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Tag: dyslexia

  • 3 Success Stories: Learn Differently: SpLDs and Success

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    Author Bio: Victoria Mann is a specialist  tutor in specific learning disabilities (SpLDs) at the University of Sheffield. Her main interests are STEM subjects and dyslexia, dyscalculia, and SpLDs and English for academic purposes. She has presented at conferences including the BDA international conference, and the BALEAP international conference, and is published in a number of journals, including ISEJ, iNform, and RAPAL. Her work is available via https://she.academia.edu/VictoriaMann

    Students who have a specific learning disability can feel anxious about how this will impact on their success, especially in an academic setting. This blog entry discusses the stories of three students who have an SpLD and how the disability impacted their study; it goes on to demonstrate that having a specific learning disability need not be a barrier to academic success.

    Daniel is a mature student who he has had additional support throughout his academic career; here he discusses dyslexia and his studies:

    “When I was in primary school I struggled with English, but was really good at maths. The teacher noticed this and thought that I may have dyslexia. If I hadn’t been so good at maths, I’m not sure that my dyslexia would have been picked up. I was tested and found to have dyslexia, but there wasn’t much help available then. Luckily, the school had launched a volunteer programme and I was given a volunteer to help me. When I was in secondary school I was tested again. This time I was given a note taker, as well as extra tuition; I was also given coloured paper, which made it easier for me to read. In fact, I was tested every year; all that happened was that I got better at the test! When I went to college, I didn’t tell anyone about my dyslexia, which was a mistake because I got really low marks. These soon improved when I told them about my dyslexia and got extra help.

    Finally, when I went to university I declared my disability and I have done really well in my course. An early diagnosis of dyslexia enabled me to get support from primary school, helping me to improve my English skills. I would say, therefore, that getting a diagnosis is a good idea for any student who thinks they may be dyslexic.”

    His story shows that being diagnosed with dyslexia can ensure that students gain access to the additional resources that they need to achieve success. Equally, Jenny’s story, below, shows that even students who are doing well academically may benefit from the additional support offered subsequently to a diagnosis.

    “Looking back, I think my dyslexia was an issue in school. Unfortunately, it wasn’t picked up. I was sometimes told I was stupid, even though I got excellent marks in some of my subjects. Interestingly, many people thought I couldn’t be dyslexic, because I got an A in GCSE English! In the end I was diagnosed in college, almost by accident. My friend thought she was dyslexic and I went with her for a screening test. I had a go at the screener and it showed dyslexic traits, so I took the full assessment. The assessment was revealing, in most of the tests I was either in the top two percentile, or the bottom two! Being diagnosed meant I got access to extra time in exams and one to one tuition with a specialist tutor, which made a real difference. In fact, I don’t think I would have done nearly as well in my degree without the extra support. As it is, I am in my final year and have been accepted onto a PhD in plant science. (Jenny, APS student)”

    The final story is from an overseas student. She was first assessed has being dyslexic when she started university.

    “My teacher at university suggested that I go for a dyslexia assessment; she noticed that my written work didn’t reflect the quality of my ideas. I was referred by my university and diagnosed as being dyslexic. I felt a real sense of relief from the diagnosis because it meant I wasn’t struggling because I was capable; it was because of a specific difficulty. I now had something to work with. It made a difference to how I thought about myself and my learning. Not only did the diagnosis help me to understand why I was struggling, it meant that I could access lots of support. I was given more time in exams and more feedback on assignments, to show where I was going wrong, and help me improve my writing. I also received assistive technology; the Dictaphone was especially helpful.  I was given a disability advisor to give me general guidance about things such has help at the library, and a dyslexia tutor who worked with me to develop learning strategies and improve my writing style. Together, we worked on my writing style and it is now much more academic; I can understand what the tutor is asking for and how I should answer assignment questions. I also feel much more confident in seminars and have successfully given presentations. I now feel confident that I can get my degree and achieve a good grade in it.”  (Elsa, working with communities’ student)

    Taken from Mann,V and Wong, S (2013) The impact of a dyslexia diagnosis on a second language student of higher education, International Students’ Journal,  volume one, issue 2.

