Transcript Dyslexia - Hackettstown School District

Dyslexia
An Introduction
Provided by: WCSSSD
Kayla Berger: School Psychologist
Stephen Parigi: LDT-C
Cassandra Weinschenk: Social Worker
Rethinking “Dyslexia”…
dispelling the myths and stigma
Today’s Workshop will cover :
Screening, Intervention, Accommodations,
and Assistive Technology
What is this law?
Where did it come from?
Who does this effect?
What do the experts say?
How can we help?
New legislation that affects screening,
evaluation, and remediation
 Law #1
Incorporates the definition of dyslexia into the Administrator’s code:
 Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is
characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition
and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically
result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is
often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision
of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include
problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that
can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
What does that mean?
 Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is
neurological in origin.
 It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or
fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and
decoding abilities.
 What is Dyslexia? Video
 These difficulties typically result from a
deficit in the phonological component of
language that is often unexpected in
relation to other cognitive abilities and the
provision of effective classroom instruction.
Finally…
 Secondary consequences may include problems in
 reading comprehension
 reduced reading experience
 Impeding growth of
vocabulary and background knowledge.
Reading is such a struggle that there is little
room left for enjoyment, comprehension, or
knowledge acquisition.
Law #2
 Requires a minimum of 2 HOURS of professional
development each year on the screening,
intervention, accommodation, and use of
technology for students with reading disabilities,
including dyslexia.
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general education teachers K-3
special education, basic skills
ESL teachers and reading specialists
LDT/Cs, and speech-language specialists
Law #3
 NJDOE will provide districts with information on screening
tools, as well as guide boards on the proper interventions
for those diagnosed. As of yet there is no information
related to suggested screenings on the DOE website
 Screenings will be mandatory by 2015-16
 Screening should be completed by end of 1st semester of
second grade
Screening and Assessment
Most early childhood teachers already use reading
screening or assessment tools in their classrooms.
Examples are:
DRA
DIBELS
Fountas and Pinnell
The Dyslexic Brain
 There is a localized impairment in the left
hemisphere temporal lobe in the phonological
module of the brain, which is the area of the brain
responsible for processing sound elements.
 This is directly responsible for delays in phonemic
awareness
A little review:
Phonemic awareness: ability to hear, identify, and
manipulate phonemes which is central to
learning to read and spell. It is an auditory
training process that does not involve print.
Phonics connect print (letters) to sound
The Dyslexic Brain video
Facts and Figures….
 Dyslexia is common and effects up to 20% of
the population
 Dyslexia occurs on a continuum or spectrum
 It is a lifelong disorder – strategies are
designed to help compensate for,
not cure dyslexia
Other Facts
 Dyslexia is a neurological problem, not a visual or
perceptual problem.
 An accurate diagnosis can be made by a medical
professional by the time a child turns 6 years old.
 It effects people in every language.
 A student’s ability to perform mathematical calculations
may also be impaired (dyscalculia).
Dyslexia: a hidden disability
Did you know….
 80-85% of SLD students have a form of dyslexia
(remember, it’s a continuum and some cases are
more severe than others)
 Dyslexia may be co-morbid with executive
functioning disorders such as ADHD
 There is a proportionally high number of artists,
creative thinkers, and scientists
who are dyslexic!
Signs and Symptoms
 Students may display delays in processing speed,
fluency, spelling, writing, or speaking. THESE
STUDENTS MAY NEVER REVERSE LETTERS!
 Students may also demonstrate difficulty with
the rapid naming of letters and sight words,
reading comprehension, and synonyms/
antonyms.
…continued
 Some dyslexics have difficulty keeping up with
conversations due to their difficulty processing
verbal information.
 Dyslexics have difficulty understanding jokes,
proverbs, or sarcasm.
The result…
All of these effects can have
a big impact on a person's self-image.
Without help, children often get frustrated with
learning.
The stress of dealing with schoolwork often makes
children with dyslexia lose the motivation to
continue schooling.
Interview with Henry Winkler video
Warning signs
So what do we do now?
Reflect on students you teach…
have taught…
or will teach…....
What can I do differently?
