In 2013, as a 16-year-old, Meredith O’Connor stepped out from the shadows of bullying with the YouTube release of The Game, part music video, part therapy session that shared her personal experience and trauma. Since then, O’Connor, who has ADHD and OCD, spent years touring schools and sharing her experiences, while releasing charity songs to benefit mental health groups and hitting the high notes as a formidable advocate for anti-bullying and mental health.
This episode of “A World of Difference,” explores the basics of Individualized Education Programs through our new HealthDay News segment, “In the Know.”
Our “Ask the Experts” panelists will give tips for acing the IEP process. And you’ll meet our latest “Difference Maker,” Meredith O’Connor, a YouTube sensation and singer with learning differences who has tuned into her life of being bullied and turned up a blossoming career as a singer and anti-bullying advocate.
In the late 60s, Virginia Slims announced to women, that “You’ve come a long way, baby.” The same could be said for Garrett Graff. Having been diagnosed with reading, writing, and speech challenges early on, Graff was slated for non-mainstreamed schooling by school officials. Fast forward, he went on to serve as editor of The Washingtonian and POLITICO. Most recently, he captured the heartbreak of 9/11 in his masterwork, “The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11.” A long way, indeed.
Classmates, and even adults, can stigmatize children as being weird, odd, or dumb. This discrimination undercuts their self-esteem. Not surprisingly, kids who learn differently often remain tight-lipped about their learning differences, afraid of being ridiculed, bullied, or seen as stupid. While not every child who learns differently experiences these feelings, many find themselves in a tug-of-war over feeling good about themselves — even if they pretend not to care.
Mackenzie Thorpe creates art with heart. Actor Tom Hardy, author JK Rowling, and Queen Elizabeth II, to name a few, have collected the English artist’s sculptures and paintings, which combine tenderness and ardor through his unique depictions of animals and children. Yet, from early on, Thorpe endured having his heart torn apart by those whoRead More…
According to recent statistics, nearly 70 percent of American high school graduates attend college in the fall after they graduate. For most, the road to college has been a long, planned-out journey, featuring a detailed roadmap. For most neurotypical students, it was always where they would attend college, not if. That’s not always the case for students with learning disabilities. For students who learn differently, figuring out whether college fits in their post-high school plans isn’t so cut-and-dried. Students and families must make real choices about their after-high school plans and planning for where and when to try college is crucial. You’ll meet a student who went through the process this summer.
On this episode of “A World of Difference” “The People’s Shark,” Daymond John, CEO of FUBU and star of ABC’s “Shark Tank,” discusses being a uber-successful entrepreneur and living with dyslexia.
Author Victor Villaseñor has written 65 stories and nine novels, and his memoir Burro Genius, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, shares his experiences as a youth. Not bad for someone who remembers school in his youth as a nightmare, which led to him becoming a bed wetter. That was coupled with yearsRead More…
On this episode of “A World of Difference” our “Ask the Experts” panel provides helpful self-care strategies for parents, guardians and caregivers of children with learning differences, and we introduce viewers to Pulitzer Prize-nominated author, Victor Villasenor, who have written scores of books as a dyslexic.
Season 1 | Episode 10 May 2021 Synopsis: On this episode of “A World of Difference,” we’ll visit an innovative small private school in Leesburg, Florida that integrates art and movement into the three R’s and has proven to be just what the doctor ordered for its students with ADHD. Next, we’ll do a deeperRead More…
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