Customer Reviews

The Secret Life of the Dyslexic Child

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There is a lot of writing about dyslexia and much of it is bad. It is a topic that lends itself to edu-speak, psycho-babble and not a little outright crankery. That is why something as clearly written as this book is so very welcome.

Unlike the vast majority of writers who take on this topic, Robert Frank does not focus narrowly on reading, comprehension and testing; he looks at the whole person. A dyslexic himself, Frank describes how dyslexics find alternative ways to navigate basic day-to-day tasks and the ways the disability might affect a child's outlook, self-image and character. This goes well beyond merely reading and grades.

Make no mistake, this is a modest book that makes a few basic points, but as someone who is dyslexic, I found that this is one of the very few books on the subject that really spoke to me. I would particularly recommend it to parents who must figure what their children are going through.

I hope this will fall into the hands of the many teachers who think these kids are just not trying. (And I really hope it gets looked at some of the many advocates of one-size-fits-all high-stakes testing in Florida and other states, but that probably is hoping for too much.)

A valuable book with many concrete, day-to-day examples and practical suggestions.

This is without question the best book I have ever read regarding dyslexia. I have been researching and reading on the topic for 8 years and not one book has brought me to my knees like this one did.
Robert Frank writes from his heart. He opens the window into the lives of persons who struggle with dyslexia in a very personal, yet professional manner.
My 12 year old daughter is dyslexic. She attended public school through 5th grade - I took her out of school at the beginning of 6th and she is now homeschooled and thriving! What was incredibly sad was that she had been placed in a "special education" classroom with children who were cognitively challenged. There is such incredible misunderstanding of the dyslexic child.
This book offered me a true look into her "secret world" as well as tools to help. I have read various parts of the book to her and she responded with tremendous relief...someone put into words exactly how she "thinks".
This book is a gift to all parents and educators. It's also a gift to the children and adults who struggle with dyslexia.

As the parent of a dyslexic daughter who is now rearing her own dyslexic daughter, I found this book informative and energizing. It helped me remember what "worked" when my daughter was young--and what was very painful and frustrating for her. I am also a school psychologist and school counselor trainer. With the recent research regarding learning disabilities and a book like this to bring that research to parents and teachers, I hold great hope for encouragement and success for those who struggle daily with learning to read and write.

I have to admit that when I first picked up this book, I was a little put off by the title. I thought maybe this was going to be another one of those books about the "mystique" of dyslexia. I was delighted to find a candid account of how dyslexia affects all aspects of a person's life. Dr Frank's honesty about his own struggles with dyslexia was refreshing. I had to laugh aloud when I read that "if this (dyslexia) is a gift, I'd send mine back." I have a dyslexic husband and son and am well aware of the day-to-day struggles they face with word recall, mental "blurriness," memory blocks, and the fear of embarrassment and failure. This is a wonderful book for those who live or work with dyslexic individuals; it allows you to see the world from their perspective. Dr Frank is honest about the challenges of dyslexia, but also highly encouraging. He gives practical strategies for forming your support team, compensating, and forging ahead despite the challenges and fears that dyslexic individuals face. This book is probably the most balanced that I have read about dyslexia.

Dr. Robert Frank was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was a graduate student and he still struggles with this incurable condition. Now a psychologist and an educator, Dr. Frank relies on a number of helpful coping strategies and an indispensable support system to get him through each day. This makes Dr. Frank the ideal individual to write a book that teaches the layman how the dyslexic child thinks and feels. The author also makes practical suggestions that will help the dyslexic individual to succeed in school, in social situations and on the job.

Because Dr. Frank has trouble with the written word, he co-wrote this book with Kathryn Livingston. Together, they have produced a well-organized and practical guide for the parents and teachers of dyslexic children. Dr. Frank describes the emotional toll that dyslexia takes on children and on their parents. Too often, when dyslexia is diagnosed, parents react with shame and fear, eager to hide their child's problem from the world. Dr. Frank suggests that it would be far more productive to face the problem openly. When a child is taught that his problem is nothing to be ashamed of, and that he can succeed in life, he will feel better about himself. He can then learn coping strategies of his own and he will be unafraid to enlist the support of his teachers and his peers. Dr. Frank shows that the dyslexic child can have a bright and promising future if caring parents and concerned professionals are there to give him love, encouragement and guidance.

