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Website: Text Project - information on reading and classroom materials

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Website: Text Project - information on reading and classroom materials

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http://textproject.org

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Website: LDonline - educators' guide to learning disabilities

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Website: LDonline - educators' guide to learning disabilities

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http://www.ldonline.org

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Website: National Center for Learning Disabilities - tools for developing literacy skills

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Website: National Center for Learning Disabilities - tools for developing literacy skills

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https://www.ncld.org

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Website: Learning Disabilities Association of America - support and resources for educators

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Website: Learning Disabilities Association of America - support and resources for educators

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https://ldaamerica.org/educators/

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Website: Learning Toolbox - resources to enable students with learning disabilities

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Website: Learning Toolbox - resources to enable students with learning disabilities

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http://coe.jmu.edu/Learningtoolbox

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Website: TeachingLD - information and resources on working with students with learning disabilities

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Website: TeachingLD - information and resources on working with students with learning disabilities

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http://www.teachingld.org

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http://www.literacyconnections.com

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An elementary-aged school girl goes from loving school to hating it. She knows her letters but they just won't form into words. She receives help and discovers a hidden talent.

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Website: Reading Resource - literacy games

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Website: Reading Resource - literacy games

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https://www.readingresource.net

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A story about a little boy named Adam who has been have difficulty reading. He is now in 3rd grade and still cannot read on his own. He is finally diagnosed with dyslexia and his teacher puts a plan in place.

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Hudson is good at a lot of things but spelling isn't one of them. Spelling tests are what make Hudson hate school. He doesn't want to return to school after another horrible day. But one final different test helps Hudson understand why he is special.

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Ally is very creative and sees art and moving images in everything and everyone around her. When it comes to reading...time freezes. Her dad is in the military causing Ally to move from school to school and manages to create enough distraction to hide her reading difficulties. This all changes when Mr. Daniels helps her make sense of reading and herself.

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Website: Literacy Center Education Network - literacy games in English and Spanish

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Website: Literacy Center Education Network - literacy games in English and Spanish

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http://www.literacycenter.net

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Book: Knees: The Mixed Up World of a Boy With Dyslexia

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Book: Knees: The Mixed Up World of a Boy With Dyslexia

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Synopsis: Knees shows the ups and down's of life with dyslexia. The book cover's dyslexia symptoms and the reason why school can be hard for dyslexics. Children can make connections through the famous people that are being introduced in the book who have dyslexia.

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Article: 5 Things Your Grade-Schooler With Dyslexia Can Say to Self-Advocate

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Article: 5 Things Your Grade-Schooler With Dyslexia Can Say to Self-Advocate

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Synopsis: Educate your child with options of things to say when they want to speak up for themselves in regards to dyslexia.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/5-things-your-grade-schooler-dyslexia-can-say-self-advocate

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Article: What are classrooms like for students with Dyslexia? 

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Article: What are classrooms like for students with Dyslexia? 

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Synopsis: Most general education classrooms can be very busy. Teachers work hard to accommodate for all students' different ways of learning.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-are-classrooms-students-learning-disabilities

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Article: Rethinking How Students with Dyslexia Are Taught to Read

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Article: Rethinking How Students with Dyslexia Are Taught to Read

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Synopsis: A group of education stakeholders sued a school district in Ohio for how students with dyslexia were failing to be taught how to read. The issue with "whole language learning" though was only failing students with dyslexia but many other students were also affected. Many teachers report that it is not until they receive specialized training until they learn what is effective for students with dyslexia (systematic, explicit and multisensory) is effective for all.
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/03/11/591504959/rethinking-how-students-with-dyslexia-are-taught-to-read

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Article: Supporting Students with Dyslexia

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Article: Supporting Students with Dyslexia

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Synopsis: Assistive Technology Specialists offer tools to benefit students with dyslexia. Interventions that are explicit and systematic and multisensory are offered.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/supporting-students-dyslexia-standards-accommodations-and-strategies_ctd

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Article: Strategies for Summer Reading for students with dyslexia

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Article: Strategies for Summer Reading for students with dyslexia

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Synopsis: Twelve fun ways to encourage students with dyslexia to reinforce their learning whiles they are not in school.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/strategies-summer-reading-children-dyslexia

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Article: Creating Positive School Experiences for Students with Dyslexia

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Article: Creating Positive School Experiences for Students with Dyslexia

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Synopsis: Counselors and school personnel are provided with research that conveys the extra importance for positive school experiences for students with dyslexia.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/creating-positive-school-experiences-students-disabilities

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Book: Extending Support for Key Stage 2 and 3 Dyslexic Pupils, Their Teachers, and Support Staff

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Book: Extending Support for Key Stage 2 and 3 Dyslexic Pupils, Their Teachers, and Support Staff

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Synopsis: Mastercopies for teachers to create multisensory activities to engage students with dyslexia. This book also includes a variety of games for students to use at home.

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Book: How the Special Needs Brain Learns 

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Book: How the Special Needs Brain Learns 

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Synopsis: With the latest developments in neuroscience this book provides strategies for students with learning differences.

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Synopsis: A reading specialist who has had a concussion remembers feeling what it was like to have the world move so quickly around her. Students with dyslexia may have similar thoughts and feelings.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/my-students-shoes

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Article: Helping Your Special Needs Child

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Article: Helping Your Special Needs Child

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Synopsis: Several tips are provided for parents to be the best advocates if they suspect their child has a learning difference.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/helping-your-special-needs-child

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Article: A Dyslexic Child in the Classroom

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Article: A Dyslexic Child in the Classroom

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Synopsis: This guide includes strategies to support students in math, spelling, reading, handwriting, and homework.
https://www.dyslexia.com/about-dyslexia/understanding-dyslexia/guide-for-classroom-teachers/

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Article: Understanding Children With Dyslexia

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Article: Understanding Children With Dyslexia

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Synopsis: Information about the signs, symptoms, diagnosis for dyslexia.
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dyslexia/understanding-dyslexia

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Harry loves to do anything else except read. He like to play with his friends, play football, and climb trees. His teacher explains that he has Dyslexia. With the help from his mom, teacher, and an educational psychologist, Harry learns specific strategies for reading with dyslexia.

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Book: Why Can't I Read? Children's Book on Dyslexia

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Book: Why Can't I Read? Children's Book on Dyslexia

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This story is told from the child's perspective to help other children and their parents understand and deal with frustration and shame of not being able to read.

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Tom is saddened that his friend's are good at reading and writing. But he then soon finds his own special talent through a competition at school. This story shows and encourages other children to be mindful of the differences that exist between their classmates and to be aware that all children learn differently.

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A biography written by Hamish who is also the character in his story. He shares his story with others to show that getting diagnosed is the beginning of the journey, not the end. This honest story gives insight into the challenges of Dyslexia.

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Article 1: Effective Reading Interventions

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Article 1: Effective Reading Interventions

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In this article find out what practices are at the core of a good reading intervention program. Learn how to use these in your classroom.

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Effective Reading Interventions for Kids with Learning Disabilities

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Research-based information and advice for sizing up reading programs and finding the right one for your child with a learning disability.

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Article 2: Dyslexia: What Teachers Need to Know

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Article 2: Dyslexia: What Teachers Need to Know

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Important information about how to teach to the senses, and valuable information to help teachers understand dyslexia.

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It's likely at least one in ten students in your classroom has dyslexia. But thanks to advances in brain science, professional development, and educational technology over the past decade, a new era has dawned in understanding and educating dyslexic learners-one that places classroom teachers squarely on the front lines. It's none too soon.

Dyslexia is often misunderstood as simply bad spelling or reversing of letters, when, in fact, the language difficulties experienced by a student with dyslexia often go far deeper. Dyslexia is a learning disability that stymies the acquisition and processing of language, a condition that hinders not only reading and comprehension but also oral and written expression (see Quick Facts About Dyslexia, page 55).

"It's a very serious problem because children are either not getting identified or-if they are identified-not getting effective instruction and accommodations. And it's a problem that's going to affect more children in the regular classroom than any other single learning disability," says Sally Shaywitz, who authored the groundbreaking book Overcoming Dyslexia in 2003.

Together with her husband, Bennett, Shaywitz directs the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity in New Haven, Connecticut. The two have revolutionized the study of dyslexia by using brain imagery to show that the part of the brain crucial to word formation and automatic reading operates inefficiently in dyslexics-and renders many of them tortuously slow readers. "If you're dyslexic, it's like you're operating on manual instead of automatic," Shaywitz explains.

Ten years ago, Shaywitz also served on the landmark National Reading Panel that stressed the need for dyslexic learners to develop phonological skills-the ability to distinguish and identify the sounds of words-before progressing to traditional reading instruction. That approach, carried out in structured phonics regimens such as the Orton-Gillingham or Wilson Reading System programs, has become the gold standard for teaching dyslexic readers.

Classroom Teachers Are Critical
While the one-on-one instruction required in intensive phonics programs traditionally took place in the learning center or special education office, classroom teachers have become critical players in responding to the learning styles of dyslexic students and helping them succeed. That's become especially true as "pull-out" times have decreased in many districts as the amount of content to cover in the classroom has increased, and the number of support staff outside of the classroom has dwindled."

We now know lots of things about neuroplasticity and that teachers rewire kids' brains whether they are trying to or not," says Steve Wilkins, head of the Carroll School, a nationally known school for dyslexic learners in Lincoln, Massachusetts. "It makes a lot of sense to engage dyslexic students in lively, creative, and repetitive activities that help develop these neural pathways."The good news is that what works for dyslexics in the classroom can work well for all of your students, need not distract from your lesson plan, and can add to your store of best practices.

Reading With All the Senses
Since dyslexic learners have difficulty with the printed word, they benefit from multisensory approaches to reading, writing, and even arithmetic. Kelly Winn, a kindergarten teacher at the Winn Brook Elementary School in Belmont, Massachusetts, has her youngsters write letters in sand and construct words out of Wikki Stix. "I also do a lot with 'glitter letters' so that they can feel the bumpiness with their fingers," says Winn. She often teaches spelling with mnemonic rhymes, as well, in order to better reach those of her students-dyslexics included-who are more auditory learners. One such couplet goes,
I spell 'IS' I-S, I-S.
It doesn't have a Z.
I spell 'IS' I-S, I-S.
There's no fooling me.
Even the mechanics of writing can bedevil a dyslexic learner, and many elementary teachers have had success with cursive writing, since each letter can begin on the same baseline.

