Examiner June 2014

…There is much to learn from this book, whether one agrees with the particular perspective the authors bring to the subject or not. Indeed I found myself in an ongoing dialogue with the authors, sometimes agreeing, sometimes disagreeing, but always interested in the perspective they bring to bear which I believe will be helpful to many members of our dyslexia community. My hope in writing this brief essay is to invite members of the dyslexia community to read and form their own opinion of the book’s pages, and to eschew other commentary or remarks. That is the joy of written language, and its advantage over oral language: It allows and, at its best, elicits dialogue with the reader without public judgment or influence. …”  Read More.

Although many assume handwriting instruction is no longer needed now that we have computers, research across disciplines demonstrates the importance of teaching handwriting. Advantages of handwriting during note-taking have been found in adolescents and young adults. At the same time, there are benefits to teaching computer skills and not simply recommending them as an accommodation. Instead of leaving handwriting behind, we should be developing hybrid writers who can produce legible manuscript and cursive handwriting in addition to using a variety of computer tools for various writing and reading purposes. See The New York Times article-“What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades”-and Dr. Virginia Berninger’s letter to The New York Times editor for some timely and thought-provoking information. Read More.