Tabla de contenidos para March 2022 en Dystinct Magazine

EDITOR’S NOTE The best time for new beginnings is now! This is one of my favourite quotes, and I like to think about this quote, particularly a few months into the new year. I say a few months into the year because we make resolutions at the beginning of the year every year. But as the days turn into weeks and months, the pressure on ourselves to live up to the expectations we set upon ourselves turns into guilt and frustration. I had a long list of activities that I wanted to do with my boys to tick off before school resumed for a new academic year in February. My list included tasks such as introducing cursive handwriting, consolidating multiplication facts, introducing division, revising all irregular words learned at school…

| Dystinct Journey DYSTINCT JOURNEY SPENCER THORNE Spencer Thorne refused to go to school at seven years old. He was struggling to read and write while the kids around him seemed to have it all figured out. His worried mum Adrienne Adams tried working with the school and had Spencer attend speech therapy sessions. However, nothing seemed to work, and Adrienne was beginning to notice how Spencer’s self-esteem was taking a hit. A move interstate and two schools later, they finally found a great support system that worked for Spencer. However, the constant struggle with low self-esteem and anxiety still seemed to linger, so Adrienne began looking for resources that spoke directly to Spencer about the differences between him and his peers. The more she researched, the more she was surprised…

| /’evɪdəns/Matters BUILDING SCHOOL SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS Simon Da Roza THE UNDERSTANDING OF DIVERGENT LEARNERS IS NOT UNIVERSAL. THERE IS A KNOWLEDGE GAP. Mainstream schools were never created for the unique individuals we know as divergent learners. The system was built to educate the masses for industry; latterly, perhaps for business. People with autism, ADHD, 2Es, dyslexia, Tourette syndrome, dysgraphia, sensory processing deviations, OCD, ODD, etc.—a standard or two away from the norm—rarely succeeded in these schools. Yet despite this, some through the ages have managed to defy the odds and thrive. Some not only thrived but held a torch high for society to see. They have challenged assumptions, myths and misunderstandings of diverse learners: people such as Temple Grandin. Our knowledge of autism and ADHD has been turned on its…

DYSTINCT CONTRIBUTORS Illustrator Bella Brook Age 11 Dyslexia & ADHD Sydney, Australia Bella is 11 years old and lives in Sydney, Australia. Her favourite things in the world are horses, her dog Tess, and she loves to play oztag. Illustrator Hayden Fox Age 11 Dyslexia & Dysgraphia Burton, Michigan, USA Hayden enjoys drawing, sculpting things out of clay, painting, and coloring. He collects Funko pops, and currently has 65. He often draws and writes stories or comics to help improve on learning and writing disabilities. Illustrator Louise Ghossain Age 11 Dyslexia & Dyscalculia Sydney, Australia Louise lives in Sydney with her family and pet guinea pig. Louise loves to draw and doodle. Illustrator Olivia Age 9 ASD Michigan, USA Olivia is on the Autism Spectrum and has faced many learning challenges. However, she…

| /’evɪdəns/Matters TOOLS TO ENHANCE VOCABULARY ACQUISITION Lisa Barnett Images Courtesy: Lisa Barnett The importance of building vocabulary knowledge is indisputable in the educational world. Researchers agree it is critical for students and has a direct correlation to academic achievement. "The scientific research on vocabulary instruction reveals that most vocabulary is learned indirectly and that some vocabulary must be taught directly. Thus, research supports using a combination of both indirect and direct approaches." (Reading Rockets, Vocabulary) Indirectly, simply talking to and with our children is of great value in building their awareness and knowledge of words, word meanings and nuances. As children get to school age, it is imperative that we do more than just expose them to new words, play games with antonyms and synonyms and define words. What does…

| /’evɪdəns/Matters Teacher preparedness to address the needs of dyslexic non-native speakers They know what they are doing … really? Andrea Kulmhofer-Bommer 21st century classrooms around the globe are highly diverse. The diversity in the classrooms ranges from diversity in socio-economic background to gender diversity, to diversity in learning styles, learning difficulties as well as cultural and language diversity (OECD, 2018). This range in diversity requires teachers to be equipped with an instructional toolbox together with the flexibility to meet each student’s individual needs. But how prepared are 21st-century teachers to meet diversity in their classrooms? This paper specifically looks at teachers' preparedness for the needs of dyslexic students who are English language learners (ELLs): ELLs are all students whose home language or first language is not the language of…

