Now you may be wondering, "I have 24 other students or 34 other students
in my class that also need my attention, how can I help the dyslexic pupils
while I teach everyone?" Well there are some ways to help this situation
out.
- "Use a wooden alphabet to teach the names and sequence - capital
first, then lower case - close eyes to feel the shape and remember its
name and associated sound/sounds.
- Use pictures to provide visuals for that student
- Use the labels vowels and consonants, and teach about the jobs they do
- Teach joined up writing from an early stage - practice this in the air,
in sand, on a blackboard and in books
- Leave notes on the board as long as possible
- Let children develop their own word bank/dictionary or cards or notebook
where they can practice difficult, new or irregular words
- Talk about letters, words, stories to create an interest in words and
books
- Use technical aids to individualize work - tape recorder and earphones,
computers etc.
- Play games to reinforce learning
- Give as much practice in reading, writing and spelling as possible to
develop automatic skills and remember - dyslexic children need more
practice than most children." (www.dyslexia-inst.org.uk/articles/howcani.htm)
Parents play a big role in the dyslexic child's life. The teachers, doctors
and specialist may come and go. However, the parents are the ones that will have
the greatest influence throughout their child's schooling. Have a conference
with the parents. Through careful management of conferences, a teacher can gain
the information he/she needs from parents in order to fully understand the child
(Stevens pg. 80-89). When having a conference remember: have both parents in
attendance, set a time limit, establish an atmosphere of mutual respect and
trust, think of several possible solutions, and give the parents time to talk
about things they would like to discuss with you (Stevens pg. 80-89). In the
conference be ready to give the parents information to help their dyslexic child
at home. For example:
- "Make a date to read: read together as a family on a regular basis
- Play time: play fun board games that involve reading
- Don't make things "All or Nothing": if just one letter in the
entire word is wrong, when showing him/her the correct spelling let the
child know that he/she got it 90% right.
- Paragraph first: read the paragraph 2 times, first for the child to
recognize the main idea and the second time to understand the details.
- Rhythm and rhyme: have fun with memorizing by singing.
- Block out: use an ordinary white card to block out everything except
what the child is concentrating on reading.
- Play word games: for example, in 30 seconds try to think of all the
words we see in a grocery store.
- Color code: when writing, highlight different letters, syllables, or
phonemes in different colors. This helps with visual memory. Make the
first syllable green because most kids know that green is for go and red
is for stop.
- Water-writing: let your child fill up a water gun and spray the water
against a wall to spell out a word. It makes learning fun and again
involves the physical sense.
- Back-writing: use a pen or pencil, write letters such as b and d on your
child's back. They will feel the difference.
- Touch-typing: teach the child how to type. The good thing about typing
is that the computer will decide what the letter looks like. Typing
provides visual and kinesthetic input.
- Talent spotting: encourage the child to find other talents that do not
involve writing or reading.
- Sensing syllables: dyslexics find it hard to break words down into their
respective syllables. Using body movement is a way to have them sense out
a word. Say a two-syllable word and have the child say it with you. Then
have the child perform two body movements to go along with the syllables.
The child must choose the movement herself. Repeat the action several
times with different two-syllable words. Then show the child in writing
how he/she has broken the words down. This is a method of physical
learning that can then be applied to longer and more difficult words.
- Telling Time: dyslexics also have difficulty reading a watch or clock.
Have the child pretend that they are a clock. Have them position their
arms straight up in the air over their head so that they start at 12:00.
Have the child move his/her arm to a new time saying the new time out
loud. After you reach 12:00 again have the child transfer the information
onto paper" (Stordy pg. 206-209).
You may question the fact of whether or not a student will every overcome
dyslexia and if they don't what kinds of strengths do they have? Yes, dyslexic
children do have strengths! A dyslexic student may be able to arrange your
classroom better than you do, believe it or not. Dyslexic students have a very
good visual eye (Murford pg. 79-80). Buy a dyslexic child a model to put
together for Christmas. The dyslexic child may have that model put together
before you. Dyslexic children are very skillful with their hands (Cronin
pg.113-115). Ask the dyslexic child to help you with the computer. Dyslexic
children are very practical (Stevens 170). It's story time, have your dyslexic
student recall a childhood memory. Dyslexic children's long-term memory is very
good (Jordan pg. 26).
Is there a chance of overcoming dyslexia? Time is very critical in solving
dyslexia. "If dyslexia is diagnosed before the child enters the third
grade, there is approximately 80% chance that the child can overcome his or her
confusion with language symbols well enough to do satisfactory school work. If
the condition is not diagnosed until fifth grade, there is approximately 40%
chance of overcoming the handicap. For dyslexics who reach seventh grade before
treatment is begun, there is only about 5% chance for enough correction to let
the student reach grade level skills in writing and reading. Obviously, the
hopes for a successful recover when the problem is not found until adulthood are
small. When the symptoms are recognized early, much can be done within the
regular classroom to overcome these handicaps" (Jordan pg. 20).
In conclusion, I would like to end with success stories. Yes, this handicap
can be overcome with some positive help, patience, and creativity. The first
story is about a girl named Annie. "Annie experienced visual symbol
confusion. Her intelligence enabled her to evade reading for a long period of
time. She could not recall the word images and mis-sequenced her letters. Annie
underwent a program to help her deal with dyslexia. Annie's grandmother always
bought her books for Christmas and Annie would ask her grandmother to read them
to her. If Annie were asked to read the books to her grandmother, Annie would
get upset and refused to read. But, one year after the training program Annie
bought a book for her grandma and on the card read:
Grandma, I will read this one to you.
