From the video of Thomas G West is that people with dyslexia may fail but not a failure, and I would like add that we need to give them a safe space to fail. This can be done by continuous encouragement & therefore increase their self- confidence.

Secondly, from expert 3 sharing that Dyslexia can be hereditary. I shared about my ex-colleague whose children were both having dyslexia. So she asked her daughter’s therapist to do an informal assessment on her, and true enough she has some traits of dyslexia which her children may have gotten from her.

Last but not least, working on their strength is one of the ways to build on their confidence.

I had a huge difficulty decoding the passage. When I looked at the passage as a whole, it looks alien and when I actually got down to reading each word individually, I felt like I had just learnt the alphabet and had to keep looking at the translation key to guide my decoding. After being able to decode one word, I also had to say it out aloud to ensure that the word is something that I know and can refer to or meaning of. Then I can move on to the next word. After getting all the words in the sentence, I must re-read again to ensure that I can process what the sentence is saying. And because I do not know much about cells and DNA, it was hard for me to decode, pronounce, read and understand the whole passage until I clicked next and looked at the passage in its correct spelling. If this is hard for me and then I have the cheat code in the end, I cannot imagine how much harder this is for someone with Dyslexia to read even longer passages that inform on topics that they do not have any prior knowledge of.

Researchers are utilizing brain imaging to explore how structured literacy interventions benefit individuals with dyslexia. Even in adulthood, the brain of someone with dyslexia can be activated and grow, demonstrating the brain's remarkable ability to change. Adults with dyslexia, too, can enhance their reading skills by reshaping their brains. Various regions of the brain are involved in sounding out unfamiliar words, recognizing familiar words by sight, and pronouncing them. Effective reading interventions can reshape the brains of both children and adults with dyslexia. Brain researchers are also beginning to investigate potential strengths associated with dyslexia.

Preschoolers Are the Most Vulnerable – Without proper intervention, preschool-aged children with dyslexia experience the greatest challenges, impacting their academic and emotional development.

Tailored Teaching Strategies – A one-size-fits-all approach does not work for dyslexia. Instruction should be adapted to each child's learning style rather than the condition itself. Methods may include:

• Auditory learners: Music and memory-based techniques.

• Visual learners: Pictorial representations.

• Multi-sensory learners: The Direct, Automatic, Systematic (DAS) approach.

Emotional and Behavioral Impact – Frustration and emotional distress can lead to feelings of inferiority and emotional outbursts in children with dyslexia.

Loss of Motivation and Confidence – Without proper support, children may lose confidence, become less motivated to learn, and develop a fear of making mistakes.

Eliminating Labels and Negative Assumptions – Avoid labeling children or assuming the worst about their condition. Dyslexia does not define a child's potential.

Turning Weaknesses into Strengths – By identifying and leveraging their unique abilities, children with dyslexia can transform their perceived weaknesses into strengths.

While using multi-sensory learning techniques may not always be possible in a class of 30-40 primary school students, such can be helpful to children during their preschooler years, or when they are being supported during LSP or withdrawal sessions with SEN Officers or TSNs. If regular classroom subject teachers are also introduced to some of the skills and strategies that promote phonemic awareness or the use of visual aids that can help the child reinforce and connect the skills taught during LSP or SDR sessions with daily lessons, the children may see the relevance, feel more encouraged and motivated to work towards improvement and achievement. 

Curriculum Modifications and Access Arrangements

In school, I think it is important that subjects that require the children to read extensively and write should try to adopt dyslexia-friendly practices such as using Arial/Comic Sans font of size 12 of line spacing 1.5 where possible for printed texts in questions and passages. Expecting a child with Dyslexia to be able to read (and comprehend), annotate on a page/comprehension passage which is crowded with words and with a line spacing of 1 is challenging. It probably does not take much on the worksheet or exam setter’s part to make these adjustments but it will help the reader, especially one who is dyslexic. 

