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This online learning hub developed by Dyslexia Ireland allows you to learn more about dyslexia. 

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Dyslexia and Me schedule of dates and venues for 2024

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Children with dyslexia often experience anxiety, confusion, and embarrassment when they are diagnosed with dyslexia

These types of feelings often stem from a lack of understanding around what dyslexia is and what it means for the individual child. Our ' Dyslexia and Me ' workshop aims to:

Explain dyslexia - what it means and how it affects individuals.

Boost self-esteem by concentrating on the positives of dyslexia and their own specific talents.

Resilience building.

Myth-busting as many myths exist around dyslexia. We aim to bust these myths in a fun, interactive way that will put their minds at ease.

Peer to peer learning - we will discover what our peers think of dyslexia and how they cope with their own dyslexia.

The workshop aims to be interactive, fun and accessible with the use of art and crafts, assistive tech and lots of participatory games.

The workshop is run by at least two of our staff team, who share a wealth of personal and professional experience of dyslexia with the young people who attend Dyslexia and Me seminars. One of our Educational Psychologists guides the young people through the realities of dyslexia and some useful coping mechanisms.

We currently offer the course to three different age groups:

3rd and 4th class (Primary level)

5th and 6th class (Primary level)

Junior Cycle (1st to 3rd year at Second level)

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Children with dyslexia often experience anxiety, confusion, and embarrassment when they are diagnosed with dyslexia These types of feelings often stem from a lack of understanding around what dyslexia is and what it means for the individual child. Our ' Dyslexia and Me ' workshop aims to: Explain dyslexia - what it means and how it affects individuals.

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ADHD Ireland | Our Mission is to make life better for people affected by ADHD

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We are dedicated to providing up-to-date information, resources and networking opportunities to individuals with ADHD, parents of children with ADHD and the professionals who serve them.

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While this is a Primary school padlet many of the resources are transferrable

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Technology to Make Learning Easier - Free Online Course/Resource

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Technology to Make Learning Easier - Free Online Course/Resource

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Technology can have a positive, role in making learning easier and in giving students and educators greater choices in how, where and when they learn. In this free course/resource, aimed at TY students and educators (but applicable to all), we offer training videos, links and advice to make reading, writing and studying easier for students. It explores various free technologies either already on your computer, your phones or technology that is free to download.

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We, at the English Language support Programme, would like to thank all the teachers and educators who have supported us over the last three years.

www.elsp.ie and the materials it contains will continue to be made available for use thanks to the NCCA, who will host the site from September 2010.

I would like to thank Barbara Lazenby Simpson and Linda Richardson for their enormous work on the materials and to acknowledge my thanks to Prof. David Little for his guidance and for having the original vision. - Zach Lyons

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We are delighted to host the Toolkit for Diversity in Post Primary Schools which aims to help schools create and sustain a welcoming and inclusive environment for students and parents from all backgrounds and ensure equal success for all.

Please click on the link below

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The ELSP won the 2009 European Award for Languages - click here for details

Jury's comments " Feedback from involved teachers very positive about motivation of students and this is motivating for teachers...Very impressed with project...Valuable idea transferable to e.g. Gaelscoileanna."

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English Language Support Programme (Trinity Immigration Initiative)

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This website has been designed for post-primary English Language Support and mainstream subject teachers and their students. On this site you will find a comprehensive range of activities which will help you to access all subject areas of the Junior Certificate curriculum. These activities can be downloaded and printed and are suitable for both classroom activity and self-study.

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Bookshare makes reading easier. People with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, and other reading barriers can customize their experience to suit their learning style and find virtually any book they need for school, work, or the joy of reading.

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Making the most of Bookshare Ireland and the Easyreader App 13 Apr

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Matthew Gavin

Founder / CEO of ADHD Now

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File Management Content Page: Technology to Make Learning Easier

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File Management Content Page: Technology to Make Learning Easier

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Dear students, parents and colleagues,

When students are completing work on the computer, it is easy to accidentally save files in the wrong place or in a location that they will not be able to find easily again or to forget to give that file a name that makes it easy to locate later for revision.

That is why having a file management system is so important. A file structure gives students an organized, consistent place to save their work. Learning to give your files names that make sense now and that will make sense when you are looking for that work for revision later is really important.

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File Management Content Page: Technology to Make Learning Easier

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After CEFR testing each student has a copy of this in their PR book

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Technology To Make Writing Easier - Voice Typing

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Technology To Make Writing Easier - Voice Typing

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Dear students, parents and colleagues,

This is  FREE speech recognition in Google when using Google Chrome on a Windows computer.

It could be incredibly useful for people who have a difficulty writing and indeed for speed and convenience for all of us.

When using Google Docs you have the option to “Voice Type”.

Click here to see  a video on how it works: Video showing how to use Voice Typing in Google Docs

Click here for further information: Google Support for using the Voice Typing function

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TTMLE Writing Voice Typing in Google Docs

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Duolingo is the world's most popular way to learn a language. It's 100% free, fun and science-based. Practice online on duolingo.com or on the apps!

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Technology to Make Writing Easier - Mindmapping with Xmind 

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Technology to Make Writing Easier - Mindmapping with Xmind 

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Dear students and colleagues,

Mind maps have many, many applications in the educational environment from helping to make very visual timetables to being an excellent comprehension and study tool where the student makes their own mind map of a certain chapter or topic. In creating the mind map the student processes the information very intensely. Through the use of colour, space and images they can make their own very visual representation of their learning materials. They can print it out or if they use the mind map on the computer they can also avail or sound files (perhaps to help with languages) or of video files (YouTube has some wonderful education resources). Once created their own mind map on a topic is the perfect customised revision aid helping to go back over materials in the run up to an exam.

These videos gives a brief introduction to mind mapping with Xmind ….

Please explore the 1000s of mindmaps in the Xmind Mind Map Gallery

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TTMLE Writing Xmind to plan written work

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Some advantages of using mind maps for learning

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https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Reading-Comprehension-Strategies-and-Resources-Post-Primary.pdf

SQ3R
SQ3R is a comprehension strategy that helps students think about the text they are reading while they're reading.

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This video gives an outline of how to use mindmapping for school work and homework http://ucc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=eaa84d7e-45f6-4f68-ad16-d1a5973cde07

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Study Tips for Students with Dyslexia

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Inspiration Ninjas have the skills to quickly create customised and effective inspiration diagrams. Through watching these videos, you will learn how to create your first Inspiration diagram, personalise it and take this forward as an outline, Word document or presentation.

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It's time to become an Inspiration Ninja, Inspiration Ninjas have the skills to quickly create customised and effective Inspiration diagrams. Through watching these videos, you will learn how to create your first Inspiration diagram, personalise it and take this forward as an outline, Word document or presentation.

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Graphic Organisers in Teaching and Learning. Post-Primary Resource

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Graphic Organisers in Teaching and Learning. Post-Primary Resource

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Graphic Organisers provide a visual method of developing, organising and summarising students' learning.

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Study Tips for Students with Dyslexia

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Seeing AI                   Supporting Struggling Readers 

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Seeing AI                   Supporting Struggling Readers 

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Free app for the iPad which reads text aloud when you point it at a book/poster/menu etc
Download on the App Store and see what you think:
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/seeing-ai/id999062298?mt=8

This is a short video to show you what it can do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN_UfF-RJlM

For Android phone/tablet users the equivalent app is Envision AI. While this is not free it offers great value to students who are blind/vision impaired.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.letsenvision.envisionai&hl=en_IE

This video will illustrate what it does and how to use it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXv3NSg0L0Y

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DYSLEXIA AT SECOND LEVEL:    FACTSHEETS FOR TEACHERS

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DYSLEXIA AT SECOND LEVEL:    FACTSHEETS FOR TEACHERS

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Factsheets on Dyslexia for Second Level School 2024

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 Assistive Technology for students with Dyspraxia and Dyslexia

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 Assistive Technology for students with Dyspraxia and Dyslexia

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Assistive Technology Videos

Deirdre Madden, Assistive Technology Outreach Co-ordinator, Disability Support Service, University College Cork gives an overview of Assistive Technology which might be of use to people with Dyspraxia/DCD. Although the information below is geared towards students it could also be relevant in the area of employment and everyday living skills.

Many students who have Dyspraxia/DCD find writing a challenge. Touch-typing can be an excellent alternative is most definitely is a life skill. This UCC video has some useful Touch-typing Advice & Resources.

Some students with Dyspraxia/DCD may also have reading difficulties or having their own typed work read by to them might be beneficial in helping to improve their writing. Natural Reader is a free program which may be helpful with this.

For some dyspraxic/DCD writers, stamina and/or spelling may be an issue. In such cases speech recognition software could offer a backup.

For some students with Dyspraxia/DCD organising and planning can be a real challenge and often this makes writing essays/projects and studying very difficult. Mind mapping can offer a great solution. Often educational psychologists recommend Inspiration mindmapping software. This video shows a little of what Inspiration has to offer and can help you to get started with it.

While Inspiration is a reasonably affordable piece of software there is also a free mind mapping package available called Xmind. This video gives a brief introduction to mind mapping with Xmind.

Mind maps have many, many applications in the educational environment, from helping to make very visual timetables to being an excellent comprehension and study tool where the student makes their own mind map of a certain chapter or topic. In creating the mind map the student processes the information very intensely. Through the use of colour, space and images they can make their own very visual representation of their learning materials. They can print it out or if they use the mind map on the computer they can also avail or sound files (perhaps to help with languages) or of video files (YouTube has some wonderful education resources). Once created, their own mind map on a topic is the perfect customised revision aid helping to go back over materials in the run up to an exam.This video gives an outline of how to use mindmapping for school work and homework.

Carrying the school bag or organising the school books can be an intense challenge for some learners with Dyspraxia/DCD. Electronic versions of school texts might offer an alternative. This video takes you through the possibility of getting electronic versions of your textbooks.

Assistive technology and the associated IT can be very costly. If you live in Ireland, have a disability/learning difficulty and you need an aid or appliance for day to day activities you can claim the VAT back on the software/hardware you require. This video talks you through that procedure.

Technology Solutions

Typing

Typewiz typing tutor - https://www.dyspraxia.ie/Assistive-Technology

Website - www.typewiz.com

Typewiz is Irish developed typing program by Searsol. It is a new fun and interactive way to learn to touch type for children and offer the following benefits:

Typewiz is a self-paced course which allows students to work at their own pace.

Your child can earn different words per minute badges (Bronze, Silver or Gold) as they become faster at typing.

Your child gets to select different avatars as they progress up the lessons on Typewiz.

Your child can earn coins based on their performance on the course.

Various tying games are available in Typewiz which allows your child to interact and learn typing while having fun.

Coins can then be used in our games arcade where each coin spent allows the student to access one game.

Your child can earn lesson badges as they progress up the lessons.

Realistic hands with a green finger which shows the user what keyboard button to press.

