When you journey around the ballpark of learning disabilities, you run into lots of acronyms. LD, NLD, ASD, PDD, NOS, SPD. At this point, I say WTF? and try to remember something. We aren’t acronyms. We’re people. All those NT (that’s NeuroTypical! The acronym for people who think they don’t need one) people sometimes miss […]
Have you ever?: A poem
June 7, 2011 by
One evening, when I was 14 or so, I climbed out on my windowsill and looked around, 8 floors up, over concrete. I wrote this when I climbed back in. I am feeling much better now. Have you ever? copyright by Peter Flom Have you ever been out on a ledge, looking down? Have you […]
The big switch – school to work for LD people
May 30, 2011 by
In terms of where and with whom you spend most of your waking hours, there are three big switches in most people’s lives: In your first years, you spend time at home, with your parents or caregivers. Then you spend a long time in school, with teachers and classmates. Then you have work, with colleagues […]
Ten things we wish our bosses knew
May 15, 2011 by
Right now, I work for myself. I’m a statistical consultant, and I’m trying to do some things with learning disabilities. But I’ve had bosses, and so have other people with NLD. This is a sort of pastiche.
Being afraid is the appropriate reaction to being disabled, but it shouldn’t be
February 14, 2011 by
I am learning disabled. Hey, it says so right on the title to my blog. All too often, in today’s world, being afraid is the appropriate reaction to being learning disabled. It shouldn’t be. But it is. Why should we not be afraid? The world teaches us, from the start, to be afraid. Afraid of […]
Three aspects of IQ scores
February 8, 2011 by
There is a lot of debate about IQ scores and intelligence and whether the former measures the latter. There’s also a lot of debate about what intelligence is. Of course, if we don’t know what intelligence is, we can’t really tell if IQ scores measure it. But one problem with IQ scores is that they […]
Celebrating our differences means honoring our disabilities
January 28, 2011 by
I’m sorry. You’re disabled, or your child is. Or grandchild. Or student. I’m disabled too. It sucks. On the other hand, being me isn’t so bad. And being different from other people, per se, is not so bad either. The world wouldn’t be very interesting if we were all the same, so it’s a good […]
Most people are like Kansas, LD people are like Switzerland: Some thoughts on intelligence, tests and LD people
January 27, 2011 by
I am learning disabled. I also have a PhD in psychometrics. Psychometrics is the study of psychological measurement, including measurement of intelligence. So, I have thoughts on this from two angles. I’ll organize these in a list.
Language is not just about speech
January 21, 2011 by
My friend Varda (SquashedMom) posted about language and speech and it got me thinking about language from the NLD (nonverbal learning disability) angle. Language has a lot more in it than speech – there’s a whole lot of nonverbal stuff that goes into it. And, since I have nonverbal LD, I am sensitive to that.
Strangers in our own land
January 16, 2011 by
Have you ever been a tourist in a foreign country? One where they don’t speak English and where you don’t speak the native language? Did you feel a little stress?