INT

RO

DU

CT

ION

Inclusive Dyslexia-Friendly Practice

SupportMotivateIncludeLikeEmpathise

SE

CT

ION

1SECTION 1

Striving to achieve Dyslexia-Friendly

Practice: Two Approaches

SE

CT

ION

2

SECTION 2

Children with Dyslexia:Feelings, Thoughts and

Behaviours

SE

CT

ION

3

SECTION 3

Improving School and Classroom Practice

AP

PE

ND

ICE

S

APPENDICES

Special Educational NeedsCross-Border

Professional ExchangeProgramme under

PEACE II

InclusiveDyslexia-Friendly Practice

i

Foreword

Every day, individual teachers and school staff bring dedication, imagination and skillto their work with children. By sharing these more widely across school communities,we ensure that all children on this island have greater opportunities to achieve totheir full potential.

The Special Educational Needs Cross-Border Professional Exchange Programmewas funded under Measure 5.5: ‘Education, Cross-Border School and Youth Co-operation’ of the European Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in NorthernIreland and the Border Region of Ireland (Peace II). The programme enabledteachers, educational psychologists and other professionals from the bordercounties of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to build on peace andstability by coming together and exchanging experiences and models of bestpractice. These participants formed three North-South cluster groups and basedtheir joint programmes of work on the key areas of Autism, Dyslexia andMarginalised Youth, respectively.

Through the project, close links were forged in the field of special education, Northand South. The benefits to the whole of the island are many, as the clusters sharedand learned from each other’s good practice and began to develop their expertisetogether. These links extended beyond the professional; they increased mutualunderstanding and respect and have led to the formation of positive and sustainablerelationships.

We owe our gratitude, in the first instance, to all those who so willingly gave of theirtime and expertise to participate in the core work of the project. We are also gratefulto the members of the Steering Group, to the Special Education Support Service forits work in overseeing the project, to Seamus McDermott of Monaghan EducationCentre, who so willingly gave us a home, and to Andrea Quinn, the Project Manager,whose commitment and enthusiasm added greatly to the success of the project.

This resource, as well as those produced by the other two cluster groups, are theresult of a truly collaborative effort and they reflect the wealth of knowledge andexperience within those groups. We hope that they will be an invaluable tool toteachers throughout both education systems.

John Hunter Breandán Ó Murchú

Project Principals

May 2006

iii

Acknowledgements

Peace II

Department of Education, Northern Ireland

Department of Education and Science, Dublin

Steering Committee: SEN Cross-Border Professional Exchange Programme

Special Education Support Service (SESS)

Monaghan Education Centre

Andrea Quinn, Project Manager

Betty Treanor, Project Administrator

A special word of thanks is extended to all the students, school personnel, casecontributors and many others who engaged in and supported the activities of theproject, thereby contributing enormously to the development of this publication.

v

Cluster Participants (Dyslexia)

Rosetta McMahon St Mary’s Boys’ National School, Monaghan

Paula Coleman St Mary’s Boys’ National School, Monaghan

Martin McGlade Harberton Special School, Belfast

Sandra Bradford Harberton Special School, Belfast

Eileen Saunders Harberton Special School, Belfast

Doris Walker Harberton Special School, Belfast

Maeve Conlon St Clare’s National School, Manorhamilton

John Conlon St Clare’s National School, Manorhamilton

Tom McCully Belmont House, Derry

Nuala Begley Belmont House, Derry

Charlotte Brady Dromore National School, Donegal

Clare Bryne Dromore National School, Donegal

Michael McMullen Dromore National School, Donegal

Mary McGranaghan Dromore National School, Donegal

Kathryn Bell Dunclug College, Ballymena

Carrie Lee Dunclug College, Ballymena

Marie McElvaney Castleblayney College, Castleblaney

Deirdre McHugh National Educational Psychological Service

John Finlay Psychological Services, Southern Educationand Library Board

Ann-Marie Casserly St Angela’s College, Sligo

Sandra Smyth North Eastern Education and Library Board

Helen Nelson Cottown Outreach Centre, Bangor

Caroline Porter Cottown Outreach Centre, Bangor

Eugene Toolan St Angela’s College, Sligo

Jackie Lambe University of Ulster

Marleen Collins Department of Education, Northern Ireland

vii

Contents

Introduction 1

Section 1 Striving to Achieve Dyslexia-Friendly Practice:Two Approaches

Approach A – Developing a dyslexia-friendly 4mainstream school

Approach B – The Special School for pupils with 8dyslexia as a Centre of Excellence

Section 2 Children with Dyslexia:Feelings, Thoughts and Behaviours

2.1 Emotional Reaction 21

2.2 Follow-on Effects on the Child’s Learning Style, 24Responses to Tasks and Self-Esteem

2.2.1 Task-related behaviours 24

2.2.2 Self-esteem 25

2.2.3 Acting-out behaviour 25

2.3 Intervention Strategies 26

2.3.1 Teacher-pupil relationship 26

2.3.2 Developing the child’s emotional 27communication skills and maintainingintegration and relationships with peers

2.3.3 Developing a structure for identifying 27successes and progress

2.3.3.1 Strategy for handling errors / 27feedback from adults

2.3.3.2 Positive thinking strategies 28

2.3.4 Helping teachers with their common reactions 29

2.3.5 Colleges of education – training 30

2.3.6 Parent / ‘child as learner’ relationship: 30homework technique for parents

2.4 My Child with Reading Difficulties: 31Some Hints for Parents

Section 3 Improving School and Classroom Practice

3.1 Tips for Inclusive Dyslexia-Friendly Practice 35

3.2 ICT Software Programs Supporting Dyslexia 42

3.3 The Toolkit 52

3.4 Support Booklets: 54

l Moving to a Post-Primary School:A Parent’s Booklet

l Moving to a Post-Primary School:A Pupil’s Booklet

l Tips for Teachers of Pupils withDyslexia in Post-Primary Schools

Appendices

Appendix 1: Steering Committee 65

Appendix 2: Resources and Suppliers of Software 67Supporting Dyslexia

viii

1

INTRODUCTION

The ‘Inclusive Dyslexia-Friendly Practice’ is designed for use with pupils whohave dyslexia as well as for teachers and parents who work in this area.

Programme participants from Northern Ireland and the border counties cametogether to investigate, share and promote best practice for pupils who havedyslexia. They researched the idea of creating an inclusive dyslexia-friendly schoolwith an emphasis on ICT, in order to develop benefits for pupils, teachers andparents alike. This resource pack represents their accumulated work carried outover an eighteen-month period, in mainstream and special education, at primary,and post-primary level and in collaboration with an associated support service.

The participants present two approaches to creating inclusive dyslexia-friendlyschools. They used the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) standards and theaccompanying ‘Achieving Dyslexia-Friendly Schools Information Pack’1 as points ofreference. The impact of dyslexia on the emotional development of both the childand his / her family is also presented, with some suggested strategies for addressingthe main challenges. The section on improving school and classroom practicesincludes a number of resources. Practical tips for achieving an inclusive dyslexia-friendly school are included. ICT software that supports dyslexia is examined,together with the question of how pupils can use ICT to help their learning.

The toolkit has been created as a practical resource for learning and teachingwhich can be used in every classroom. Its main aim is to provide some practical tipson strategies that participants have used in their work involving pupils with difficultiesarising from dyslexia. Therefore, it includes classroom aids and equipment togetherwith information on how to use them. All of the comments included reflect theparticipants’ personal experiences. A number of support booklets have also beendesigned. Two of these booklets outline strategies for the pupil and his / her parentswith regard to the transition from primary to post-primary school.

It is important to note that while the focus of the work is the development of inclusivedyslexia-friendly practice, this resource pack can be of benefit, not just to pupils withdyslexia, but to all pupils.

1 www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/dfs.html

3

SECTION 1

Striving to Achieve Dyslexia-FriendlyPractice: Two Approaches

Outlined below are two different organisational approaches to achieving dyslexia-friendly practices.

Approach A: Developing a dyslexia-friendly mainstream school.

Approach B: The Special School for pupils with dyslexia as a Centre of Excellencein itself and as a support for outlying mainstream schools.

Description of Approach A

This approach addresses some of the challenges faced by mainstream schools inbecoming dyslexia-friendly. Approach A was devised using the BDS standards andthe accompanying ‘Achieving Dyslexia-Friendly Schools Information Pack’ as pointsof reference. Creating guidelines for the development of a dyslexia-friendly schoolrequires a great deal of planning. Key elements include Whole-School Consultation,Assessment and liasing with parents and outside agencies. It is also essential to seta specific timeframe for implementation and to identify those who have responsibilityfor key actions.

Description of Approach B

Approach B is based on four main standards, also drawn from the BDA standardsand the accompanying ‘Achieving Dyslexia-Friendly Schools Information Pack. Thestandards also reflect the excellent work carried out to date in similar existing specialprovision, north and south.

The four standards:

n Leadership and Managementn Teaching and Learningn Creating a Climate for Learningn Partnership and Liaison

It is intended that formal adoption of these standards will assist in ensuringcontinuity, progression and improvement and that which is best for the child willremain the central focus of any intervention or planned strategy. The Centre for thepurpose of this document is defined as a service that has a primary function toprovide support to pupils with dyslexia, their parents and their schools.

The following templates are designed to facilitate the selection and prioritisation ofindicators with some suggested associated actions (for both Approach A andApproach B).

4

Ap

pro

ach

A:

Dev

elo

pin

g a

Dys

lexi

a-F

rien

dly

Mai

nst

ream

Sch

oo

l

Ele

men

tO

bje

ctiv

esT

imef

ram

eR

esp

on

sib

ility

The

pup

ill

Tha

t th

e pu

pil i

s m

ade

awar

e of

the

ir di

fficu

lties

and

w

ithen

cour

aged

to

expr

ess

his

/ he

r co

ncer

ns t

o ap

prop

riate

sta

ffdy

slex

ial

Tha

t th

e pu

pil r

ecei

ves

supp

ort

rega

rdin

g em

otio

nal o

r

beha

viou

ral i

ssue

s l

Tha

t th

e pu

pil i

s as

sist

ed in

iden

tifyi

ng h

is /

her

uni

que

lear

ning

st

rate

gies

l

Tha

t th

e pu

pil i

s in

volv

ed in

IE

PP

lann

ing

lT

hat

non-

dysl

exic

pup

ils a

re m

ade

awar

e of

dys

lexi

a

Who

le-s

choo

ll

New

sta

ff, s

ubst

itute

and

tem

pora

ry t

each

ers

and

clas

sroo

m

cons

ulta

tion

assi

stan

ts b

e m

ade

awar

e of

pup

ils w

ith d

ysle

xia

lP

rovi

sion

is m

ade

for

trai

ning

of

scho

ol s

taff

lTe

ache

rs m

ake

prov

isio

ns in

the

ir pl

anni

ng f

or p

upils

with

dys

lexi

a l

Teac

hers

info

rm c

olle

ague

s of

any

pup

ils w

ith d

ysle

xia

as t

hey

pass

on

thei

r cl

asse

s, t

o en

sure

sm

ooth

tra

nsiti

onl

Teac

hers

are

mad

e aw

are

of a

nd f

acili

tate

d to

atte

nd in

-ser

vice

co

urse

s on

dys

lexi

a. A

rran

gem

ents

are

mad

e to

allo

w /

enc

oura

ge

them

to

atte

ndl

Pro

cedu

res

are

in p

lace

to

aid

tran

sitio

n to

sec

ond

leve

l

5

Ele

men

tO

bje

ctiv

esT

imef

ram

eR

esp

on

sib

ility

Cla

ssro

om

lT

hat

all t

each

ers

are

mad

e aw

are

of p

ossi

ble

clas

sroo

m

man

agem

ent

and

man

agem

ent

stra

tegi

es in

dea

ling

with

the

pup

il w

ith d

ysle

xia:

orga

nisa

tion

lS

eatin

g po

sitio

n, b

lack

boar

d w

ritin

g an

d al

tern

ativ

esl

Cha

lks

/ m

arke

rs /

pen

s /

penc

ils,

crea

m p

aper

and

fon

t si

ze

lP

eer

supp

ort

and

grou

p w

ork,

whe

re a

ppro

pria

te

lK

ey w

ords

/ c

lass

room

/ w

hole

-sch

ool l

abel

s

lC

lass

room

lang

uage

Teac

hing

sty

les

lT

hat

teac

hers

are

mad

e aw

are

of t

he s

uita

bilit

y of

the

ir

teac

hing

sty

les

and

adap

t th

ese

to s

uit

the

part

icul

ar p

upil

with

dy

slex

ia

Ass

essm

ent

lT

hat

ther

e is

a s

yste

m o

f as

sess

men

t in

pla

ce t

o in

itial

ly id

entif

y

pupi

ls w

ith li

tera

cy d

iffic

ultie

s an

d th

at s

peci

fic in

terv

entio

ns a

rere

view

ed p

erio

dica

lly

lT

hat

ther

e is

reg

ular

who

le-c

lass

mon

itorin

g to

ass

ess

prog

ress

an

d to

une

arth

une

xpec

ted

diffi

culti

es

lT

hat

the

pupi

l with

dys

lexi

a is

ass

esse

d in

ter

ms

of h

is /

her

kn

owle

dge

rath

er t

han

liter

acy

abili

ty

Inte

rven

tion

lT

hat

ther

e ex

ist

clea

rly d

efin

ed c

lass

room

inte

rven

tion

and

supp

ort

pr

ogra

mm

es

lT

hat

suita

ble

lear

ning

cha

lleng

es a

re s

et f

or t

he p

upil

with

dys

lexi

a

lT

hat

pupi

ls w

ith d

ysle

xia

are

affo

rded

the

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

wor

k in

a

varie

ty o

f ab

ility

gro

upin

gs s

o th

at le

sson

con

tent

tea

chin

g, w

ill

be c

ogni

tivel

y ch

alle

ngin

g

6

Ele

men

tO

bje

ctiv

esT

imef

ram

eR

esp

on

sib

ility

Mul

ti-se

nsor

y l

Tha

t th

e te

ache

r is

mad

e aw

are

of t

he v

ario

us s

trat

egie

s th

at

teac

hing

m

ay b

e im

plem

ente

d w

hen

deal

ing

with

pup

ils w

ith d

ysle

xia

stra

tegi

es

Hom

ewor

kl

Tha

t co

nsid

erat

ion

be g

iven

to

the

follo

win

g:1.

Who

can

rea

d /

writ

e ho

mew

ork

for

pupi

l at

hom

e?

2.W

ritin

g do

wn

hom

ewor

k 3.