In the past, some of my teacher colleagues were quick to refer their students, who are possibly at-risk of dyslexia, to the SEN Officers for support. While the SEN Officers may be able to support, responsibilities of the interventions should not reside only with them. I believe that an intervention plan that is followed through (with heart and mind) through a coordinated effort involving families, teachers and specialised support personnel (eg. LSP teachers, SEN Officers) is crucial. The daily interactions and positive reinforcement during lessons are important so that the children are not overly demoralised and think lowly of themselves. Yes, they may be discouraged as they struggle with literacy but as the adults involved in their education, let’s strive to still help them build self-esteem and look after their mental wellbeing. Having them understand that their disability challenges them but doesn't define them. 

Sometimes I also hear teachers commenting that there’s no point in looking into or providing access arrangements (AA) for the children during summative assessments as the children could cope without them on a day-to-day basis. However, they may not realise that during normal lessons or when completing daily work, the children who require or will benefit from these AA actually may receive support from peers, teachers and are given time in class/at home to complete their tasks at their own pace. During exam settings, these are not possible. Thus, to support them in completing the papers independently, such accommodations are necessary. 

In primary school, a child with dyslexia may be allowed a reader during PSLE if his/her assessment report indicates such and teachers concur. However, this granted AA is not applicable for language subjects (ie. EL and MT). I wonder why this irony as the reader would be able to support the child's reading difficulties in a text-heavy comprehension passage.

Leverage and capitalise on their strengths

As Thomas G. West said, people with dyslexia may fail, but they are not failures.
Let’s give them a safe space to fail so it does not affect their overall sense of self.

The children's thoughts will become their words (_{spoken or unexpressed}).

Their words become their actions.

Their actions become their habits.

What the children think, they become.

Neurotypical or neurodivergent, people have different strengths and challenges. Dyslexic thinkers often excel in visual spatial reasoning and creative problem-solving and these are skills and abilities that are increasingly valuable in this VUCCA world.

The video - A New World Shaped by Dyslexics: Thomas G. West at Embrace Dyslexia Seminar (Singapore) about dyslexic thinkers, who "never were in a box," was a revelation. It made me realize I might be trapped in my own mental constructs. Only by reflecting on my assumptions, biases, and openness to new ideas can I break free.

Unfortunately, they often faced scolding and punishment for their struggles, unable to read or write accurately.

Looking back, I am relieved that those days are behind us. As society progresses and we gain a greater understanding of various learning difficulties, my hope is that more children will be identified early and provided with the necessary intervention and support. In mainstream primary schools, programs like LSP/LSM (Learning Support Programme/Math), SDR (School Dyslexia Remediation), and RRP (Reading Remediation Programme) are just a few examples of literacy intervention support available.

These initiatives signify a promising shift towards a more inclusive and supportive educational environment for all learners.

From my teammate's explanation, I understand that dyslexia is related to the cerebellum, which is involved in motor skills and cognitive tasks. Research suggests that there are structural differences in the cerebellum of people with dyslexia, which may affect both their learning and movement abilities. If more people were educated about dyslexia, it could help reduce the stigma that people with it are slow, lazy, or less intelligent.

With the right support and determination, those with dyslexia can achieve great things just like anyone else.

I have always been a bookworm who takes reading for granted so it was both a reminder to be grateful for being able to read and spell, AND a wake-up call to realise the importance of early intervention. Early intervention is vital!!

If these struggling adults could have been diagnosed with some kind of learning difficulty when they were in preschool, primary school etc, perhaps some kind of help would have been rendered to them. Then life would have been easier for them and there would not be so many years of shame.

Another takeaway for me was also the biological side of things. I did not know the word "cerebellum" until I watched the videos under Expert Group 3. Then one of my other classmate under the same expert group shared about how it is true that some children under her care at preschool/kindergarten level have smaller heads than other children. So it is really not their fault for having been born that way. I also learnt that through early intervention under her care, many children actually soared and shone like stars and could catch up with their peers after getting help with their phonemic awareness and reading.

