Reviews (37)

Truthfully, just another set of excuses for poor instructional techniques!
Using MRI and neuroscience to try to answer questions about dyslexia as Sally Md Shaywitz has tried to do is dangerously short sighted and terribly misguided.Especially when you consider that her conclusions about remediation reflect what is so deeply wrong with education today.Trying to cram human brain function and the human spirit into the confines of modern educationis akin to stuffing an elephant into a thimble. Imagine if one were so dimwitted as to blame the elephant for the obvious lack of success.This is precisely what is happening today in public education.If one were able to step back from the tree and catch a glimpse of the forest, one might see that ego drives professionals to draw conclusions about student performance that reflect the stupidity of arrogance.More and more students are being labeled learning disabled and dyslexic, more medication is being doled out and more and more remediations are being invented to control and force students into a useless development that does much more to impede brain function than to enhance it.In fact, students are being driven into intellectual comas and instead of rethinking methods and curriculum, teachers blame students and their families for their own professional shortcomings. Uniforms, drill and kill, direct instruction amongst other inhumane and unintelligent strategies are exactly what has gotten us to this desperate point.In one more generation, Sally Md Shaywitz will be able to prove that 2 in 5 students have dyslexia and her confidence in modern science will soar to new heights.Teachers everywhere will be able to rejoice that their own drastic failings are not their fault at all, but that of the flawed human condition.
Well meaning, but flawed and scary presentation of dyslexia
Some of the book was very interesting, especially the chapter on the functional MRI findings.I appreciate her writing the book to share her experiences, and think she truly wants to help. However, I admit I have grave doubts about her premise, because it is inherently contradictory.She repeats throughout the book that anyone who is dyslexic will always remain so, and yet is simultaneously convinced that the kind of intervention she recommends is uniformly effective. In addition, the graph on which she bases her claim about the absolute persistence of dyslexia does not justify her conclusions. The book names various intervention programs, but doesn't compare and contrast them. It is hard to tease out specific recommendations about what to do.She mentions that people vary in their reading stumbling blocks, but prescribes the same programs for all.She states that anyone using programs like Open Court should succeed, but thousands of California children still have trouble reading.Though she means the book to be empowering, I think it scares parents instead.

A Must Read!
This is a must read for not only spec. ed teachers but regular ed. teachers as well. Dr. Shaywitz is a dedicated individual that has really hit the nail on the head with reading instruction....no guess work here, scientifically based reading instruction for true success! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dyslexia    2. Dyslexic children    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Education Of Students With Learning Disabilities    6. Learning Disabilities    7. Learning Disorders (Neurological Aspects)    8. Reading    9. Reading disability    10. Reference    11. Remedial teaching    12. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    13. Special Education - Learning Disabled    14. Teaching Methods & Materials - Reading    15. Family & Relationships / Learning Disabilities   

Reviews (5)

Just what I ordered!
The book was exactly what I ordered and it was sent promptly!Great Price! Thanks!

Got a visual learner with special needs? This is for you!
My autistic son is a visual learner. He watches TV, computer and other children and will learn from them. In addition - abstract concepts and teaching basic academics can be done with a lot of visual support vs. auditory presentations alone. Overflowing with useful and practical ideas!
I have read a lot of books on autism and I would highly recommend this one! The author details, in a very clear way, whyRead more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Special Education / Communicative Disorders    3. General    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Asperger's syndrome   

Reviews (62)

The Gift of Dyslexia
08-05-06 (Holly O'Dwyer)
Finally, the answer to our problems!!!
First, should Mr. Davis ever read this, let me first extend my most sincere, heartfelt thanks for using your painful life experiences to help others.Thank God you were able to find a way to not only help yourself but were willing to pass that knowledge along!!
Outstanding
This book is well written. I would recomend this publication to anyone who has a Dyslexic family member or is Dyslexic themselves. It allows for greater understanding of The Gift and methods to unlock its assets. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dyslexia    2. Dyslexic children    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Elementary education    6. General    7. Pediatric Neurology    8. Reading Disabilities    9. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    10. Coping with disability    11. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Reviews (3)

Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills
This book gives language teachers a great wealth of information regarding dyslexia and reading problems.

