Dyslexia:An Island of

weakness in a sea of strengths

Mrs. Juliana GregoryRICA/DyslexiaCharles Patterson Middle School

Every Teacher

in every classroom in every school in this country (and beyond) will come across several, if not dozens, of students who just can’t seem to get the ‘reading thing’ down.The students are smart, articulate, and creative, yet they omit small words, read slowly, have difficulty spelling, and stumble, guess, or mumble through multisyllabic words.

Many of these are placed in pull out groups for extra instruction and still don’t seem to ‘get it.’ And during his or her career; every teacher in every classroom in every school will ask themselves, “How can I help these students?”

We Used to Think

That dyslexia meant “seeing things backwards.”

That dyslexia affected boys more than girls.

That left handedness predicted dyslexia.

That we couldn’t diagnose dyslexia until after third grade was completed.

We Used to Think

That dyslexia could be cured with extra practice and a good reading program.

That the most common symptom of dyslexia is letter reversals and mirror writing.

That people with dyslexia have a vision problem.

That colored lenses or overlays can correct the reading difficulty.

 

Strength in one area masked by weakness in another can result in bright students having mild to severe school problems. Children cannot, by themselves, grow out of such weaknesses. They just learn to hide them.

 From Smart Kids with School Problems: Things to Know and Ways to Help (New York: E.P.Dutton, 1987) P.L. Vail, learning specialist

The Law•TEC §38.003 “Dyslexia” means a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or spell, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity.

International Dyslexia Association

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.

These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often UNEXPECTED in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction.

Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experiences that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

How do I know if I have a student with Dyslexia in my class?504 accommodations – at the bottom of the accommodation checklist there is a box “Texas Dyslexia Services”. Noted with time.

At this time, students who have an IEP do not have it noted in their paperwork. However, you may check their schedule in either eSchool Plus or in Eduphoria. If they have “Juliana Gregory” listed as a teacher, then they have been identified as a student with dyslexia and are receiving direct services.

Special Education:

“Monitor verses Direct Service”

Students who receive direct services go through a specific phonics program called WILSON. They must either pass out of the WILSON assessment (W.A.D.E.), complete all 12 books in the series, or with parent permission complete through book 8 in order to exit direct services. The WILSON program is not TEKS based/very limited comprehension strategies.

Students who are on “Monitor” status have exited the WILSON program.

What is the process to refer a student for dyslexia services? 1. Contact Amy Sensiba (504 coordinator) 2. Gather data: SRI scores/test scores/writing

samples/observation notes/complete teacher data form Once parents have signed consent and the student has

passed vision and hearing screening, then testing begins. Unfortunately, there is no quick screener. Students who are referred to testing will be assessed using a variety of norm referenced assessments (GORT/CTOPP/TWS/TOWRE).

Committee will meet and review data to determine eligibility.

Qualifications:

Students with average to above average intelligence Deficits in the area of phonological

awareness/processing Clearly “Unexpected” despite access to educational

opportunities

Dyslexic Gifts

Dyslexics often enjoy and excel at solving puzzles. Dyslexics have excellent comprehension of the stories

read or told them. Most dyslexics often have a better sense of spatial

relationships and better use of their right brain. Dyslexics have excellent thinking skills in the areas

of conceptualization, reason, imagination, and abstraction.

Dyslexics have a strong ability to see concepts with a "big picture" perspective.

Dyslexic Gifts

Dyslexics are adept to excellence in areas not dependent on reading.

Dyslexics typically have a large spoken vocabulary for their age.

Dyslexics tend to be more curious, creative, and intuitive than average.

Dyslexics’ special mode of thought easily produces the gift of mastery.

Dyslexia is not related to low intelligence. - See more at:

http://athome.readinghorizons.com/blog/50-interesting-facts-about-dyslexia#sthash.YROf9wiq.dpuf

FYI -- October is Dyslexia Awareness Month