When she teaches vocabulary, fifth-grade teacher Kyle Redford encourages her students at Marin Country Day School outside of San Francisco to draw pictures and act out new words. She is equally at home with students submitting their work in an alternative mode. "When we finish a novel, everyone needs to write essays, but sometimes they'll also do a skit or an art project, even an iMovie, which a lot of our struggling readers gravitate toward," Redford says, noting that these kinds of projects still require their creators to be thoughtful and intentional about the way they are conveying information.

Multisensory techniques are not confined to language arts. In introducing a math problem, suggests the Carroll School's Wilkins, ask students to draw a model of the math problem before they try to solve it, rather than simply reading the question or having it read to them. For any technique that you use with dyslexic learners, be consistent, Wilkins adds. "Find out how students best hang on to information, and really support them in those techniques, whether it's mnemonics (singing a song, learning a rhyme) or forming word pictures in their minds."

Dyslexics Are Strong Learners
Above all, say those who work successfully with dyslexic children, don't mistake their lack of reading prowess for a lack of ability or interest. Earlier this year, Yale's Sally Shaywitz and her husband, Bennett, published the results of a long-term study of Connecticut schoolchildren aimed at showing that dyslexic readers usually have above-average intelligence. "We assume if you're smart you'll be a good reader. Dyslexia violates that assumption," she explains. "In typical readers, IQ and reading scores are dynamically linked. When one goes up, so does the other. We found that with dyslexics, IQ and reading went their separate ways and didn't influence each other."

Connie Bagley, the dyslexia specialist for Crockett Elementary School in San Marcos, Texas, notes that her students often need to get their information through other channels, sometimes literally. "Most of my kids love the Discovery and National Geographic cable channels," she says. "They're little sponges, and reading to get that much information is so much more difficult for them to do. They can tell me about a movie they saw four years ago and can't tell me about a story they read yesterday."

A Model State
While individual districts, schools, and teachers have often been left to figure out solutions for dyslexic readers, Texas has made a statewide effort for decades and has become a model for other states. Texas law mandates extensive programs for dyslexic learners, and all schools are required to have a dyslexia specialist.

Teachers can refer to a 95-page Dyslexia Handbook to identify, assess, and instruct affected students, but they also get plenty of professional development.

The Wylie Independent School District near Dallas, Texas, started its dyslexia program 20 years ago. "Teachers have been partners in this journey and that does impact the students," says Lexie Barefoot, the dyslexia coordinator for the 18 schools in her district. "We are planning and building together with classroom teachers, and they've seen that what we do works-and works for their non-dyslexic students as well."

Tech to the Rescue
Advances in educational technology have also had a positive effect on reaching dyslexic students. For starters, writing on a computer can eliminate the difficulties many dyslexic students have using longhand, and the spell-check feature helps with the frequent spelling mistakes that dyslexics are prone to make.

Software programs such as Kurzweil, meanwhile, can read back electronic or scanned-in texts, using an assortment of natural voices. This approach allows students to read along with the spoken words. "All of our third graders and above know how to make text on the computer talk to them," says Diane Snelling, the director of student support services at Marin Country Day School. Teachers at the school also rely on Lexia reading software to reinforce phonological awareness and increase reading fluency. The program allows for the repetition that dyslexic readers need.

To improve reading comprehension, teachers at the Carroll School use Thinking Reader, which embeds prompts, hints, and feedback in the assortment of literature it contains. Carroll's Steve Wilkins notes that teachers can also create their own questions to insert. "You might say, 'What do you think the major character is saying at this time?' Because the task of pulling all these little squiggles off the page takes so much energy, many dyslexics don't have the brain space to do the comprehension piece."

Classroom Culture Shift
While multisensory instruction and the latest software can make a big impact, teachers also need to make accommodations for dyslexic students in the classroom. "I've seen a real change as we've educated teachers," observes Crockett's dyslexia specialist, Connie Bagley. "The days of saying, 'I'm not going to give you extra time, I'm not going to read out loud to you' are over."

"The biggest thing is giving extra time for core subjects, in which the content can become overwhelming, especially to a student with processing issues," Bagley continues, noting that she meets with all of her school's teachers at the beginning of the year to decide exactly who in their classes fits that description.

Teachers encourage dyslexic students to complete their summer reading assignments by listening to books on tape or have books read to them; back in school, it's a common practice to have peers read to their dyslexic counterparts.

Another accommodation you can make-and one frequently overlooked, experts point out-is to place less importance on rote memorization in such areas as spelling and math facts. The processing and retrieval problems of dyslexic learners make that approach largely futile. Instead, you can limit the number of words you expect them to study and provide mathematics tables on which they can find the necessary answers.

"What's the big deal about retrieving a math fact when it's only a part of what you're trying to solve?" says Marin Country Day's Snelling. "We're deemphasizing automatic rote skills." She also warns about penalizing dyslexic students unnecessarily on tests. "Teachers need to be really clear about what they're trying to measure. Don't have a math or history test turn into a spelling test."

"I've seen too many people get back papers graded A- for imagination, F for spelling, and D+ as the final grade," adds Yale's Sally Shaywitz.

"They just learn differently," notes Bagley of her dyslexic students. "Give them a different approach to what you're trying to teach them, and they can be really successful."

Web Resources
Dyslexia.mtsu.edu: Articles, tips, and suggested classroom modifications for teachers of students with dyslexia.
Interdys.org: The International Dyslexia Association is a non-profit research and advocacy organization. IDA offers resources to teachers and free scholarships to attend the IDA national conference.
ldonline.org: Offers comprehensive information and advice on dyslexia and other learning disabilities for teachers and parents.
Kidshealth.org: A good site for explaining dyslexia to kids. Includes a "listen" option, which will read the website text aloud.
Dyslexia-teacher.co.uk: Articles and advice on teaching reading with a multisensory approach.

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Dyslexia: What Teachers Need to Know | Scholastic

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It's likely at least one in ten students in your classroom has dyslexia. But thanks to advances in brain science, professional development, and educational technology over the past decade, a new era has dawned in understanding and educating dyslexic learners-one that places classroom teachers squarely on the front lines.

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Article 3: 8 Things Every Teachers Should Know About Dyslexia

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Article 3: 8 Things Every Teachers Should Know About Dyslexia

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This article focuses on helping teachers understand dyslexia and disspells some myths associated with the learning difference.

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We're so excited this week to share a guest blog from Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley of the Dyslexia Training Institute on what teachers need to know about dyslexia.

As teachers, we get so excited seeing students understand a new concept and grow exponentially in one year's time. But there is always that group of students in every teacher's career that they just weren't able to help the way they wanted to. They knew the kids were bright. They knew they were motivated to learn. They knew they were supported at home. They knew they had all the opportunities to learn. However, for some reason, these kids just struggled with reading and spelling-despite the help of teachers and parents. Dyslexia is much more common than most people-even teachers-think. Below are eight things every teacher in every classroom on every school campus should know.

1. Dyslexia is real. Think about this. Autism affects one in 68 children and we hear about autism all the time. What you might not realize is that dyslexia affects one in five people-that's up to 20 percent of the population. Dyslexia is a neurobiological difference in the brain that makes reading and writing more difficult to learn (you can find the official definition here.)Remember that reading and writing are man-made constructs, and not every brain has the ability to learn those constructs without explicit instruction. What this means for teachers is that every single year in every single class sits a student with dyslexia. Dyslexia can look different in each student. Some may read a little slowly. Some may have extreme difficulty with decoding. Some may be poor spellers. Some may read accurately yet slowly, and then they cannot tell you what they just read. These are all symptoms of dyslexia. Dyslexia also occurs on a continuum. So it may be mild in one student and severe in another. But this is the annotated version about dyslexia. For more information about dyslexia, you can watch this TED-Ed video or you can visit the International Dyslexia Association.

2. Dyslexia is not a visual problem. People with dyslexia see words and letters the same way people without dyslexia do. Therefore any "intervention" that targets the visual system is misguided. This includes colored paper, covered overlays, colored lenses and vision therapy. Yes, students with dyslexia do confuse b and d and may say was for saw, but it is not because they "see" the letter or word backwards. It is because they failed to unlearn that the letters change depending on their place in space. For example, the brain understands that a cow is a cow no matter which way it is looking. So when a child learns to read, they have to learn that the spatial orientation of a letter or word will completely change the name of the letter. For a more thorough explanation, you can read this example: http://www.dyslexiatraininginstitute.org/blog/our-brains-were-not-built-for-reading-confusing-p-q-b/. The American Academy of Ophthalmologists released this statement about the misuse of vision interventions for students with dyslexia: http://one.aao.org/clinical-statement/joint-statement-learning-disabilities-dyslexia-vis. The takeaway here is that it is not productive for the student with dyslexia when we try to correct what they see instead of how they process the information.

3. Dyslexia is not outgrown. The fact of the matter is that a person is born with dyslexia, and once they are born with dyslexia, they will grow old with dyslexia. But with the correct intervention, they may learn to improve their reading and writing and hopefully be encouraged to embrace their dyslexia. Ben Foss, a dyslexic and author of The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan, explains, "Whether your child is on the cusp of being identified or you've known about his dyslexia for quite some time, I say welcome to the club! It's safe here, and you can let go of your fear and anxiety about this identification. Believe me, I know how you feel. I was there and so were my parents, and I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that it will get better. Indeed, you're going to have fun."

The important thing to realize here is that it is unproductive and a bit destructive to tell parents and children to "wait and see" what will happen. Dyslexia can be identified as early as three years old, and the earlier, the better. The "wait-and-see" approach will never work for a child with dyslexia.

4. Dyslexia is not an intellectual deficit. When a child with dyslexia is struggling to read, spell, understand or remember what they read, it is not an intellectual deficit. In fact, in order to be diagnosed with dyslexia, a child has to have a low average or above IQ. It is common for children who are struggling to be inadvertently marginalized by the educational system because educators do not know how to teach them. The takeaway here is that a child with dyslexia has as much potential as every other student in the classroom.

5. A child with dyslexia needs an explicit, multisensory and systematic intervention. The one thing a child with dyslexia absolutely does not need is the "eclectic" approach to teaching reading. English is a rules-based language and it does make perfect sense. When children with dyslexia are taught the structure of the language explicitly, systematically and in a multisensory way, they learn to read and spell. This type of approach is commonly referred to as the Orton-Gillingham approach, which can manifest in prepackaged programs like the Wilson Reading System and the Barton Reading and Spelling program. But the program is only half the recipe: The teacher needs to be highly trained in order to be the most effective. The takeaway here is that we know what works, so why not embrace it?