A parent's point of view
...this is a great book that I'vesearched for.It pulls tons of useful information about dyslexia into one spot.Only one warning I would send out to parents - this is a textbook not a "pop culture" book.I've found the reading slow going as I'm unfamiliar with many of terms and concepts as I'm not a linguist or teacher.Having said that, I belive I now understand how to help my daughter learn easier which will open many previously closed doors to her.The textbook is worth the effort!!

Goldmine of Theory and Practicality
In Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, Dr. Judith Birsh has succeeded in bringing together the expertise of a constellation of respected and well-known contributors to produce what will undoubtedlybecome a highly prized and much-used text/reference book in the field ofdyslexia and learning differences.Calling on various authorities to writesections in their area(s) of greatest interest and strength, she hasdeveloped a greatly needed resource for understanding, teaching, assessing,and parenting those who have dyslexia and related disorders.Read more

Subjects:  1. Dyslexic children    2. Dyslexics    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Language arts    6. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    7. Study & Teaching    8. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    9. United States    10. English    11. English (ie as school subject)    12. Teaching of a specific subject    13. Teaching of those with special educational needs   

Reviews (1)

teaching studnets
The book arrived in a timely manner and was not that terrible bad. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audiology & Speech Pathology    2. Children with disabilities    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Language arts    6. Language disorders in children    7. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    8. United States    9. Education / Special Education / General   

Reviews (2)

Very helpful
As a former special education teacher, I am sometimes too aware of little problems. I know my child's self-esteem is affected by this problem however, and this book is very helpful for being me to work with her at home, especially since teachers don't seem to think there is a problem. This book, along with "The Gift of Dyslexia" brought so much practical, usefel information. I took this book out from the library, and will buy it, to use for a longer duration at home.

Practical strategies for dyslexia
Ms. Stowe has managed to be both concise and thorough.This book is aimed primarily at teachers of students who have dyslexia, butparents will findit extremely helpful in understanding their child's (their own!) struggleswith a confusing and frustrating condition.The interviews with adolescentand adult persons diagnosed with dyslexia bring the more academic aspectsof the work to life, and help the reader to identify with the informationin the other sections.Unlike those in some other books on the subject,the activities presented actually seem to be as they are described on thecover, "Practical."I especially liked the suggestions forteaching writing and making writing accessible to students on differinglevels (word, sentence, paragraph) who might be working within the samegroup.I wish I'd had this book when my son was younger!I wouldrecommend this book to principals and teachers, to parents of kids inschool and parents who homeschool, and to youth and adults who grew up withany of the difficulties described. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Language Arts & Disciplines    4. Parent Participation    5. Reading Skills    6. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    7. Special Education - Learning Disabled    8. Teaching Methods & Materials - Reading    9. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Reading    10. Teaching of those with special educational needs   

Reviews (16)

Too many studies quoted out of context.
At first glance, the book appears to be well researched, but upon digging further into the quoted studies, many of them are taken out of context (neurological conclusions taken from nutrition and respiratory journals; conclusions based on preliminary findings and other non-peer reviewed sources; conclusions taken from studies that were not the primary focus of the study with doubtful population sizes; etc.)I was disappointed that the science didn't stand up to a rigorous examination.

Enzymes help make food work better.
I must admit that I had not realized before how important enzymes are to our body.I had first heard about using them when I took my autistic boy to see a D.A.N. nutritionalist.We put him on enzymes on the direction of the nutritionalist.I was amazed.His previously bloated belly was flat by the end of the first day!I had always thought that he had an extra large belly but had thought that it was just one of the things that a child has.He also eats a wider variety of foods and he is overall a happier child.THe book is easy to understand and does not promise miracles but that you will feel better.My husband and I have since started taking the enzymes too and I know that I am having less trouble with my gaseous bowel.
Enzymes explained
Very hopeful book with excellent information that I hope will help my ADD child. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Therapies    2. Autism    3. Chemotherapy    4. Education    5. Enzymes    6. General    7. Health & Fitness / Alternative Therapies    8. Health - General    9. Psychology    10. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    11. Therapeutic use    12. Autism in children    13. Neurology & clinical neurophysiology    14. Teaching of children / adults with specific learning difficulties   

Reviews (1)