Mon

itorin

g tim

e sp

ent

4.P

rese

ntat

ion

form

at m

ay v

ary:

ora

l, ill

ustr

ate,

min

d m

aps,

ou

tline

s, p

roje

cts,

com

pute

r us

e

ICT

lT

hat

part

icul

ar a

ttent

ion

is p

aid

to t

he f

ollo

win

g:1.

Sof

twar

e us

age

2.F

ont

size

/ s

ize

3.S

cree

n co

lour

Writ

ing

lT

hat

cons

ider

atio

n be

giv

en t

o va

ried

pres

enta

tion

of w

ritin

g to

in

clud

e m

ind

map

s, s

pide

r w

ebs,

bul

let

char

ts,

flow

cha

rts,

m

arki

ng s

yste

m,

use

of c

olou

red

pape

r /

note

book

s /

copi

es

Rea

ding

lT

hat

the

oppo

rtun

ities

for

sha

red

/ pa

ired

read

ing

and

‘Rea

dalo

ng’

are

avai

led

of o

n a

regu

lar

basi

s

7

Spe

lling

lT

hat

reso

urce

s av

aila

ble

for

the

deve

lopm

ent

of s

pelli

ng in

clud

e sp

ellc

heck

ers,

mag

netic

and

woo

den

lette

rs,

sand

pape

r le

tters

an

d di

ctio

narie

s

Res

ourc

esl

Tha

t am

ple

and

appr

opria

te r

esou

rces

are

mad

e av

aila

ble

to e

ach

clas

s te

ache

r to

sup

port

the

pup

il w

ith d

ysle

xia

or S

ever

e Le

arni

ng

Diff

icul

ty (

SLD

)

Par

ents

lT

hat

pare

nts

are

mad

e aw

are

of s

choo

l’s p

olic

y on

dys

lexi

al

Tha

t co

mm

unic

atio

n be

twee

n th

e sc

hool

/ t

each

er a

nd p

aren

ts is

ef

fect

ive

lT

hat

the

scho

ol n

otifi

es p

aren

ts o

f co

ncer

ns r

egar

ding

pos

sibl

e dy

slex

ia a

t an

ear

ly a

ge a

nd t

hat

pare

nts

are

activ

ely

enco

urag

ed

to e

xpre

ss c

once

rns

and

know

to

who

m t

hese

con

cern

s sh

ould

be

addr

esse

d

Ele

men

tO

bje

ctiv

esT

imef

ram

eR

esp

on

sib

ility

8

Ap

pro

ach

B –

Th

e S

pec

ial

Sch

oo

l fo

r P

up

ils w

ith

Dys

lexi

a as

a C

entr

e o

f E

xcel

len

ce

1.

Set

ting

of t

arge

ts t

o ac

hiev

eC

entr

e of

Exc

elle

nce

stat

us

2.

Pol

icie

s th

at a

ddre

ss t

he n

eeds

of

pupi

ls w

ith d

ysle

xia

3.

Use

of

stra

tegi

es,

to a

ssis

t th

epu

pil w

ith d

ysle

xia

to a

cces

s th

ecu

rric

ulum

in h

is /

her

ow

n sc

hool

/cl

ass

setti

ng

lT

hey

are

outli

ned

in t

he C

entr

e’s

deve

lopm

ent

plan

lP

lans

are

in p

lace

for

mon

itorin

g on

an

ongo

ing

basi

s

lT

hey

have

bee

n de

velo

ped

in c

onsu

ltatio

n w

ith a

wid

e ra

nge

of s

take

hold

ers

incl

udin

g sc

hool

s, p

upils

, pa

rent

s /

care

rs a

nd b

oard

offi

cers

lT

hey

are

effe

ctiv

ely

com

mun

icat

ed t

o th

ose

stak

ehol

ders

lIs

sues

rel

atin

g to

SE

N,

diffe

rent

iatio

n an

d in

clus

ion

are

addr

esse

dl

Lear

ning

and

tea

chin

g ar

e sp

ecifi

cally

add

ress

ed in

pol

icie

sl

Pas

tora

l car

e is

incl

uded

and

str

esse

dl

Sub

ject

wor

k is

app

ropr

iate

whi

le m

ater

ials

mat

ch r

eadi

ng a

bilit

yl

Ass

essm

ent

and

mon

itorin

g ar

e in

clud

ed in

pol

icie

sl

Mar

king

hom

ewor

k is

incl

uded

in p

olic

ies

lP

artn

ersh

ips

with

par

ents

is in

clud

ed in

pol

icie

sl

Par

tner

ship

s w

ith s

choo

ls is

incl

uded

in p

olic

ies

lB

ehav

iour

,pa

rtic

ular

ly t

hat

asso

ciat

ed w

ith d

ysle

xia,

is in

clud

ed in

polic

ies

lIn

divi

dual

tea

cher

’s p

lann

ing

incl

udes

suc

h st

rate

gies

Sta

nd

ard

1:

Lea

der

ship

an

d M

anag

emen

t

Th

ere

sho

uld

be

evid

ence

of:

Man

ifes

ted

by

fact

th

at:

9

Sta

nd

ard

1:

Lea

der

ship

an

d M

anag

emen

t

Th

ere

sho

uld

be

evid

ence

of:

Man

ifes

ted

by

fact

th

at:

4.

Tra

inin

g w

orks

hops

/ in

form

atio

nse

min

ars

prov

ided

for

par

ents

and

teac

hers

fro

m m

ains

trea

m s

choo

ls

5.

An

annu

al r

epor

t on

the

wor

k an

dpr

ogre

ss o

f th

e C

entr

e fo

r sc

hool

gove

rnor

s an

d /

or m

anag

ing

bodi

es

6.

Pla

nnin

g f

or c

ontin

uous

prof

essi

onal

dev

elop

men

t (C

PD

) in

spec

ific

area

s

lT

here

is p

artn

ersh

ip w

ith o

ther

age

ncy

staf

f, e.

g. p

sych

olog

y se

rvic

esl

All

staf

f ar

e tr

aine

d to

OC

R1

leve

l 4 (

or e

quiv

alen

t) a

nd a

ll st

aff

are

prov

ided

with

the

opp

ortu

nity

to

achi

eve

leve

l 5l

Sup

ply

staf

f ar

e pr

ovid

ed w

ith g

uide

lines

on

dysl

exia

-frie

ndly

tea

chin

g /

pupi

lspr

ofile

sl

The

re is

reg

ular

Con

tinui

ng P

rofe

ssio

nal D

evel

opm

ent

(CP

D)

in t

he c

onte

xt o

fch

angi

ng n

eeds

1O

xfor

d C

ambr

idge

and

Roy

al S

ocie

ty o

f Art

s (O

CR

)

Com

plet

e as

app

ropr

iate

Com

plet

e as

app

ropr

iate

10

7.

The

rea

l im

pact

of

the

wor

k of

the

Cen

tre

8.

Exp

licit

refe

renc

e to

Cen

tre

ofE

xcel

lenc

e st

atus

in C

entr

e’s

indu

ctio

n pr

oced

ures

for

new

sta

ff(a

nd s

uppl

y st

aff)

9.

The

com

mitm

ent

of t

he C

entr

e’s

man

agem

ent

to e

nsur

ing

that

the

Cen

tre

is a

dequ

atel

y re

sour

ced

l75

% o

f pu

pils

sho

w im

prov

emen

t in

rea

ding

quo

tient

/ r

eadi

ng a

ge a

nd s

pelli

ngqu

otie

nt /

spe

lling

age

lD

ata

is a

vaila

ble

to s

how

gen

eral

sat

isfa

ctio

n le

vels

fro

m p

upils

/ c

arer

s an

dsc

hool

sl

Pup

ils h

ave

acqu

ired

tran

sfer

able

cro

ss-c

urric

ular

lear

ning

str

ateg

ies

lD

ata

is a

vaila

ble

to in

dica

te in

crea

se in

con

fiden

ce in

how

mai

nstr

eam

teac

hers

add

ress

the

nee

ds o

f pu

pils

with

dys

lexi

a

Sta

nd

ard

1:

Lea

der

ship

an

d M

anag

emen

t

Th

ere

sho

uld

be

evid

ence

of:

Man

ifes

ted

by

fact

th

at:

Com

plet

e as

app

ropr

iate

Com

plet

e as

app

ropr

iate

11

10.T

he C

entr

e’s

com

mitm

ent

tosu

ppor

ting

mai

nstr

eam

sch

ools

to

achi

eve

a dy

slex

ia-f

riend

ly e

thos

11.

The

Cen

tre’

s re

cogn

ition

of

and

addr

essi

ng t

he n

eeds

of

staf

f, ot

her

pers

onne

l and

par

ents

who

may

be

dysl

exic

Sta

nd

ard

1:

Lea

der

ship

an

d M

anag

emen

t

Th

ere

sho

uld

be

evid

ence

of:

Man

ifes

ted

by

fact

th

at:

Com

plet

e as

app

ropr

iate

Com

plet

e as

app

ropr

iate

12

1.

Und

erpi

nnin

g kn

owle

dge

lT

here

is a

rai

sing

of

awar

enes

s of

cla

ss /

sub

ject

tea

cher

s’kn

owle

dge

of t

hena

ture

and

indi

cato

rs o

f dy

slex

ia,

stra

tegi

es f

or s

uppo

rt a

nd h

ow t

o ac

cess

avai

labl

e so

urce

s of

info

rmat

ion

(e.g

. D

epar

tmen

t of

Edu

catio

n (D

E)

Gui

delin

es,

BD

AD

ysle

xia-

Frie

ndly

Sta

tus

Gui

delin

es e

tc.)

lT

he s

ervi

ce is

use

r-fr

iend

ly a

nd f

ully

acc

essi

ble

to a

ll sc

hool

s (e

.g.

publ

icis

ed‘h

elp

desk

’with

cle

arly

adv

ertis

ed t

imes

)l

At

leas

t 50

% o

f st

aff

will

hav

e ga

ined

/ b

e w

orki

ng t

owar

ds O

CR

Lev

el4/

5/A

MB

DA

1m

embe

rshi

p or

equ

ival

ent

lS

taff

are

acce

ssin

g on

goin

g C

PD

tha

t pr

omot

es p

rofe

ssio

nal c

ompe

tenc

el

The

re is

pro

visi

on o

f on

goin

g C

PD

to

clas

sroo

m a

ssis

tant

s en

surin

g th

at t

hey

are

seen

as

valu

ed m

embe

rs o

f th

e te

achi

ng t

eam

who

kno

w h

ow a

pply

supp

ort

stra

tegi

es f

or p

upils

with

dys

lexi

a an

d al

so r

efer

bac

k to

the

cla

ssro

omte

ache

r an

d /

SE

NC

O f

or a

dditi

onal

/ d

iffer

ent

stra

tegi

esl

Cen

tre

staf

f ar

e m

akin

g th

eir

pupi

ls a

war

e of

the

nat

ure

of t

heir

diffi

culti

es,

whe

re a

ppro

pria

te,

incl

udin

g ar

eas

of s

tren

gth

and

pref

erre

d le

arni

ng s

tyle

sl

Cla

ssro

om t

each

ers

are

awar

e of

the

nat

ure

of t

heir

pupi

ls’d

iffic

ultie

s, in

clud

ing

area

s of

str

engt

h an

d pr

efer

red

lear

ning

sty

les

lT

here

is a

rai

sing

of

awar

enes

s am

ongs

t te

ache

rs a

s to

the

sui

tabi

lity

of t

heir

teac

hing

sty

les

(e.g

. m

ulti-

sens

ory)

Sta

nd

ard

2:

Teac

hin

g a

nd

Lea

rnin

g:

Su

pp

ort

Sch

oo

l Im

pro

vem

ents

fo

r P

up

ils w

ith

Dys

lexi

a

Th

ere

sho

uld

be

evid

ence

of:

Man

ifes

ted

by

fact

th

at:

1A

ssoc

iate

Mem

bers

hip

of t

he B

ritis

h D

ysle

xia

Ass

ocia

tion

13

2.A

sses

smen

t an

d id

entif

icat

ion

lT

here

is a

dvic

e an

d as

sist

ance

to

the

scho

ol o

n de

velo

ping

sys

tem

s an

das

sess

men

t to

iden

tify

pupi

ls w

ith d

ysle

xia

thro

ugho

ut t

heir

educ

atio

nw

ith a

n em

phas

is p

lace

d on

ear

ly id

entif

icat

ion

and

spec

ific

inte

rven

tions

lS

yste

ms

and

asse

ssm

ents

tha

t of

fer

furt

her

diag

nost

ic in

form

atio

n to

scho

ols

on p

upils

with

dys

lexi

a ar

e av

aila

ble

lA

dvic

e to

sch

ools

on

the

need

to

clos

ely

mon

itor

and

eval

uate

pup

ils’

prog

ress

and

tar

gets

is p

rovi

ded,

and

pro

visi

on is

adj

uste

d as

nec

essa

ry

lP

upils

’pro

gres

s an

d ta

rget

s ar

e m

onito

red

and

eval

uate

d by

Cen

tre

staf

f, an

d pr

ovis

ion

is a

djus

ted

as n

eces

sary

Sta

nd

ard

2:

Teac

hin

g a

nd

Lea

rnin

g:

Su

pp

ort

Sch

oo

l Im

pro

vem

ents

fo

r P

up

ils w

ith

Dys

lexi

a

Th

ere

sho

uld

be

evid

ence

of:

Man

ifes

ted

by

fact

th

at:

14

3.

Pro

gram

mes

of

lear

ning

lT

here

is a

ran

ge o

f cl

early

def

ined

inte

rven

tion

and

supp

ort

stra

tegi

es,

diss

emin

ated

to

clas

sroo

m t

each

ers,

in u

sel

Upd

atin

g of

tea

cher

s on

cur

rent

inte

rven

tion

prog

ram

mes

and

pro

visi

on o

fgu

idan

ce o

n su

itabl

e le

arni

ng c

halle

nges

occ

urs

lT

here

is p

rovi

sion

of

expe

rtis

e to

mee

t di

vers

e le

arni

ng n

eeds

, w

hich

ens

ure

pote

ntia

l bar

riers

are

ove

rcom

el

Pro

visi

on o

f ad

vice

to

clas

sroo

m t

each

ers,

tha

t w

ill e

nsur

e th

at t

hey

have

bee

nm

ade

awar

e of

pot

entia

l bar

riers

to

achi

evem

ent

and

how

bes

t th

ese

can

beov

erco

me

is o

n-go

ing

l‘P

en p

ortr

aits

’on

all p

upils

with

dys

lexi

a (t

o be

ava

ilabl

e to

all

teac

hers

incl

udin

g su

pply

tea

cher

s) t

hat

will

incl

ude

indi

vidu

al t

each

ing

and

lear

ning

stra

tegi

es a

re p

rovi

ded

lA

n ex

empl

ar o

f a

pen

port

rait

on a

pup

il w

ith d

ysle

xia

for

clas

sroo

m t

each

eren

surin

g be

st p

ract

ice

is p

rovi

ded

lT

he S

EN

CO

and

/ o

r S

enio

r M

anag

emen

t Te

am (

SM

T)

are

awar

e th

at c

are

ista

ken

to e

nsur

e th

at p

upils

’cog

nitiv

e ab

ility

is t

aken

into

acc

ount

in a

ny s

ettin

gor

str

eam

ing

syst

em s

o th

at t

each

ing

pres

ents

pup

ils w

ith d

ysle

xia

with

an

appr

opria

te le

vel o

f co

gniti

ve c

halle

nge

lC

lass

tea

cher

s ar

e aw

are

that

pup

ils s

houl

d ha

ve o

ppor

tuni

ties

to w

ork

in a

varie

ty o

f gr

oupi

ngs

– w

orki

ng c

olla

bora

tivel

y in

mix

ed-a

bilit

y gr

oupi

ngs,

with

an a

dult

in g

roup

s fo

rmed

on

the

basi

s of

app

ropr

iate

, sh

ared

lite

racy

/m

athe

mat

ical

lear

ning

obj

ectiv

es e

tc.