Graphs of all previous percentage scores with Words Per Minute (WPM) are available.

BBC Dance Mat Typing - www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing

Nessy Fingers - www.nessy.com/uk

SpongeBob SquarePants Type Rider - www.nick.co.uk

Tux Typing - tux4kids.alioth.debian.org

Typing Tournament - www.amazon.co.uk

Text to Speech (free downloads)

Read Please - readplease.en.softonic.com

Browse Aloud - www.texthelp.com

Talking Technology

Talking Faces (freely downloadable) - www.inclusive.co.uk/downloads

Talking Postcards, tins and photo albums - www.tts-group.co.uk

There are also other similar programs but with greater flexibility from Tag Learning. www.taglearning.com

Software

2Simple - www.2simple.com: 2Create a Story, 2Publish, 2Type, 2Connect

Comic strips - www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/games-tools/comic-creator-a-30237.html

Onscreen vocabulary tool: Word Bar www.dyslexic.com

Mind mapping software: Kidspiration - www.inspiration.com

Onscreen magnifier - www.magnifier.source

Vu-bar 5: onscreen slotted ruler good for those who skip lines when reading and RapidSet -allows for quick and easy changing of background and font colours without having to go through screen properties - www.fx-software.co.uk/assistive.htm

Techdis toolbar: allows users to choose colour, font size and simplification of pages in an internet browser - www.techdis.ac.uk

See Also

iPods/iPads/Tablets

Dragon Dictation: free voice recognition app - www.nuancemobilelife.com/apple/supportdictation.html

My Pictures Talk: create stories or task completion (originally designed for students with ASD) - www.grembe.com/mpt

Visual Timetables/Organisers
www.do2learn.com www.inclusive.co.uk/downloads/downloads.shtml#timetable
Other Resources

AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability)
https://www.ahead.ie/assistivetech-students
For Educators
http://www.sess.ie/links/sen-ict-and-assistive-technology
For Employers
http://www.enableireland.ie/services/assistive-technology/services-employers

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Deirdre Madden, Assistive Technology Outreach Co-ordinator, Disability Support Service, University College Cork gives an overview of Assistive Technology which might be of use to people with Dyspraxia/DCD. Although the information below is geared towards students it could also be relevant in the area of employment and everyday living skills.

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iPads/iPhones built in text-to-speech tools Supporting Struggling Readers

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iPads/iPhones built in text-to-speech tools Supporting Struggling Readers

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iPads/iPhones have a built in text-to-speech tools that will read text on the phone aloud to students.

This Youtube video with show you how to turn activate the text-to-speech  feature on Ipad/iPhones and on Android devices (skip to 1 minute 55 seconds on the video for android):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gTn4Q-9Lk8

This video will show you how to set up SPEAK SELECTION on iPad/iPod/iPhones
http://ucc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=e04c7f72-fae2-42e8-b8c4-9ce64b7240dd

This video will show you how to use the SPEAK SCREEN tool.

Turn this on under accessibility and speech as seen in the forst video and when you swipe two fingers down the screen it will read it aloud.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E59bJfv75U

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Dear students  and educators,

If a student uses Office 365 it has excellent built in literacy supports called Immersive Reader.

Microsoft Immersive Reader is a free tool in Office 365 Online that supports literacy development for learners regardless of age or ability.

Immersive Reader uses proven techniques to enhance:

• Reading comprehension

• Language learning

• Decoding for readers with dyslexia

Please click here for broad overview of what it offers in Office 365:  Video showing  how to use Immersive Reader in Office 365

In addition to translating and reading aloud in a variety of different languages Immersive Reader can now read aloud “as Gaeilge” too!!!!!

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This video on assistive technology to support writing difficulties might be useful: https://ucc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=0715a034-0851-44b0-9b5e-923fa8ef145a

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Essentially it allows you to speak to the computer (in MS Word, Outlook and Powerpoint) and it will type what you say.

This video will show you what it offers: https://ucc.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=f33a244f-023f-40c3-ba72-aac40103a060

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Dyslexia Style Guide on how to consider the difficulties experienced by some dyslexic people when presenting written material

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Please click here for information on this free spelling and grammar supportsoftware, Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com/

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FREE Voice Typing in Google Docs in Chrome on a Windows Computer

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FREE Voice Typing in Google Docs in Chrome on a Windows Computer

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When using Google Docs you have the option to “Voice Type”.

Click here to see  a video on how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQueGjqeDB0

Click here for further information: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/4492226?hl=en

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This video gives a brief introduction to mind mapping with Xmind
http://ucc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=7b04d06f-10ee-401a-99f0-58ced592fa74

Xmind is free mindmapping program that can be downloaded from here
http://www.xmind.net/download/win/

Xmind is now available for your phone:
https://www.xmind.net/mobile/

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Natural Reader - FREE text to speech software

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Natural Reader - FREE text to speech software

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NaturalReader is a text-to-speech software with natural sounding voices.

This easy-to-use software can read to you any text such as Microsoft Word files, webpages, PDF files, and E-mails.

And this brief demo gives you an idea of what it does …….

Natrual Reader - what is does and how to download it.

The software is free to download from this site ……

https://www.naturalreaders.com/software.html

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Touch-typing is an excellent skill to develop for all students but particularly for those students who have a difficulty with writing. While it can be tedious to learn it is well worth the effort. Short, frequent practice session prove the most beneficial – “little & often” – and this can help with the tedium. I also include some resources where games help the student to practice. Good practice when learning to touch-type is to cover the student's hands to ensure that they stay looking at the screen and simply teach their fingers where the keys are without looking at the keyboard. A scarf, tea towel or some kitchen roll can suffice for this.

This UCC video has some useful Touchtyping Advice & Resources. Please view it and then access the resources referred to from the links below:  https://ucc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=1e2ada1b-2c47-437b-9558-f69a5507afa3

This free site will monitor your progress and has resources for teachers also:

http://www.typing.com/    for iPads! and Windows too.

This is useful for iPad users but I would strongly recommend an external keyboard. It keeps track of students’ progress.

If you do not have internet access at home you can install a free touchtyping tutor called Rapid Typing from this link: https://rapidtyping.en.softonic.com/

Once it’s downloaded to your Windows device you have then use it offline.

Typing Club

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Learn touch typing online using TypingClub's free typing courses. It includes 650 typing games, typing tests and videos.

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There are LOTS of free ebooks available here: https://www.gutenberg.org/

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How Parents Can Help The Student With Dyslexia

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How Parents Can Help The Student With Dyslexia

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http://www.dyslexia.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Factsheet-16-How-Parents-Can-Help-1.pdf

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Assitive Technology for Dyslexia abd Dyspraxia Free

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I'm a researcher, entrepreneur, and speaker who is passionate about helping students learn and thrive, whatever their abilities and whatever their goals.

I struggled throughout school due to my own learning challenges and ended up a drop-out from University. When second chance at college came my way, I grabbed it with both hands and never looked back. I was able to turn things around, earning a first-class honours degree from University College Cork and a Masters in Disabilities Studies from University College Dublin.
I'm proof that even a kid with learning challenges can be successful in school and go on to higher education with the right support and tools in place to help them along the way.
Even though I still struggle daily with my reading and writing, I've figured out strategies that work for me, one of which is having the right technology in place. And I've trained hundreds of families and SNAs across Europe and the United States to do the same, using technology to help their kids learn more effectively.
Here are some other things I've accomplished through my work with Assistive Tech:

I completed a Marie Curie Fellowship at UMass Medical School in Boston

I won Young Researcher of the Year at the International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs (ICCHP) in Austria 2018

I'm one of only ten fellows selected to partake in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program in Massachusetts.

I presented and won investment on RTE's Dragons Den show

UrABility is currently one of ten companies competing on the IGNITE programme in University College Cork.

I've presented and spoken at numerous international conferences on Assistive Technology, Disability and Inclusion.

At UrAbility we use our expertise to leverage technology to help students learn, master and thrive, whatever their abilities and whatever their goals. We're creating a space where those requiring training and advice on assistive technology can get it through our content, training events and our online courses.

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I'm a researcher, entrepreneur, and speaker who is passionate about helping students learn and thrive, whatever their abilities and whatever their goals. I struggled throughout school due to my own learning challenges and ended up a drop-out from University. When second chance at college came my way, I grabbed it with both hands and never looked back.

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How to Improve Handwriting for Teenagers

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How To Improve Handwriting For Teenagers?
1) Have a belief
2) How parents can help
3) Fine motor skills
4) Don't allow your child to rush
5) Strengthen your upper body
Do You Have a Terrible Handwriting? Then the first thing you suppose to do is to identify the reason why you have bad handwriting. There can be few reasons for Your Terrible Handwriting, and the very first is that you may have never ever have been taught very well in the first place. what happens when you go to school and when you taught your letters and you learn to draw circles and little lines and you go against the neck to them and You Go ABC And your teacher appreciates you, then you have to start joining those letters, ones you start joining letters then your teacher tells you that you are of your own now, Basically from about age of 6 or 7 once you learned to joined your letters up you are on your own, unless you are lucky to have a teacher who likes handwriting, who particularly likes encouraging, who encourages you to write and practice then you really are of your own and its no wonder your handwriting has deteriorated of the years. Your teacher will not teach you how to write beautiful letters they will just teach you how to join letters and after that it's you who has to focus on your handwriting.

another reason for your terrible handwriting Can Be Your Laziness, You are too lazy hence for the solution of this is to buck up your ideas and understand the importance of good handwriting. the third reason for your terrible handwriting can be you might be holding your pen incorrectly, the fifth reason for your bad handwriting is that you hardly write, you hardly hold a pen in your hand, you hardly practice. after a certain age, you must have given up writing and therefore you must be having terrible handwriting.

The sixth reason is that you never practice if you want good handwriting then you have to write, you have to practice. the seventh reason for bad handwriting maybe you are suffering from dysgraphia, and if you are then there's nothing to fear about, it's not a problem. You can do a lot about it, there are many ways to improve your handwriting. Dysgraphia mainly affects handwriting, people who aren't aware of what dysgraphia is Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing abilities. It can manifest itself as difficulties with spelling, poor handwriting and trouble putting thoughts on paper. Because writing requires a complex set of motor and information processing skills, saying a student has dysgraphia is not sufficient.

Many parents lose hope for improving their child's handwriting after elementary school. They feel that improving handwriting after elementary school is something impossible. They find impossible to change the habit which they have developed so many years ago, children feel that after elementary school there is not much need for writing. Hence no matter how good or bad handwriting is, there's no need of improving it and with such thinking, they spend their life without improving their handwriting, they have a belief that kids need to write, teenage or adults just need to type.