Excellent for the professional involved in aug. com.
Thanks for this superior book on augmentative communication.As a speech pathologist in the public schools, I found this book extremely helpful when relating information to other professionals with limited aug. com.experience.This book is a must for the SLP in charge of educating otherprofessionals in aug. com. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audiology & Speech Pathology    2. Communication devices for peop    3. Communication devices for people with disabilities    4. Communicative disorders    5. Education    6. Medical    7. Medical / Nursing    8. Neuropsychology    9. Patients    10. Rehabilitation    11. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    12. Speech And Communication Disorders    13. Medical / Audiology & Speech Pathology    14. Speech & language disorders & therapy   

Reviews (2)

Teaching Math to People With Down Syndrome and Other Hands-On Learners: Basic Survival Skills (Topics in Down Syndrome)
This is an awesome book! It gives you a step by step proven method that is almost fail-safe for teaching any concrete learner to understand math and math concepts. The only problem with this book is the misconception that the title relays in that it is not just for children with Down Syndrome. It is the method I use to teach all developmentally delayed children. I recommend it to everyone with children with delays.

An exhaustive appendix of reproducible teaching
Teaching Math To People With Down Syndrome And Other Hands-On Learners by instructional resources consultant and cognitive disabilities expert DeAnna Horstmeier is Book 1 of the Topics in Down Syndrome series and an emphatically practical guide especially for special education professionals or anyone charged with abstract instruction to cognitively challenged students. Chapters address teaching strategies for basic math survival skills, calculator useage, writing numerals, whole number addition and subtraction, time, shapes and patterns, money, and more fill this superb educator guidebook with emphasis on practical needs. An exhaustive appendix of reproducible teaching and assessment materials rounds out this superb reference, study guide, and manual of tips, tricks, and techniques.
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Subjects:  1. Down syndrome    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Mathematics    5. Patients    6. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    7. Special Education - Mentally Handicapped    8. Study and teaching    9. Teaching Methods & Materials - Mathematics    10. Teaching of learning disabled persons   

Reviews (2)

Literacy Difficulties
This is a great text. It is well organized and I don't think they miss anything.I took a course that used it, and I am glad I bought the book. I will refer to it often when I am trying to figure out a plan with a student who has reading difficulties.
For both the educator and the parent
If one is preparing to enter the teaching profession and plans to teach reading, this is the book for you.If one is a parent of a struggling reader, this, too, is the book for you.The authors have put together a rather concise and rather uncomplicated read that is beneficial to the reading specialist, the classroom teacher, and the parent that wants to know about techniques, strategies, and programs available to assist in the teaching of reading.
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Subjects:  1. Ability testing    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Reading    5. Reading disability    6. Remedial teaching    7. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    8. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts    9. Teaching Methods & Materials - Reading    10. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Reading    11. Examinations & assessment   

Reviews (30)

a fan
This book is amazing and Luke is incredible. He really helps us to know what life is like from the point of view of a teenager with asperger syndrome. I'd highly recommend it.

Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome: a User Guide to Adolescence
Good book with practical advice and gives you an understanding of a kids perspective and what they go through.A must read for parents with kids who have Asperger Syndrome.

Thanks for the insights!
I read this book on behalf of myWONDERFUL 4-year-old son who is currently diagnosed PDD(NOS) until they can come up with a better label.I got this read to help me understand where he might be headed and what I might do to help him through adolescence or life in general.The author, a 13-year-old child with Aspergers Syndrome(AS) gave me exactly what I was looking for:A book crammed-full of personal experience for me AND my son to draw on now and in the future. It is useful, hopeful, and humbling.If you have and autism spectrum disorder or if you know anyone who has, read this book.Heck, read it anyway! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1988-    2. Asperger's syndrome    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Children with Special Needs    6. Education    7. Family relationships    8. General    9. Jackson, Luke,    10. Mental health    11. Patients    12. Psychology    13. Psychotherapy - Child & Adolescent    14. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    15. Specific Groups - Special Needs    16. Biography & Autobiography    17. Child & developmental psychology    18. Disability & illness    19. Jackson, Luke    20. Medicine    21. Popular psychology   