Sta

nd

ard

2:

Teac

hin

g a

nd

Lea

rnin

g:

Su

pp

ort

Sch

oo

l Im

pro

vem

ents

fo

r P

up

ils w

ith

Dys

lexi

a

Th

ere

sho

uld

be

evid

ence

of:

Man

ifes

ted

by

fact

th

at:

15

4.

Use

and

pro

visi

on o

f in

form

atio

nab

out

lear

ning

sty

les

in o

rder

to

enab

le p

upils

with

dys

lexi

a to

lear

nm

ore

effe

ctiv

ely

in t

he c

lass

room

setti

ng,

wor

king

in t

ande

m w

ithcl

assr

oom

tea

cher

s to

pro

vide

aco

ntin

uity

of

appr

oach

, in

clud

ing

mul

ti- s

enso

ry t

each

ing

and

lear

ning

opp

ortu

nitie

s

5.

Use

and

pro

visi

on o

f in

form

atio

n on

met

hods

tha

t en

able

the

pup

ils w

ithdy

slex

ia t

o le

arn

effe

ctiv

ely

byre

cogn

isin

g th

eir

lear

ning

sty

les,

refle

cted

in t

he a

ppro

ach

toho

mew

ork

lP

upils

are

tau

ght

a ra

nge

of le

arni

ng m

etho

ds,

e.g.

min

d m

appi

ng,

sum

mar

isin

g, q

uest

ioni

ng e

tc.

lT

here

is p

rovi

sion

for

one

-to-

one,

sm

all-g

roup

tea

chin

g an

d sp

ecia

list

supp

ort,

whi

ch is

dic

tate

d by

nee

d –

liter

acy,

num

erac

y, c

once

ptre

info

rcem

ent

etc.

lLe

sson

s re

flect

the

use

of

mul

ti-se

nsor

y te

achi

ng m

etho

ds a

nd a

resc

hedu

led

with

ade

quat

e fr

eque

ncy

that

ref

lect

s th

e IE

Pl

Wor

k is

rec

orde

d us

ing

a ra

nge

of f

orm

ats

whe

re p

ossi

ble

(e.g

. bu

llet

poin

ts,

stor

y bo

ard,

flo

w c

hart

, sc

ribed

ora

l / r

ecor

ded

etc.

)

lS

epar

ate

shee

ts,

scrib

ed in

to h

omew

ork

diar

ies

or r

ecor

ded

on a

dic

taph

one

are

prov

ided

lH

omew

ork

is d

iffer

entia

ted,

incl

udin

g ch

oice

of

reco

rdin

g m

etho

dl

Hom

ewor

k is

dis

cuss

ed w

ith p

upils

and

par

ents

Sta

nd

ard

2:

Teac

hin

g a

nd

Lea

rnin

g:

Su

pp

ort

Sch

oo

l Im

pro

vem

ents

fo

r P

up

ils w

ith

Dys

lexi

a

Th

ere

sho

uld

be

evid

ence

of:

Man

ifes

ted

by

fact

th

at:

16

6.

App

ropr

iate

pro

cedu

res

/ po

licie

s in

pla

ce

7.

Pro

visi

on o

f ad

vice

and

gui

danc

e to

SE

NC

O/S

MT

to e

nsur

e ex

iste

nce

ofco

rrec

t pr

oced

ures

/ p

olic

ies

lM

arki

ng a

nd a

sses

smen

t w

ill e

nsur

e pu

pils

are

ass

esse

d on

the

bas

is o

fth

eir

know

ledg

e (r

athe

r th

an p

oor

spel

ling)

. M

arki

ng is

for

suc

cess

and

iden

tifyi

ng d

evel

opm

ent

and

impr

ovem

ent

poin

tsl

Asm

ooth

pro

gres

sion

thr

ough

sch

ool,

part

icul

arly

dur

ing

all t

rans

ition

phas

es,

is e

nsur

edl

The

dev

elop

men

t of

‘life

ski

lls’,

such

as

prob

lem

sol

ving

, de

cisi

onm

akin

g, s

tres

s m

anag

emen

t, co

mm

unic

atio

n an

d em

otio

nal l

itera

cy is

enco

urag

edl

The

pro

visi

on o

f in

-hou

se e

xper

tise

to m

anag

e re

ason

able

exa

min

atio

nad

just

men

ts a

s w

ell a

s sc

hool

exa

min

atio

ns a

nd t

ests

is e

nsur

ed.

Pro

visi

on is

mad

e in

goo

d tim

e an

d th

roug

hout

the

sch

ool c

aree

r so

tha

tpu

pils

are

tau

ght

how

to

use

the

time

and

any

reso

urce

s ap

prop

riate

ly

Sta

nd

ard

2:

Teac

hin

g a

nd

Lea

rnin

g:

Su

pp

ort

Sch

oo

l Im

pro

vem

ents

fo

r P

up

ils w

ith

Dys

lexi

a

Th

ere

sho

uld

be

evid

ence

of:

Man

ifes

ted

by

fact

th

at:

Com

plet

e as

app

ropr

iate

17

1.

Pro

visi

on o

f ad

vice

by

Cen

tre

staf

fon

the

impl

emen

tatio

n of

acc

ess

stra

tegi

es a

nd d

ysle

xia-

frie

ndly

teac

hing

str

ateg

ies,

with

sup

port

evid

ence

acr

oss

all c

urric

ular

are

as

2.

Pro

visi

on o

f in

form

atio

n to

cla

sste

ache

rs r

egar

ding

app

ropr

iate

clas

sroo

m o

rgan

isat

ion

and

adap

tive

prac

tices

lC

onsi

dera

tion

is g

iven

to

seat

ing,

ligh

ting

and

the

posi

tion

of r

esou

rces

lK

ey w

ords

are

hig

hlig

hted

and

res

ourc

es a

re c

lear

ly la

belle

dl

Info

rmat

ion

is p

rovi

ded

on n

on-w

hite

pap

er (

e.g.

cre

am)

with

acc

essi

ble

font

/ la

yout

, w

here

rel

evan

tl

Alte

rnat

ives

to

copy

ing

from

the

boa

rd a

re p

rovi

ded

lU

se o

f ov

erla

ys,

whe

re a

ppro

pria

te,

is s

uppo

rted

lC

olla

bora

tive

lear

ning

and

pee

r su

ppor

t is

ava

ilabl

el

ICT

is u

sed

to s

uppo

rt p

upils

’lea

rnin

g. C

ompu

ter

scre

ens

/ fo

nt s

izes

are

adju

sted

whe

re a

ppro

pria

tel

An

audi

t of

res

ourc

es is

ava

ilabl

e w

ithin

sch

ool f

or s

uppo

rtin

g pu

pils

with

dysl

exia

, e.

g. m

agne

tic le

tters

, IC

Tso

ftwar

e, e

lect

roni

c sp

ellc

heck

,lit

erac

y ga

mes

e.g

. ‘g

oody

box

’

Sta

nd

ard

3:

Cre

atin

g a

Clim

ate

for

Lea

rnin

g f

or

Pu

pils

wit

h D

ysle

xia

Th

ere

sho

uld

be

evid

ence

of:

Man

ifes

ted

by

fact

th

at:

Com

plet

e as

app

ropr

iate

18

3.

Pro

mot

ion

of s

elf-

este

empe

rmea

ting

all t

he w

ork

of t

heC

entr

e

4.

Sup

port

and

gui

danc

e av

aila

ble

tocl

ass

teac

hers

to

enha

nce

thei

r ow

nab

ility

to

addr

ess

the

need

s of

pupi

ls w

ith d

ysle

xia

5.

Exi

sten

ce o

f ef

fect

ive

mea

sure

s to

deal

with

har

assm

ent

or b

ully

ing

lT

he in

divi

dual

and

his

/ h

er d

iver

sity

is v

alue

dl

Effo

rt a

nd a

chie

vem

ent

in a

ll ar

eas

is p

rais

edl

Str

engt

hs a

re p

rom

oted

lO

ppor

tuni

ties

for

succ

ess

are

prov

ided

lA

stre

ss-f

ree

lear

ning

env

ironm

ent

is p

rovi

ded

Sta

nd

ard

3:

Cre

atin

g a

Clim

ate

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21

SECTION 2

Children with Dyslexia:Feelings, Thoughts and Behaviours

IntroductionChildren with dyslexia often share common problems in the areas of feelings,thoughts and behaviours. To be able to empathise with, and understand the child, itis important to be aware of the effects of dyslexic difficulties on a child’s feelings(emotions), thoughts (cognition) and behavioural development, and to be able toidentify these effects, when presented. It is critical for the child’s development thatteachers and parents find ways to support the child in managing these challenges.

However, we often only look at what a child does, e.g. tends not to finish work setfor him1 (poor task completion), finds a variety of ways of avoiding starting a piece ofwork (task avoidance), or displays poor spelling performance on class assessmentsor in written work. The most common difficulties for such children arise from thechild’s emotional reactions to his experiences of failure in the learning environment,and the associated strategies he develops for dealing with these. These reactionscan affect the child’s thinking strategies, as well as trigger a range of behaviours.The single most common and most powerful negative impaction for the child withdyslexia is the denial of the ‘thrill of success’, which is, in fact, the single greatestmotivator towards learning, and the most significant basis on which self-esteem isbuilt.

2.1 Emotional ReactionThe child finds himself being set literacy activities to do, on a frequent basis, manytimes a day, every week day, for a large part of the year, for many, many years. Thisusually occurs in a public arena involving people of high emotional significance for thechild, i.e. parents, peers and teachers. These very activities are repeated failureexperiences. As the child grows older he becomes increasingly aware of how muchvalue adults and peers place on these skills, how much they may affect future lifeprospects, as well as how disruptive they can be in terms of lesson flow, home life etc.

As a secondary consequence, the dyslexic problem creates stresses for the adultshelping the child, of which the child will become increasingly aware. Suchexperiences can render the child very sensitised to the effects on parents andteachers of such difficulties, manifested possibly as confusion, frustration, and evenanger. Consequently, they can become keen and astute observers of the reactionsand the passage of thoughts and feelings across the faces of those with whom theyare working. In the absence of a breadth of life experience, the child is vulnerable

1 The personal pronoun ‘he’ is mainly used in this document for the sake of simplicity for the reader

22

and highly likely to take on the responsibility for such situations, and to come to feelat fault.

An almost inevitable outcome will be a developing sense of anxiety, which can onlybecome more intense over time, and more deep-seated. High level anxiety istypically a brief experience for most people, and is most usually associated withexternal indicators such as trembling or shaking, breathing difficulties, and vocalhesitations. However, such a feeling over repeated exposure, with low level andgradual origins, can, over time, become hidden from the observer, and so familiar tothe child experiencing it, that he actually comes to see such a state as relativelynormal. Hence, there is usually an absence of external signs of anxiety.Nevertheless, there are outward signs, in the child’s learning style, thinking style andresponses to activity demands. These changes in learning and thinking styles, andresponses to activity demands can be seen as adaptive ways of minimising stressesor anxieties.

A real-life event in the experience of a pupil as observed by an EducationalPsychologist (EP) is as follows:

Sharon (15-year-old pupil) had been experiencing severe difficulties allher life in reading and writing. After several interview sessions, sherevealed that she worried a lot about how her mother felt about herdifficulties. She said she knew that her mother often felt stressed andfrustrated by her difficulties.

Her mother had admitted that she found Sharon’s problems very difficultto cope with and would get extremely frustrated, and even angry at times.However, she was absolutely convinced that her daughter would not knowthis, because she was always very careful to hide this from her, for fear ofupsetting her.

On further questioning, Sharon said she always knew when her motherwas stressed about her efforts to read, because her mother alwaysbreathed in and held her breath when she was frustrated or annoyed ather reading attempts.

Sharon had become sensitive even to the sound of her mother’s intake ofbreath.

23

The following are possible worries that can arise in the family:

It is our job, as education professionals, to ensure that children who areexperiencing serious literacy difficulties, do not feel responsible for these orfor the interpersonal and practical issues that arise from them. Furthermore,we must ensure that all of the important people in a child’s life understand thenature and origin of these difficulties, and can empathise with the child. It isalso our responsibility to ensure that these adults know how to minimise thestresses on the child, as well as how to maximise the child’s capacity toaccess the curriculum and learn. Achieving this aim requires work withparents and teachers as well as with colleges of education.

24

2.2 Follow-on Effects on the Child’s Learning Style, Responses toTasks, and Self-Esteem2

2.2.1 Task-related behaviours

Reluctance to The child becomes worried about making mistakes ortake a guess getting things wrong, or just being unsuccessful YET

AGAIN. An adaptive strategy therefore is to avoid the riskof error by avoiding making guesses. Sometimes it is muchless painful to fail without effort than to put in a lot of effortand then fail.

Reluctance to This strategy helps to avoid the pain, fear and worry ofre-check work finding that the last effort was incorrect. It also holds the

possibility of bringing the activity to an end more quickly.

Distractibility The child may be highly distractible during literacy activitiesor activities that require a written or reading response.Such a strategy may be pure avoidance, or may simplyreflect a belief that success on the task will not be possible.

Poor listening The child may demonstrate poor listening skills. Oneskills possible explanation is that the child finds it hard to listen to

instructions because he is worrying about the outcomes ofthe activity. It is hard to take in information whenpreoccupied with something else. An everyday example ofthis, is the common experience of not rememberingsomeone’s name when first introduced to that person.This is because you may be anxious about theconversation that will follow, and do not give full attention tothe name.