6. Students with dyslexia need sensible accommodations. In addition to the intervention mentioned above, students with dyslexia need accommodations to access the curriculum. Remember that dyslexia is not an intellectual issue, so when children with dyslexia cannot access the curricula via the traditional method of reading and writing, they need accommodations. The most beneficial accommodations are books on audio. These can be accessed through organizations like www.bookshare.org and www.learningally.org. It cannot be overstated how important it is to allow these students to learn via reading by ear. Students with dyslexia usually struggle with spelling and writing. They may tell you a great story verbally and then write, "The cat sat." So we can provide them with speech-to-text and now they can dictate their thoughts. You can visit the Headstrong Nation website for videos about how to incorporate accommodations into the classroom. The takeaway here is that the purpose of education is to evaluate what they know and what they think, not how much they remember after struggling through a text that is too hard for them. They have the brains-we need to give them the access.

7. Dyslexia is recognized by all school districts. It is not uncommon to hear "My school district does not recognize dyslexia" or "We don't work with dyslexia at this school." The truth of the matter is that every school in this country recognizes dyslexia because it is written into the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and it's been there for over 35 years. You can read it here:
Definition: Specific Learning Disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

8. One teacher can make all the difference in the life of a child with dyslexia. It is common for a teacher to be reluctant to utter the word dyslexia. But if a teacher has done his or her research and has suspicions that dyslexia might be the culprit of a child's difficulty, the resources you give to the parent and the red flags you raise may be the difference between that child having a successful academic career and that child failing to meet his or her potential. You can click here for a free resource about dyslexia: https://jmgllc.leadpages.net/dyslexiaqrg/ and here: http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/DyslexiaInTheClassroom.pdf

Ask the average person on the street what dyslexia is, and you will get a plethora of incorrect and absurd responses. So take a moment to read the following sentence:
The bottob line it thit it doet exitt, no bitter whit nibe teotle give it (i.e. ttecific leirning ditibility, etc). In fict, iccording to Tilly Thiywitz (2003) itt trevilence it ictuilly one in five children, which it twenty tercent.
How was that? Frustrating? Slow? What were those two sentences about? Don't know? Why not? Did your difficulty understanding that sentence have anything to do with your intelligence? You now have the power to help a child with dyslexia who experiences this frustration every time they read. Think on it.

Kelli is the co-founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute, which provides online training for those seeking information about and training for dyslexia. She is a certified Special Education Advocate and writes popular blogs about advocating for students with dyslexia. She received her doctorate in literacy with a specialization in reading and dyslexia from San Diego State University and the University of San Diego.

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8 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Dyslexia - WeAreTeachers

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We're so excited this week to share a guest blog from Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley of the Dyslexia Training Institute on what teachers need to know about dyslexia. As teachers, we get so excited seeing students understand a new concept and grow exponentially ...

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While we know that students who are identified as having dyslexia have laborous reading, we don't believe these students will ever LOVE reading. However, this article talks about how to foster a love of reading in all students, even ones with reading differences.

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I'll admit I used to wonder if my dyslexic students were doomed to always consider reading a chore. It was a logical concern; how could something so labored ever engender fondness? But I knew most of these students loved to listen to stories and I couldn't help but wonder if they might also possess an untapped love for reading independently. The challenge lay in figuring out how to make struggling readers understand that books were worth their extra effort.

Then I stumbled upon a simple observation that gave me an idea-and lots of hope.

It all started when I hired a colleague of mine, Meg, to work with my dyslexic son on his writing the summer before he entered high school. Like any good writing teacher, his summer tutor understood the intimate connection between reading and writing. Meg arrived at our home loaded down by bags of books and full of lots of questions. She immediately launched into a detailed interview of my son to determine what kinds of things he liked to read.

"I thought we were going to work on my writing?" my son inquired as politely as he could. Meg explained that before they started to work on his writing, she wanted him to think about what kinds of writers he liked to read. This would help him develop his own voice as a writer.

He was immediately stumped. Writers he liked? Favorite books? Reading books was something he had to do for school. It certainly was not something he did for pleasure. Beyond listening to his parents read him stories, my son had not spent a lot of time considering books or the writers who wrote them. Meg anticipated his blank response and proceeded to pull a large pile of humor books out of her bag. "Read these before we meet again on Friday."

I was shocked. Not only was the expectation of reading a stack of books out of whack for a student with dyslexia, but the books she pulled out of her bag were for elementary school students; Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Love that Dog? A stack of simple picture books? What was she thinking? I could already anticipate my son's surly and dismissive reaction once his tutor left us alone. After all, he was entering high school in two months and he needed to learn how to improve his writing skills, not waste his precious time revisiting children's books.

After Meg left, my son quietly lugged the stack of books upstairs without complaint. I kept quiet. The next day he announced that he had finished the books, "Done. They were really easy." That's all.

Meg came back a few days later. Again, she had more books and questions for my son. When she asked him what he thought of the books she had lent him, he offered very detailed and thoughtful responses. In fact, he sounded more like a professional book critic than a kid who never read unassigned books. Who knew? Then Meg asked him if he knew any comedic writers that he would like to read over the summer. Yes, in fact he did: David Sedaris. His dad had read him some short stories from The New Yorker.

My son's next assignment was to look through all of our back issues of The New Yorker and read as much David Sedaris as possible before the next week. From picture books to The New Yorker in one short week? I privately winced and waited for her to leave. Again, I was sure that my son would complain that Meg's expectations were out of line.

But no. Meg left, and once again he headed upstairs to do his summer homework. This time when I walked by his open door, he was busy reading on his bed surrounded by a mess of old magazines. He continued to read and read The New Yorker over the next few days before she returned for their next meeting. This time his opinions about David Sedaris's short stories were very clear and strong. He knew which stories worked for him, and which stories he thought were weaker. He could also explain why. My dyslexic critic was now thoughtfully analyzing The New Yorker. I had to think about this.

I was witnessing a change so profound and rapid in my son that it made me wonder how I could co-opt this magic for the dyslexic and struggling readers in my own class. I could tell by my conversations with Meg that she didn't fully understand herself what she saw happening with him. I was going to have to use my "teacher knowledge" and my mother instincts to deconstruct this transformation.

My initial, albeit depressing, hunch was that my son hadn't finished many books on his own before. With so much pressure to have the appropriate title in his hand during quiet reading time at school, he was probably engaged in a lot of posturing. I could easily imagine him worried that his peers and teachers might think his books immature. He had most likely been wasting a lot of time faking engagement with the wrong books. If my hunch was correct, it was likely that he rarely got to the end of many stories.

How does one ever develop a passion for reading if one never finishes a story? Stories are written to be read: beginning, middle, and end. If an interruption is always taking place, no appreciation for the architecture of a story can be developed. I wouldn't love reading either if I was always reading books that I could never finish.

My first mission: I must get my students to read easier books.

But how does one get students to read easier books in a culture where one's academic stock is directly determined by the reading level of the book in one's hands? I had to figure out a way to lure my students to the appropriate level of book.

I decided to try an experiment. It involved encouraging everyone in my class to "read down." When I introduced my class library in the fall, I planned to sell my students very compelling but easy books. In fact, I decided to hide all the harder books in a secret cupboard in the room and fill the newly freed space with the easier titles.

I read dozens and dozens of easy Middle Reader fiction books that summer so I would know the material and be able to make successful recommendations to the students. Then I scoured used books stores and garage sales so that our class library would be appropriately stocked when my students arrived back to school.

It worked.

It worked almost immediately. Of course, I never called them easy books when I introduced my favorites to the class. Instead, I just reset the expectations in the classroom by focusing on a different kind of book. The books I chose to talk about were fun enough to engage the most sophisticated readers in the room, but easy enough to finish quickly. The students went nuts for my selections. Some were graphic novels; others were poetic prose; many were simply well-written short books. My students couldn't believe that reading could be so accessible, so enjoyable.

Students started to beg for quiet reading time. They asked to bring the class library books home. They shared our books with friends in other classrooms. They made waitlists for the most popular titles. They solicited additional suggestions of books by their new favorite authors. They talked about books with their friends. They started visiting bookstores and libraries. They donated new books to our class shelves. I had never seen anything like it. In fact, as a teacher, I realized that I had started to spend much of my instructional time talking to students about what their next book should be and what they thought of their last. Reading had acquired an urgency that it never had before.

What had initially started out as an experiment to get my struggling readers to enjoy books had turned my entire class into a culture of passionate readers. My assumptions and behaviors as a teacher also changed. I completely rethought how I talked about books in my class, and I kept current on all the newly released titles. The students started to talk to each other about books. As a class, we spent more and more time reading and talking about what we read. My struggling readers were equals in these conversations. They knew as well as their peers what they liked in a story, and the more they practiced talking about books, the better they got at explaining their opinions. There was no more false puffery associated with the difficulty level of their books. The new, more relevant questions were, "Is the book any good? and, "Do you think I would like it?"

Later, I slipped the more difficult books back onto our shelves. All the students were making rapid progress with their reading, their reading appetites were growing, and literary curiosity in the classroom was exploding. Our class library now offered a little something for everyone.

Click Here for "Creating a Classroom Reading Culture" Reading List

Addendum: My son now reads Kurt Vonnegut and the classic philosophers for pleasure. Needless to say, I owe a lot to THE DIARY OF A WIMPY KID.

updated 11/16/2011

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Creating a Reading Culture - Yale Dyslexia

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I'll admit I used to wonder if my dyslexic students were doomed to always consider reading a chore.

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Book: Comprender Mejor la Dislexia: Una guia para padres y educadores

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Book: Comprender Mejor la Dislexia: Una guia para padres y educadores

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Synopsis: A description and explanation of dyslexia for Spanish speaking parents from the point of view of a student.

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Book: Dyslexia 101: Truths, Myths and What Really Works

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Book: Dyslexia 101: Truths, Myths and What Really Works

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Synopsis: A guide for parents as they learn about dyslexia and how to navigate the school system.

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Synopsis: A practical guide to assist parents in understanding the educational difficulties children will encounter.

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Book: Dyslexia Advocate! How to Advocate for a Child with Dyslexia within the Public Education Syste

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Book: Dyslexia Advocate! How to Advocate for a Child with Dyslexia within the Public Education Syste

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Synopsis: Guidance on what to do before, during, and after an IEP meeting.

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Book: The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child's Confidence and Love to Learning

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Book: The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child's Confidence and Love to Learning

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Synopsis: A step-by-step guide that parents can use to help their child with school and in life.

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Synopsis: Provides parents with signs and symptoms of dyslexia and how families may cope.

