Teaching Tips
When Orton-Gillingham Isn’t Enough
Several years ago, one of our kids was majorly struggling with learning to read, despite 3 years of intense professional Orton-Gillingham (OG) reading instruction. In fact, at 11-years-old, he was still struggling to do much more than sound out three letter words! It...
Visual Processing and How it Affects Learning
Does your child think that a square and a circle look the same? Does he bump into things, spill things, or seem unaware of where objects are in relation to his body? Does he skip words or entire lines when reading, or read the same sentence over? All...
Auditory Processing and Learning Struggles
Do you have a child that has trouble following directions, keeping up with conversations or understanding jokes, or has trouble with reading, spelling, speaking, or rhyming? These could be a sign of auditory processing weakness or auditory processing disorder which...
What is Executive Function Weakness?
What is Executive Function? Executive Function refers to the set of mental skills that help people plan, organize, remember things, prioritize, pay attention and get started on tasks. They also help people use information and experiences from the past to solve current...
Working Memory and Learning Struggles
Do you have a child who fails to follow directions despite repeated instruction, has difficulty staying on task, has a poor attention to detail, or often looses track of their belongings? Weak working memory may be at the root of their struggles. What is Working...
How Teaching Advanced Phonemic Awareness Boosts Reading Fluency
One of my goals for this year is to read more. Not with my kids - but for my own learning! Coincidentally, I have stacks of books around our house that have been recommended to me as a dyslexia tutor/advocate. I'm plowing through some of these now by reading a little...
Are You Struggling Teaching Writing This Year?
Parents can struggle teaching writing to kids with dyslexia because although our kids usually have lots of creative ideas and could talk all day about them, the ability to write and spell those amazing words is often limited. Personally, I have often struggled...
Homeschool Reading Prep: How to Plan for a Great Year of Reading
You've done the research. You've chosen your homeschool reading curriculum. How can you best prepare to use the information and tools you've acquired to have a great year of reading? Teaching reading to kids with dyslexia isn't exactly easy, but spending an hour now...
What to do When Reading Lessons Take ALL Day!
Teaching reading to kids with dyslexia, especially a houseful of kids with dyslexia, can seem to take all day. Here are my top tips for getting more done and making time for some extras. We've all been there. We've done the research, purchased the curriculum, and...
Orton-Gillingham Reading Lesson & Free Printable Planner
If you prefer to listen to this post, click the player below: Of all reading programs, Orton-Gillingham has the most research to support its effectiveness with dyslexic learners. Over the course of our 20-year journey teaching kids with dyslexia to read, learning...
How to Avoid the Summer Slide in Reading
As a homeschool mom, I'm pretty sure I look forward to summer break as much as my kids. The problem with this is that I know from experience that if I stop teaching my kids with dyslexia for too long, they're going to forget as much as 30% of what they've learned this...
10 Ways to Help Kids Overcome Math Anxiety
For kids who struggle with math - the ones who have trouble with math no matter what they try - it is not uncommon to feel anxiety when even simply thinking about math. As the mom of a handful of kids who struggle with math, sometimes called dyscalculia, I have...