Over-literal The child may take an over-literal understanding ofunderstanding instructions, especially in interpersonal situations. The child

may have become overly keen to please the adult (to avoiddispleasing or disappointing the adult), and so learns to doexactly what the adult says. The problem with this is thatvery few instructions are meant to be taken absolutelyliterally. Further attempts to explain a way out of themisunderstanding simply leads to greater misunderstandingand frustration for both adult and child. Of course, somechildren may be naturally literal-minded, irrespective of theemotional context.

2 The task behaviours may also serve as useful supplementary ‘Indicators’ of dyslexic problems.

25

Immediate ‘first The child may look for immediate solutions, which oftenimpression’ lead to superficial solutions. This means that the child doessolutions not fully scan the task initially. The child may havein problem- developed an absence of a basic expectation of success,solving tasks which would be necessary for developing the confidence

needed to scan, to persevere or to re-check initialhypotheses.

Losing The child may ‘lose’ essential equipment / books. This canequipment / be a good strategy for avoiding the stress of failurebooks experiences by reducing the likelihood of having to do the

task, or by reducing the time available for the task. Thesepotential failure experiences are not only embarrassing(which is painful), but can also lead to further loss of self-esteem (which can be even more painful).

Other The child may adopt a variety of other strategies, feigningavoidance feeling unwell, seeking to go to the toilet, sharpeningstrategies pencils, finding ways to bring the task to an end quickly

(i.e. gives up very easily and quickly), talking to otherchildren etc.

2.2.2 Self-esteemThe child may worry about how other children and adults view him. This may showby way of the child making more negative comparisons between himself and others,‘putting himself down’ etc. He may express more doubts about his ability orcompetence. The child may also seek high levels of reassurance, feedback orattention. Common reactions are ‘feeling stupid’, ‘feeling different’ (‘I am neverpicked to do cool things because I can’t read or remember things like everyoneelse’), ‘not being understood – confusing dyslexic with stupid’, ‘feeling embarrassed’(From a survey by South Cumbria Dyslexia Association and ManchesterMetropolitan University).

2.2.3 Acting-out behaviour

l Attention seekingThe child may seek higher levels of attention, e.g. seeking guidancemore often, talking and laughing with others, shouting out answersand not taking turns.

l ClowningThe child may seek a role as the class joker or character, by way ofobtaining positive feedback from peers.

26

l AggressionA child experiencing high levels of failure who may, coincidentally,also have poor relationship skills, may resort to aggressive behaviour,especially when frustrated or feeling threatened by a task.

l WithdrawalA child may adopt a strategy of withdrawal or of ‘disappearing’, inorder to avoid the stress of failure experiences.

2.3 Intervention StrategiesThere is a wide range of possible intervention strategies for dyslexic difficulties. Thefollowing is a small set of possible interventions targeting some of the most commonfacets of the emotional consequences of dyslexic difficulties.

2.3.1 Teacher-pupil relationshipPossibly the most important aspect of a successful approach to helping the child willbe the quality of the relationship between the adult and the child. This needs to befounded on understanding and empathy.

A survey by South Cumbria Dyslexia Association and Manchester MetropolitanUniversity revealed that both primary and secondary pupils place more importanceon a teacher’s personal characteristics than on the provision of support materials.They rated teachers who get angry, teachers who rush them, teachers who don’tencourage them to answer questions, teachers who shout, as ‘difficult to learn from’.After analysing comments from dyslexic children about what they found difficult orpositive in class, one researcher on the Manchester study concluded: ‘It isinteresting that the underlying theme is the emotional climate in the classroom,rather than any specific techniques or special methodology. They want calmnessand security, the feeling that teachers might actually like them…’. It may be thatteachers need to make extra effort to communicate these things to such children.The usual way of communicating these things may not be perceived by dyslexicchildren as being supportive enough.

The earlier example about a pupil being aware of someone’s breathing illustratesjust how important tone of voice, facial expressions and body language can be.These things cannot be taken for granted with pupils who are highly sensitive tosuccess and failure. Each learning experience represents a significant extension oftrust to the adult. This must be recognised.

Supportiveness, friendliness and nurturance can all be communicated by tone ofvoice (soft, relaxed, calm) and warm and gentle ‘eye contact’ (not staring, noravoiding focus). Frequent encouragement and supportive comments are necessary(always tied in to real efforts or success, and not patronising or false).

27

2.3.2 Developing the child’s emotional communication skills and maintainingintegration and relationships with peers

Circle timeIf done well, ‘circle time’ activities can provide safe, nurturing and secure emotionalspaces for communication between children. This is a necessary prerequisite forgoing on to build and maintain positive peer relationships and mutual understanding.

Special timeThis is where a teacher contrives to allow a child to spend time with the teacher in aone-to-one context, engaged in a neutral activity, e.g. putting up a class displaytogether, helping to put out equipment for a lesson, helping to tidy the class. Thisallows time for the child to learn how warm and friendly the teacher is. The activityhelps to provide an ‘external focus’ rather than teacher having to resort to false andstrained ‘let’s get to know each other by talking to each other’ context.

2.3.3 Developing a structure for identifying successes and progress

2.3.3.1 Strategy for handling errors / feedback from adultsAs mentioned, a child with dyslexia may be extremely sensitive to what he perceivesto be errors and failures in his work (in all areas of the curriculum). Therefore howerrors are handled or marked is vitally important. It will continue to be important, ofcourse, to provide encouragement for what the child does know, and so a specificstrategy for handling errors is very important. This involves firstly, praising effort,drawing attention to the aspects of his ‘guess’ that were correct, then helping him tofocus on where to make an improvement. In this way, mention of ‘mistakes’ or‘errors’ can be avoided, and attention is focused on what he does know. Thus,‘errors’ can come to be seen as hypotheses that lead to learning, rather than asfailure. This approach also focuses the child’s attention on the fact that he hasacquired many skills already.

For example, take Spelling:If the child spells ‘chair’ as ‘chere’, the word ‘chair’ has five letters and five positions.This makes ten features, each representing 10% accuracy. The child could firstly beroutinely praised for effort, then the child’s attention can be drawn to the fact thatthree of the letters are correct, and two positions are correct, making 50% of thisspelling correct. The child can then be asked to focus on the word again to work onthe rest of the 50%. Again if the child spells ‘black’ as ‘belak’, we note that there areten features. We praise the effort, draw attention to the fact there are four correctletters and two correct positions, (making 60% correct) and so we can say prettygood. We can then begin to focus on the other aspects, e.g. the child is over-lengthening the sound ‘b’ to ‘be’ etc.

In maths, for example, if the child’s effort is as follows:15

–13–––

12

28

It may, at first sight, seem that the child is totally confused. However, when wepraise effort first we see that the child:

l identified that the task involved subtractionl subtracted correctly on the ‘units’ sidel lined the numbers upl is likely to have begun the problem on the correct side (units side)

Thereafter, the child can be encouraged to re-check, with help from theteacher.

2.3.3.2 Positive thinking strategiesChildren experiencing dyslexic difficulties often find that their confidence in otherareas of the curriculum is also significantly affected. This can have serious‘knock-on’ consequences in those areas too, leading to giving up, losing motivation,or just withdrawing effort. The following may help in these circumstances:

Positive self-talkA child who displays high levels of anxiety related to certain tasks needs to beencouraged to use positive thinking strategies such as positive self-talk to help himovercome any ‘emotional blocking’ derived from experiences of failure in literacy.Teachers often model this to children by saying things like ‘you can do it’, ‘it lookshard but I know you will be able to work it out’. Adults as role models can also helpby talking their way through problem-solving situations, in the presence of the childin order to give him a ‘verbal view’ of someone else’s internal speech process.These approaches will help the child develop good problem-solving strategies,encourage him to come back to a problem that he finds difficult, or to guess and tore-check his work.

Self-monitoring and evaluatingWork with special needs children can be frustrating for both the teacher and thechild. Progress is not always clearly evident and can happen slowly over time. Forthis reason, devising some goals for the child that are achievable and measurablecan be important in relation to feedback for both the teacher and the child. Helpingchildren to give themselves feedback by evaluating their own learning can berewarding for all, and helps promote children’s confidence in themselves. It involvesthe child in the learning process and helps him clearly see the progress he hasmade. Self-monitoring and evaluating can be done in many ways. Helping childrenmeasure their attainments against their own previous attainments, monitoring theirspelling progress by either colouring over spellings on a page once they have beenlearnt, graphing their spelling progress over time are some such examples.

Explaining success and failureA child who believes there are a lot of things he can’t do (as a result of failingexperiences in literacy) may be reluctant to try anything new (in other subject areas).He may believe he will fail at the new things as well. To attempt to do something, weneed to firstly believe that it is possible for us to achieve it. The way we think about

29

our competence in taking on a task and the reasons and explanations we have forour success and failure are important. They impact on our self-esteem and thedegree of responsibility we will take for our learning. Some ways of explainingsuccess or failure are more helpful than others.

Making external attributions such as attributing success / failure to luck or taskdifficulty implies that the child has no ability to affect the result because these arefactors outside his control. Another unhelpful way of thinking is to attribute failure toa factor which is fixed and cannot change, e.g. ‘I don’t have the ability to learnsomething’, implies that working hard will have no effect on the outcome and it isuseless to even try. The most damaging explanations for failure involve internal,fixed and uncontrollable attributions. For example, following a test (in a non-literacybased area) a child may think that he failed because of his dyslexic difficulties(internal, fixed and uncontrollable).

The most helpful way of thinking in this context is to attribute failure to internal,changeable and controllable factors because this gives the possibility for changeand a more positive result in the future. For example, ‘I failed because I let mynerves get the better of me’, ‘by having more confidence I can put more work in’.

How can we as teachers can help children think positively about task performancesin areas outside of literacy?

1. Encourage the child to believe he does have some control over hislearning.

2. Avoid giving ability-based attributions when talking to children, e.g.‘You are clever,’ could be replaced by ‘You worked hard.’

3. When a task has proved difficult for a child, help him explain hisdifficulty by saying that success requires persistence.

4. Challenge any unhelpful reason a child gives for his success or failureand suggest an alternative, e.g. ‘I can’t do physics, I’m hopeless at it’is challenged by saying, ‘No, everybody finds the work you are doingat the moment hard. It’s not that you are hopeless. It will just takemore practice and explanation.’

5. Sometimes a teacher can help a child by taking the blame for taskdifficulty, by saying things like, ‘No it’s not that you are no good atthis, maybe I just didn’t explain it well enough / maybe I set thequestions too hard.’

2.3.4 Helping teachers with their common reactionsIt should not be underestimated how stressful a teacher can find trying to help adyslexic child. Teachers, will not uncommonly, find a child who is struggling withreading to be a significant source of worry and self-doubt. Teachers will often blamethemselves for not being able to resolve the child’s reading problem. They will

30

expect too much of themselves, i.e. ‘I am a teacher, I am supposed to be able tosort these problems out’. The teacher may, as a result, come to feel invalidated,reacting in any of a variety of ways. Teachers will need help to become ‘problemfocused’, i.e. gauging their success in working with the problem, by the extent towhich they can provide the experiences the child needs, rather than by the progressthe child makes.

2.3.5 Colleges of education – training

Colleges of education play an enormous role in helping teachers to become skilledin identifying children who experience dyslexic difficulties, and in understanding theemotional stresses faced by such children. Specialised training for student teachersin relation to dyslexia can ‘set the scene’ for a lifetime of good work in this area.

2.3.6 Parent / ‘child as learner’ relationship: homework technique for parents

A major emotional focus for a child can be the area of homework. This is often asource of great stress and frustration for both parent and child and has greatpotential for raising levels of anxiety. The psychodynamics are not hard to analyse.The parent / carer is the principal source of security in the child’s life. Any perceiveddamage to this relationship, justifiable or not, can seriously increase any pre-existinganxiety level. For a school-age child, the parent may only see the child duringweekdays for a few hours a day. Half an hour to one hour (or even more in somecases) of this time may be spent doing homework. If stresses run high during thistime, the child may be experiencing a significant amount of his time with the parentas stressed or negative. It is not inconceivable that a sensitive and vulnerable childmay worry unduly about the effect of reading difficulties on how his parents think orfeel about him.

Parents may need help or guidance in how to approach reading at home in a waythat does not exacerbate the difficulties, increase anxiety or damage the parent /child relationship. This, in essence, means finding a way to read together thatavoids making the errors which are the source of the emotional stresses in the firstplace.

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2.4 My Child with Reading Difficulties: Some Hints for Parents

The following information and practical suggestions are designed to try to helpparents and their children avoid being exposed to unnecessary stresses with regardto their child’s reading difficulties.

Is my child the onlyone with thisproblem?

What ‘label’ should Iuse for thisdifficulty?

The first thing to realise is that you and your childare not alone in this area of difficulty. Many,many children face this kind of difficulty. Forsome children the problem is quite small and forothers it is a major concern. In some cases it is asource of minor irritation and a littleembarrassment. In others, it is a major source ofunending frustration and upset, withcorrespondingly devastating effects on self-esteem, confidence and progress.

Reading difficulties have been around for a verylong time indeed, in fact, as long as reading andwriting have been around! It is a difficultyrecognised by all. The reality is that each childhas his own unique pattern of strengths andweaknesses in learning to read.

Although different people / professionals may givethe reading difficulty different labels (specificreading difficulty; dyslexia etc), the important factis that there is a difficulty, and that all thoseinvolved with the child need to plan and co-ordinate efforts to help.

Question Response

32

Is learning to readjust a matter ofeffort and practice?

What kinds ofworries aboutreading can childrenhave?

Many people often see ‘learning to read’ asinvolving only memory skills and practice. Inother words, they see ‘learning to read’ as purelya ‘thinking activity’. But this is not strictly true.Learning to read requires certain ‘emotionalstates’. That is to say, reading is best when aperson is relaxed and confident. Worries, fears oranxieties about reading can have a devastatingeffect on learning. Unfortunately, worries, fears oranxieties are not always visible or obvious. Infact, children learn quickly to hide them. Somechildren have greater difficulty than others inacquiring certain skills, for reasons beyond theircontrol. For example, earlier hearing difficultiescould have interfered with the development ofsound discrimination skills, making the earlystages of reading more difficult. There could also,for example, be a reading problem runningthrough the family history.

Children with reading difficulties can often think ofthemselves as ‘stupid’, or ‘slow’ compared to theirpeers. This can seriously undermine their self-esteem and confidence in areas where readingskills are required and over time, in other areastoo. They may make many more mistakes in theirreading, and other work, than their peers. Theymay worry that this will be a source ofdisappointment, worry and upset for their parents.They may worry that teachers, friends andparents will think they are lazy or just not tryinghard enough.

Question Response

33

How can theseworries affect achild’s learning?