Believing that handwriting doesn't matter in middle school is not a realistic belief, because everyone needs to be able to write legibly, even if it's a shopping list or a quick note, writing is must and you must always have a practice of writing. Your written words should be very clear, it should be neat and clean, so that it can be easily understandable by others, because bad handwriting can give a wrong impression, your handwriting can be the reason for your good or bad impression, having a good handwriting easily understandable handwriting can give an impression of responsible person, can give an impression of neat and tidy person, can give an impression of perfection, can give an impression of hard work, whereas having a bad handwriting can give an impression of irresponsibility, lack of confidence, procrastination and carelessness. hence never underestimate the importance of good handwriting, your handwriting has the capability to impress others and has the capability to make a good impression of yours on others without knowing you.

For example, have you ever noticed why your school teachers professors ask you to write in a good handwriting during board exams, why they ask you to write neatly because that clean handwriting of yours will leave a good impression on examiners and that will help you to score well, hence always focus on your handwriting, your words should be written so neatly so that it can be easily understandable by others, so that others don't need to struggle to understand your words, hence never ever think that writing and handwriting is for kids, typing is for adults, because writing is really a very best exercise for your brain and hand, handwriting not only strengthens your brain power but it also strengthens your hand power.

Now the question comes, How To Improve Handwriting For Teenagers? How can teenagers improve their handwriting in mid-school? How can they overcome their bad handwriting habit which they have developed years ago? Overcoming years ago habit can be difficult but it's not impossible. The very first step you must take to overcome the habit of bad handwriting is making a strong commitment, to have a strong motivation and inspiration, have a desire to improve, without commitment and strong desire you can never take a step towards improvement hence have a strong mental focus and take your goal seriously.

Handwriting Therapy for adults:

It's not only kids or teenagers who face Bad Handwriting problem. Even Adults Face it. Hence in this section, I will share some Handwriting Therapy for adults which can be practiced by teenagers too. So let's begin:
Therapy 1: Warming Up
When you write, you use muscles in your hand, wrist, and shoulder. But if you don't write often then your hands might cramp or get tired easily. hence spending doing some warm-up exercises will help the muscles in your hand get stronger and more flexible.

-STRETCH AND WRIGGLE YOUR FINGERS FOR A FEW SECONDS
-MAKE A FIST AND THEN STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND.
-TOUCH EACH FINGER TO YOUR THUMB. TRY IT TO YOUR FAVOURITE TUNE.
-PLAY AN IMAGINARY PIANO ON THE TABLE.
-MOVE YOUR WRIST IN A CIRCLE.
-ROLL YOUR SHOULDERS FORWARD AND BACK.

Warming-up also includes asking yourself ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY?

And when you have a project or anything where you have to write for a longer time, then you have to give your hand a rest from time to time.
Therapy 2: Choose the right pen

Always choose the best tool for your job. Think of your pen as your handwriting tool. The right pen can help avoid smudging and make your writing look smarter. It can also prevent hand strain. Picking the right one for you can be tricky because there are so many different types. Here are some tips to help you.

There are three things to think about when choosing the right pen:

1. The type of ink it uses;
2. The size and shape of the pen; and
3. The type of point it has.

How to Hold your pen:
Hold your pen firmly, without squeezing, between fingers and thumb.
Therapy 3: How to Practice Penmanship
If you have no idea what exactly penmanship is, Penmanship is the art or practice of writing with the pen and the quality or style of handwriting.

Here are the 5 steps to Improve Handwriting For Teenagers?

1) Have a belief

The reason I am starting with have a belief is that most of the children feel that it is not possible to improve handwriting after elementary school because they have indulged a habit of poor handwriting, but the reality is totally opposite of such belief, because a motivated person with regular practice can improve at any given moment no matter what the age is, hence always have a self-believe that yes you can, and parents, teachers or guardians should always see how their children/teens are writing and how they can help them to improve, there are some fine motor skills which teens can practice to improve their handwriting.

2) How parents can help

When parents or teens by themselves decide to improve their handwriting there are certain things they need to avoid or should keep in mind, first: never use handwriting manual designed for manual, because such manuals just waste time and don't help much, when writers already know how to write letters hence these manuals are not much useful.

Second, don't copy the script which you find online

Third, don't try to practice cursive script by writing letters in order and by attempting to make them join, it doesn't work well.

3) Fine motor skills

Increase your hand strength and finger dexterity can help your teen or older child to get more control over the pencil or pen, Fine motor skill helps you to improve writing endurance of writing task, always ask or encourage your child to get involved in a general household task that can use your child hand and finger muscles, so that it strengthens your hand and finger muscles for example task like cutting paper with scissors, or using screwdrivers, or cutting your dad or mothers nails etc.

The reason I am talking about strengthening muscles of your hand and finger because usually, children hold their pencil or pen in a wrong way, their pencil or pen grip is usually wrong, hence it's really important to have a right grip.

4) Don't allow your child to rush

When your child or teen has a poor handwriting then there's a very important question you need to ask is your child rush? Like, do they rush? It is worth to see that if your child rushes for most of the task without completing it satisfactorily and if yes then it needs to be addressed carefully and attentively because when child rush in writing, their handwriting will for sure become poor hence they need to be taught calm and composed attitude.

5) Strengthen your upper body

Encourage your child or teen to strengthen their upper body through sports such as climbing, swimming, and targeted exercises. these exercises and sports will strengthen your child's upper body and stabilizes your upper muscles to free up the hand muscles for handwriting because most of the time your child or teen gets tired while writing, their hands start getting tired, because they have weak upper hand muscles, hence encourage them to do upper muscles exercises, because when they get tired their handwriting becomes poor hence for good handwriting strong upper body muscles is required, hence exercise and get into sports which strengthens your upper body muscles.

This is the end of "How To Improve Handwriting For Teenagers". Thank You.

6) Make sure you are using the right grip

Use the grip that's most comfortable for your hand, there are several ways you can hold your pen or pencil- Dynamic Tripod, Dynamic Quadruped, lateral Tripod, lateral QUADRUPOD.

6) Make sure you are using the right grip

There are many books written and there are many videos too from where you can learn and improve, every book and videos shares some great techniques and ways by practicing it you can improve your handwriting. example: Spencerian Theory Book, a penmanship book taught in American classrooms in the 19th century. or the Write now book.

Handwriting practice and activities for older students:

first: take it as a challenge
Analyze why you want to improve your handwriting. because reasons motivate us and thing which motivates us makes us better, hence know the reason for improvement.

second: starts with what you've already got
handwriting improvement starts with what you've already got, which is how you currently write cursive. Pick a topic, any topic, or write stream-of-consciousness thoughts on a piece of lined paper.

third: know What to Look for
Examine the paragraph you just wrote to see where you are exactly with your handwriting skills.

fourth: identify your imperfection
where's your work actually lacking, and you have to be very honest about it, only then you can work on it.

fifth: Here your preparation phase will start
should pick the right tool or material for your work. (have a pen which actually helps).

sixth: get inspired by the handwriting which inspires you
see someone's handwriting and get inspired, earlier it was hard to search your inspiration, but today the web is the perfect place for your dose of inspiration, do google search, search for different font styles and sites which helps you to improve your work etc.

seventh: learn to hold your pen properly
I have already shared about it you can learn more about it through many videos and books.

eight: learn posture
you must know the actual posture. whether you agree or not but it's our body posture which matters a lot when it comes to good handwriting. Sit up straight, and then utilize your non-writing hand for balance; this will provide you with more control during handwriting.

ninth: understand it's not about fingers
many people feel that writing has a lot to do with fingers. but, that is not true writing is more about using forearms and shoulders.

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How To Improve Handwriting For Teenagers - SeeKen

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How To Improve Handwriting For Teenagers? 1) Have a belief2) How parents can help3) Fine motor skills4) Don't allow your child to rush5) Strengthen your upper body Do You Have a Terrible Handwriting? Then the first thing you suppose to do is to identify the reason why you have bad handwriting.

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Graphic Organisers in Teaching and Learning. Post-Primary Resource

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Graphic Organisers in Teaching and Learning. Post-Primary Resource

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Graphic Organisers provide a visual method of developing, organising and summarising students' learning.

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Computers and Technology: Free Online Resources

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Computers and Technology: Free Online Resources

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PLEASE NOTE - The following are included for information only, and their inclusion does not constitute a recommendation by the association.
National Centre for Technology in Education www.ncte.ie

Award Systems www.awardsys.net

Computer Speak www.computerspeak.ie

Edtech Software www.edtech.ie

Nessy Learning Ltd. www.nessy.com

GAMZ www.gamzuk.com

Jackson Technology www.jacksontechnology.com

EasyPC www.easypc.ie

UrAbility www.UrAbility.com

Edware www.edware.ie

Carroll Education www.carrolleducation.ie

Learning Horizons www.learninghorizons.ie

IDL http://www.idl-literacy.ie/

Lorien Systems (Texthelp) www.texthelp.com

iAnsyst Ltd. www.dyslexic.com

Software4Students www.software4students.ie

Scanning Pens www.scanningpens.co.uk

Sight and Sound Technology www.sightandsound.co.uk

Business Electronic Equipment www.bee.ie

BDA Technology www.bdatech.org

Scoilnet www.scoilnet.ie

Skoool.ie www.skoool.ie

SchoolDays.ie www.schooldays.ie

Touch-Type Read Spell http://www.ttrs.co.uk/ireland/

Searsol www.searsol.com

Neuron Learning (Fast ForWord) www.neuronlearning.eu

Spelling Rules.ie www.spellingrules.ie

Don Johnston www.donjohnston.com.

Inclusive Technology Ltd. www.inclusive.co.uk.

Inspiration Software www.inspiration.com.

Riverdeep Learning www.riverdeep-learning.co.uk.

Semerc www.semerc.com.

Sherston www.sherston.com.

Topologika www.topologika.com

EasyRead System http://www.easyreadsystem.com/index/index.html

CosKids www.cozkids.com

WordsWorth Learning Programme www.wordsworthlearning.com

There is a wealth of free software and educational material available on the internet, everything from free downloadable worksheets to free educational software games, screen readers and typing tutors. You can also get free demo or trial versions of some software programmes so you can try them for 30 days for free.

