Dyslexia

Dyslexia is an extremely common disorder amongst children in our primary schools today. This essay will look at the characteristics of dyslexia, strategies to deal with dyslexia in the mainstream classroom and the inclusion of children with dyslexia into the mainstream classroom. To define dyslexia is a difficult task as it is immensely broad. It must be noted that children can suffer from severe dyslexia or have minor aspects of dyslexia. There is no uniform profile for a person who is diagnosed with dyslexia. It can affect peoples learning abilities in many different ways. One definition of dyslexia is ‘a disorder manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence and socio-cultural opportunity, which is dependent upon fundamental cognitive difficulties which are frequently of constitutional character’. While it is true dyslexia is evident when a child’s reading and/or spelling skills develop with great difficulty despite appropriate teaching and learning experiences, also when their reading and/or spelling fall significantly below the standard which one would expect him/her to be at given his/her overall profile, dyslexia can manifest itself in different forms. Other aspects of dyslexia can be recognised through ‘a weakness in areas such as speed of processing, short term memory, sequencing, auditory / visual perception, spoken language and motor skills’ . Phonological awareness has been researched and been proven to be a ‘central unifying thread in the reading process’ .At the age of six a weak phonological awareness can be a strong predictor for reading difficulties. As phonological awareness has such a great importance in reading, it is of grave importance that students are exposed to a rich phonological environment as soon as they begin school. The use of nonsense (pseudo words) in the higher classes is important as they are a clear indicator of a child’s phonological knowledge. They cannot learn these words but rely on ‘syllabilic awareness, onset-rime awareness and phonemic awareness’ to decipher the nonsense words. It is of huge importance as ‘students who do not read experience their vocabularies and concept knowledge decline as their reading peers improve’. However it is important to note that dyslexia is not a reflection on the intelligence of the student. ‘Students with dyslexia have the cognitive capacity to understand concepts although they may not be able to read about them in print format.’ This can sometimes lead to frustration on the student’s part. There are many effective ways to deal with dyslexia. Differentiation is an essential part of dealing with a student who has dyslexia. Differentiation can be defined as “a way of teaching in which teachers proactively modify curriculum, teaching methods, resources, learning activities, and student products.” Learner Centred The beginning point is for the teacher to realise ‘you must start where a student is (current level of functioning) rather than where you hope the student is’. It is imperative that a teacher considers the emotional aspects that coincide with dyslexia. It is often noted that children with dyslexia deal with issues such as ‘low self esteem and self image’. Therefore it is a necessity to praise each student with dyslexia for their efforts and to continuously encourage them to participate and make a good effort. Inclusion is another extremely important aspect of having a dyslexic child in your class. It is a teacher’s duty to include all children in the class regardless of their religion, race or special educational needs including dyslexia. As Dr. Chris Kliewer writes on the philosophy of inclusion ‘Inclusion involves all kinds of practices that are ultimately practices of good teaching. What good teachers do is to think thoughtfully about children and to develop ways to reach all children. As a teacher of a student with dyslexia it is our duty to include the student into the mainstream classroom. While some of these approaches may seem obvious it is a stark reality that differentiation and inclusion is not emphasised enough in the classrooms. The teacher must understand the specific needs of students with dyslexia in their classroom and assign work that meets the needs of these students. With dyslexia the teacher can include the student in the mainstream classroom by adapting and modifying certain routines. For example a student with dyslexia would benefit from an un-timed test rather than be restricted to a certain time limit. A dyslexic student may be required to learn fewer items for an exam than the other students in the classroom. It would also be a good idea to mark the student on project work that they can prepare at home at their own pace. It is important that a student with dyslexia can see their achievements and be praised for their efforts and achievements. Highly-Structured and Sequential Other strategies include positioning the student near the front of the classroom as they will be near the focal point where instruction is given. The teacher’s instructions should be clear and direct. Different students (not only those with special educational needs) should be asked to repeat the teacher’s instructions in order to ascertain if the instructions are clear and that the students understand them. Children with dyslexia benefit from a ‘predictable, structured, consistent learning environment’. Another strategy to deal with dyslexia in the classroom is to ‘clearly state each lessons objective. Directions for the