Anxieties about failure tend to ‘narrow’ thinkingskills. They tend to make a child very self-conscious, forcing them to think only of one thingat a time. This can be disastrous for readingbecause it is a skill that requires lots of things tohappen at the same time. The child may forgetthings from one moment to the next. This can bebecause his attention or focus is misplaced due toanxieties about failure, stopping normal memoryrehearsal, and affecting short-term memory.

Worries about failure may also motivate a child tominimise or avoid these worries by becomingreluctant to start, by ‘losing books’, by suddenlybecoming chatty about anything and everything,by offering to do housework, by ‘feeling unwell’,etc. These can be signs of high levels ofdiscomfort, but can easily be misinterpreted as‘laziness’. The child may also start to guess wildlywhen in difficulty. This would be because hethinks any guess is better than none, and at leastthis gives some percentage of a chance ofsuccess.

Question Response

Worries that may arise in families

34

What about your feelings How can I help reduce my ownas a parent? worries and help my child increase

in confidence?

You may find it baffling, frustrating,exasperating and evenheartbreaking to watch yourchild struggle with reading.

You may wonder is your child justlazy or ‘deliberately obstructive’.

You may find it difficult not tocorrect or interfere.

You may find it difficult to avoidgetting upset or even angry and itmay be difficult to hide suchemotions from your child.

Recognise that your feelings are natural.

Learn more about your child’s difficultyand that will help you to cope.

Learn to recognise the signs of anxiety.

Give your child more control by allowinghim to choose his own books and bygetting ready for reading by himself.

Help your child to relax by making thereading a pleasant time, by talking aboutthe story, introducing humour, andmaking connections between the storyand your child’s experience.

35

SECTION 3

Improving School and Classroom Practice

3.1 Tips for Inclusive Dyslexia-Friendly Practice

TIP 1 Use coloured chalk and markers for board work

TIP 2 Write alternate lines in different colours on black / white board oruse two colours and alternate between these

TIP 3 Number each line clearly or have the board lined with numbers ateither end.

1. Name the characters in the story? 1.

2. Describe the inside of the well? 2.

3. Who fell into the well? 3.

4. What did the goat do? 4.

5. Why do you think the fox fell into the well? 5.

TIP 4 Introduce cream-coloured paper instead of white

Some pupils with dyslexia find it difficult / uncomfortable to read black print on whitepaper. Letters can start to blur and move on the pages. This has been described aswhite ‘rivers’ appearing in the text. This is why we recommend cream / off-white /coloured paper or coloured transparencies.

Cream / off-white paper may be more costly to produce and schools find it moreexpensive to purchase. To overcome this, join with other schools when ordering,and buy in bulk. Some companies are willing to negotiate special deals for largerorders.

Print all notices, handouts and tests on the cream / off-white paper. Using onlycream / off-white paper also eliminates the practical difficulties which can occurwhen distributing the sheets in the classroom – who gets the ‘special’ paper andwho does not!

TIP 5 Use coloured transparencies

Coloured transparencies may be placed over plain white paper to assist pupils withdyslexia in reading. It is advisable to try a number of colours and allow the studentto choose the colour that suits best.

36

TIP 6 Prepare keywords

As the name suggests, keywords are the relevantvocabulary pertaining to each subject. Learningkeywords before introducing a new topic reduces stressand anxiety associated with reading new material.

l Use flash cardsl Use word matsl Use labels (equipment, rooms, subject-related words)l Use PowerPointl Use keyword posters

TIP 7 Train pupils in the use of mind maps / concept maps / spider webs

Dyslexia-friendly learning methods for class and homework include the use of thefollowing:

l Mind mapsl Concept / spider websl Bullet pointsl Flow charts.

These methods are dyslexia-friendly and are ideally suited to planning out a piece ofwriting or revising something you need to remember or learn.Start off with a central image and add branches as they occur. Use keywords,colours and images to help pupils absorb and remember the information.

A Pupil’s Mind Map

37

Computer Mind Map

A Pupil’s Flow Chart

38

Resources for developing mind maps / spider websl Mind Maps for Kids, by Tony Buzan, ISBN 0-00-719776-4l Removing Dyslexia as a Barrier to Achievement, by Neil McKay, ISBN

190384203-4Computer Programs for mind mapping include Kidspiration, Inspiration and MindGenius.

TIP 8 Use multi-sensory methods

There are many pathways for learning. Each pupil has a preferred learning styletherefore teachers should try to include visual, auditory and kinaesthetic methods intheir teaching.Read the work – (visual)Write it – (kinaesthetic)Say it – (auditory)Summarise it – this introduces thinking skills.

TIP 9 Use approaches such as ‘Readalong’

‘Readalong’ is a very simple but extremely effective reading initiative that is suitablefor all ages and class groups, primary and secondary. Whilst it requires some initialorganisation, once it is up and running, it is very straightforward and user-friendly.

How it works

A. PlanningIn order to operate Readalong each pupil requires the following:

l Walkman (audiotape or CD). It is advisable to allocate a specificWalkman to each pupil, number it and note accordingly.

l A selection of books – many of major book companies now publishup-to-date titles in book form with accompanying tape or CD.

l If desired, pupils may be given a Readalong folder where they cankeep an account of all the books they have read and reviews of each,if appropriate.

B. Operationl Each pupil is allowed to choose a book from a selection appropriate

to his / her individual reading skills / age.l The pupil listens to the tape / CD as he / she reads text silently.l At the end of the class, the pupil takes note in his/her folder of the page and

place on the tape / CD for the following day. It is important to ensure that noother pupil interferes with tape / CD in between lessons.

l If suitable, when a book has been read, a simple book review may becompleted to encourage writing skills.

Points to noteIt may be advisable, if doing Readalong for the first time, to purchase books on CDrather than audiotape. If using audiotapes, check that your Walkman has a

39

rev counter so that pupils may easily find where they were if the tape has been usedby someone else.

Some of the more advanced packs also have a workbook attached and these canbe used very successfully in conjunction with Readalong.

TIP 10 Introduce Paired Reading / Paired MathsBoth Paired Reading / Paired Maths / Paired Spelling are powerful techniques andinvaluable supports for all pupils including pupils with dyslexia.

Paired Reading can be approached in a variety of ways, but always involving thecore principle of simultaneous reading aloud.

In the home the fluent reader / leader can be a parent / guardian, grandparent oranother family member. In school, thoughtful, sensitive pairing between junior andsenior pupils can be very rewarding and a beneficial experience for both.

Paired Maths programmes using games, can be organised for both home andschool use, adopting similar arrangements and approaches as used in PairedReading.

Appropriate mathematical games can be sourced and provided to pupils to supportthem in their acquisition and development of basic numeracy skills. In Paired Maths,the emphasis is on fun and games and, for the pupil, the rediscovery of maths as anenjoyable subject.

Paired Reading / Maths resources

Paired Reading, Spelling & Writing, The Hand Book for Teachers and Parents(Cassell) Keith Topping

Paired Maths Handbook: Keith Topping & Judi Bamford: David Fulton PublishersISBN – 185346-497-X

Games and Activities with Dice – Claire PublicationsPlaying Card Games (Ann Wrigley) Claire Publications www.clairepublications.com

Useful sites for maths games:

www.primarygames.co.ukwww.primaryresources.co.uk

TIP 11 Consider seating position

Seat the pupil in a position where you can give help easily, minimisingembarrassment. The pupil should face the front of the room so he / she can easilysee the teacher and the board. The mid-front of the class can be a good position.

40

TIP 12 Concentrate on positive marking

Positive marking

When marking a pupil’s work it is important to try to do so in as positive a way aspossible. Try to concentrate on what is correct. It is soul-destroying for a pupil to behanded back a script which is covered in red marks. (Research has found this to beof very little educational benefit.)

Some useful hints for correctingMinimise the amount of mistakes you highlight – concentrate on THREE mistakesand give TIPS on how to avoid these in the future.Acknowledge THREE successful / positive aspects of the pupil’s work.

TIP 13 Differentiate homework

Homework strategiesA reader and / or scribe can help. Allow a parent, siblingor peer to read and / or scribe homework for pupil.

Check:l that homework has been copied down correctlyl that homework is given out before the end of the lessonl that plenty of time is allowed to write down homeworkl that pupils show you that they have written down their homework.

Modify homework:l reduce length and number of pieces of workl avoid unnecessary writing of questionsl set a maximum time to be spent on each subjectl ask parents to monitor and record time spent on homework in journall have pupils time themselves and draw a line across the homework

page at the end of the specified time.

Modify homework format:l try oral or audio taped homeworkl allow use of mind maps, illustrations, projectsl allow homework to be done using a computer.

Success Tips Think

41

42

3.2 ICT Software Programs Supporting DyslexiaInformation and Communication Technology (ICT) is the technology required toaccess and handle information and to aid communication. All pupils should be givenopportunities to apply and develop their ICT capability through the use of ICT toolsto support their learning. Using ICT can help in the initial learning process and canalso be used to provide lifelong support strategies.

A modern computer provides a multi-sensory environment where sound and imagescan be used to supplement the written word and calculations. Other items oftechnology can also be supportive, such as a hand-held tape or minidisc recorder, aportable spellchecker, a digital camera or a scanning pen.

A school may wish to assemble an ICT toolkit that can be used to assess the needsand support their students with dyslexic tendencies. A starter kit should include:

l an up-to-date computer with a sound card

l access to the Internet and email

l printer

l selection of support software on the computer that allows multimediafeedback

l word processor

l database for storing references / contacts.

Acquiring literacy skills is usually the key priority for these students. Carefully chosensupport software programs can help students with dyslexic tendencies in all areas ofliteracy (and numeracy). On basic word-processing, adjustments to font size,spacing / paragraph and screen background can make a difference to a child withdyslexia.

Change Change Change

font and style spacing / paragraph screen background

Go to format Go to format Go to format

Click on font Click on paragraph Click on background

(Comic Sans & Arial) Change the line spacing Click on the colour

Click on Comic Sans / Arial to 1.5 or double you want the screen

Click on regular Click OK to be

Click on preferred font size Click OK

Click OK

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The use of software programs can offer opportunities for those with dyslexictendencies to work independently and successfully. Using appropriate softwareprograms can provide opportunities to revise, to practise and learn new skills. Goodprograms should provide an environment that can offer support and practice on aregular basis. However it must be stressed that no software program can replace askilled specialist teacher.

The teachers involved in this project compiled the following list of resources andsuppliers of software (North and South) that we find useful in supporting studentswith dyslexia in our classes (Appendix 2). The list of suppliers is not exhaustive. Itshould also be remembered that whatever software benefits the student withdyslexia will also benefit all other students in the classroom.

It is important to select these software programs carefully, so they meet thestudents’ needs. Consequently, the project participants sought to evaluate some ofthese software packages in a collaborative way. The following seven softwarepackages were chosen for consideration:

l Phoneme Track

l Wordbar

l Kidspiration

l Literacy Activity Builder

l Young Writers Workshop

l Dyslexia Screener

l Penfriend XP

44

A selection of the software programs available to support students

with dyslexia tendencies

45

Software Evaluation – Phoneme Track

Name of Publisher: SEMERC

Title of the Software: Phoneme Track

Age range: 5-7 yrs Level (Primary or Post-Primary): Primary

Educational Value:

What goals and objectives will this software help the student obtain?

Development of phonetic skills and awareness.

How does the program tie into the curriculum?

Improves literacy skills – it doesn’t (one person’s view).

How does it improve teaching and learning?

Breaks the lesson down into small steps – spelling.

How does the program help the teacher?

Helps the SEN teacher develop goals for IEP.

Content:

Can the software be individualised for different learners?

Yes

Is the presentation of information appropriate for students with dyslexia?

Yes – good graphics – child friendly – ‘cartoon’ voice – nice for younger children –clear voice

Is the level of language appropriate?

Yes – for primary only – clear instructions

How difficult is it for students to work independently with the software?

Pupils can work independently – immediate feedback.

Any drawbacks? Or other comments? Please continue overleaf if necessary.

It is a computerised version of the PAT programme and would not suit pupils atpost primary level – wonderful to use with an interactive white board – would beinterested to see the other programmes in the series especially Spell Track.

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Software Evaluation – Wordbar

Name of Publisher: CRICK

Title of the Software: Wordbar

Age range: 9+ Level (Primary or Post-Primary): Both

Educational Value:

What goals and objectives will this software help the student obtain?

Support for writing – improves sentence structure and creative writing – improvespunctuation and more complex sentence structures – spelling – structured writing– writing goals in any subject – independence and confidence – to write storiesand essays without the worry of having to look up spellings – speed up the writingprocess – accuracy.

How does the program tie into the curriculum?

Improves writing skills – cross-curricular a huge advantage – good for keywords inall subjects – use for procedure frames.

How does it improve teaching and learning?

Gives keyword and phrases – essential for the student with dyslexia to proceed –scaffold for writing – pre-teaching specific vocabulary – creative writing – grammarand syntax in English.

How does the program help the teacher?

Allows the teacher to build in support for independent writing – gives key wordsand phrases – teacher can make their own grids for specific topics – reducespupils dependence.

Content:

Can the software be individualised for different learners?

Yes – very easily.

Is the presentation of information appropriate for students with dyslexia?

Yes, but some learners may need some help – no icons / pictures with the wordgrids to help comprehension and inferential reading.

Is the level of language appropriate?

Not difficult – can work at any level.

How difficult is it for students to work independently with the software?

Not difficult but it would help if there were icons with the words – lots of guidanceis needed initially. (Note: the purpose of Wordbar is to move user on from Clickerwhich is why there are no icons. If the user needs icons he should use Clicker).

Any drawbacks? Or other comments? Please continue overleaf if necessary.

Specific to word grids and not paragraph and essay format – can accessspecialised vocabulary for different subject areas through www.learninggrids.com –very similar to Clicker but more suitable for older pupils – post primary.

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Software Evaluation – Kidspiration

Name of Publisher: Tag Learning Limited

Title of the Software: Kidspiration

Age range: 10 + Level (Primary or Post-Primary): Both

Educational Value:

What goals and objectives will this software help the student obtain?

Organised thinking process – presentation of work – learn how to design mindmaps – good for revision – very visual tool.

How does the program tie into the curriculum?

Useful for ordering skills – sequencing – might encourage less motivated pupils towrite - organisation of existing and new material and knowledge – could tie into allareas of the curriculum – good for revision.

How does it improve teaching and learning?

Enhances pupils work – helps to organise the information to be imparted –stimulating / motivating resource – interactive element involves discovery learning– it’s fun.

How does the program help the teacher?

It encourages the pupils to put their thoughts on paper using pictures andkeywords – teacher could use mind maps as a template for pupils to fill in theirown ideas.

