Dyslexia Octopus Blog
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Hi, I'm Beth. Seven years ago, when I discovered my son had dyslexia, I had a 'light-bulb' moment and understood this explained many of my own difficulties. Ever since I've been on a mission to discover the best ways to wrestle with what I like to call the dyslexia octopus.
Dyslexia Octopus Blog
1M ago
Kinesthetic learning, also known as hands-on or physical learning, is a learning style often suited to children with dyslexia. Learning Pathways
Our senses—touch, sight, hearing, taste, and smell—are how our body captures information about our surroundings. For example, scent is potent at evoking memories. Every time I smell jasmine, I’m transported back to the porch of my childhood home, which had a sizeable potted jasmine.
In teaching reading and spelling, the three main senses we use are:
Sight (the visual pathway)
Hearing (the auditory pathway)
Touch (the kinesthetic pathway)
Although yo ..read more
Dyslexia Octopus Blog
6M ago
Self-care tips often drop to the bottom of a parent’s to-do list, yet author Maree Davis wants this to change.
I write this in October, near the end of the school year here in the Southern Hemisphere. When my son Harry was younger, I was always on my knees by this point in the year (as was he). With this in mind, I thought I’d share some tips by an author whose book, ‘You Matter, Too: Self-Care for Parents of ADHD Kids,’ scored this five-star review on Amazon.
“Maree’s book gives mothers a place to meet without judgement, to bare their insecurities and exhaustion, to find peace in loving them ..read more
Dyslexia Octopus Blog
6M ago
Why did we have to wait so long for the audiobook about dyslexia? Finally, my audiobook about dyslexia is available.
Here is a teaser.
https://dyslexiaoctopus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/DWO_teaser-sample-Made-by-Headliner-8.mp4
The cost of hiring a voice artist and creating the finished audio ran into thousands, so I didn’t release the audiobook at the same time as the paperback and ebook.
Ever since the launch of my book, Dyslexia. Wrestling with an Octopus, I’ve had numerous requests for an audio version, and the narrator, Naomi Barton, has done a fantastic job in bringing the book to l ..read more
Dyslexia Octopus Blog
7M ago
Parents, worried about encouraging their children to use audiobooks for ear reading, sometimes ask me if using them is cheating.
I assure them audiobooks are fantastic for people with dyslexia, and their children are definitely not cheating. However, there are some things to bear in mind with ear reading.
Access to information is what matters
I first came across the term ‘ear reading’ in 2017 when I read Ben Foss’s The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan.
In chapter six of his book, Ben explains that information is like water, which can be liquid, ice or steam.
“The knowledge in a conventional book is l ..read more
Dyslexia Octopus Blog
7M ago
“I don’t want to go back to school.” What do you hear from your child at the start of the year? In the 11 years Harry has been a pupil, the beginning of the year has always been stressful, so I feel it is time to improve things (better late than never). Yet again, Harry is considering changing schools: new school = stress.
I believe the different school is a good choice for his final years of education, and therefore I’m doing all I can to support him in this transition.
Nicola Bailey, a parent support specialist, sent me a link to her blog on back-to-school success. You can read the entire ar ..read more
Dyslexia Octopus Blog
8M ago
“I don’t want to go back to school.” What do you hear from your child at the start of the year? In the 11 years Harry has been at school, the beginning of the year has always been stressful, so I feel it is time to see if we could improve how we do things (better late than never). Yet again, Harry is considering changing schools: new school = stress. I believe the different school is a good choice for his final years of education, and therefore I’m doing all I can to support him in this transition. Nicola Bailey, a parent support specialist, sent me a link to her blog on back-to-school success ..read more
Dyslexia Octopus Blog
9M ago
Finding your child’s strengths is the key to getting through school and setting them up in a career they will enjoy. This is a big week in our household. Harry turns 18!
Many of his extended family (Harry is adopted; therefore, he has a MASSIVE extended family, including six grandparents) will join us to celebrate the wonder that is this young man.
I’ve decided to use this milestone to reflect on what has made him such a wonderful person. I believe working with his strengths has been a game-changer. After all, why let things you aren’t good at stop you from doing what you excel in?
Finding you ..read more
Dyslexia Octopus Blog
9M ago
Hi, I’m Melissa. Beth asked me to explain how going gluten-free made a difference in our household. I have a daughter and two sons with varying degrees of dyslexia. Going gluten-free improved our family life by 80%.
So how did we go gluten-free?
I accidentally stumbled upon my children’s gluten problems after we’d been on holiday. When the kids were young, we found going on holiday too stressful. Our boys are hard work, and their behaviours mean that being out of our home routines on holiday is often more stressful than it’s worth.
However, when our youngest was eight, my partner and I decided ..read more
Dyslexia Octopus Blog
9M ago
Does your child have reading fluency? Is it easy to understand them when they read aloud, or do they read too slowly or in a choppy tone? What is Reading Fluency? According to Marie Rippel at All About Learning Press:
“Fluency is the ability to read with accuracy, proper speed, and meaningful expression. Fluency is also a significant indicator of reading comprehension. When children can read fluently, it means that instead of using brain power for decoding, they can turn their attention to the meaning of the text.”
Where to Start
My son Harry struggled to learn to read and made all ..read more
Dyslexia Octopus Blog
9M ago
A post about leaving school may seem irrelevant to you if your child is much younger, but believe me, they will be there before you know it.
For my son Harry, leaving school was a relief. Coming after pandemic lockdowns, his final academic year was gruelling. Harry was also battling the effects of glandular fever, which had left him debilitated and lacking energy. As the months went on, more and more of his friends dropped out of school. I used the analogy of rugby, the major sport here in New Zealand, to explain he was in the equivalent of extra time at a game. Giving up school so close to th ..read more