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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
A Bad Math Grade Turns Into a Plan When You Find the Skill Underneath Latest article A Bad Math Grade Turns Into a Plan When You Find the Skill Underneath Education · Nov 4 · 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: Does Handwriting Boost the Brain? What Science Says vs. What It Means for Your Child. Myths vs. reality and supporting strategies. Debunked myths: writing by hand boosts memory and general intelligence across the board; a child with slow or messy handwriting is falling behind in learning; more handwriting drills will build the brain and improve school results. What science actually shows: the benefit is narrow, forming letters helps young children learn the letters themselves (callout: James and Engelhardt, 2012, pre-literate four-year-olds); gains on motor tasks do not carry over to other academic skills, and what improves handwriting is practicing handwriting directly, gently and kindly. What this means for a struggling writer: handwriting difficulty is a motor skill challenge, not a verdict on intelligence; the struggle shows up on the page, not in the child's mind; mistaking messy writing for low ability harms a child's self-image. Action steps for parents: teach handwriting as a specific skill in short, low-shame sessions; let ideas and handwriting take turns; ask teachers to assess what your child knows apart from how neatly they write it. Takeaway: a hard hand is never a small mind. Handwriting is worth teaching for its own sake, but it is not a shortcut to a bigger brain. Latest infographic Messy Handwriting Is Not a Slow Mind. What Handwriting Actually Does for Your Child’s Brain. Handwriting · Nov 4

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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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Which Dyslexia Book Should You Read First? Six Picks, Sorted by the Day You’re Having Article Which Dyslexia Book Should You Read First? Six Picks, Sorted by the Day You’re Having Nov 3 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 titled The Types of Dyslexia Myth: Moving From Labels to Reality. A red stamp reading Not a Diagnosis crosses out popular labels such as visual, auditory, surface, deep and directional dyslexia. The reality section lists profiles not categories, overlapping difficulties, and one teaching approach for every profile, with the Pennington 2006 multiple-deficit model. A why-it-matters section warns about chasing labels with colored overlays or eye exercises, a narrowed school focus, and notes that severity and affected skills differ, not type. Four parent action steps: request a skill profile, question type-matched products, judge reading programs by explicit decoding, and focus on the method. Infographic Visual, Surface, Deep: Are the Types of Dyslexia Real? What to Ask For Instead Oct 31

Dyscalculia

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Times Tables Won’t Stick? 3 Things to Try Instead of Another Night of Drills Article Times Tables Won’t Stick? 3 Things to Try Instead of Another Night of Drills Nov 3 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, Understanding the Signs of Dyscalculia: the math struggle you are seeing has a name, and it is not a lack of intelligence. A child can be articulate, bright and creative while numbers do not behave predictably for them. Everyday signs: counting even a small group of dots one by one instead of seeing how many at a glance; basic math facts that fail to stick despite practice; losing the order of the steps in a multi-step problem; trouble connecting a written numeral like 7 to seven real items; daily math such as analog clocks, money and estimating whether an answer is reasonable feeling hard; and math anxiety larger than the task. Why it matters: a single rough patch with math facts is a normal part of childhood, while dyscalculia is a consistent pattern across time and different tasks; telling a child to try harder aims at the wrong issue. Parent action checklist: track the pattern with written notes, partner with the teacher by sharing home observations, and ask the school how to request a formal evaluation. Infographic One Hard Math Week Is Not Dyscalculia. These Are the Signs That Keep Coming Back. Oct 31

Attention Deficit Disorder

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Smart Child, Struggling to Focus? Check These 4 Things First Article Smart Child, Struggling to Focus? Check These 4 Things First Nov 1 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 Learning Success infographic: When One Fix Isn't the Whole Story. Five linked skills: attention, working memory, information processing, reading and number processing. Narrow explanations and quick fixes leave parts untouched. What matters most: find which parts are hard, aim support at them, and see the whole picture instead of one thing to blame. Why waiting costs your child: starting now gives more room to build skills. What parents can do: notice which skills work hardest, ask for targeted support, start at the first sign, and learn your rights. Takeaway: your child is not broken. Infographic If One Explanation Didn’t Cover Your Child’s Learning Struggle, Look at Attention, Memory, Reading and Math Oct 29

Parenting

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About a Third of Feedback Made Performance Worse. The Red Pen Was Never the Point. Article About a Third of Feedback Made Performance Worse. The Red Pen Was Never the Point. Nov 2 0aafruit-jelly-1351299_960_720 News 5 Things Kids with ADHD Should NOT Eat #adhd Jan 8 Learning Success infographic titled Gross Motor Milestones, Without the Scorecard, about progression and playful support rather than rigid age timelines, for all children including those with ADHD or coordination differences. It defines gross motor skills as large movements such as rolling, crawling, walking, running, jumping, climbing and catching a ball, and says skills arrive in a rough sequence while timing varies widely. A milestone path shows baby, sitting, crawl, pull to stand, walk, climb stairs, run, jump with both feet, and kick and catch, with the notes order matters more than the calendar and use milestone charts as a map, never a report card. A section on supporting children who learn differently says protect play from becoming a source of self-doubt, movement is valuable for its own sake, and meet your child where their body is today. Action steps: support movement through play, provide safe space and unhurried practice time, introduce one next step at a time, and consult your pediatrician when progression pauses or reverses. Parent takeaway: a late milestone is a question, not a verdict. Infographic Gross Motor Milestones: Why the Order Matters More Than the Calendar Nov 2