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Book: Dyslexia Tool Kit for Tutors and Parents

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Book: Dyslexia Tool Kit for Tutors and Parents

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Synopsis: Latest research based strategies when working with children who are diagnosed with dyslexia

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Book: An Introduction to Dyslexia for Parents and Professionals

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Book: An Introduction to Dyslexia for Parents and Professionals

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Synopsis: Answers to frequently asked questions about dyslexia for parents whose child has recently been diagnosed.

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Book: Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level

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Book: Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level

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Synopsis: Helps parents better understand the reading problems that children may face and offers strategies to use at home to improve reading.

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Book: Understanding Dyslexia: A Guide for Teachers and Parents

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Book: Understanding Dyslexia: A Guide for Teachers and Parents

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Synopsis: Based on current research, author provides a definition for dyslexia and challenges faced by children with dyslexia

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Book: Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills

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Book: Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills

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Synopsis: New research provides the most effective ways to support students with learning differences in reading, spelling, writing, and language.

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Book: Essentials of Dyslexia Assessment and Intervention

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Book: Essentials of Dyslexia Assessment and Intervention

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A guide for teachers to understand, assess, and support students who have dyslexia.

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Book: Dyslexia Outside the Box: Equipping Dyslexic Kids to Not Just Survive but Thrive

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Book: Dyslexia Outside the Box: Equipping Dyslexic Kids to Not Just Survive but Thrive

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Students with dyslexia tend to be outside the box thinkers and this book provides strategies to support both left/right side of the brain thinking.

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Book: The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential 

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Book: The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential 

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Neurolearning experts describes the benefits of having dyslexia. Surgeons, Architects, lawyers, novelists, scientists, and business pioneers have overcome a dyslexia diagnosis.

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Book: The Dyslexia Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents and Teachers

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Book: The Dyslexia Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents and Teachers

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Synopsis: Synopsis: A guide for teachers to better understand dyslexia. Interventions and strategies to support students are included.

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Book: 100 Ideas for Secondary Teachers: Supporting Students with Dyslexia

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Book: 100 Ideas for Secondary Teachers: Supporting Students with Dyslexia

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Synopsis: Synopsis: This book includes 100 ready to use activities that are fun and engaging for middle and high school students.

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Book: The Dyslexia-Friendly Teacher's Toolkit

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Book: The Dyslexia-Friendly Teacher's Toolkit

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Synopsis: A hands-on guide to creating a dyslexia friendly classroom that is effective and efficient for student achievement.

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Book: 100 Ideas for Primary Teachers: Supporting Children with Dyslexia

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Book: 100 Ideas for Primary Teachers: Supporting Children with Dyslexia

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Synopsis: This book includes 100 ready to use activities that are fun and engaging for elementary students.

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Type in the website below to to find research and helpful resources on dyslexia. In the search engine on the upper right hand corner type in dyslexia. A list of sources will pop up for you to browse.

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Click each link to learn about the common signs of Dyslexia, how parents can support their child, and celebrate their strategies for summer reading.

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Learn about the common signs of dyslexia, how parents can support their child and celebrate their strengths, the role of assistive technology, how the latest brain research can help kids with dyslexia, and more.

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Website: Learning Disabilities Association of America

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Website: Learning Disabilities Association of America

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Support and resources for parents on understanding learning disabilities, the special education process, and helping your child and yourself.

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Learning Disabilities Association of America

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LDA recently submitted a letter in response to the U.S. Department of Education's proposal to delay implementation of guidelines for public schools for identifying, monitoring and addressing disproportionality in special education identification, placement and discipline. LDA opposes this delay. Click here to find out why.

This week, LDA and 16 LDA state affiliates, along with partner organizations, sent a letter urging Lowe's to take swift action to protect people from methylene chloride and N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP), toxic chemicals commonly found in paint strippers sold in Lowe's stores throughout the country. Children whose mothers are exposed to methylene chloride or NMP during pregnancy are at higher risk for problems with brain development, learning and behavior. Studies link men's exposure to the toxic solvents to impaired sperm quality and higher risk of babies with low birth weight, which in turn can contribute to learning and developmental disabilities. Methylene chloride... Read More "

The report, "Eliminating Lead Risks in Schools and Child Care Facilities," outlines strategies to ensure lead-free learning environments and prevent risks to significant numbers of children across the country. The report is the result of a workshop convened by the Learning Disabilities Association of America, Children's Environmental Health Network and Healthy Schools Network. "Lead has no place in learning environments. Even low levels of lead are linked to learning disabilities, attention problems and IQ deficits," said Maureen Swanson, Healthy Children Project Director, Learning Disabilities Association of America. "Getting lead out of schools and child care facilities is doable and will... Read More "

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Learning Disabilities Association of America

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LDA recently submitted a letter in response to the U.S. Department of Education's proposal to delay implementation of guidelines for public schools for identifying, monitoring and addressing disproportionality in special education identification, placement and discipline. LDA opposes this delay. Click here to find out why.

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Website: Learning Ally - digitally recorded audio books

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Website: Learning Ally - digitally recorded audio books

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http://www.learningally.org

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Synopsis: Trisha is overjoyed and excited to start school, but becomes discouraged when all the letters and numbers in her books are jumbled up. She builds a relationship with her teacher Mr. Falker who recognizes her reading difficulty and takes the time to help her.

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Article 5: How Students with Dyslexia are Taught to Read

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Article 5: How Students with Dyslexia are Taught to Read

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Author: Emily Hanford

Learn from another school district the approach they are taking and how research has helped inform their instruction.

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Dyslexia is the most common learning disability, affecting tens of millions of people in the United States. But getting help for children who have it in public school can be a nightmare.

"They wouldn't acknowledge that he had a problem," says Christine Beattie about her son Neil. "They wouldn't say the word 'dyslexia.' "

Other parents, she says, in the Upper Arlington, Ohio, schools were having the same problem. The district in a suburb of Columbus wasn't identifying their children's dyslexia or giving them appropriate help.

So, in 2011, the parents pooled their resources and hired a lawyer.

"I was not surprised there was a group of students with dyslexia who were not getting the kind of instruction that they really needed," says Kerry Agins, an Ohio special education attorney who represented the Upper Arlington parents. She says the issue of public schools failing to address the needs of students with dyslexia is widespread, in Ohio and across the country.

Agins advised the parents to file a group complaint against the district.

Parents typically fight special education cases alone, seeking remedies one by one. But a group complaint, Agins told them, could force the school system to make broader change.

Nineteen people signed the complaint, including parents, students and graduates of the Upper Arlington public schools.

In August 2011, the Ohio Department of Education found the Upper Arlington Schools in violation of the law when it came to promptly and properly identifying students with learning disabilities and finding them eligible for special education services.

"We felt vindicated," Christine Beattie recalls. "Like, we aren't crazy. We know what we're talking about."

In its decision, the state ordered the Upper Arlington Schools to train teachers and staff on how to identify and evaluate students with learning disabilities.

But the parents said this was more than a special ed problem. They say it was a problem with the way kids were being taught to read.
How kids learn to read
The Upper Arlington Schools were using what's referred to as a "whole language" approach to reading instruction. It's an approach that became popular in the 1980s and continues to guide reading instruction in many public schools today.

Whole language holds that learning to read is a natural process. Children don't need much direct instruction. Instead, surround them with books, and they will become readers.

But decades of research shows that reading is not a natural skill. Unlike speaking, which humans learn automatically by being surrounded with speech, we have to be taught to read.

People with dyslexia have an especially hard time learning to read because their brains are wired in a way that makes understanding the relationship between sounds and letters difficult.

Research shows that they learn to read better when they are explicitly taught the ways that sounds and letters correspond. And research shows that even students without dyslexia learn better this way.

Upper Arlington had to retrain its teachers, who had, for the most part, learned whole language-based methods in their teacher-preparation programs.

Now, students in Upper Arlington are taught to read using a phonics-based approach that explicitly and systematically teaches them how letters represent sounds to form words on the page.

"O Octopus ah!" the kids yell in a first- and second-grade classroom at Barrington Elementary School in Upper Arlington.

Their teacher, Ashley Stechschulte, is holding up a series of cards with words on them, and the children repeat after her as she sounds out the first letter sound.

Then they move to more complex letter-sound combinations. They discuss the word "sock." Stechshulte asks what the letter combination "ck" is called.

"A digraph," answers a student. A digraph is one sound created when two letters appear together.

Stechshulte then asks the class to consider the difference between the digraph "ck" and the digraph "wh," as in the word "whistle."

"Who can tell me what's the big difference between these two digraphs?" Stechshulte asks.

A little hand shoots up. It's a boy named Jacob.

"The 'ck' can only go at the end (of a word) and the 'wh' can only go at the beginning," says Jacob.

The teacher was using "Fundations," a program based on the Wilson Reading System, a structured, phonics-based approach. Fundations is typically used with children who are struggling to learn to read but it can also be used for whole class instruction.

For students in Upper Arlington who show signs of dyslexia on a screening test, there is more intensive, one-on-one tutoring available.

Brett Tingley, one of the Upper Arlington parents who signed the group complaint, says if all kids get effective reading instruction, fewer children should need special ed services.

"I have started to call it not dyslexia but 'dysteachia,'" Tingley says. "It's the teachers who are not giving the right kind of instruction."
Emily Hanford is senior education correspondent for APM Reports.

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Rethinking How Students With Dyslexia Are Taught To Read

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Dyslexia is the most common learning disability, affecting tens of millions of people in the United States. But getting help for children who have it in public school can be a nightmare. "They wouldn't acknowledge that he had a problem," says Christine Beattie about her son Neil. "They wouldn't say the word 'dyslexia.'

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Article 6: Why Phonics Teaching Must Change

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Article 6: Why Phonics Teaching Must Change

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Author: Jeannine Herron
This is a great, informative article that talks about effective early reading instruction. Additionally, it is an excellent resource for teachers that gives practical advice on how to improve instruction.

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Students enter school eager, vulnerable, and excited about learning. But too soon, many find themselves struggling with reading. Because reading is key to success in school, poor readers face a trajectory of failure and decreasing motivation: Students who are not at least moderately fluent in reading by 3rd grade are unlikely to graduate from high school (Slavin, Karweit, Wasik, Madden, &amp; Dolan, 1994).

Young learners need to feel successful and empowered. But I have observed many 1st grade classrooms as a researcher and consultant, and reading instruction in a typical 1st grade class reveals a number of problems that can lead to frustration and reluctance. Too many precious minutes are spent waiting for another student to respond, working with material that's either too easy or too difficult, or doing unproductive, boring activities.

Can reading instruction become more efficient, fun, and successful? Indeed it can. In fact, recent brain research suggests that phonics instruction must change, because early instruction determines how the brain organizes itself for reading.