  • A Whistle-Stop Tour: DCD/Dyspraxia in School-Aged Children

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    Author Bio: Fiona Peters is a UK primary teaching assistant with a keen interest in Special Educational Needs (SEN) and improving teaching and learning through the use of technology.  As well as being a school governing body associate, she also administers the DCD Awareness Twitter account and is eager to promote awareness of the needs of children with SEN in mainstream education.

    Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a marked impairment of motor skills which affects everyday living.  Messages from the brain regarding movement somehow become confused en route to parts of the body, the cause of which is yet unknown.  In the UK, the term is often used interchangeably with ‘dyspraxia’.  Strictly speaking, DCD is a general umbrella term for this motor based condition and dyspraxia is a more sensory based sub-type.  However, any differences are rather blurry and related literature usually refers to them in the same context as one another.  Symptoms can vary in type and severity from person to person and the exact diagnosis given is often down to the personal preference of the practitioner.  For the purposes of this blog, I shall use the term DCD to cover both.

    Around 5-6% of children have DCD, equating to at least one child per class, with a greater proportion of males than females affected.  Despite this, DCD is still relatively unheard of compared to dyslexia, ADHD and autism, even though it can co-exist with any of these Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs), as well as with the lesser known dysgraphia (a disorder of written expression) and dyscalculia (a maths learning disorder), with some symptoms overlapping.  Speech and language difficulties may also be present.  It is therefore important for professionals to take a holistic view of the child when considering interventions.

    Children with DCD demonstrate a significant gap between their motor skill ability and that expected for their age and intelligence, as a result of difficulties relating to perceptual processing and organisation of movement.  They present with poor gross motor skills (eg jumping, hopping, skipping), fine motor skills (eg handwriting, tying shoelaces, using zips), or a combination of both.

    Rather than produce a rather long list of ‘symptoms’ that characterise DCD, I have included this link to an excellent booklet produced by the CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, based at McMaster University, Canada.  It is aimed at parents and educators to help them recognise and support school-aged children with DCD and explains the characteristics these children can display.  CanChild also has a superb online DCD Workshop which I thoroughly recommend – particularly to parents and teachers of children with DCD, or indeed to those hopefully curious enough to find out more!  I also like the following two books because of their clear, informative and yet concise explanations.  They are both aimed at school teachers and support staff but are still a very useful read for parents whose children are affected:

    Dyspraxia/DCD Pocketbook by Afroza Talukdar (ISBN: 978-1 906610388)

    How to understand and support children with Dyspraxia by Lois Addy (ISBN: 978-1-85503-381-8)

    Diagnostic routes vary and can depend on whether any issues, apart from the suspected DCD, require investigation.  The most usual pathway to specialist referral is either through the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo), or general medical practitioner, if organised by the parents.  Children are likely to be assessed by a paediatrician, who will also seek to rule out any other medical conditions, and an occupational therapist, who will carry out a battery of tests to discover the extent of the difficulties.  The occupational therapist can liaise with the school, advise on any necessary accommodations and plan a course of therapeutic action to help support the child.  Other professionals such as physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and educational psychologists may also be involved, depending on the individual child’s needs.

    It is important that professional advice is sought at the earliest opportunity so that necessary help can be put into place at home and school as soon as practicable.  Without this, a child may never reach their full potential and develop a lack of confidence and low self-esteem.

    DCD is a lifelong condition, which continues to affect a large proportion of those diagnosed into adulthood.  However, with appropriate support, skills can be improved and strategies learned to help cope.  Experts are keen to encourage parents/carers to focus on what their child can do, rather than what they can’t.  That is good advice – for the good news is that children with DCD can and are able to lead successful lives.

