I found the video very informative in the initiative sharing to strengthen these students’ learning through collaboration with the school, teachers and parents. Teachers plan lessons that include explicit opportunities to build speaking and listening skills and provide differentiate worksheets based on the child's ability to build independent work. To advocate peer awareness so that they can better support these students during group discussion. Broadcast in Schools may even display up to date information content and support understanding  in monitors and projectors during assembly. It's very imperative to how we can show inclusiveness in an inclusion education.

SLI and dyslexia are considered hidden disabilities. More often than not, teachers are quick to label these students careless, lazy and unmotivated. Stephanie May’s experience with her professor who did not believe in learning disabilities is just one of many. Unfortunately, during my school stint, I met a senior teacher who felt the same way (very disappointing given his/her wealth of teaching experience and ongoing professional development – but I guess this is why we are here!). 

 

Extensive research has shown that our brains remain malleable even in adulthood. As demonstrated in the videos, the brain changes with effective intervention that often includes direct and explicit instructions, and structured lessons that are simultaneously multi-sensory and emotionally sound.

 

In sum, every child is capable of learning and attaining educational success. It is up to the educator/adults working with them to make learning meaningful and manageable. Inclusive educational practices will benefit every student – and should be the norm instead of being seen as a burden to accommodate the one or two students with special educational needs.

SLI is describe as having difficulties with learning and using language. It is not associated with factors like general learning difficulties, or other conditions, such as cerebral palsy, hearing impairment or ASD. Students with SLI may have difficulties with speech and language. The difficulties a student with SLI may change as they get older. Therefore, it is important that regular assessment is being carried out to make sure that the student with SLI is getting the right support at the right time. Having specific language difficulties are not caused by other conditions such as dyslexia.

Difficulties of student with SLI:

One of the factors is understanding of language. Student may not be able to understand the meaning of the words. They may not understand words and sentences that can mean more than one thing and even may just respond to just a part of an instruction, usually at the beginning or ending. Next factor is using of language. Student will tend to use short sentences and often missing out on some words. Their speech may also be unclear as they are not able to develop their sounds in the right way. Social skills are also one of the factors of student with SLI having difficulties with.  They may not understand the rules of a game and find it hard to join in. They may also not be able to organize and play activities with their friends and leads to having difficulties to join in group discussions.

Things I can do to help:

I can help these students to learn skills so that they can join in with other children such as taking turns in games and also listening to others. I can also model out good practices so that the students are able to copy the correct way or using the correct words when communicating. These may help the student in developing their talking. Giving shorter instructions and giving them a little more time for them to process on their thinking to give their response, can also benefit these students.

 

I now realised that students with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) have specific learning needs and that we should be designed our teaching to cater to their own needs rather than getting them to learn in our own way which would be confusing for them. 

Overall, every child be it that has a diagnosis or not, is still perfect in any way and it's up to us how we treat and teach them. :)

It should be noted that students with dyslexia are able to talk and express themselves well verbally unlike students with SLI.

In order to help these students with SLI or dyslexia, early effective intervention (that involves multisensory techniques) plays an important role to support them in their learning. Beside that, we need to be mindful of the accommodation (extra time for exam, visual support system, technology) and having supportive personnel that can further help them.  

Beside their needs, they do have their undeniable strengths. Dyslexic are reported to perform well in visual spatial tasks in terms of three-dimensional areas.

It is amazing to see the people featured in the videos being strong advocates for their special needs and sharing their challenges with the younger ones so that they are able to excel despite challenges faced. 

For dyslexia, it is one of the most commonly reported learning disabilities in schools, yet there are always misconceptions about the condition. These misconceptions persist in part due to misinformation and lack of knowledge regarding dyslexia. Yet for kids with significant reading problems like dyslexia, their teachers are the most influential to them as they are the ones who can build up their interest and self-confidence in reading. 

Armed with the knowledge and skills, teachers can alter the learning and life trajectories of students despite their learning needs.

Students with language difficulty is a risk factor for poorer friendship development. Some teenagers with language difficulty will experience high levels of anxiety which can hinder their learning experiences. Providing a supportive learning environment is important:

·        Create classroom with visual support systems to promote understanding.

·        Present information in a variety of ways.

