This episode of A World of Difference explores the magic of music for kids who learn differently. You’ll meet two young men living on different continents but enjoying similar benefits from taking up a musical instrument. Our “Ask the Experts” panel (Frank Fitzpatrick/Dr. Alice Hammel) explores the benefits playing instruments provides kids who learn differently.
Past Episodes
S2, E4: Difference Maker – Meredith O’Connor
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.
S2, E4: Getting the Most of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for Children who Learn Differently
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.
S2, E3: Difference Maker – Garrett Graff
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.
E2, S3: The Greatest Love of All – Teaching LD Kids To Love Themselves
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.
S2, E2: Difference Maker – Mackenzie Thorpe
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 who Read More…
S2, E2: “Timing College For LD Teens – When To Pause and When To Jump In?”
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.
S2, E1: Season Opener
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.
S2, E1: Difference Maker – Daymond John
From running a business in his basement to starring on a hit reality television show, Daymond John has embodied the word “entrepreneur” and is now inspiring others to pursue their goals and empowering them to make positive changes in their lives. Diagnosed with dyslexia himself, John has been open in sharing his entrepreneurial journey, through Read More…
S1, E11: Difference Maker – Victor Villasenor
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 years of Read More…
