Dyslexia: The Most Prevalent Language-Based Learning Disability

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Dyslexia The Most Prevalent Language-Based
Learning Disability

• Presented by
• John Alexander, M.Ed.
• Head of School, Groves Academy
• alexanderj_at_grovesacademy.org

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Overview of the Dyslexia Presentation

1. A Definition
2. Assumptions
3. Research
4. Popular Misconceptions
5. A Couple of Examples
6. General Facts
7. A National Problem
8. Identification
9. Good Reading Instruction
10. A New Literacy Framework
11. The Five Variables of Instruction
12. Resources
13. Questions
14. Some Fun (if time permits)

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What Does It Take To Be A Reader?

• Language Comprehension
• Background Knowledge
• Vocabulary
• Language Structures
• Literacy Knowledge

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What Does It Take To Be A Reader?

• Word Recognition
• Phonological Awareness
• Decoding (print to speech correspondences)
• Sight Word Recognition
• Fluency

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Dyslexia A Definition

• Simply stated, dyslexia is an unexpected weakness
  in a sea of strengths.
• Who?
• How to Identify?
• Continuum to Address Need

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Dyslexia Assumptions

• Its not a question of what people believe about
  the teaching of reading. The teaching of reading
  and spelling must be viewed through a scientific
  lens.
• Reading does not come naturally (as speech does)
  and relies heavily on how we hear and manipulate
  sounds even before we see printed words.
• Reading is learned and, therefore, must be
  taught, supported, and sustained.

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DyslexiaResearch

• Yales Haskins Laboratory
• MRI study pinpointing the neural activity of good
  readers versus dyslexic readers controlling for
• IQ
• SES
• Other relevant variables

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DyslexiaResearch

• Haskins Laboratory Findings
• The neural pathways of dyslexics light up
  differently than the pathways of normal
  readers.
• The neural pathways can be rewired with proper
  intervention. We refer to this as brain
  plasticity.

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DyslexiaPopular Misconceptions

• Dyslexia is not mirror or backwards reading

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DyslexiaPopular Misconceptions

• It is very frustrating to hear teachers tell
  students with a reading or spelling difficulty to
  just try harder, as if it were an issue of
  motivation. This would be similar to asking
  someone with a vision disability to look harder
  at an object so that he can see it.

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Dyslexia A Couple of Examples

• Most adults, even experienced teachers of reading
  and writing, conceptualize words in their written
  rather than their spoken form unless they are
  taught to pay attention specifically to speech
  sounds.

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Dyslexia A Couple of Examples

• What is this child trying to spell?
• grs

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Dyslexia A Couple of Examples

• Lets see if we learned from the last example.
  What is this third grader trying to spell?
• chrane

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DyslexiaGeneral Facts

• There are some people who, being grown, forget
  the horrible task of learning to read. It is
  perhaps the greatest single effort that the human
  undertakes, and he must do it as a child.
• 
  -  John Steinbeck, 1962 Nobel Prize Winner for
  Literature
• For at least 20 to 30 of our nations children,
  reading is one of the most difficult tasks they
  will have to master throughout their schooling.
• Given the complexity of learning to read, it is
  critical that reading instruction is explicit,
  sequential, structured, and, ideally,
  multi-sensory. We also know that good reading
  instruction is good reading instruction no matter
  whether a child is an emerging reader or a
  struggling reader.

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DyslexiaGeneral Facts

• Learning to Read versus Reading to Learn
• Grades 1-3 students are learning to read
• Grades 4 and on students are reading to learn

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DyslexiaGeneral Facts

• According to research sponsored by the National
  Institute of Health (NIH), there is just a 25
  chance of a student with a reading problem
  reaching grade level in reading during his school
  experience if the problem is not identified and
  proper forms of intervention given by the start
  of third grade.

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Bleak RealityOur Countrys Educational System
is a Mess

• Of Our Countries Fourth Graders

Almost 40 do not read at a basic reading level
68 do not read proficiently
Source 2011 National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) Testing
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Dyslexia A National Problem

• Approximately 75 of all people with a learning
  disability have difficulty reading and spelling.
• It is estimated that 70 of our prison population
  cant read above fourth grade.
• (Proliteracy)
• Most disturbing some southern states are
  planning for future prison growth by studying
  illiteracy rates of middle school students.
• (Dr. Lesley Morrow, President, International
  Reading Association, Children of the Code
  interview on September 8, 2003)

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Dyslexia A National Problem

• An analogous situation to health care
• A few dollars for primary prevention versus tens
  of thousands of dollars (or more) for tertiary,
  critical care

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Dyslexia Identification

• Unfortunately and contrary to common sense,
  students require a very wide discrepancy between
  their potential and their actual achievement in
  order to be identified and for there to be any
  hope of proper forms of intervention provided.
  Instead of being identified at a young age, most
  LD children, if they are diagnosed at all, are
  not diagnosed until much later in their school
  experience. Reading failure, unfortunately,
  ensues.

