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busting myths about learning differences

26/1/2018

1 Comment

 
Over the past few weeks, I have been sharing – and busting – some common myths regarding learning differences such as dyslexia, ADD/ADHD and autism.  This week’s myth:

Myth #3: “My dyslexic child just needs to concentrate more.”
People with dyslexia have brains that will ‘disorientate’ when they strike confusion. This means that they will use their imagination to look at the problem, often from different perspectives, until they have solved it. This works really well when dealing with real life objects. But when they become confused with a word, and try to look at it from different perspectives – all of a sudden the word ‘but’ becomes ‘put’ and ‘was’ becomes ‘saw’. 
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Disorientation is the opposite to being focused. When someone is disoriented, they will not be ‘present’, and will be experiencing inaccurate perception.
Can you imagine how difficult it must be to stay focused when your brain is constantly wanting to disorientate because you are confused about a word? So many words cause confusion for dyslexic leaners. Any abstract word has the potential to do so, because they are not able to create a picture for it. It is easy for a picture-thinking dyslexic person to picture a tyrannosaurus rex, therefore even though the word seems difficult, it tends not to trip a dyslexic reader up. It is not so easy to picture a ‘the’, a 'was' or a 'put' - these are the types of words that cause disorientation.

​Tyrannosaurus rex =
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​the =
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Making a dyslexic person concentrate doesn’t work.​ In fact in my experience all it seems to do is cause stress,  headaches, tummy aches and meltdowns.
If your child is not concentrating, there will be a reason for it. They will be experiencing disorientation - probably due to confusion. Take a short break if possible, and have them find a way to re-focus – whether it is through something physical such a jumping on the trampoline or running to the end of the driveway and back; or it could simply be taking some deep breaths.
In the Davis Dyslexia Correction Programme, students are taught a simple, effective method that allows them to recognise the feeling of when they disorientate, and gives them the ability to re-focus without the need to concentrate or ‘try harder’.
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For more information on dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, autism and other learning differences, head over to my website or drop me an email.  I’d love to hear from you 🙂
Would you like to book a free initial consultation?
Yes please
1 Comment

busting myths about learning differences

26/1/2018

0 Comments

 
Over the next few weeks, I am going to be sharing – and busting – some common myths regarding learning differences such as dyslexia, ADD/ADHD and autism.

Myth #2: “We need to make autistic people learn how to act normally.”
When people think of autism, it can conjure up images of anything from hand-flapping and meltdowns, to socially awkward behaviour, to savant-like talents. However, there is a reason why it is said that when you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism. It affects each individual in their own unique way.
Davis Autism
Every person is exquisitiely unique. Autism is just one way of being uniquely human.
When we focus on making an autistic person behave more neuro-typically in order for them to seem ‘normal’, we are perpetuating the myth that somehow that person needs changing. Dr Barry Prizant, the author of Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism states that the problem with interventions trying to make an autistic individual fit in is that they “treat the person as a problem to be solved rather than an individual to be understood.”
Davis Autism
Prizant encourages parents, educators and clinicians to consider “autistic” behaviours (such as hand-flapping, rocking, and spinning) as strategies to manage in a world that feels chaotic and overwhelming.
He suggests a positive approach would be to find out what may be causing these behaviours. By asking why a child is behaving in a particular way allows us to understand and accommodate to their needs. Dr. Prizant also argues that attempts to eliminate “autistic” behaviors may actually interfere with important developmental processes.
Davis Autism
Eye contact is another area in which autistic individuals do not ‘conform’ to the expected normal behjaviour – at least not in the Western world. Should we insist on autistic people making eye contact? My answer is simple. No. I don’t believe we should.
Amythest Schaber presents a wonderful video on eye contact from an autistic person’s perspective. She implores non-autistic adults not to force their children make eye-contact.  Amythest explains that people with autism tend to avoid eye contact for two reasons:
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#1. It can feel overwhelming.
A person’s eyes can convey a lot of emotion, and taking in all of that information can feel overwhelming. Some people describe the feeling as being very intense – like looking into a very bright light. Others say eye contact hurts them, makes them feel uncomfortable and confuses them. However it feels, it can contribute to overstimulation and overload of the brain.

#2. It can be difficult to make eye contact and listen to someone at the same time.

Avoiding eye contact allows them to take away the huge amount of rapid info coming at them (from facial expressions and eye contact), which can alleviate the pressure on their brain and allow the person to process and to follow along a lot better than if forced to make eye contact.

