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Welcome to Siena's blog, your source for helpful, cutting-edge resources tailored to teachers, parents, and other advocates in the learning differences community. We are dedicated to providing a wealth of curated knowledge spanning various topics, ranging from dyslexia advocacy and awareness to classroom teaching strategies, heritage month profiles, and social and emotional health.
Discover innovative classroom strategies that inspire creativity and foster a love of learning.
Our commitment to social-emotional wellness ensures that we provide valuable insights into healthy student development and self-advocacy.
Discover resources, reading and podcast recommendations, volunteering opportunities, and more for parents in the LD community.
Our important heritage month posts highlight key people, offer reading and podcast recommendations, and more.
Archives - October 2023
Celebrating Native American Arts, Culture, and History
October 31, 2023
Avg. read time: 3 min.
For Native American Heritage Month 2023, Siena is highlighting some artistic and cultural contributions to commemorate during this important month. See below for books, podcasts, and other resources of interest to guide you.
Native American and Indigenous Book Recommendations
Here are some recent fiction and nonfiction books by Native American and Indigenous authors to explore:
- Cherie Dimaline (Metis), Empire of Wild
- Tiara Doney (Gros Ventre and Cree), Poems of a Dyslexic Native American
- Louise Erdrich (Chippewa), The Sentence and The Night Watchman
- Ernestine Hayes (Kaagwaantaan), The Tao of Raven
- Tomson Highway (Cree), Permanent Astonishment
- Robin Wall Kimmerer (Citizen Potawatomi), Braiding Sweetgrass
- Tommy Orange (Cheyenne and Arapaho), There There
- Eden Robinson (Haisla), Son of a Trickster
- David Treuer (Ojibwe), The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee
- Diane Wilson (Mdewakanton), The Seed Keeper
Get more Native American and Indigenous book recommendations from Book Riot, USA Today, Good Housekeeping, and Penguin Random House.
Native American and Indigenous Podcast Recommendations
Here are some podcasts about various Native American and Indigenous topics to explore:
- All My Relations
- Let's Talk Native with John Kane
- Matriarch Movement
- Missing & Murdered
- Telling Our Twisted Histories
- The Henceforward
- This Land
- Unreserved with Rosanna Deerchild
Get more Native American and Indigenous podcast recommendations here:
- 8 Informative Indigenous Podcasts
- Listen to Indigenous Podcasts
- Indigenous Storytellers: Podcasts
- 5 Native-Led Podcasts for Media Literacy
Resources for Native American Heritage Month
November is filled with events celebrating Native American history, culture, and heritage. Here are some resources to start with:
- The homepage of the National Museum of the American Indian has plenty of educational resources, exhibits, and more. See also their calendar for museum-sponsored events in Washington, DC, and New York, as well as online.
- The Smithsonian’s Native American Heritage Month page is full of events, links, and more. The National Archives has ample historical and archival information about Native American culture, including video resources and virtual exhibitions.
- The U.S. National Park Service shares information for educators and children, as well as a Rock Your Mocs photo gallery of Park Service staff wearing traditional Native American footwear in parks.
- PBS is celebrating Native American Heritage month by offering a lot of video content, such as A People’s History of Native America, What Does Electric Pow Wow Sound Like?, and Awesome Alaskan Kids.
- Mountain Time Arts in Bozeman, MT, is a nonprofit arts organization that highlights the arts, history, culture, and natural environment of the Rocky Mountain West and its Sovereign Nations. Learn more about their mission.
Siena Resources
The Siena School blog has other heritage month spotlights related to innovative dyslexia education, including Chicano muralist Ignacio Gomez, Mexican writer and activist Victor Villaseñor, WNBA stars A’Ja Wilson and Jewell Loyd, NFL star Rashan Gary, poet Amanda Gorman, and others. Learn more about Siena’s commitments and ongoing initiatives for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
Siena’s mission-focused innovative dyslexia education is designed for students in grades 3-12 with language-based learning differences on campuses in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Oakton, Virginia.
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Cultural Heritage Month Spotlights
Dyslexia Reading and Podcast Recommendations
October 13, 2023
Avg. read time: 2 min.
As part of Dyslexia Awareness Month 2023, Siena has put together this short guide of books and podcasts that can help families in the LD community navigate their children’s specialized learning and social–emotional needs.
