Decoding Dyslexia OH

Today, on International Day of Charity, a day to reflecting on the wisdom and grace of Mother Teresa, a woman whose humility and compassion have always inspired me. Her words, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples,” remind me it’s the everyday kindness we offer that truly makes a difference. She also said “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” Let these simple but profound truths guide you to live a life full of purpose, kindness, and love!

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-flawed-dyslexia-screen-leaves-thousands-of-kids-without-help/

A Flawed Way of Diagnosing Dyslexia Leaves Thousands of Kids without Help Changing how dyslexia is diagnosed could help many more children learn to read

So glad Arnold is being open about his dyslexia challenges!

I could tell you I am fantastic at everything, but I’d be lying.

I just finished recording my audiobook, Be Useful. It comes out October 10. I could tell you how amazing it was to sit down and record my own words, but the truth is, I was absolutely dreading it.

Here’s my secret: I’m a terrible reader. They didn’t talk about learning disabilities in Austria in the 1950s, so most of the time, when I was asked to read out loud in class, it was just a disaster, and I got smacked with a ruler. But now I know that I’m dyslexic.

When I prepare for a movie, I read the script over and over for months until I’ve memorized every line. I need time and reps to get my mind around the words.

They told me authors ready their books in 2 or 3 days at the studio. I asked for the recording equipment at home and told them I’d do 20-30 pages a day. That way I could log in with the director and producer twice a day for shorter sessions and I could practice non-stop in between.

In this process, I used my own lessons.

1. I let myself dread it and complain for a minute, but then I forced myself to get moving, because denial wasn’t going to get it recorded.
2. I did so many reps I couldn’t count. I broke it up into small pieces, knowing that small wins build up into big victories, or in this case, a whole book.
3. I had the help of a fantastic team. My own team, but also the producers and directors Nithya, Danny, and Kris, and Eric who set up the equipment. All of us need help; none of us are self made.

When you listen to the audiobook, I hope you’re inspired, not just by the words, but by the process of recording them. You can pre-order now at BeUsefulBook.com and subscribe to my newsletter if you want stories like this in your inbox at ArnoldsPumpClub.com

Hey my dyslexia family here’s an opportunity to share your story. Friends Of Quinn

Quinn Bradlee, FRSA on Twitter “I am looking for anybody who are young adults and people who are forty and older who have dyslexia and are willing to be interviewed about their lives for my new book. Thank you. :)”

Columbus City Schools in Ohio was the first district in the US to use Reading Recovery. But the ED of teaching and learning told me the district has dropped the program. More on

A popular program for teaching kids to read just took another hit to its credibility Reading Recovery is one of the world's most widely used reading intervention programs for young children. A new study questions its long-term impact.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday: School districts want to have a healthy school culture, but they often do not fully understand they are sending the message that some students are not educable when they refuse to provide a free and APPROPRIATE education and inclusion in all areas when they exclude students with disabilities from equally participating in academics, sports, and extracurricular activities.

(Image: Picture of a tree that is growing and alive on the left half and dying on the right half with a quote from Dr. Anthony Muhammad - on the left half it says "Healthy school cultures develop a collective commitment to student success" and on the right half is the quote "Toxic cultures essentially establish that some students are educable and some are not.")

Being a parent of a child with dyslexia and other disabilities is challenging. This quite is very accurate! (FYI this is written with preferred spelling from the UK)

(Image: drawing of a person sitting with their knees up and their head down and a quote from the book "The Scars of Dyslexia by Janice Edwards - “The parent of a dyslexic faces the continual strain of having to watch helplessly while your child suffers, often while the authorities blame you for the problem, which would be unthinkably brutal with any other form of handicap. Add to this the stress of having to spend huge amounts of time and energy trying to convince teachers and assorted experts that something is wrong and that the child will not just magically develop delayed skills ‘in his own time’ or ‘when he is ready.’ Colour the picture further by imagining the pressure of perhaps a husband who is not convinced, or who has similar difficulties which he feels guilty that he might have passed on, or the nightmare of reliving disastrous experiences of one’s own schooldays. On top of this families find themselves involved in expensive private lessons, independent psychological reports, extra travelling cost, and educational equipment or books to purchase… The endless drag of parents’ evenings where teachers list your child’s academic shortcomings, and tell you off for their behavior; the jibes of other smug parents rejoicing over their child’s advanced reading book to be taken home whilst your child runs out in floods of tears as the only one in the class not allowed a reading book as she cannot even read the cards; long hours spent struggling with an exhausted emotional child over words and symbols, tables and sums, facts and test; the panic over public exams…”)

There are laws written to protect students with disabilities, yet not all educators follow the laws. Unfortunately, students with hidden disabilities are ignored or minimized by educators. If your child is struggling in school academically or emotionally, it may be related to an invisible disability. Getting support from services outside the school can provide you with insight into your child’s needs.

(Image: a child in a wheelchair with a backpack and school books looking up toward large stairs with the school on top. A quote from Dr. Jill Lam~“Not all disabilities are visible. Hidden conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, Autism, anxiety, and depression are disabilities in the education setting. Allowing a student with a hidden disability to struggle when all that is needed for success are appropriate accommodations, and explicit instruction is no different than failing to provide a ramp for a person in a wheelchair.”)