Tabla de contenidos para July 2023 en Dystinct Magazine

These words from 13-year-old Krishangi Shroff, featured on the cover, hold immense power and should make the adults responsible for policies and systems governing children like her feel ashamed. All the opinions that she expressed in my chat with her carry significant weight and highlight the need for adults in positions of power to reflect on their roles and responsibilities in creating a better environment for every individual affected by their decisions. Reflecting on her words, I realise how important it is to encourage our children to actively participate in decisions that affect their lives. When we teach children to self-advocate, we are helping them become better equipped to navigate various situations, make informed choices, and take control of their own lives. Parents often experience the frustration of ensuring suitable…

What if I told you my decision to become my daughter’s fifth-grade teacher during the pandemic led to an inspiring and life-changing experience? Covid-19 paused my daughter’s in-person education while she was in third grade. While my daughter, Isabelle, completed all her assignments during her synchronous fourth-grade class, there was room for improvement. A vaccine for children was on the horizon but not yet in their arms when fifth grade rolled around. Given 1.5 years of remote instruction, I had to step in to guarantee that Isabelle was getting the most out of her schooling. The decision to homeschool came with challenges, but I was determined to make it work. As a former fifth-grade teacher in the NYC Public Schools and a literacy consultant since 2009, I knew the curriculum…

Krishangi Shroff embodies the essence of resilience and unwavering determination in the face of numerous challenges. Born with Usher Syndrome type 3B and facing the daily obstacles posed by balance issues, hearing loss, and vision loss, Krishangi’s path to discovering her Specific Learning Disability in dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia was a winding one. Krishangi’s unwavering determination and refusal to be defined by her disabilities highlight the immense potential that exists within her. The 13-year-old Texan girl is affectionately known as a "miracle baby" by her mother, Nilam Agrawal. Recalling Krishangi’s birth, Nilam shares that her pregnancy had been uneventful until her 38th-week checkup when doctors discovered that Krishangi was displaying an almost flat heart line. Concerned for her baby’s well-being, Nilam was rushed to the emergency room, where Krishangi was…

My salon, Platinum Style and Aesthetics, is a team of 6 amazing artists. Among my gifts and talents, I have developed proficiency in cosmetology, specifically in men’s cuts. Using my hair-cutting trimmers, I create intricate picture designs that enhance the overall style. Additionally, I excel in specialty color techniques, adding a unique touch to my clients' hair. My dedication and skill in this field were recognized when I achieved 2nd place in the barber competition at the state level. Another aspect of my expertise lies in tattoo makeup, where I specialize in tattooing realistic hair on men. I meticulously create thousands of ink hair follicle impressions using a tattoo machine, resulting in a remarkably natural shaved hair look. This process takes several hours, which is quite simple for me with…

Origins From as early as I can remember, I knew that I was different — Going from reading every book in the class to being the slowest or dumbest in class. Neurodiversity wasn't just a reading, writing, or spelling issue for me. It was me, well, part of me and how I lived life. As a young boy, I spent most of my time playing, creating and writing my own stories in imaginative worlds — Where I wasn't made fun of for looking, talking, and thinking differently from all the other children in school. I never wanted to stand out from the crowd! My desire was to fit in and blend in without any problems. However, that wasn't my experience at all. Most of my early childhood school experience involved…

Illustrator Abby de los Santos Age 10 Dyslexia San Antonio, Texas, USA Abby is in the fifth grade. She enjoys spending time with her friends and being creative. She loves taking her dog on walks and wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. Illustrator Celina Hamdani Age 19 Autistic spectrum disorder Bromley Kent, UK Celina is a self-taught digital artist and wants to pursue a career in animation. Currently a student at Glebe School West Wickham. Reporter Flynn Eldridge Age 10 Dyslexia & Dysgraphia NSW, Australia Flynn finds reporting fun, sometimes scary, and ultra exciting. Flynn likes to dress up as an old-time reporter and ask a range of questions, as that is his style. Flynn builds loads of different lego creations such as the rainbow, spinning-top microphone he uses in…

Elizabeth C. Hamblet has worked both ends of the college transition. She began her career as a high school special education teacher and then began working at the college level in the late 1990s. She is now at her third university, working in a disability services office as a learning consultant. In 2008, recognizing that too many people didn’t know about the changes awaiting students with disabilities at college, Elizabeth began offering programs to families and professionals on how to prepare students for the transition, speaking locally and at national conferences. In addition to being a requested presenter, she is also a contributing writer for Disability Compliance for Higher Education, and and her work has appeared in numerous other journals and online platforms. Dystinct reporter Flynn Eldridge has a chat…

As educators and parents of dyslexic children, we know that we must go beyond helping them learn to decode and read fluently. Comprehension is the end goal for all the instruction and practice that we provide. BUT how do we know WHAT and HOW to teach to help our students improve in this critical component of reading? Important reading skills such as making inferences, determining the main idea, and identifying cause and effect are important. However, these isolated skills do not turn our struggling students into thoughtful readers. To do this, we must focus on reading strategies, specifically those that promote META COGNITION. WHAT IS META-COGNITION? Simply put, it is thinking about one’s own thinking. This involves awareness and executive control of the reader’s own thinking while reading. Proficient readers…

Educational trauma is not only experienced by children. I argue that numerous parents are traumatised by the same educational organisations when advocating for their child’s rights to be acknowledged and supported. Educational trauma refers to: 'The psychological distress and negative experiences that individuals may suffer as a result of their education.' I would add '…and as a result of advocating for those rights in educational organisations.' It can encompass a range of traumatic events, experiences, and conditions within the educational setting that impact a person’s well-being and academic outcomes. As a former teacher, if someone had suggested that my classroom or school was adding to a negative situation or creating trauma for the children in my care, I would have been outraged, insulted, and in complete disbelief. Many educators today…

In 2024, I will have been testing children for gifted intellect for 30 years. In that time, I have noticed many nuances using the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC) volumes Revised (R) through Five (V). Herein, I endeavor to describe three issues that are problematic with the WISC V and some issues of interpretive value. We all know that children with gifted intelligence express a wide variety of behaviors and ways of being. It is that diversity that can also have a positive or negative impact on testing behavior and results. So, ‘buyer beware’ when it comes to understanding WISC V outcomes. The first issue is the WISC V Processing Speed Index (PSI). My colleague, Dr Justin Gardner, and I recently submitted an article for publication titled, Processing Speed…

Amazing app! This app is really wonderful because it spreads awareness to the Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia community. They share personal stories and artwork. By sharing those, it really helps people feel less alone and find similarities with others. Definitely check out Dystinct mag! So Informative and Uplifting Dystinct is a brilliant publication. It provides practical articles from specialists that inform and gives really positive insights into SLDs. The fact that it includes the artwork and stories of people with learning differences is so lovely. Great advocacy at work here. Dyslexia Informative, celebratory and up to date. A magazine worth reading for those living with dyslexia, for family members supporting and advocating, for educators and for those pushing for change. Fabulous platform - inspiring content Neurodiversity is every bit…