Notes On Alphabet Soup And Its Effects On My Education

The BDA Dyslexia Friendly Schools Pack for Teachers (2009) provides an overall guide of what dyslexia is and how a dyslexia friendly school should be delivering education to the dyslexic learner. The writers begin with a definition of dyslexia stating that “dyslexia is a learning difference, a combination of strengths and weaknesses”. This is an informative definition as opposed to the recommendation of Norwich et al (2005) that exemplary schools should promote an inclusive school system whereby dyslexia is considered but not in isolation. The BDA (2009) state that importance ought to be

From the time when I was a little boy, growing up in Graves County, Kentucky, I have had problems with my reading and writing. Things never seemed to click for me, a trait that the teachers attributed to a mild case of dyslexia mixed with a healthy dose of attention deficit disorder. I knew, however, that no disorder was the cause of my distaste of reading and writing. Rather, there was nothing really interesting surrounding me that would grab my interest in the classroom. The teachers I encountered never took any interest in what their students wanted to read or write; they developed assignments based on what the curriculum, a course of study developed by some politicians at the Board of Education, told them to

Within the past year, teachers at my little sister’s school have started suspecting that she may have dyslexia. She has yet to be tested, but it will be happening soon. She has always had issues with reading, but never thought this would be why. However, if the tests come back, and they do say that she has dyslexia, that is not going to hold her down. She will still be able to conquer anything that she sets her mind to. Having a disability does not hold any person back from being able to succeed anything they want to. With the proper help, instruction and motivation, any student with a disability can be successful. Being different does not make you incapable. That is also something that I got from the PowerPoints.

I’m a senior at the University of South Carolina Upstate and have been diagnosed with dyslexia since childhood. This label could have caused for a disastrous college experience, but there has always been something in myself pushing beyond the stigma.

Ever since I was young, I knew something was different about me. I’ve always had an active imagination and would write all kinds of stories, sometimes through pictures and sometimes through words. Not until I was in first grade did I notice my writing was different than my friends. It didn’t bother me though because I was too young to realize something was wrong; I was just different. One weekend, after playing restaurant with my mom and brother, my mom contacted my teacher to talk about some concerns she had with my reading and writing. She was told that I seemed to be progressing on an age-appropriate level with my peers and that nothing appeared to be wrong. But my mom persisted, and insisted that I be tested for a reading disability. My dad is dyslexic and my mom, knowing it can be passed down, was watching for the signs in my older brother first and now me. After testing, one of SV’s school psychologists announced that my results showed I had a learning disability. I then went to my pedestrian to talk about it and then to a special learning center in Sewickley for further

When I was in third grade, my grades began to drop for no reason. My parents had thought that I just needed to get my eyes checked out. I later found out I have Dyslexia and ADHD. I went to a private elementary school where everyone got straight A’s. I was the complete opposite; I got

I am a student that has had to work hard for as long as I can remember in achieving my goals, dreams, both personal as well as academically. After many years of testing, I was diagnosed with dyslexia in my sophomore year of high school. Dyslexia is a congenital language process disorder. It can hinder reading, writing, spelling and sometimes speaking. Dyslexia is not a sign of poor intelligence

The driving forces behind SB 866 include persons from both public and private sectors. Individuals testified to the Interim Committee on Dyslexia and Related Disorders in what dyslexic students need to be successful academically. Testimony was heard from educators at the college level, parents of dyslexic students, doctors familiar with dyslexia and related disorders, medical researchers, members of professional dyslexia organizations, and state officers (Texas Legislature Online, 2011). Each spoke of their experiences with individuals with dyslexia and related learning disorders, medically, personally, and academically and each was chosen for their research and knowledge as it pertains to this very specific field (T. Flanders, personal communication, August 30, 2011). Absent from the agenda were teachers and dyslexia therapists within the public school system (Texas Legislature Online, 2011).

” I told you, you were stupid”, said John Almy’s mother in his story “Alphabet Soup”. This is a point in the author’s life that haunted him forever and made him think he could never succeed in school. Many students may have similar episodes in life that have discharged them from doing well academically. I have had some low points in my own past but today I am determined to earn success by working hard and learning from my mistakes.

