Sally E. Shaywitz, M.D., the Audrey G. Ratner Professor in Learning Development at the Yale University School of Medicine, is the Co-Director of the newly formed Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. Dr. Shaywitz received her B.A. (with honors) from the City University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and her M.D. from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She has devoted her career to better understanding and helping children and adults who are dyslexic. Her research provides the basic framework: the conceptual model, epidemiology, and neurobiology for the scientific study of dyslexia. Together with her husband, Dr. Bennett Shaywitz, she originated and championed the “Sea of Strengths” model of dyslexia which emphasizes a sea of strengths of higher critical thinking and creativity surrounding the encapsulated weakness found in children and adults who are dyslexic. Dr. Sally Shaywitz is the author of over 200 scientific articles, chapters and books, including the widely acclaimed national best-seller, Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level (Knopf, 2003; Vintage, 2005) which received the Margo Marek Book Award and the NAMI Book Award.
I appreciate the author’s dedication to working in the field, her research, and raising awareness about dyslexia, hence the 3 stars. However, her staunch opinion and insistence that dyslexic kids only should learn from “the professionals” was extremely off-putting because the target kept moving. Most public schools are, according to her, not up to the task to teach dyslexic kids so that will require a “professional tutor” and/or a private, dyslexic school. Only the extremely wealthy can help their dyslexic child, apparently. Aside from her elitist attitude the book was very informative.
Excellent book full of lots of important research on dyslexia. Particularly enjoyed the reasoning behind why some people with dyslexia struggle with transpositions and pronunciation of words. I also like the suggestions on plans for students, however, I'm not sure their feasibility in schools today.
I listened to this book on audio (a full solid 25 hours), but it was so good. I plan to buy this one so I can mark it up and refer back to it. Great advice on all ages and learning, but really great on high school and college level. The advice on teaching our dyslexic children how to be their own advocates in a world designed for eye readers is rich and full.