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This week I’m pleased to introduce you to guest blogger and author, Mary Moynihan. Mary is a registered and pediatric, board-certified occupational therapist with 38 years of experience in the field of pediatrics. She has worked in a variety of settings including developmental education centers, neonatal intensive care unit, early intervention and preschool settings, as well as public schools and clinics. Most recently, she published, Fun Kinesthetic Games to Improve Gross Motor and Perceptual Skills , one of our newest downloads that is available at Dyslexia Materials . I’m sure that over the years you have known children who appear a little “lost in space.” These are the children that bump into every desk on their way to the front of the room, don’t realize they have fallen out of their chair till they land on the floor, and continually rub against the walls as they walk down the hallways. They may be able to stand on one foot when their eyes are open, but if you ask them to close th

Text to speech has been used as an accommodation for the blind and struggling readers, but did you know that it is a valuable device for writers too? In fact, I often teach all of my students how to use this technology to help them edit their essays and papers. What is Text to Speech? Text to Speech is a form of assistive technology that uses speech synthesis to convert text to a spoken, computerized voice. In other words, the computer reads aloud the text on the screen. How can Text to Speech Assist with Editing? Many students struggle to edit their own work because they often read their words as they meant to write them. Furthermore, some errors remain difficult to see. For example, simple letter and word reversals such as "was" and "saw," are often overlooked when visually scan text or using a spell checker. In addition, many young learners get confused by words that look similar but are pronounced differently such as loose and lose. Text to Speech allows student

In my practice as a learning specialist and educational therapist, I have witnessed that students are receiving less and less writing instruction in school. In fact, it is an academic skill that is requested by most parents, homeschoolers, and young adults that come to see me in my practice. https://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/courses/color-coded-writing-a-structured-and-multisensory-approach-to-teaching-writing-skills What is my Experience Teaching Writing? Over the past 20 years, I have had enormous success teaching discouraged and struggling writers, and it has taken me much of that time to create all the materials and high tech solutions.  This multisensory and highly structured approach works with all students from the gifted to those with learning disabilities.  In addition, my methods work for students in elementary, middle school and high school. How Can I Learn to Be an Accomplished Writing Specialist? Now, I'm happy to share my approach with you! Teaching Writing Sk

Federal law requires schools, colleges, and universities to provide reasonable accommodations for students who have documented learning disabilities such as dyslexia (commonly called a Specific Learning Disability). Many of these students with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities need a foreign language requirement to be modified. A common accommodation is a foreign language exemption, waiver or modification. What are Foreign Language Exemptions, Waivers and Modifications? Over the years I have heard a few terms that have been used to describe foreign language accommodations in education.  Here is a quick review: A foreign language exemption : Some state laws provide mandates that a student with a disability that adversely affects the ability to learn a language may be exempted from these requirements.  A foreign language waiver : Some schools choose to "waive" a foreign language requirement and allow a course substitution that is approved by their foreign