Dyslexia: A learning disorder where a student has difficulty reading caused by problems recognizing speech sounds and learning how are they relate letters and words. Dyslexia is a very common learning disability in children and it is also referred to as a specific reading disability. Dyslexia can happen to any child with normal vision and intelligence. It is a lifelong condition that is caused by inherited traits that affect how the brain works. There is no cure for dyslexia but most students succeed with the help of a tutor or specialized education program.
(Mayo Clinic Staff, 1998-2015)
Causes:
Characteristics:
What does Dyslexia look like?
(Mayo Clinic Staff, 1998-2015)
Causes:
- Genetic Causes:
- A highly heritable learning disorder
- Defects in a gene, DCDC2, associated with reading problems (especially in reading performance)
- This defective gene interacts with a second dyslexia gene, KIAA0319
- Scientists have identified many candidate genes that contribute to dyslexia susceptibility - Acquired Dyslexia:
- Small amount of people acquired this condition after they were born
- Most common causes of acquired dyslexia: brain injuries, stroke, or other type of trauma - Phonological Processing:
- People with dyslexia find it difficult to read and write because of phonological processing impairment
- People with dyslexia have problems with phonological processing
Characteristics:
- Preschool/Kindergarten
- Delay in talking
- Difficult time recognizing and producing rhymes
- Hard time remembering rote information (letter names, phone number and address)
- Hard to remember and follow directions - Grades 1-3
- Sound/symbol correspondence difficulty
- Confusion of visually similar letters and auditory of similar letters
- Hard to remember basic sight vocabulary
- Problems with segmenting words into individual sounds and blending sounds to form words
- Omission of grammatical endings in reading
- Hard time of remembering spelling words over time and applying spelling rules - Grades 4-8
- Significant difficulty in reading and spelling multisyllabic words
- Lack of awareness in word structure
- Frequent misreading of common sight words
- Hard time with reading comprehension and learning new information because of difficulty with underlying word recognition
- Specific difficulties with writing related to problems and organizing ideas - High School, College, and Adult
- Continued difficulties with word recognition and ability to analyze written material
- Rate of reading is slower
- Difficulties continued with spelling and written composition
- Note taking in class is difficult
- Hard time learning a foreign language
What does Dyslexia look like?
How does it feel to be dyslexic?
Accommodations:
- Using a tape recorder
- Directions, stories, and specific lessons can be recorded - the student can go back to the tape for a better understanding or any clarifications - Clarify of simplify directions
- Underline or highlight specific directions so it isn't so overwhelming for students
- Rewriting the directions is often helpful - Present a small amount of work
- Tear pages from workbooks/materials to present small assignments to illuminate anxiety (prevents students from flipping through entire workbook/text/materials and becoming discouraged by amount of work)
- Work can be reduced when it appears redundant - Provide additional practice activities
- Supplement material with practice activities since a lot of workbooks don't provide additional activities
- Instructional games
- Peer teaching activities
- Self-correcting materials
- Computer software materials
- Additional worksheets - Develop reading guides
- Provides the student with road map of what is written and features periodic questions to assist him or her to focus on content that is relevant
- Helps reader understand main ideas and sort out numerous details related to main idea
- Reading guide can be developed: paragraph-by-paragraph, page-by-page, or section-by-section
Modifications:
- Allow extra time of tests and allow for isolation if needed
- For essay answers in tests, allow for the student to list concepts rather than write paragraphs
- When test involves variety of objectives, star items for students to complete first (allows him or her to receive credit for effort rather than clarity of speed or writing)
Children's books:
- Crush by - Gary Paulsen
- Bone by - Jeff Smith
- Lunch Lady by - Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Teacher Resources:
- Dyslexia Basics - International Dyslexia Association
- http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/sep/09/supporting-students-with-dyslexia-teachers-tips-pupils
- http://www.dyslexiareadingsolutions.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_term=teaching%20children%20with%20dyslexia&utm_match&utm_network=g&utm_mobile=0&utm_creative=58143854059&utm_position=1s1&utm_random=9370609553407266813&utm_campaign=reading%20tutor&utm_ad_group_id=18452&utm_campaign_id=28652&utm_ad_id=57260
- https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-strategies/at-a-glance-classroom-accommodations-for-dyslexia
- http://www.dys-add.com/teach.html
*Sam Passer