Young children may demonstrate trouble with:
 Recognizing letters, matching letters to sounds
and blending sounds into speech
 Pronouncing words, for example saying “mawn
lower” instead of “lawn mower”
 Learning and correctly using new vocabulary
words
 Learning the alphabet, numbers, and days of the
week or similar common word sequences
 Rhyming
School-Age children may
demonstrate trouble with:
 Mastering the rules of spelling
 Remembering facts and numbers
 Handwriting or difficulty gripping the pencil
correctly
 Learning and understanding new skills; instead,
relying heavily on memorization
 Reading and spelling, such as reversing letters
(d, b) or moving letters around (left, felt)
 Following a sequence of directions
 Trouble with word problems in math
Teenagers and adults may demonstrate
trouble with:
 Reading at the expected level
 Understanding non-literal language, such as
idioms, jokes, or proverbs
 Reading aloud
 Organizing and managing time
 Trouble summarizing a story
 Learning a foreign language
 Memorizing
Sound familiar?
 Remember, dyslexia occurs on a continuum.
Some students may have a very mild case of
dyslexia and may have found compensation
strategies all on their own.
 Recall 20% of the population may be affected by
dyslexia.
 In a class of 20 that is 4 students!
What do we do?
Strategies and interventions
The clock is ticking
 Developmental
window for reading
instruction is closed
by the
end of 3rd grade
Remediation
Remediation techniques
Can we do this?
How can we address this in our classrooms?
Research-based reading programs such as
 Orton-Gillingham
 Project Read
 Wilson (Fundations)
Have been proven to be successful in remediating
learning delays.
Low-tech interventions and
accommodations
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Highlighters
Copying on different colored paper
Post-it notes
Buddy systems
 Partner reading, study buddies
Word bank
Word walls
Posters/bulletin boards
Color overlays/masking
Reading windows or straight edges
Alternate Considerations
Consider alternatives to the way you present
information..
 High tech (Smartboard)
 Low tech (Visual/auditory aids)
And how you assess learning ?
 Formal verses informal
 Do you consider all learning styles?
Remember Gardner’s multiple
intelligences?
Resources for Teachers
 www.dyslexia.yale.edu
 http://www.ldanj.org/
 http://readingandwritingproject.org/
 www.ncld.org
 www.dyslexickids.net
 www.learningtherapist.com
 www.ldamerica.org
 www.readingresource.net
 www.ldonline.org
Resources to use with students
 www.newsela.com Online non-fiction news articles
written at a variety of levels
 www.learningally.org offers over 90,000 digital
books, textbooks. Formerly RFB&D
 www.readingatoz.com (fee) associated free app is
called raz-kids.
Resources for Parents
 www.decodingdyslexianj.com
Decoding dyslexia video
 http://www.njlda.org/
Apps
 Shop the Google play store or Apple store for products from:
 Learning Ally (formerly Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic)
 Assistiveware (representing new products for AAC)
….and some more
Dragon Dictation: Speech-to-text for a variety of mobile applications (think: messaging, emailing, blog writing)
ModMath: Designed for individuals with dyslexia and dysgraphia for whom the mechanics of writing math problems
causes a barrier. ModMath takes care of the construction of, for example, the long division problem. After that,
solving that problem is up to you.
VoiceDream: Text-to-speech to aid in reading. This app also allows for screen, font and text size customization and
highlighting. It has a built-in dictionary and works with text from lots of sources (PDF, ebooks, email).
Notability: Takes “handwritten” notes on documents to allow for adding sketches to PDF or graphics or editing
student work (!!). Notability also has an audio recording feature for auditory learners, photo capability and it
coordinates with sharing platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox.
StoryVisualizer: Creates storybooks for students using their words and images. From Lego Education.
UsTyme: Allows two people to remotely read a story together by coupling FaceTime-like software with reading.
DyslexiaQuest: A series of games designed to “assess working memory, phonological awareness, processing speed,
visual memory, auditory memory and sequencing skills.” Gamers are encouraged to keep practicing to master skills.
Read2Go (iOS) or Go Read (Android): Makes books accessible to people with print disabilities.
Co:Writer: Word prediction software aids writing in real-time or later when editing. Text-to-speech feature reads
letters, words, sentences, and documents. Produced by Don Johnston. Opt for the SOLO Suite and get Co:Writer;
Read:Outloud; Write:Outloud and Draft:Builder.
Check out ncld.org for a complete
listing of APPS for use with students
 http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/assistivetechnology-education/apps-students-ld-dysgraphiawriting-difficulties
 http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/assistivetechnology-education/apps-students-ld-dyslexiareading-difficulties
Despite Dyslexia: a review of
famous people that have dyslexia
Overcoming
Contact Information
 [email protected]
 [email protected]
 [email protected]