lesson should be clearly explained orally and visually posted. When passing on information supply numerous concrete examples where possible. Children with dyslexia often have problems with sequencing and or writing and forming symbols. It is good practice for a teacher to display the alphabet, numbers, mathematical symbols and a calendar on the walls of the classroom as it will benefit all your students but especially those with dyslexia. Active & Multi- Sensory Another very important strategy for a teacher who has a child with dyslexia in their mainstream classroom is to adapt and vary your teaching methods to include multi sensory teaching. While most lessons in school are based on listening and or reading (auditory) a teacher can include multi sensory teaching. Multi sensory teaching is where a child learns through more than one of the senses. A good example of this is ‘touch and movement (kinetic).This method ‘provides the child’s brain with tactile and kinetic memories to hang on to as well as the visual and auditory ones’. This method of teaching is a great aid to students with dyslexia but it is also a different and fun method of teaching for the entire class. Other ways in which to include a child with dyslexia is to allow them to answer many questions orally. As was mentioned earlier a child with dyslexia does not necessarily have low intelligence buy just experiences problems in comprehending or conveying information if it is in written form. Answering questions orally would relieve pressure. Some teachers may provide their dyslexic students with notes on a lesson in order to allow them to listen instead of struggling with taking down notes. Other aspects of inclusion are to allow the student use a highlighter to highlight the main important information of a lesson or use mind maps that are especially beneficial to students with dyslexia. It is also good practice to use some comprehensions with multiple choice answers as a dyslexic student responds to these better. Another simple way to include children with dyslexia in the mainstream classroom is to ‘give them notice and inform them about oral reading assignments and questions ahead of time. This ensures that the student will not be put on the spot or in anyway be embarrassed to read aloud in the class. If the mainstream teacher could also provide their dyslexic students with access to some tape books in the library this would be a great form of inclusion and encouragement. Combining all these strategies together any dyslexic student would be included, involved and participate in the daily running of a mainstream classroom. Environments at home and in school play a vital role in every child’s education but especially in the case of a child with dyslexia where an extra effort is needed. While this essay outlines some strategies to deal with dyslexic students in the mainstream classroom and outlines some strategies that could be followed to include children with a dyslexic disorder, it is my opinion that a lot primary schools today are not dealing with or including children with a special educational needs including dyslexic children adequately. Learning support and resource teachers do excellent work with students with dyslexia but they only have limited time with the special needs students. They cannot provide a full education which is sometimes expected of them. This is not the norm in every primary school I would be concerned about the level of differentiation and integration that is carried out for students with dyslexic in many schools. Student teachers are more aware of the learning strategies but the longer serving teachers need to embrace the strategies and use them themselves in the classroom. This is something that needs to be addressed by the Department of Education. By running in-service days regularly, as the teaching strategies are always developing on special needs education and dyslexia, teachers can become aware of the issues that need to be addressed in their classroom. Including a child with dyslexia in a mainstream classroom is not an impossible task. With some care and organisation it can be achieved by all teachers. Bibliography: Cracking the code; M Tara Joyce; Principal Leadership; Nov 2003. The Dyslexia Association of Ireland- www.dyslexia.ie www.dyslexia¬_teacher.com Ball, M., Bissett R., Hughes A. & McCormack W. (2008) All Children learn differently: a parent’s guide to dyslexia. Dublin: Dyslexia Association of Ireland. Ball, M., Hughes A. and McCormack W. (2006) Dyslexia: An Irish Perspective. Dublin: Blackhall Publishers. DES (2002) Report on the Task Force on Dyslexia Dublin: Stationery Office http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/sped_dyslexia.pdf *DES (2004) Understanding Dyslexia – A Guide for Schools Dublin: Stationery Office. A DVD/Video resource produced by DES and DfE Northern Ireland Griffin S. and Shevlin M. (2007) Responding to Special Educational Needs: an Irish Perspective Dublin: Gill and Macmillan. (pp 221-223) REACH Journal of Special Needs Education in Ireland (1987 – present) published by Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education. (www.iatse.ie) Westwood P. (2003) Commonsense Methods for Children with Special Educational Needs. London Government of Ireland (1993). Report from the Special Educational Review Committee : The stationary office. Teaching students with Dyslexia in the Regular Classroom. Childhood Education; only; Fall 1996. Wadlington, Elizabeth Jacob. Shirley Bailey.