So next time the issue of eye contact comes up, consider this question that Ametyst puts to us: ”Would you like me to make sustained eye contact so that you feel more comfortable, or would you like me to hear, understand and remember what you say?”
If you are searching for a positive approach to autism, I would highly recommend the Davis Autism Approach. At the heart of this programme is a deep respect and understanding of autism. That is because it has been created by the autistic genius, Ronald D. Davis, co-author of the book: Autism and the Seeds of Change, with Abigail Marshall. 
Davis Autism Approach
He has dedicated his life to creating this gentle programme that gives autistic individuals the pathway towards creating a true sense of self, gaining an understanding of the neurotypical world (and therefore reducing the overwhelm and chaos) and participating more fully in life, while allowing them to retain their unique gifts.

A mother of an autistic boy who I worked with recently commented that:
“The Davis Autism Approach does not convey the message that you need to change who you are. Instead its message is: I get who you are. These are the tools that are going to help you become even more who you want to be.
Ron Davis
Ron Davis and Melanie Curry at a Davis Autism Approach workshop
One of the unique things about the Davis Autism Approach®, the thing that makes it different to any other therapy or programme, is that Ron Davis really understands autism from the within. And his programme truly reaches to the core of an autistic individual.
The Davis Autism Approach® programme bridges the gap between the autistic world and this big world beyond, and embraces both worlds so that they are able to work in harmony.”


Here is what her gorgeous autistic son had to say about the Davis Autism Approach:
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For more information on dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, autism and other learning differences, head over to my website or drop me an email.  I’d love to hear from you 🙂
Would you like to book a free initial consultation?
Yes please!
0 Comments

busting myths about learning differences

15/1/2018

0 Comments

 
Over the next few weeks, I am going to be sharing – and busting – some common myths regarding learning differences such as dyslexia, ADD/ADHD and autism.

Myth #1: Dyslexia is a learning disability.
Dyslexia is a different way of thinking, processing and learning. There is nothing ‘broken’ about a dyslexic brain. It certainly does not need curing or fixing. In fact dyslexia brings with it many great strengths and gifts.
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Dyslexic learners rely heavily on their right brain, thinking predominantly in pictures. Because they are highly visual, they will often show strengths in areas such as:
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  • creativity
  • the arts
  • design
  • engineering
  • leadership
  • problem solving
  • science
  • building
  • and much more….
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John Britten, talented dyslexic, designed and built the Britten Superbike
People with dyslexia generally learn things easily when they are taught in a way that works for them – which is visual and hands-on. What they do tend to experience is some isolated challenges when it comes to the written word (and sometimes numbers).

So when talking to your child about dyslexia, let them know that their brain learns in a different way, which brings many gifts that other people don’t have. Instead of calling it a learning disability, you could tell them they have a learning difference – or even a learning preference (as let’s face it – they do prefer to learn in a certain way – just not the way a lot of schools want them to!)

You could also spend time looking at some famous, successful people who have succeeded because of their dyslexic thinking style. This often does wonders for a child’s self esteem, to know that they are in the company of some great achievers.

For more information on dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, autism and other learning differences, drop me an email at melanie@optimumlearning.co.nz.  I’d love to hear from you 🙂
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    Author

    Melanie Curry is a Davis®
    Dyslexia and Autism Facilitator/Coach/Presenter, and is passionate about empowering those with learning differences.

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Davis® and Davis Autism Approach® are trademarks of Ronald D. Davis. Commercial use of these trademarks to identify educational, instructional, or therapeutic services requires licensing by the trademark owner.  
Professional services described as Davis™ , Davis Dyslexia Correction®, Davis Davis Symbol Mastery™, Davis Orientation Counselling™, Davis Math Mastery™, Davis Attention Mastery™, Dyslexia the Gift™ and Gift of Dyslexia™ may only be provided by persons who are employed by a licensed Davis Specialist, or who are trained and licensed as Davis Facilitators by Davis Dyslexia Association International.
  • Home
  • About
    • The Davis Approach
    • The Facilitator
    • Ron Davis
    • Testimonials
    • Contact
  • Programmes
    • Dyslexia
    • Autism Spectrum >
      • Stepping Stones
      • Stepping Stones 2
    • ADD/ADHD
    • Concepts for Life
    • Mathematics
    • Young Learners
    • Programme information
  • Workshops
    • Davis Life Concepts for Autism Online Workshop
    • Events
  • Information
    • Dyslexia >
      • Characteristics
      • Famous dyslexics
    • Autism >
      • Characteristics
      • What is Aspergers?
    • FAQ >
      • Dyslexia
      • Autism Spectrum
      • ADD/ADHD
      • Mathematics
      • Young Learners
    • Resources >
      • Books
      • Websites
  • Blog