Many studies have established that phonemic awareness (the ability to identify the individual sounds in words) and phonics (the representation of those sounds with letters) are essential for skilled reading (Adams, 1994; Ehri, 2004; Torgesen et al., 2001). In an effort to insert phonics back into the curriculum for early readers, publishers have created curriculums containing worksheets and scripted lessons that introduce phonics in a tedious and unproductive way. But phonics instruction does not have to be tedious. It can be joyful and meaningful.

Louisa Moats (1998) put her finger on a crucial problem:One of the most fundamental flaws found in almost all phonics programs, including traditional ones, is that they teach the code backwards. That is, they go from letter to sound instead of from sound to letter.... The print-to-sound (conventional phonics) approach leaves gaps, invites confusion, and creates inefficiencies. (pp. 44-45)

If Moats's words had been taken to heart, phonics instruction today would focus on students constructing words before trying to read them-as I believe it should.

Recent research by neuroscientists and cognitive scientists provides ample data to support this turnaround (Aylward et al., 2003; Ehri, 2002; Simos et al., 2002). These studies point to the fact that the foundation of reading is speech and that the organization of reading skills in the brain must be built on this foundation.

Phonemes are not processed by the auditory system alone; they are articulated sounds. The powerful motor system of speech sequences and remembers phonemes. (How do you remember a phone number until you can write it down? You say it to yourself.) The process of learning to read should start with students constructing words-because this process requires them to pronounce words first.

What does pronunciation have to do with reading? Linnea Ehri (2002) shed light on how readers can look at thousands of words and instantly recognize their meaning. According to Ehri, the sight of a word triggers its pronunciation, and it is this pronunciation that has been stored in memory for convenient access along with the meaning of the word. Our lips may not be moving when we read, but our brains are "talking." Ehri's studies show that trying to recognize thousands of words from their visual appearance alone (pattern recognition) is almost impossible. Speech memory is the key.

What Brain Research Shows

Because reading is a relatively new human skill, evolutionarily speaking, the brain is not preorganized for reading. It has to figure out how to organize this new information-where to store the different elements involved in reading and how to connect them instantly. Genetics plays a role here, as does the brain's response to injury or illness. But for most children, their first experiences with letters and words dictate how the brain establishes neural networks that may become habitual pathways as reading skills develop.

Sally Shaywitz (2003) and others have determined with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) imaging technology that these networks are composed of three essential elements of reading: the pronunciation, meaning, and visual appearance of words. In good readers, these elements are typically stored in the left hemisphere; this connects the new visual experiences to areas already devoted to speech and comprehension.

Other studies (Aylward et al., 2003; Simons et al., 2002) have shown that dyslexics tend to activate right-hemisphere areas at some neural distance from where speech and comprehension reside in the left hemisphere. When dyslexic learners receive intense phonemically based intervention, however, as reading improves this activation tends to move to the left hemisphere, looking more like the activation pattern typical of strong readers. This finding suggests that early reading instruction can profoundly affect how the brain organizes this skill.

Decoding and Encoding

1. Blend the sounds together. Does it sound like a familiar word?

2. If the learner successfully pronounces cat, he or she will, finally, recognize its meaning. (Oh! That word is cat.)

Visual processing is activated first. A reader relies on analyzing and recognizing patterns, contours, shapes, and configurations (typically right-hemisphere processes). The reader achieves pronunciation and meaning only after successful visual analysis.

Retrieval of knowledge about the alphabet code involves letter-to-sound associations. This process involves visually deconstructing a word that has already been written by someone else; often these words use more advanced rules of spelling or break the rules. When a student is trying to learn the alphabetic principle, it's confusing to encounter exceptions.

Instructional activities tend to be divorced from meaningful experiences with text. Exercises often involve visually analyzing lists of unrelated words or sentences, such as counting phonemes, underlining blends and digraphs, or copying sentences from the board. Such activities do not elicit the joy of personal construction. They reinforce dependency on the teacher rather than independent learning.

Pronunciation and meaning are immediately activated because the reader must pronounce the word he or she wants to build, either silently or aloud (which typically involves left-hemisphere processing).

The reader segments phonemes primarily by using the motor system of speech, with its superior capability for sequencing and memory.

Retrieval of knowledge about the alphabetic code involves articulated sound-to-letter associations.

Activities involve meaningful interactions with text-primarily assembling letter tiles or using a keyboard, magic slate, or pencil to write dictated words or sentences. The teacher guides instruction of encodable consonant-vowel-consonant words in a systematic way so students gradually build up a repertoire of the 40 letters and digraphs that represent the basic phonemes in English. Neural networks for these 40 paired associations will thus be laid down consistently without the confusion of dealing with more complex spelling patterns. Writing becomes an efficient route to early reading rather than a separate subject.

These activities are empowering. Mastering the code enables a student to write any word. Even if the student does not spell a word perfectly, someone can usually read it. Successful communication makes clear to the student how words get on paper and what reading and writing are all about.

Students are generally eager to read what they have written. Encoding and decoding are both important, and students will have a better chance of developing decoding skills without frustration if they start by reading "decodable" (regularly spelled) words that they themselves have written. If letters are scrambled or missing, the teacher should give a minilesson about correcting the initial encoding.

Dealing successfully with written language as a writer or reader-the task of literacy-requires automatic skill with the alphabetic code. Practice with encoding enhances facility with decoding; they are two halves of the same learning task.

How Instruction Should Change

1. Deemphasize the names of letters. The only characteristic of a letter that is relevant to reading or writing is its sound. We should refer to letters more frequently by their sounds than by their names. The most frequent spelling error in 1st grade is the confusion of the name of a letter with its sound, such as "rm" for arm and "nhr" for nature.

2. Stop counting phonemes. If children are assembling letter tiles, writing, or using a computer to make words, they simply need to associate a letter (or letters) with each sound their mouth makes as they pronounce the word.

3. Have students pay attention to their mouth movements. Explain how the mouth strings sounds together like beads on a string. The more students pay attention to what their mouths do when they make a speech sound, the more likely they are to remember the association of sound to letter.

4. Systematically teach one way to represent each of the basic 40 sounds. There are thousands of encodable words students can sound out and spell with these-even big words, like fantastic.

5. Avoid having students copy sentences. Some curriculums instruct the teacher to write designated sentences on the chalkboard and have students copy each sentence, sometimes filling in a blank space with any word from a list. Students can accomplish this task mindlessly. They may remember the visual appearance of some words, but that won't aid long-term memory. Students are not using the code at all, merely practicing penmanship and copying. If we dictated phrases or sentences, students would activate verbal memory, pronounce the words silently, apply the alphabetic code, and produce the words without having to look back and forth at the board.

6. Move beyond visually identifying blends and digraphs. Some curriculums have teachers write a list of words on the chalkboard and ask a volunteer to identify a consonant blend in each word: 19 children wait, while Johnny tries to visually analyze a word like flipand figure out the blend. How does naming and identifying fl as a "consonant blend" help Johnny? Instead, Johnny could encode and write the word flip. If he fails to hear and feel the fact that his mouth has made two sounds, the teacher could say, "Say it again and feel what your mouth does after you say /f/." Johnny would then learn the concept of blending physically and store it in his brain with information about pronunciation. Similarly, underlining digraphs does not activate the crucial link between the letters and the articulated sound. It makes more sense to introduce digraphs systematically as part of the set of symbols that represent the 40 speech sounds.

7. Encourage spelling by analyzing sounds. When students ask how to spell a word, the reply should be "Sound it out!" If a student can't identify a sound, help that learner by pointing out that his or her mouth is moving differently to make the sound. Teachers can help correct the most commonly misspelled words, but they should introduce spelling rules and "outlaw words" gradually as students become fluent with the code.

If encoding instruction truly results in greater phonemic awareness and skills, is more likely to activate speech memory and left-hemisphere processing, and is more efficient and engaging, then why do teachers spend so few minutes of each language arts hour encoding? Why not tip the balance toward more encoding? The activities that build phoneme awareness, such as rhymes, songs, and games that manipulate sounds in words, usually happen in kindergarten and continue into 1st grade for students who have difficulty identifying sounds. All children love to hear books read aloud and have conversations about the pictures and the stories-an essential preparation for reading and writing. When the alphabet is introduced, encoding should come to the fore so that children don't start to lean heavily on visual pattern recognition.

It doesn't take long for most children to master the 40 phonemes and their corresponding graphemes. If a teacher introduces three or four phonemes each week at the beginning of 1st grade, the entire 40 can be covered by Christmas. The teacher needs to pay attention to the natural pace of the class and to which students may require more practice to build automaticity and fluency. Once students have mastered phoneme awareness and the alphabetic code, language arts time can become a balance of reading and writing.

Research on Encoding

Most studies of phonics instruction have primarily examined decoding instruction (Foorman, Francis, Fletcher, Schatschneider, &amp; Mehta, 1998; Torgesen et al., 2001). In one study that did examine encoding instruction, Torgesen (2004) studied 1st graders identified as at risk for reading failure. In small groups, students received instruction using two different methods. One method focused students' attention on what their lips and mouth were doing as they produced speech sounds. The other, using primarily encoding instruction, systematically introduced the 40 phonemes and taught children to associate sounds with finger strokes on a computer keyboard to find the corresponding letters, and to type dictated words and sentences.

Students in both groups showed significant gains (of two full standard deviations) in phonemic reading skills, particularly on word-attack and word-recognition skills. Their gains for fluency were almost as strong as those for accuracy. Reading comprehension scores were higher than expected on the basis of the students' estimated general verbal ability.

We need more discussion about and more research into the advantages of incorporating more encoding into early reading instruction. The "reading wars" still rumble below the surface. Teachers who honor joyful learning, construction, and discovery are naturally put off by worksheets and counting phonemes. But throwing out phonics is not the solution. Instead, phonics instruction should be changed to produce more successful readers.

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Special Topic / Why Phonics Teaching Must Change - ASCD

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Students enter school eager, vulnerable, and excited about learning. But too soon, many find themselves struggling with reading. Because reading is key to success in school, poor readers face a trajectory of failure and decreasing motivation: Students who are not at least moderately fluent in reading by 3rd grade are unlikely to graduate from high school (Slavin, Karweit, Wasik, Madden, & Dolan, 1994).

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Article 7: Accommodating Students with Dyslexia 

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Article 7: Accommodating Students with Dyslexia 

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Content by: IDA via Reading Rockets

It is vital to identify accommodations that are reasonable to ask of teachers in the classroom. The article provides accommodations for helping students with learning problems. They are organized according to accommodations involving materials, interactive instruction, and student performance.