The following are some examples of what is available online.
PLEASE NOTE - The following are included for information only, and their inclusion does not constitute a recommendation by the association.
www.scoilnet.ie - Irish site with content for primary and second level, worksheets and revision activities for many subjects.

www.skoool.ie - Irish interactive learning website, lots of second level subject specific content, notes, exam tips, etc.

www.kidsspell.com - lots of free spelling games.

www.bbc.co.uk/learning/ - comprehensive online learning resources for all ages, including the Bitesize series of revision activities.

www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise - factsheets, worksheets, quizzes and games to help improve English and maths skills.

www.crayola.com - lesson plans, arts and crafts ideas, and colouring pages.

http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/math/ - lots of free maths worksheets and more.

www.enchantedlearning.com - some free learning resources, lesson plans and worksheets - more available if you subscribe.

www.playkidsgames.com - Alphabet, vocabulary, maths, memory, geography games and puzzles.

www.superkids.com - worksheets on maths, telling the time, building vocabulary, logic and reasoning, and hangman games.

www.firstschoolyears.co.uk - free worksheets, flashcards and resources for primary literacy, maths and other subjects.

www.skillsworkshop.org - literacy and numeracy resources and worksheets for adults.

www.free-phonics-worksheets.com - free phonic worksheets.

www.dyslexiacentre.co.uk and www.nessy.co.uk - free learning worksheets, and free demo version of Nessy learning programme.

www.teflgames.com/games.html - games and quizzes to build vocabulary and word knowledge.

www.janbrett.com/ - free activities, worksheets, colouring pages and projects to download.

www.primaryresources.co.uk/index.htm - free lesson plans, activities and worksheets on many subjects.

http://www.senteacher.org/Files/ - printable worksheets and free software downloads (basic and special education).

www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk - lots of interactive literacy educational games.

www.rhlschool.com - English and maths worksheets to download.

www.discovery.com - Discovery Channel website - useful for science, history, geography - lots of interactive games, puzzles and quizzes.

www.windows.ucar.edu - information, games and puzzles - history, geography, science.

www.gutenberg.org - over 25,000 free e-books available to download.

www.openoffice.org - free software similar to Microsoft Office.

www.rte.ie - educational programmes and podcasts such as 'Getting It Right' and Countdown to help Leaving Certificate students with revision are available each year. Often run radio plays and podcasts of the Shakespeare plays for Junior and Leaving Cert, as well as programmes covering some of the novels and poetry.

www.sofasandsectionals.com/keyboarding-from-couch - website with lots of fun typing games you can practice at home.

www.powertyping.com.
www.learn2type.com.
http://typingsoft.com.
www.sense-lang.org/typing.
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

www.naturalreaders.com.

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PLEASE NOTE - The following are included for information only, and their inclusion does not constitute a recommendation by the association. National Centre for Technology in Education www.ncte.ie Award Systems www.awardsys.net Computer Speak www.computerspeak.ie Edtech Software www.edtech.ie Nessy Learning Ltd.

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Useful websites/APPS on revision notes, subject specific resources, study skills, exam preparation, assistive technology and on-line tutorials

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Useful websites/APPS on revision notes, subject specific resources, study skills, exam preparation, assistive technology and on-line tutorials

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Keep Calm, Stay Wise & Be Kind.

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This calendar is a new addition to our series of monthly action calendars which have been used by millions of people and translated into 20+ languages.

Thanks to Peter Harper for coming up with the original calendar idea and also to the many other kind and talented people who have helped contribute the ideas and inspiration, including Patrick Higgins who first suggested the idea of a new calendar in response to this global crisis.

Many thanks also to the generous volunteers who have translated the calendars into other languages, including Jaber & Nailah Aljasmi (Arabic), Sevdzhi Eubova (Bulgarian), Janice Torkildsen (Chinese & Nepalese), Natalie Lui and Yun You (Chinese), Renata Sušanj & Dalibor Sever (Croatian), Gabriela Macova (Czech), Martine De Ruiter (Dutch), Anna Langley (Esperanto), Laurence De Olivera & Windy Diakité (French), Rika Tjakea Schütte, Tobias Polzin, Ingrid Schäberle & Yvonne Macasieb, (German), Marina Derlere (Greek), Eva Fekete (Hungarian), Andrea Magnabosco (Italian), Narumi Isoda (Japanese), Rasa Kokoreviča (Latvian), Janina Sabaite (Lithuanian), Marek Zywert & Lidia Golba (Polish), Ana Rute Costa (Portuguese), Oana Mindrut (Romanian), Natalya Kuznetsova (Russian), Mária Boťanská (Slovak), Vicenç Rul.lan (Spanish & Catalan), Naima Skillingshage (Swedish), Ali Gülüm, Ceylan Özpınarand Ilgın Bayraktar (Turkish) and Kate Rudenko (Ukranian).

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This calendar is a new addition to our series of monthly action calendars which have been used by millions of people and translated into 20+ languages. Thanks to Peter Harper for coming up with the original calendar idea and also to the many other kind and talented people who have helped contribute the ideas and inspiration, including Patrick Higgins who first suggested the idea of a new calendar in response to this global crisis.

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Netflix and Headspace present: Headspace Guide To Meditation

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Netflix and Headspace present: Headspace Guide To Meditation

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Now streaming on Netflix

Whether you struggle with racing thoughts at bedtime or have trouble sleeping through the night, our new Netflix series will help you put your mind to bed.

Snuggle up to Headspace Guide to Sleep - now streaming - then try Headspace for free. Get your best sleep in the blink of an eye.

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Netflix and Headspace present: Headspace Guide to Sleep

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Whether you struggle with racing thoughts at bedtime or have trouble sleeping through the night, our new Netflix series will help you put your mind to bed. Snuggle up to Headspace Guide to Sleep - now streaming - then try Headspace for free. Get your best sleep in the blink of an eye.

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25 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Children and Teens

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25 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Children and Teens

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In today’s rush, we all think too much—seek too much—want too much—and forget about the joy of just being.

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25 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Children & Teens (+Tips!)

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Fun mindfulness activities for kids to teach them about mindfulness. Enjoy!

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SpunOut.ie is Ireland's youth information website created by young people, for young people.

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Top 10 Apps for Dyscalculia

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Intervention of technology in education is one of the marvellous phenomena happened in this era.Things possible now with available gadgets could have never be imagined 10 years ago. From regular student's wiki to braille assistance, technology have achieved great heights in the sector.

A major portion of the advantage goes to the pupils with learning disability. Online available tools and resources proved to be a great way of inducing new path for learning process.

We curated a list of top 10 free mobile apps for people with dyscalculia. Our focus in this post is on the apps that are directly or indirectly related to dyscalculia and its impact to our daily lives. We tried to reach every corner of it and thus, coming up with apps that helps in tackling the issues with ease.

Socratic is a popular app that aims at assisting students in their homework. The app can find the relevant concepts to solve the math equations in just few seconds. All you have to do is to take a pic of homework question or math equation and submit it to get instant explanation of the concept.

Other than Mathematics, Socratic also supports Science, History, English and Economics. The app uses vision technology to read the submitted image and AI to figure out the concepts for solving it.

Simple but interactive UI makes it really easy to use. The ability of machine to spit out the results in just few seconds is pretty impressive. However, the app itself is limited by its dependence on optical character recognition.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

Photomath is another super popular app sharing similar goal to Socratic. However, Photomath is buffed with additional great features that makes it lucrative to use over Socratic.

It have scientific calculator to edit equations right there in the app. An interesting find in the app is that it not just explains the answer, it also shows multiple methods of tackling the problem. Furthermore, the app supports more than 30 languages, which is really impressive considering the limitation of OCR technology. We tried comparing the functionality aspects of Socratic with Photomath, the machine learning of latter's turns out to be more powerful than former.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

Improving mental math is one of the main practices necessary in overcoming Dyscalculia. Mental Math is our ability to do mathematical calculations in our mind without help of any device, such as calculator and mobile phones etc. The more we develop mental math skills, faster our brain will have the computational power. Mental Math Practice app is here to serve that purpose.

Mental Math Practice app aims at improving mental math skills by using flashcards. Some of the features mentioned :

200 mental math flashcards crafted by an expert math tutor

Concept explanations of shortcuts used.

Detailed insights and progress tracking

The app is developed by an online test prep company, Magoosh. It currently sitting at 4.5 star ratings with more than 100k downloads on playstore.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

Flow Free is widely popular addictive game that involves connecting dots based on their colors. This app demands spatial reasoning and planning to complete all of the color matches without crossing or overlap of the lines or pipes.

People with dyscalculia generally have trouble with spatial awareness, this game can be really beneficial in training their minds about it. It has over 2500 free puzzles for kids to try and challenge their visual motor skills. The app is developed by NoodleCake Studios with over 100 millions downloads on playstore.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

Smartynote is a notepad app with powerful features like OCR, Voice recognition and Text to speech. Although the app is made specifically for dyslexics, people with dyscalculia can also take the benefit as it can read numbers as well.

It really makes note taking so much easier. All you have to do is click a photo of a page or some text, it will extract the text and save it to your note. You an use voice recognition if you want the app to write note while you speak. You can also let the app dictates the saved note to you. Different color combinations and fonts are available to suit your needs. Around 20k people use this app worldwide.

Links: Android Playstore

Lumosity is a really interesting app that improves memorizing power, analytical and critical thinking. It's a brain training app with several puzzles and games that strengthen skills necessary for a person with dyscalculia. As per the description, Lumosity challenges your mental muscles across a variety of segments - memory, attention, speed, flexibility and problem solving. The games are quick and simple, but require immense focus to master.

Puzzles and games are curated according to the user's training habits and preferences. Moreover, users can check detailed insights of their training process and analyze the progress. The app is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese and Korean. More than 90 million people use this app worldwide.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

NeuroNation is another brain training app with tasks and exercises similar to Lumosity. However, it majorly targets people with weak memory and concentration power (as in the case of dyscalculia).
At the moment, the program consists of 27 exercises. More than 15 million people use this app worldwide.

UI is pretty simple and easy to understand. Users can personalize activities according to their potentials. Just like Lumosity, Neuro nation also provides detailed insights of training progress. A daily 15 minutes exercise with the app is recommended.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

Prodigy game is the perfect example of 'learning while playing'. It lets you practice concepts of mathematics in interactive way. As per description, Prodigy delivers a unique learning experience through an interactive math game where success depends on correctly answering skill-building math questions. Players can earn rewards, go on quests and play with friends - all while learning new skills.

The app mainly targets kids with age upto 6-12. Its user base comprises of over a million teachers and 50 million students around the world. Parents can monitor their child's progress through the levels and understanding of the concepts. Teachers should allow students a 10 minute play in class as a reward of completing a task. This will motivate students and give them a sense of achievement.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

We already discussed the effects dyscalculia have on a person's driving ability in our earlier post. People with dyscalculia have trouble keeping up with directions, turns, signals, sign boards and rules. They may also fall victim to a severe road anxiety.

Although apps like google maps may have ease the burden but still a complete solution is required to ensure driving safety. Well, there are no such apps which you could blindly trust for driving as it depends upon your own practice and experience and we recommend to include driving expert if you have alarming issues while driving. Car Dashdroid, however, aims to serve one-stop platform for complete driving assistance while you are on road.

Car Dashdroid gives you quick, easy access to things you'd normally want on the road. That includes navigation, music, contacts, messages, voice commands, and more. It have smart dialer so you won't have to search for your contacts anymore .It can read text messages out loud and it supports popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and others. It also comes with a compass, speedometer, and plenty of other useful features. There is even Tasker support.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore (Alternative iCarmode)

Abacus is a manual aid for calculating that consists of beads or disks that can be moved up and down on a series of sticks or strings within a usually wooden frame. Practicing abacus is consider one of the best way to develop number sense. Numbers are physically constructed and manipulated in Abacus. Practicing 10-15 minutes daily can effectively build your math calculative skills.

