Today’s episode of the podcast features a conversation with author and youth advocate, Dewey Rosetti. I’m especially excited to bring you this interview because, back in 2003, as a result of her experiences with her own differently wired daughter, Dewey helped found a non-profit called Parents Education Network (PEN), which I ended up stumbling upon a few years later as a struggling parent looking for support and resources. PEN aimed to educate and empower parents, teachers, and communities to help kids with learning differences to succeed, and was an early and meaningful influence in my own parenting journey.
Dewey is also the author of a new book, Parenting Bright Kids who Struggle in School: A Strength-Based Approach to Helping Your Child Thrive and Succeed, which follows her journey with her daughter and provides a new filter to look at learning differences. In our conversation, we’ll be talking about that new filter—the science of individuality, based on the work of Todd Rose—and how truly transformational it can be, not just for the child but for the whole family, when we change our language and understanding about learning differences and come to understand that there is no such thing as average.
About Dewey: The moment Dewey Rosetti understood that her daughters had learning differences, her life changed course. She shifted from a mere mortal mom to driven advocate for all children with learning differences. Dewey has been driven to educate parents, educators, communities, and the kids too, on what it means to have a learning difference and how to create an environment for them to thrive and succeed.
After Dewey found the perfect learning environment for her daughters, she co-founded the non-profit organization Parents Education Network (PEN). PEN’s mission is to educate, collaborate and empower parents, teachers and communities to help kids with LD to succeed. She has worked tirelessly to change the landscape of academic opportunities and outcomes for kids with LD. Dewey speaks at local schools, works with community resources, advises parents, and leads support groups. She also engages thought leaders, authors and researchers on the academic, social and emotional needs of these often isolated and disenfranchised kids and their families.
Dewey is the recipient of the 2012 Heroes and Hearts Award for community contribution given by the SF General Hospital Foundation. Her book, Parenting Bright Kids who Struggle in School: A Strength-Based Approach to helping your child thrive and succeed, was released in May 2020. The book follows her journey with her daughter and provides a new filter to look at learning differences. It’s a great resource to help parents and educators to better understand learning differences and how to move forward to help the child thrive.
THINGS YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:
- Dewey’s experience with her daughter and how that led to her advocacy work for bright kids who learn differently
- The founding story of PEN (Parent Education Network) and the influence of Todd Rose (and others) on its philosophy and advocacy
- What is the Science of Individuality
- What is meant by the terms jagged profile, variability, and pathways
- The ways that language regarding diagnosis and learning differences can be so impactful
- How a parent’s mindset makes a difference to their differently wired child
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- Parenting Bright Kids Who Struggle in School: A Strength-Based Approach to Helping Your Child Thrive and Succeed by Dewey Rosetti
- Square Peg: My Story and What It Means for Raising Innovators, Visionaries, and Out-of-the-Box Thinkers by Todd Rose and Katherine Ellison
- Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention by Catherine Ellison
- The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal by Jonathan Mooney
- Normal Sucks: How to Live, Learn, and Thrive Outside the Lines by Jonathan Mooney
SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
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