·        Undertake professional development to further skills and capabilities.

·        Plan lessons that include explicit opportunities to build speaking and listening skills and which differentiate the class providing challenge at different ability levels.

·        In conjunction with specialist staff put in place a learning support plan that indicates the accommodations and /or modifications that are required.

It is important for us educators to look out these students’ progress in school. This is because, with early detection/intervention, it will help to close the gap!

It is also important for us to work with the team of teachers in providing strategies which would benefit the child’s learning in class too. Some strategies include; short & simple instructions, visual cues.  

However, for students with dyslexia, it is a condition associated with how the brain works. I really like one of the videos which shows how brain activities of people with dyslexia work. How much activity is going on in the head of a normal person without any difficulties they faced, and how people with dyslexia think. It is amazing that we also note that they may not have any IQ deficiencies as they can really be intelligent.

As a SENO, I will need to be explicit in my teaching and ensure that my sessions with them will be sequenced appropriately and working effortlessly around their interest to capture their attention, so that they’ll be comfortable to follow through and learn better.  I will also need to work with teachers who will then be required to follow up properly. With that said, appropriate visual cues for students with SLI will be appropriate as well as they may not have the acquired skills to adapt appropriately. 

Early detection can offer a lifeline as intervention can be administered at an early age to help close the gap, especially since our brain is changeable. People with Specific Learning Impairments and Dyslexia do not learn a language the same. As a result, explicit instructions are required. There are useful strategies like peer tutoring and creating a specific IEP that’s tailored to a child's needs. Social skills are also crucial as part of intervention as many of the students will experience difficulties in social settings. 

 

Overall, after watching the video had made me think that these kids are unique and special in their own way. They want to be like us ‘normal people’ just because that they are born with that ‘gift’, does not make them a weak individual. 

For SLI,

We can help the student by calling them by their names to get their attention. Give them an area to focus on with shorter instructions and check for understanding. I’m addition, we can help them to link new information to their existing knowledge for better organization & retrieval, practice “I do, We do, You do” and teach them social skills. 

For Dyslexia, 

Reading uses different parts of the brain to sound out unfamiliar words, recognize familiar words by sight & think about how to pronounce those words. To support children with Dyslexia, we have to explicitly teach the relationship between sounds & letters and teach readers to recognize words they have learnt & seen before. Studies have shown that with intervention, those parts of the brain used in reading shows an increase in activity for children with Dyslexia. 

I like the artistic impression of a person with dyslexia and ADHD. It was well presented – listening music to a cello with missing notes in the middle of a crowded place. It must be so chaotic to decipher the sounds. 

Headstrong's film showed how people with dyslexia and ADHD embracing and accepting their diversities. An endless amount of perseverance and bravery is needed to stand tall in a world that is not designed for them. It is truly amazing to see how technology is supporting them towards a more holistic life (reading).

Last but not least, dyslexia is a gift. It pushes one to be more creative and resilient in adversity. 
~ Jahan ~

 

Dyslexia is a problem with understanding and working with language. To support students with dyslexia, some strategies include specialised reading instruction such as the Orton Gillingham multi-sensory techniques (Eg. clapping out syllables), reading apps, reading aloud and rhyming games. 

 

An important thing to remember is that children with SLI have very specific language difficulties which are not caused by another condition such as dyslexia- we do not know the cause. Students with SLI would have difficulties in understanding and using language and developing social skills to interact well with others. The SLI handbook shared some useful tips on how we could support primary/secondary students with SLI. For example, making understanding easier by giving shorter instructions, and leaving a bit of time for them to process what you’ve said and give a response. We could also create communication-supportive learning environments for students with SLI. 

It's a refreshing angle by Prof Stein talking about dyslexia as a gift. It’s a mindset shift for the persons with dyslexia as well as the general public. Another aspect that caught my attention is the need for self-advocacy. This movement is very strong in the developed Western world but not in our Asian countries. Over here, we have achieved a certain level of awareness but due to dearth of support and ‘laidback’ worldview, many ‘sufferers’ face obstacles in getting a voice to champion their cause.

As for ADHD, the video resources were limited except that it was presented as a comorbidity with dyslexia. All in all, I must say I came out of the self-directed tutorial a better-informed person and eager to discover more about SLI.