In this episode of Empowering Students with Dyslexia, the spotlight is on Dr. Anson Koshy. Dr. Koshy is a board certified developmental and behavioral pediatrician and bioethicist. He completed his fellowship in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia before moving back to his hometown of Houston, Tx. He is the past president of the Houston Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and has been practicing as a developmental and behavioral pediatrician the Houston area for the last 8 years working with children with all types of developmental issues including Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, and learning differences. In this conversation Dr. Koshy sheds lights on: • Pediatrician training on learning disabilities and dyslexia. • A clinical and generic description of dyslexia • Types of resources and support expected from pediatricians • How to differentiate and remediate ADHD from other issues like dyslexia, dysgraphia, anxiety, etc. • Evidence based interventions for dyslexia and ADHD • Common misconceptions about dyslexia and • Does therapy activate the linguistic side of the brain through a structured approach?

In this episode of empowering students with dyslexia, I speak with Lara Speights, the Vice President of Family Support and Adult Literacy of Neuhaus Education Center. Lara is a Certified Academic Language Therapist and Licensed Dyslexia Therapist and holds a M.Ed. in Language and Literacy from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education with a B.A. in Spanish and English from Texas A&M University. She has over a decade of experience collaborating with and advocating for parents in elementary and secondary public schools as a teacher, reading specialist, and dyslexia therapist. In this episode, Lara talks about issues that students with dyslexia face in school and offers resources to overcome these issues. Among other things, she talks about: • Recognizing the signs of dyslexia in English Language Learners. • Correlations between dyslexia and negative life outcomes. • Challenges and suggestions to initiate dyslexia diagnosis. • Adult literacy programs • How to advocate for students with dyslexia? • Parent support resources offered by Neuhaus • How to judge the efficacy of a reading program and track progress. • The structured literacy approach and much more. Lara’s episode on Engaging and Fun Summer Literacy Activities in the 2021 Neuhaus Speaker Series: https://gateway.on24.com/wcc/eh/2945005/lp/3084488/engaging-and-fun-summer-literacy-activities For the latest news on research and resources follow Neuhaus Education Center on: https://www.neuhaus.org/

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Samantha Varadarajan. Samantha serves as the Director of the Dallas Branch IDA. Samantha has worked in public education serving in several roles including reading interventionist, English as a second language coordinator, dyslexia interventionist, English as a second language interventionist, and lead dyslexia evaluator. Samantha privately provides therapy to students who struggle with reading and writing and enjoys being able to see the significant growth students make in reading and writing from a one-on-one setting. Samantha values making learning accessible and engaging for all learners. She is a Wilson Certified Dyslexia Practitioner and Certified Academic Language Therapist. Samantha is certified in Multisensory Teaching Approach through Southern Methodist University’s Learning Therapy Program. Samantha graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2010 with a B.S. in Business and Marketing Education where she served as President of the College of Education and Human Development, and later as a Board Member for the University of Minnesota Alumni Society. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Hamline University. In this episode, Samantha talks about the • History and mission behind the Dallas Branch, IDA • How to get involved with the Dallas Branch of International Dyslexia Association • The Annual Art Contest • Dallas Dyslexia Information Group • Students and teacher resources as well as scholarships • Excellence in Education awards • Volunteer opportunities, Membership benefits and much more. Most of all, I want to highlight the 2022 Regional Conference, “Literacy Leads the Way”, featuring Dr Tracy Weeden as the keynote speaker. You can find the link to the conference in the show notes. Check-Out the 2022 Regional Conference, “Literacy Leads the Way”, featuring Dr. Tracy Weeden as the keynote speaker: https://dal.dyslexiaida.org/ Dallas Branch IDA Website: https://dal.dyslexiaida.org/

In this episode, we continue to celebrate dyslexia with Rylan’s success. Rylan is currently a sophomore with a major in psychology and a minor in interior design. Rylan has chosen to turn opportunities into strengths. She dreams of designing therapeutic living spaces for those with disabilities. In episode, I speak with Rylan’s mother, Jennifer Brickhouse, who shares: • Rylan’s ability to think out of the box. • Her determination and grit to be successful through school • People skills • Ability to navigate through big picture and details seamlessly • Visual spatial ability and much more. Jennifer also talks about how Rylan tackled challenges through, learned to advocate for herself, set up milestones and celebrated success as a family. Jennifer, who is also a diagnostician, has supported Rylan in her dreams and journey through the years. If your child has recently been diagnosed with dyslexia and you’re struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel, then I encourage you to listen to Rylan’s success. Rylan is an inspiration like no other.

