Table of contents for January 2025 in Dystinct Magazine

This issue, a thought from Amanda Harrison, co-founder of Literacy Moms NC, stuck with me: “Literacy is a civil right that should be accessible to ANYONE. Imagine what could be accomplished if schools fostered a proactive approach and worked in true partnership with families.” It’s such a simple truth, yet so many families are forced to fight for what should already be a given—the right for their child to learn to read. Too often, parents find themselves navigating a system that feels more like an obstacle course than a support network. It’s exhausting, it’s unfair, and it’s unnecessary. But the stories we share remind us that change is possible. When schools embrace evidence-based practices and truly partner with families, the difference is life-changing. Every child deserves to feel capable, valued,…

Through years of advocacy, Twila Richards has faced relentless dismissals. "I've been told it’s too late, that we're casualties, and that people don't want to hear our story because it’s 'too sad,'" she shares. Yet, she refuses to give up. Marin’s Principle was born out of these struggles—not just for Marin but for everyone who has been left behind by systemic failures. While there have been promising shifts in literacy instruction for younger children, Twila knew these changes came too late for her children and countless others. This sparked the creation of Marin’s Principle—a call to action aimed at ensuring that every individual, regardless of age, has the opportunity to become functionally literate. For years, Twila had presented the Manitoba government with evidence of the lifelong consequences of inadequate literacy…

“ Deep reading is always about connection Have you been moved by children’s stories you've read or listened to? Have you felt seen, heard, and/or represented in a way that is difficult to describe? Have you ever had wholesome conversations about stories that have helped in deepening a bond or simply building one? Stories have a way of connecting the heart, brain, and the spoken word across languages, ages, genders, and any other distinguishing factor. Maryanne Wolf, a renowned cognitive neuroscientist, reading expert, and author eloquently articulates, "Deep reading is always about connection: connecting what we know to what we read, what we read to what we feel, what we feel to what we think, and how we think to how we live out our lives in a connected world."…

1 Funding for Specialised Instruction: Ensuring access to evidence-aligned literacy instruction outside the traditional school system at the individual’s choice. 2 Support for Adults: Offering avenues for adults to receive the education they were denied, including private literacy instruction of their choosing and access to missed senior-year courses. 3 Trauma-Informed Counseling: Providing private counselling of their choosing to help neurodivergent individuals address the educational trauma they have endured. 4 Teacher Training: Equipping classroom teachers with the tools and knowledge to effectively teach neurodivergent students. 5 Compensation for Harm: Providing financial compensation for adults who remain functionally illiterate after age 18 due to systemic failures. At its heart, Marin’s Principle champions the right to choose how one becomes functionally literate. It recognises that literacy is a gateway to independence, dignity, and…

There is always a "before", and the before is usually pretty messy! In fact, the harder the before, usually means the better the ending! From the outside, my story might look like a pictureperfect journey—a thriving entrepreneur, host of the Balancing Busy Podcast, and a mom who’s passionate about creating harmony in life and business. I get to speak on stages and travel all over the world. People actually pay me to tell them what to do in their business because I have this secret superpower to solve problems outside the box. It’s the coolest! But you must promise to always remember what I'm about to tell you. Are you ready? When you're looking at "the after" of someone’s story, don't be blinded. There is always a "before", and the…

“ Research has shown a strong connection between slower rapid naming and reading challenges. If someone says your child struggles with rapid naming, you may wonder what it means and how it affects their reading. Rapid naming, or rapid automatized naming (RAN), is the ability to quickly name a series of familiar items, such as colors, numbers, objects, or letters. It has been studied for nearly 50 years and is now included in many widely used reading assessments. Research has shown that children with dyslexia often name items more slowly on rapid naming tasks than their peers, revealing a strong connection between slower rapid naming and reading challenges. In 1999, Wolf and Bowers introduced the "double-deficit hypothesis," suggesting that difficulties in phonological awareness, rapid naming, or both are significant risk…

THE BEGINNING Jay was a very happy, 'busy' child - he was quick to smile, fun-loving and rambunctious, hitting developmental milestones as expected. Jay is our only child. As a family, we read bedtime stories every night. We also sang alphabet songs and connected the sounds of the alphabet to each individual letter – we did this religiously from about 6 months old. By the time Jay turned 1, we realized his language skills didn't seem to be developing as they should - the few words he did use were very unclear and difficult to understand. This created a lot of frustration for him (and us). Jay understood everything we said to him and was obviously a smart, intelligent child, but his speech was not developing naturally. When Jay was…

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…