1. Explicit teaching can help students with Dyslexia learn better.
2. Student with Dyslexia are talented in many other ways other than writing or reading.
3. Teachers hold a very important role in creating a conducive learning environment for them.

1. Incorporate Visual-aids when introducing new strategies - includes pocket size visuals for easy reference.
2. Explicit teaching - use graphic organisers and less word!

• Intervention and strategies are needed to support dyslexia and ADHD children. They need to be explicit, catered, structured and intensive in instructing children about reading.
• Effective reading interventions can change the brain of kids and adults. As our brains are changeable, Even adults with dyslexia can change their brains to become better readers.
• They need full support from the school, teachers, community and to accommodate their learning.

• Just as the multisensory and multimodal approaches are helpful for neurotypical children, it is even more important for children with dyslexia/ADHD/SLI. It helps to engage other parts of the brain.
• Structured intervention and explicit teaching is important to help students acquire fluency in decoding and reading. This is helpful even with adults
• Always check in on the well-being of our students, and remember all of them are special in their own ways. The story of Joe Stutts made me sad when people doubted him and accused him of cheating when he managed to taste success using another method.

• Empower my students to advocate for themselves. Teach them the skills and equip them with the language to be able to help themselves if no adults are there to help them with it. Ultimately, education is to prepare them for life, so it is important to teach them to be independent.
• Advocate for my students. Reach our to other educators and influence them, try to get buy-in and help to create a more inclusive school environment.
• Try out various methods in my lessons with my students, and to share these with TSNs and other teachers who may be teaching children with SEN.

• It is never too late to learn and to work on yourself. The participants were all adults, aged 33 - 60, and all of them were able to achieve their goals and make progress from where they started.
• Support can come from many sources, but we realised that family support has the greatest influence. Stephen's wife never looked down on him. Xiao Ling's love for her daughter spurred her to give her best. Jega's family was able to empathise with him when they discovered he has dyslexia. Jimmy decided to settle down because he wants to take care of his mother.
• The participants had a goal to work towards, and we realised these were all simple goals for a neurotypical person. However, these were very strong sources of motivation for the participants.

• Being an AED LBS, we may encounter students who are surfaced for intervention at a later age than usual. Other than working on their needs, we have to find a way to not make them feel ashamed of their needs.
• We can tap on our students' interests and strengths to help them grow to love language and literacy. Language is present across all parts of life and there will be something that works for everyone.
• Being diagnosed with a learning disability does not mean the end of learning. As AED LBS, we have to find ways that work for them.

• Self-care is important. We need to know when to step away from work and take a break, recharge and re-energise ourselves. After all, we cannot pour out of an empty cup. We need to have regular refills to be able to impart to others.
• We also need to recognise that there is a limit to what we can do. We should not take it personally when we cannot reach out to and help every single child. Sometimes, factors that are not within our control may impede our work but we just need to do our level best.
• Have a strong network of support with fellow AED LBS and like-minded colleagues. These people can empathise with us more easily and are able to hold space for us and to offer advice and suggestions if we need it.

• It is not okay to be rude or to ridicule others, even if it is not done in front of the students or over WhatsApp. Such behaviour should not be normalised or we may end up doing it subconsciously. As educators, we should walk the talk as far as possible and role model for our students.
• When using WhatsApp, we need to be even more mindful as it is not possible to read the other person's non-verbal communication (tone, body language etc). It is important to make sure as far as possible that our messages cannot be misinterpreted.
• It is also important to deal with our emotions using appropriate methods (e.g. exercising, reading a book, eating good food). Even when sharing about our frustrations, we should always approach it from the facts and not make personal attacks on the people involved.

1. Learners need to be motivated in order to learn well and make progress
2. We need to be aware of our students’ struggles and scaffold well to help them learn better. Fluency helps increase comprehension when it comes to reading.  
3. It is never too late to learn something new as long as you’re determined and have the right attitude and support!
4. It is very heartening to know that the driving force of learning and education can be a simple thing called passion.
5.  It is important for the education system to help people recognise learning disorder and encourage and promote learning for everyone.
6. Learned helplessness may be something students with learning difficulties encounter, thus it is important for people around them to be aware and provide the necessary support and encouragement. 
7. Others are afraid to render help and support even when they notice them. This is to avoid shaming and embarrassing those with learning difficulties.

