dysTalk Introduce Yourself - General Advice Other - Forum - dysTalk

Dear dysTalkers,

We wanted to give everyone a chance to introduce themselves to one another on the site. So please use this thread to tell everyone a little about yourself.

To get it started, I'm Will - a London based teacher; the co-founder of dysTalk and a general education enthusiast.

Will.

22/03/2009 14:25:23
Will (dysTalk Co-Founder) (Member)

Hi Will,

I have just joined as I am desperate to pass on the success I have had in a main stream school I work in. I started supporting my own son who was statemented over 20 years ago for dyslexia (he couldn't write)As he left for high school where he admitted later he had hated more than primary school I started working as a TA for special needs. For many years experienced,gained an apprenticeship/expertise in ADHD( before and after Ritalin) Autism/aspergers, dyslexia, learning/behaviour difficulties of which I supported for years at a time. Following a course for Dyspraxia I relised my son had suffered with this. For 7 years and 120 children later I have produced a programme of exercises to develop under-developed motor skills on children at an early age(reception age). I allow for imaturity in motors but combine this with processing difficulties. I realised that when children were given a label at 7 + by Occupational therapists it was when every resourse had been exausted and childrens difficulties were imbedded. In 7 years we no longer have labels. We have ''late developers'' who's motor skills are corrected and learning can progress at the same time and they dont get behind and they deffinately don't end up using behaviour strategies to avoid doing work they cant do. I have contacted many of your experts you have talking about Dyspraxia and Dyslexia. Proffessionals/experts are not interested as I am not qualified. I know that my qualification is seeing over 120 children (and more every year) never having to stuggle. I no longer use strategies to cope with the all these special needs difficulties I use a simple,free and preventative method. I talk al over to school and I am passing the message on and more and more children are now on a programme. They are no longer a statistic for failure but for achievement.Google Hazel Carr, Dyspraxia

You are welcome to visit me any time.

12/04/2009 12:25:55
Hazel

Hello Everybody,

I'm Ed Petrosky (www.toolsforstudents.info) and I'm a psychologist who specializes in dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning disability testing.

My interest in assessment is helping students and their parents answer questions that have gone unanswered for a long time, ranging from the dramatic (e.g. ''Why can't my child read?'') to the more subtle (e.g. ''Something is not quite right and nobody has been able to put their finger on it - what is getting in the way of my child learning?'').

I put a lot of emphasis on translating jargon and test scores into everyday language and practical suggestions, something I often find lacking in the field.

I just discovered this site this morning and I look forward to future discussion.

- Ed Petrosky

16/04/2009 14:34:15
Edward M. Petrosky, Psy.D.

Hello all...

I am a new here and hope I can learn with all of you and discuss about anything.

Please welcome me.

Thanks.

19/06/2009 09:47:37
allisonasson

Allison, you are very welcome!

29/06/2009 08:51:06
Will

Hello,

I am new to here. I have Asperger's Syndrome, Minor ASD, LD and Dyslexia. Hope exchange many information in here talking with others. I am 51 in this Sept. 2009, male and am from Tokyo, Japan.

Retired but some job that i can do. Goody

01/07/2009 14:18:34
Goody (Member)

I am a retired professor of Psychology who developed a research program on the neuropsychological bases of learning disabilities.

The main conclusion of this research was that children who have problems in reading (I tend to use the term dyslexia with care.) have difficulty in phonological decoding. This is consistent with the prevailing theory, but I take a different approach to treatment.

We typically use the indirect phonologica route to meaning when we teach reading. Look at the word, convert the printed word to its sound, and from that sound derive its meaning. It is a procedure that worked for me and most children, but we label as dyslexic or reading disabled those children for whom it does not work.

The solution is simple, do not use that approach. This is not another anti-phonics approach because a look-say approach still uses the word to sound to meaning technique.

The purpose of reading to get meaning from the printed word. So if I child can match a printed word with a picture, the child can read that word. If a child can look at text and paraphrase that text in his or her own words, the child can read. Oral reading is a skill that is valued, but it is not the only indication that a child can get meaning from the printed word.

I expect to post more on my ideas and will end this post now. I welcome discussion and can point you to published research that will back up my ideas.

04/07/2009 19:16:29
DigitalDRZ (Member)

Hello I am Trisha, and my youngest boy who is 10 has just been diagnosed as moderately dyslexic.

We were advised to find a tutor for him to help with his spellings and writing however I am struggling to know where to look for one. Is there some kind of register to help me track one down?

Also we were advised to find a touch typing programme for him and wondered if there was anyone programme that stands out as ''the one'' to buy

I am still trying to get my head around the fact that he has spent 6 years in a Primary school that has managed to miss the signs or at least not mention them to me until the Summer term of Year 5.

23/08/2009 13:17:35
Trisha

Hi I'm Joanne, I just found out my friend who is 35 possibly has dyslexia (he's never been tested) and can't read or write so I'm here to find out as much as I can to try and help him.

25/08/2009 13:23:27
Joe (Member)

Hey been looking at this site for ages now and decided i would sign up and spread the word!

I'm clive :)

(please move this if its in the wrong place and bare with me, I'm new!)

