TPP 235: Educational Advocate Micki Boas on Advocating for Dyslexic Students
episode
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
34 min
1 speaker
8 chapters
transcribed 5 hours ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Who is Micki Boas and why did she start advocating for dyslexic students?
I was in denial for a very long time about the struggles, and I wish I was able to get in there
earlier
and have those open and honest conversations. And I especially think as we're in this moment of COVID, sitting next to our kids at the table and kind of having those honest conversations about what they're feeling, trying to read with them at night, having them write you a note to find something they've hidden in the house. All of these are ways that we can uncover those red flags.
Welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids. I'm your host, Debbie Rieber. This week I'm talking with advocate and author Mickey Boas about dyslexia. I'm excited to be bringing Mickey onto the podcast because not only is she incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the state of dyslexia services and our education systems, but she is also one of those parents who created what she needed in the world so other families could benefit. Following her youngest son's diagnosis with dyslexia and the resulting four-year legal battle to get him the educational support he needed, Mickey quit her day job as a marketing consultant to focus on dyslexia advocacy full-time.
The result is her new book called One in Five, How We're Fighting for Our Dyslexic Kids in a System That's Failing Them. Mickey's also the founder of Invisible Red Tape, an online advising and crowdsourcing platform for parents to find practical, helpful solutions for fighting the inequalities in education for children with dyslexia. I know so many families are dealing with these challenges, made even more complicated by remote schooling during the pandemic. I've also heard from many parents who are just now suspecting their child might have dyslexia and they're wondering what to do next. Mickey brings so much insight, data, hard won experience, and most of all hope to parents who find themselves in this situation.
And she strongly believes in the power of parents and teachers to help turn the system around and to push for better services for our kids. I hope you enjoy this conversation. And now here is my conversation with Mickey. Hello, Mickey, welcome to the podcast. Hi. Really excited to have this conversation today with you to talk about What I think is a pretty unusual and new addition to the books for parents raising differently wired kids. You have such a cool approach to what you share. And I loved your book. It's called One in Five. How we're fighting for our dyslexic kids in a system that's failing them, which again, great title. I f very much feel like the system is failing all of our differently wired kids.
And, you know, before we get into why you wrote this book and what you're hoping it does in the world, can you just take a few minutes to introduce yourself and maybe tell us a little bit about your personal story?
Yeah, sure. Thanks so much for having me. Um, so I was brought to this story because I'm a marketer for a living and I'm used to kind of fighting and solving problems for mission driven clients. And it wasn't until I noticed my oldest son struggling that um I realized I was gonna have the toughest fight of my life. So um we noticed in kindergarten that he wasn't meeting the milestones that he needed. Uh he went into first grade and he was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. And I thought that once we got that diagnosis, it would open up a red carpet of services. And as we all know, it didn't. And he was getting thirty minutes of reading a week that he needed to support his his learning style. And I kept asking for more.
I said, can I have more time? No, we don't have the money. Can I have a better trained teacher? No, we don't have time to get her trained. And so I did what I know how to do best and I fought. Um, it took me four years, four lawyers and four different school formats to get him what he needed. And I was just super upset and had no idea.
What systemic problems in U.S. education delay dyslexia diagnosis and support?
why I was struggling and how many other parents were struggling.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Who is Micki Boas and why did she start advocating for dyslexic students?
0:00–4:30
2
What systemic problems in U.S. education delay dyslexia diagnosis and support?
4:30–9:16
3
How does early intervention work and how can parents talk to pediatricians about it?
9:16–13:50
4
What impact has COVID‑19 had on special‑education resources and parents’ rights?
13:50–18:12
5
What strategies can parents use to navigate remote or hybrid schooling for dyslexic kids?
18:12–22:21
6
How is the book *One in Five* different from other dyslexia parenting guides?
22:21–26:02
7
What is the Invisible Red Tape platform and how does it help families hack the system?
26:02–30:13
8
How can parents leverage data, advocacy, and policy changes to improve dyslexia services?
30:13–34:06
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
TPP 266a: A Conversation with Poet and Advocate LeDerick Horne
TPP 522: A Whole Child Approach to ADHD with Phil Boucher, M.D.
TPP 091a: A Conversation With Steve Silberman About His Book “Neurotribes”
TPP 521: A Conversation with Dr. Peter Gray About Restoring Childhood
TPP 253a: Advocate and Author Jonathan Mooney on Why Normal Sucks
TPP 520: Dr. Özgür Bolat on Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science of Motivating Kids