We kicked off Dyslexia Awareness Month in a conversation with Jasmin Dean about Celebrate Dyslexia. Welcome to the 2nd of 4 episodes to celebrate dyslexia. During this month, I am celebrating dyslexia by showcasing success stories of smart, young and enterprising people who have chosen to overcome their struggles and prevailed. One of those people is Sam Mitchell. Sam is a force to reckon with. In this episode, I speak with Sam who in a lot of ways inspired me to start a series on Dyslexia. Sam is an avid podcaster and the host of Autism Rocks and Rolls. The mission behind his podcast is to take the stigma out of disability. His motto in life is, “no matter your disability, you can break through and change the world one person at time.” Similar to students with dyslexia, Sam faced challenges at school, however instead of being defeated by those challenges he chose to turn his talents into opportunities. He first became interested in podcasting with the high school Media Club. Sam supported the school's podcast and then transitioned into Autism Rocks and Rolls. He has recently graduated from high school and is looking to further his studies in media and entrepreneurship. He has been running his own podcast for about 2 years now. You can find a link to Sam’s website in the show notes. I want thank Sam and Gina Mitchell for giving me the inspiration to start a series on dyslexia and for helping spread the message and strength to go on despite the pitfalls. Please take a moment to visit his website, support his mission and listen to Autism Rocks and Rolls. In this episode, he talks about the challenges at school and how he navigated those. Listen as he talks about turning disability into opportunity. I would like to reiterate Sam’s message, “No matter the challenge or disability, keep going on and pushing through.” Follow Sam at: Autismrocksandrolls.com Subscribe to his podcast: autismrocksandrolls

This episode of Empowering students with dyslexia kicks off the beginning of a series of podcasts to celebrate October as the Dyslexia Awareness Month. In this episode, the spotlight is on Jasmin Dean the Executive Director of Celebrate Dyslexia. Celebrate Dyslexia focuses on connecting with parents of dyslexic children and provides evidence-based information that helps navigate the current education system to ensure children’s individual success. Their mission is to foster a community that celebrates, educates and empowers those with Dyslexia. Jasmin Dean is the co-founder and Executive Director of Celebrate Dyslexia, a non-profit organization fostering a community to celebrate, educate and empower the 1 in 5 with Dyslexia. Creating a portfolio of high-profile strength-based events, assisting the education community in efforts to bring evidence-based practices to every classroom, and including efforts on medical accountability in this all-important conversation with parents and children alike, her efforts are to close the action gap for all those with dyslexia and the people that love, educate and employ them. Celebrate Dyslexia presents Whiteboard Exhibit’s Beautiful Minds: Dyslexia and the Creative Advantage September 18, 2021 – May 22, 2022 at The Health Museum in Houston. In this exhibition, explore the successes of those who think and thought outside the box when faced with the challenges of dyslexia and learn about some of the tools and resources for diagnosis and pathways to success. A unique portion of the exhibit also reflects each community that it travels to by featuring local students and artists. In this episode, Jasmin, talks about: • The key initiatives behind Celebrate Dyslexia • Ways to get involved with Celebrate Dyslexia and • Most of all, gives a glimpse of The Beautiful Minds exhibit which is currently showcased in Houston’s Health Museum. Be sure to register for Dyslexia 101 and Dyslexia 201. These are free virtual seminars offered in partnership with Neuhaus Education Center. The Beautiful Minds exhibit: https://www.thehealthmuseum.org/BeautifulMinds The Health Museum Calendar of Events: https://www.thehealthmuseum.org/events Get Involved with Celebrate Dyslexia: https://celebratedyslexia.org/

If you’re looking to empower a student diagnosed with dyslexia and build a village of support, then you must add the International Dyslexia Association to your list. This week I speak with Sabine Triplett the president of the Houston chapter of International Dyslexia Association. Sabine talks about: • The history and mission behind the Houston Chapter • The resources & support provided by this community • The Fall Symposium and the Spring Conference • Benefits of membership • Scholarships for teachers and students • The College Panel and • Most of all how IDA Houston has been personally supported her to navigate the landscape of dyslexia. I do want to point out the upcoming Virtual Fall Symposium scheduled for Sept 25th. Save the date! Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Margie Gillis talk about ‘The Nuts and Bolts of Monitoring Students’ Reading Progress.’ Click on the link in the show notes to register now. https://www.houstonida.org/event/2021-fall-symposium/ Sites: https://www.houstonida.org/

Learning Ally is one of biggest supporters of students with dyslexia. Learning Ally not only provides audio books but also engages students through a multi-sensory approach to reading. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Terrie Noland who is the VP of Educator Initiatives with Learning Ally. It is a great pleasure to introduce Dr. Terrie Noland. She has a PhD in Literacy and is a Certified Academic Language Practitioner, with over 27 years of experience in education. She provides leadership, mentorship and consultant services to schools and districts all over the country. Dr. Noland has dedicated her life to making students successful. In this episode, Dr. Noland identifies the ways in which Learning Ally engages learners, talk about Learning Ally’s parents and educator communities, volunteer opportunities and much more. She also addresses how Learning Ally has innovated through the years to meet the needs of students. Checkout 13 amazing sessions from Learning Ally’s Virtual Conference, Spotlight on Dyslexia. These sessions are available until December 1st. Use the promo code SPODCC for a special discount. Spotlight on Dyslexia: https://learningally.org/Conferences/Spotlight-on-Dyslexia-2021 Here are a few links that would be helpful if you’d like to get closely involved with any of the initiatives mentioned during this episode: Learning Ally: https://learningally.org/ Join the Learning Ally Educator Community: https://learningally.mn.co/landing?space_id=2785183