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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
Stop Explaining Math Homework First. Ask This Question Instead. Latest article Stop Explaining Math Homework First. Ask This Question Instead. Mathematics · Oct 21 · 6 min read Pick Private School on the New Scholarship, and the IEP Stays Behind Latest news Pick Private School on the New Scholarship, and the IEP Stays Behind Education - Policy · Oct 18 · 7 min read 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. Latest infographic Four Fears About Your Child’s Reading or Math Label, and What to Ask Instead Parenting · Oct 21

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Pass it on

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: Reversing letters is not the sign of dyslexia. Shift focus from letter orientation to reading effort and decoding skills. The common myth: believing letter reversals like b and d, or reading was as saw, are the primary sign of dyslexia. A reversal alone does not confirm or rule out dyslexia. Reading performance is the true signal: word decoding and connecting letters to sounds, not the direction letters face. What points to a reading difference: 1, persistent reading effort and inaccuracy over time, even after structured teaching and practice; 2, look at the complete skill pattern, since no single sign tells the whole story; 3, seek focused, structured reading support and ask for an evaluation of word reading. Parent takeaway: focus on how hard your child works to read the word. Infographic Your Child Writes b for d. Is It Dyslexia? Watch the Reading Instead. Oct 20

Dyscalculia

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Math Tears and Dyscalculia: Making Math the Problem Gives Your Child a Teammate Article Math Tears and Dyscalculia: Making Math the Problem Gives Your Child a Teammate Oct 19 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