Content:

Can the software be individualised for different learners?

Marginally – pupils can choose their own style – can be as simple or as complexas the learner wants.

Is the presentation of information appropriate for students with dyslexia?

Yes, for some, but can be of limited use to those with phonological deficits –software too difficult to use – pictorial layout useful and supportive.

Is the level of language appropriate?

Yes.

How difficult is it for students to work independently with the software?

Probably not so difficult for older pupils once they have mastered its use – quitechallenging – a lot of teacher support needed initially – too busy – too muchfunctionality.

Any drawbacks? Or other comments? Please continue overleaf if necessary.

Over-complicates with excessive functionality – more useful to teacher thanchildren – perhaps mind maps as a pen and paper exercise would be morebeneficial and less time-consuming – more suited to post-primary – limited by theknowledge base of the students.

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Software Evaluation – Literacy Activity Builder

Name of Publisher: BlackCat

Title of the Software: Literacy Activity Builder

Age range: 4 – 11 + Level (Primary or Post-Primary): Both

Educational Value:

What goals and objectives will this software help the student obtain?

Literacy skills development – improve vocabulary and punctuation – phonologicalawareness – spelling – close – sequencing – word search – whatever goals theteacher sets.

How does the program tie into the curriculum?

Cross-curricular – encourages students to work independently – multi-sensory toolCan be adapted to all subjects.

How does it improve teaching and learning?

Motivating and immediate feedback for pupils – fun – activities suitable for specificproblems and activities – the best teacher tool ever – teachers can createprofessional looking programs on any topic in minutes – engaging for the child –empowering for the teacher – could be used in ‘over teaching’ and ‘over learning’.

How does the program help the teacher?

Teacher can make it relevant to their specific teaching goals – wonderful teachers’ tool.

Content:

Can the software be individualised for different learners?

Yes – highly individualised.

Is the presentation of information appropriate for students with dyslexia?

Yes – highly visual and user friendly – immediate feedback.

Is the level of language appropriate?

Yes – the language can be differentiated as the teacher inputs the language / vocabulary.

How difficult is it for students to work independently with the software?

Pupils can work independently and can create their own activities – it is so easy forthe pupils to use.

Any drawbacks? Or other comments? Please continue overleaf if necessary.Excellent resource – extremely helpful for teachers – no need to have the softwareat home – can upload the resources to the school website – can be used for anylanguage – no sound as yet – comprehension exercises should be included –expensive – danger of being used to produce unfocused low grade ‘worksheets’ butsimilar applies to most software and indeed paper publications – superb – everyteachers dream – would be interested in an add-on for ‘Comprehension’ – can beused with an interactive whiteboard.

49

Software Evaluation – Young Writers Workshop

Name of Publisher: Granada

Title of the Software: Young Writers Workshop

Age range: 4 – 13+ Level (Primary or Post-Primary): Both

Educational Value:

What goals and objectives will this software help the student obtain?

Good for the writing process but lacking in correction facility – ability to write in arange of styles for a variety of purposes – independent writing – assist and supportcreative and functional writing – useful as a writing tool for only a small number ofpupils with dyslexia – provides a student with good ideas as a starting point in thewriting process.

How does the program tie into the curriculum?

Good for the more independent writer – functional writing genre in English –creative, newsgroups, media, captions.

How does it improve teaching and learning?

Seems of limited use in teaching as such – may suit home learner – exposespupils to a variety of writing genre.

How does the program help the teacher?

Additional resources available in the teacher’s toolbox (photos, video clips) tosupport writing – could help less motivated pupils to write – more able studentscan work ahead on their own.

Content:

Can the software be individualised for different learners?

Not really.

Is the presentation of information appropriate for students with dyslexia?

Highly visual but a bit immature – can’t change font size or style – no spellcheck orspelling prompts – would be more useful for students who do not have a spellingdifficulty.

Is the level of language appropriate?

Limited.

How difficult is it for students to work independently with the software?

Initial teacher support required – depends on the learner – doesn’t encourageindependent work in that it isn’t self-corrective and involves teachers’ feedback andinstruction.

Any drawbacks? Or other comments? Please continue overleaf if necessary.

Visuals are very good but would require a high degree of independence, keyboardskills and a degree of spelling ability – would suit very few children with dyslexia –no immediate feedback for students – can’t insert own graphics or videos –overload of study hints.

50

Software Evaluation – Dyslexia Screener

Name of Publisher: Granada

Title of the Software: Dyslexia Screener

Age range: 5 – 16 Level (Primary or Post-Primary): Both

Educational Value:

What goals and objectives will this software help the student obtain?

Identify particular deficits in specific areas of spelling, word syllables – as ascreener – indicator of dyslexia tendencies – unsure, but would like to try it!

How does the program tie into the curriculum?

Doesn’t really tie into the curriculum – as a diagnostic tool – looks at phonologicalskills, e.g. syllable counting, spelling skills, visual processing and language-basedactivities.

How does it improve teaching and learning?

Informs the teacher of strengths and weaknesses – specific target areas todevelop IEPs – understanding of difficulties and the beginning of improvement.

How does the program help the teacher?

Teacher can make it relevant to their specific teaching goals – provides guidancefor planning and intervention – could be useful as a battery of tests / assessments.

Content:

Can the software be individualised for different learners?

Yes, for different ages but not necessarily for different learners – it produces arecord for each learner.

Is the presentation of information appropriate for students with dyslexia?

Wonder about the font size and graphics for younger children – presentationseems very clear – the graphics could be more colourful – screen is very busy attimes – yes, visual and oral.

Is the level of language appropriate?

Some of the language in the reading section is complex and multi-syllabic whichcould be difficult for the student.

How difficult is it for students to work independently with the software?

Reasonably OK but would have difficulty with the reading – primary pupils wouldneed support and supervised administration of test.

Any drawbacks? Or other comments? Please continue overleaf if necessary.

Readability questionable due to standardisation scores listed – graphics and soundneed improving in some places – easy administration – useful as a screening toolto highlight areas of need – some query regarding its practical use, are therestudies to support usage? – there is a place and a need for this software in thegeneral area of dyslexia screening.

51

Software Evaluation – Penfriend XP

Name of Publisher: Penfriend

Title of the Software: Penfriend XP

Age range: 7 + Level (Primary or Post-Primary): Both

Educational Value:

What goals and objectives will this software help the student obtain?

Helps spelling, confidence and speed in composing text – assists writing andspelling – freedom to create stories and pieces of writing without constantly havingto ask for spelling help.

How does the program tie into the curriculum?

Cross-curricular – encourages students to work independently – can be adapted toall subjects.

How does it improve teaching and learning?

Motivating and immediate feedback for pupils – increases confidence andmotivates – helps the students to become more independent – speeds up the rateof work.

How does the program help the teacher?

Teacher can make it relevant to their specific teaching goals – it is easy forteachers to select preferences, edit lexicons and add topic-specific vocabulary.

Content:

Can the software be individualised for different learners?

Yes – a major feature is the ability to edit lexicons – can adjust the rate and type ofvoice.

Is the presentation of information appropriate for students with dyslexia?

Yes – assists the writing process – pupils can hear and read the wordsimultaneously.

Is the level of language appropriate?

Yes – one can build an appropriate lexicon for a specific topic – languagedetermined by the user.

How difficult is it for students to work independently with the software?

Pupils can work independently and can create their own written work – I found itquite difficult to operate – initially difficult but would become automatic withpractice – students and teachers would need to learn how to use this program.

Any drawbacks? Or other comments? Please continue overleaf if necessary.

Excellent resource – extremely helpful for students – word prediction and speechfeedback are valuable features – some input may be needed if pupil wants to usea word that isn’t in ‘lexicon’ that he / she cannot spell – found it complicated –could be very useful in the senior section of the primary school, after training –more suited for post-primary.

52

3.3 The Toolkit

The toolkit includes:

1. Coloured markers/ chalk / pens / highlighters

2. Coloured paper

3. Coloured transparencies

4. A dyslexia-friendly dictionary

5. A magnetic board / magnetic letters

6. Spellcheckers

7. Stress ball

8. Triangular pencils / grips

9. Some materials to add to the toolkit

10. DVD – a comprehensive guide to using the toolkit.

Toolkit contents (description and suppliers)

1. Coloured markers / chalk / pens / highlighters

Coloured highlight pens can draw attention to key points in a text. Pupils can usethem to highlight the main information and, that way, they won’t have to read thewhole page again.

Highlighter pens may be used in identifying words in words or letter strings andpatterns in words.

2. Coloured paper

Contact a number of local office or school suppliers for best value when ordering foryour own school.

3. Coloured transparencies

Coloured transparencies may be sourced through your local school suppliers.Eye-level reading rulers are also a useful tool. These transparent rulers reduceglare, improve focus and assist tracking in reading. They are available fromCrossbow Education, Brocton, Staffs. www.crossboweducation.comTel: 01785660902

4. Dyslexia-friendly dictionary

The ACE Spelling Dictionary is an aurally coded dictionary. As the vowel sounds arethe biggest source of difficulty in the English language, it confronts these byclassifying words according to the first one in each. To use the dictionarysuccessfully, there are a few stages that need to be thoroughly understood. Theseare outlined in the introduction of the dictionary.Ace Dictionary ISBN 1855032147, (Moseley D., Nicol, C.)Available from Easons, Better Books (01384 253276) and Carrolls Education Ltd.Dublin.

53

5. Magnetic boards

Using magnetic boards / workbooks with letters / letter tiles in a wide variety oflearning experiences and activities affords students from Junior Primary to Post-Primary classes the opportunity to use more than one learning channel. This multi-sensory learning and teaching approach supports pupils in:

l alphabet work

l phonological awareness activities

l reading and spelling words by analogy – cat, mat, rat …

l learning spellings.

Magnetic boards / workbooks with letters / letter tiles are particularly useful forspelling work if using the ‘Make and Break’ model (Neil Mac Kay: ‘RemovingDyslexia as a Barrier to Achievement’ ISBN 190384203/4).

To use the ‘make and break’ model:

l a store of magnetic letters / letter tiles can be located on a largemagnetic board / whiteboard

l pupils use their own individual magnetic boards / booklets

l pupil asks for a word and is given the necessary letters in randomorder to place on their board

l clap the syllables several times and say it while clapping.

Then ‘Make and Break’

1. Make the word using all the letters.

2. Break the word into syllables.

3. Make the word and sound out the syllables.

4. Break the word by jumbling up the letters.

5. Make the word saying the letter names.

Repeat stages 1 – 5 as appropriate / necessary and then proceed to a conventionalmethod of learning spellings for example – Say, Look, Cover, Write and Check.

SuppliersPupil Magnetic Whiteboard (roughly A4 Size), available from In-Class Educational –Phone +353 1 6014 766, LDA, and Early Learning Centres.Magnetic Workbook (spiral bound magnetic folder LLD1280 – LDA), available fromCarroll Educational Supplies Ltd – Phone +353 1 612 0860.Magnetic Letter Tiles, available from LDA, Phone +441223357788.Magnetic Upper and Lower Case Plastic Letters, available from Early LearningCentres.Magnetic Wooden Letters, available from LDA, Phone +441223357788.

6. Spellcheckers

There are many spellcheckers available. One example is the Franklin Spellchecker.This is a portable dictionary and thesaurus containing complete definitions for over200,000 words, phrases and definitions, along with 800,000 synonyms and aphonetic spellchecker. The portable dictionary and thesaurus might be useful tomost students. However, it is of particular use for those with difficulties arising fromdyslexia.

7. Stress balls

Writing can be a physically strenuous exercise for many pupils. Stress balls can helpto reduce muscular tension in hands and arms.

8. Triangular pens / grips

These are very useful aids for pupils who tire easily from writing. They also can helpimprove writing style and presentation. They are available from most well-knownschool supply companies.

9. Some materials to add to the toolkit

l Alphabet stripsl coloured paper / notebooks / exercise booksl flip booksl keyword displays / notebooks / word matsl mirrorsl phonix linksl sandpaper / wooden lettersl speaking spellcheckerl reading pensl talking books / workbooks / walkman head setl tracing paper.

10. DVD – a comprehensive guide to using the toolkit

(See inside cover).

3.4. Support Booklets

(Note – the Support Booklet section has been placed in printer’s pairs, so that theycan be photocopied and folded as booklets).

54

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act

iviti

es t

hey

may

wis

h to

star

t.

lH

elp

them

to

mem

oris

e th

e na

me

of t

heir

year

hea

d an

d /

orre

sour

ce t

each

er.

If po

ssib

le le

t th

em m

eet

with

the

tea

cher

bef

ore

they

sta

rt.

lH

ave

all t

he n

eces

sary

uni

form

and

equ

ipm

ent

boug

ht a

nd n

amed

ingo

od t

ime.

Sep

tem

ber

1.

The

re w

ill b

e an

incr

ease

in t

he n

umbe

r an

d si

ze o

f bo

oks

and

equi

pmen

t. H

elp

orga

nise

boo

ks,

put

the

bigg

er b

ooks

at

the

back

of

the

bag,

nea

r th

eir

back

.

2.

Hel

p to

col

our

code

, la

bel a

nd o

rgan

ise

book

s by

usi

ng t

imet

able

.P

ut t

heir

nam

e on

eac

h bo

ok.

3.

Writ

e in

tea

cher

's n

ame,

by

subj

ect,

on t

imet

able

and

pra

ctis

ere

adin

g th

is w

ith y

our

child

. If

they

can

not

rem

embe

r th

e na

mes

,en

list

the

help

of

a fr

iend

.

4.

Pre

pare

and

pra

ctis

e ch

eckl

ist

and

upda

te r

egul

arly

, w

here

nece

ssar

y.

5.

You

r ch

ild m

ay in

itial

ly s

how

sig

ns o

f tir

edne

ss d

ue t

o di

ffere

nces

inro

utin

es,

this

is c

omm

on a

nd n

eed

not

be a

sou

rce

of w

orry

.

Tra

nsfe

r fr

om p

rimar

y to

pos

t-pr

imar

y ca

n be

a d

iffic

ult

tran

sitio

n fo

r m

any

pupi

ls.

It ca

n be

mor

e so

for

pup

ils w

ith d

ysle

xia.

The

re a

re m

any

way

syo

u ca

n he

lp e

ase

this

tra

nsiti

on.

At

the

beg

inn

ing

of

the

year

, b

efo

re y

ou

r ch

ild l

eave

s p

rim

ary

sch

oo

l,co

nsi

der

wh

ich

po

st-p

rim

ary

sch

oo

l w

ou

ld m

eet

you

r ch

ild's

nee

ds.

