Teaching Students with Dyslexia/Dysgraphia

Question 1

Contributions from Medical Professionals

Answer 1

Paul Broca - Broca’s Area
Paul Wernicke-Wernicke’s Area Controls language comprehension
W. Pringle Morgan-first report of word blindness in a child. (1896)
James Hinshelwood - summarized 13 cases of word blindness similar to adults with brain injuries. First to advocate a specific mode of instruction for students with difficulties in reading and writing.
Samuel T. Orton-dyslexia is neurologically based but treatment is educational

Question 2

Contributions from Educators

Answer 2

June Lyday Orton-married to Samuel Orton,founded International Dyslexia Association
Anna Gillingham-
Bessie Stillman-
Sally Childs-
Marion Monroe-
Grace Fernald-
Beth Slingerland-
Aylett Cox-

Question 3

Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975

Answer 3

Began as a national political movement in the early 60s lead by parents who were frustrated that they couldn’t get educational services for their children with a variety of disabling conditions. They organized a landmark conference in Chicago in ‘63 where Samuel Kirk proposed the generic label of ‘learning disabilities’. After the conference, these parents partnered with the parents of children with intellectual disabilities to mount a national political movement to gain services for children in the US with educationally disabling conditions. This culminated in the Act of 1975 which guaranteed FAPE for all students with educationally disabling conditions.

Question 4

7 Principles to help Teachers create successful learning experiences

Answer 4

1. Do not assume children lack the motivation to learn. They may mask their fears of failure with challenging behaviors. Teachers need to provide encouragement so that students don’t give up on themselves.
2. Oral Language is related to written language development and oral Language instruction should be included in daily instruction.
3. Never assume that what was taught is what was learned.
4. Teach children based on the level they can appropriately learn
5. One exposure is not enough for many kinds of learning and learners
6. Teach how to learn
7. Flexibility is the key to Master teaching and effective learning

Question 5

The National Reading Panel identified 5 critical areas for early reading skills

Answer 5

1. phonemic awareness
2. phonics
3. Oral reading fluency
4. reading comprehension
5. vocabulary
   *Based on other research, Writing should also be included. A complete language program for all children, especially those with Dyslexia/Dysgraphia should include instruction and practice in oral Language, including morphological and syntactic awareness and orthographic awareness, including handwriting, spelling, and written composition.

Question 6

Creating a positive learning environment

Answer 6

Emotional climate refers to teacher attitudes towards students and student attitudes towards one another. Teachers provide the emotional safety that encourages students to take risks and allows students to make mistakes. Freedom to make mistakes is necessary for learning.
Classrooms should be organized, neat, and clutter free as some students are easily distracted, confused or disorganized.
A readily accessed alphabet with manuscript/cursive letters provides reinforcement for those with insecure recall.
Provide a consistent routine.

Question 7

Pacing lessons

Answer 7

Pacing is key to success in specialized instruction. Students are not ready to make longitudinal steps until they are able to apply skills independently.

Question 8

Designing Independent Work

Answer 8

Don’t use worksheets, students need the practice in copying, organizing, and placing their own work on a page.
Providing opportunities for students to apply language skills in content areas such as social studies and science can improve motivation and stimulate creativity. It’s important to provide written directions along with oral directions. Teacher feedback is important, peer tutoring should be used cautiously.

Question 9

Deficits in Executive Functioning

Answer 9

Students with Dyslexia and related disorders often have difficulty with executive functions. For students with impaired executive functioning, pull out services may be more confusing than helpful. Children may not transfer skills taught in the resource room to their reading or writing in the general ed classroom unless the special and general education programs are coordinated and explicit instruction is provided. Maintaining attention and engagement during instruction is often difficult for children with impaired executive functioning. They often habituate.

Question 10

Habituation and design of lessons to counteract habituation.

Answer 10

Habituation can be defined as a diminishing behavioral response to a stimulus due to its reoccurrence.
Students fail to pay attention or respond to continual exposure to the same stimuli or task. To overcome this in a lesson, tasks should have brief duration and varied frequency, however, the frequency should be routine. Collectively, short duration, consistent change that introduces novelty and a predictable routine across lessons can help students attend, engage, and self-regulate their learning.

Question 11

Reading Small Groups, not guided reading.

Answer 11

Not all students in the general education classroom require the same level of teacher guidance as do children with dyslexia and related disorders. One key to meeting the needs of all students is forming instructional groups for reading based on instructional levels, but then adapting the nature of the instruction and not just the instructional level for the various groups depending on the needs of the students. Guided reading groups students by levels but gives the same nature of instruction to all students.

Question 12

How is receptive language affected by Dyslexia?

Answer 12

Children with Dyslexia may have a deficit in the phonological processing of heard words, having difficulty distinguishing between similar sounds, holding a sequence of sounds in working memory to spell, and even have difficulty processing morphology (word endings) or syntax (word order) of heard language.

Question 13

How is expressive Language affected by Dyslexia?

Answer 13

Their speech may be delayed for their age.
They may have difficulty planning and initiating what they want to say.
Their expressive Language may lack organization and have a simple structure.
Delays in vocabulary acquisition, word finding, syntax abilities and grammar.
They may raise their hands to answer a question only to forget what they wanted to say. They can become frustrated and avoid speaking in class.

Question 14

Why are oral Language lessons necessary?

Answer 14

Daily oral Language lessons are important because of the close relationship between spoken and written language. Students who have good decoding skills but lag behind in comprehension may benefit from intensive oral Language lessons focused on comprehension strategies.

Question 15

Classroom Strategies for Developing Oral Language

Answer 15

1. Encourage conversation.
2. Expect complete sentences.
3. Attend to listening skills.
4. Make sure students can organize and express thoughts clearly by helping with correct syntax and sentence form through modeling, questioning, and redirecting.
5. Incorporate question of the day starting with one part questions, then 2 and 3 part questions.
6. Teach students how to build and rearrange sentences.