Transcript Presentation - Overview of Dyslexia

Dyslexia
*Dyslexic Profile
*Referral Process
*Delivery of Services
Common Myths
Dyslexic people see words backwards.
Children outgrow reading problems.
Dyslexia effects mostly boys. (Journal of American
Medical Association in 1990 proved it was
comparable in both boys & girls)
People who struggle to read are not very smart.
(Dyslexia occurs at all levels of intelligence average,
above average, and highly gifted.)
-A Conversation with Sally Shaywitz, M.D., author of Overcoming Dyslexia
TEA accepted definition of Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin.
It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word
recognition, 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 classroom instruction. Secondary
consequences may include problems in reading comprehension
and reduced reading experiences that can impede growth in
vocabulary and background knowledge.
(Updated, January, 2004)
What Do I Look For?
Dyslexic Traits
Difficulty with directions and directional
words
Difficulty with discerning left and right
Difficulty with handwriting
Poor small motor skills
Difficulty with reading words in isolation
Difficulty with decoding nonsense words
Slow, inaccurate, or labored reading
Difficulty with phonological awareness,
including segmenting, blending, and
manipulating sounds in words
What to Look for continued:
Difficulty with learning letter names and
sounds
Difficulty with phonological memory (holding
information about sounds & letters in
memory)
Difficulty with rapid naming of familiar
objects, colors, or letters of the alphabet
Difficulty copying accurately (far point, near
point, or both)
Difficulty remembering what was read
Difficulty with spelling
Difficulty with written composition
Dyslexic Strengths
Oral Language
Oral Comprehension
Math
Science/Social Studies
Athletics
Art
Drama
What dyslexia is not…
Dyslexia is not a visual disability. Dyslexic
individuals do not see letters or numbers
as backwards, blurred, or floating. Dyslexia
is a language difficulty due to under
activation of the word forming part of the
brain resulting in an unexpected difference
when compared to oral abilities and/or IQ
and a student’s reading, writing, and
spelling abilities.
What should NOT be considered for
a dyslexia referral?
- head injuries
- transient history
- excessive absences
- non English speaking students
- documented history of lack of
conventional schooling
- poor reading/listening
comprehension
Dyslexia Referral Process
Pre-Referral
Tier 1:
Make and document accommodations/modifications for the
student in class including intensifying reading instruction
inside the classroom. Be sure parents have been informed
of your concerns and what is being done.
Tier 2:
Provide more intensive intervention in addition to the
regular reading instruction. In other words, Reading
Recovery, Literacy Groups, Read 180, extra work during
Success time for them, before/after school tutoring, having
a mentor work with them any time outside of the classroom,
and etc...
(
Pre-Referral
The 1st two tiers of intervention should
equal up to a minimum of 10 weeks.)
Tier 3:
1-Take them to the C.A.R.E. team! The committee will
discuss concerns, interventions that have been used, and
look at samples of work. As a committee they will decide if
the student should be screened.
2-If a screening is decided upon, then the counselor will
administer the K-TEA-II and K-BIT-II. The screenings should
indicate discrepancies between ability and reading
achievement.
3- The committee will then decide whether to send the
student on for a Dyslexia Referral.
Dyslexia Referral
1- The Dyslexia referral paperwork will be given
to the teacher and parents to complete. The
parents will receive 504 rights when they
receive the referral packet, as well.
2- A vision and hearing screening will be
completed and recorded. If the student
doesn’t pass one of them, the referral is
stopped until it is taken care of by a doctor.
3- Once the above is completed, the paperwork
is sent to the district Dyslexia Office.
Dyslexia Referral continued
4- Next, it goes to the district Dyslexia diagnostician.
She will test according to the order the files come in.
It should be completed within 60 calendar days after
the referral packet is received by the Dyslexia Office.
5- After the testing is complete, the file goes on to the
Dyslexia Selection Committee (composed of dyslexia
therapists, dyslexia diagnostician, and the program
supervisors). They will determine eligibility and
admittance into the Denton ISD Dyslexia Program.
6- A letter and/or a parent consent form will be sent to
the parents informing them of the committee’s
recommendations.
Keep In Mind…
The Dyslexia Committee looks for a significant
discrepancy in reading ability and reading
achievement.
Careful consideration must be made before
referring a student receiving Special Education
Services to the Dyslexia Program. The Alphabetic
Phonics/Scottish Rite Program used by the district
is a systematic, sequential, fast-paced program and
may not meet the needs of all students with
learning disabilities.
The Alphabetic Phonics/Scottish Rite Program is a
systematic, sequential, fast-paced program that
requires every student admitted to start at the
beginning of the program and should be dismissed
within 3 to 4 years.
A student usually needs a year of therapy before a
significant improvement in the child’s reading,
writing, and spelling shows through.
Dyslexia Services
In Dyslexia Class?
We work on :
alphabet properties/skills,
grapheme and phoneme recognition,
fluency/instant words,
phonological rules in reading and spelling,
Instruction continued…
oral/written expression,
listening/reading comprehension with
each presented via explicit, direct
instruction in a multisensory manner.
Accommodations for the
Classroom Teacher
(Or Now What Do I Do?)
Besides a daily multisensory class to address a dyslexic
student’s needs for the delivery of instruction in reading,
handwriting and spelling, an identified dyslexic student
will need accommodations in the regular classroom.
These could be, but are not limited to, the following list:
Write the assignments on the board and leave it
there all day for the student to look at.
Keep an assignment notebook.
Shorten assignments.
Use graph paper for math problems.
Have student take spelling tests orally or reduce
the amount of words.
Assign a study buddy to help the student with
particularly difficult reading passages.
More accommodations
Allow student to prepare reading assignments
before reading aloud in front of the class OR
refrain from calling on the dyslexic student to
read aloud during class.
Allow extra time to complete work.
Provide student with a copy of the overhead
notes.
Have student repeat the directions back to you.
Check often for understanding.
Encourage use of a place marker (book mark or
paper) when reading.
Allow the use of cursive for those who know it.
Don’t count off for spelling.
Dyslexia is an inherited learning disability.
There is no cure for dyslexia. The dyslexic
individual will always have struggles with
reading, handwriting and spelling.
However, with early and appropriate
intervention, the gap narrows between
performance and ability.
Questions?
See me or email me at
[email protected]