Mak

e co

nta

ct a

nd

ask

to

mee

t th

e H

ead

, P

rin

cip

al o

r th

eir

dep

uti

es.

lB

ring

copi

es o

f an

y re

port

s.

lLi

st t

he im

port

ant

info

rmat

ion

abou

t yo

ur c

hild

.

lF

ind

out

if th

ere

is a

n op

en d

ay /

nig

ht a

nd if

it is

pos

sibl

e to

tak

eyo

ur c

hild

with

you

.

Ask

fo

r in

form

atio

n a

bo

ut

sch

oo

l

Exa

mp

le o

f q

ues

tio

ns:

1.W

hat

optio

n su

bjec

ts a

re a

vaila

ble?

2.

Is

it n

eces

sary

to

take

a s

econ

d or

thi

rd la

ngua

ge a

s an

opt

ion?

3.

Is t

here

a g

ood

rang

e of

pra

ctic

al s

ubje

cts

avai

labl

e?4.

Is

the

re a

cces

s fo

r al

l pup

ils t

o a

guid

ance

cou

nsel

lor?

5.

Wha

t ex

tra

prov

isio

n or

sup

port

will

be

avai

labl

e fo

r yo

ur c

hild

?H

ow w

ill it

be

orga

nise

d?6.

H

ow a

war

e ar

e th

e su

bjec

t te

ache

rs o

f dy

slex

ia?

7.

E

xtra

cur

ricul

ar a

ctiv

ities

: w

hat

is a

vaila

ble?

8.

If st

ream

ing

or s

ettin

g is

use

d in

the

sch

ool t

o or

gani

se t

each

ing

grou

ps,

how

is t

his

done

? 9.

Is

the

re h

elp

avai

labl

e at

ent

ranc

e as

sess

men

t?10

. If

the

child

has

ver

y go

od m

aths

abi

lity

and

wea

ker

verb

al s

kills

,w

ill it

be

poss

ible

to

do h

ighe

r le

vel m

aths

?11

. If

the

pupi

l has

diff

icul

ty in

tak

ing

legi

ble

and

com

plet

e no

tes

incl

ass,

cou

ld p

hoto

copi

es b

e m

ade

avai

labl

e?12

. D

oes

the

scho

ol p

rovi

de a

ny a

ltern

ativ

e pr

ogra

mm

es?

Que

stio

ns t

aken

fro

m ‘U

nder

stan

ding

Dys

lexi

a –

a G

uide

for

Sch

ools

’.

AC

D-R

OM

pro

duce

d by

a jo

int

initi

ativ

e of

the

Dep

artm

ents

of

Edu

catio

n,N

orth

and

Sou

th.

32

Movin

g t

o a

P

ost-

Pri

ma

ry S

ch

oo

l:A

Pu

pil

’s B

oo

kle

t

Sp

ellin

g

Cor

rect

spe

lling

hel

ps im

prov

e yo

ur w

ork.

Spe

lling

s m

ay d

ivid

e in

to:

Pro

per

no

un

s an

d t

erm

s

lN

ames

lT

itles

of

book

s

lP

lace

nam

es

lba

ttles

in H

isto

ry

lke

y w

ords

in S

cien

ce

Eve

ryd

ay w

ord

s

The

re,

thei

r, co

uld,

sho

uld,

of,

and,

for

, w

hen,

whe

re,

wha

t,th

ese,

tha

t.

Way

s o

f im

pro

vin

g y

ou

r sp

ellin

g

lU

se c

lues

and

tip

s –

thin

king

of

your

ow

n cl

ues

lP

erso

nal d

ictio

nary

– w

rite

wor

ds o

n di

ffere

nt p

ages

lU

sing

A.B

.C.

lU

nder

sub

ject

hea

ding

s.

lW

ords

you

use

a lo

t.

lA

way

to

lear

ning

spe

lling

s Lo

ok a

t it,

Say

it,

Cov

er it

, an

d W

rite

it, C

heck

if it

is r

ight

.

lC

heck

spe

lling

s tw

o le

tters

by

two

lette

rs.

lA

spel

lche

cker

will

hel

p.

18

Ho

w d

o y

ou

kn

ow

po

ints

are

im

po

rtan

t?

lTe

ache

r re

peat

s a

fact

.

lS

omet

hing

is w

ritte

n on

the

bla

ckbo

ard.

lTe

ache

r sp

ells

a w

ord.

lTe

ache

r sa

ys t

hat

it is

impo

rtan

t.

No

tes

will

hel

p y

ou

wit

h:

1.

Hom

ewor

k

2.

Rev

isio

n be

fore

tes

ts.

Sel

f-h

elp

tip

s

lN

ew p

age

for

ever

y to

pic

or s

ubje

ct.

lW

rite

dow

n ‘k

ey’w

ords

.

lB

e br

ief.

lD

raw

and

labe

l dia

gram

s.

lU

se a

bbre

viat

ions

.

lT

ry t

o sp

ell i

mpo

rtan

t w

ords

cor

rect

ly.

lA

sk q

uest

ions

if y

ou d

o no

t un

ders

tand

.

lN

umbe

r yo

ur p

ages

.

lU

se a

hig

hlig

hter

for

impo

rtan

t po

ints

.

lK

eep

note

s in

col

oure

d fo

lder

s (t

he s

ame

colo

urs

as y

ou h

ave

chos

en f

or e

ach

subj

ect)

.

lM

ake

sure

the

not

es a

re in

ord

er.

lF

ollo

w t

he t

extb

ook

durin

g cl

ass.

Sug

gest

ions

for

you

r ne

w s

choo

l – r

ead

them

thr

ough

with

an

adul

t.

Wh

at w

ill b

e d

iffe

ren

t?

ãD

iffer

ent

teac

hers

for

diff

eren

t su

bjec

ts.

ãY

ou w

ill c

hang

e cl

assr

oom

s fo

r so

me

subj

ects

.

ãY

ou m

ay h

ave

a lo

cker

(w

ith k

ey o

r co

de)

to k

eep

som

e bo

oks.

Sel

f-h

elp

tip

s

ãP

ick

a co

lour

for

eac

h su

bjec

t.

ãM

ake

a si

mpl

e m

ap a

nd c

olou

r ea

ch c

lass

room

in t

he c

olou

r yo

uha

ve c

hose

n fo

r th

e su

bjec

t ta

ught

the

re.

ãS

tay

clos

e to

you

r cl

ass

/ fr

iend

s.

ãT

hink

abo

ut m

akin

g ne

w f

riend

s.

ãIf

you

get

lost

ask

for

hel

p fr

om a

frie

nd,

or g

o to

the

sec

reta

ry’s

offic

e.

ãG

et y

our

timet

able

and

col

our

the

subj

ects

in y

our

chos

enco

lour

s.

ãY

ou w

ill h

ave

mor

e bo

oks

and

equi

pmen

t.M

ake

a ch

eck

list

for

each

day

.

27

Usi

ng

yo

ur

tim

etab

le

lTa

ke t

ime

to r

ead

and

unde

rsta

nd (

ask

for

help

).

lC

olou

r co

de y

our

subj

ects

.

lW

rite

the

teac

her’

s na

me

by t

he s

ubje

ct o

n th

e tim

etab

le.

lM

ake

a co

py o

f yo

ur t

imet

able

for

use

at

hom

e.

lC

over

you

r te

xts

and

book

s in

the

col

ours

as

you

have

pic

ked

for

each

sub

ject

.

lD

ecid

e w

hich

boo

ks n

eed

to b

e le

ft in

you

r lo

cker

and

whi

ch y

oune

ed t

o ta

ke h

ome

for

each

day

– u

se h

omew

ork

jour

nal t

o he

lp.

Mon

day

Tue

sday

Wed

nesd

ayT

hurs

day

Frid

ay

Eng

lish

Mat

hsS

cien

ceE

nglis

hA

rt

Geo

grap

hyH

isto

ryS

cien

ceM

aths

Art

His

tory

Geo

grap

hyE

nglis

hF

renc

hM

aths

R.E

.E

nglis

hR

.E.

Fre

nch

Mat

hs

Pre

par

e yo

urs

elf

for

each

cla

ss –

eac

h d

ay!

lH

ave

all t

he t

extb

ooks

and

pap

er /

pen

cils

you

nee

d fo

r th

atcl

ass.

lC

lear

eve

ryth

ing

else

off

the

desk

into

you

r ba

g.

lS

ettle

qui

ckly

.

lLi

sten

car

eful

ly.

lP

ick

out

the

impo

rtan

t po

ints

.

lN

ote

them

dow

n, o

r us

e a

min

d-m

ap.

Taki

ng

no

tes

du

rin

g l

esso

ns

can

hel

p y

ou

to

:

lco

ncen

trat

e

lun

ders

tand

lpu

t th

e id

eas

into

you

r ow

n w

ords

lre

vise

.

36

Ho

mew

ork

lIt

is im

port

ant

you

reco

rd t

he h

omew

ork;

ask

a f

riend

if y

ou m

iss

it.

lLi

sten

car

eful

ly t

o ho

w t

o re

cord

hom

ewor

k.

lA

sk,

if yo

u do

not

und

erst

and.

lW

rite

it on

the

day

it is

set

, w

rite

whe

n it

is d

ue a

nd t

ick

it w

hen

done

.

lH

omew

ork

may

invo

lve

1.

Rea

ding

2.

Lear

ning

fac

ts

3.

Res

earc

hing

info

rmat

ion

4.

Doi

ng w

ritte

n w

ork.

lF

ind

a qu

iet

plac

e, n

o te

levi

sion

or

othe

r di

stra

ctio

ns.

lH

ave

ever

ythi

ng y

ou n

eed

befo

re b

egin

ning

.

lM

ake

a st

udy

plan

ner

to k

now

the

tim

e fo

r fin

ishi

ng e

ach

part

of

the

hom

ewor

k.

lTa

ke s

hort

bre

aks,

for

exa

mpl

e, 5

min

utes

eve

ry 3

0 m

inut

es.

lTo

end

, ch

eck

your

tim

etab

le a

nd p

ack

your

bag

rea

dy f

or t

hene

xt d

ay.

Get

rea

dy

for

the

nex

t d

ay

Use

a c

heck

list.

Pac

k yo

ur b

ag e

very

nig

ht.

Dia

ry /

jour

nal

Sha

rpen

erS

pellc

heck

er

Per

sona

l Dic

tiona

ryP

ens

Pen

cils

Boo

ks

Rul

erTe

xtbo

oks

Rub

ber

Cal

cula

tor

Pac

k yo

ur s

ubje

ct t

ext

and

book

s; u

se y

our

timet

able

to

know

wha

t to

pack

.

Sto

re a

ll sc

hool

boo

ks in

one

pla

ce a

t ho

me.

54

Tip

s f

or

Te

ach

ers

o

fP

up

ils w

ith

Dysle

xia

in

Po

st-

Pri

ma

ry S

ch

oo

ls

18

Mem

ory

lA

void

unn

eces

sary

rot

e le

arni

ng.

lTe

ach

effic

ient

str

ateg

ies

to s

uppo

rt m

emor

y, f

or e

xam

ple,

head

ings

/ r

ehea

rsal

/ s

eque

ncin

g.

lG

ive

dire

ct,

expl

icit

inst

ruct

ions

to

incr

ease

cha

nce

of r

eten

tion,

reca

ll an

d un

ders

tand

ing.

Lea

rnin

g

lLi

nk p

revi

ous

know

ledg

e w

ith n

ew in

form

atio

n.

lB

reak

dow

n le

arni

ng in

to s

mal

l seq

uent

ial s

teps

.

lP

rovi

de w

ritte

n or

ora

l sum

mar

y at

end

of

less

on.

Beh

avio

ur

lB

uild

con

fiden

ce a

nd s

elf-

este

em t

hrou

gh t

he d

evel

opm

ent

ofar

eas

of s

tren

gth

or in

tere

sts.

lM

ake

sure

goa

ls a

re c

lear

and

acc

essi

ble.

lB

e co

nstr

uctiv

e an

d po

sitiv

e to

mai

ntai

n m

otiv

atio

n.

lE

ncou

rage

pos

itive

sel

f-ev

alua

tion.

lR

ewar

d ef

fort

as

wel

l as

succ

ess.

For

mor

e in

form

atio

n se

e ‘U

nder

stan

ding

Dys

lexi

a, A

Gui

de f

orS

choo

ls’p

rodu

ced

by a

join

t in

itiat

ive

of t

he D

epar

tmen

ts o

f E

duca

tion

Nor

th a

nd S

outh

.

Tra

nsiti

on f

rom

prim

ary

to p

ost-

prim

ary

is p

artic

ular

ly w

orry

ing

for

pupi

ls a

nd p

aren

ts o

f a

child

with

dys

lexi

a.

lIt

will

tak

e th

e ch

ild lo

nger

to

adju

st t

o m

ovin

g ro

und

the

scho

olan

d to

fin

d w

here

the

y sh

ould

be

at a

ny p

artic

ular

tim

e.

lT

hey

may

be

emba

rras

sed

by t

heir

liter

acy

and

num

eric

ski

lls,

poor

mem

ory

and

lack

of

orga

nisa

tion.

lT

hey

may

be

wor

ried

that

new

tea

cher

s ar

e no

t aw

are

of t

heir

prob

lem

s an

d th

ink

they

are

stu

pid.

Ge

ne

ral

pri

nc

iple

s

lW

ork

with

the

pup

il in

the

dev

elop

men

t of

str

ateg

ies

to h

elp

her

/ hi

m t

o ov

erco

me

or c

ope

with

dys

lexi

c di

fficu

lties

.

lA

ccep

t th

at e

very

one

lear

ns d

iffer

ently

, an

d re

cogn

ise

each

pupi

l’s le

arni

ng d

iffer

ence

. B

e aw

are

of d

iffer

ent

lear

ning

sty

les

and

be f

lexi

ble

in y

our

teac

hing

sty

le.

lF

oste

r po

sitiv

e se

lf-es

teem

in t

he p

upil.

Giv

e ge

nuin

e pr

aise

whe

neve

r po

ssib

le;

prom

ote

activ

ities

tha

t yi

eld

succ

ess.

lId

entif

y pu

pil's

str

engt

hs a

nd le

arni

ng s

tyle

s to

fac

ilita

te o

ptim

umle

arni

ng.