There is always hope when their little brains are like sponges that absorb information readily. Thus, I conclude EARLY INTERVENTION IS KEY!

In such an academically driven system, it is easy to overlook the importance of focusing on students’ strengths. The tendency is to focus on deficits while neglecting on strengths. But how do we shift this mindset? How do we encourage others to also recognize and build on students’ strengths?

Moments like this remind me of how important our roles as educators are, as these students are often misunderstood in mainstream schools. Moving forward, I want to explore how we can better support them in a secondary school setting.

Through this session, I learned that their brain is made differently. They need targeted intervention and time to learn. Once, they learn the strategies to recognize, read, and write letters, they are taught to read words and sentences. With lots of practice, they can achieve success in reading and writing. My only concern is that these children are not flagged out early. Early intervention by age five can significantly improve children's early literacy skills, helping them gain confidence and develop good self-esteem. With timely support, they won't have to struggle with important literacy skills such as letter recognition, reading, and writing. It's essential to increase awareness and education about dyslexia and specific learning disabilities (SLD). Teachers in preschool should identify children who are experiencing literacy difficulties.

After early intervention, it is important that intervention strategies are shared with primary school teachers so they can be continued without a long gap. There should be an effective system in place to ensure that information is seamlessly communicated to the teachers at the primary school level.

I attempted the simulation from Expert Group 1.  Initially, reading felt challenging, requiring constant reference to letter representations to recognize words. However, with a few repeated practices, reading became noticeably slightly easier.

This experience highlighted how students with Dyslexia often struggle with decoding, which affects their ability to spell correctly. Understanding these challenges reinforces the importance of tailored support to help them develop stronger reading and spelling skills. As a School-Based Dyslexia Remediation Programme (SDR) teacher, honestly, I did not understand as much to why some of my SDR students were unable to pick up the skills as quickly as I would have expected. My only knowledge is that I have SDR students and I have learnt some skills to teach them. But, why each student has varied progression?

Phonemes are essential for decoding letter sounds, and with strong phonological awareness, individuals should be able to:

• Hear a word and spell it out.

• See a word and read it aloud.

  
  

It was insightful to learn that Dyslexia affects executive functioning, motor skills, and brain development, leading to challenges in reading, speaking, and writing. Importantly, Dyslexia is not linked to intelligence and is often hereditary.

Creating a safe and supportive environment for students with Dyslexia is important. Providing emotional support to help them navigate setbacks, establishing structured routines and interventions, and sharing success stories of individuals with Dyslexia can be incredibly empowering. It is also a great reminder that many people with Dyslexia go unnoticed unless they choose to share their experiences.

In conclusion, through this sharing and reading more about Dyslexia, I have a clearer picture to why each SDR student has varied ability to progress. Since each child would have varied brain development, motor skills and executive functioning, therefore, their progress in learning would be different as well. One of the videos I watched showed that with constant practice, the areas needed for development of reading and speaking would develop overtime. As such, it is definitely possible for a person with dyslexia to be able to perform well with consistent effort.

It was also surprising that many famous people are diagnosed with dyslexia. My home group talked and pondered about how these people are able to work with their diagnosis and become famous. We were wondering whether they used their own methods to help themselves, and what methods they used to cope. We also wondered whether PSLE is an effective judge of people with dyslexia as some of them might not be granted the assistive technology or accommodation that they need.

My expert group talked about how it should be an ecosystem helping students with dyslexia. The environment, teachers, peers, and parents need to work together in order to help the student with dyslexia. Most importantly, the student with dyslexia needs to have perseverance and a positive mindset. With the right people supporting them and working on their strengths, I hope they believe that they will be able to achieve great things too.

Dyslexia is not about seeking a cure but about identifying and applying the most effective strategies to navigate the challenges it presents. I acknowledge that these strategies vary from learner to learner. Yi Zhen’s experience illustrates this well while her parents, despite being well-informed, initially focused on an approach (phonics teaching) they believed would work, and later realised it was not feasible for her. However, with perseverance and support from her teachers, Yi Zhen discovered her own strategies, which ultimately led to her success as she transited to the different educational progression and institutions.

