Different Brains,

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Different Brains,
Different Learners
The Challenged Reader Dyslexia
Instructor
Amy A L L E N
Student
Mia S P A N U
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WHAT IS DYSLEXIA?
The term dyslexia, first used in 1887, is derived
from the Greek dys, which means difficult and
lexicos which means pertaining to words. IDEA
defines Dyslexia as a disorder in one or more of
basic psychological processes involved in using
language, spoken or written, which may manifest
itself in an imperfect ability to listen, speak,
read, write, spell, or do mathematical
calculation The term doesnt include children
who have learning problems which are primarily
the result of visual, hearing, or motor
handicaps, of mental retardation, of emotional
disturbance, or of environmental, cultural or
economic disadvantage (Sullivan Spafford
Grosser, 1996).
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DESCRIPTION OF DYSLEXIC LEARNERS

• According to Brewster Clark Kellog Uhry (1995),
• dyslexic children
• display reading difficulties and deficits of
  awareness of sounds in words, which reflect
  phonological problems. They cant recognize
  patterns inside the words and they reverse
  letters. They see printed words distorted (upside
  down, backwards, shrinked or waving)
• have poor spelling and writing skills
• exhibit time and directions confusion, and memory
  deficits
• display attention and social behavior problems

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COMMON SUBTYPES OF DYSLEXIA
Subtypes (Sullivan Spafford Grosser, 1996) 1.
visual-dysphonetic type 2.
auditory-linguistic type 3. mixed type ( with
symptomology consistent with the first types
combined)
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DEMOGRAPHICS
There are no consistent statistics regarding the
percentage of individuals identified specifically
as dyslexic because very often the term learning
disability is used interchangeably with Dyslexia,
Severe Reading Disorder (SRD) and Reading
Disability (RD) (U.S. Department of Education,
1995, Schnaiberg, 1994, Brewster Clark Kellogg
Uhry, 1995). The research requested by the U,S.
Dept. of Education in 1995, indicated the
percentage of 5.25 learning disabled students
(of a total of 10.25 of disabled students who
were served in American schools) At least half of
these students (2.625) would be classified as
dyslexic. If a parent is dyslexic, the childs
risk of developing the disorder is up to 8 times
higher than the risk for a child without a family
history in dyslexia.
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DEMOGRAPHICS (CONTD )
5 to 12 of the school-aged population may be
dyslexic Dyslexia occurs close to equally in
both sexes even some literature suggests that
dyslexic boys outnumber dyslexic girls. The
excess of identified dyslexic male children over
females has been explained by a bias in the
classroom referral system. Dyslexia affects 10
of schoolchildren in the United States. 20 of
children are born with varying degrees of
Dyslexia. Most students with dyslexia do not
receive help until the 3rd grade. Up to 80 of
students with dyslexia who start receiving
special services in 3rd grade will have the
reading problem for the rest of their lives.
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EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF DYSLEXIA

• According to Sullivan Spafford Grosser (1996)
• delays in speech and language development
• difficulties in reading, writing, math and
  spelling
• difficulties in time and space concepts
• disorganization in thinking through a problem,
  planning ahead and following directions
• poor self-image and self-confidence
• hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattention, low
  frustration tolerance, easily distractible mood
  swings
• slowness in completing tasks
• memory problems
• poor study habits, poor test performance

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CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIC CHILDREN

• CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG DYSLEXIC CHILDREN
  (Davis, R. D., 1992, Stainsby, M., 2001, Baumel,
  J., 2004)
• Vision, Reading and Spelling
• the childs reading or writing shows repetition,
  additions, transpositions, omissions,
  substitutions and reversals in letter, numbers
  and/or words
• the child confuses the order of letters in words.
  The shapes and sequences of letters and numbers
  appear changes or reversed to him. Letters and
  numbers appear to move, grow or shrink
• the child has difficulties pronouncing words.
  Digraphs such as ch, th and sh are mispronounced
• the child doesnt recognize words previously
  learned he can spell a word several different
  ways
• the child has poor reading comprehension

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CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIC CHILDREN

• Writing and Motor skills
• the child has trouble with writing and copying
  pencil grip is unusual
• the child is uncoordinated he has difficulties
  with fine/gross motor skills
• the child confuses left/right, under/over he has
  poor sense of direction

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CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIC CHILDREN

• Math and time management
• the child can count, but has difficulty counting
  object and dealing with money
• computing math shows dependence on finger
  counting the child fails word problems
• the child has difficulty being on time or telling
  time

