Richard Lavoie: How Difficult Can This Be? F.A.T. City--A Learning Disabilities Workshop (2013) DVD

This video is so good and explains so much.

There are no words to describe how important this film is if you are a person who is dyslexic. As a woman who was tested and found to be extremely dyslexic, I couldn't understand why the world didn't get me. It was after watching this film and realizing just how different the world is, to how dyslexic people perceive things was vastly different than everyone else. As an artist, dyslexia is why I became so good in my career.This film explains how vastly different the dyslexic person experiences the world. The truth of the film is so shocking for someone who is dyslexic, that I have purchased this film over 10x and given it to people whose families dont understand why they are so different if they are extremely dyslexic. As an adult who is the CEO of a company, this film is required viewing for every employee.There have been multiples times when a new employee, after watching this film, is crying at the end of the film. They suddenly realize that someone they know is dyslexic and how wrong they were about the impressions of what the dyslexic person was doing. This film opens the window to people who are normal so that they can understand dyslexia, and how its far far more than simply switching numbers and letters.

Although a bit dated, this is one of the best videos to show to a GenEd staff. I have shown it to the four schools I have had the privilege to lead. The DVD has the added improvement of having chapters so that the entire video can be shown or specific areas can be viewed at different times. This is especially critical when you have to break viewing sessions apart due to time constraints. Although the entire dvd should be watched; the section on Fairness is one everyone must see. Other sections which are critical are: Experiencing Frustration, Anxiety, and Tension (F.A.T.), The Effect of Visual Perception on Behavior, and Reading Comprehension.

One of the best videos to watch if your child has learning issues at school. Watch carefully because all Mr. Lavoie does is increase the stress level and make all mistakes be the participants fault. It is one of the best examples of what happens when people are stressed out. The question then becomes - what is stressing out your child? What foundations are missing? How can we alleviate that stress? I use this video with every client. I think this video needs to be seen by every teacher in every school district in the nation. Communication is always 50% between the person you are talking to and the person who is listening. By changing our (instructor's) behavior & modifying our environment we can modify most of the stress our clients/students are experiencing. I really enjoy Richard's examples and actionable helps. I'd rate this even higher if I could.

This is an excellent video for helping people to understand what a person with learning difficulties goes through every single day. The only complaint is the very high price makes it inaccessible to many people who really need to see it. To pay three to five times what a multi-million dollar Hollywood production costs for something that cost nothing to produce (and should be a public service) tragically limits the help it could render to so many. The producers should be more interested in helping children rather than making a profit on the suffering of others.

I got this in May 2023. Watched it once. When I went to watch it again today, with a parent of a special needs child, I had to fight to get it out of the package, and it cracked! Is there any way to get a replacement?

This is an amazing video and a true eyeopener. EVERYONE that works with children should have to watch this video. It totally brought tears to my eyes to actually be able to understand what these kids go through everyday of their lives. Its something that all parents should be able to watch also so they can have a better understanding of what kids go through. I have 6 children and my youngest has autism. He is very high functioning and is going to start school this year. I already have things going for every teacher and staff member to watch this video. I know this can help not only my son but many other children as well. It is well worth the money!

And other members of the human race who suffer from the alphabet soup of learning spectrum disorders. I keep giving this away to people who need to understand how difficult life is sometimes. For some people, especially people with dyslexia, ALL language is foreign; and acquired language can desert under pressure. I don't have any learning disabilities, but people I know DO, and a review of this tape once in a while is very helpful in restoring the self equilibrium and balance that everyone should use in communicating and teaching other people. The exercises give a good insight into the problems of people whose learning styles do not fit easily into the classroom,,,,,work place, everyday life, and the communication problems that abound in communicating with our own species. Also, works in attempting to teach and communicate with people who do not speak your own native language.