  • Psychology DVD: A Child's Brain: From Syllable to Sound

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    The PBS Series “the Secret Life of the Brain” has many great sections to share with a high school psychology class. The video also can be seen at “WatchDocumentary.” which is a great resource for teachers.
    A Child’s Brain: From Syllable to Sound, deals with lateralization, focusing on patients who have had to have part of the brain removed. Below is an outline of the section that works well with a high school psychology unit on the brain.
    (19:02 – 36:35) The following clip discusses the reasons for and the impact of the removal of left hemisphere in extreme cases of seizures. The segment focuses on two cases. One is a young boy who had surgery at the age of 7. He is 14 at the time of filming. Michal Rehbein had up to 400 seizures a day. The segment illustrates the ability of the right hemisphere to acquire the ability to process language. to The boy names  Katie who has lost her ability to speak due to seizures. In both cases the patients needed to start from scratch – learning how to walk and talk again. There are some great MRI images that illustrate the images of the brain.
    Dyslexia
    A Tufts University study looks at how the students process. There is a great learning section where the students use blocks to connect with the sounds. After a brain scan, results show that the improvement may have come from increased use of the brain. The study will take several years to see how dyslexic readers “remodel” their brains.
    I apologize for the less than detailed notes on this section, however hopefully it is a good starting point for high school psychology teachers.
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  • Make Your Classroom a Happy Place for Children with Dyslexia

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    Are Children in Your Class Suffering Needlessly?

    I want to talk about what we can do, as teachers, to improve the school experience for our students with reading and/or spelling difficulties.

    We know, from our experience with children attending our Dyslexia Centre in the UK, that unhappiness and stress is caused to many children with dyslexic difficulties by our school system. I’d like to provide some ideas for how we can try to reduce this stress.

    Before I begin, it’s important to acknowledge that, however effective we may become in making learning environments more accessible for these children, many of them will still need specialist support to bring up their reading and spelling levels.

    Specialist teachers and programs can be expensive and hard to find.  To help fill this gap, we’ve developed our lovely new iPad app “Spell Trekking.” Spell Trekking is based on highly effective, specialist, multisensory teaching methods and will provide a superb intervention tool for children in grades K-7.

    Spell Trekking Free Download at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spell-trekking/id547625622?mt=8

    *













    Spell Trekking iPad Literacy app for K-7

    Do We Know Enough?

    As a grade school teacher, I became aware that in every one of my classes, there were children struggling with literacy.  At the end of each year, I felt frustrated and guilty that I hadn’t found a way to help them as effectively as I wished to.

    Later, teaching adults with learning difficulties and teenagers who hadn’t achieved their potential in school, I found the same problems arising. Gaining a specialist teaching qualification in dyslexia and working with multisensory, structured literacy programs led to a fuller understanding of why these problems are so widespread.

    One of the most helpful things we can do, as educators, is to understand why children are struggling – so here’s a quick summary of causes and effects of dyslexia:

    What is Dyslexia?

    A biological condition, thought to be based in structural differences in the brain, which can affect:

    short term memory

    visual and auditory information processing

    phonological processing: especially in hearing the smallest sounds in words

    speed of processing information

    organisation and sequencing

    It is unrelated to cognitive ability/intelligence

    It is different in every individual: in both effects and severity

    It is often combined with other Specific Learning Difficulties, such as: ADHD, dyspraxia, dyscalculia.

    10% or more of the population may be affected: e.g. potentially 3 in every class

    It need not be a barrier to achievement, if appropriate support is given early enough

    We might take particular notice of point 6: this seems to me to be one of the many interesting aspects of working with people with dyslexic difficulties. They may very often be highly intelligent, highly talented individuals, frustrated by our current education system because it doesn’t teach them in the way they can learn.

    How Do I Spot Dyslexia In My Students?

    We’re not talking about assessments or diagnoses here – simply being aware of the types of difficulties which could indicate dyslexic learning needs. We simply want teachers to be able to identify a child who may need this type of support and empower them to begin effective intervention as early as possible.

    Do you teach some children who:

    Forget instructions, belongings; information given verbally?

    Learn, then forget, words for reading and spelling?

    Skip words or sentences when reading?

    Struggle with copying from the board; write very slowly?

    Struggle with sequencing, telling time, mastering days of the week and times tables?

    May be labeled lazy, not bothered, inattentive?

    Spell phonetically, reverse letter or number order, confuse b/d/p?

    May feel frustration, low self-esteem, stress of failing at school; behaviour problems may ensue?

    May have high ability in areas not reliant on literacy skills?

    If students in your class show several of these issues, it could be dyslexia you’re dealing with – if so, standard teaching methods could be ineffective for them.

    How Can I Be Sure It’s Dyslexia?

