In a groundbreaking interview on the Designing with Love podcast, Russell Van Brocklen, known as "The Dyslexic Professor," shared revolutionary insights about dyslexia that challenge conventional understanding of learning disabilities. Russell, who describes himself as having "the worst case of dyslexia people have ever seen," doesn't just manage his condition—he's transformed it into an extraordinary advantage and developed a methodology that's changing lives.
Russell's journey is remarkable. Despite testing at a first-grade reading and writing level as an adult, he discovered he could excel in law school, engaging in complex Socratic debates that left classmates in awe. This paradox led him to a profound realization: dyslexia isn't fundamentally a reading problem, it's an organizational challenge that presents as a reading problem. The key breakthrough came when he analyzed brain imaging research, particularly Dr. Sally Shaywitz's work from Yale, showing dyslexic brains have minimal activity in posterior regions but hyperactivity in frontal areas. Rather than trying to fix what wasn't working, Van Brocklin's approach leverages the brain's strengths.
His methodology revolutionizes traditional dyslexia education with three fundamental shifts. First, instruction begins with the student's area of "extreme interest" or specialty. Whether it's Theodore Roosevelt, Disney, or Ford trucks, this special interest creates unprecedented focus in students who teachers typically struggle to engage. Second, instruction moves from specific to general (rather than general to specific), giving students concrete anchors before expanding outward. Third, his approach emphasizes word analysis followed by articulation, efficiently using the overactive parts of the dyslexic brain.
The results have been extraordinary. In a pilot program funded by the New York State Senate, Russell's approach took severely dyslexic students from the zero percentile to the 30th-50th percentile on graduate-level writing assessments. The program cost less than $900 per student, required just one class period daily, and resulted in students who could go on to college without accommodations, earning GPAs between 2.5 and 3.6. Most remarkably, students' spelling and grammar became "clean at the graduate level" without direct instruction in these areas.
What makes Van Brocklin's approach particularly relevant today is its alignment with emerging technologies. He suggests that artificial intelligence may be particularly valuable for dyslexic individuals, handling mechanical aspects of writing while allowing their unique cognitive strengths to shine. This combination of neurological understanding, targeted educational techniques, and technological tools offers a new paradigm for dyslexia education, one that doesn't just compensate for differences but transforms them into advantages.
For parents, educators, and individuals with dyslexia, this approach offers hope beyond traditional interventions that often cost tens of thousands of dollars. Instead of spending years drilling on phonics and spelling, Van Brocklin's method engages students through their passions, making learning both more effective and enjoyable. It's a profound reminder that sometimes the most powerful educational innovations don't come from conventional thinking, but from those who have personally navigated the challenges they seek to solve.
🔗Website and Social Links
Please visit Russell’s website and social media links below.
Russell Van Brocklen’s Website
🆓Free Resource: The 3 Reasons Your Child’s Dyslexia Education Isn’t Working – And How to Fix It
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