Even today, there are still many persistent myths about dyslexia. As a teacher, I encounter false beliefs about dyslexia regularly from parents and educators alike.
Five Common Myths
Myth #1: Dyslexia is when people see letters backwards.
Truth: People with dyslexia do not see things backwards. Dyslexia is not a vision problem. Individuals may have reversals in letters and numbers or say words backwards (saw for was) but this is due to confusion about directionality.
Myth #2: People with dyslexia can't read.
Truth: People with dyslexia can read, but their reading may be very slow and/or inaccurate. With specialized reading instruction, people with dyslexia can learn to read and spell at a higher level and with more accuracy and fluency.
Myth #3: Dyslexia is rare.
Truth: Most schools do not test for dyslexia, but just because they don't test for it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Current data from the National Institute of Health reports that 20% of the population in the United States is affected by dyslexia. That is 1 in 5 people.
Myth #4: More boys have dyslexia than girls.
Truth: Statistically dyslexia affects the same amount of boys as it does girls. Boys may be identified more often or sooner because they stand out more due to behaviors, while girls act quieter, more calm.
Myth 5: If a child has dyslexia, they will eventually "catch up".
Truth: Research shows that students who struggle to read, write, or spell in the mid-late 1st grade have a 90% chance of continuing to struggle with those skills throughout their education and even into adulthood.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Quick Facts about Dyslexia
•Dyslexia is hereditary. Children with a dyslexic parent have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the disability.
•Dyslexia affects one in every five people in America.
•Reading disabilities are estimated to compromise 80 percent of all learning disabilities.
•Forty-percent of those with dyslexia have a secondary condition, such as Attention Deficit Disorder.
•Children are usually not identified as having a reading disability until the third or fourth grade.
•Children with dyslexia can be identified as early as 5 years old.
Source: www.readlearnservices.com
•Dyslexia affects one in every five people in America.
•Reading disabilities are estimated to compromise 80 percent of all learning disabilities.
•Forty-percent of those with dyslexia have a secondary condition, such as Attention Deficit Disorder.
•Children are usually not identified as having a reading disability until the third or fourth grade.
•Children with dyslexia can be identified as early as 5 years old.
Source: www.readlearnservices.com
Closing the Gap in Reading
Closing the gap between your child’s reading level and grade level expectations
Time is of the essence – especially when it comes to reading ability. Typically students make reading gains that are year for year. Every year a child is in school, they will make one year’s gain in instructional reading level. That’s great if the student is already reading at grade level. What happens when a student is reading 1-3 years - or more, below grade level? How do these students ever catch up?
Reading research reveals that students with dyslexia need research-based, multisensory instruction in phonemic awareness and reading skills. Research also shows that 95% of reading failure is preventable when students are given the right type of instruction. The International Dyslexia Association supports the Orton-Gillingham sequence and methodology as best practice when working with students who have dyslexia. This type of instruction is explicit, systematic, intense (one-on-one is best), and delivered by a trained individual with consistency (minimum of two 50 minute sessions per week).
This excerpt is taken from an article I had published in the Camas/Washougal Post Record. You can find the rest of the article using this link: http://www.readlearnservices.com/Testimony---Specialist-Profile.html
Time is of the essence – especially when it comes to reading ability. Typically students make reading gains that are year for year. Every year a child is in school, they will make one year’s gain in instructional reading level. That’s great if the student is already reading at grade level. What happens when a student is reading 1-3 years - or more, below grade level? How do these students ever catch up?
Reading research reveals that students with dyslexia need research-based, multisensory instruction in phonemic awareness and reading skills. Research also shows that 95% of reading failure is preventable when students are given the right type of instruction. The International Dyslexia Association supports the Orton-Gillingham sequence and methodology as best practice when working with students who have dyslexia. This type of instruction is explicit, systematic, intense (one-on-one is best), and delivered by a trained individual with consistency (minimum of two 50 minute sessions per week).
This excerpt is taken from an article I had published in the Camas/Washougal Post Record. You can find the rest of the article using this link: http://www.readlearnservices.com/Testimony---Specialist-Profile.html
Saturday, February 26, 2011
When is enough, enough?
Should you find a private teacher/tutor to work with your child in reading?
I recently had a friend and parent of a struggling 3rd grade reader ask me if I felt her daughter would benefit from additional reading instruction in addition to what she receives at school. This little girl is in special education for reading and has gone from a kindergarten reading level to a 3rd grade reading level in the past 5 months of school. Wow, what amazing growth! She is not formally diagnosed with dyslexia, but displays many of the signs and symptoms and has vision difficulties. She is very task oriented and diligent about completing school work to the best of her ability. That being said, it was suggested to my friend, by other educators, to not seek out additional reading instruction for her daughter because she is working so much harder already than the other students. So, what do you do? When do you know when enough is enough? Being a parent of two elementary aged children myself, I'm familiar with this dilemma. I think in this situation, the answer is going to be different depending the child. Here are some questions I suggest thinking about when you are trying to decide whether or not to add more instruction to your child's plate.
