What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia literally means "difficulty with words." Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that affects certain language skills such as reading, but also can affect writing, spelling and the pronunciation of words. It is a neurologically based disorder that is neither cause by illness nor accident, nor the lack of intelligence, nor the unwillingness to learn. It is referred to as a learning disability because untreated dyslexia can make it very difficult or impossible for a student to succeed academically in an instructional setting. Dyslexia will impact individuals in varying degrees during the course of their lives, but can be re-mediated by applying different teaching techniques effective for dyslexics. Dyslexics usually have a difficult time recognizing single speech sounds in words and/or identifying the sounds of letters, needed to be successful in decoding and spelling.
Dyslexia is indiscriminate in its effects on all segments of society. It is typically hereditary and can easily go undetected. Current research shows that approximately 5-10% of the population has a language-based learning disability and about 85% of those individuals are likely to be dyslexic. Individuals with dyslexia tend to be very intelligent and may be gifted in areas that don't require strong written language skills.
Dyslexia is indiscriminate in its effects on all segments of society. It is typically hereditary and can easily go undetected. Current research shows that approximately 5-10% of the population has a language-based learning disability and about 85% of those individuals are likely to be dyslexic. Individuals with dyslexia tend to be very intelligent and may be gifted in areas that don't require strong written language skills.
Restoring Phonics: A Dyslexia Therapy Curriculum |
Pioneers in the research of this disability have found that dyslexics can succeed in education if taught using multi sensory strategies which include techniques linking visual, auditory, speech and muscle memory instruction. Grace Fernald and Helen Keller (1921) found that incorporating kinesthetic/tactile activities, can assist in creating a link to muscle memory, thus increasing the recall of information learned and stored in long-term memory. Multi-sensory structural language education (MSLE) methods consist of short lessons taught gradually in specific order, through rapid techniques which allow the students to practice simultaneous linking of all the pathways to learning.
Today, programs like Alphabetic Phonics and Multi-sensory Teaching Approach, have been created. The Orton-Gillingham approach uses multi-sensory methods and adaptations in the classroom to help reach struggling students. These programs coupled with the teaching of phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension demonstrate beneficial results when employed by teachers working with dyslexic students. They found that "information presented through multiple modalities is more easily retained and retrieved." Parent and teachers typically see that the dyslexic's performance can change from day to day. This is usually very frustrating for the student because recall can be attainable and easy one day and extremely difficult, or gone, the next day. Due to the alterations associated with this disability many dyslexics tend to see themselves as "stupid," which in turn, can cause self-esteem issues. It is important for the dyslexic to understand that his/her disability is very different from a physical handicap, which is often more visible. Untrained dyslexics are usually very bright and have learned over time to over-compensate for their unpredictable learning patterns. Fearful of being pointed out or put in the "Hot Seat," these students become resourceful and rely on tricks and gimmicks that will help carry them past the watchful eye of their teachers or parents. Dyslexics who are fortunate enough to get the proper Multi-sensory Teaching, which helps them excel, will find that their disability will always be with them, but they will also discover that the symptoms that consistently plague them will subside and allow their other natural gifts to flourish and bloom. There are rewards for the hard-working dyslexic, and eventually what once seemed like a curse, has the potential to be an education blessing in disguise. |