Episode 199: Enabling Literacy for Kids with Dyslexia with Cole Aansen

I'd like for parents going into parenthood to have a slightly more open expectation that when you have a child you don't necessarily know what their educational needs might be.... Maybe normalize awareness of learning differences. Perhaps we can then change how we expect our children to be.  Cole Aansen Do you know anyone who is dyslexic? Whether you're aware of it or not, you probably do. Cole Aansen, a Certified Literacy Intervention Teacher and this week's guest on the Brilliantly Resilient podcast, tells us that statistics show that 20% of the population is dyslexic, regardless of race, socio-economic status or any other measure. According to Cole, Dyslexia isn't seeing words backwards, a common misconception. Dyslexia is about language processing. Those with dyslexia process the written word differently than those who learn in a more traditional way. Cole further notes, "Dyslexia isn't something you get over. It's a brain processing issue. You can learn strategies to navigate it, but it doesn't go away." Using the Orton Gillingham approach, Cole uses a multisensory approach to teach others to read. With tools like finger tapping and writing sounds and letters in a sand tray with the fingertips (with 10,000 nerve endings, the tracing letters in the sand can send 10,000 messages to the brain to help learning), the multisensory approach helps to create more pathways in the brain. Cole is creating materials for the learner unable to utilize a tutor to enable more students and parents to access this multisensory approach. With cards and a video course, Cole helps dyslexic readers to learn to read. Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we celebrate differences. Yet a skill as basic as literacy is necessary to function in our society. When people like Cole share their passion for helping others master such a necessity, all ships rise. Please support Cole's work and donate to her Go Fund Me page to help her make her learning materials accessible to all.  Thank you, Cole for sharing your important work! Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, Mary Fran