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DyslexiaIdentification Who is at Risk?

• A family history of delayed speech and language
  development or literacy problems
• Difficulty rhyming by the age of four
• Errors in letter naming by the end of
  kindergarten (best predictor)
• Difficulty finding the words needed to express
  basic thoughts and ideas

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DyslexiaIdentification Who is at Risk?

• Difficulty with the comprehension of spoken or
  written language
• Difficulty remembering colors and sequences
  (numbers, seasons, days of week, months, etc.)

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DyslexiaIdentification Who is at Risk?

• Children with memory issues
• Difficulty with directionality with regard to
  space and time (right and left, up and down,
  early and late, yesterday and tomorrow)

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DyslexiaIdentification Who is at Risk?

• Difficulty decoding wordssingle word
  identification
• Difficulty encodingspellingwords
• Slow rate of writing

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DyslexiaIdentification Who is at Risk?

• Difficulty with organization
• Difficulty with mathematicsoften related to
  sequencing of steps or directionality or the
  language of mathematics

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DyslexiaIdentification Next Steps

• If you suspect your child has dyslexia or any
  learning difficulty what should you do?
• A psycho-educational assessment is needed.
• Two choices
• Private
• Public School System

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DyslexiaIdentification Next Steps

• Psycho-educational assessment includes
• Cognitive Potential Processing
• Achievement Testing
• Word decoding
• Fluency
• Comprehension
• Spelling
• Written Expression
• Speech Language (if needed)
• Math

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Dyslexia Good Reading Instruction

• Good reading instruction is good reading
  instruction. It doesnt matter if you are an
  emerging reader or a struggling reader. The
  following five strands of reading need to be
  taught both in isolation and in context.

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Dyslexia A New Literacy Framework

• Pillars of a New Literacy Framework
• Quality Core Instruction
• Databased Decision Making
• Response to Intervention (RtI model)
• Professional Collaboration

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Our Literacy Framework

1. Quality Core Instruction

Includes

• 5 Strands of Reading
• phonemic awareness
• phonics
• fluency
• vocabulary
• comprehension

Curriculum that Supports the 5 Strands
Proper Time Allocation
Appropriate Grouping of Students
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Dyslexia A New Literacy Framework

• Types of multi-sensory, quality core instruction
• Lindamood-Bell Phonemic Awareness (LIPS)
• Orton-Gillingham
• Slingerland
• Wilson
• Herman
• Alphabetic Phonics

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Dyslexia A New Literacy Framework

• Data-Based Decision Making
• Decisions about instruction, interventions, and
  student grouping need to be made using data from
  objective assessments that are given with
  fidelity and without bias. Visceral decisions
  are not in the best interest of the student.

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Data-Based Decision MakingA Student Example
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Data-Based Decision MakingA Student Example
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Data-Based Decision MakingA Student Example
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Dyslexia A New Literacy Framework

• Response to Intervention (RtI) Model

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Dyslexia A New Literacy Framework

• Professional Collaboration
• When we use both a response to an RtI model and
  data to make decisions about the instruction, we
  need to have teachers and administrators meet as
  a team to discuss student progress, especially
  when they are not making progress. We need to
  adjust the variables of instruction as needed.

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Gray Silent Reading Comprehension Test
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Dyslexia The Five Variables of Instruction

• Five Variables of Instruction
• The Instruction Itself
• Intensity of Instruction
• Frequency of Instruction
• Duration of Instruction
• Teacher Providing the Instruction

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DyslexiaResources

• Sally Shaywitzs, Overcoming Dyslexia
• International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
  410.296.0232 www.interdys.org
• Louisa Moats, The Missing Foundation in Teacher
  Education
• Louisa Moats, From Speech to Print
• National Institutes of Child Health and Human
  Development (NICHD)http//www.nichd.nih.gov/defaul
  t.htm
• National Reading Panel Teaching Children to
  Read www.nationalreadingpanel.org
• Groves Academy (952.920.6377) info_at_grovesacademy.o
  rg www.grovesacademy.org
• Upper Midwest Branch of the International
  Dyslexia Association (UMBIDA) 651.450.7589
• Orton Gillingham of Minnesota (OG-M) 763.951.2379
  www.ortongillingham-mn.org
• Lindamood-Bell of the Twin Cities 952.835.0700
• www.readingrockets.org

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Dyslexia An Example of the Importance of
Understanding Language Structure

• Error analysis
• grip spells____________________?
• Why?