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CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIC CHILDREN

• Memory and cognition
• the child has good long-term memory for locations
  and faces, but poor memory for sequences, facts
  and inexperienced information
• the child has difficulties in following oral
  directions he thinks primarily with images and
  feelings
• the child has above average IO but doesnt do
  well on school tests he often loses the train of
  thoughts and has problems with generalization

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CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIC CHILDREN

• Hearing and speech
• the child doesnt hear fine differences in words.
  Sounds are perceived as quieter, louder, farther
  or nearest he complains of dizziness , headaches
  or stomach aches while reading
• the child is not able to rhyme by age four
• the child has difficulty putting thoughts into
  words, leaves sentences incomplete, stutters
  under stress and mispronounce long words.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSLEXIC CHILDREN

• Behavior, personality and development
• the child has difficulty sustaining attention
  seems to be hyper or daydreamer he can be class
  trouble-maker or too quiet.
• the child has low self-esteem (he feels dumb)
  he can easily get frustrated and emotional about
  school testing he might strive for perfection
• the child is emotionally sensitive and sensitive
  to food and chemical products.

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CAUSES OF DYSLEXIA
Heredity Researchers have suspected that
dyslexia is carried on human chromosomes, which
determine and transmit hereditary
characteristics. The new studies indicate
Chromosome 6 as a source of dyslexia and estimate
the risk of a dyslexic parent having a dyslexia
child (Schnaiberg, L., 1994). Auditory-Processin
g Deficits- Based on evidence, it has been
suggested that dyslexia could result from
pathology in the primary auditory cortex in the
left hemisphere (Cocace, A. McFarland, D. J.,
1998). Dyslexic children with auditory-processing
deficits are less able to pay attention and
follow oral directions and they are easily
distracted. Their inability to integrate auditory
information and to make connection between
phonemes and graphemes results in poor reading
skills. Phonological Awareness Problems is the
metacognitive understanding that spoken language
is made up of a series of sounds that have a
sequential order. There is evidence that range of
difficulties attributed to dyslexia may stem from
phonological core deficit. According to
Stanovichs research ( 1988) dyslexic childrens
failure to decode words is caused by phonological
processing problems, which leads to deficits in
reading comprehension, vocabulary development and
even IO through lack of access to print experience
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CAUSES OF DYSLEXIA (CONTD )
Visual System Dysfunction and Visual Memory
Problems- Because of visual perception
deficiencies the dyslexic children are not able
to obtain meaning from the print. Magnetic
resonance Imaging (MRI) data indicate a relation
between dyslexia and a deficit in visual-motion
processing (Eden et al., 1996). Scotopic
Sensitivity- Five of dyslexics have
difficulties seeing black-white contrast and
painful sensitivity to light Abnormal Neural
Activity PET scans reveal less activation of
the left posterior and temporal areas of the
dyslexics brain. Increased reading skill for
dyslexic was correlated with greater reliance on
the right hemispheric systems (Marshall,
2003). Environmental factors lack of
individual and family reading experiences
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HOW DYSLEXIA AFFECTS CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR/ACHIEVMENT
?

• According to Uhry Shepard (1993) and J.
  Thomaswick, a reading specialist at the
  Washington Local School, dyslexic children
• dont get engaged in reading experience because
  they have limited sight vocabulary they exhibit
  lack of phonological awareness (strong reading
  predictor) and metalinguistic awareness (the
  ability to recognize symbols and words as
  representations of spoken language).
• because of their poor spelling, reading and
  writing skills they develop inappropriate
  behavior ( according to the reading specialist
  who was interviewed dyslexic children dont
  follow the directions, avoid reading situation by
  changing the subject, dont pay attention to the
  text, etc)
• experience difficulty comprehending basal and
  content text ( they require explicit
  comprehension instruction)

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HOW DYSLEXIA AFFECTS CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR/ACHIEVMENT
? (contd )

• According to Uhry Shepard (1993) and J.
  Thomaswick, a reading specialist at the
  Washington Local School, dyslexic children
• write poorly ( deficits in spelling absorb so
  much energy and attention that other aspects of
  writing- poor punctuation, word omissions, lack
  of subject/predicate agreement- are diminished in
  quality)
• have poor study skills and display problems with
  information recall
• have attention problems and display hyperactivity
  which lead to slowness in completing assigned
  in-class or at-home tasks
• have low self concepts which are related with
  social behavioral problems such as negative peer
  interactions, external locus of control and
  disregard of social conventions