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Teaching students with dyslexia across settings is challenging. Both general education and special education teachers seek accommodations that foster the learning and management of a class of heterogeneous learners. It is important to identify accommodations that are reasonable to ask of teachers in all classroom settings. The following accommodations appear reasonable and provide a framework for helping students with learning problems achieve in general education and special education classrooms. They are organized according to accommodations involving materials, interactive instruction, and student performance.

Accommodations involving materials

Students spend a large portion of the school day interacting with materials. Most instructional materials give teachers few activities or directions for teaching a large class of students who learn at different rates and in various ways. This section provides material accommodations that enhance the learning of diverse students. Frequently, paraprofessionals, volunteers, and students can help develop and implement various accommodations. Material accommodations include the following:

Use a tape recorder. Many problems with materials are related to reading disabilities. The tape recorder often is an excellent aid in overcoming this problem. Directions, stories, and specific lessons can be recorded on tape. The student can replay the tape to clarify understanding of directions or concepts. Also, to improve reading skills, the student can read the printed words silently as they are presented on tape.

Clarify or simplify written directions. Some directions are written in paragraph form and contain many units of information. These can be overwhelming to some students. The teacher can help by underlining or highlighting the significant parts of the directions. Rewriting the directions is often helpful.

For example, one set of directions might say: This exercise will show how well you can locate conjunctions. Read each sentence. Look for the conjunctions. When you locate a conjunction, find it in the list of conjunctions under each sentence. Then circle the number of your answer in the answer column. Simplified directions might say: Read each sentence and circle all conjunctions.

Present a small amount of work. The teacher can tear pages from workbooks and materials to present small assignments to students who are anxious about the amount of work to be done. This technique prevents students from examining an entire workbook, text, or material and becoming discouraged by the amount of work. Also, the teacher can reduce the amount of work when it appears redundant.

For example, the teacher can request the student to complete only odd-numbered problems or items with stars by them, or can provide responses to several items and ask the student to complete the rest. Finally, the teacher can divide a worksheet into sections and instruct the student to do a specific section. A worksheet is divided easily by drawing lines across it and writing go and stop within each section.

Block out extraneous stimuli. If a student is easily distracted by visual stimuli on a full worksheet or page, a blank sheet of paper can be used to cover sections of the page not being worked on at the time. Also, line markers can be used to aid reading, and windows can be used to display individual math problems.

Highlight essential information. If an adolescent can read a regular textbook but has difficulty finding the essential information, the teacher can mark this information with a highlight pen.

Locate place in consumable material. In consumable materials in which students progress sequentially (such as workbooks), the student can make a diagonal cut across the lower right-hand corner of the pages as they are completed. With all the completed pages cut, the student and teacher can readily locate the next page that needs to be corrected or completed.

Provide additional practice activities. Some materials do not provide enough practice activities for students with learning problems to acquire mastery on selected skills. Teachers then must supplement the material with practice activities. Recommended practice exercises include instructional games, peer teaching activities, self-correcting materials, computer software programs, and additional worksheets.

Provide a glossary in content areas. At the secondary level, the specific language of the content areas requires careful reading. Students often benefit from a glossary of content-related terms.

Develop reading guides. A reading guide provides the student with a road map of what is written and features periodic questions to help him or her focus on relevant content. It helps the reader understand the main ideas and sort out the numerous details related to the main ideas. A reading guide can be developed paragraph-by-paragraph, page-by-page, or section-by-section.

Accommodations involving interactive instruction

The task of gaining students' attention and engaging them for a period of time requires many teaching and managing skills. Teaching and interactions should provide successful learning experiences for each student. Some accommodations to enhance successful interactive instructional activities are:

Use explicit teaching procedures. Many commercial materials do not cue teachers to use explicit teaching procedures; thus, the teacher often must adapt a material to include these procedures. Teachers can include explicit teaching steps within their lessons (i.e., present an advanced organizer, demonstrate the skill, provide guided practice, offer corrective feedback, set up independent practice, monitor practice, and review).

Repeat directions. Students who have difficulty following directions are often helped by asking them to repeat the directions in their own words. The student can repeat the directions to a peer when the teacher is unavailable. The following suggestions can help students understand directions: (a) if directions contain several steps, break down the directions into subsets; (b) simplify directions by presenting only one portion at a time and by writing each portion on the chalkboard as well as stating it orally; and (c) when using written directions, be sure that students are able to read and understand the words as well as comprehend the meaning of sentences.

Maintain daily routines. Many students with learning problems need the structure of daily routines to know and do what is expected.

Provide a copy of lecture notes. The teacher can give a copy of lecture notes to students who have difficulty taking notes during presentations.

Provide students with a graphic organizer. An outline, chart, or blank web can be given to students to fill in during presentations. This helps students listen for key information and see the relationships among concepts and related information.

Use step-by-step instruction. New or difficult information can be presented in small sequential steps. This helps learners with limited prior knowledge who need explicit or part-to-whole instruction.

Simultaneously combine verbal and visual information. Verbal information can be provided with visual displays (e.g., on an overhead or handout).

Write key points or words on the chalkboard. Prior to a presentation, the teacher can write new vocabulary words and key points on the chalkboard or overhead.

Use balanced presentations and activities. An effort should be made to balance oral presentations with visual information and participatory activities. Also, there should be a balance between large group, small group, and individual activities.

Use mnemonic instruction. Mnemonic devices can be used to help students remember key information or steps in a learning strategy. (An example of mnemonic instruction is using the word HOMES to remember the names of the Great Lakes. H is for Lake Huron, O is for Lake Ontario, M is for Lake Michigan, E is for Lake Erie, and S is for Lake Superior.)

Emphasize daily review. Daily review of previous learning or lessons can help students connect new information with prior knowledge.

Accommodations involving student performance

Students vary significantly in their ability to respond in different modes. For example, students vary in their ability to give oral presentations; participate in discussions; write letters and numbers; write paragraphs; draw objects; spell; work in noisy or cluttered settings; and read, write, or speak at a fast pace. Moreover, students vary in their ability to process information presented in visual or auditory formats. The following accommodation involving mode of reception and expression can be used to enhance students' performance:

Change response mode. For students who have difficulty with fine motor responses (such as handwriting), the response mode can be changed to underlining, selecting from multiple choices, sorting, or marking. Students with fine motor problems can be given extra space for writing answers on worksheets or can be allowed to respond on individual chalkboards.

Provide an outline of the lecture. An outline enables some students to follow the lesson successfully and make appropriate notes. Moreover, an outline helps students to see the organization of the material and ask timely questions.

Encourage use of graphic organizers. A graphic organizer involves organizing material into a visual format. To develop a graphic organizer, the student can use the following steps: (a) list the topic on the first line, (b) collect and divide information into major headings, (c) list all information relating to major headings on index cards, (d) organize information into major areas, (e) place information under appropriate subheadings, and (f) place information into the organizer format.

Place students close to the teacher. Students with attention problems can be seated close to the teacher, chalkboard, or work area and away from distracting sounds, materials, or objects.

Encourage use of assignment books or calendars. Students can use calendars to record assignment due dates, list school related activities, record test dates, and schedule timelines for schoolwork. Students should set aside a special section in an assignment book or calendar for recording homework assignments.
Reduce copying by including information or activities on handouts or worksheets.
Have students turn lined paper vertically for math. Lined paper can be turned vertically to help students keep numbers in appropriate columns while computing math problems.

Use cues to denote important items. Asterisks or bullets can denote questions or activities that count heavily in evaluation. This helps students spend time appropriately during tests or assignments.

Design hierarchical worksheets. The teacher can design worksheets with problems arranged from easiest to hardest. Early success helps students begin to work.

Allow use of instructional aids. Students can be provided with letter and number strips to help them write correctly. Number lines, counters, and calculators help students compute once they understand the mathematical operations.

Display work samples. Samples of completed assignments can be displayed to help students realize expectations and plan accordingly.

Use peer-mediated learning. The teacher can pair peers of different ability levels to review their notes, study for a test, read aloud to each other, write stories, or conduct laboratory experiments. Also, a partner can read math problems for students with reading problems to solve.

Encourage note sharing. A student can use carbon paper or a notebook computer to take notes and then share them with absentees and students with learning problems. This helps students who have difficulty taking notes to concentrate on the presentation.

Use flexible work times. Students who work slowly can be given additional time to complete written assignments.

Provide additional practice. Students require different amounts of practice to master skills or content. Many students with learning problems need additional practice to learn at a fluency level.

Use assignment substitutions or adjustments. Students can be allowed to complete projects instead of oral reports or vice versa. Also, tests can be given in oral or written format. For example, if a student has a writing problem, the teacher can allow her or him to outline information and give an oral presentation instead of writing a paper.

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Accommodating Students with Dyslexia in All Classroom Settings

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Teaching students with dyslexia across settings is challenging. Both general education and special education teachers seek accommodations that foster the learning and management of a class of heterogeneous learners. It is important to identify accommodations that are reasonable to ask of teachers in all classroom settings.

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Article 8: Unidentified Dyslexia Takes Heavy Toll

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Article 8: Unidentified Dyslexia Takes Heavy Toll

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It is important to identify students who are dyslexic, but you need to know what the characteristic are in order to do so.

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First Person

Unidentified dyslexia is more common than one might think. The prevalence numbers vary, but research tells us that there are too many unidentified and quietly struggling dyslexic students in our K-12 classrooms and schools. The National Institutes of Health estimates that between 6 percent and 17 percent of school-age children have some form of dyslexia, although not all of those students may have been identified by their schools. Some unidentified students may present as lazy, disruptive, or lacking in academic potential, while others manage to deploy enough energy and intellectual ability to hide their difficulties and pass along with their disability undetected. However, without effective support, neither group of students can achieve their full potential.

See Also: The Power of Visual Notetaking (Opinion)

Anyone who has taught a dyslexic student has observed that dyslexia, typically considered a reading disability, affects other areas of learning. It makes spelling difficult. It makes writing difficult. It can even make memorizing math facts difficult. It simply makes school difficult-every day and in every way.

A 2016 study by neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may help to explain why dyslexia, typically considered a reading disorder, also creates learning obstacles in other academic areas. The MIT researchers discovered that the part of the brain that is used to learn new things is diminished in the dyslexic brain. Using MRI scans, researchers observed that people with reading difficulties struggled to recognize objects and faces too-tasks that have nothing to do with reading.

