What is the Speciality-First Literacy Blueprint? episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 17, 2025 · 1H 22M

What is the Speciality-First Literacy Blueprint?

from Hot Topics! · host A Step Ahead Tutoring Services

Welcome to Hot Topics! Our host, Gabrielle Crichlow, invites guest Russell Van Brocklen to discuss the Specialty-First Literacy Blueprint and the effective strategies parents can use to support their dyslexic children at home. Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects approximately 15-20% of learners, making reading and writing challenging for many students. However, with the right approach and resources, children with dyslexia can develop their skills and thrive academically.In this episode, we explore how to make reading enjoyable and accessible for your child. Follow these steps to create a personalized reading experience:Find What Your Child Likes: Talk to your child about their favorite things, such as animals, sports, or superheroes, and write down what they love.Pick a Book: Choose a print book that matches their interests and is slightly more challenging—at least one grade level above what they usually read.Get the Audiobook: Find the same book as an audiobook or record someone reading it clearly. This helps them follow along.Listen and Follow: Have your child listen to the audiobook while following the words in the book with their finger for 10 minutes.Circle Hard Words: Help your child identify difficult words and circle them in the book. If they prefer not to write in the book, they can type these words in a Word document instead.Look Up Word Meanings: Use the Merriam-Webster app together to check the meanings of those hard words. Encourage your child to verbalize the word after hearing the pronunciation in the app.Do More Vocabulary Work: Spend another 10 minutes finding and learning about any other hard words they come across.Make Sentences: Ask your child to create sentences using the new words to help reinforce their memory.Re-Read: Return to the section of the book they just read. Have them listen to the audio and read along again, focusing on the challenging words they just looked up.Keep Going: Repeat steps 4 to 9 until they finish the book, and celebrate their achievements to keep them excited about reading!Join us as we delve into the importance of personalized learning and structured literacy methods, empowering parents to help their children overcome reading challenges associated with dyslexia and thrive in their educational journey.Who is Russell Van Brocklen?From Russell: "Dyslexia touches as many as 15–20 % of all learners, yet most families still hear 'wait and see.' I flip that script. As the Dyslexia Professor, I translate structured-literacy methods proven most effective for struggling readers into bite-size actions parents can use tonight. Your audience leaves knowing exactly why multisensory routines beat generic worksheets and how to start seeing progress before the next report card."You can find Russell:On the web: https://dyslexiaclasses.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dyslexiaclasses/On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dyslexiaclassesus/On X: https://twitter.com/dyslexiaclassesOn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-van-brocklen-2007ab87/On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_cqwfxn9FqFx1Idl0YbeHgWatch this on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/VoZJ3_Z8nEYRate this episode on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt42407100/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk********************************************Follow Gabrielle Crichlow: On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabrielle.crichlowOn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabrielle.crichlowOn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielle-crichlow-92587a360Follow A Step Ahead Tutoring Services:On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astepaheadtutoringservicesOn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astepaheadtutoringservicesOn X: https://www.twitter.com/ASATS2013 On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-step-ahead-tutoring-services/On YouTube: https://youtube.com/@astepaheadtutoringservicesOn TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@asats2013On Eventbrite: https://astepaheadtutoringservices.eventbrite.com Visit us on the web: https://www.astepaheadtutoringservices.com   Sign up for our email list: https://squareup.com/outreach/a41DaE/subscribe Sign up for our text list: https://tapit.us/cipPJO Check out our entire "Hot Topics!" podcast: https://www.astepaheadtutoringservices.com/hottopicspodcastSupport us:Cash App: https://cash.app/$ASATS2013PayPal: https://paypal.me/ASATS2013Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/ASATS2013Zelle: [email protected] a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/hot-topics--5600971/supportOriginal date of episode: September 5, 2025

Welcome to Hot Topics! Our host, Gabrielle Crichlow, invites guest Russell Van Brocklen to discuss the Specialty-First Literacy Blueprint and the effective strategies parents can use to support their dyslexic children at home. Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects approximately 15-20% of learners, making reading and writing challenging for many students. However, with the right approach and resources, children with dyslexia can develop their skills and thrive academically.In this episode, we explore how to make reading enjoyable and accessible for your child. Follow these steps to create a personalized reading experience:Find What Your Child Likes: Talk to your child about their favorite things, such as animals, sports, or superheroes, and write down what they love.Pick a Book: Choose a print book that matches their interests and is slightly more challenging—at least one grade level above what they usually read.Get the Audiobook: Find the same book as an audiobook or record someone reading it clearly. This helps them follow along.Listen and Follow: Have your child listen to the audiobook while following the words in the book with their finger for 10 minutes.Circle Hard Words: Help your child identify difficult words and circle them in the book. If they prefer not to write in the book, they can type these words in a Word document instead.Look Up Word Meanings: Use the Merriam-Webster app together to check the meanings of those hard words. Encourage your child to verbalize the word after hearing the pronunciation in the app.Do More Vocabulary Work: Spend another 10 minutes finding and learning about any other hard words they come across.Make Sentences: Ask your child to create sentences using the new words to help reinforce their memory.Re-Read: Return to the section of the book they just read. Have them listen to the audio and read along again, focusing on the challenging words they just looked up.Keep Going: Repeat steps 4 to 9 until they finish the book, and celebrate their achievements to keep them excited about reading!Join us as we delve into the importance of personalized learning and structured literacy methods, empowering parents to help their children overcome reading challenges associated with dyslexia and thrive in their educational journey.Who is Russell Van Brocklen?From Russell: "Dyslexia touches as many as 15–20 % of all learners, yet most families still hear 'wait and see.' I flip that script. As the Dyslexia Professor, I translate structured-literacy methods proven most effective for struggling readers into bite-size actions parents can use tonight. Your audience leaves knowing exactly why multisensory routines beat generic worksheets and how to start seeing progress before the next report card."You can find Russell:On the web: https://dyslexiaclasses.com/On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dyslexiaclasses/On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dyslexiaclassesus/On X: https://twitter.com/dyslexiaclassesOn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-van-brocklen-2007ab87/On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_cqwfxn9FqFx1Idl0YbeHg<br...

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What is the Speciality-First Literacy Blueprint?

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This episode was published on December 17, 2025.

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Welcome to Hot Topics! Our host, Gabrielle Crichlow, invites guest Russell Van Brocklen to discuss the Specialty-First Literacy Blueprint and the effective strategies parents can use to support their dyslexic children at home. Dyslexia is a learning...

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