    Without a diagnostic assessment, you can’t.  But, the great thing about having a multisensory, structured literacy program available – e.g. our new iPad app – is that, whether or not a child is diagnosed with dyslexia, these methods will be effective.

    “Dyslexia-Friendly = Learning-Friendly”

    In short: programs proved effective for dyslexia are quite simply effective, for most learners, period. In other words, if you teach in the way a child with dyslexia can learn, ALL your students will benefit.

    So, How Can My Classroom Be More “Dyslexia-Friendly”?

    As briefly as I can, here are some things to be aware of and to try:

    Don’t wait for diagnosis: intervene with support – use our lovely new app! – as early as possible if you suspect dyslexic difficulties

    Adapt all your teaching activities to be as multi-sensory as possible: use eyes, ears, hands and voice to support each other and improve retention of information

    “Taught is NOT Caught” – just because we’ve “covered” a learning aim, doesn’t mean they’ve learnt and retained it

    Children with dyslexia need lots – and lots – of repetition, ‘over-learning’ and revision opportunities. Remember the ‘Square Rule’: if it takes 5 times to learn a new skill, it may take 25 times for a child with dyslexia

    An effective remediation lesson for dyslexia needs to be 80% revision, with only 20% new learning – don’t go too fast: it won’t be retained!

    Teach all your students to record their learning in different ways: mind-maps, story-boards, lists, videos – so they can all demonstrate knowledge and understanding, even if they can’t write well yet. Then allow them to choose their media

    Use colored background on interactive boards, computer screens and paper – this reduces visual stress

    Use colored, not black, pens on whiteboards; use alternating colors for each line of writing for tracking. Avoid red text though – this can be very difficult to see!

    Avoid asking the child to copy from the board: print it out on colored paper instead – don’t squander their vulnerable short term memory and mental energy with non-essential tasks

    Avoid enforced reading aloud: give the option for everyone to ‘pass’, so you’re not singling out the dyslexic child. Give them opportunities to present to the class but with plenty of practice time ahead

    Find opportunities for them to excel; give plenty of praise and encouragement. These children may be working very hard indeed to try to keep up…perhaps using 10 times as much effort as their peers…

    Understand that school, where there is so much emphasis on literacy skills, can be a very stressful and tiring experience for a child with dyslexia

    Talk to the student’s parents about ways you can all support the child – extra notes or reminders going both ways in the home/school diary, for example – remember they may struggle with organization!

    Many individuals will need multisensory, structured support with a specialist program such as our new iPad app ‘Spell Trekking’.

     

    Using the Spell Trekking app for 10 minutes a day – about an hour a week – can make superb improvements to reading and spelling. Using the program it’s based on has been so rewarding: seeing children’s confidence rise being one of the best outcomes!

    *

    Spell Trekking gives only positive feedback!

    Spell Trekking is out now – free download at:

    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spell-trekking/id547625622?mt=8

    www.spelltrekking.com

    Ros Hynes is trained as an Early Years teacher and has taught children aged 4-11 in the South East of England, before moving to the North West of the UK with her husband and two daughters in 1996. Teaching Literacy and Drama to young people and adults with special needs in Further Education led to an interest in dyslexia. Ros gained a specialist dyslexia teaching qualification and took up the post of Dyslexia Manager for an education charity, Centra, opening a new dyslexia centre in Lancashire, UK in 2007.
    The Centra Dyslexia Centre currently supports 50 child and adult students with dyslexic difficulties every year on a Big Lottery funded project, along with providing dyslexia training and support to 40 schools in the area. The Centre uses the specialist, highly effective, multi-sensory program IDL (Indirect Dyslexia Learning) to raise reading and spelling levels. IDL has now been developed as an iPad app: Spell Trekking www.spelltrekking.com

