October is a time to make more people aware of neurodiversity. Don’t forget to look at the ‘Dyslexia’ page on this site for more information and videos (such as the one below from the British Dyslexia Association). Watch and share these videos (including some from famous celebrities) to help promote a better understanding of dyslexia.
The dyslexia-friendly book publishers Barrington Stoke state that they ‘work with the best writers and illustrators to publish super-readable, accessible books that help every child experience the joy of reading’. This week they have launched an updated ‘Home Learning Help Pack’ filled with expert advice, free resources and useful links for parents and carers of dyslexic learners. This pack is available for families to view or download free from the Barrington Stoke website at https://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/books/home-learning-help-pack/?fbclid=IwAR1iRcYtOd_hz00fuX5vG-r7B324Ka1ZfmStqcJoI2BRWei-u_trTHcTSqc.
Join ‘The Phonics Queen‘ on facebook or watch her videos on the YouTube channel. This week Natasha’s new video has been released ‘Making the most out of Nonsense Words’ where she uses nonsense words to ensure accurate decoding, improve articulation skills and develop reasoning skills as shown below……
To celebrate Dyslexia Awareness Month, Nessy are giving away free licenses to their ‘Understanding Dyslexia’ course, to help educators and parents learn more about dyslexia. This training on average takes under one hour, consists of enjoyable videos, a few informal quizes and is really useful. So, if you missed the last offer of this free training I promoted locally, do have a look. Usually training, especially for schools, costs quite a lot, so it is brilliant to get something free. To take advantage of this offer go to https://www.nessy.com/uk/product/understanding-dyslexia/ and use the code: TEACHUD at the checkout. The code is valid for up to 3 free licenses per person. Schools interested in more licenses please contact: schools@nessy.com
Nessy are also giving away a free phonics app to children all over the world every week in October! Download them for free and keep forever. https://www.nessy.com/uk/just-teach-me-parent-edition/
This week I was training with SEND Station regarding ADHD on https://www.sendstation.co.uk/ They gave lots of helpful advice, such as don’t ask a child ‘Why did you do that?’ when they have displayed undesirable behaviour, as the child will probably be unable to give an answer (especially if their actions were impulsive). Instead, they recommend asking: ‘What did you think would happen after you did that?’ This question seems to produce a much better explanation and can lead to a discussion how to avoid such behaviour in the future.
Finally, I had a lovely note sent to me today from Mike Jones, the founder and CEO of Nessy Learning. I had thanked him for sharing and recommending my blog recently on the Nessy facebook page. Mike replied that they were very happy to share my blog and advised me to ‘Keep up the good work!’ He also gave me some great ideas of other topics regarding dyslexia that he feels need to be communicated to everyone and could feature in my blog. So watch this space! PJ 🙂
Help your child learn to read, write and spell 