1. We need to know our students' strengths and weaknesses and cater to their needs accordingly
2. Be willing to journey and support them in their path towards success 
3. Everyone's journey to success is different and we all take different paths to reach our destination.
4. We need to believe in their ability! 
5. Never give up on our students! 

1. Making time for self-care. It is only after we have taken care of ourselves, then we are able to care for others.
2. Communicating with our colleagues and school leaders to ask for more help and support when needed.
3. Training and up-skill in order to be better equipped and stay relevant 
4. Attend motivational workshops

• Surprised that 10% of the population is actually illiterate.
• There are many ways to cope with dyslexia, to get past life without being able to read and write but people with dyslexia will still feel nervous and unconfident when required to read and write. 
• Lack of practice results in weakening of literacy skills. People who have difficulties with language will likely experience difficulties in their jobs and face hurdles in promotions.
• It is important to set achievable goals which ties in with the objective of learning to motivate learners

• Being literate is important because not being able to communicate well inevitably affects our ability to connect with other people and in turn, affects our quality of life.
• Literacy is not just an academic skill, we need to be able to read/write in daily activities
• Learning will not be productive when learners do not understand the word or the meaning of it. Learners have to resort to memorizing and putting in much more effort in achieving their objectives. 
• If we do not understand the needs of our students and exclude them from learning, they will lose interest and confidence in learning. 

• Don’t need to expect them to do things completely without support, can progress in steps, set a goal to reduce support by just a bit (e.g. Stephen only contact his wife once a week for work instead of twice)
• Goals were meaningful to them, motivated them to improve
• Show evidence of improvement as encouragement
• How to sustain progress?
• More than a teacher - be a friend
• Achievements builds confidence and increase eagerness to learn 

1. Dyslexia is not a disease or disorder. It is not a dysfunction of the brain or the lack of willpower in an unmotivated or lazy student. But it is a brain that is wired differently. 
2. Work on the strategy that will work on the student by understanding on their strength and weaknesses.
3. Intervention for students with dyslexia need to be explicit and structured. It has to be customised based on their needs.

• I need to empower my students and motivate them to do their best.
• I have to understand that every child had their own individual needs therefore I need to customised my lesson to suit them.
• I have to constantly upgrade myself to have abetter knowledge on how to support my students so that they can benefit from it.
• Make use of the resources available eg. multi sensory resources to make their learning more enriching.

B. Can or Cannot?

1. Reflect and re-evaluate on the types of accommodations we use with our students. It should be individualized as much as possible and not be a one size fits all solution for e.g., every student with SEN gets extra time. Different students will require different levels of support. 
2. Remind students that despite their learning difficulties they do have strengths! Support them in their journey of self-discovery and this will help boost their self-confidence. 
3. Look out for signs of anxiety in students with SLI and ensure they get the support they need from the school counsellor

• Providing visuals to promote students’ understanding of concepts taught. I can also work with the teachers to place these visuals in the classroom that not just SEN can use, but other students in the class as well (this is so that it would not be too obvious that the student with dyslexia is receiving additional support).
• Present information in a variety of ways, and capitalise on students' individual strengths such as their creativity (e.g. if they like art, I can possibly use art as a medium for teaching)
• Work with class teachers to create lessons that includes explicit opportunities to build speaking and listening skills.

1. Dyslexia is a learning disorder. Dyslexia affects areas of the brain that processes language. It is a condition that has no cure. On a positive note, with the right support and strategies in place, people with dyslexia can live a fulfilling life and be successful. 
2. Dyslexia does not determine one's intelligence at all. 
3. Students with dyslexia can tap into their creativity as their left brain have compensated for the lack of activeness in their language processing regions of the brain. Hence, they should leverage on this. 

• Incorporate visuals to help students in understanding language/concepts better.  
• Being more creative and visual learners, incorporating picture-embedded methods into word reading instructions will motivate them in their learning and help them transfer words from working to long-term memory.
• While placing strategies in place, I should be patient and encourage celebrating little milestones.