In my last post, I asked the question of whether or not language-based learning difficulties like dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia are learning disabilities that need to be 'fixed' or learning differences that need teaching differences. We also talked about the...
Marianne
Learning Disability or Learning Difference?
Kids with learning difficulties are often labeled as having a learning disability. What if we looked at them instead as having a learning difference? Early on in our days of homeschooling, my creative, entrepreneurial, and dyslexic husband bought a boat, we moved on...
Dyslexia Success Starts With This One Thing
When I first started homeschooling 25 years ago I didn't even know that there were smart people who struggled to learn. School was always easy for me and I was one of the 'good students'. I found it easy to sit still, pay attention, follow directions, and learn in a...
Teach Reading With Dyslexia: Best Orton-Gillingham Resources
A roundup of my best Orton-Gillingham resources. As the homeschooling mom of 7 kids with dyslexia I have tried just about every reading program out there. Once I discovered that the Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach was proven by research to be the best way to teach...
Hi-Lo Books for Struggling or Reluctant Readers
Have you ever told your bored (and dyslexic) kids to go read a book? I know I have! The problem with this advice is that for many struggling readers, reading is still too difficult to be enjoyable. Choosing a few Hi-Lo books (high interest/low readability) for your...
How to Find Free or Inexpensive Dyslexia Tutoring
I’m often asked by parents what to do when they can’t afford a dyslexia tutor. Dyslexia tutoring can be expensive. Here is how to find a free or inexpensive dyslexia tutor.
Homeschool Kindergarten: Curriculum and Methods
When I first started homeschooling I was absurdly anxious about homeschooling Kindergarten. A lot has changed since then. Nowadays when I have a new Kindergartener to teach, I hardly give it a thought because teaching Kindergarten has become simply a natural...
Homeschool Curriculum Choices for High School
The goal of this post is to help you find the best homeschool curriculum for the unique learning needs of the high school student with dyslexia. If you feel like you blinked and your babies are in high school, you're not alone! It is common to feel nervous about high...
Strategies for Teaching Math to Kids With Dyslexia
40-60% of students with dyslexia also struggle with math. Just as with teaching reading, there are effective strategies for teaching math to kids with dyslexia. Why Kids With Dyslexia Struggle With Math There are a several underlying weaknesses that cause kids with...
Late Bloomer or Struggling Learner?
Have you ever been told that your struggling learner may just be a late bloomer? While that is a comforting thought and takes some pressure off of us, it is a common misconception with serious consequences. My boys started annual testing with their educational...
Homeschool Burnout: What you need to know
We all experience homeschool burnout from time to time. I'm not saying that to discourage you. I'm saying that to help you have the right expectations. We all get burned out from time to time. Expect it. What is Homeschool Burnout? Homeschool burnout (or any kind of...
Homeschool Charter Schools and Dyslexia
This article will discuss the pros and cons of joining a homeschool charter school for children with dyslexia. Despite a growing awareness of dyslexia, the traditional school setting continues to fail to offer students with dyslexia the kind of individualized...
What I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Homeschooling
This is my 25th year of homeschooling my outside-the-box, bright-but-struggling, dyslexic kids. I created this site to help other families who are homeschooling their kids with dyslexia who are not so far along the path. I often think back to my early years of...
My Homeschool Success Formula
Are you looking for a formula for success as you homeschool your struggling learners? This is the closest thing you will find to a formula for a more peaceful, purposeful homeschool. To listen to this post, click on the player below. When our family first started...
How Important is Academic Success?
How important is academic success to overall success? The answer may surprise you! We're continuing our 5-days to a more confident homeschool series. Read the entire series starting here. I'm going to start this post with a story - my story actually. It's important...
Help! My Homeschooler is ‘Behind’
One sure way to lose confidence in your homeschool is to worry that your homeschooled child is behind grade level. Welcome back to the 5-Days to a More Confident Homeschool Series! This week we're looking at the things that trip us up and knock our confidence as...
Helping the Discouraged Learner
How our kids react to learning plays a huge part in how effective our teaching is. When our kids are discouraged learners, our teaching is ineffective and this is one of the biggest reasons we lack confidence as we homeschool our kids with dyslexia. Yesterday we...
5 Days to a More Confident Homeschool
Would you like to have a more confident homeschool? When we first started homeschooling 20+ years ago, I had big plans. Yup, my kids were going to be the super kids whose knowledge and educational excellence would set me apart from others. Education had been very...
Meet the New, Improved All About Reading!
Our family has used and loved the All About Reading reading program for years. They just rolled out a new improved edition that I know you're going to love! Have you heard the news? There's a buzz going around the homeschool community about the latest release...
Learn Math Facts Easily With Times Alive
Although 7 of my 8 kids have dyslexia, most of them had little trouble with math, that is until it came time to learn their math facts. Honestly I'm not sure why this is, but I have a few theories: Weak processing and information retrieval make recalling the facts...
How to Teach Sight Words to Kids With Dyslexia
Hello and welcome back to day 4 of our 5-day series on How to Teach Kids With Dyslexia to Read. Â Click here to read the series from the beginning. Today we're looking at an extremely effective way to teach sight words to kids with dyslexia. What Are...
How to Make a Quick and Effective Mid-Year Homeschool Assessment
Feeling off track in your homeschool? Make a quick, mid-year homeschool assessment to put your mind at ease. I talk to a lot of homeschool moms. We come from all walks of life but we all have this one thing in common; we all feel like we're not 'doing enough'....
Dyslexia Success: The 6 Success Attributes Your Kids Need and How to Teach Them
In a 20-year longitudinal study of struggling learners, researchers uncovered six success attributes associated with dyslexia success. The good news is these are all things that you as a parent or teacher can foster in your kids in the day to day. I vividly remember...
Why I’m Thankful for my Kids’ Dyslexia
I realize that this may be a sensitive subject for some of you reading this today. Some of you are new to the world of dyslexia. Maybe you already have a dyslexia diagnosis or maybe your child is struggling and you suspect dyslexia. Maybe you're considering pulling...