I strongly recommend this book to parents of dyslexic children and educators. I only wish that I had the information from this book when my son started school 13 years ago. Since this book is written by a professional with dyslexia who has experienced what our dyslexic children experience 24/7, it is more credible. As an educator, I will certainly recommend this book to parents of my dyslexic students!

This book has been an invaluable tool to us as parents of a 10 year old dyslexic girl. It has alowed us a sneak peak into the darkest side of the challenges facing every dyslexic student and has provided practical tools we can use to help her make her goals in life a reality.

Our daughter was diagnosed in the second half of 4th grade. As a parent I knew that her struggles to read and write (& especially to spell) were not making sense.

Since 1st grade most of her teachers told us that she was just an average student. Comments like "she was not the poorest student in the class" and "we should just be glad she is passing the standardized tests and not failing the grade," made us crazy! We became frustrated and confused because her ability to communicate verbally on a higher level was often noted by complete strangers. Why was she making poor grades in most subjects and failing spelling consistantly, we wondered, when she could tell us more than we ever wanted to know about just about everything?

This book helped us understand just how frustrating learning (& life in general) can be for the dyslexic student. We have begun to be more patient as the homework hours roll on into the late evening. We can encourage her to begin projects early to allow more time to complete them.

And we are now beginning to see how much time and intercession needs to be taken to help our daughter's educators (even her coach) to know more about her learning style and the appropriate modifications needed so that she can learn material the first time it is presented. For example, if her coach notices she needs to do something differently he has learned the most effective way to re-teach her is to show her himself or have another student demonstrate. We have learned that verbal instruction is just not reliable for her comprehension.

Another thing we have learned from this book about our daughter is that she has amazing compensation skills! With all of us (teachers, parents and student) working together & with the right goals she CAN make it! Most importantly, we learned that our daughter must discover her own learning strategies & become independant enough to recognize when she needs to use them in the classroom and in the world in general.

Finally, the other great tool we found in this book is the courage to reach out into the community for help & resources. Because of a suggestion in this book, our child's school counselor (who also purchased it) has shown interest in beginning a support group made of dyslexic students who can come together and discuss their challenges and successes!

As the parent of four children living with dyslexia this book was very enlightening. I also teach children with learning disabilities and no longer own this book because one of the many parents I lent it to passed it on to friend at another school. I have read a lot of books on this subject and been through more than one course as well. I am also married to a man who is dyslexic, and for the first time in 30 years I felt like I understood a little of how my family members think and actually process information. I recognized many of the emotions that the author talks about feeling and I was frustrated by the some of the exercises he suggested, realizing that this is the exact same frustration I have witnessed in many students and family members. I think the value of this book is that it is written by a man who actually lives with his disability everyday and can give the reader a glimpse into his world. Two of my children are currently pursuing graduate degrees in the sciences and I still get sent papers to look over for those words that the spell checkers missed or gave a homonym for. One of the critics of this book felt that it was negative. I didn't think so at all. The information in this book is applicable to many learning disabilities. If you have a or work with a child with learning disabilities do yourself and him/her a favor and read this book. One of the critics of this book felt that it was negative. I didn't think so at all.

This book is wonderful. It is so nice to understand what my son is going through. Unfortunately, most educators and those who haven't read anything on dyslexia, don't have any idea what dyslexia is. Most teachers assume that because my son can read and write, that he must not be dyslexic. Additionally, they have no idea of the other problems that dyslexia presents for my son. All the suggestions for how to help your child are wonderful, but the school will always think they know more than you do. After all, they have a (trumpets, please) DEGREE. and you are "only" a (tiny voice here) parent. I tried for years to get the schools to help my son. Now, in 9th grade, after 4 years of failure, they are FINALLY listening. I wish it were required reading for every teacher.

This book is mostly helpful in understanding why it takes a dyslexic student so long to even seem to get started on a project. It also tackles the issues of mixing things up, problems with directions, and the forgetting things. The most important thing is that these kids can still mix things up even after they've done them correctly in the past. Most unfortunate of all, teachers see all of this as another excuse.

I am so glad that I purchased this book. I'm a mother of a child w/dyslexia and before I thought I was helping her, now I can see more of whats going on at ALL times not just reading/writing/spelling...I praise the author for writing this book. Any parent should read this to achieve a better understanding of what their childs life is like. A great read for teachers as well.