| /’evɪdəns/Matters MYTHS PHONICS INSTRUCTION PRYOR RAYBURN There are long-standing myths about phonics instruction. Keeping these myths alive (and thus keeping phonics instruction from our students!) undermines a student’s reading acquisition. As educators, we must constantly look to the current research and adjust our instruction accordingly. The National Reading Panel recommended systematic phonics paired with phonemic awareness as two crucial components to foster efficient word reading. Current research still supports those findings. It tells us that word recognition (through phonic decoding) and language comprehension are the building blocks for skilled reading. So, if 50+ years of research supports a systematic phonics approach, why are we not providing that for all our students? There are likely many reasons, but several can be attributed to myths about phonics instruction. 1 MYTH ANY…

| /′evɪdəns/ Matters MULTISENSORY MATHS MEETING THE NEEDS OF STRUGGLING STUDENTS THROUGH THE USE OF MULTISENSORY MATHS ADRIANNE MELDRUM & MATTHEW LYDA Images Courtesy: Made for Math ® Before Brandon experienced the Multisensory Math approach, he had cultivated the belief that he was not good at math. Not surprisingly, this led to hatred of mathematics. In addition, unsuccessful interactions with math impacted his self-esteem, encouraging him to believe he wasn't smart. As a result, he was often sad or frustrated in matters of math and homework. Brandon began working with a Multisensory Math Specialist in March 2020. The change was brewing. Since then, he became more successful with classwork and homework, closed the knowledge gap (previously 1-2 years below grade level), started to view math more positively, and finished with…

| Dystinct Journey DYSTINCT JOURNEY Cover Photo by Ginger Sumerlin Photography BETHANY DANIELLE SUMMERVILLE Young artist Bethany Danielle Summerville creates exquisite sketches of people and pets that genuinely reflect the personalities of her many models. The result is so lifelike that displayed side by side, you’d take a second to figure out which one of them is a photo of the actual model and which one is Bethany’s rendition. Most days, you’d find 16-year-old Bethany busy working on commissioned artwork at her home in Dayton, a small town outside of Chattanooga in Tennessee, USA. Bethany is homeschooled by her mum Debra Summerville as were her 3 older siblings, Nathan, Emily, Joshua and Jeron, who are now adults and her younger sister Elyssa who is a grade 9 student. Bethany shares…

| /’evɪdəns/Matters ROOTS MATTER! NEURODIVERSITY AND EMPLOYMENT FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT GAVIN HOOLE Youth development can be compared to a root to fruit process. It takes about eight years for a peach or pear tree to go from being planted as a seed to bearing fruits. Similarly, youth development happens across various stages. Children go through various stages in their education process before they are mature adults. My research focuses on the idea of neurodiversity as an ecosystem and looking at the individual as a whole. I strongly believe that individuals need to Maslow before they can Bloom, which is a play on words that brings together two theories in psychology: Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy. Students need to have their basic human needs met before they…

| /’evɪdəns/Matters THE ROLE OF POVERTY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION DR TRACY JOHNSON Dr Johnson-Rockmore’s remarkable story of perseverance begins when she was placed in special education classes in the sixth grade but was not diagnosed with dyslexia until years later. Her story is an example of unremitting perseverance and willingness to work harder than most college students. She also attributes her success to the support she received from others along the way. Tracy entered Harcum College after two/three years of work with the Wilson Reading Program. She graduated from Harcum College with a 4.0 GPA and continued her education at Cabrini University to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Cabrini University and a master’s degree in Multicultural Education from Eastern University with a 3.9. Tracy is the…

DYSTINCT Journey JACOB AINSLEY Interviewed by Zahra Nawaz Twenty-three-year-old Jacob Ainsley is a junior manager at a warehouse firm in the UK. He calls himself an ordinary guy who enjoys fishing, spending time with his family and chilling out when he’s not busy at work. He graduated in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in product design from Huddersfield University, West Yorkshire, England. Design technology is his passion. He designed the prototype for a pen at university that can make lives simpler for individuals with dyslexia, just like himself. He even obtained a patent for the pen and dreams of developing it further and making it commercially available to families. However, graduating during the pandemic meant that Jacob did not get to pick and choose his line of work. He made…