#179 - What is Dyslexia and Strategies That Will Make a Difference with Lori Benson Adams, MEd

All Things Sensory by Harkla

Lori Benson Adams, MEd, is an educational intervention specialist and owner of Breakthrough Learning Solutions in Atlanta, Georgia. She has over 35 years of experience with students who experience sensory, learning, behavioral, and executive function challenges. Lori presents nationally to audiences of parents, therapists, and educators. She is known for her immediately practical information and wealth of knowledge and resources.

Lori Benson Adams answers our questions about what dyslexia looks like, how it manifests, and what sets it apart from other reading disorders. She shares how raising a child with dyslexia and dyspraxia ignited her passion for special needs and unpacks what causes the neurodevelopmental condition and the breakdown in phonemic awareness that results in dyslexia.

We talk about the methods that work best for dyslexia support, which draw heavily on the visual, and we unpack the foundation necessary to process information. Lori developed a multi-modal program to support her son with dyslexia, and we learn more about the relationship between auditory processing and dyslexia.

Understanding that your path doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s is a powerful foundation on which to build the confidence. It’s hard work, but it’s good! Lori elaborates on what this means during today’s conversation and reminds us that those with dyslexia often have an intellect that far surpasses their reading ability.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Lori’s background in special needs education.
• How raising a child with dyslexia and dyspraxia ignited her passion.
• What dyslexia is, what it looks like, and how it manifests.
• The breakdown in phonemic awareness that happens in the brain to cause dyslexia.
• Who is most susceptible to dyslexia.
• How difficulty rhyming and the inability to remember song lyrics indicates potential dyslexia.
• The relationship between auditory processing and dyslexia.
• Which strategies Lori used with her own son; the multi-modal philosophy she developed.
• How you have to understand how you work before you can ask for what you need.

Be sure to check out the show notes on our blog at Harkla.Co/Podcast.

Brought To You By Harkla

This podcast is brought to you by Harkla. Our mission at Harkla is to help those with special needs live happy and healthy lives. We accomplish this through high-quality sensory products, child development courses, & The Harkla Sensory Club.

Podcast listeners get 10% off their first order at Harkla with the discount code "sensory". Head to Harkla.co/sensory to start shopping now.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Lori Benson Adams
Lori Benson Adams on LinkedIn
Pyramid of Potential
Sensational Brain
Harkla
Harkla on Instagram
All Things Sensory on Instagram
All Things Sensory on Facebook
The Astronaut Training Program from Vital Links
The Listening Program from Advanced Brain Technologies