Dyslexia ADDventures

 I am hosting a podcast dedicated to everything dyslexia. I hope to upload one episode a month. Yes, creating podcasts is not the only thing I do. Therefore, I am confining myself to a single episode a month, which in itself requires some multi-tasking gymnastics on my part. I have a day job and kids to raise and it's pretty hectic.  Dyslexia is close to my heart since one of my daughters is dyslexic. I want to share my experience of 'discovering' dyslexia, accepting it and helping my daughter cope with it, until she found the dyslexic advantages within herself to zero in on her passion, which she is following at the moment. She is working towards making her passion into her career. In Episode 1: Dyslexia - An Introduction, Geetha Raghavan, a special educator who has been working with dyslexic children for close to three decades explains how dyslexia was perceived in our country thirty years ago and how our understanding of the condition has progressed since then. Geetha Ra

What is Executive Function? “The executive functions are a set of processes that all have to do with managing oneself and one’s resources in order to achieve a goal. It is an umbrella term for the neurologically-based skills involving mental control and self-regulation.” Late, Lost, and Unprepared: A Parents’ Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning by Joyce Cooper-Kahn and Laurie Dietzel What does the above definition mean? Executive functions help us manage life-skills which are necessary to navigate daily-living all through our life. You need executive functions to plan and get through your day, study for an exam, research a project or plan a holiday. However, organizing is only one of these important skills. Intellectual ability is different from having good executive functions. Very bright children can have weak executive functioning. Like other cognitive skills, the executive functions follow a developmental course. Development of these importa

Every parent I have met, goes through the emotion of disbelief, pain, guilt, not necessarily in that order, when they come to know their child has ‘difficulty’ with learning ( It’s not difficulty or disability but the brain’s ability to learn differently – Neuroplasticity ). Going through these emotions is normal. But at the end of it, I have to rationalise and prepare to take the next step. The first step towards dealing with learning difference in our child is acceptance, which is unconditional. The moment we accept, the perspective shifts. I don’t look at the situation with trepidation and fear, but with acceptance and love. With acceptance and love comes the ability to find approaches to help our child become learning independent. This is important since young children require adult intervention to become learning independent. In our culture, we place undue emphasis on the written word. When a child has difficulty with the written word, we bludgeon the child with an ove

Watch how Veeru Murugappa did it. He's the founder of Coromandel Productions. Interview courtesy: Madras Dyslexia Association

Chef Venkatesh Bhat was at his inspiring best when he spoke with frankness about how he managed his dyslexia to become a successful chef. Watch the interview here: Interview courtesy: Madras Dyslexia Association

When I met Vaishnavi* for the first time, she came across as a soft-spoken woman – spry and energetic in her sixties. Her eyes exude kindness and compassion. In reality, this façade props up a woman of steel. She’s a terrific lady. And once you get to know her, you’ll realise she’s a storehouse of knowledge on supporting a child with learning differences, as a parent and as a teacher. Listen to her story of struggle and triumph in her son’s turbulent voyage through school; and how he emerges victorious because his mum believed in him and stood by him. Listen to Vaishnavi's story: *Name changed on request.