One problem with abacus is that its difficult to carry it everywhere. Know Abacus app is here to serve this purpose. You can carry virtual abacus on your smartphones and play with it anytime you want. You have to perform steps on Know abacus according to the tasks given by the app. The app is developed by developer, Kittipong Mungnirun and over 500k people use it worldwide.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

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Top 10 must-have free apps for Dyscalculia [2020] - Number Dyslexia

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A list of top 10 free mobile apps for people with dyscalculia. Apps that directly or indirectly related to overcoming dyscalculia and its impact to our daily lives. We tried to reach every corner of it and thus, coming up with apps that helps in tackling the issues with ease.

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https://ie.ixl.com/

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Academic Support Websites for Secondary Students - SchoolDays.ie

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We have listed some of the most relevent educational websites for post-primary students to use in their studies.

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The exam alarm clock is on countdown to June with lots of study ahead for this year's leaving certificate students. What can your teenager do to keep focussed and perform when it comes to the crunch in June! The key now is: Preparation, Preparation, Preparation & yes more Preparation!!! Getting mentally, physically, emotionally and materially prepared will give them more control and help manage stress and anxiety. Understanding the stress cycle can help them to manage their stress.

The following article provided by ichievement.com can help them understand the typical stress cylcle and provides some easy steps to declutter their mind and improve their focus.

Good Stress / Bad Stress

Remember, not all stress is bad stress. We need a certain amount of it to perform to our optimum. If we had no stress in our lives, we might stay in bed all day, why bother!? Appealing as this may sound right now, no stress or low stress can be as negative and harmful as excessively high ones. Prolonged levels of very high or low stress will negatively you and your health.

Stress typically occurs when we perceive we are unable to cope with or meet the demands we face. We are all susceptible to stress from time to time and the Leaving Cert year is a prime time for stress to rocket. Stress is highly individual and unique. It affects us all differently.

This year you may experience 'stress' relating to difficulties with your subjects, teachers, parents, peers, homework, study, revision, relationships, siblings, money etc. You may feel burdened with pressure to 'live up to' expectations. When stressed your nervous system is acutely affected which is why you may be more susceptible to colds, sleep problems, etc. Your heightened sense of awareness can trigger a stress response and start a stress cycle.

The Stress Cycle & Stress Signals

Stress can be subtle at first and build up to a full fledged attack that affects you on every level: physical, mental & emotional. There is a strong interconnection between these systems that create your level of wellbeing & health. To perform to your optimum you need to nourish and look after all aspects of your health, wellbeing & study programme!!

Usually the first signs of stress that we notice are the physical ones, eg, funny tummy, irregular bowels, headaches, backaches, interrupted sleeping or difficulty getting to sleep, irritability, snappiness and a generalised feeling of fear. However, these physical signs are usually preceded by stressful thoughts and emotions we are experiencing either consciously or unconsciously. You may not be aware consciously that you are fuelling your stress with your anxious thoughts patterns. These thoughts feed your emotions and can lead to self doubt, worry & generalised anxiousness and lead ultimately to unhelpful behaviours. This is the typical stress cycle. Listen to the messages your body is giving you, it is important to recognise patterns of symptoms and look for ways to redress any imbalance.

Think of your mind, as a computer. Make sure your software is working for you and leading you in the right direction. Be aware of your thoughts, if you are overly anxious or constantly berating your efforts, this will impact on your belief in your abilities which directly impacts your effectiveness & performance!!

It's true what they say, garbage in, garbage out. What you focus on expands, so make sure you are focussing on your positive strengths, talents & accomplishments. Learn from past mistakes or failures, but don't dwell on them.

You can reverse this stress cycle by adjusting your thought and behaviour patterns by:

Boost Your Belief in Yourself to Meet the Challenges You Face - Develop Positive Self Talk.

Plan your Time and Study Strategy

Make Simple Behavioural Adjustments to Support Your Plan

Remember, it is normal to feel a certain amount of stress this year. However, it is important to keep it in check. Unchecked stress can lead to isolation, feelings of lonliness, health problems, paranoia & in the extreme, suicidal thoughts. If you are experiencing dark thoughts, talk to someone immediately: your teacher, parent, friend or counsellor. Don't bottle it up!!
How Stressed Are You?

As we have identified, stress awareness is Key. The best way to tackle stress is to meet it head on and identify simple steps to reduce it. Small steps can make a big difference to your perspective and coping abilities. If you can break tasks down into smaller sizes, you get a sense of progress and control. Identify your stressors and your symptoms: List what is within your control and outside of it. Make an action plan to address the things that you can influence and come to terms with those that are outside of your control now. For a quick stress test @ www.ichievement.com .

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Stay Ahead of Exam Stress - SchoolDays.ie

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The exam alarm clock is on countdown to June with lots of study ahead for this year's leaving certificate students. What can your teenager do to keep focussed and perform when it comes to the crunch in June! The key now is: Preparation, Preparation, Preparation & yes more Preparation!!!

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Leaving Cert | Junior Cycle | Maths Grinds | Online Maths Tutor

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Home - Leaving Cert | Junior Cycle | Maths Grinds | Online Maths Tutor

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I used this website exclusively to repeat my leaving cert maths and passed well. Well laid out, easy to use and really goes through all aspects of the leaving cert maths course, ensuring all ground is covered for the exam. Goes through exam paper questions step by step.

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Paper 1 Videos Paper 2 Videos ​ Geometric Constructions Videos Ms Keegan Videos ​ Mr O'Reilly Videos Keys to Maths Videos ​The Maths Tutor Videos ​ Open LCSolutions Videos ​ Map of...

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across Ireland, enabling them to become numerate, socially aware citizens.

I am your online maths teacher, Mr. O'Reilly. I will be here all day, everyday. You can play my video tutorials, pause them and rewind them as much as you like until you understand.

​

There is no charge for my video tutorials. I believe education should be free for students and anyone who wants to learn.

No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment - Carol Dweck

Adding a positive approach to learning.

Subtracting negative thought processes that hinder progress.

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across Ireland, enabling them to become numerate, socially aware citizens. I am your online maths teacher, Mr. O'Reilly. I will be here all day, everyday. You can play my video tutorials, pause them and rewind them as much as you like until you understand. ​ There is no charge for my video tutorials.

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AT Resources for people who have difficulty with writing maths:

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AT Resources for people who have difficulty with writing maths:

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For typing Maths, you can look Equatio which is a great product and works very well, developed by an Irish Maths teacher and it integrates with Google Docs/Sheets. Please click here for more information: https://www.texthelp.com/en-us/products/equatio/

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Defining Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a learning difference that can cause difficulties with core mathematics. It affects approximately 6-8% of the population. It occurs on a spectrum with some people mildly affected and others more severely. With the right understanding, accommodations and support, people with dyscalculia can achieve success in education, the workplace and in wider society.
People with dyscalculia lack an intuitive grasp of simple number concepts or 'number sense'. They have difficulties estimating the magnitude of numbers, exhibit poor understanding of number relationships, and lack fluency with simple numerical operations. Often if the right answer is achieved or the correct procedure followed, it is done so mechanically, with great effort and without confidence.
Dyscalculia is not a general difficulty with learning, it impacts specific skill areas. Dyscalculia is distinct from mathematical difficulties arising from literacy or other learning difficulties, or maths anxiety but can co-occur with these difficulties. The impact of dyscalculia can change according to the environment (i.e. what a dyscalculic person is being asked to do and under what circumstances).

Language, Recognition and Rights

Some people prefer the wording 'a person with dyscalculia', while others prefer the term 'a dyscalculic person'. When working with individuals it is important to use the terminology that the person is most comfortable with. When communicating with a wider audience the terms may be used interchangeably to reflect the variation of preference that exists.

Dyscalculia is a recognised disability under Irish and EU law (such as under equalities, accessibility and disability legislation). However, many dyscalculic people do not consider themselves 'disabled' and this view should be respected.

What difficulties might be experienced by a student with Dyscalculia?

These students often experience difficulties with basic mathematical or numerical tasks or processes such as adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing. Students can also experience difficulty knowing which mathematical process should be employed based on context.

Other challenges can include telling the time using an analogue watch or clock, handling money or calculating change.

There is a high incidence of co-diagnosis of dyslexia with dyscalculia. This obviously leads to greater challenges for these students.

Students with dyscalculia will often experience a lack of confidence or low self-esteem as a result of previous experiences with trying to study maths.

What can you do to support these students?

New concepts should be introduced using concrete examples only moving to more abstract concepts after these examples have been thoroughly understood by the student.

Multi-sensory teaching can help students who have difficulty with a particular delivery method e.g. visual or aural.

Present mathematical processes or procedures in a number of ways - often students will grasp a concept if it is approached in an alternative way.

Encourage students to ask questions at all stages if they are having difficulty.

Maths teaching should be structured and cumulative and the use of multi-sensory methods employed.

Simple examples should be used for new concepts and concepts should always be introduced at the concrete level with materials before going to maths problems in number, symbol and word form.

The language used should be transparent and students should be encouraged to put mathematical terms into their own words.

Appropriate aids such as number lines, number squares, and calculators should be available, and students should be taught how to use them.

Computer programmes can be useful to help consolidate learning.

Metacognitive strategies will be particularly useful for problem-solving.

The book 'Teaching Numeracy to Children with Dyslexia' by Pauline Clayton may be useful for further strategies.

Have a plan or strategy, which works in any math word problem situation. When a student is presented with a question that requires mathematical calculation, they may benefit from following the 12 steps provided:

1. Read the problem carefully looking for clues and important information. Write down the clues, underline, or highlight the clues.

2. If necessary, rewrite the problem to help find these clues.

3. Look for clues to determine which math operation is needed to solve the problem, for example, addition, subtraction, etc. Look for keywords like sum, difference, product, perimeter, area, etc. They lead to the operation needed to solve the problem.

4. Look for what is needed to solve the problem, for example: how many will are left, the total will be, everyone gets red, everyone gets one of each, etc.

5. Use variable symbols, such as "X" for missing information.

6. Eliminate all non-essential information by drawing a line through distracting information.

7. Draw sketches, drawings, and models to see the problem.

8. Is the word problem similar to previous work, if so how was it solved?

9. Develop a plan based on the information determined to be important for solving the problem.

10. Carry out the plan using the math operations which were determined would find the answer.

11. Does the answer seem reasonable, if it does then it is probably ok - if not then check the work.

12. Work the problem in reverse or backwards, starting with the answer to see if you wind up with your original problem.

Useful Websites

https://ie.ixl.com/math/ provides Irish curriculum-based support from Junior Infants up to 6th year for Maths and English subjects.

