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The Learning Success blog

Plain-language help for brilliant, struggling learners.

Articles, education news, infographics and a podcast for parents of children with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and ADHD. Written parent-to-parent, grounded in neuroscience.

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The newest article, news story and infographic
Punishment Has Never Taught a Child to Read Latest article Punishment Has Never Taught a Child to Read Reading · Oct 25 · 6 min read Indiana ESA: Subscriptions Must Be Monthly, or the Whole Order Bounces Latest news Indiana ESA: Subscriptions Must Be Monthly, or the Whole Order Bounces Education - Policy · Oct 24 · 6 min read Learning Success infographic: Building a Reading Habit when reading is the hard part. A reading habit is willing engagement, not forced time. Build around the difficulty, not on top of it. Six moves: let your child choose the book even if it looks easy, start short to finish strong, count audiobooks and e-books, keep a small same-time daily routine, read where your child sees you, and talk about the story, not the words. Action steps: offer two books to choose from, one fixed daily time, an audiobook in the car or at bedtime, one question about what happened. Parent takeaway: focus on the return. Latest infographic Your Child Logs the Reading Minutes and Still Avoids Books. Here Is What Builds the Habit. Reading · Oct 24

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Quotes worth sharing with another parent All quotes
“ADHD isn't broken focus—it's democracy of attention. Everything gets a vote until something earns devotion. Then watch the hyperfocus ignite.” — Learning Success
Dyslexia
“The same brain that stumbles over spelling effortlessly builds three-dimensional worlds in imagination. Different wiring, not defective wiring.” — Learning Success
Dyslexia
“Einstein's 'problem' was seeing in pictures when others saw in words. Jobs' 'deficit' was connecting dots no one else noticed. Your child's difference is tomorrow's advantage.” — Learning Success
Dyslexia

Highlights by topic

Dyslexia

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How to Teach Your Child to Prioritize: Get the List Out of Their Head First Article How to Teach Your Child to Prioritize: Get the List Out of Their Head First Oct 19 From Dyslexia to a Neuroscience PhD: The Part the Story Skips News From Dyslexia to a Neuroscience PhD: The Part the Story Skips Oct 11 Learning Success infographic, Dyslexia Is More Than a Reading Problem. Dyslexia extends beyond reading into spelling and written expression. What dyslexia is: a learning difference, not a matter of effort or intelligence; it reaches past reading into writing and spelling; it shows up differently in every child. What matters most: tracking reading scores alone misses hidden struggles in spelling, sentence building and holding thoughts while writing; help works best as explicit, structured teaching of the stuck skill; skill gains do not automatically transfer, so spelling and writing must be taught directly. What to do: identify and name specific struggles, request structured instruction by name, require direct teaching for writing and spelling, preserve confidence by separating skill from self. Parent takeaway: match help directly to the stuck skill. Infographic Dyslexia Help Went to Reading. So Why Are Spelling and Writing Stuck? Oct 23

Dyscalculia

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Dyscalculia and Math Fear Are Two Different Problems. Here’s How to Tell Them Apart. Article Dyscalculia and Math Fear Are Two Different Problems. Here’s How to Tell Them Apart. Oct 22 California’s New K-2 Math Test Won’t Label Kids. Here’s What Scores Miss. News California’s New K-2 Math Test Won’t Label Kids. Here’s What Scores Miss. Oct 3 Learning Success infographic titled Dyscalculia: 5 Real Strengths That Often Sit Beside It. It explains that dyscalculia is a specific difficulty processing magnitude and quantity and is not a measure of intelligence, and lists five strengths often seen alongside it: verbal reasoning, practical and spatial problem-solving, creative and lateral thinking, strategic thinking, and determination and stamina. It notes these are patterns rather than a guarantee, that naming strengths fosters engagement and protects the math teaching, and that explicit math instruction continues alongside strengths-building because strengths do not teach math. Infographic Struggling With Math Is Only Half the Picture: The Strengths That Often Sit Beside Dyscalculia Sep 24

Attention Deficit Disorder

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It Looks Like ADHD. Ask What Else Was Checked First. Article It Looks Like ADHD. Ask What Else Was Checked First. Oct 17 L-Theanine Was Called a Focus Factor. What Did the Study Find? News L-Theanine Was Called a Focus Factor. What Did the Study Find? Oct 13 Unlocking Math Potential: Beyond Dyscalculia Infographic Dyscalculia Is Not a Life Sentence: What Neuroplasticity Research Says About Your Child’s Math Potential Oct 18

Parenting

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Myers-Briggs Looks Like the Answer. Watching Your Child Is the Real One. Article Myers-Briggs Looks Like the Answer. Watching Your Child Is the Real One. Oct 19 0aafruit-jelly-1351299_960_720 News 5 Things Kids with ADHD Should NOT Eat #adhd Jan 8 Learning Success infographic "Beyond the Label", on what struggling with reading or math means. Four fears marked debunked: capability limits, diagnostic ceilings, passive waiting, and the fear that struggling now means struggling for good. Each is paired with a reality: reading and math are taught and practiced skills; a label names where a child needs support, not an upper limit; waiting is not a plan, explicit teaching is; and effort is worth naming. Parent action plan: ask which specific skill the label points to, ask the school which structured reading or math program it uses, and praise effort and strategy. Core takeaway: a label is a starting point for help, not a verdict on your child. Infographic Four Fears About Your Child’s Reading or Math Label, and What to Ask Instead Oct 21