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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
Sensory Processing Disorder: The Label Pediatricians Were Told Not to Use in 2012 Latest article Sensory Processing Disorder: The Label Pediatricians Were Told Not to Use in 2012 Sensory Processing Disorder · Oct 28 · 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, Dyslexia: Myths vs. Reality. Myths debunked: dyslexia means seeing letters and words backwards; children with dyslexia are less intelligent or not trying; only boys get dyslexia; a child will grow out of it with time. The scientific reality: the core difficulty involves sounds, not vision; dyslexia occurs across the whole range of intelligence; explicit, structured teaching is the answer; sound skills are teachable. Why this matters: the high cost of wait and see; the invisible struggler who guesses words from pictures; bright but lazy is a dangerous label. Action checklist for parents: request a reading assessment that checks sounds and sounding out, ask the name of the reading program, listen to your child read aloud. Latest infographic She Guesses From the Pictures: Four Dyslexia Myths That Hide a Struggling Reader Dyslexia · Oct 28

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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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Phonics Is a Game-Changer for Dyslexia. A Study of 641 Children Shows Its Limit. Article Phonics Is a Game-Changer for Dyslexia. A Study of 641 Children Shows Its Limit. Oct 27 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: Myths vs. Reality. Myths debunked: dyslexia means seeing letters and words backwards; children with dyslexia are less intelligent or not trying; only boys get dyslexia; a child will grow out of it with time. The scientific reality: the core difficulty involves sounds, not vision; dyslexia occurs across the whole range of intelligence; explicit, structured teaching is the answer; sound skills are teachable. Why this matters: the high cost of wait and see; the invisible struggler who guesses words from pictures; bright but lazy is a dangerous label. Action checklist for parents: request a reading assessment that checks sounds and sounding out, ask the name of the reading program, listen to your child read aloud. Infographic She Guesses From the Pictures: Four Dyslexia Myths That Hide a Struggling Reader Oct 28

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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Naming What You Both See Gets Co-Parents Past the “Lazy” Argument Article Naming What You Both See Gets Co-Parents Past the “Lazy” Argument Oct 28 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