Subjects:  1. Articulation disorders    2. Audiology & Speech Pathology    3. Dysarthria    4. Feeding and Eating Disorders o    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Medical / Nursing    8. Neuropsychology    9. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    10. Speech    11. Speech And Communication Disorders    12. diagnosis    13. therapy    14. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Science & Technology    15. Phonetics, phonology, prosody (speech)    16. Psychotherapy    17. Speaking / pronunciation skills    18. Teaching of children / adults with specific learning difficulties   

Reviews (12)

Carla Turnquest, Bahamas
This book was my first introduction to Selective Mutism.The case history of Nick described my son and our struggles point for point.Without having a caring teacher at the time I was able to implement some of Gails strategy. and I shared this book with a new teacher who was able to follow the very simple and practicle plan for my son.More important than the informtion is this authors' willingness to reach out to everyone who purchases her book.I received a email from the author after bying the book and it has change our lives and open our world to an enormous bundle of information and additional treatment strategies.I recommend this book to every parent with a child with sm.It is a must have for all teachers, as these strategies can be applied with just little effort.This book is for anyone who think that they cannot teach a child with selective Mutism.Just got the supplement, another must have, excellent resource material.Thank you Mrs. Gail Kervatt for showing teachers that they can still make a big difference in the lives of all children.

stunningly disappointing; from a counselor and parent of a SM child
This book is not a guide at all.It is a review of a single case, and even there it focuses only the interventions of the reading teacher, mentioning but not defining the interventions of teachers, parents, and a private psychologist, or others.The vast majority of the book is padded with weekly intervention sheets which document a school year's worth of a small amount of progress; the bigger leaps in progress took place after the school year ended and again, the keys to this change are not defined.Another portion of the book is some Internet research from early 1999.
Very Readable, but not enough information
I bought this book in hopes of getting a variety of strategies to use with a selective mute student on my caseload.I found this book very readable and engaging, but I didn't find enough strategies for it to be as useful as I'd hoped.It did give a nice overview of selective mutism and did a fabulous job of illustrating that it is not intentional misbehavior, but rather an unusual reaction to anxiety.Because of this, I find it very useful to share with parents and other professionals.However, I did not find the variety of strategies I was looking for. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education / Special Education / Communicative Disorders    2. Education / Special Education / Socially Handicapped    3. Family & Relationships / Children with Special Needs    4. Psychology   

Reviews (4)

A very detailed report on specific educational interventions
This book is based on a report of research conducted by a committee of select members from the National Academies.While it does appear quite techincal, it provides a good resource for anyone attempting to put toghether a good educational program for their autistic child.It's a must have book for knowing what needs to, and can be, put into a child's IEP.If you are using an attorney or advocate to put together your child's IEP, make sure they have a copy of this book.

This is the book your school district has - you need it too!
Although I do not necessarily agree with EVERYTHING that is written in this book, I do appreciate the way it was put together and the information shared. A profound and arresting analysis of interventions
My contact with autistic children and teenagers is primarily through research into social skills teaching.I have a assembled a small library of key texts and until I read this one, I found my library incomplete in one area - a review of intervention programmes.This book is simply superb is its coverage of the various principles that inform current interventions, its analysis of the outcomes of several commonly cited progrmmes, and the scope for future work.
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Subjects:  1. Autism    2. Autism in children    3. Autistic children    4. Education    5. Education (Early childhood)    6. Education / Teaching    7. Educational Policy & Reform    8. Mental Illness    9. Methods Of Instruction In Special Education    10. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    11. Special Education - General    12. United States    13. Teaching of children with emotional & behavioural difficulties   

Subjects:  1. Asperger's syndrome    2. Cats - General    3. Education / Teaching    4. Juvenile literature    5. Pediatrics    6. Psychology    7. Psychopathology - Autism    8. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    9. Coping with disability    10. Neurology & clinical neurophysiology    11. Teaching of those with special educational needs   

Reviews (4)

