Stanford Report, May 28, 2015 - A Stanford study on brain waves shows how different teaching methods affect reading development. Stanford Professor Bruce McCandliss found that beginning readers who focus on letter-sound relationships, or phonics, increase activity in the area of their brains best wired for reading.
 http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/may/reading-brain-phonics-052815.html


BY MAY WONG

Surprisingly, most public schools do not even use the word, "dyslexia," and if a child is tested for a suspected reading disability, they do not screen for, or ever diagnose dyslexia. 
But what would happen if public schools were willing to start using the "d-word"? A school district in Texas began the process of screening and providing the right kind of intervention for its students and is beginning to see results. This story: What a Successful Public School Dyslexia Program Looks Like, tells the story of one second grader who, in time, started to flourish as a reader, thanks to their efforts. 
WARNING: Helping children with the most severe reading disabilities is NOT a quick fix. Short term intervention programs lasting 12 weeks to 1/2 year are not enough. Please expect it to possibly take a few years. However, with the right, research-based intervention, you will see results. 

This morning I had a craving for a donut.
So I went to my local supermarket and bakery to buy my favorite: the sour cream (a.k.a. sugar rush) donut.

As I was standing in line, I noticed all the flowers for sale just outside the store. That made me think that it would be a good idea to go my local nursery today to buy my flowers, and beat the crazy Mother's Day rush this weekend.
That was a inspired idea. There were no crowds and plenty of flowers that had not been picked over yet.

When I went to pay for the flowers, I discovered my debit card was missing, and realized I probably left it at the bank ATM last night. So I drove to the bank, and sure enough, they had my card!

Driving back home with my ATM card, flowers and donut in tow, I saw that my gas gauge was low. I thought I'd better get gas, since I'm driving into Pittsburgh to meet my husband and go to a Pirates' game tonight. So I filled up my tank and finally drove home, satisfied with everything I had accomplished, all because I was craving a donut.

And who says donuts are bad for you?

Thanks for visiting my blog and enjoying my true story. I am a private tutor and I usually post things to help students and families who are dealing with reading challenges. If you'd like to support my little business by helping us win more technology for students, vote for us in Comcast's #I4E contest by clicking on the Vote Here button above.

Last week, Reading & Dyslexia Tutors learned that we were a regional winner in the 2015 Comcast Innovations 4 Business contest. We were thrilled to have been chosen and we have great plans to improve our Internet tutoring capabilities and other technology-based tools for our students.
Now, we are in the running for the Grand Prize and the opportunity to earn more funds to help students in our area. We need your vote to help make this happen. Please visit www.readingdyslexiatutor.com and select the Vote Here button, then choose us as your vote. Voting runs until May 10th and you may vote 1 time per day. Thank you for your support!

April 27, 2015 - Latrobe-based Reading & Dyslexia Tutors has been selected as a Regional Winner in Comcast Business' Innovations 4 Entrepreneurs 2015 Contest. The Innovations 4 Entrepreneurs Contest selected 32 regional winners, who best explained how they will use the $10,000 prize to invest in technology to improve their ability to enhance their offerings to customers.
One of the key things we offer is live, online tutoring over the Internet. We are looking forward to buying new computers, online tutoring files, training tutors and expanding this service. We now serve families who are too far away to come in twice a week. This summer, we will even have students located in Germany and Brazil, who will be doing online lessons! This service is key for families who need specialized, Orton-Gillingham based instruction. Highly trained tutors can be difficult to find in many local areas. 
We also hope to purchase additional iPads, and other assistive technology devices that will enable our students to access reading and writing at their own level, as we work to improve their skills.
Now, we are in the running for the grand prize award, which will provide us with an additional $20,000 to help students succeed. The opportunities for us to use these monies to develop presentations, video demonstrations, teacher training materials and acquire technology tools to enhance our tutoring are almost endless. You can vote for Reading & Dyslexia Tutors by clicking on this link: Comcast Innovations 4 Entrepreneurs: Vote Now! 

I taught ELL students before I began tutoring students with reading disabilities. The points made in this video are spot on.

Ruby the puppy was excited about her first day of school. But when she found out that most of the other puppies could read, she wondered why it was she found it so hard. Doglexia was written by a girl with dyslexia named Rylie. You will be touched by her story, and also have a better understanding of what a student with dyslexia experiences.
Read it here: Doglexia by Rylie

These 10 apps address a variety of needs for students with learning and attention issues. ModMath provides students with dsygraphia (difficulty writing) a way to practice math without using a pencil. The Voice Dream Reader provides text to speech recognition for students with dyslexia. The Visual Schedule is great for those with executive function and organizational challenges. Don't miss the daily newspaper and the Dyslexia Toolbox. These and other apps are described on New Apps for Kids With Learning and Attention Issues. All of these apps are created for the IOS (Apple) platform.

Many students who have dyslexia, also struggle with dysgraphia, or extra difficulty with handwriting. Thanks to technology, there are some excellent iPad-based apps out there that will help children practice handwriting skills, often while teaching letter recognition, letter sounds and numbers as well. This link to the Top 5 iPad Apps for Handwriting offers excellent and thorough reviews of the best.
If you have your own favorite apps, please leave a comment and share your find!

Tutors needed – Our tutors are trained to provide highly specialized reading instruction using Orton-Gillingham based approaches and materials designed to help students with dyslexia, or others who struggle with learning how to read and spell. We are looking for those with an education-related Bachelors degree or higher, and 1 year experience working with children. Candidates must furnish updated clearances. Qualified candidates are provided with no-cost training, all materials and support as you provide high quality, personalized instruction in a 1 on 1 setting. Tutors will work in the Rt. 30 office or on occasion, local sites.  Depending on your availability, tutoring hours are after school, between the hours of 3-7. This is a contracted, part-time position with opportunity for growth. Free training, ongoing support and materials provided for the right candidates. Make a difference in a child’s life. Email cover letter and resume to: [email protected].