-A learning disability (neurobiological).

-When individuals have a hard time with word recognition, poor spelling and decoding.

-Due to deficit phonological component.

-Individuals can have problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience.

-When this disability is present individuals do not grow their vocabulary.

-What/Who does dyslexia affect?

• Affects reading, spelling, speaking

• Affects reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving

• Affects different cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic backgrounds

• Can be heritable

• Can occur with other conditions

- These neural signatures of dyslexia can be seen in student before they have been taught to read.

- Neurological research shows that dyslexia is a real observable condition.

- Neurological research has also identified chemical imbalances that indicate dyslexia.

- Some of these neural signatures can change with reading intervention and become similar to students with out dyslexia.

• Neural signatures of dyslexia are reliable.

• Neural signatures of dyslexia are predictive of dyslexia risk and outcome.

• Neural signatures of dyslexia change with intervention.

• Neural signatures of dyslexia are present even in gifted students whose discrepant reading may be masked because it is within the average range, resulting in misdiagnosis as not having dyslexia.

-What is language? form (phonology, morphology,
and syntax); content (semantics); and use (pragmatics). All 5 systems are interrelated.

-Spelling is almost always affected.

-Students with Dyslexia can also struggle with their spoken language.

-Struggle with decoding and blending speech sounds which impacts reading.

-Because of deficits in phonological processing, students with dyslexia have significant difficulty acquiring the sound–letter and letter–sound correspondences which affects spelling and decoding.

-What is phonological processing? includes phonological memory, phonological awareness, and speed of naming.

-Simple end of phonological awareness is rhyming, complex end are that words are made up of chunks.

-Difficulty in phonological awareness, is a key predictor of dyslexia.

-Students with dyslexia may have a history
of...

• Delayed speech or language development

• Impairment in articulation or phonological production

• Impairment in receptive or expressive spoken language skills

• Dyslexia is not just having it or not having it but rather a spectrum from mild to severe.

• It affects how a person processes language and can show in different ways.

• Main Signs of Dyslexia

  • Trouble sounding out new words: Difficulty sounding out unfamiliar words, even made-up ones.

  • Struggles to recognize and remember common words by sight.

  • Understands spoken words better than written words.

  • Learning difficulties aren't due to poor teaching or lack of effort.

• Dyslexia Signs by Age Group

  • Preschool Age: Trouble learning rhymes, nursery songs, or the alphabet, delayed speech and difficulty pronouncing words, difficulty recognizing their name in print or learning letters

  • Kindergarten to 1st Grade: Struggles to create rhymes or sound out simple words, confused about letter sounds and names, difficulty remembering basic sight words

  • 2nd to 3rd Grade: Avoids reading aloud or shows frustration or difficulty with spelling, especially common words; trouble remembering facts, dates, or sequences

  • 4th to 8th Grade: Still struggles with reading fluency and comprehension, difficulty with longer words, spelling, and writing assignments, avoids reading for pleasure, and struggles with independent reading tasks

  • High School to College: Reading is slow and requires effort, mispronounces names or words, struggles with organizing ideas, time management, and studying

• Each age group shows certain typical signs, but it's normal for children to show some dyslexia-related behaviors as they grow and develop

Four areas should be assessed

1. If individual is having issues with accurate and fluent word recognition. If they have poor spelling and decoding difficulties.

2. Deficits in the phonological component of language

3. Difficulties that are unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities

4. Difficulties that are unexpected in relation to the provision of effective classroom instruction

• Universal Screening should be implemented to find students who need support

• Universal screening should be done by someone who knows the students well and should use evidence-based and user-friendly tools.

• These screenings should begin in kindergarten and take place every year.

• These screenings allow us teachers to create individualized instructions at an early stage of development.

• Universal screening tools should be evidence-based and user-friendly to be useful for early intervention.

MTSS, Intervention, & Instruction

• MTSS is a school-wide approach to help all students, especially those struggling or with disabilities, using multiple instruction and support levels.

• It identifies at-risk students and provides interventions, where support is based on how students respond.

• In California, MTSS focuses on core standards, differentiated learning, and meeting the needs of all students.

• Response to Intervention helps ID students with learning difficulties and gives them necessary interventions before special education referral.

• Response to Instruction and Intervention in California is an approach that integrates general and special education to support every student's learning needs

Comprehensive Language-Literacy Assessments for students with disabilities are important to determine eligibility for special education or other dyslexia support

• Students with abnormal difficulties with phonological or orthographic processing or have difficulty reading, spelling, or writing