The researchers hypothesize that we associate this struggle only with reading because reading is a particularly difficult thing to learn to do. Consequently, that weakness is more easily observed. But weakness in reading may actually serve as a detection system for a more generalized processing difference.

Given the practical school challenges related to dyslexia, early identification of the issue is important so that children can access and qualify for critical interventions, tools, and accommodations to aid in their learning. Concrete supports such as specialized reading instruction, extra time on standardized tests, or the use of programs that allow students to combine both text and audio when they read (such as Learning Ally and Bookshare) can go a long way in helping dyslexics access content and information. Additionally, dictation and predictive spelling software can help them effectively show what they know.

However, the value and urgency of early identification is driven by an additional, more profound threat: Unidentified dyslexic children often privately think they are "stupid" or have diminished potential. They spend much of their school day focused on learning how to use basic mechanical skills with which they typically struggle. Worse yet, they look around the classroom and see their peers having a much easier time with these same skills, triggering confusion, frustration, anxiety, and humiliation.

After expending tremendous effort to achieve results, many dyslexics eventually avoid school work. It seems more appealing to skip the work than to struggle with it and possibly risk drawing attention to their challenges. To "save face," students may adopt a low-effort or minimal-investment posture. Students fear of their struggles being "found out" also prompts them to spend much of their mental energy trying to avoid detection. They don't want their teachers and classmates to know how hard it is for them to perform certain tasks because they worry that it will reflect negatively on their intelligence.

And yet, none of the learning skills they struggle with are any indication of their thinking abilities.

On the contrary, dyslexics are often exceptional thinkers. Outside of school, one does not have to look far to find examples of dyslexics as leaders in diverse fields such as science, politics, medicine, business, law, and the arts. More often than not, those professional success stories come with an equally exceptional story of school struggle. Even dyslexic superstars report that their early years of failing and feeling stupid in school left psychological scars too deep to be vanquished by their adult success. Yet, many also confirm that identifying dyslexia as the root cause of their learning struggles was transformational and liberating.

In order to identify dyslexics, teachers have to know the clues. Dyslexics are slow and effortful readers, but they are often the students who demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of content or story. They often have sloppy handwriting and struggle with spelling, but they have amazing ideas. In math, they may be the student who cannot retain their math facts, but readily offer creative ways to solve the problems. They struggle with written tests, but may lead class discussion. Overall, their weak mechanical skills shouldn't be any indication of their intellectual abilities.

As Frederick Douglass wisely warned, it is "easier to build strong children than repair broken men." In the case of dyslexia, the earlier we can intervene in a dyslexic student's life, the less of a toll it will take on his or her sense of confidence and competency. Identification is the first step in explaining the struggles and securing necessary supports. Additionally, understanding that dyslexia is a mechanical disability, not a thinking disability, goes a long way in dispelling the silent shame that can potentially haunt a student for life. This clarity is critical because students have a much better chance of inhabiting their potential if they (and their parents and teachers) believe in it.

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First Person Unidentified dyslexia is more common than one might think. The prevalence numbers vary, but research tells us that there are too many unidentified and quietly struggling dyslexic students in our K-12 classrooms and schools.

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Helpful article from Reading Teacher that focuses on research that focused on the dyslexic brain.

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Popular children's book that are visual and include audio.

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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Daytime Emmy-nominated, Storyline Online, features celebrated actors reading children's books to inspire a love of reading in millions of children worldwide.

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A free educational website with an optional low-cost membership program that teaches phonics. Young children diagnosed with learning disabilities will load fun activity lessons from letter recognition to reading full-length books

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Starfall Education: Kids Games, Movies, Books & Music for K-5 and above

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At Starfall, children have fun while they learn - specializing in reading, phonics & math - educational games, movies, books, songs, and more for children K-5 and above.

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Students can choose to use an online utility, or to download free software to convert any written text such as MS Word, Webpages, PDF files, and eBook into spoken words. This online utility is great for occasional use by students, as they can copy and paste the content from web sites onto this site, which then converts it from text to speech. Dyslexic students can then either listen or read along as the text is read aloud.

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Dyslexia and other reading-based learning disabilities are most common among students. NaturalReader text-to-speech makes learning more accessible by assisting with any reading, taking tests and promoting independence.

Students can have any text they need to read, read aloud to them so they can read along. Having the text provided both visually and auditory, allows the student to focus less on the act of reading, and more on the comprehension of the content. Other features like dyslexia font, flexible reading speeds, and highlighted text also ease the task of finishing readings.

For most students, learning does not stop when school ends. NaturalReader EDU enables students to be more independent and assists with learning at home. Whether they're doing homework, reading at home, or just surfing the web, our Chrome Extension and Mobile Application are always available.

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NaturalReader: Free Text to Speech for Online, Mobile App, Commercial license and Education with AI voices.

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6 games that each test a different learning ability known to cause dyslexia

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‎Climb the mountain and play the yeti games. Each game will test memory and learning skills. The Yeti Master will explain signs of dyslexia. * 6 games that each test a different learning ability known to cause dyslexia * Email your results to those that need to know * Suggests how to make better use...

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Helps students use their voice to create stunning presentations.

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As students get older, they may be interested in the news, and as most people access their news online, this app can be a massive help. You can store online articles in this app, which will then read them aloud.

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Bookshare® is an ebook library that makes reading easier. People with reading barriers can customize their experience and read in ways that work for them.

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Bookshare is FREE for US Students with qualifying reading barriers. Students 18 years and over can sign up on their own; parents can sign up students under 18 years of age.

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This app contains tiles of individual letters and numbers. Developed by a teacher, it is recommended by teachers and tutors around the world as it aids in their teaching.

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Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about Sound Literacy. Download Sound Literacy and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

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Ideal for prewriting:  everything created in Diagram View can be viewed as text in Writing View.
In Writing View, students can add full sentences to expand on their ideas.

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Engage Young Readers and Writers with Kidspiration Maps | inspiration.com

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EASY SPELLING AID EMPOWERS YOU TO INDEPENDENTLY SPELL WORDS AND PHRASES.

A simple spelling app that has the potential to be a powerful teaching and learning tool and recommended by teachers for use individually or in a classroom setting.

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Easy Spelling Aid - Easy Dyslexia Aid Education App

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Supports Multiple Languages

English (Australian, US, Canada, UK), Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Farsi, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese

Automatic language selection based on device language and region

Child friendly safe spelling - profanity is filtered out

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Easy Spelling Aid - Dyslexia - Translator - iOS - Android - App

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Supports Multiple Languages English (Australian, US, Canada, UK), Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Farsi, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese Automatic language selection based on device language and region Child friendly safe spelling - profanity is filtered out

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Article: Group Coping Skills Program for Parents of Children with Dyslexia and other Learning Disabilities

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Article: Group Coping Skills Program for Parents of Children with Dyslexia and other Learning Disabilities

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Fifty-seven mothers of children aged 6 to 12 with dyslexia or other learning disabilities were randomly allocated to a group coping skills program (n = 32) or a wait-list control group (n = 25). Parents completed pre- and post-intervention measures of parenting competence, stress, coping skills, and child behaviour/emotional problems. Prior to the program mothers reported high stress levels associated with child and school factors. After the program significant reductions were found for stress, isolation, self-blame, and greater emotional closeness (attachment) to the child was reported. Significant reductions in child behavior problems (externalizing behaviors) and moodiness were also found. Child internalizing behaviors remained high with nearly half the parents reporting child emotional problems (withdrawn, somatic complaints, anxiety/depression). Future interventions with families and schools are recommended to prevent children with learning disabilities and their parents experiencing high levels of emotional distress.

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Group coping skills program for parents of children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities.pdf

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Article: Exploring the impact of living with dyslexia: Theperspectives of children and their parents

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Article: Exploring the impact of living with dyslexia: Theperspectives of children and their parents

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PURPOSE: A small but growing body of literature indicates that children with dyslexia are at elevated risk of internalising and externalising mental health problems. However, little research addresses why this might be the case, particularly from the point of view of the children or their parents. This study therefore aimed to explore the lived experiences of children with dyslexia, and their parents. METHOD: Drawing on a phenomenological approach, 13 children with dyslexia and 21 parents were interviewed. The semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically. RESULT: Dyslexia was seen to impact at the individual, family and community level. CONCLUSION: Presentation of the themes contrasts the experiences of children and parents, illustrating that the experience of dyslexia is indicative of broader challenges associated with societal values and attitudes that privilege perceived ability and shame difference. This study provides information that could be used to inform and educate families and teachers about the impact of living with dyslexia.

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Exploring the impact of living with dyslexia The perspectives of children and their parents.pdf

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Article: The Influence of Family History on Reading Remediation and Reading Skills in Children With Dyslexia

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Article: The Influence of Family History on Reading Remediation and Reading Skills in Children With Dyslexia

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This study examined whether family history of reading disability influences the efficacy of reading remediation. A retrospective review of children’s performance in a reading remediation program was carried out along with parental interviews for 102 families. Significant improvements were found in the areas of non-word decoding, phonological awareness, and spelling following the reading remediation program. Younger children and children with lower IQs tended to receive less benefit from the remediation program. Having a paternal history of dyslexia was associated with smaller improvements in non-word decoding scores. Maternal history of dyslexia was not a significant predictor of changes in non-word decoding. These findings suggest that some reading skills may be most effectively integrated at later stages of development. They also point to the possibility of unique relationships that may exist between parents and children who have reading disabilities.

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Article: The Play and Language Behavior of Mothers with and without Dyslexia and Its Association to Their Toddlers' Language Development

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Article: The Play and Language Behavior of Mothers with and without Dyslexia and Its Association to Their Toddlers' Language Development

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The play and language behavior of mothers with (n = 49) and without (n = 49) specific reading disabilities (RD) was investigated during play with their 14-month-old children. The contribution of maternal behavior to the language development of their children was examined. The children's receptive and expressive language skills were assessed longitudinally at 14, 18, and 30 months, using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories and the Reynell Developmental Language Scales. Children with and without familial risk for RD did not differ from each other in any play or language measures at these ages. No group differences were found for mothers' manifestations of non-symbolic play and language. However, the typically reading (TR) mothers produced significantly more symbolic play and language in play interactions with their child than did the mothers with RD. The correspondence between mother—child symbolic play and maternal play-related language was also higher for the TR group than it was for the RD group. The mothers' symbolic play did not show any relation to their children's language development, but their expressions of symbolic language did show a relationship. The mothers' child-directed symbolic language contributed significantly toward the comprehension skills of 14- and 18-months old in the RD group. This association, however, was lower at 30 months, at which point it was reliably present for the first time in the TR group.

