22-D
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AiHozlftDiyBdGpSMFZxVU9pQllQVFNvSG42N3l2eVE&hl=en
1.General Definition
(http://dyslexia.researchtoday.net/about-dyslexia.htm) There are many definitions of the disorder called dyslexia but no consensus. The World Federation of Neurology defined dyslexia as follows:
Specific developmental dyslexia is a disorder manifested by difficulty learning to read despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and adequate sociocultural opportunity. It is dependent upon fundamental cognitive disabilities that are frequently of constitutional origin.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia) Dyslexia is a learning disability that manifests primarily as a difficulty with written language, particularly with reading and spelling. It is separate and distinct from reading difficulties resulting from other causes, such as a non-neurological deficiency with vision or hearing, or from poor or inadequate reading instruction. Evidence suggests that dyslexia results from differences in how the brain processes written and/or spoken language. Although dyslexia is the result of a neurological difference, it is not an intellectual disability. Dyslexia occurs at all levels of intelligence; sub-average, average, above average, and highly gifted.
Dyslexia is the most common learning disability in children and persists throughout life. The severity of dyslexia can vary from mild to severe. The sooner dyslexia is treated, the more favorable the outcome; however, it is never too late for people with dyslexia to learn to improve their language skills.
Range of conditions
2.Characteristics
2.1 Dyslexia characteristics by learning / subject category
Formal diagnosis of dyslexia is made by a qualified professional, such as a neurologist or an educational psychologist. Evaluation generally includes testing of reading ability together with measures of underlying skills such as tests of rapid naming, to evaluate short term memory and sequencing skills, and nonword reading to evaluate phonological coding skills.
2.1.1 Speech, hearing and listening
- Speech delays, stuttering or cluttering may be an early warning sign of dyslexia. Many dyslexics may have problems processing and decoding auditory input prior to reproducing their own version of speech.
- Problems with speaking clearly -
- can mix up sounds in multi-syllabic words (ex: aminal for animal, bisghetti for spaghetti, hekalopter for helicopter, hangaberg for hamburger, mazageen for magazine, etc.)
- problems speaking in full sentences.
- trouble correctly articulating Rs and Ls as well as Ms and Ns.
- "immature" speech - They may still be saying "wed and gween" instead of "red and green" in second or third grade. Many dyslexics might have speech therapy in special education. They may have fast speech, cluttered speech, or hesitant speech.
Reading requires the sounding out of words. Therefore, it makes sense that children with speech problems can end up having reading problems later. Many have problems with speech due to problems with auditory processing disorder issues.
Many dyslexics have problems with phonemic awareness. Phonemes are the smallest units in spoken language. The Auditory related underlying causes of dyslexia may be partially remediated by auditory therapy or speech therapy, which help with phonemic awareness. This may help to make sense of phonics which may help with phonological awareness, which is needed to sound out words.
Many acquire auditory processing disorder as an underlying cause of dyslexia from glue ear, otitis media.
Some shared symptoms of the speech/hearing deficits and dyslexia:
- Confusion with before/after, right/left, and so on
- Difficulty learning the alphabet
- Difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems
- Difficulty identifying or generating rhyming words, or counting syllables in words (phonological awareness)
- Difficulty with hearing and manipulating sounds in words (phonemic awareness)
- Difficulty distinguishing different sounds in words (auditory discrimination)
- Difficulty in learning the sounds of letters
- Difficulty associating individual words with their correct meanings
- Difficulty with time keeping and concept of time
- Confusion with combinations of words
- Due to fear of speaking incorrectly, some children become withdrawn and shy or become bullies out of their inability to understand the social cues in their environment
2.1.2. Reading and spelling
- Spelling errors — Because of difficulty learning letter-sound correspondences, individuals with dyslexia might tend to misspell words, or leave vowels out of words.
- Letter order - Dyslexics may also reverse the order of two letters especially when the final, incorrect, word looks similar to the intended word (e.g., spelling "dose" instead of "does").
- Highly phoneticized spelling - Dyslexics also commonly spell words inconsistently, but in a highly phonetic form such as writing "shud" for "should". Dyslexic individuals also typically have difficulty distinguishing among homophones such as "their" and "there".
- Reading — Due to dyslexics' excellent long term memory, young students tend to memorize beginning readers, but are unable to read individual words or phrases.
- Vocabulary - Having a small written vocabulary, even if they have a large spoken vocabulary.
2.1.3. Writing and motor skills
- Difficulty with handwriting - slower writing speed than average or poor handwriting characterised by irregularly formed letters. They may use inappropriate words when writing.