Her story serves as an inspiration, but it also highlights an important point: what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. The key is to explore different methods and remain open to possibilities. Those who face setbacks but refuse to be defeated often find their own solutions, turning perceived weaknesses into strengths. As Thomas G. West pointed out, dyslexic thinkers frequently excel in visual-spatial reasoning and creative problem solving skills that are becoming increasingly valuable.

As educators, it is disheartening to know of past stories (across teh different cases and video resources) where teachers hindered students’ learning through the lack of understanding. With increasing awareness and knowledge, teachers should encourage those who are at a disadvantage by helping them find their own sparks in the process of learning and growth, rather than shaming and putting them down. By fostering a supportive and understanding environment, educators can empower students with dyslexia to leverage their unique strengths and achieve their potential.

During the expert group session, I shared that I see dyslexia as an invisible disability, where people with this disability often struggle alone due to others not truly believing that they cannot read. Trying out the simulator and reading the passage provided within the expert group 1 folder was also an eye-opening experience for me. I can't imagine being in the shoes of a person with dyslexia, where the current society we live in revolves around words. For this reason, I find people with dyslexia inspiring and brave, as they find their own ways to learn to adapt to their environment.

Through the home group sharing, I also found out about the CNA documentary featuring 5 Singaporeans struggling with dyslexia. I really enjoyed watching it. However, it was definitely an emotional watch, seeing the daily struggles and the negative emotions that these individuals go through. I do hope that dyslexia awareness can be raised, so that people can be more open-minded to helping such individuals.

The discussion on this topic reminded me of a student I taught piano for four years before her parents finally told me that he was dyslexic. I began to understand why he struggled to make sense of the acronyms we used in reading music. His difficulties were not due to a lack of effort or practice but were related to his condition. Reflecting on this, I realized how effective multisensory activities can be for dyslexic students. For example, clapping rhythms or using the Dalcroze method (music through movement) significantly helped him in our music lessons. These experiences highlighted the importance of using a multisensory approach, combining aural activities with visuals and allowing many repetitions, to maximize learning potential. I also began to wonder whether Kodaly’s inner hearing method, which involves singing and auditory imagery, could help with word retention and familiarity.

Moreoever, I am very curious on how listening strategies might help dyslexic students in general to learn words better, even if they struggle with hearing and breaking down sounds. Would increasing sensitivity to sound improve their phoneme recognition? These questions lingered at the back of my mind, how possible it is to leverage on auditory training to support dyslexic learners.

On the other hand,  given  that society pays high value on reading and has been a crucial part of education,literacy, employment and beyond,  it is important to explore as many approaches as possible to help students with dyslexia to ensure that a future still awaits them.The trauma of struggling to read can be overwhelming, so creating a supportive and safe enrvironment is vital. Giving clear instructions and engagement using activities that interest them can also be helpful, aswell as breaking down tasks into smaller steps are essential. Additionally, reinforcing positive behavior, and providing constructive feedback helps greatly in boosting their self-esteem.

Having said this, while living with such disability is hard to imagine, it should never define who they are or stop them from pursuing their dreams. Many successful CEOs, directors, actors, and others have overcome similar challenges, proving that nothing is impossible. Though the path may be tough, perseverance can lead to a light at the end of the journey.

It has never occured to me that Dyslexia affects motor skills as well. I knew that dyslexia is not a measure of intelligence but I was surprised to learn that it plays a part in motor abilities as well. As i reflect in my prior experience, i begin to realize instances where I've noticed it in a number of students.

I was completely awed by how the human brain functions with regards to reading. By itself, reading utilizes different parts of the brain. Dyslexia affects parts of the brain that makes it difficult to map the letter sounds to the letters themselves. With intervention, other parts of the brain can be used to make up for this. I find the idea of the brain being able to adapt with intervention, and utilize other parts of itself to make up for its challenges, as nothing short of thought-provoking. This inspires me deeply.

