Dyslexia Essentials for Classroom Teachers Insert Date Insert Date Insert contact information

Agenda Overview of Dyslexia Dyslexia simulations

Should we be concerned?

The Problems  From 5 th grade on, students are expected to read 10,000 new words each year in their texts (Nagey & Anderson, 1986).  More than 8 million students in 4 th -12 th grades are struggling readers (USDoE 2003).  40% of high school students cannot read well enough to benefit from their textbooks (NAEP).  Of the six million K-12 students receiving special education services, estimates say up to 80% receive services in reading. Gidlroy & Isaacson 2005

The Problems  Each year 383,000 students drop out of middle school and high school (NCES, 2000).  Over 75% of surveyed students who dropped out indicated that difficulty with reading was a major contributing factor (Lyon, 2001).  26% of these students do not have minimal reading skills for daily life (Grigg, Daane, Jin, & Campbell, 2003). Gidlroy & Isaacson 2005

85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. Literacy Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from

Illiteracy and crime are closely related. The Department of Justice states, "The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure." Over 70% of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level. Literacy Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from

Penal institution records show that inmates have a 16% chance of returning to prison if they receive literacy help, as opposed to 70% who receive no help. This equates to taxpayer costs of $25,000 per year per inmate and nearly double that amount for juvenile offenders. Literacy Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from

What Do You Already Know About Dyslexia?

Characteristics Difficulty reading words in isolation Difficulty accurately decoding unfamiliar words Difficulty with oral reading (slow, inaccurate, or labored) Difficulty spelling

These difficulties are most often associated with: Segmenting, blending, and manipulating sounds in words (phonemic awareness) Learning the names of letters and their associated sounds Holding information about sounds and words in memory (phonological memory) Rapidly recalling the names of familiar objects, colors, or letters of the alphabet (rapid naming) Region 10 Education Center

Consequences of Dyslexia MAY include: –Variable difficulty with aspects of reading comprehension –Variable difficulty with aspects of written language –Limited vocabulary growth due to reduced reading experiences

Sally Shaywitz; Overcoming Dyslexia Decoding Unexpected

Possible Associated Academic Difficulties Written expression Reading comprehension Mathematics

Possible Associated Conditions and Behaviors AD/HD Specific developmental language disorders Anxiety, anger, depression, lack of motivation, or low self-esteem

Famous Dyslexics

Strengths and Positive Characteristics Maybe gifted in various areas –Music, art, athletics, intellectual pursuits Visual-spatial thinking or 3 dimensional awareness –Architecture, engineering, photography Technical and mechanical aptitude Accustomed to trying hard and fighting barriers Good at seeing the big picture Problem solvers Out of the box thinkers Strong verbal communications

Dyslexia affects each person in a unique way.

Dyslexia Simulation 1

Dyslexia Simulation 2 Copying

Addysgu Mae gwaith yr Uned Dyslecsia yn ymestyn dros ardal eang Gogledd- Orllewin Cymru, a'r rhan helaethaf ohoni'n wledig. O ganlyniad, nid yw'r Uned yn cynnal canolfan addysgu. Mae ganddi swyddfeydd ac ystafelloedd at ddefnydd athrawon, ond addysgir yn bennaf mewn ysgolion neu leoedd eraill.

Final Simulation Writing Rules: Period after every 6 th word Capitalize every 5 letter word Spell every four letter word backwards Write every “g” upsidedown Write with your non-dominant hand Write about what you plan on doing when you leave here today. Describe your living room.

Common Problems Memory Learning words and names Learning rote information Irregular words Verbal instructions Lines for a play Quick recall of math facts Mental math Holding ideas long enough to manipulate them mentally and transfer to paper Sequencing Reading/spelling words with sounds in correct order Skip counting Order of events Writing in sequence 319 – 931 Verbal directions Months of the year Dyslexia Checklist by Sandra Reif

Other Common Problems Executive Functioning Working memory Self regulation Planning and organizing skills Ability to get started on tasks Metacognition Time awareness/management Processing Speed Automatic word recognition Keeping up with pace of instruction Responding quickly to questions Word retrieval RAN Dyslexia Checklist by Sandra Reif

The Real Secret Read, Read, Read!!! –Then read some more… Write, Write, Write!!!

Differences in Text Exposure Grade 5 1 minute 4.6 minutes 20 minutes 8,000 words 282,000 words 1,800,000 words Number of words, per year, children are exposed to, compared to time spent reading each day. 90 th percentile 50 th percentile 10 th percentile (Nagy & Herman, 1987)

What's one piece of information you will take away with you today?

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