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IMPLICATONS FOR EDUCATORS

• What teachers can do ( Marshall, 2003, Hodge,
  2000, Thomaswick, J)
• motivate children to read by helping them to pick
  interesting books at their level
• introduce reading scheme that involves repetition
  and slowly introduction of new words
• introduce word games, context cues, concept maps,
  graphic organizers, tape recordings, journal
  writing, portfolio projects, etc.
• incorporate meaning-based strategies for
  acquisition of basic reading skills such as using
  clay to model the concepts that are associated
  with word meanings and to model the letters of
  each word
• provide a short list of topic based words for
  spelling including three or four irregular words
  each week
• teach dyslexic children to proof read, to use
  dictionary, story maps, graphic organizers, text
  structure and anticipation guides
• scaffold each effort of dyslexic children to face
  initial reading challenges word recognition and
  automaticity skills
• provide a small reference chart to serve as a
  remainder for the cursive script in upper and
  lower case and encourage children to practice
  handwriting words

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IMPLICATONS FOR EDUCATORS

• What teachers can do (continued from previous
  page)
• that present no problem in terms of meaning or
  spelling
• rehearse mathematical vocabulary using
  sensory/kinesthetic methods, put the decimal
  point in red ink, encourage the use of estimation
  and break down math tasks into smallest steps
• teach dyslexic children study and organizational
  skills ( using of folders, dividers and a list
  with phone numbers of friends), encourage daily
  routine to help develop their responsibilities
  and self-reliance
• provide notes and handouts with main ideas that
  are going to be taught in lessons and appropriate
  worksheets that would help the homework.
• provide them with well spaced and colorful
  writing on the blackboard and with extra time for
  completion of required work.
• ensure successful integration of dyslexic
  children by using remedial instruction and
  strategies that suit each dyslexic child
• be prepared to accept alternatives to written
  description, such as verbal description or
  kinesthetic expression
• praise dyslexics accomplishment and support
  their strengths.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Baumel, J. Dyslexia- an overview. Retrieved
05/21/2004 from http//www.schwablearning.org/arti
cles Brewster Clark, D. Kellogg Uhry, J.
(1995). Dyslexia. Theory and practice of remedial
instruction. York Press Baltimore Cacace, A.,T.
McFarland, D., J. (1998). Central auditory
processing disorder in school-aged children A
critical review. Journal of Speech, Language and
Hearing Research, 41, 2, 355-374 Davis, R. D.
(1992). 37 common characteristics of dyslexia.
Retrieved 05/21/2004 from http//
www.dyslexia.com/library/symptoms.htm?go Eden,
G.F., VanMeter, J., W., Rumsey, J.M., Maisog,
J.M., Woods, R.P., Zeffiro, T.A. (1996).
Abnormal processing of visual motion in dyslexia
revealed by functional brain imaging. Nature,
382, 66-69 Hodge, P. (2000). A dyslexic child in
the classroom. Retrieved 05/19/2004 from
http//www.dyslexia.com/library/classroom.htm Mars
hal, A. (2003). Brain Scans show dyslexics read
better with alternative strategies. Retrieved
05/19/2004 from http//www.dyslexia.com/science/di
fferent_pathways.htm Schnaiberg, L. (1994). Study
adds to evidence of genetic link for dyslexia.
Education Week, 14, 8, 10-13 Stainsby, M. (2001).
The gift of dyslexia. Children with reading
disability finally feeling good about themselves.
Retrieved 05/19/2004 from http// www.
dyslexia.com/articles/Vancouver_sun.htm Stanovich,
K.E. (1988). Explaining the differences between
the dyslexic and the garden-variety poor reader
The phonological-core variable-difference model.
Journal of Learning, Disability, 21,
590-604 Uhry, J.K. Shepard, M.J. (1993).
Writing disorder. In Child and adolescent
psychiatry clinics of North America, ed. L.B.
Silver, 2, 209-219 Sullivan Spafford, C.
Grosser, G.S. (1996). Dyslexia. Research and
resource guide. Allyn and Bacon Massachusetts U.
S. Department of Education (1995). Sixteenth
annual report to Congress on the implementation
of the individuals wit disabilities Education
Act. Washiongton DC U.S. Government Printing
Office
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Different Brains,
Different Learners
The Challenged Reader Dyslexia
Instructor
Amy A L L E N
Student
Mia S P A N U