Episode 1: SLDs and how to talk about them

Michael Shanahan

In this episode Michael and Bill delve into what Specific Learning Difficulties are and the advantages vs the disadvantages of using terms like learning difference, disability or disorder to describe them.

So what do we call it when a person can’t learn to do something like reading, writing or maths as easily as what is considered normal? It’s a touchy subject and to be honest, it probably depends on the context you’re in when talking about it and whom your talking to. Sometimes our context is trying to get funding schools to better support kids at school, sometimes it’s raising awareness in the community about learning problems and the long term impact they have on students. In these contexts, we want to talk in a way that underlines the functional severity of these difficulties and the lasting impact they have on young people (especially if not dealt with and properly resourced). So, in those contexts, we might use terms like disability or disorder. Then there’s the toughest context – a child who needs their difficulty explained to them, carefully, in a way that doesn’t talk down to them or minimise the problems they experience, but at the same time doesn’t crush their soul. In this context we may tread too lightly and talk about brains working differently and put too little attention on the very real hardships the child experiences every day at school. It’s tough and it deserves exploring, because regardless of the context there’s just so much at stake. So let’s go there!

Watch episode 1 on YouTube

Links and resources mentioned in, and related to, this episode

I Don’t Want to be Here by Mark LeMessurier and Tim Mackie

Code Read Dyslexia Network

https://codereadnetwork.org/

Book: The Dyslexia Debate – the book that got Bill cranky

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/dyslexia-debate/9A6FB53788DB1830CFA83ED5168133A6

Dr Sally Shaywitz – Dyslexia as an island of weakness in a sea of strengths

https://www.yalemedicine.org/specialists/sally_shaywitz

ICESCR Article 13

https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/rights-and-freedoms/right-education

Article 24 – Education
States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to education.

https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/article-24-education.html

Learning Disability: What the Heck Is It?

https://dyslexiaida.org/learning-disability-what-the-heck-is-it/

Disability and the Media
Promoting an accurate image and enhancing the voice of persons with disabilities in the media

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Episode 24: Supporting Adults & Older Students

In this episode I chat with Dr Shae Wissell, Shae is a speech pathologist, researcher, dyslexic, dysgraphic, ADHD-er, and founder of Rethink Dyslexia, We talk about what happens after students living with learning difficulties leave school and we become adults!

Episode 23: Mental Health Strategies For Parents

In this episode, I talk with Brisbane-based psychologist Leanne Tran about how to look after your own mental health as the parent of a child living with learning difficulty. We work through the whole journey as a timeline, from that first feeling that something might not be right, all the way through to letting go when your child is ready to advocate for themselves.

Episode 22: Five Common Mental Health Challenges For Kids Living With Learning Difficulties

In this episode, I’m joined again by clinical psychologist Valli Jones to talk about the mental health issues she most commonly sees in children and young people living with learning difficulties. We framed the conversation as a “top five”, not to rank problems, but to help parents and educators feel less alone and better able to recognise patterns.

Episode 21: Why Maths Word Problems Are So Hard

In this episode, I talk with teacher and intervention specialist Sue Griffith about word problems in maths and why they are so difficult for students living with learning difficulties. We look at the role of language, working memory anxiety and ambiguity, and share practical ways to teach problem-solving more clearly.

Episode 20: ADHD Coaching with Sharon Collon

In this episode, I am joined by Sharon Collon from The Functional Family. We discuss ADHD coaching and how it works to support students living with ADHD, their teachers and families. We focus on practical strategies for supporting executive function, increasing engagement, dealing with emotions, and solving predictable problems.