Neurotypical (NT) and autism/Asperger's (a/A) - Meet Halfway
This book brings to mind June Carter Cash's beautiful, fair-minded statement to husband Johnny Cash:"I'll meet you halfway."A more fair and loving statement has yet to be made.
Informative and entertaining in equal measures
This book brings a much more detailed perspective on early adult life on the autistic spectrum than many others. The fact that it is looking at AS through a man's eyes is also worth noting.The author touchs on career choice issues that many with AS have agonised over. To disclose or not to disclose being the Big Question.I won't spoil your reading by recounting the author's experiences. ONLY FOR NON-ASPERGERS
I am an adult with Aspergers and bought the book after reading the great reviews here. Although it is a good book that shows some aspects of the Aspergers world to outsiders, for us who live and swim in it, this was an unsatisfying book. It merely scratches the surface of our world. Buy it if you want just a glimpse in. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children with Special Needs    2. Education    3. Education / Special Education / Communicative Disorders    4. Education / Teaching    5. Family/Marriage    6. General    7. Special Education - Socially Handicapped    8. Asperger's syndrome    9. Neurology & clinical neurophysiology    10. Paediatric medicine    11. Popular works    12. Senses and sensation    13. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    14. Specific disorders & therapies   

Subjects:  1. Audiology & Speech Pathology    2. Children    3. Communicative disorders in chi    4. Communicative disorders in children    5. Education    6. Education / Teaching    7. Language    8. Mainstreaming in education    9. Medical    10. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    11. Speech therapy for children    12. Medical / Audiology & Speech Pathology    13. Performing Arts   

Reviews (2)

A straightforward "how-to" guide to quickly and easily crafting customized educational tools
Teaching By Design: Using Your Computer To Create Materials For Students With Learning Differences is a straightforward "how-to" guide to quickly and easily crafting customized educational tools with the resources of a basic personal computer at one's disposal. Written especially for teachers working with students who have learning disabilities or impairments, Teaching by Design covers how to control variables in font size, images, and layout, why larger font isn't always better, a smorgasbord of easy-to-make projects ranging from color/shape/size lotto to interactive spelling cards to fill-in-the-blank word magnets and decals, and much more. The materials presented are designed to make learning as easy and intuitive as possible without excess distractions, and as such are applicable to all children whether learning disables or not. An accompanying CD-ROM of templates to simplify the process rounds out this invaluable, user-friendly resource recommended especially for instructors, but also useful to parents and lay people looking for educational games to play with developing young minds.
Great resources!!!
Excellent templates and web site resources.....better if you have a graphics program like Illustrator, CorelDRAW 0r Freehand.
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Subjects:  1. Aids and devices    2. Audio-visual aids    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Graphics - Design    5. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    6. Computer-aided design    7. Computers    8. Computers - Other Applications    9. Education    10. Education / Teaching    11. Learning disabled children    12. Methods Of Instruction In Special Education    13. Remedial teaching    14. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    15. Special Education - Learning Disabled    16. Special Education - Mentally Handicapped    17. Teaching    18. Educational resources & technology    19. Teaching of learning disabled persons   

Reviews (6)

For non-verbal child - this is a great book!
It is truly frustrating when your child who should speak - can't speak. Just because they cannot speak - does not mean they DON'T understand. They do understand. It is just that they way of showing you they understand is not available to them yet. Ok, but not instructional enough
My son, 3, has been using PECS for 6 months now and I bought this book hoping to find more instruction on the use of PECS and different sentence structures.While the book gives a good overview of the system, I think there is far too little concrete information for parents wishing to implement PECS in a home environment.I was disappointed that right when I thought the author would go into detail about a topic, he simply referred to another publication for more information. Ok, but not instructional enough
My son, 3, has been using PECS for 6 months now and I bought this book hoping to find more instruction on the use of PECS and different sentence structures.While the book gives a good overview of the system, I think there is far too little concrete information for parents wishing to implement PECS in a home environment.I was disappointed that right when I thought the author would go into detail about a topic, he simply referred to another publication for more information.Read more

Subjects:  1. Family & Relationships    2. Children with Special Needs    3. Communication    4. Parenting    5. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    6. Special Education - Mentally Handicapped    7. Autism    8. Autistic children    9. Language acquisition    10. Special Education - Mentally Handicapped    11. Child care & upbringing    12. Popular medicine   

Reviews (1)

A must for professionals and parents
This well-written book provides clear theory and method for teaching ASD children conversation using scripts and script fading.Includes many ideas for activities as well as recording-keeping forms. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Autism    2. Autistic children    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Language    6. Language arts    7. Methods Of Instruction In Special Education    8. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    9. Special Education - Mentally Handicapped    10. Coping with disability    11. Teaching of children with emotional & behavioural difficulties