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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.

This week

The newest article, news story and infographic
Why Bribing Yourself to Start Backfires on the Work You Care About Latest article Why Bribing Yourself to Start Backfires on the Work You Care About Adult ADHD · Oct 29 · 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: eight everyday memory habits that lighten the load when a child forgets what they read. What this is: eight habits, and forgetting a page as a sign of too much held at once. What matters most: move information out of the head and onto the page; focus on strategy over trying harder. The eight memory tips: read widely, listen actively, write it down, talk it out loud, draw a mind map, test yourself, practice little and often, sleep and food. What parents do: pick one or two tips, read forgetting as a sign the load was too high, and reach for load-reducing supports before reminders to concentrate. Latest infographic Your Child Read the Page and Forgot It. 8 Memory Habits That Lighten the Load. Neuroscience of Learning · Oct 29

Recent articles

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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School Saw a Struggling Reader. The Building Site Saw a Painter. Article School Saw a Struggling Reader. The Building Site Saw a Painter. Oct 29 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 Infographic: Calm-Down Tools for a Child Whose Brakes Are Not Online Yet. Sensory mindfulness is one short physical action, not sitting still for twenty minutes. Four tools: calming glitter jar, hot cocoa breathing, feel the beat (jump for one minute, then find the heartbeat), listen to the bell. Why physical anchors help: they give the body a job while feelings pass, and practicing when calm makes a tool easier to reach later. Action steps: practice only when calm, co-regulate alongside your child, name the tool not the mood, keep sessions brief. Learning Success. Infographic Mindfulness for Kids Who Cannot Sit Still: 4 Tiny Tools to Practice Before the Next Meltdown Oct 29