Further information and videos which may be helpful can be accessed at http://www.stevechinn.co.uk/

Free multisensory maths tutorials can be accessed at www.alison.com.

www.helpmykidlearn.ie - provides ideas for parents of children aged 0 - 12 to learn on a number of topics, from numeracy, literacy, and communication skills.

http://www.primarygames.com/math.php and http://www.mathplayground.com/ - maths games for children.

Equatio works on Windows, Mac and Chromebook. It lets the user type, handwrite or dictate equations, formulas and more directly to the computer of Chromebook to create mathematical expressions digitally. With intuitive prediction, it can speed up the accuracy of simple and more complex maths expressions.

Books

"What to do when you can't..." series by Steve Chinn.

"Power of 2" series by David J. Sharp (2001).

"The Trouble with Maths: A Practical Guide to Helping Learners with Numeracy Difficulties" by Steve Chinn (2004).

"The Math Handbook; For students with maths difficulties, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia or ADHD" by Helmy Faber (2017).

Dyslexia and Maths Difficulties

Maths difficulties are common in students with Dyslexia. The areas of maths that students with dyslexia find the most difficult are:

The language of maths: Some students struggles to read and understand the vocabulary in maths questions, and therefore do not know what task they are being asked to do. Many different words can be used to describe the same action, e.g. add, increase, plus, total.

Sequencing: The learning of maths is very sequential, but to successfully complete many maths problems a very strict sequence must be followed. Learning multiplication tables is all about learning a strict sequence of information.

Orientation: Difficulties with orientation and direction can lead to confusion of maths symbols. Some people with dyslexia show weakness in the Coding subtest in the assessment, meaning that they struggle to decode symbols accurately and quickly.

Memory: There are many facts, figures, tables, and formulas which have to be learnt and recalled accurately.

Confidence: A lack of confidence in their own maths ability can worsen the above difficulties.

For more information on strategies for dyslexia and maths you can download our handout below:
Dyslexia and Maths Difficulties (PDF)

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Dyscalculia and Maths Difficulties | Dyslexia Ireland

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Dyscalculia is a learning difference that can cause difficulties with core mathematics. It affects approximately 6-8% of the population. It occurs on a spectrum with some people mildly affected and others more severely. With the right understanding, accommodations and support, people with dyscalculia can achieve success in education, the workplace and in wider society.

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Teaching Resources - Early Years, Primary, Junior Cycle, Parents

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Instant access to printable lesson plans, assessments, interactive activities, resource packs, PowerPoints, ebooks and teaching ideas in English and as Gaeilge.

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Teaching Resources - Early Years, Primary, Junior Cycle, Parents

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Instant access to printable lesson plans, assessments, interactive activities, resource packs, PowerPoints, ebooks and teaching ideas in English and as Gaeilge.

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder affects about 5% of all children and adults.

Unlike other special education conditions, children and adolescents with ADHD are frequently blamed for having the condition, perceived as hostile or unmotivated, lazy or cheeky.

When ADHD goes untreated it becomes a serious condition affecting self-esteem, motivation, behaviour, self-confidence and relationships with adults and peers. ADHD is a high-stakes condition and it needs to be recognised that students who have it didn't choose to be the way they are.

ADHD is a condition that is caused by brain chemistry and activity. It is a neurobiological condition. People with ADHD often have difficulty paying attention and concentrating, especially on things that require sustained attention and concentration.

The can have problems controlling their emotions and impulses, can rush to finish things or have considerable difficulty waiting their turn. They often ask questions without thinking them through and sometimes make unfortunate comments in front of others.

ADHD is a life-long condition. One never grows out of it but the symptom picture changes over time. Often the impulsivity and high level of activity, if they were initially present, disappear in the teen years.

The learning problems associated with ADHD do not go away easily and it is vitally important for them to be addressed in school. As in the case of children on the autistic spectrum, once educators and schools get it correct for children with ADHD they have improved the educational provision of all children.

Understanding is critically important. Adolescents with significant ADHD do not chose to be in trouble with and in conflict with adults. Constant rejection and criticism, constant punishment, and in severe cases expulsion from school is not the answer. Corrective teaching is the answer and appropriate support from specialist teachers is vital.

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ADHD in Secondary School - SchoolDays.ie

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder affects about 5% of all children and adults. Unlike other special education conditions, children and adolescents with ADHD are frequently blamed for having the condition, perceived as hostile or unmotivated, lazy or cheeky. When ADHD goes untreated it becomes a serious condition affecting self-esteem, motivation, behaviour, self-confidence and relationships with adults and peers.

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Support Your Child With ADHD at Secondary School

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Support Your Child With ADHD at Secondary School

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The problems ADHD causes are similar to those at primary school: your child finds it hard to listen, remember and think of the consequences of their actions.

Behaviour and performance tends to be erratic - they may be able to do something one day but not the next.

But as your child gets older, the expectation is that they take more responsibility for their actions - especially with regard to punctuality, learning and behaviour.

ADHD affects your child's ability to do this, which can also lead to being labelled immature.

Secondary school brings added difficulties for children with ADHD, ie multiple teachers, classrooms and subjects, and the pressure of GCSE coursework and exams.

Although your child is growing up, there are still things you can do as a parent to help.

What's expected of my child?

In England government sets targets for each stage of a child's education. These are known as Key Stages. Secondary school covers Key Stage 3 (ages 11 to 14) and Key Stage 4 (ages 14 to 16).

At the end of each Key Stage, your child will take national tests, ie at age 14 and then GCSEs or GNVQs.

The aim of applying for, and getting, extra help for your child through School Action and School Action Plus is to ensure your child achieves the targets for each stage.

Similar, but not identical 'stages' of educational attainment and planning are recognised in other parts of the UK, eg The Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland also recognises five stages, from 'early' (pre-school to primary 1), up to 'fourth' (upper senior school).

What can you do as a parent?

First make sure the school is aware of any specific learning problems your child has.

Below are lots of things you can try to tackle the difficulties ADHD brings. Some of them will need the co-operation of teaching staff. Most of them, you'll want to talk through with your child, because ideas that are imposed can seem like punishments.

Term watch

SENCO: special educational needs coordinator.

A SENCO will:

support and advise your child's teacher

set targets for your child

provide support for parents.

In other parts of the UK the equivalent to a SENCO may be a specific member of the learning support or guidance team, who is identified as a key person responsible for carrying out a supervisory and liaison role similar to the SENCO.

Your child may not like these suggestions - and this can spiral, so every issue turns into a confrontation. So, 'pick your battles' - decide on what you think will help most, and try to get your child's agreement.

If something doesn't work, or is causing lots of arguments, it may be worth dropping and revisiting later.

If you're struggling or at your wits' end, go back to your GP, specialist, special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) or equivalent and get their advice.

Educational psychologists are also available to assess and advise. They are all there to support you and your child.

Getting the most out of your child

With ADHD, the watchwords are routine, regularity and repetition - all of which will help your child with essential components of a school day, such as getting to school on time, or completing work.

Regular times for breakfast, homework, TV, breaks etc will provide a much needed framework for a child with ADHD.

Praise is also important and crucial to building your child's self-esteem. A little praise given often is most effective, and keep it specific. 'You did your homework when I asked you to.' 'Your writing has got much neater over the last two months.'

Concentration problems

Distraction is a big problem for ADHD, so the best place for your child to sit is at the front of the class, where they can see the teacher's face.

If the school has set seating plans for each class, you can talk to the teacher and pre-arrange it before the start of term, so it doesn't single your child out.

It's a different matter if your child chooses where to sit for each lesson. If your child won't sit at the front, try to encourage them to sit as near to the front as possible. In the first instance, see if you child will agree a trial period when they sit at or near the front.

If they get better marks and are in trouble less - both with classmates and the teacher, they may come to the conclusion it's the best place to be. If it doesn't seem to make a difference to performance, or it causes huge resentment, it may not be worth pushing.

Your child may also find it hard to focus at the beginning of lessons or after a break. Teach a routine to help calm them down when in the classroom, such as counting backwards from 20.

Talking too much tends to be less of a problem in secondary school. Your child is more likely to tap and fidget. A squeezy stress ball to fiddle with quietly can help.

Interrupting the teacher

Medication issues

If your child needs to take medication at school, talk to the school team and ask who can make sure they take it.

Ask the teacher to be sensitive about sending your child to take medication if this is required to be given during school time.

If your child is on medication, they're more likely to start interrupting or making smart comments as it is wearing off.

Ideally, the teacher might also take this as a cue to check if your child has taken their medication.

Ideally, the teacher should take this as a cue to check if your child has taken their medication.

This should be done in a way that draws as little attention as possible to your child. How the staff will raise this issue is a good question to ask the school.

The use of extended release medications, which can be given as a single dose in the morning, can help to avoid the problems associated with the storage and administration of medication during the school day.

For your part, teach your child what to do if they've forgotten what they should be doing. Teach them the best way to get attention is to raise a hand and wait for the teacher to answer, or to quietly ask another child. Role playing at home is a good way to do this.

Inattentiveness

Inattentiveness causes a number of problems.

It can lead your child to miss parts of what the teacher is saying. This can mean they don't know what to do when work is set.

It can also make your child seem rude or as if they aren't listening, leading to issues with teachers.

Things that will help your child are:

short, specific instructions

tasks split down into smaller chunks

repetition and reviews of instructions

written instructions on the board

visual aids and checklists.

Such help will all be down to the discretion of the teacher, but you can raise these points with staff or the SENCO or equivalent.

List-making can overcome some of the problems caused by inattention.

The first step is to teach your child to make lists of what he has to do when he's given tasks or instructions. You could try this with tasks at home or with homework.

The next step is to teach your child to prioritise tasks within the list. Ask your child what they think is most important on the list and go from there.

Get your child to use diaries, planners and any other tools your school provides to write down instructions, dates and deadlines.

Homework issues

This tends to be either your child forgets it completely, can't get started or doesn't finish it.

How schools manage homework varies, but some schools have a homework diary that must be reviewed and signed off each week by parents.

If your child has large projects or coursework that needs doing over a period of time, you can help plan the assignment and break it into small chunks. You may also want to draw up a timetable of deadlines and keep it visible - eg stuck on the fridge.

One option may be to quietly take a note of deadlines from the homework diary, without making a big issue. You could then ask your child how they're progressing at certain points before the deadline.

Have a homework routine: let your child have a break after school, then a set time for homework and then another break. Give your child a quiet place to do homework - with good light and no distractions, such as music or TV.

Interest and encouragement in what your child's doing will also help, but it's easy for this to be seen as interference - you are the best judge of your child's reaction.

Learning difficulties

Your child may have specific learning difficulties - in which case the teacher or SENCO can give advice. Or your child may have more general problems with his work.

Term watch

Mnemonic : BODMAS is an example of a mnemonic.

It's used to remember the order calculation should be carried out.

Sums in brackets first, then division, multiplication, addition and s ubtraction.

One of the most common problems is handwriting and written expression. If this is a problem, ask the school if your child can use other methods than writing, such as using a computer.