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The Play and Language Behavior of Mothers.pdf

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The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity

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The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity

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The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity (YCDC) is the preeminent source of cutting-edge research, informed advocacy and trustworthy resources to help those with dyslexia reach their full potential. The Center’s tools and resources are used widely by parents, educators and those with dyslexia to advocate for greater recognition and support for dyslexic children and adults. YCDC builds awareness in all communities and mobilizes grassroots efforts to close the reading achievement gap for all students, including low-income students of color, through policies that help dyslexic children succeed. The Center also showcases the remarkable success stories of adults with dyslexia, including writers, scientists, celebrities, and government and business leaders.

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YCDC's Advocacy Work

We know a great deal about dyslexia, but that knowledge is not matched by a commitment from education leaders and policymakers to helping dyslexic individuals get the support they need. As Dr. Sally Shaywitz says, "We don't have a knowledge gap, we have an action gap."

The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity raises awareness and advocates for all children and adults with dyslexia. We educate parents and teachers and provide them with tools and resources to help those with dyslexia succeed. And we educate and advocate for policies and programs at the federal, state and local level that ensure individuals with dyslexia are diagnosed at an early age and receive the accommodations necessary to reach their full potential in school and throughout their lives.

The Center's resources are used widely by parents, educators and those with dyslexia to spread the word about the need for greater recognition and support for dyslexic children and adults.

Check out the YCDC Advocacy Toolkit to find out how you can raise awareness in your school and community through events, social media outreach and other activities.

Take a look at YCDC's "Guide to Talking About Dyslexia," which will help you dispel myths about dyslexia and make the case for reform.

Sign up for our newsletter and get regular updates on efforts to improve policies that affect people with dyslexia.

Current Outreach
Dyslexia and the Reading Achievement Gap
Dyslexia likely is a significant reason for the persistent reading achievement gap in children from all backgrounds, especially low-income African-American and Hispanic children. Children with dyslexia who aren't diagnosed often grow up thinking they are stupid and that school is not a place for them. As a consequence, they have higher rates of dropout, unemployment, anxiety and depression. Studies estimate that almost 50 percent of prison inmates have dyslexia even though we know that with the right interventions dyslexics can be leaders in any field.

A major focus of our work is building awareness about dyslexia in communities across the country and mobilizing grassroots efforts to narrow the reading achievement gap through screening, diagnosis and treatment of all dyslexic students.
YCDC advocates for:

Widespread screening and diagnosis of dyslexia in all schools, particularly in low- and middle-income communities where parents can't afford expensive testing and tutoring for their children. Such measures are currently all but nonexistent in public schools.

Teacher education programs that provide training in identifying and supporting dyslexic students.

Consistent use of the word dyslexia when identifying and supporting those with the disability. Many school districts resist naming dyslexia as a specific disability, making it harder to identify and help dyslexic kids.

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YCDC's Advocacy Work We know a great deal about dyslexia, but that knowledge is not matched by a commitment from education leaders and policymakers to helping dyslexic individuals get the support they need. As Dr. Sally Shaywitz says, "We don't have a knowledge gap, we have an action gap."

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IDA's mission statement:
To create a future for all individuals who struggle with dyslexia and other related reading differences so that they may have richer, more robust lives and access to the tools and resources they need.

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This group advocates to:

Educate parents and teachers on processes at District,  State and Federal levels to improve literacy standards.

Provide information and resources to enable parents and teachers to identify, educate and support students at risk of dyslexia using science-based educational approaches.

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Dyslexia Advocacy Group (formerly: Dyslexia on Long Island, NY)

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Contact us to bring a presentation to your school district administrators. Presentation includes: What is dyslexia and how it affects students, symptoms and the emotional impact of illiteracy. ​ The cost of failure to teach reading. We aim to assist in th

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Brighton Center provides family & community education and developmental services to children with disabilities or delays empowering them to achieve their individual potential making them successful in every community.
Brighton Center sets a strong foundation for children of ALL abilities through early childhood intervention, early childhood education and special education support.

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Preschool | San Antonio | Brighton Center

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Preschool | San Antonio | Brighton Center

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Throughout San Antonio and Bexar County, Brighton Center provides developmental and educational services to children of ALL abilities.

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People with disABILITIES have the right to be treated with dignity and respect; the right to live and receive services in their own homes, and to decide for themselves what is the best for them.

Independent Living is different from other social services in that people with disABILITIES decide what services are needed and the best way to receive those services. This allows individuals more control over their own lives and leads to independence.

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Learning Foundations Cognitive Training Center

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Learning Foundations Cognitive Training Center

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Learning Foundations is a San Antonio based cognitive training center. Learning Foundations assesses and strengthens foundational cognitive skills, enabling them to become comfortable, independent learners with the tools to be successful in all areas of their lives. Students are challenged and empowered in new engaging ways in a nurturing, safe environment.

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The mission of The Winston School San Antonio is to provide a personalized, college preparatory education to students with high potential and identified learning differences. A Winston School graduate is confident, well-rounded, and a lifelong self-advocate.

Their goal is to provide a setting where each student may learn in an age-appropriate academic program focused on applying their strengths and addressing variations in learning. The Winston School San Antonio also strives to create an atmosphere within the school community that fosters mutual respect, self-confidence, psychological support, and inclusiveness.

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The Winston School Interact Club was recognized at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Annual Meeting on Tuesday, June 13, 2017, for their many years of support t ...

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Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (CTD)

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Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (CTD)

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CTD is a 501(c)3 working to ensure that persons with disabilities may work, live, learn, play and participate fully in the community of their choice. CTD focuses on the areas of governmental advocacy, public awareness activities, and professional disability consulting to fulfill their mission. CTD is the largest and oldest member driven cross-disability organization in the state of Texas.

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Home - Coalition of Texans with Disabilities

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The Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (CTD) is the oldest and largest cross-disability advocacy organization in Texas, working toward barrier-free employment, education, recreation, the arts, housing, advocacy, and voting.

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Clarity Child Guidance Center exists to transform the lives of children and families. We are the only nonprofit mental health treatment center specializing in children ages 3-17 in San Antonio and South Texas. Our inpatient and outpatient programs include a range of services including crisis stabilization, psychiatric evaluations, and ongoing therapy.

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Clarity Child Guidance Center exists to transform the lives of children and families. We are the only nonprofit treatment center specializing in children ages 3-17 in San Antonio and South Texas. Our inpatient and outpatient programs include a range of services including crisis stabilization, psychiatric evaluations, and ongoing therapy.

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Understood for learning & attention issues

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Understood for learning & attention issues

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Understood's goal is to help the millions of parents whose children, ages 3–20, are struggling with learning and attention issues. Understood wants to empower parents to understand their children’s issues and relate to their experiences. With this knowledge, parents can make effective choices that propel their children from simply coping to truly thriving.

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How can we help?

I am a parent or caregiver and want help with behaviors , learning , and everyday skills

We are Understood.
We are the lifelong guide for those who learn and think differently. In the past year, we've helped more than 20 million people discover their potentials, take control of their lives, and stay on positive paths.

We support the 1 in 5 Americans who learn and think differently.

Learn more

We believe difference is our greatest strength.

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When we shape the world for difference, we all thrive.

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Discover what's possible when you're understood.

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We just launched our "Be the Reason" stigma campaign. Learn more here.

Helpful guidance from Understood

Essential resource spotlight

Are you wondering why your child is struggling?

We're here to help if you're feeling overwhelmed. Take N.O.T.E. (Notice. Observe. Talk. Engage.) is a simple step-by-step tool that can help you figure out if the struggles you're seeing might be signs of a learning and thinking difference.

"I have a hard time focusing, mostly in school. When I do my homework, I kind of feel stressed out because it feels like so much even though it's not too much."

Emperor Kaioyus, Grade 4

Wunder The first community app for parents and caregivers of children who learn and think differently.

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Understood is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization (tax identification number 83-2365235). Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Understood does not provide medical or other professional advice. The health and medical related resources on this website are provided solely for informational and educational purposes and are not a substitute for a professional diagnosis or for medical or professional advice.

Use of this website is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Copyright © 2014-2023 Understood For All Inc.

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Understood - For Learning and Thinking Differences

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Understood.org is the resource that helps the 70 million people with learning and thinking differences anticipate the challenges, barriers, or opportunities in life and confidently reach their potential.

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Article: Impact of Intensive Summer Reading Intervention for Children with Reading Disabilities and Difficulties in Early Elementary School

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Article: Impact of Intensive Summer Reading Intervention for Children with Reading Disabilities and Difficulties in Early Elementary School

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Efficacy of an intensive reading intervention implemented during the nonacademic summer was evaluated in children with reading disabilities or difficulties (RD). Students (ages 6-9) were randomly assigned to receive Lindamood-Bell's "Seeing Stars" program (n = 23) as an intervention or to a waiting-list control group (n = 24). Analysis of pre- and post-testing revealed significant interactions in favor of the intervention group for untimed word and pseudo-word reading, timed  pseudo-word reading, oral reading fluency, and symbol imagery. The interactions mostly reflected (a) significant declines in the nonintervention group from pre- to post-testing, and (2) no decline in the intervention group. The current study offers direct evidence for widening differences in reading abilities between students with RD who do and do not receive intensive summer reading instruction. Intervention implications for RD children are discussed, especially in relation to the relevance of summer intervention to prevent further decline in struggling early readers.

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http://www.familytofamilynetwork.org/
Synopsis: primary mission to help families navigate the world of disability

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https://www.disabilityrightstx.org/
Synopsis: protecting and advancing student's rights in education

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https://disabilitystudies.utexas.edu
Synopsis: interdisciplinary team collaborating with other organizations to address policy issues and systems

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https://www.txp2p.org/
Synopsis: provides support, information, and education to families of children who have disabilities

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https://tash.org/
Synopsis: works to advance inclusive communities through advocacy, research, professional development, policy, and information and resources for parents, families and self-advocates.

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https://www.thearc.org/
Synopsis: provides a toolkit to advocate for Americans with disabilities

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Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates

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Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates

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https://www.copaa.org
Synopsis: network of professionals working to advocate for the legal and civil rights of students

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The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education

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The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education

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https://www.cadreworks.org
Synopsis: provides support throughout the IEP process

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http://www.dillardadvocacy.com
Synopsis: provides sample letters parents can use to advocate for services in schools

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https://www.anybabycansa.org
Synopsis: advocates for the child and family to get needed services

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Dyslexia Help at the University of Michigan

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Dyslexia Help at the University of Michigan

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http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu
Synopsis: help individuals with dyslexia as well as parents, employers, and professionals