Assignment 1:
Prezi link http://prezi.com/s0jsum7ccfps/teaching-students-with-dyslexia/
Teaching Students with Dyslexia
Karen D. Letonoff
MEE 7998
Teaching Students with Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a language based
learning disorder which, research suggests affects about 17 percent of the
population in the United States alone (PBS). Its effects include; difficulty
reading, language skills difficulty in pronouncing words, spelling and writing.
However, no two dyslectics are alike as this learning disability manifest
differently in each individual. The exact cause of dyslexia is still unknown,
however research suggests; that the dyslexic brain processes information differently,
dyslexia is genetic and can even skip a generation. Dyslexia is a lifelong
disorder, for which many people have found techniques to compensate. With the
proper skill set and assistance, they thrive and ultimately live to their full
potential, often exceeding the expectations of teachers and family members. As
young students learning to read and write the dyslexic student may require
extra support within the classroom, special accommodations and in extreme
cases, a special education classroom setting is the best option.
A kindergarten or first grade
teacher may start to notice a student having difficulties when the dyslexic
student begins to learn to read and write. An otherwise intelligent student may
begin to exhibit qualities such as: not testing well, daydreaming or zoning
out, confusing right from left, difficulty with reading comprehension, and difficulties with; phonemic awareness,
handwriting, and time management. Every student is different and the level of
strength and weaknesses varies from student to student. The key to success lies
within the diagnosis.
As with any diagnosis of a learning
disability, the earlier it is identified; the earlier intervention can take
place, so that the student can reach his/her maximum potential. However, as a
teacher, one must understand that the family will go through a period of
adjustment. It takes on similar characteristics to the grieving process. Denial, numbness, and shock; Bargaining; Depression; Anger; and finally Acceptance are the five stages of
grief which many families experience when a child has been first diagnosed with
Dyslexia. It is important to reassure the family that they have not done
anything “wrong” to cause the learning disability and that there are many successful
people who are dyslexic. For example: Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Walt Disney,
George Washington, Thomas Edison, Tom Cruise, Patrick Dempsey, Steve Jobs, to
name a few (PMK). Dyslexic people often can see the big picture but have a
harder time with the smaller details of an assignment or project. They
frequently choose an entrepreneurial career and are very successful as they
recognize their weaknesses and surround themselves with the support staff which
they need to succeed. In the words of Albert Einstein, “Once we accept our
limits, we go beyond them.” Understanding is crucial in to help the student
learn at their own pace. “People with dyslexia have weak phonemic awareness.
This means that they have difficulty hearing the fine distinctions among individual
sounds, or phonemes, of the language. They also have difficulty rhyming and
breaking words down into individual sounds. Phonemic awareness relates directly
to learning to decode and to spell words.” (PBS)
There are many programs to assist
people with dyslexia who have difficulty writing such as; “Dragon Naturally
Speaking for PC users and Dragon Dictate for Mac users is another technological
aide that facilitates the learning process for the dyslexic student. It is a
voice recognition program that allows you to dictate your ideas and watch your
words appear on the computer screen. For those who have word retrieval
difficulties, grapho-motor weaknesses or problems committing ideas to paper in
a timely fashion, Dragon may be just the tool you need, in order to improve
your writing skills.” (Frankenberger) There have also recently been developed
fonts such as “Open-Dyslexic” which may ease eye strain for dyslexic readers.
While the official research is not yet in, preliminary studies suggest that
this font has helped prevent letter shifting and eye fatigue while
reading.
(Open)
An effective teacher must
differentiate the instruction for the delayed reader. Special accommodations or
in many cases, an IEP, Individual Education Plan will be put into action for
the dyslexic student. The RTI, Right to Intervention allows for the best
possible scenario to be put into place for the student to reach his/her highest
possible potential. The Common Core standards for “Grade
Range for ELA CCR Anchor
Standard: K–5, Strand: Reading , Area: Range of Reading
The effective teacher will focus on
the student’s abilities rather than any shortcoming the dyslexic student may
have. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
where the words of Benjamin Franklin. With optimism, patience, and tact the
lines of communication between the teacher, parents and student must remain
open to suggestions and feedback. The dyslexic mind may look at the world from
a deferent perspective and many times it is that different vantage point which
is needed to solve the most difficult of questions. “I believe that the reason
I’ve been able to discover the things my very intelligent colleagues couldn’t
is because of my dyslexia. I look at things from a different perspective.” Dr.
R. Wyatt (PMK)
References
Common
Core State Standards (June 2010) Subject: English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and
Technical Subjects, Grade Range for ELA CCR Anchor Standard: K–5, Strand:
Reading, Area: Range of Reading
and Level of Text Complexity
Frankenberger,
Ed.M., C.; Jenkins, J. (2013). “Technology”
Online www.dyslexia.yale.edu/
PBS
Parents, (2013). “The Facts About Dyslexia,” Online
Positive
Messages for Kids, (2013). “Dyslexics, Slow Readers, Out-of-the-Box
Thinkers”
Ruddell,
R., (2006). Teaching Children to Read and Write,
Pearson Education, Inc.