Book Recommendations for Dyslexia Awareness Month
- Adventures of Everyday Geniuses series
- Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
- Gifted and Distractible by Julie Skolnick
- Make it Stick by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel
- Overcoming Dyslexia by Dr. Sally Shaywitz
- The Dyslexic Advantage by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide
- The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler
See also Siena’s in-house parent resource library list, The Literacy Nest, National Education Association, and Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity for more reading recommendations.
Podcast Recommendations for Dyslexia Awareness Month
See The Siena School blog for these related resources for LD families:
- Black and Dyslexic
- Fish Don't Climb Trees
- Lessons in Dyslexic Thinking (Made By Dyslexia)
- Dyslexia Coffee Talk (The Dyslexia Initiative)
- Tell Me This episode featuring Siena’s Dr. Jilly Darefsky
- The Invisible Gift
- The Science of Reading episode featuring Dr. Sally Shaywitz
- The Truth About Dyslexia
Blog Post Recommendations for Dyslexia Awareness Month
See The Siena School blog for these related resources for LD families:
- Common Acronyms in LD Education
- Podcasts for Every Interest
- Summer Reading At Siena
- Winter Break Podcast Recommendations
- Winter Break Reading at Siena
The Siena School proudly serves students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences in grades 3-12 on campuses in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Oakton, Virginia.
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Parents and Community
Common Acronyms in LD Education: Understanding the Language
October 03, 2023
Avg. read time: 3 min.
Every professional field has its own lingo, and special education is no exception. As part of Dyslexia Awareness Month 2023, Siena is pleased to offer a short, useful guide to terms that parents will read and hear often as they navigate their child’s education.
Terms such as LD (Learning Differences), IEP (Individualized Education Program), LBLD (Language-Based Learning Differences), and SLD (Specific Learning Disability/Disorder) are common. Parents could hear these often when first connecting with an admissions representative or learning specialist, as well as when going through testing, the IEP process, and discussions with friends and neighbors..
Parents new to the LD community might be wondering about understanding the process and language around an LD diagnosis as they take the appropriate next steps.
Common Terms in the LD Community
Acronyms in the LD community are a useful shorthand for frequently used terms that are integral to the process. This helps make conversations more fluid and understandable during key times, such as:
- neuropsychological evaluation,
- IEP consultation,
- meeting with teachers or administrators
- school admissions materials, and
- discovery call or tour with an admissions team member.
Parents might talk with various specialists, school administrators, advocates, and so on, and having a shared language means having a shared understanding during such an important time. Here are some commonly used acronyms in LD education:
Testing and Diagnosis
Twice Exceptional | |
504 Individual Education Plan | |
ADHD | Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder |
Auditory Processing Disorder | |
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder | |
EF | Executive Functioning |
GT/LD | Gifted and Talented/Learning Difference |
LBLD | Language-Based Learning Differences |
Orton-Gillingham reading method | |
OHI | Other Health Impaired |
Multisensory Math | |
SLD | Specific Learning Disability |
SLI | Speech-Language Impairment |
SLP | Speech Language Pathologist or Structured Literacy Program |
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test | |
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children | |
Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery |
Accommodations and Supports
AT | Assistive Technology |
DC Capital Area Branch of the International Dyslexia Association | |
ESY | Extended School Year Services |
International Dyslexia Association | |
Individualized Education Program | |
Learning Disabilities Association | |
OT | Occupational Therapy |
Washington Independent Services for Educational Resources |
Dyslexia Resources for Families
- Frequently Used Acronyms in Education — Great Schools
- Common Acronyms For Special Education — Plainfield (IN) Community School
- EDFacts Acronym List (downloadable PDF) — US Department of Education
- Parent Resource Center — Weinfeld Education Group
Families in the LD community can also visit Siena’s resources page, student profile, and glossary of terms for additional help. The Siena blog has several posts for parents and community, including ones about the importance of early dyslexia diagnosis and intervention and building confidence in LD students.
The Siena School, a national leader in dyslexia education, serves bright, college-bound students with language-based learning differences on campuses in Silver Spring, MD (grades 3-12) and Oakton, VA (grades 3-11).
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Parents and Community