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Dyslexia An Example of the Importance of
Understanding Language Structure

• Error analysis
• chrane spells____________________?
• Why?

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Dyslexia An Example of the Importance of
Understanding Language Structure

• Error Analysis How should a teacher handle the
  misspelling of
• Sine for sign?

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Dyslexia An Example of the Importance of
Understanding Language Structure

• Error Analysis
• Sbider spells____________________?
• Why?

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Dyslexia An Example of the Importance of
Understanding Language Structure

• Error analysis
• Buddr spells___________________?
• Why?

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Dyslexia An Example of the Importance of
Understanding Language Structure

• Error analysis
• How should a teacher handle this spelling error?
• Goverment for government

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Dyslexia Video

• http//blog.dyslexicadvantage.org/2015/06/23/dysle
  xia-in-america/

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Getting Services

• What can I do to help my child obtain the
  services he deserves?
• Arm yourself with information about dyslexia and
  your rights under IDEA
• Advocate, advocate, advocate
• Join a support group (IDA-UMB, National IDA, LDA
  of MN, Orton Gillingham of Minnesota, CHAD)

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Getting Services

• What should I do if I suspect my child has a
  reading disability (or any other type of
  disability)?
• Your child should be evaluatedeither
  independently or through your public school
• Cognitive Assessment (WIPSI, Wisc,
  Woodcock-Johnson)
• Achievement testing in areas of suspected
  difficulty (reading, math, written expression,
  speech and language, ADHD, visual-motor
  integration)

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Getting Services

• Questions to ask a potential evaluator
• Are you licensed to give the Wisc IV?
• Do you have a background in reading and
  understand why certain students struggle with
  reading?
• How many evaluations have you given to students
  with reading disabilities?
• Do you provide a written report after the
  evaluation and a follow-up meeting to discuss the
  results?
• What type of recommendations might we expect?

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Getting Services

• My child has been evaluated. Now what?
• If evaluated through the public school, you have
  a meeting with 60 days of the signing of the
  assessment plan.
• If you had the evaluation conducted privately,
  present the testing to the special education
  director of your public school and request (in
  writing) a date to review the testing and to
  determine whether your child qualifies for
  services and/or accommodations. (It is a good
  idea to check with the special education director
  before having a private evaluation to be sure the
  school will accept the testing.)

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Getting Services

• To determine whether a student qualifies for
  special education services, an IEP team will
  meet. The team generally consists of the special
  education director, the childs classroom
  teacher(s), a special education teacher, and any
  specialists. You may feel outnumbered, and it is
  your right to request that an advocate be there
  for you.

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Getting Services

• Does your child qualify for services?
• Generally a discrepancy model is used to
  determine eligibility. To qualify, there has to
  be a minimum of 1.75 standard deviations between
  the students cognitive potential and his/her
  academic achievement. Be careful that the full
  scale IQ is not used!

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Getting Services

• Important to note that the discrepancy model is
  not the only way to qualify for services.
• According to the Individuals with Disabilities
  Education Act (IDEA), states cannot mandate the
  use of the discrepancy model to determine a
  learning disability
• Response to Intervention
• Alternative, research-based procedures may be
  used to determine whether a child has a specific
  learning disability

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Getting Services

• My child qualifies for services. Now what?
• If the IEP team determines that your child
  qualifies for services, an Individual Education
  Plan (IEP) will be written detailing the specific
  goals and objectives that his teachers will be
  helping him to meet during the course of the
  year.
• It is critical that the goals and objectives are
  specific, measurable, realistic, and relevant to
  your childs disability.

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Getting Services

• My child qualifies for services. Now what?
• If your child qualifies for services due to a
  reading disability, we recommend that that you
  include reading goals that include progress in
  reading achievement tests of more than one year.
• Students on an IEP should be given achievement
  tests annually to be sure they are making
  adequate yearly progress. An annual IEP meeting
  should be held after the testing has occurred.

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Getting Services

• My child qualifies for services. Now what?
• The purpose of this IEP meeting is to discuss
  progress towards the goals and objectives as well
  as to discuss the achievement testing results.
• The IEP team will also determine whether the
  student still qualifies for an IEP and will
  adjust goals and objectives for the coming year
  accordingly.
• If the child hasnt made adequate progress, a new
  intervention plan should be considered.

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Getting Services

• Your child requires an intervention to close the
  gap between his potential and his actual
  achievement. This should be reflected in his
  IEP.
• The intervention will be dependent upon where the
  process of learning is breaking down, hence the
  importance of a good assessment.

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Getting Services

• Every three years a student with an IEP should
  have a complete re-evaluation including the
  cognitive assessment and achievement testing and
  any other evaluations that pertain to his
  disability. This documentation is important for
  accommodations, including extended time for ACT
  and SAT tests.