Homeschooling and Dyslexia: Part 1 National Awareness Month, Research, Myth Busting

This is the face of dyslexia.

So is this.

...and this

...AND this

Yes, the author of our independence, as well...

If you or someone you love does not have the gift of dyslexia,

 you may not have been aware that these highly accomplished individuals 
think, learn and process information differently than non-dyslexics.
So too, did Michael Farraday, Pierre Curie,  Pablo Picasso,
General George Patton and many
 many more in a  diversity of  fields.
It's key, of course that kids realize,
 especially this as they struggle through the day to day.

For an extensive list of
well known dyslexic individuals, please click here.

October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month here in the USA. 
As the Mom of
a very bright, articulate, literate, artistic, 
theatrical kid who thinks sooooo far out of the box,  
I have found that many many people are still plagued
by myths.

And sadly, that there is still an extreme stigma attached to dyslexia.

What are some of the signs associated with dyslexia?  Although, my son exhibits ( ed) only about half of these~

• Difficulty learning to speak
• Trouble learning letters and sounds
• Difficulty organizing written and spoken language ( expressive )
• Trouble memorizing number facts
• Difficulty reading quickly enough to comprehend
• Trouble persisting with and comprehending longer reading assignments
• Difficulty spelling
• Trouble learning a foreign language
• Difficulty with math operations

Many still falsely believe that dyslexics are slow learners or, even worse, 
are  behavior "problems."
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
And in fact, dyslexia affects people of
all intellectual backgrounds.

AND dyslexic symptoms, though they are very hard to specifically diagnose,
are exhibited by 1 in 7 people.
For more please visit the
International Dyslexia Association. 


Even some of our friends and family speak condescendingly to and
 inaccurately  about our son, when in actuality, he is truly 
the most  caring, diplomatic and insightful individual
 my husband, our older son, and I have ever  known.

You know of which I speak, if you, too, parent a dyslexic child.




Though I don't agree with the term "non impaired," preferring instead "non dyslexic,"
the following diagram illustrates a clear  comparison 
of the brain of a dyslexic 
with that of a non dyslexic
 in terms of neural pathways
 along which information is processed.
Illustration and further research by Dr Sally Shaywitz can be found here.






By trade, many of you know, I was a reading teacher turned
 classroom teacher for 
a total of 13 years in city and suburban schools
before becoming a 
Mommy....turned homeschooler.
We're now in our ninth year of home educating our kids
with a 13 and a 10 year old
and every day I learn more and more about
the learning process.
Here in my space this month, I'll share resources, encouragement 
and a few modifications that
I have used in my years as a classroom teacher and most importantly
as a homeschooling mommy that have aided in
our path down this road called dyslexia.

Please join in and comment!
I know you  have valuable experiences.....
We are all  enriched and encouraged  by one another.

Thank you for visiting, friends!

Friends, as always,  

thank you for stopping over and 
spending some of your precious time here at my home on the web!

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{Part 2 of my dyslexia series, 

What Dyslexia Isn't ,
 can be found here}

Until next time,

~Chris