Post on 20-Jan-2017
Dyslexia: More than Reversals
Dr. Jennifer WilliamsDyslexia Specialist
jwilliamsconsulting@yahoo.com
My Background• 13 years in K-2 general education
classrooms• 2 years in dyslexic classroom *grades 3-4• Currently work with small groups and
teachers
What causes dyslexia?• Genetic component- same gene variants have been found
in multiple countries• Up to 20% of the population- on a continuum• Disruption in the communication pathways of the brain
Common Early Characteristics• Speech delays/ problems• Unable to recite nursery rhymes• Difficulty hearing and producing rhymes• Difficulty learning letter names and sounds• Difficulty repeating complex phonetic
words (spaghetti, physicist, etc.)• Difficulty segmenting and blending sounds• Poor phonological memory (trouble
remembering more than 2 or 3 units in sequence at a time)
Common Elementary School-Age CharacteristicsAll of the ones before PLUS…
• Difficulty decoding words• Trouble telling left from right (can cause reversals)• Difficulty with sequencing- understanding terms like
before and after • Difficulty reading and spelling sight words• Spelling problems (extra letters, missing sounds)• Difficulty remembering complex phonograms (ou, ai,
ch, th, ay, etc.)• Poor fluency - slow, choppy reading• Struggle memorizing facts• Difficulty organizing thoughts into written form
Fact
s• Affects boys and girls equally
• Can co-occur with other issues such as ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder, Autism, Giftedness, Auditory Processing Disorder, and Visual Perception difficulties
• Dyslexia can be officially diagnosed as early as 5½ years old
• Dyslexia is a clinical diagnosis- NOT medical. It is diagnosed by trained psychologists and speech pathologists.
• Early intervention can rewire the brain and CLOSE the reading gap
Waiting is the WORST thing you can do for a
dyslexic child
How do dyslexic children learn?• Multisens
ory – VAKT• Stories• Visuals• Repetition
Strong emphasis on phonological awareness,
phonics, and spelling
rules
Building a solid foundationStudents need to understand the segmental nature of language.Story Sentence Word Syllables
Onset/Rime
Individual Phonemes VC - CVC - CVCC - CCVC - CCVCC
Onset and Rime (This is where children learn to hear and produce rhyme)
Use motor activities to activate alternate pathways in the brain
/h/ /and/hand
Segmenting Onset and RimeWhat do I have if I take off the /b/ from
ball?
/b/ /all/ = all
Use this to help students learn how to produce rhyme.
Phoneme Blending• Start with 2 sounds, then move to more• Use “continuants” first (vowels, f, h, l, m, n, r,
s, v, z)• You say the segmented sounds of the word,
student finds the picture match/n/ /ē/ /r/ /ă/ /t/ /f/ /l/ /ă/ /g/
Phoneme segmentation“Take it down your arm” – allows for a kinesthetic connection AND crosses midline
/r/
/ă//t/
/n/
/ĕ//s/
/t/
Learning Letters
Multi-sensory Structured Approach:• Identify the letter by the text features and shape
– clay (analyze vs. memorize)• Feel the sound of the letter in the mouth• Attach letter name to a picture• Use manipulatives (letter cards, magnetic letters)• Write the letter – first, do large movements from
the shoulder• Say it as you write it
Reversals
cb
Blending Slide
artm
ps
art
mps
artmps
ratmps
ra
tmps
ra
tmps
ra
tm
ps
ra
pmts
ma
prts
Working for fluency and automaticity IN MATH and READING
What quantity does 5 represent?
What quantity does 63 represent?
Math fact fluency- timed drills
What sound does “s” represent?
What sound does “ai” or “ay” represent?
Phonogram fluency
Learning short vowel sounds
a e
Naughty vowels
VC CVup, sat, helmet
she, no, table
VCVlike, tiger, riding Hoping - hopping
What skills must you know to spell this word?
AIMWhy can’t it be AYM or AM?
What if your mind couldn’t hold the picture of a word? How would you
know how to spell it?
Multisensory/ Memory techniques
How do dyslexic children learn?• Multisens
ory – VAKT• Stories• Visuals• Repetition
Strong emphasis on phonological awareness,
phonics, and spelling
rules
Key Points to Remember…