Dys and That - our top tips!

Dys and That

Praise for our Dys and That event

“Thursday night was very interesting for us as teachers. We had a insight into services offered in our local area and came away with some ideas to try in class. It was useful attending with several teachers from school as they wanted to know more about KidsLink itself and one teacher even thought about how  student in her class would benefit from the services discussed on the night.” Many thanks, Carol

Dys and That East

Christine Thesiger – Dyslexia Made Easy

Christine spoke again – this time at our East Auckland event! As she has dyslexia herself, she makes the experience of dyslexia real for the attendees. Christine made us do some quick handwriting tasks that helped us experience what it is like – this certainly generated a lot of talk among the group!

Reaching Potential and Restoring Self Esteem – Christine’s top tips
  1. The ability to disorientate is the underlying cause of dyslexics problems
  2. Dyslexics think in pictures
  3. Words without pictures cause dyslexics to struggle with reading skills

David Wardell – Cellfield
Reading no longer needs to be a struggle – David discussed:
  1. Why do 3 in 10 children have difficulty learning to read?
  2. How an understanding of the brain, using cutting edge technology, can be used to help those children struggling with reading and language
  3. How huge gains in reading skills can be achieved in just a few months using an ‘evidence based’ intervention

David’s lifetime in education has helped him develop some very practical tips for helping children with reading difficulties. He was able to share many of these at our event so parents and teachers could make a difference for children straight away! However, when it comes to a reading disability, then intervention is needed.

Dys and That North

Lynn Berresford Indigo talked about the complexities of dyslexia and other related learning difficulties, including ADHD and Autism. Her top tips are:
  1. A focus on weaknesses can result in poor self esteem, a lack of motivation, depression and stress. Therefore it is essential to focus attention on the development of: strengths, interests and superior intellectual capacities
  2. We can only change behaviour in another by changing our behaviour
  3. If what you are doing isn’t working… do something else!

“Hi Michele and Julie, I enjoyed the evening. I am always happy to speak – I want teachers and parents to gain a greater understanding of the issues mixed ability individuals have to deal with daily. Thank you for asking me to be a presenter.” Lynn

Christine Thesiger Dyslexia Made Easy outlined how a dyslexic person behaves, the things they do to self-protect and how they feel. Her top tips are:
  1. People with dyslexia process information differently. They are often “picture thinkers” and have difficulty with words that they don’t have pictures for – like the!
  2. They adopt behaviours so they can cope – like be the class clown or try to be invisible
  3. They need support and understanding to reach their potential and restore their self-esteem

“Hi Michele and Julie, I appreciate the opportunity you afforded me. I’m very happy to be involved as a speaker to schools, both to teachers and/or parents. The more I can get across to word thinkers that these young people are not lazy, annoying others on purpose or not trying, the happier I will be!” Christine