23/10/2009 09:38:08
pocketking

Hi my name is Rebecca, I'm 35 and can't believe I've finally found a site that deals with Dyscalculia. I have Dyscalculia and wasn't diagnosed until I was at University, I struggle on a day to day basis with many tasks and have low self esteem and confidence problems because of this. I've noticed that adult Dyscalculics aren't mentioned on this site Has anybody got any help/advice they could offer me? as there's very little information on this subject anywhere it seems. I'm looking forward to speaking to and hearing from others on this site - Glad the word is finally getting out :)

23/10/2009 23:44:25
Bex (Member)

Hallo

I run a Dyslexia Support Service in a small local authority in Scotland.

I am ken to be aprt of a wider conversation about additional support needs,dyslexia in particular.

I blog here: http://hileryjane.wordpress.com/ and (with colleagues)here: http://edubuzz.org/blogs/supportforall/

27/10/2009 13:53:23
Hilery Williams

Hi, I am the mother of a lovely 9 year old boy who has dyslexia. I am also an Occupational Therapist, I have worked with dyspraxic children, many of whom were also dyslexic.

Great to find this website while researching specialist schooling for my son.

18/11/2009 22:43:01
Justine

Hi everybody,

My name is Jeff Tillett, I run a dsylexia assessment outreach service covering Suffolk, Essex and NE London. I also teach the OCR Level 5 and 7 Teaching and Assessing Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) in Stratford (London). Having just come across the site this weekend I am very excited about its potential as a forum for sharing information. My URL is www.dyslexia-assessment.yolasite.com.

22/11/2009 14:59:09
JEFF (Member)

Hello

I trained as a teacher at C.F. Mott College of Education and began my teaching career at a primary school in Abbey Wood, London in 1969. I taught here for 8 years before leaving to have children. I returned to teaching part time in 1989 after a long gap. In 1995 I gained an RSA Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties. I was teaching children either individually or in small groups who had reading and spelling difficulties until I retired in 2005.

Although I found many useful published resources to help the children, very few provided the very small steps and variety of games and learning aids that the children with severe difficulties needed. I started compiling my own resources on the computer after making them by hand for some time. There were then a greater variety of aids and games for children who needed a lot of input for each sound group.

I am a member of Bexley PATOSS [Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties]

My husband bought me a website for my birthday! He knew that I wanted to share my resources with others now that I have retired.

The resources would also be helpful for any pupil experiencing difficulty with reading and writing who would benefit from the small progressive steps. [e.g. Children with general learning difficulties]

Teachers in mainstream primary schools would also find most of the resources very useful for phonic work and the teaching of sight words in the classroom. Many could be used during group reading activities and some for classroom display.

There are example pages from the CD on my website & I can email others.

Secondary/Young Adult Resources

I have just finished adapting the resources to be more suitable for older pupils after requests from teachers at secondary schools, young offender groups & special needs colleges. I have also sent CDs to trainee teachers. I can send examples of these adapted resources if you email me.

www.helpingdyslexia.co.uk

29/12/2009 21:25:14
Mags (Member)

Hello everyone,

I am the mum of two intelligent, bright and beautiful children. My teenage daughter has dyslexia and my 12-year-old son has cognitive dyspraxia and dyscalculia.

My daughter is doing GCSE's and thanks to early diagnosis and intervention is doing well in school -even at English, although she's never going to be able to spell very well. Thank goodness for spellcheck.

However although we've always been aware that there was something different about our son his intelligence got him through junior school ok and it wasn't until senior school that his problems have become apparent. Despite having a high IQ he now struggles in class and his self confidence has plummeted. He's an excellent musician and from somewhere an artistic ability is starting to show itself.

What I'm appalled about is that even all those years ago when my daughter was diagnosed there was a wealth of help available - and along with it lots of positive re-enforcement to show that people with dyslexia can achieve and don't let their problems get in the way of their life.

Dyspraxia however is like some sort of poor relation. It seems, for reasons that I understand because dyspraxia has such a varied range of symptoms, to be very much a poor relation. Little help seems to be available though and people with the problem seem to have a gloomy outlook - with the prospect of mental illness as a real possibility as they grow up. And, if not a life where they will struggle and underachieve despite often being highly intelligent, hard working and creative.

There has to be a way that these very positive traits can be encouraged and exploited.

30/12/2009 12:05:14
anne gould

Hi, newbie here - so bear with me! Our son was diagnosed dyspraxic just after turning 6, mainly due to poor motor skills and failing to sit still/sit up in class etc.

We are told he is a classic case, despite being academically sound, with an excellent reading age etc. Strangely (well, we find it strange!) he can perform some tasks that seemingly require decent motor skills (such as skipping - he can skip 60-70 times on the trot) very well, but with other things, such as riding a bike, tying shoelaces etc, he struggles badly.

We do our best to get him involved in physical activity, as it is clear he has poor muscle tone, and he particularly enjoys football, playing for a little league team every Saturday, and is a good swimmer.

I guess what I wanted to ask was two things:

1: how other parents manage to motivate kids with dyspraxia to tackle the things that cause them difficulties. We try time and time again to get our son to practice things like tying laces, going on his bike, drawing/cutting etc, but have precious little success.

