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LD OnLine News Headlines

The latest news stories about LD and ADHD.

Is Dyslexia a ‘Superpower’? What Students Want Their Teachers to Know (opens in a new window)

Education Week (subscription)

October 08, 2024

Education Week interviewed five high school students who attend Jemicy School, an independent co-ed school for grades 1-12 in Baltimore that specializes in serving students with dyslexia and related language-based learning differences. The students opened up about their individual journeys with dyslexia, explained what the diagnosis has come to mean to them, and offered some advice for teachers.

Talking to Students About Their Learning Differences: A Guide for Teachers (opens in a new window)

Education Week (subscription)

October 07, 2024

Whether a student has dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, or any other neurodivergent condition that makes learning harder for them, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, it helps for them to have a basic understanding of why they struggle to learn or do things when their neurotypical peers don’t. It can improve students’ confidence and their ability to advocate for themselves in the classroom, which is an especially important skill when they get into high school, college, and the workforce, say experts.

How Much Does Special Education Truly Cost? Finally, an Answer Is on the Horizon (opens in a new window)

Education Week

August 27, 2024

How much do America’s schools spend to provide special education services to students with disabilities? How have special education costs nationwide risen over the last two decades? What is the typical cost of providing services to a K-12 student who has autism, or ADHD, or Down syndrome?

The answer to all of these questions is painfully simple: We don’t know.

AI’s Potential in Special Education: What Teachers and Parents Think (opens in a new window)

Education Week

August 06, 2024

Educators and parents of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities are optimistic about artificial intelligence’s potential to create more inclusive classrooms and close educational gaps between students with disabilities and those without, concludes a report from the Special Olympics Global Center for Inclusion in Education. However, both groups are also concerned about the possibility that AI use in schools could decrease human interaction and that schools with fewer resources could be left behind, the report found.

How To Help Older Students Who Struggle To Read (opens in a new window)

Forbes

May 21, 2024

Reading Reimagined, is a research-and-development initiative aimed at improving reading outcomes for students above second grade, especially those from historically disadvantaged and low-income communities. The project aims not only to fund research in that area but also to bridge the gap between research and practice, coming up with evidence-based solutions.

Hiding In Plain Sight: How Complex Decoding Challenges Can Block Comprehension for Older Readers (opens in a new window)

The Education Trust

May 16, 2024

People often blame smartphones and other digital distractions as the reason why so many kids today aren’t good readers. But the low reading proficiency rates of middle school students predate the advent of the smartphone, so the answer must lie elsewhere. An often-overlooked culprit may be the increasing demands placed on older students’ foundational literacy skills once they must independently read and comprehend complicated, discipline-specific texts.

Rethinking how dyslexia is diagnosed (opens in a new window)

WBUR

May 16, 2024

Dyslexia affects one in every 5 Americans. But only 2 million are diagnosed and receive the help they need. Why? On Point interviews experts Tim Odegard, Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies at Middle Tennessee State University; and Clarice Jackson, founder of Black Literacy Matters, Voice Advocacy Center, and Decoding Dyslexia Nebraska, a nationwide parent support group created to raise awareness about dyslexia.

Students with dyslexia face challenges transitioning to the workplace, but with support they can thrive (opens in a new window)

The Conversation

May 15, 2024

Transitioning from university to the workplace is a critical period in anyone’s life, but it can be especially challenging for students with dyslexia. While academic settings often offer accommodations for people with dyslexia, professional environments often fall short on such support systems.

Fortunately, there are strategic interventions that can be established in workplaces to help individuals with dyslexia not only adapt, but excel in their careers.

‘A Unique Challenge’: What English Learners With Disabilities Need (opens in a new window)

Education Week

May 15, 2024

Students with disabilities face a gamut of challenges when it comes to accessing high-quality K-12 education, including a shortage of specialized teachers. The nation’s growing English-learner population faces outsized needs as their English-language proficiency scores remain lower than pre-COVID-19-pandemic averages, and immigrant English learners in particular require more trauma-informed instruction.

English learners who also have disabilities face their own intersectional issues, researchers and advocates say. They range from schools locking students out of dual-language programs in favor of English-only special education programs, language barriers between schools and families, and teachers ill-equipped to serve their students’ needs.

I’m a Creative Director with Dyslexia, AI Takes My Creativity to Places I Never Imagined (opens in a new window)

Print

May 15, 2024

This guest op-ed is by Gil Gershoni is the co-founder and creative director of Gershoni Creative and the founder of Dyslexic Design Thinking.

In the past, seemingly mundane tasks like sending an email presented a challenge, draining time and mental energy. I would often spend upwards of an hour dictating, reading, re-reading, and asking a colleague to proofread before finally hitting send. Now, with a simple prompt in ChatGPT, my thoughts are magically transformed into clear, concise words. What once took precious time can be accomplished with a click, freeing up my brain to focus on what it does best: bringing ideas and strategies to life that help my clients stay ahead of the curve. 

The Pros and Cons of AI in Special Education (opens in a new window)

Education Week

May 15, 2024

Special education teachers fill out mountains of paperwork, customize lessons for students with a wide range of learning differences, and attend hours of bureaucratic meetings.

It’s easy to see why it would be tempting to outsource parts of that job to a robot.

21 Inclusive Picture Books to Jump-Start Summer Reading (opens in a new window)

School Library Journal

May 03, 2024

School Library Journal has proudly partnered with We Are Kid Lit Collective to share and promote the group’s 10th annual summer reading recommendations. In the next couple of weeks, SLJ will publish individual posts featuring their recommendations for picture books, transitional books, middle grade, and young adult titles. 

Inside a School That Doesn’t Single Out Students With Special Needs (opens in a new window)

EdWeek

April 18, 2024

When students walk into Ruby Bridges Elementary School to start their day, nobody is pulled aside or separated from their peers to receive special instruction.

There’s no need.

Everything at the school—from the seating to staffing—was designed to ensure students with disabilities can learn alongside their peers, transforming what has traditionally been a model of exclusion in U.S. public schools to one of inclusion and belonging.

‘Kids Are Not OK’ Says Mental Health Expert (opens in a new window)

NPR

April 08, 2024

A global pandemic, school shootings, climate change, war: Children and teenagers are experiencing and being treated for unprecedented levels of anxiety and depression. We talk with founding president of the Child Mind Institute, Dr. Harold Koplewicz, about screen time, suicidal ideation, and testing for ADHD. His latest book is Scaffold Parenting: Raising Resilient, Self-Reliant, and Secure Kids in an Age of Anxiety.

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