Jun 28
Ever since we discovered that my son Markus has dyslexia--a diagnosis he now wears with pride--I’ve been on a mission to talk to everyone I can about ADHD and dyslexia, which is exactly why I wanted to have a conversation with my guest this episode, the incredible Melanie Florsheim.
Melanie Florsheim is an ADHD Family Life Coach, Certified Academic Language Therapist, and Licensed Dyslexia Therapist in Texas. She has dyslexia and ADHD herself, which gives her a deep connection to her work and allows her to relate to her students and clients on a personal level. Melanie knows firsthand just how life-changing dyslexia therapy can be, so, like me, she’s also on a mission to increase awareness about the high co-morbidity rate between ADHD and dyslexia and encourages people to look deeper if they feel something else may be going on beyond ADHD.
Join us as Melanie provides a comprehensive overview of what dyslexia is, gives some signs of dyslexia to look for even before children hit reading age, and explains how dyslexia therapy can rewire the circuitry of the brain and increase language processing speed. As for whether adults with dyslexia can benefit from dyslexia therapy, Melanie says, “The plasticity of the brain is a real deal, so there’s no age limit in teaching your brain how to read, write, and spell, how to re-circuit your brain to do it better.”
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"The plasticity of the brain is a real deal, so there’s no age limit in teaching your brain how to read, write, and spell, how to re-circuit your brain to do it better."
- Melanie Florsheim
"My students, the population that I work with, whether they have ADHD and/or dyslexia they are the hardest-working, most resilient kids ever. They have to sacrifice a ton that their peers do not have to."
- Melanie Florsheim
"Our brains were not made to read, our brains were made to speak and communicate through speech."
- Melanie Florsheim
- Melanie shares her personal journey with ADHD and dyslexia, and how she manages her symptoms with medication.
- Melanie hares her experiences with dyslexia and ADHD, highlighting the resilience and creativity that come with learning differences.
- Melanie explains that dyslexia is a genetic condition where the brain's wiring doesn't allow for efficient language processing, comparing it to a station wagon vs. a Ferrari race car.
[24:20 - 43:26] Dyslexia Therapy and Characteristics
- Melanie explains how dyslexia therapy can reroute brain circuitry to improve reading efficiency and accuracy.
- Melanie identifies "core keys of dyslexia" as those things that fall outside of reading, writing, and spelling, such as directional confusion and difficulty with left and right.
- Melanie discusses the importance of developmental milestones in children, including crawling and walking, and how they can be indicative of potential learning disabilities.
- Melanie discusses differences between kids with ADHD and dyslexia, highlighting cognitive deficits in language and phonological awareness as key indicators of dyslexia.
- Melanie highlights the resilience of her students with ADHD and dyslexia, who sacrifice time and effort despite facing challenges in academics.
- Melanie explains how some states lack recognition of dyslexia, while Texas has a dyslexia handbook and provides therapy in public schools.
Instagram: @melanieflorsheim1
Website: gatewaygrowth.net
Email: Melanie@gatewaygrowth.net
