though. “For the most part, people see this as something that can be overcome,” Cheney said. “There is the risk some people will just give up, though.” Thornley said his learning disability affected him through grade school and into college. “When I was younger, my first year of grade school was in a special education program which was a little disheartening,” he said. The next year, Thornley was assigned to a regular classroom but still had to work to succeed in school with his disability. As the years went by, he began to find himself wondering why he couldn’t achieve the high grades his older sister had earned in the same subjects. As he slowly came to terms with his dyscalculia, he began to realize he would have to start taking more responsibility for his education if he wanted to succeed later in life. “Lowered expectations can often be a problem (for students with learning disabilities),” Cheney said. “Sometimes families and teachers can help too much and students can kind of get a learned helplessness.” Those feelings of helplessness keep many students with learning disabilities from college educations, she said. “There are a lot of capable students out there and the message is getting to them more and more that college is an option,” Cheney, whose son has a learning disability and is a UNR graduate, said. While Thornley tries to do as much as he can on his own, he still needs help in some areas. His freshman year, he took a year-long Math 120 class offered through the Disability Resource Center. Now that his math requirement is completed, he uses only the alternative testing and note-taking services offered through the center. The alternative testing is the same test given in the classes, but in a longer allotted time period and in the Disability Resource Center, Thornley said. Another student in the same class provides the note-taking service by agreeing to take his own notes on carbon-copy paper in exchange for a $100 stipend toward the next semester’s tuition, Zabel said. Note-takers are screened by the Disability Resource Center to make sure their handwriting is legible and they are not on academic probation, she said. The money automatically is reduced from the following semester’s tuition.