27

Cla

ssro

om

man

agem

ent

lE

quip

men

t sh

ould

be

labe

lled

and

a lis

t gi

ven

to c

hild

, th

is w

illgi

ve t

ime

for

child

to

prac

tise

deco

ding

wor

ds.

lK

ey w

ords

/ s

ubje

ct-r

elat

ed w

ords

cou

ld b

e di

spla

yed,

or

give

alis

t fo

r ea

ch s

ubje

ct f

or c

hild

to

prac

tise

at h

ome.

lW

orks

heet

s sh

ould

be

sim

ple,

with

larg

e pr

int

and

clea

r sp

acin

g.

lLi

sten

ing

activ

ities

nee

d to

be

inte

rspe

rsed

with

‘doi

ng’a

ctiv

ities

.

lB

uild

up

a ba

nk o

f re

sour

ces

for

the

pupi

l. T

his

will

not

be

your

last

pup

il w

ith d

ysle

xia,

and

you

will

be

mor

e pr

epar

ed f

or t

hene

xt o

ne.

lE

mpl

oy v

isua

l and

ora

l stim

uli i

n th

e cl

assr

oom

env

ironm

ent.

lP

rovi

de o

ppor

tuni

ties

for

indi

vidu

al,

smal

l-gro

up a

nd w

hole

-cla

ssw

ork.

lO

utlin

e co

nten

t of

less

on a

t ou

tset

and

sum

mar

ise

at e

nd.

List

out

the

mai

n le

arni

ng p

oint

s or

ally

, or

in w

ritte

n fo

rm.

lIf

note

s m

ust

be t

aken

by

pupi

ls f

rom

boa

rd t

ry o

ne o

r al

l of

thes

eap

proa

ches

to

boar

d w

ork:

1.C

lear

scr

ipt

2.

Diff

eren

t co

lour

ed c

halk

/ p

en f

or d

iffer

ent

sect

ions

3.

Num

bere

d lin

es a

t ea

ch e

nd

4.

List

bul

let

poin

ts a

t th

e be

ginn

ing

of t

he le

sson

, gi

ving

tim

efo

r ch

ild t

o co

py t

hem

.

Sp

ellin

g

lU

se a

mul

ti-se

nsor

y ap

proa

ch:

Look

/ S

ay /

Tra

ce /

Cov

er /

W

rite

/ C

heck

.

lD

evel

op s

ubje

ct-s

peci

fic li

sts

in a

per

sona

l wor

dboo

k /

dict

iona

ry.

lS

ubje

ct-s

peci

fic w

ords

sho

uld

be t

augh

t in

con

text

.

lP

rese

nt s

pelli

ngs

in d

iffer

ent

form

ats

to p

rovi

de in

tere

st a

ndm

otiv

atio

n (m

nem

onic

s/ p

ictu

res

etc.

).

lU

se g

ames

to

rein

forc

e an

d m

otiv

ate,

whe

re a

ppro

pria

te.

lE

ncou

rage

and

hel

p pu

pils

to

use

dict

iona

ries,

the

saur

i, sp

ell

chec

kers

and

enc

yclo

paed

ias.

lD

o no

t ov

er c

orre

ct s

pelli

ng s

o co

nten

t is

lost

.

Wri

tin

g

lA

void

leng

thy

copy

ing

and

dict

atio

n. P

rovi

de p

hoto

copi

es w

here

poss

ible

.

lE

ncou

rage

pup

ils t

o pr

oofr

ead

writ

ten

wor

k.

lT

rain

pup

ils t

o pl

an w

ritte

n w

ork

usin

g he

adin

gs a

nd s

ub-

head

ings

ahe

ad o

f tim

e.

lM

ind

map

ping

is a

n ef

fect

ive

way

to

plan

, ex

tend

and

rev

ise

writ

ten

wor

k.

lTe

ach

sim

ple

step

s in

seq

uenc

ing

writ

ten

wor

k ap

prop

riate

to

subj

ect.

36

Wh

ole

-sch

oo

l is

sues

lP

upils

sho

uld

know

tha

t th

ere

is s

omew

here

the

y ca

n go

for

hel

pan

d ad

vice

. If

poss

ible

, gi

ve t

hem

a n

ame,

pla

ce a

nd t

ime

slot

s to

cont

act

teac

her

or s

enio

r pu

pil f

or h

elp.

Bui

ldin

g a

trus

tre

latio

nshi

p is

impo

rtan

t.

lS

hort

bre

aks

may

be

need

ed in

exa

ms.

lB

e aw

are

of r

egul

atio

ns f

or e

xter

nal a

sses

smen

t /

exam

inat

ion

conc

essi

ons

and

spec

ial a

rran

gem

ents

.

Str

ate

gie

s

Rea

din

g

lD

o no

t as

k pu

pil t

o re

ad a

loud

, un

less

he

volu

ntee

rs o

r is

giv

entim

e fo

r pr

epar

atio

n.

lS

impl

ify la

ngua

ge a

nd r

educ

e un

nece

ssar

y in

form

atio

n in

wor

kshe

ets.

lP

rovi

de a

ltern

ativ

es f

or w

ritte

n te

xt w

here

pos

sibl

e.

lH

ighl

ight

diff

icul

t w

ords

in t

ext.

lA

sk c

hild

to

read

pas

sage

the

nig

ht b

efor

e so

the

y ar

e no

tm

eetin

g it

for

the

first

tim

e in

cla

ss.

lP

hoto

copi

ed s

umm

ary

note

s ar

e us

eful

. H

and

out

at e

nd,

sopu

pils

list

en r

athe

r th

an t

ry t

o re

ad a

s yo

u sp

eak.

Try

to

incl

ude

ata

sk s

uch

as c

loze

pro

cedu

re o

r hi

ghlig

htin

g ac

tivity

.

lH

ave

pupi

l sitt

ing

near

you

to

avoi

d di

stra

ctio

n an

d of

fer

disc

reet

help

.

lH

ave

larg

e tim

etab

le d

ispl

ayed

in f

orm

roo

m a

nd e

ncou

rage

pup

ilto

ref

er t

o it

to id

entif

y ite

ms

that

the

y ne

ed t

o br

ing.

lH

and

out

revi

sion

she

ets

wel

l bef

ore

exam

s an

d m

ake

sure

pup

ilha

s fu

ll se

t.

lM

ake

use

of f

act

that

the

hum

orou

s /

‘ridi

culo

us’i

s re

tain

ed in

the

brai

n be

tter

than

any

thin

g el

se.

lE

ncou

rage

wor

d pr

oces

sing

.

lE

ncou

rage

cur

sive

writ

ing.

Org

anis

atio

nal

ski

lls

lE

ncou

rage

use

of

pers

onal

not

eboo

ks a

nd p

erso

nal c

heck

lists

to

rem

ind

pupi

l of

equi

pmen

t ne

eded

eac

h da

y.

lE

ncou

rage

use

of

regi

stra

tion

times

to

mak

e su

re p

upil

has

all

nece

ssar

y eq

uipm

ent.

lD

raw

atte

ntio

n to

dis

play

ed c

lass

tim

etab

le.

lE

ncou

rage

col

our

codi

ng t

o id

entif

y bo

oks

/ te

xts.

54

65

Appendix 1

Steering Committee – SEN Cross-Border Professional ExchangeProgramme

John Hunter, Department of Education, Northern Ireland

Breandán Ó Murchú, Department of Education and Science

Susan Carnson, Department of Education, Northern Ireland

Jimmy Malone, Department of Education and Science (to January 2005)

Carmel Reilly, Department of Education and Science (to June 2005)

Niall McLoughlin, Department of Education and Science

Siobhán Fields, Department of Education and Science

Michael Travers, Department of Education and Science

Marina Ní Threasaigh, Department of Education and Science

Joan Crowley O’Sullivan, Special Education Support Service

Seamus McDermott, Monaghan Education Centre

Joan Walshe, National Educational Psychological Service

Maureen Costello, National Educational Psychological Service

Linda Shields, Educational Psychologist, Southern Education and Library Board

Eugene Toolan, St Angela’s College, Sligo

Stuart Rooney, Psychological Services, Southern Education and Library Board (to February 2005)

67

Appendix 2

Resources and Suppliers of Software Supporting Dyslexia

Title Suitable for Description Suppliers North and South (not all listed)

Phoneme Primary For pupils who have Granada Learning Ltd.Track KS 1 - 2 difficulty memorising 0161 827 2927

spellings. Andrews Award Systems+353 1 493 0011Diskovery+353 1 806 3910

Wordbar Primary Grids of words, which iANSYST – Ltd 0800 018 0045Post-Primary sit alongside word Andrews Award Systems KS 2 - 4 processor. +353 1 493 0011

Users can see and Diskoveryhear words they +353 1 806 3910wish to use.

Kidspiration Primary Graphic organiser to iANSYST – Ltd 0800 018 0045Post-Primary combine pictures and Andrews Award SystemsKS 2 - 4 text to represent +353 1 493 0011

thoughts and words. Diskovery+353 1 806 3910

Literacy Primary Helps to create Granada Learning Ltd. Activity Post-Primary interactive literacy 0161 827 2927Builder KS 1 - 3 activities using nine

activity frameworks.

Young Primary Helps to create iANSYST – Ltd 0800 018 0045Writers KS 2 factual and creative Andrews Award SystemsWorkshop writing skills in a +353 1 493 0011

stimulating EdTech Software Ltd.environment. 1850 923 459

Gael Linn+353 1 6751200

Dyslexia Primary Evaluates non-verbal Granada Learning Ltd.Screener Post-Primary reasoning, phonological 0161 827 2927

KS 2- 4 processing, spelling, Andrews Award Systemsspeed of information +353 1 493 0011processing, reading Diskoveryand vocabulary. +353 1 806 3910

Penfriend Primary Speech feedback and AVP - 01291 625439XP Post-Primary predictive text. Andrews Award Systems

KS 2 - 4 Supports independent +353 1 493 0011working and improves Diskoveryaccuracy and +353 1 806 3910vocabulary of written iANSYST – Ltd 0800 018 0045work.

Read & Primary Provides speech and iANSYST LtdWrite Post-Primary spelling tools needed 0800 018-0045

KS 1-4 to read, compose and Andrews Award Systems proofread written +353 1 493 0011material. Promotes Diskoveryindependent working +353 1 806 3910and improves accuracy and vocabulary of written work.

Word Primary 36 different games AVPShark Post-Primary which use sound, 01 291 625439

(Junior graphics and text to Andrews Award Systems Certificate) reinforce word +353 1 493 0011KS 1 - 3 recognition and Diskovery

spelling. Facility for +353 1 806 3910creating own word Carroll Education Ltd.lists and tailoring +353 1 6120860to pupil’s needs. EdTech Software Ltd.

1850 923 459

Numbershark Primary 30 different games AVPPost-Primary covering addition, 01 291 625439(Junior subtraction, Andrews Award SystemsCertificate) multiplication & +353 1 493 0011KS 1 - 3 division which add Carroll Education Ltd.

meaning and +353 1 6120860understanding to EdTech Software Ltd.these operations – 1850 923 459lots of rote practice.

Spellmate Primary Pupils enter own lists AVPKS 1 & 2 and then choose one 01 291 625439

of the four games to Andrews Award Systemshelp them practise and +353 1 493 0011 learn correct spellings. Diskovery Teachers are provided +353 1 806 3910with feedback.

68

Title Suitable for Description Suppliers North and South (not all listed)

69

Lexia Primary Interactive, phonic- Andrews Award SystemsBasic Post-Primary based activities, which +353 1 493 0011 Reading KS 1 - 5 reinforce sound- Diskovery

symbol +353 1 806 3910correspondence and Lexia Learning Systems Inc.automatic word 01 969 640364recognition. Exercises EdTech Software Ltd.branch automatically 1850 923 459depending on pupil’s performance, providing practice on areas of specific difficulty.

Harberton Primary pupils Structured programme www.harbertonschool.co.uk Reading who have with a limited Programme been unable vocabulary. Aims to

to learn to build strong read using foundations with commercially strategies to produced tackle unknown reading words.materials

Wellington Primary Over 250 activities School Box. Ref:Square KS 2 & 3 including talking http://c2kschoolbox.granada- CD-ROMs books, phonic and learning.com/special_index.html

sequencing exercises. AVP – 01 291 625439Andrews Award Systems+353 1 493 0011Diskovery+353 1 806 3910

TextThing Primary Creates nine text- AVP – 01291 625439Post-Primary based, multi-sensory Andrews Award SystemsKS 1 - 4 reading and literacy +353 1 493 0011

activities, for pupils Diskoveryof all abilities, with any +353 1 806 3910 piece of text you import. You can also choose from the selection of 100 texts supplied.

Title Suitable for Description Suppliers North and South (not all listed)

70

Writing Primary Provides symbol Widgit Software Ltdwith Post-Primary support in writing www.widgit.com Symbols KS 1 -3 and communication. +44 (0) 1223 425 558

Includes talking word Schoolbox. Ref: processor with pictorial http://c2kschoolbox.granada-spellchecker, symbol- learning.com/special_index.htmlsupported word Andrews Award Systems processor, grids for +353 1 493 0011 writing and grids for Diskoveryprinting. +353 1 806 3910

Clicker Primary A writing support iANSYST – Ltd 0800 018 0045 KS 1 & 2 which provides on- Andrews Award Systems

screen word banks +353 1 493 0011and speech. Can be Diskovery +353 1 806 3910used across the EdTech Software Ltd.curriculum. 1850 923 459

AcceleRead Primary Using computer iANSYST – Ltd 0800 018 0045Post-Primary speech-to-text Andrews Award Systems

AcceleWrite KS 1 – 3 software to improve +353 1 493 0011 reading and writing Diskoveryskills through +353 1 806 3910structured phonic exercises.

Speedy Primary Promotes keyboard iANSYST – Ltd 0800 018 0045Keys KS 1 - 3 awareness and Andrews Award SystemsTyping spelling. +353 1 493 0011Tutor Diskovery

+353 1 806 3910

Catch Up Primary Interactive activities to iANSYST – Ltd 0800 018 0045 CD1 and KS 1 - 3 support reading Andrews Award Systems CD2 intervention +353 1 493 0011

programmes. Diskovery+353 1 806 3910

Word Primary For pupils who have Granada Learning Ltd. Track Post-Primary difficulty memorising 0161 827 2927

KS 2 & 3 spellings. Andrews Award Systems+353 1 493 0011Diskovery+353 1 806 3910

Title Suitable for Description Suppliers North and South (not all listed)

71

Eye Track Primary Helps improve and Granada Learning Ltd. Post-Primary develop areas of 0161 827 2927 KS 1 - 3 visual perception. Andrews Award Systems

+353 1 493 0011Diskovery+353 1 806 3910

Alphabet Primary Provides opportunities Granada Learning Ltd.Track KS 1 & 2 to reinforce alphabet 0161 827 2927

awareness Andrews Award Systems+353 1 493 0011Diskovery+353 1 806 3910

Spell Primary Supports consistent Granada Learning Ltd.Track KS 1 & 2 and accurate spellings. 0161 827 2927

Andrews Award Systems+353 1 493 0011Diskovery+353 1 806 3910

Title Suitable for Description Suppliers North and South (not all listed)