Author: Gina DiSalvo

Customer Love: The New Mexico UDL Project’s Janea Menicucci

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“We don’t ever say the word initiative,” Janea Menicucci of the New Mexico UDL Project says. “We’re changing the narrative.” Janea Menicucci is a vibrant, kind and charismatic educator whose dedication to students is clear from the moment you meet her. And it’s this dedication, along with her creative thinking and drive, that’s allowed her … Continued

“Embrace dyslexia. Try to learn more about it.”

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Kira Ziolkowski is a registered nurse in downtown Chicago, IL. “I love living in the city, and I love the people I work with,” she says. When Kira works with her patient’s families, she’s big on educating them about whatever is going on with their child. It’s wisdom she’s picked up along her own journey … Continued

5 Tips for Increasing Snap&Read and Co:Writer Use in Your District

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If your school district only offers Snap&Read and Co:Writer to students with identified disabilities, it may be time to try a different way. Snap&Read and Co:Writer are reading and writing tools that support students with disabilities. But they can help students who don’t have identified disabilities too. These kinds of tools give struggling readers ways … Continued

13 Apps for Executive Function Deficits

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Trouble paying attention. Disorganization. Difficulty getting started. These are just some of the signs that a child struggles with executive function deficits. Executive function refers to the higher-level activities our brains must do to coordinate and manage our thinking and behavior. Executive function deficits can have many different causes: ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and brain injury … Continued

4 Ways Snap&Read Builds Self Efficacy (and why that’s important)

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Self-efficacy is a big fancy word that roughly translates to believing in oneself. The American Psychological Association defines it as “an individual's belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997).” CASEL, a leading authority in social emotional learning (SEL), lists self-efficacy under the SEL … Continued

A Harvard-educated SEL Consultant’s Best Tips for Schools

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“I don’t think we have to get much buy-in anymore for social-emotional learning in schools,” says Molly Gosline, Ed.M., M.A, executive director of SEL School Consulting and founder of the SEL Summer Institute. “The pandemic and loss of school and social time for students has highlighted the need for social skill development and learning basics … Continued

5 Special Educators share their Dyslexia Stories

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“She looked at me kindly and said, ‘Now I want an honest answer. Do you find reading difficult?’” For a recent dyslexia book giveaway, we asked you to share your dyslexia stories. From you we learned about the difference a single teacher can make. We read of the power of parent advocacy. We read stories … Continued

7 Reasons Dyslexia Awareness Month is Important

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October is Dyslexia Awareness Month! Why is dyslexia awareness just so darn important? Well, for starters, dyslexia is the most common learning disability, affecting up to 1 in 5 people. Not only that, but without the right support, dyslexia can make school and work very difficult. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Dyslexia … Continued

Meet the Former NFL Player Making a Play for Learning Differences

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“I just think differently,” says Xavier Cooper, former NFL player and founder of Everyone Learns Differently, “I want to normalize that.” When Xavier Cooper was in high school, he discovered he has dyslexia, a learning disability that impacts a person’s ability to read. This realization came after a long struggle with school. Despite his teachers’ … Continued