In Learning Outside the Lines, Jonathan Mooney expresses what it was like growing up with Dyslexia throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. This proved difficult to him because during this time many public schools lacked the resources to help children like Jonathan, with their disabilities. Mooney writes in his book detailing constant narratives scattered throughout his schooling in which teachers and administrators would put him down and tell him that he was of below average intelligence. Mooney would express that at a young age in second grade, he would hate going to school because his teacher, Mrs. C, would constantly shame him for not being able to read and spell like the rest of the children. They placed him in a lower reading circle with other struggling students while he was teased by the other kids with higher reading levels. He was treated differently because he was different, but the school did not have the awareness to understand that he

Several studies have shown that when dyslexia is undiagnosed, it can cause a lot of frustrations and anxieties in the individuals involved (Riddick & Edwards as cited in Glazzard, 2012). Dyslexia is a ‘hidden’ disability, as there are no obvious external signs for people to recognize (Riddick as cited in Glazzard, 2012). It is not like some other disabilities, as for example down syndrome, or cerebral palsy which people can recognize from the moment they see them. People can get confused and assume different reasons for the children’s poor performance in school. That is why, when dyslexia is undiagnosed, the characteristics like ‘stupid’, ‘thick’, and ‘lazy’ are commonly used to describe students with dyslexia. People who are not aware about dyslexia cannot find any other explanations for them who are not doing well at school. Lack of assessment may result in low self-esteem compared to non-dyslexic students (Humphrey as cited in Glazzard, 2012 ). On the other hand, lack of appropriate help and support can have long-term effects for people with dyslexia when reaching adulthood (Morgan & Klein,

First, Ruth’s presentation about dyslexia was very intriguing to me because it gave me the opportunity to dig deep into a topic that is currently very controversial at my school. That is, I have three students who are struggling readers that the Special Education teacher believes are showing signs of dyslexia. However, in my work with all three students, I noticed one or two struggles, but I don’t think it’s enough to start announcing that these students are dyslexic. For example, one common struggle is that they sometime replace the letter “d” with the letter “b.” But apart from that struggle, when I provide reading support to these students, they perform just as well as their peers in regards to sounding out words and phrases. Thus, after Ruth presented, I wanted to know more about dyslexia, so I asked, “is there different levels of dyslexia such as mild, moderate, and severe?” To my surprise, the professor responded, either you’re dyslexic or you’re not; there is no in-between. As I am now reflecting on this experience in class, I now have another question that is nagging at me: considering everything I’ve said about these three young ladies, do you think it’s possible that these students are dyslexic? Truth be told, I also struggled with distinguishing between the letters “d” and “b” as a child, but I don’t think I’m dyslexic; so what’s the next

Melissa Doyle is known best for her role as a co-host on the morning to show sunrise, she has over 18 years of expertise up her sleeves, and even after leaving sunrise she is still the main face of the Sunday night show. The working mum Melissa Doyle who happens to be on TV voices herself in her novel “Alphabet Soup” relating herself to everyday people and saying that she isn’t superior to anyone else and has a normal busy and fulfilled life just like everyone else.

Dyslexia is a lifelong struggle with constant challenges with reading and speaking. About five to ten percent of the United States population deals with the learning disorder dyslexia (Van den Honert, n.d.). It is a neurological condition that is mainly caused by genetics but there are some rare cases in which it is acquired. Dyslexia interrupts the normal processes of reading and speaking (Van den Honert, n.d.). All of which are used in daily life and this makes life and school so much harder for dyslexics. They must learn to live with the condition for their entire life and there is not really a treatment for it. With the constant struggle and reminder of their

Growing, developing and learning are the facts of life for all children. Each day children are faced with many new concepts and various challenges. Can you imagine how it feels for a child to face not only new challenges life has, but to face these challenges while living with a learning disability? These challenges are met not just when they begin school either. Students suffer from learning disabilities from the moment they begin learning, not when they start school. Learning disabilities are real and they affect millions of people. “One such disability that affects over approximately 15 percent of the total American population is dyslexia” ( Nosek 5).