Thanks for posting something about dyslexia. I wish I had the ability to identify through an MRI who would be successful with the remediation I use in teaching the Take Flight Curriculum designed by the Scottish Rite Hospital. It seems to be effective 99.5% of the time, but there are that .5% it doesn't work for. I've learned through the Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, TX. what to visually look for with school tests, but it would be nice to be able to read an MRI. I hope to one day read a FMRI on a dyslexic's brain. I enjoy your posts. Keep it up! They are educational and I enjoy what I learn from them!

I REALLY liked your most recent blog post. You described my experience near perfectly - being able to "read well but not being able to productively put it together!" I could read at a 6th grade level in 1st grade, but when it came to reading for meaning, understanding what I read, I really struggled. Fortunately, it didn't keep me from getting my master's degree! Power points from my teachers I found to be the most effective. It broke down into "chunks" what I needed to know and why, as opposed to getting that just from reading the textbook or journal articles.

Rachel’s report is really not uncommon, the severity of the problem ranging from very minor to severe. Even when the school administers specific educational testing, the problem is often not recognized. The student frequently performs in the classroom below their level of mastery for standardized testing (e.g., Reading, Spelling). The assumption is that the student is “lazy”, “not studying”, “not motivated”. “If you work harder, you will do better!” It is simply a specific learning disability.
The basic “brain” problem is in not being able to conceptually integrate and organize information; reading the words is not the problem. The student can usually read aloud anything they are given. However, they are not able to understand what they read, not able to conceptually organize the content. It is commonly observed in children with known history of acquired brain injury, although may have other causes. There are often other learning or developmental problems accompanying the disability but are not usually recognized or associated with the “conceptual organization disorder” (e.g., reading social cues, recognizing cause-and-effect). Some students present with characteristics of “nonverbal learning disorder”. With accommodations, the student is capable of successfully completing post-high school education, as Rachel reports above.

Two more thoughts: At least in my case, "working harder" by itself does NOT guarantee academic success. (though hard work does help!) For example, I recall spending hours studying for a test but usually getting a grade lower than my peers. I could recall the information for tests, but I couldn't apply it for the test, why it is was important, how it answered the question, etc.

Also, when it came to highlighting or outlining chapters or journal article, I would either highlight 3/4 of the pages or make outlines that were several pages long. I couldn't separate the main pts from the "interesting to know, but not necessary information"