Decoding Dyslexia Parent Support Group October,

Importance of Testing at an early stage to Determine Areas of Strengths and Weaknesses ….but its never too late.

 15 percent of the U.S. population, or one in seven Americans, has some type of learning disabilities.  As many as 80 percent of students with learning disabilities have reading problems.  Attention disorders, such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities often occur at the same time, but the two disorders are not the same.Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

 A systematic study of major areas of cognitive functioning  Establishes a profile of personal strengths and weaknesses  Allows us to compare a person with his peers  Allows us to make inferences about a person’s brain function  Evidence-based practice  Weaving the qualitative data with the quantitative

 General intelligence ◦ Verbal Comprehension, Nonverbal Reasoning, Visual Spatial  Language ◦ Phonological Processing, Rapid Naming, Receptive, Expressive, Oral Fluency  Memory ◦ Working Memory, Visual Memory, Verbal Memory, Phonological Memory  Executive functioning ◦ Attention, Visual Motor Integration, Planning, Metacognition, Problem Solving, Shifting, Processing Speed  Emotional and Behavioral functioning ◦ Anxiety, Mood, Copying Skills, Perception of Self, Social Skills, and much more….

 Reading ◦ Phonemic Decoding  Time and Not Timed ◦ Orthographic Decoding ◦ Reading Comprehension  Silent and Oral ◦ Reading Fluency  Writing ◦ Spelling ◦ Contextual Conventions ◦ Sentence Building ◦ Story Construction ◦ Writing Fluency  Math ◦ Calculation ◦ Math Fluency ◦ Applied Problems

 Phonological Awareness  Rapid Naming  Visual Motor Integration  *Rey Complex Figure  Phonemic Decoding  TIMED and UNTIMED  Letter Word Identification  TIMED and UNTIMED  Orthographic Decoding  Silent Reading  Oral Reading  Spelling  Single Sentence  Story Construction  Rapid Naming: Rapid naming of objects, colors, digits, or letters requires efficient retrieval of phonological information from long-term or permanent memory.

 Phonological Memory: An individual’s ability to code information phonologically for temporary storage in working or short- term memory.  Rapid Naming: Rapid naming of objects, colors, digits, or letters requires efficient retrieval of phonological information from long-term or permanent memory.

A visual processing, or perceptual, disorder refers to a hindered ability to make sense of information taken in through the eyes. This is different from problems involving sight or sharpness of vision. Difficulties with visual processing affect how visual information is interpreted, or processed by the brain.

Visual Processing Visual Discrimination Visual Sequencing Visual motor Visual Memory

Definition: Using the sense of sight to notice and compare the features of different items to distinguish one item from another.  Misunderstanding or confusing written symbols (+, x, /, &)  Problems differentiating colors  Problems differentiating similarly shaped letters and numbers EXAMPLE: b/d; p/q; 6/9; 2/5)

Definition: The ability to see and distinguish the order of symbols, words, or images.  Difficulty with gaining information from pictures, charts, or graphs  Difficulty recognizing distinct shapes from their background ◦ Objects in a picture ◦ Letters on a chalkboard EXAMPLE Distinguish between an Int. (International) and Imt. (Internet Media Type) where the only distinguishing feature is the number of humps in the letter.

Definition: Using feedback from the eyes to coordinate the movement of other parts of the body.  Copying from board or books  Accurately identifying information from pictures, charts, graphs, maps, etc.  Difficulty with handwriting  Can affect written organization

 Long-term Visual Memory: The ability to recall something seen some time ago such as remembering directions to a location.  Short-term visual memory: The ability to remember something seen very recently. For example, becoming easily distracted, especially by competing visual information or finding and retaining important information in reading assignments or tests

Definition: An auditory processing disorder interferes with an individual's ability to analyze or make sense of information taken in through the ears.  An auditory processing deficit can interfere directly with speech and language, but can affect all areas of learning, especially reading and spelling.  When instruction in school relies primarily on spoken language, the individual with an auditory processing disorder may have serious difficulty understanding the lesson or the directions.

Auditory Processing Phonological Awareness Phonological Memory Auditory Memory Auditory Sequencing

Definition: An individual’s awareness of and access to the sound structure of his or her oral language.  Segment Words SILK without the /L/ sound is SICK  Blend Words F – I – N – D makes the word FIND

 Phonological Memory: An individual’s ability to code information phonologically for temporary storage in working or short- term memory.  Rapid Naming: Rapid naming of objects, colors, digits, or letters requires efficient retrieval of phonological information from long-term or permanent memory.

Definition: Ordering and sequencing heard information into meaningful chunks  Months of the Year  Counting backwards  Multistep Directions  Sense of time

 Long-term Auditory Memory: The ability to recall something heard some time ago such as remembering a lecture or story. Short-term auditory memory: The ability to remember something heard very recently. For example, following instructions in the given moment.

Visual Memory = Verbal IQ: 115 Phonological Awareness = 84 Phonemic Decoding = 83 Sight word recognition = 103 Phonemic Decoding Efficiency = 68 Single Sentences = 109 Spelling = 79 Reading Comprehension = 90 Contextual Conventions ScS = 7

Nonverbal IQ: 130 Orthographic Decoding = 84 Story Construction = 65 Visual Motor Integration = 75 Rapid Naming =85 Reading Comprehension = 119

 Thank you very much Dr. Rachna Varia