Episode 1

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hi, I'm Maggie. [00:00:02] Speaker B: Hi, I'm Nicole. Welcome to the DAC Dyslexia and Coffee podcast. We are so happy that you could join us. We are both moms and dyslexia interventionists who want to talk about our students and children. What dyslexia is, how it affects our kids, and strategies to help and topics related to other learning disabilities will also be covered in this podcast. Parents are not alone, and we want to give a voice to the concerns and struggle that we are all having. This is a safe place to learn more about how you can help our children grow and succeed in school and the world. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the conversation. [00:00:38] Speaker A: Cheers. Hi, everybody. We like to start our episodes with a concept of the week. So, the concept of the week is our opportunity as practitioners to do a little teaching to parents. And we like to unpack a little bit about what we're teaching our students when they're in tutoring with us. So our concept of the week today, since this is our very first episode, is what is dyslexia? Dyslexia is a difference in the brain structure and wiring that mainly affects the ease at which a person reads a rights and spells. It is estimated that up to 20% of the population has dyslexia. [00:01:27] Speaker B: A little bit about ourselves dyslexia achievement center, or DAC as we call us, is a group of practitioners that specialize in dyslexia intervention. We currently have four locations in southeast Wisconsin. [00:01:42] Speaker A: Our intervention is individualized and it uses a strong, structured literacy approach. We use evidence based practices to target the individual skills needed for reading and writing. The purpose of this show is to provide support and encouragement to families as they navigate a dyslexia diagnosis. [00:02:05] Speaker B: Our center also offers services in math that follow the same principles. What makes us unique is that we have a variety of practitioners who work together to support the students in all areas. For example, we have practitioners that have backgrounds in occupational therapy, speech therapy, special education, and classroom teachers. These backgrounds let us look at students motor, language, and cognitive needs. We look at the whole student and approach the student in a multisensory way. This gives us the best outcomes. [00:02:40] Speaker A: So, a little bit about myself. I am Maggie Guenther. I'm a former high school special education teacher. I have worked in both public and private settings. I've been teaching since 2012. I think what draws me to this kind of instruction is that I really get to look at my students as learners. I get to look at them as a whole person and really individualize the instruction one of the issues I had as a high school teacher, right, is not being able to really get in there and have that one on one time with my students that I felt like they really needed. I have two children who are four and six and I'm also navigating this system as a parent as well as a practitioner. [00:03:28] Speaker B: And I'm Nicole Boyington. I am an occupational therapist. By background, I've worked in a variety of settings. I became an occupational therapist in 2001. I'm in my 6th year as a structured literacy dyslexia interventionist. What draws me to this individualized instruction is that I can use my OT skills to help support students with motor and sensory needs as well. I have three children who are 1311 and eight and I am negative navigating the system as a parent as well as a practitioner. [00:04:04] Speaker A: So the purpose of this show is to provide that support and encouragement to families as they navigate a dyslexia diagnosis. [00:04:16] Speaker B: We offer concrete and actionable advice to families. As professionals, we understand the science of reading, but we are also both moms who are navigating the system ourselves. [00:04:28] Speaker A: No two people with dyslexia are the same and no two families journeys are going to be the same. Thank you for listening. Please follow us on social media and reach out if you have any questions or would like us to discuss a topic. Also, if you like our show, please rate us and follow us on whatever podcast player you are using. That is how we can gain more listeners and help more families. [00:04:59] Speaker B: Thank you.