DYSLEXIA SEMINAR TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND

After practising as an Educational Psychologist for over 30 years, I am now on a self-funded tour of NZ (4 years) running short seminars for parents and teachers - looking at the reality of 'dyslexia' and its impact on individuals and families.



Being 'dyslexic' myself gives me insights as to what other 'dyslexics' experience - in a way that most professional teachers and researchers are unable. I come from a family of 'dyslexics' - my father, my brother, myself, and my son - and so have experienced the confusion and the difficulty from a first-hand point of view.



Having lived through a childhood dominated by confusion, failure, emotional difficulty and distress, I am in a position to be able to offer insights from an experiential (not just an academic) point of view. Having also managed to complete three University degrees in Psychology then practise as an educational psychologist for 30+ years, I am able to tap into the wider experience of thousands of my clients over the years, and thus bring useful insights to others with the same difficulties through my seminars and my books.



My seminar tour of NZ is independent and self-funded, and is my personal attempt to clarify and correct some of the misconceptions around 'dyslexia'. It seems that we all see its impact, and many make 'stab-in-the-dark' postulations as to what 'dyslexia' is, and why it is, but few really understand it from the insider's, experiential, point of view.



I hear and read so many claims about 'dyslexia' that are so wrong, so misleading, and so unfair on the 'dyslexic' child and his family. Classroom teachers are in a very difficult position as they are presented with the official, academic, Education Department line on 'dyslexia' - but are left floundering with virtually nil useful, hands-on strategies to work with the 'dyslexic' child sitting in front of them.



Various authorities are still teaching that 'dyslexia' is a "literacy issue", and that outside of this domain these children are okay. This is so wrong! Others still teach that 'dyslexics grow out of it by the time they are 12 years old' - this is equally wrong as I and many other adult 'dyslexics' can testify. (We strategise, we cover, we become very cunning - but we still suffer).



So my mission is to work to put the record straight - and as anybody else who has set out to walk against the current will tell you, this is a lonely and difficult task. But a groundswell is occurring. Teachers and parents have long realised that something was amiss in our limited understanding of 'dyslexia', and they are keen to appraise a slightly different approach, apply it and see the impact.



In my seminars I do not teach or provide a 'programme', and I do not provide a 'test' for dyslexia. Other people do offer these, but I am very wary of how these can mislead and short-change everybody concerned. I do offer insights as to what it is like to be 'dyslexic'. I offer information as to the characterisitics that 'dyslexics' may present, I offer explanations as to the the behaviours that 'dyslexic' children (and adults) will typically present, and ways for parents and teachers to interpret, understand, and then work with these.



My writing also wrestles with the confusing interplay of dynamics that cause a person to appear, (or not) as 'dyslexic', and I give explanation as to the causal dynamics of 'dyslexia'.



For classroom teachers my book REACHING THE RELUCTANT LEARNER provides 180 pages of insights, explanations, approaches and strategies that will make life so much easier for both teacher and child in the classroom. At $50 per copy this is available directly from me, (laughton.king@win.co.nz), and is also invaluable for parents wanting to be directly involved in their children's education.



For parents, 'WITH, NOT AGAINST , a compendium of parenting strategies', is designed to take the conflict out of our interactions with our children, through us, as adults, making slight changes to our language. This allows our children to give us the behaviour that we are looking for. Again, available from me at $55 plus postage.



A third book has now been published - DYSLEXIA DISMANTLED- that serves to clearly demonstrate what dyslexia really is (no it is not a reading and writing problem, as so many people claim) and how parents, teachers and the child himself can work with the dyslexia dynamics. In this book we list 61 characteristics commonly seen in dyslexic children and examine 16 common myths about dyslexia. Further we demonstrate why academics find it so hard to understand what dyslexia really is, and why there is so much resistance in the conservative education field.



Having already run 350 seminars throughout NewZealand I am now available anywhere in NZ or Australia for seminars or workshops for schools, Govt Agencies, and parents for minimal cost.



For individual schools (or rural clusters) a 2 1/2 hr staff seminar will cost $600, and a Parent Evening held in the school facilities will cost $400. Parent evenings hosted in private homes have a negotiable cost, and are becoming a popular choice.



These seminars are short and to the point, involve demonstration and humour and are appropriate for all ages. Professional trainings for groups of Social Workers, Counsellors or specific professional groups are also available.

If you as reader are interested in persuing this or in making direct contact, please e-mail me on laughton.king@win.co.nz.


Cheers,

Laughton