If your child has difficulty completing tasks, give them an overview before they start working on the fine detail.

Rhymes, mnemonics and word association will help your child remember facts.

You may want to consider a private tutor to help with specific areas of difficulty.

Peer difficulties

Particularly if your child is impulsive, they may overreact to teasing or let themselves be egged on to do something they shouldn't.

Problems caused by inattention, ie missing parts of conversation, can also mean they have difficulty getting on with classmates.

Ideas to help

Teach your child to count to 10 before reacting, or to walk away and talk to a teacher.

Role-play situations with your child, particularly dealing with name-calling and taunts.

If other children complain about your child or are at the brunt of bad behaviour, ask your child how they would feel in the other person's shoes.

Try to teach them how to recognise other people's reactions - for example if they are being demanding.

Aggressive behaviour

Children with ADHD often feel different from other children. They can feel frustrated, misunderstood and 'picked on'. Self-esteem can be low. All this can lead to aggressive behaviour.

Unless there's a definite trigger for the aggression that can be tackled directly, there's no easy way to improve behaviour - any changes are likely to be slow rather than overnight.

State what isn't acceptable, but avoid lengthy debates, emotional statements, harsh criticism or backing your child into a corner.

Give your child space to cool down. This gives your child a chance to find a solution without losing face.

Agree rules with your child where possible. The more you agree on, the less likely rules will be broken.

Make your child responsible for their behaviour and the consequences. Some parents are very critical of their children. Others defend their children, regardless of behaviour. But criticism not tempered by praise will soon be ignored. Praise without criticism means your child won't learn boundaries.

Apply punishments consistently - don't have one rule one day, and one rule the next for the same behaviour.

Sources of support

A helpful overview with recommendationd regarding day to day management of ADHD in school is provided by Fintan O'Regan (www.fintanoregan.com):

Educating children with ADHD, Cooper P and O'Regan F (2001): Routledge Falmer Press

How to teach and manage children with ADHD, O'Regan F (2002): LDA a division of McGraw- Hill

ADDISS, The National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service ADHD Information and Support, based in UK.

Want to know more on ADHD?

Worried about your child's behaviour? Sometimes it can be hard to work out whether a child's behaviour is normal or the sign of a behavioural disorder.

What is ADHD? Find out what the symptoms are.

What causes ADHD? Scientific research suggests the causes could be largely genetic, combined with some other factors.

Why is ADHD controversial? We look at what the problems are.

Not just a childhood disorder: How is it different to childhood ADHD?

How do I know if I have ADHD? Here are the signs and symptoms.

Getting help: Steps to diagnosis and treatment in adults.

Teenagers with ADHD: Tips for tackling problem behaviour.

One to one: ADHD can have a marked effect on relationships in the teenage years.

Work and ADHD: Find out about ADHD in the workplace.

Study and ADHD: Listed below are things to consider when choosing a course and some practical tips to help you study.

Tourettes: What is Tourette's syndrome?

Based on a text by Dr Dan Rutherford, GP
Last updated

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How to help your child with ADHD at secondary school

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The problems ADHD causes are similar to those at primary school: your child finds it hard to listen, remember and think of the consequences of their actions. Behaviour and performance tends to be erratic - they may be able to do something one day but not the next.

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Mindfulness Courses (online) for Parents of ADHD Children

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Mindfulness Courses (online) for Parents of ADHD Children

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mindfulness course for parents of adhd children (online)

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mindfulness course for parents of adhd children (online) tickets

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Mindfulness Course for Parents of ADHD Children (Online)

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Eventbrite - ADHD Ireland presents Mindfulness Course for Parents of ADHD Children (Online) - Friday, 24 April 2020 - Find event and ticket information.

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Here at ADHD Ireland, we aim to provide support for people with ADHD.

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Children - Links To Other Useful Resources

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Children - Links To Other Useful Resources

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Visiting Teacher Service:
The Department of Education and Skills provides a visiting teacher service for children who are blind/visually impaired at pre school, primary and secondary level. They offer advice and support in all aspects of education including specialist equipment and instruction.

For further information visit: www.education.ie/en/Parents/Services/Visiting-Teacher-Service
Child Vision:
Child Vision is dedicated to the education and therapy needs of blind and multi-disabled children, from birth up to 23 years of age. The organisation's team includes speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, teachers, nurses, braille specialists, social care workers, and pet and equine therapists.

For further information, visit: www.childvision.ie

Féach is a voluntary support group made up of parents of blind and visually impaired children. This peer-led support is available to any new parents who are experiencing visual impairment for the first time.

For further information, visit: www.feach.ie
Albinism Fellowship UK and Ireland:
The Albinism Fellowship is a volunteer-run organisation that aims to provide information, advice and support for people with albinism and their families. It also provides information about the condition to professionals working with people with albinism, and other appropriate interested parties.

For further information, visit: www.albinism.org.uk
Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind:
Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind is dedicated to helping people who are blind or vision impaired and families of children with autism to achieve improved mobility and independence. The organisation provides a guide dog programme for people who have a vision impairment or total sight loss, and an assistance dog programme for children with autism and their families.

For further information, visit: www.guidedogs.ie

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Children - Links to other helpful services

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Visiting Teacher Service: The Department of Education and Skills provides a visiting teacher service for children who are blind/visually impaired at pre school, primary and secondary level. They offer advice and support in all aspects of education including specialist equipment and instruction.

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(Teachers should note that the Visiting Teacher Service for children and young people with a visual impairment supports parents/guardians, teachers and other professionals involved with the student. More information is available in the Visiting Teacher Service information leaflet [PDF 508KB].)

Encourage the student to use visual aids/resources that have been prescribed (e.g. glasses, magnifiers, big-print books, etc).

Seat the student appropriately in the classroom (e.g. in the middle towards the front).

Make sure lighting is suitable.

Make efforts to eliminate the risk of glare from the desk and whiteboard.

If possible ensure lights are coming from behind or to the side of the student.

Give clear instructions as the student may misinterpret gestures and facial expressions.

Consider the use of enlarged print/magnified worksheets.

The less configurations on a page the better (worksheets can be cut in strips and stapled together to present less work at a time).

Print materials need to be clear and dark.

Have lined paper for assignments (the darker the lines the better).

Nearpoint work should be limited to fifteen minutes or less. The student should be encouraged to look away from his/her work, sharpen a pencil or participate in another activity as this will allow the student to refocus his/her eyes so that the student is less likely to become fatigued.

Have students measure from their elbow to their fingers and tell them they need never get closer to their work than that distance.

Slanted desks may be of benefit to individual students.

Provide contrast on any visual materials used: black and white is best.

Avoid italic or ornate script. Remember that lower-case letters are easier to read than capital letters because they have a greater number of ascenders and descenders, making them more visually distinctive.

Supplement visual material with clear verbal explanation.

Require less copying from the board or elsewhere.

Increase oral activities.

Use concrete material and hands-on experience whenever possible.

Allow more time to complete tasks and provide breaks to combat fatigue.

Do not lower expectations because the student has a visual impairment.

Provide mobility and orientation training as students with visual impairment experience great difficulty in acquiring skills in direction, mobility and travel. This is particularly important at post-primary level where the student may have to move for individual subjects.

Arrange for other students to act as buddies and use peer tutoring. Peer-groups should be encouraged to include and support the student.

Use the student's name when seeking his/her attention.

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(Teachers should note that the Visiting Teacher Service for children and young people with a visual impairment supports parents/guardians, teachers and other professionals involved with the student. More information is available in the Visiting Teacher Service information leaflet [PDF 508KB].) Encourage the student to use visual aids/resources that have been prescribed (e.g.

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Working to deliver a better special education service

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Teaching Students With Visual Impairment

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Teaching Students With Visual Impairment

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Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

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Sign up for free membership to access the FREE downloadable resources to support your district's vision program on the Free Printable pages located under "free printables" in the navigation bar .

Paid member pages are unlocked with a purchase. Here you will get access to resources you have paid for including the TVI's Guide Complete Set bonus pages, interactive activities and recorded presentations. You can purchase access in the VI Store.

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Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

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The mission of Teaching Students with Visual Impairments is to: address and encompass all aspects related to educating students who are blind or visually impaired from diagnosis and referral to adaptations and unique instruction; provide all persons invol

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CHATT Reading Strategies

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Useful Websites/Apps to support and develop children and youngpeople’s Speech Language and Communication Skills (SLCN)

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Useful Websites/Apps to support and develop children and youngpeople’s Speech Language and Communication Skills (SLCN)

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Cooking Activities for Speech and Language: Podcast 14

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Cooking Activities for Speech and Language: Podcast 14

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This is Episode # 14 of the Speech and Language Kids Podcast! This is the podcast with activities and resources for families of children with speech and language delays and disorders. Today I'm going to tell you about cooking activities that you can do with your child to work on speech and language skills. And in the quick tip I'll share a blog that's all about improving speech and language skills as well as healthy eating at the same time.

Click here to download in I-Tunes!
Ideas for Working on Speech and Language during Cooking Activities:

Following Recipe
Recipes for kids, picture recipes, write your own /picture-recipes (making learning fun)

Works on following directions

Sequencing
Talk about what to do first, next, last

Recall afterwards, what you did first, next, last

Talk about and label actions
stir, pour, mix, dump, bake, cook

Talk about descriptive words
How does it taste, smell, feel, look, sound?

Talk about names of foods you're using

Target foods with a lot of your child's speech sound

Have your child request the things he needs

Take pictures while you're doing it and make a book or album later. Have your child describe what happened to someone else by looking at the pictures

Ask your child questions during and after the activity to make sure they understand what's going on

Pre-Made picture recipes for basic foods: Making Learning Fun

Speech Snacks: A great website/blog with resources and activities designed to improve speech and language and encourage healthy eating at the same time. I love this!! Seriously, go check it out!! www.SpeechSnacks.com

Email me your questions for the next episode of the podcast which will be a parent/SLP questions episode. Send questions to SpeechAndLanguageKids@gmail.com and I will put together the most common questions/most popular ones in an episode.

More Resources for Speech-Language Pathologists:

Looking for more therapy ideas and resources to help you provide the BEST services to your clients? Join us in The SLP Solution, our membership program for speech-language professionals! Inside the membership, you'll find:

Step-By-Step Guides for teaching a variety of speech/language/communication skills

Pre-Made Worksheets and Therapy Activities for hundreds of different topics

Training Videos for dealing with difficult disorders or problems

Answers to Your Questions in our exclusive SLP community

Tools and Resources to help you with your paperwork and admin tasks

Continuing Education through our monthly webinars and webinar recordings

To join us in the full SLP Solution, or to snag a free membership, click on the button below!

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Cooking Activities for Speech and Language: Podcast 14

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is Episode # 14 of the Speech and Language Kids Podcast! This is the podcast with activities and resources for families of children with speech and language delays and disorders. Today I'm going to tell you about cooking activities that you can do with your child to work on speech and language skills.

