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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
Sounding Out Will Never Spell “Their.” Here Is the Second Skill That Does. Latest article Sounding Out Will Never Spell “Their.” Here Is the Second Skill That Does. Spelling · Oct 30 · 5 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: Audio and Reading, A Bridge, Not a Shortcut. What audio is: audiobooks, read-alouds and listening while following printed text; decoding print and understanding a story are separate jobs. What matters most: audio is a tool for connection, not a replacement for learning to read words; it lets children meet vocabulary, background knowledge and stories at their thinking level and helps them stay connected to reading. Ways to use it: listen above reading level, try reading while listening, keep decoding practice separate. What to watch for: more willing reading and story talk; continue direct, structured reading instruction alongside audio. Latest infographic Your Child Thinks Faster Than They Can Decode. Audiobooks Let the Thinking Keep Growing. Reading · Oct 30

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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College Accommodations Start When Your Child Asks. Here’s How to Get Ready. Article College Accommodations Start When Your Child Asks. Here’s How to Get Ready. 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: A Dyslexia Label Is a Map, Not a Verdict. Two myths: a child with dyslexia will never read, and reading clicks on its own if you wait. What the science says: dyslexia is a difference in learning to read, and structured, explicit phonics links letters to sounds. Why it matters: the label points to the teaching to ask for, aimed at the specific skill gap. What parents do: ask for structured phonics by name, keep home practice short and targeted, and ask which word-reading skills were tested. Infographic Your Child’s Dyslexia Diagnosis Is Not a Verdict. It Tells You What Teaching to Ask For. Oct 30

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 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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Why Does My Child Reread the Chapter and Still Blank on the Test? Article Why Does My Child Reread the Chapter and Still Blank on the Test? Oct 29 0aafruit-jelly-1351299_960_720 News 5 Things Kids with ADHD Should NOT Eat #adhd Jan 8 Teaching Accountability: The Path from Blame to Capability, a Learning Success infographic. Accountability is a child saying what happened and what they will do next to fix it, not an apology or self-blame. Five strategies: separate the act from the person; focus on steps, not confessions; let natural consequences land; model accountability out loud; name what is in their control. Panels on supporting children with ADHD and executive function difficulty, plus action steps: focus on one thing, change your phrasing, draft the repair together, notice it aloud, and the capability test. Infographic Teaching Kids Accountability Without Shame: The Question That Works Better Than “Why Did You?” Oct 30