1. Is the student coming home exhausted, grumpy, or agitated because of the amount of focus they are putting into their work at school?
2. How much gain in reading have they made this school year?
3. Is fluency the only problem, or is comprehension also an issue?
4. How big of a gap is there to close before they reach grade level?
5. Are they receiving quality scientifically based reading instruction at school? Orton Gillingham based instruction?
6. Is the student coming home exhausted, grumpy, or agitated not because of feeling overworked, but because they feel unsuccessful at the work they are being given?
These are the questions I would ask myself if I were considering whether or not my child needed more reading support in the form of private instruction. It's wise to carefully weigh the advice of educators you are working with AND outside advice. Then, make an educated decision. One that will be best for your child in the long run.
Thank you!
I recently had a friend and parent of a struggling 3rd grade reader ask me if I felt her daughter would benefit from additional reading instruction in addition to what she receives at school. This little girl is in special education for reading and has gone from a kindergarten reading level to a 3rd grade reading level in the past 5 months of school. Wow, what amazing growth! She is not formally diagnosed with dyslexia, but displays many of the signs and symptoms and has vision difficulties. She is very task oriented and diligent about completing school work to the best of her ability. That being said, it was suggested to my friend, by other educators, to not seek out additional reading instruction for her daughter because she is working so much harder already than the other students. So, what do you do? When do you know when enough is enough? Being a parent of two elementary aged children myself, I'm familiar with this dilemma. I think in this situation, the answer is going to be different depending the child. Here are some questions I suggest thinking about when you are trying to decide whether or not to add more instruction to your child's plate.
1. Is the student coming home exhausted, grumpy, or agitated because of the amount of focus they are putting into their work at school?
2. How much gain in reading have they made this school year?
3. Is fluency the only problem, or is comprehension also an issue?
4. How big of a gap is there to close before they reach grade level?
5. Are they receiving quality scientifically based reading instruction at school? Orton Gillingham based instruction?
6. Is the student coming home exhausted, grumpy, or agitated not because of feeling overworked, but because they feel unsuccessful at the work they are being given?
These are the questions I would ask myself if I were considering whether or not my child needed more reading support in the form of private instruction. It's wise to carefully weigh the advice of educators you are working with AND outside advice. Then, make an educated decision. One that will be best for your child in the long run.
Thank you!
Friday, April 30, 2010
"Unscrambling Dyslexia"
I recently earned a grant to purchase a specialized reading, writing and spelling program for students in my classroom that have dyslexia. The program is the Barton Reading and Spelling System.
This story is featured in the article, "Unscrambling Dyslexia" and can be found in the April 19th edition of The Columbian Newspaper. I was delighted to see it was the front page story. "Research supports that the more methods used when learning, the better chances the brain will retain the information." This is a quote from the article, and is referring to multi-sensory teaching. It is important that students with dyslexia are given research based programs to help them succeed in reading. This program is simultaneously using auditory, tactile/kinesthetic, and visual learning to train their brains to decode new and multi-syllabic words.
Being able to offer an Orton-Gillingham based program is like a breath of fresh air for the students I am working with. It gives them a chance to succeed and offers hope for their academic future. My student Andrew, who has used the system with a private teacher for 3 years stated, "It's changed my life..."
This story is featured in the article, "Unscrambling Dyslexia" and can be found in the April 19th edition of The Columbian Newspaper. I was delighted to see it was the front page story. "Research supports that the more methods used when learning, the better chances the brain will retain the information." This is a quote from the article, and is referring to multi-sensory teaching. It is important that students with dyslexia are given research based programs to help them succeed in reading. This program is simultaneously using auditory, tactile/kinesthetic, and visual learning to train their brains to decode new and multi-syllabic words.
Being able to offer an Orton-Gillingham based program is like a breath of fresh air for the students I am working with. It gives them a chance to succeed and offers hope for their academic future. My student Andrew, who has used the system with a private teacher for 3 years stated, "It's changed my life..."
Why Lemonade?
Because there's nothing better on a hot summer day than a refreshing glass of ice cold lemonade. For the past 10 years, I've taught students with learning disabilities in resource or learning support classrooms. Sadly, I would say most students I've worked with feel like "lemons" when it comes to areas of weakness in academics. Getting students to make "lemonade" out of their "lemons" is possible. In fact, watching students experience success - despite learning differences - is truly rewarding. Through persistence, research based appropriate instruction, and hard work students with reading disabilities or dyslexia can achieve success in reading, writing and spelling and in life.
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