  • Dyslexia-ville Raises $75,500 for Interactive Dyslexia Website

    A project called Dyslexia-ville, with Academy Award winning filmmaker, Peggy Stern, set a goal to raise $60,000 by June 14th. The money will be used to provide teachers, students, and parents with a great interactive website that builds self-esteem for people with dyslexia.
    They reached their goal on Friday June 8th! Great job!
    Peggy is dyslexic, and has created a vibrant, colorful, and engaging website for kids with dyslexia to: connect with one another, develop reading skills, and tune into a web series that we are producing just for them.
    My Town Tutors wholeheartedly supports this website, because we know it will be a safe haven, and launching pad to success for millions of struggling readers.  This virtual city on the web, will make kids feel that they are not alone as they tackle their dyslexia.
    The organization raised $75,500 through an online fundraising campaign through a site called Kickstarter.
    D-ville is trying to rally 2,500 educators and parents to donate $10 to our fundraising campaign by June 14th.  Please share this link with others and consider making a small donation to make this great website a reality.
    By clicking this link, you will be taken to our Kickstarter site where you can view a video about the project, and see the fun prizes that have been designed to get kids excited about Dyslexia-ville.
    We first posted a guest blog about Dyslexia-ville on June 4th. We will add the daily totals to keep you updated.
    There are only 8 Days left so please help make a difference in the lives of millions.
    Date                 Backers                 Dollar total             % of goal
    June 4th          120 backers          $31,150                    59.1 %
    June 5th           143 backers          $40,770                   67.9%
    June 6th           176 backers          $55,950                  93.2%
    June 7th           190 backers          $60,100                100%
    June 8th           195 backers          $60,700               100+%
    June 9th           208 backers          $61,456               102%
    June 10th           215 backers          $64,829              108%
    June 11th           221 backers          $72,383              121%
    June 12th           240 backers          $74,859             125%
    June 13th           249 backers          $75,059             125%
    June 14th           252 backers          $75,500             126%
    Congratulations on a great campaign. We cannot wait for the website to be active!

    My Town Tutors is a website that connects parents with teachers who tutor. We currently list over 250 teachers from Massachusetts. We are always looking for qualified teachers from all 50 states who tutor to join our national directory of teachers who tutor.
    It is FREE for parents to search for a teacher in their area.

  • Dyslexia-ville Builds Self-esteem: Looking to Spread the Word to Parents & Teachers

    As an educator and the daughter of two teachers, I understand the importance of making sure every child receives the resources he or she needs to learn how to read.  Teaching in Washington Heights, Manhattan, I worked with English Language Learners, who struggled to learn English, and catch up with their native-born peers in reading and writing.  One of the best gifts I could give my students was moral support, so that their confidence wouldn’t waiver.
    Since teaching, I have moved on to create documentaries and other media about education.  I am currently working on a project called Dyslexia-ville, with Academy Award winning filmmaker, Peggy Stern.  Peggy is dyslexic, and has created a vibrant, colorful, and engaging website for kids with dyslexia to: connect with one another, develop reading skills, and tune into a web series that we are producing just for them.
    I wholeheartedly support this site, because I know it will be a safe haven, and launching pad to success for millions of struggling readers.  This virtual city on the web, will make kids feel that they are not alone as they tackle their dyslexia.
    Peggy is coming to the end of an online fundraising campaign through a site called Kickstarter.  We have raised over $31,150 (amount on June 4, 2012) so far, but need to raise $60,000 by June 14th in order to meet our funding goal so we can make D-ville available to kids by next year.  If we don’t meet our goal, we won’t receive any of the money donated, so we are under some pressure, and time is of the essence.
    The hardest part in raising money for this site has been directly reaching teachers and parents.  We feel that you are the ones who understand how important a site like D-ville will be to boost kids self esteem, and help them take ownership of their reading differences.
    It is a huge thing to ask, but we are trying to rally 2,500 educators and parents to donate $10 to our fundraising campaign by June 14th.  Since we are a little behind in reaching our goal, and are hoping that you can help us get there.
    By clicking this link, you will be taken to our Kickstarter site where you can view a video about our project, and see the fun prizes that we have designed to get kids excited about Dyslexia-ville.
    You may also find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Dyslexiaville, and on Twitter: @dyslexiaville.
    Please join our movement to improve the lives of struggling readers.  No child should feel that they are on this journey alone.
    Sincerely,
    Mara Waldhorn
    Guest Blog Post By Mara Waldhorn

    My Town Tutors is a website that connects parents with teachers who tutor. We currently list over 250 teachers from Massachusetts. We are always looking for qualified teachers from all 50 states who tutor to join our national directory of teachers who tutor.
    It is FREE for parents to search for a teacher in their area.