From classroom strategies, to multi-sensory learning approaches, to available programs in mainstream primary schools, we have gone through the support systems available to help the students. It is thought provoking though that each student with dyslexia will never be identical to another when it comes to brain composition and challenges that their brains experience.

In school, perception on students with dyslexia mainly impacts reading and spelling abilities but teachers may not be aware that it is not related to intelligence. The outdated thought linking dyslexia to IQ has been replaced with a focus on reading skills. Furthermore, students entering P1 are require to take early literacy indicator(ELI) where support will be provided through LSP which are crucial to provide timely intervention.

It is heartbreaking to know there are still adults who struggle in their daily living through the CNA past stories or sharing by the classmates. They may not received the appropriate support when they were younger probably due to stigma or lack of opportunity provided. With increasing public awareness and programs in school, hopefully the younger population may have a better support system and structure to shape the outcome for a better future.

1. The question of why dyslexia for a particular language and not for other languages? This was a huge puzzle for me ever since my encounter with students entering Sec 1 with exemption in MT (CL only, and not ML or TL) but really proficient in English. I could not really reconcile this fact and thought erroneously that this might be one way for parents (and students) to avoid taking CL, and focus on other more 'important' subjects like Sciences and Math (a deeply ingrained attitude among some parents). Now I understand that the brain processing is different for different types of languages, in addition to the complexity of English Language where spelling of words may not always correspond phonologically with sounds.

2. The brain is an exceptionally adaptable organ which responds to interventions for people with dyslexia. This is promising and is a point that we always emphasize in school when working with students with dyslexia, bringing much needed hope and optimism to both parents and students. As in all people experiencing learning deficits, my students have sharpened further other 'talents' as a way of coping - most are better as auditory learners, some find other ways to shine eg: sports or leadership. It is a mantra that I always hold dear as an educator - to find the strengths in every child, and provide opportunities for them to shine despite their other difficulties in school. An ecosystem of support is needed to help each child grow to fulfill their potential.

As previously mentioned, I currently work with younger children below the ages of 7 with milder learning needs. Reflecting on conversations with colleagues some time back, there were children who were flagged out for having to exhibit early signs of dyslexia by one of my colleagues who used to work in DAS. Parents were informed and were advised to consider having their children assessed.

It is necessary for early intervention educators to also be equipped with knowledge to identify these early signs of dyslexia as these individuals experience more than just difficulties in reading and writing. Besides early identification, receiving dedicated support from home and school as well as the implementation of individualised and appropriate strategies are just as crucial to have for these young children who have a long way ahead of them in life.

I look forward to learning about how secondary school students cope with dyslexia in the upcoming group assignment.

I am currently reading a book by Ronald D Davis and it has opened up my mind , eyes and heart to the power of people who have dyslexia. Likewise, what I learnt in class from our classmates last week aligns with what I have read. True, they struggle. True, they have extreme challenges and difficulties and true, they may not be able to thrive in an academic environment.. BUT.. there is so much hope for what they can do and the impact they have on society and the community around them. The lecture by Thomas G West was really enlightening. Besides showcasing the stories of great scientists who have made discoveries because of their dyslexia (the way they perceive things are different!), he also gave many quotable quotes which really resonates with me.

1) Dyslexics think out of the box because they have never been in the box!

Dyslexia is more than just an issue with reading and writing. They say dyslexics think and perceive ideas are very different - as such, they cannot learn by rote but must be able to understand and be free to come up with their own way of learning.

2) Compare dyslexics with successful dyslexics and not non- dyslexics.

I think this underlying principle is not just for dyslexics but for all people who have LD. It is a good reminder to be realistic and practical about benchmarks and how we perceive our own students with dyslexia. Having so many in my class, I am reminded to be patient, to be appreciative and to see each student as individuals, who have differing gifts and contributions. :)