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Speech, Language and Communication Needs In Adolescence

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Speech, Language and Communication Needs In Adolescence

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Keyword journal is a study aid that allow students to record keywords from each subject area.

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Mindfulness For Your Everyday Life

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Explore guided exercises, videos, and more to help you get healthier and happier.

Just 10 days of Headspace can increase happiness by 16%.

Connect with friends and over 60 million people benefiting from mindfulness.

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Meditation and Sleep Made Simple - Headspace

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Explore guided exercises, videos, and more to help you get healthier and happier. Just 10 days of Headspace can increase happiness by 16%. Connect with friends and over 60 million people benefiting from mindfulness.

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Daily Calm | 10 Minute Mindfulness Meditation | Be Present

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Be Present

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Relaxing Music for Stress Relief. Calm Celtic Music for Meditation, Healing Therapy, Sleep, Yoga

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Letting Go

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Daily Calm | 10 Minute Mindfulness Meditation | Letting Go

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Meditation App for Young People

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About the app

Smiling Mind is a meditation app for young people. It has been developed by a team of psychologists and uses mindfulness to boost calmness, contentment and clarity. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to help manage stress, resilience, anxiety, depression and improve general health and wellbeing.

Smiling Mind now includes programs in a number of Aboriginal languages such as Kriol, Ngaanyatjarra and Pitjantjatjara. These programs were created with help from Central Australia's NPY Women's Council. The additional language programs are located in 'All Programs' under 'Other Language Programs'.

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Smiling Mind is a meditation app for young people. It has been developed by a team of psychologists and uses mindfulness to boost calmness, contentment and clarity. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to help manage stress, resilience, anxiety, depression and improve general health and wellbeing.

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Training

Middletown Centre provides a range of training opportunities for parents, carers and educational professionals in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Centre has a full training calendar of face to face and online sessions, which can be managed using the Centre's app The Centre, in partnership with Mary Immaculate College Limerick provides a Graduate Certificate, Diploma and MA in Autism Studies Individual schools can apply for whole school training and these are provided in partnership with the EA in Northern Ireland and The NCSE in Ireland. Further information on applying for a whole school training is available by contacting us using the email training@middletownautism.com

Here is a list of all our main current events happening within Middletown Centre for Autism

Online Learning Portal

Log in or register to our online training resources
Online Learning

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Bulletins

Research Bulletin no. 42 - Strength-based approaches

Our latest Research Bulletin is focused on Strength-based Approaches. It highlights papers that show how taking a strength-based approach can create an empowering environment for autistic young people and allow them to define what they value..
Download issue (pdf)

Research Bulletin 41 - Well-being

Our latest Research Bulletin focuses on well-being for all. By better understanding the experiences & strengths of the entire autism community, we can better support each other to thrive.
Download issue (pdf)

View all Publications

Sign up for our newsletter

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Middletown Centre for Autism - Middletown Centre For Autism

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Middletown Centre provides a range of training opportunities for parents, carers and educational professionals in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

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This site was created for young people, carers and professionals to pool together lots of helpful resources from across the internet that are available to help support your mental health and well-being.

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Is this your domain?Connect it to your Wix website in just a few easy steps:

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Joe Wicks Workout videos on Youtube

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Welcome to the Body Coach TV where I post weekly home workouts to help you get, stronger, healthier and happier.

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This website has been designed for use in post-primary schools by learning support, language support and mainstream subject teachers, and their students.

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This website has been designed for use in post-primary schools by learning support, language support and mainstream subject teachers, and their students.

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This website has been designed for use in post-primary schools by learning support, language support and mainstream subject teachers, and their students.

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We, at the English Language support Programme, would like to thank all the teachers and educators who have supported us over the last three years.

www.elsp.ie and the materials it contains will continue to be made available for use thanks to the NCCA, who will host the site from September 2010.

I would like to thank Barbara Lazenby Simpson and Linda Richardson for their enormous work on the materials and to acknowledge my thanks to Prof. David Little for his guidance and for having the original vision. - Zach Lyons

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We are delighted to host the Toolkit for Diversity in Post Primary Schools which aims to help schools create and sustain a welcoming and inclusive environment for students and parents from all backgrounds and ensure equal success for all.

Please click on the link below

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The ELSP won the 2009 European Award for Languages - click here for details

Jury's comments " Feedback from involved teachers very positive about motivation of students and this is motivating for teachers...Very impressed with project...Valuable idea transferable to e.g. Gaelscoileanna."

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English Language Support Programme (Trinity Immigration Initiative)

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This website has been designed for post-primary English Language Support and mainstream subject teachers and their students. On this site you will find a comprehensive range of activities which will help you to access all subject areas of the Junior Certificate curriculum. These activities can be downloaded and printed and are suitable for both classroom activity and self-study.

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Up and Away resources for teaching literacy to EAL children

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Webinars, information and resources

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Middletown Centre for Autism, Middletown, Armagh, United Kingdom. 15,588 likes · 2,480 talking about this · 61 were here. If you have any queries please contact the Centre by:
Email:...

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EAL Resources

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Teaching Resources - Early Years, Primary, Junior Cycle, Parents

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Instant access to printable lesson plans, assessments, interactive activities, resource packs, PowerPoints, ebooks and teaching ideas in English and as Gaeilge.

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How to Change Subtitle Language on YouTube

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How to Change Subtitle Language on YouTube

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How To Change Subtitle Language On YouTube?

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New version released : Go to the Download page to get the latest version of MyStudyBar

MyStudyBar is a tool which helps overcome problems that students commonly experience with studying, reading and writing. Easy to install, simple to use, handy and effective, MyStudyBar provides comprehensive learning support at the desktop, where it is needed.

Although MyStudyBar is designed to support learners with literacy-related difficulties such as dyslexia, the toolbar can offer potential benefits to all learners.

Features of MyStudyBar

MyStudyBar has 6 sections; each has a drop down menu offering personal choice, flexibility and independent learning, particularly for those learners who require additional strategies to support their learning.

You can use MyStudyBar straight from a USB stick (if, for example, you are using a machine that is not your own) or you can install it directly to the desktop.

One program on it is called Balabolka which will alow you to make a sound file of text like for definitions or quotes.

It is very useful to make sound files of  some learning materials or notes so students can sit back and listen to them to learn.

This video takes you through how to use it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzJGXMAKXPk

MyStudyBar step-by-step guides

To get you started with MyStudyBar we have provided some useful help materials. Included among these are video tutorials on how to get the best from the MyStudyBar and all its components.

If you’ve downloaded MyStudyBar but you’re not sure how to extract and copy the files to your USB drive you can view the extracting installation tutorials by selecting this link.

Introduction to MyStudyBar

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This phone app will allow you to photograph hard copy of text and then read it aloud.

Claro ScanPen

https://www.claro-apps.com/claro-scanpen/

You can get a 14 day free trial on an Android phone and then it costs about €10.

It's a similar cost on the iPhone I think.

This video illustrates how it works:

https://ucc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=fa2ed1a3-b115-4e51-80b1-0933bba93b58

It will  photo printed text document, letter, test paper and allow you to select the text with your finger (or stylus), and hear it spoken straight back to you. Instantly! No internet connection required.

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You can use Balabolka to convert text into a sound file which can be a powerful study and revision tool.

You can use it for definitions, case studies, poetry quotes etc.

You can download Balabolka from here: https://balabolka.en.softonic.com/download

You can watch a video on how to use it by clicking here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrnKKqVmHTk

Be sure to save these audio files to your Google Drive or your One Drive. Then you can access them on your phone and listen to your audio files anywhere, anytime.

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This video on assistive technology to support writing difficulties might be useful:

https://ucc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=0715a034-0851-44b0-9b5e-923fa8ef145a

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How to Change Subtitle Font, Size and Colour on Youtube

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How to Change Subtitle Font, Size and Colour on Youtube

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How to Change Subtitle Font, Size and Color on YouTube

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The Translate app is like having a personal interpreter in your pocket.

No Internet? No problem. With offline mode your phone doesn't even need to be connected.

Translate can help with longer text, difficult pronunciations and even uploaded documents.

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Google Translate - A Personal Interpreter on Your Phone or Computer

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The Translate app is like having a personal interpreter in your pocket. No Internet? No problem. With offline mode your phone doesn't even need to be connected. Translate can help with longer text, difficult pronunciations and even uploaded documents.

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Using Google Docs to Support EAL Learners

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Using Google Docs to Support EAL Learners

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Strategic use of EAL learners' home language can aid English language learning particularly in understanding vocabulary, instructions and even grammar concepts.

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Using Google Docs to Support EAL Learners

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Let Immersion Reader do the magic of instantly translating any word or phrase you highlight

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immersive reader chrome extension - Bing video

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How to Install Immersive Reader Immersive Reader Button How to Access Immersive Reader Immersive Reader Offline Extension Immersive Reader in Chrome Browser How to Turn Off Immersive Reader How to Use Immersive Reader Open Immersive Reader Immersive Reader Edge Chromium How to Add Immersive Reader to Edge How to Download

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Click on the image below to access a series of PDST supports for culturally and linguistically diverse learners

Welcome to the Post Primary EAL page of our website. You will find a range of useful resources, pedagogical strategies and active learning methodologies on this page.

Students for whom English is an additional language may require support and scaffolding.

There is no such thing as a 'typical' EAL learner.

Each student will have a different background and life experience.

Each student will have different pastoral, social, linguistic, academic, and cognitive needs based on their background and life experience.

To avail of school support in the area of EAL, please follow this link to our online form.

This section will be routinely updated with information on news and events.

An intercultural Look at our Schools Toolkit

An excellent tool for post-primary schools in Ireland wishing to address the intercultural dimension in the school.

Check it out here: https://ilaos.ppli.ie/

Margaret Mary Grant is the Administrator for Post Primary EAL. She can be contacted at margaretmarygrant@pdst.ie

Margaret Mary is based in Laois Education Centre, Block Rd, Beladd, Portlaoise, Co. Laois.

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Welcome to the Post Primary EAL page of our website. You will find a range of useful resources, pedagogical strategies and active learning methodologies on this page. Students for whom English is an additional language may require support and scaffolding. There is no such thing as a 'typical' EAL learner.

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google translate chrome extension - Bing video

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Translate in Google Chrome Chrome Translation Extension Chrome Translator Extension Install Google Translate Best Translation Chrome Extension Google Translate for Chrome How to Install Google Translate How to Use Google Translate in Chrome Download Google Translator Extension Google Dictionary Chrome Extension Google Translate Overlay Google Translate with Speech Chrome Add

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A great website with bilingual books. It has the option of hearing the text read out loud and splitting the screen to see the translation of difficult sentences.

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EAL Online Resources
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1dUJ3YncXnNOoMVI7i8ABQ8ONrO_e2GAknS7DSZSZrz0/mobilebasic