Despite the compelling and alarming statistics on the impact Learning Disabilities (LD) has on the mental health of our youth, there remains a great need to better understand the relationships between language-based LDs, Autism Spectrum, and depression, substance abuse, and defiance, and low self-esteem. While some in the therapeutic community know that upwards of 60% [...]
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I’ve felt for years that teenagers and young adults with Asperger’s Syndrome or with High Functioning Autism really need help understanding and negotiating romantic and sexual relationships. Moving from Social Skills or even Social Thinking curriculums (there’s a difference) to dating, sex, love and adult relationships is no easy task when your primary difficulties are [...]
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Too often we as educators and parents, get hyper-focused on the things our/your kids can’t do or struggle with. Even with the best of intentions, adults lose perspective. We run the risk of trying so hard, too hard, to squeeze children with learning disabilities into the mold of what we want for our kids in [...]
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There’s plenty of posts and testimonials about Steve Jobs, as there should be. I wanted to say here how much he truly did for the worldwide community of people with various disabilities and learning differences. Apple’s ease of use and its features that help all of us, but particularly help people with disabilities was never [...]
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I get angry when I read headlines that either intentionally mislead and inflame people about anything, and in this case dyslexia, or do so out of some form of laziness. There’s been a recent study released that should lead to more kids getting more resources and services and hope. Unfortunately there are some headlines that [...]
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Yesterday I spoke with LA Talk Radio host Lon Woodbury on his show, “Parent Choices For Struggling Teens.” The show was called “Learning Disabilities or Therapy: You Shouldn’t Have to Choose”. Speaking to the integration of best practices between Learning Disabilities and Therapeutic Intervention, I’m advocating for all the kids in treatment centers, therapeutic boarding [...]
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I’ve heard great things about Harvey Hubbell’s upcoming movie and am looking forward to seeing it. I always wonder however, how anyone knows whether or not Einstein was really dyslexic. I wish folks would rely on people they are sure have learning disabilities when naming “role models” with dyslexia There’s plenty of them. Here, the [...]
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The study mentioned in this article in Bloomberg Business Week, is apparently given some mention and explanation in the new HBO documentary, “Journey Into Dyslexia.”. From the Cass Business School in London, the study draws a link between having dyslexia and business success. I met the author of the study a couple of years ago [...]
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Do people with dyslexia make better business visionaries? Apparently, one of the themes of the new HBO documentary, “Journey into Dyslexia” is the reported link between dyslexia and successful entrepreneurship. This opens up so many cans of worms to discuss. I’ll weigh in more later.
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ADHD and the Business Owner: Is It a Gift? It has been recognized that many successful people have ADHD. In many cases, it is a critical ingredient to their success. A lesser known fact is that it can also be a cause of stress, self-loathing, embarrassment, and lack of productivity. Like many things, ADHD takes [...]
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The Attention-Span Myth Maybe my own brain is faltering in a Web wasteland, but I don’t get it. Whether the Web is making us smarter or dumber, isn’t there something just unconvincing about the idea that an occult “span” in the brain makes certain cultural objects more compelling than others? So a kid loves the [...]
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This American Life: Crybabies This entire show is great but act three is particularly fascinating: The Squeaky Wheelchair Gets the Grease. In California, a kind of crybaby cottage industry has popped up around, of all things, the Americans with Disabilities Act—the federal law that requires all public places to meet a minimum level of accessibility. [...]
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