Dyslexic Kids

Sites in addition to Amazon Prime that provide free Kindle books:
http://www.savingsmania.com/savings-tips/2013/1/7/free-kindle-books-7-web-sites.html

LetterSchool handwriting app was named the best younger children’s app at CES (Consumer Electronics Show). Check out the description and screen shots. What do you think? Would it be helpful to children with dyslexia?
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/letterschool/id435476174?mt=8

Heartbreaking story of a dyslexic child being bullied because of his dyslexia.
http://swns.com/news/parents-dyslexic-boy-9-sue-top-prep-school-bullied-years-29762/

Interview with Shane Lynch discussing how he hid his dyslexia as a child and as a young adult.
http://www.cloudlynch.co.uk/#/this-morning-070113/4572500700

To watch the full 44-minute video about Shane’s experiences in getting tested, go to:http://www.cloudlynch.co.uk/#/my-secret-past-070113/4572500728

Nuance, makers of Dragon Naturally Speaking and other speech-to-text and text-to-speech products, has announced Project Wintermute, a personal assistant to compete with Apple’s Siri and Google Now.

Wintermute will work across all platforms - Apple, Android, Windows, even your television and car. If you have an iPhone and a Windows computer, for example, the cloud-based assistant will follow you across the two operating systems.

Sesame Street has teamed up with Qualcomm and Vuforia to create a unique and fun interactive app that uses OCR (optical character recognition) to help children read. Take a look:
http://www.qualcomm.com/media/videos/big-birds-words-demo-reel-video

What do you think? Does the quality of the available reading material affect a young person’s motivation to fight through the dyslexia?

http://edge.ascd.org/_Teaching-Reading-Means-Teaching-Students-to-LOVE-Reading/blog/6497305/127586.html

Dyslexia: An Unwrapped Gift video series

part 1 (9 1/2 minutes):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngl_II8TtGk

part 2 (10 minutes):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfyrHaR3yOY

Last night, I had the honor and privilege of assisting the Dyslexia Institute of Indiana with their first Kids’ Group meeting in Indianapolis. It warms my heart when organizations like DII recognize the need for groups like this. While there is no denying that parents and educators need support groups, it is the children who are most in need of support, and the realization that you are not alone makes such a difference! My hat is off to DII for their outstanding efforts!

Submission from Jessica Frasier Badgett of the Dallas Branch of the International Dyslexia Association: I am on the board for the Dallas Branch International Dyslexia Association and we’d like to share milestones of individuals with dyslexia at our conference, Celebrating Milestones, this February. Could you post for people to share their milestones whether small or large? We will keep all responses confidential and not include any names. Thanks!!

To submit your milestone, go to: http://www.dbida.org/assets/2012/DBIDA-Banner-Flag-Instructions-Template.pdf

Did you know that every state has a federally funded organization like Easter Seals Crossroads (http://www.eastersealscrossroads.org/assistive-technology) dedicated to providing access to assistive technology?

With over 1500 assistive technology items ranging from smartpens to iPads and laptops, Easter Seals’ free lending library (yes, free!), allows you to try different assistive technologies in your home for up to 3 months to determine which type best serves your needs. Each of us is unique, so it stands to reason that each of us will respond differently to each type of assistive technology. Training and demonstrations are also provided free of charge, along with podcasts and a host of other resources. I would encourage you to check out Easter Seals Crossroads or the equivalent organization in your state.

The link to their assistive technology page is above. Here is the link to their podcasts:

http://www.eastersealstech.com/

Listen to this wonderful description of words by someone with dyslexia:

“Before Grade 1, reading was a way to get interesting stuff into my brain… Words often speak to me. They can sing or flutter, take on a little life of their own. I can sit and watch them, my mind flying all over the place and making interesting connections. As you can imagine, these were not explanations you could give to a teacher…

Then came Dick and Jane. Every little word in those books was equal, and nothing ever happened. The world was diminished; it disappeared down a black hole. Letters became meaningless symbols whose order was paramount since they had only one way of functioning. They tyrannized my life for 12 years and inconvenienced me forever.”

For the complete article, go to:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/facts-and-arguments/dyslexias-hidden-pleasures/article7012001/

I’m starting a Dyslexia Support Community consisting of a variety of organizations and individuals dedicated to providing information, support and encouragement to people with dyslexia. It is open to the public; anyone can join. You can check it out here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/116491368983641787184