Love, Annie" (Smith pg. 73-74)
My second success story is about a boy named Tom. "Tom struggled with
dyslexia in kindergarten. Tom's mom was very positive with Tom and never let him
slack. She would tell him that he was just going to have to work doubly hard.
And that is just what he did. He was not going to let dyslexia take over his
life. Tom worked very hard so that in high school he wouldn't have to be in a
remedial class. In high school, he fit in like just one of the other kids,
because of his strength and never ending effort. You can now see Tom in some
very famous movies. Yes, the Tom I'm talking about is Tom Cruise" (Smith
pg. 60-61).
"Checklist of Visual Dyslexia Symptoms
The following informal checklist can help teachers as well as parents
identify visual dyslexia. It is important to withhold judgment until a definite
syndrome of dyslexia symptoms has been identified in a student's behavior. If a
significant cluster of perceptual errors appears as the adult studies a
student's performance, then it is generally safe to conclude that visual
dyslexia exists.
Confusion with Sequence
____has poor concept of time
____ has poor concept of chronological order of events
____ cannot give day, month, and year of birth
____ cannot write months of year
____ cannot write days of week
____ cannot remember multiplication tables
Difficulty Following Directions (This can also indicate Attention Deficit
Disorder---- ADD syndrome.)
____ cannot remember daily routines at home
____ cannot follow teacher's directions in classroom
____ cannot comprehend instructions when given to a group; must have
one-to-one explanations
____ needs constant reminding of what to do
Faulty Oral Language
____ loses words, "goes blank," while telling, naming, describing
____ can tell stories or give oral reports, but gets details in wrong
sequence
_____ has difficulty with correct sequence of events
Faulty Reading Comprehension
_____ fails to identify main ideas
_____ tells story details out of sequence
_____ loses meaning of sentences or paragraphs before reaching the end
_____ fails to draw inferences from what has been read
_____ has difficulty recalling details when answering comprehension
questions
Slow Work Rate
____ seldom finishes timed exercises
____ easily frustrated when pressured for speed
____ work pace considerably slower than classmates
____ can do satisfactory work if given ample time and help
____ will not use full time allowance on timed tests; guesses, marking
items at random
Difficulty with Alphabet
____ does not know alphabet in correct sequence
____ omits certain letters from alphabetic sequence
____ mixes capital and lowercase letters
____ mixes manuscript and cursive styles
____ confuses similar letters
____ writes certain letters backwards or upside down
____ sings alphabet song or repeats rhyme to check sequence
____ is not able to synchronize voice, finger, and eyes while checking
work
Confusion with Symbols
____ demonstrates poor perception when symbols are traced on back
____ mental image is upside down
____ mental image is backwards
____ distorts shapes of symbols
____ turns symbols over
____ writes capital B and D instead of lowercase b and d
____ confuses symbols in reading, writing, and arithmetic
____ cannot conserve the form in copy work (loses mental images as eye
refocus)
____ confuses similar symbols
____ b - d - p- q ____ h - n
____ h - y ____ m - w
____ r - n ____ l - I
____ r - c - s ____ n- u
____ f - t ____ N - Z
____ 3 - E ____ 6 - 9
____ +, x, ¸
Errors in Oral Reading
____ reverses whole words
____ reverses beginning letters
____ transposes l and r in consonant blends
____ substitutes similar letter or words
____ transposes letters inside words
____ fails to see small details in words
____ fails to see punctuation marks
____ omits endings
____ telescopes (leaves out letters or syllables)
____ perseveraR es (adds extra
letters or syllables)
Errors in Spelling
____ transposes silent letters within words
____ does not recall correct order of letters
____ misplaces silent e
Errors in Arithmetic
____ reverses the process while working problems
____ carries or borrows wrong digit
____ cannot organize facts in story problems
____ misreads signs (plus for x, times for +, subtract for +)
Errors in Copying
____ loses place on board (far point)
____ misspells on paper
____ fails to observe capital letters
____ fails to observe punctuation marks
____ fails to space properly
____ erases frequently
____ overprints to correct mistakes
____ reverses letters
____ reverses whole words
____ telescopes
____ perseverates
____ works unusually slowly
____ tries to avoid copying tasks" (Jordan pg. 231-234)
Works Cited
Cronin, Eileen Ph.D. Helping Your Dyslexic Child. California, Rocklin,
1994.
Dyslexia: Some Hints for Teachers. The Dyslexia Institute, Staines, Middx,
11/28/01 (www.dyslexia-inst.org.uk/articles/hintsforteach.htm).
How Can I Help the Dyslexic Pupils While I Teach Everyone? The Dyslexia
Institute, Staines, Middx, 11/28/01 (www.dyslexia-inst.org.uk/articles/howcani.htm).
Irlen, Helen. Reading by the Colors. New York: Garden City Park, 1991.
Jordan, Dale. Overcoming Dyslexia. Austin, Texas, 1989.
Murford, Daphne. To Read or Not to Read. New York, NY, 1998.
Smith, Dr. Joan. You Don't Have to be Dyslexic. Sacrament, Ca, 1991.
Stevens, Suzanne. Classroom Success for the Learning Disabled. United
States of America, North Carolina, 1992.
Stordy, Jacqueline Ph.D. The Remarkable Nutritional Treatment for ADHD,
Dyslexia, & Dyspraxia The LCP Solution. New York, 2000.