2: how do other parents help their kids deal with comments from other children re dyspraxia. As mentioned, my son plays football (soccer) but obviously finds it a particular challenge, and one or two of the other boys have begun making nasty comments to him about his ability. Should we keep encouraging him to play? At the moment, we've decided to just keep giving him encouragement and wait to see if he wants to continue playing or not.

Sorry for the rambling post - just so many worries and questions! Just to finally say that I couldn't be prouder of my boy, who is just the most loving, funny and good-hearted kid I could ever wish for.

31/12/2009 09:34:08
fazza1970 (Member)

ma name.s emmanuel from nigeria, was drawn to this site cos of the symptoms i feel relates to dyslexia. im glad 2 be a member of the group.

05/01/2010 15:44:07
emmir (Member)

Hello everyone.

My name is Jonathan, currently based in belgium, I am both English and French native language, just wanted to say hello and Looking forward to sharing information with all of you:-)

08/01/2010 16:52:06
Jonathan_white

Hi

My name is Juliet and my 10 year old son who is dyspraxic. Like the rest of the children mentioned on this site, he is very intelligent and is a lovely, happy boy most of the time. He gets very frustrated though and as much as his teachers try to understand him and his problems - it's a real challenge to get them to understand (and I struggle to understand things myself!. I can't believe that I've only just found this site after years of trying to find some support - it is excellent and I now feel that we're not alone in our struggle!! Thank you

13/01/2010 18:58:53
Juliet Morris

Hello, my name is Nelly, I am a 36 years old dyspraxic woman. I am going through the process of diagnosis at the momen. I saw a neurologist last December and will see a neuropsychologist at the end of February. I have joined this forum in the hope to fid any kind of information which could help me to cope with this condtion.

13/01/2010 19:07:36
Nelly Sabdes

Hey people,i was doing some research on dyslexia for a friend of mine who is a slow learner and i came across this site which is a dyslexia center in dubai, and i thought i should share it with you all

Here is the link:

http://www.lexiconreadingcenter.org

14/01/2010 10:23:26
pigtailpundits (Member)

Iam grandma to a dyslexic/dyspraxic grandson now nearly 13 who lives with us with his mother.

We are all struck by the resistance and often arrogant stance taken by Local Education Authorities (and we have been in 3 of them - so no difference) to actually take this child's disability seriously. He has seen a 'specialist' in dyslexia, etc who wrote an extensive and insightful (and expensive) Report which was sent to the school last year. With little response -Boy is intelligent and bright and can read to a reasonable and practical extent but only if it is non-fiction practical or cartoon like. He finds great difficulty in copying work but if given enough time can cope. In times of stress he regresses to a 7-year old response when he just cannot concentrate. Because of the attitude of many of the teachers who berate him (sometimes he needs it!) for not being able to copy quickly enough or able to pronounce some words 'correctly' he is losing interest in all his studies.

I have taught for 25 years at a college of fe when many poor kids from such schools came to us to help what had gone wrong and with patience and understanding we were often able to help up their self-esteem and often their skills - so that they were happy kids who enjoyed being with us. What on earth is going on in our secondary schools so blinded and bound by academic targets that they have forgotten or ignore these children.

We have been asking, without response ever since he started school at 5 years of age for help.

I am VERY pleased to have found this site and would welcome all comments.

Thanks

Jan

25/01/2010 11:43:06
GranJan (Member)

Hi Im Becky and am new to this site i to have a child that is dyslexic,dyspraxic and has ADHD like you GranJan nobody seems to take this disability seriously i have fought for 6years and have the label of being a difficult mum if only they walked in our shoes everyday to see the heartache we suffer and how theses children suffer

maybe they would be a little more forthcoming in there approach

Becky

27/01/2010 13:53:24
Rebecca Hutson

Thank you Rebecca - it is a scandal isn't it - my poor young grandson goes through torments at school - he is sociable and pleasant so it's not with the other pupils it is certain teachers who seem bent on their ignorance of this disability.

Today i have photocopied his Dyslexia report to all his teachers - ready for a meeting they are having on Monday pm. The school Ofsted report was very critical of the school's approach to special needs - so maybe maybe maybe something positive will come of it.

27/01/2010 17:24:11
Jan

Thanks for the reply Jan goodluck in your meeting on Monday if you want there is my scenario a little bit more info on my son in the section about using a laptop at school unfortunately for me the scottish education system is very different to london but i originally came from Abbeywood

27/01/2010 17:37:33
Rebecca Hutson

Hello Everyone,

I am a Learning Difficulties Therapist based in West London. I specialise in using a motor sensory therapy called The Raviv Method that helps cognitive development.

The programme is around 20/24 weeks and is suited to both children and adults with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia and Time management problems.

If you are a parent reading this you may like to jump to this article in the Scotsman on Sunday it gives an honest account of what parents say about this simple therapy and its effectiveness.

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/spectrum/A--programme-t...

Kind regards

Usha

www.ravivpracticelondon.co.uk

21/02/2010 21:31:13
usha