- motor difficulties including motor skills disorder - indicated by clumsiness and poor coordination. The relationship between motor skills and reading difficulties is poorly understood but could be linked to the role of the cerebellum and inner ear in the development of reading and motor abilities.[55]
2.1.4. Mathematical abilities
- Individuals with dyslexia can be gifted in mathematics while having poor reading skills. However, in spite of this they might have difficulty with word problems (i.e., descriptive mathematics, engineering, or physics problems that rely on written text rather than numbers or formulas).
- Individuals with dyslexia may also have difficulty remembering mathematical facts, such as multiplication tables, learning the sequence of steps when performing calculations, such as long division, and other mathematics which involve remembering the order in which numbers appear. This may be exhibited by having a slow response in mathematical drills and difficulty with word problems.
2.1.5. Creativity and arts
Dyslexics may be more creative than non-dyslexics. Such a superiority explains the high prevalence of dyslexics who succeed as entrepreneurs - entrepreneurs are five times more likely to suffer from dyslexia than an average citizen.
2.2 Dyslexia characteristics by age group
(http://dyslexia.researchtoday.net/about-dyslexia.htm)
2.2.1. Pre-school age children
It is difficult to obtain a certain diagnosis of dyslexia before a child begins school, but many dyslexic individuals have a history of difficulties that began well before kindergarten. Children who exhibit these symptoms have a higher risk of being diagnosed as dyslexic than other children. Some of these symptoms are:
- Delay in learning to speak
- Learns new words slowly
- Has difficulty rhyming words, as in nursery rhymes
- Late in establishing a dominant hand
2.2.2. Early elementary school-age children
- Difficulty learning the alphabet
- Difficulty with associating sounds with the letters that represent them (sound-symbol correspondence)
- Difficulty identifying or generating rhyming words, or counting syllables in words (phonological awareness)
- Difficulty segmenting words into individual sounds, or blending sounds to make words (phonemic awareness)
- Difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems
- Difficulty learning to decode words
- Confusion with before/after, right/left, over/under, and so on
- Difficulty distinguishing between similar sounds in words; mixing up sounds in multisyllable words (auditory discrimination) (for example, "aminal" for animal, "bisghetti" for spaghetti)
2.2.3. Older elementary school children
- Slow or inaccurate reading
- Very poor spelling
- Difficulty associating individual words with their correct meanings
- Difficulty with time keeping and concept of time
- Difficulty with organization skills
- Due to fear of speaking incorrectly, some children become withdrawn and shy or become bullies out of their inability to understand the social cues in their environment
- Difficulty comprehending rapid instructions, following more than one command at a time or remembering the sequence of things
- Reversals of letters (b for d) and a reversal of words (saw for was) are typical among children who have dyslexia. Reversals are also common for children age 6 and younger who don't have dyslexia. But with dyslexia, the reversals persist.
- Children with dyslexia may fail to see (and occasionally to hear) similarities and differences in letters and words, may not recognize the spacing that organizes letters into separate words, and may be unable to sound out the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word.
3. Causes of Dyslexia
"Trauma dyslexia" usually occurs after some form of brain trauma or injury to the area of the brain that controls reading and writing.
"Primary dyslexia" is a dysfunction of, rather than damage to, the left side of the brain (cerebral cortex) and does not change with age. It is passed in family lines through their genes (hereditary). It is found more often in boys than in girls.
"Secondary" or "Developmental dyslexia" is felt to be caused by hormonal development during the early stages of fetal development. Developmental dyslexia diminishes as the child matures. It is also more common in boys.
Hearing problems at an early age (Glue ear). If the difficulty is not noticed at an early stage, then the developing brain does not make the links between the sounds it hears. This early learning of sounds and words is fundamental to the child's developing ability to handle language and text.
neral Impact (in terms of of development and learning)
Part C
1. What would I expect of the student with the chosen area of special needs:
· he/she will want to be part of the class and activities in school. Encourage him to join the activities and be part of the class. Give him the extra attention so that he can assimilate into the class environment. It is important to engage his pathway to learning by using a multisensory approach in all activities. By associating the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic modalities simultaneously, he will learn most effectively by seeing, hearing and doing.
· he/she will want to have friends. A lack of social skills resulting from poor self-esteem resulting in rejection by his peer group. Select a few volunteer students who are aware and can assist with the special needs of a Dyslexia student. Get them to befriend him and provide the emotional and social needs as a friend.
· he/she may need extra support in terms of… attention, extra remedial class, extra emotional and social support to enable him to fit into the classroom environment. It is important to accentuate the strengths and talents of the student. It can be helpful for the teacher to break tasks down into smaller identifiable units, so that the student experiences a degree of success at each stage of the task before tackling the next. The teacher should ensure that the student has mastered both methods and concepts at each level before proceeding further.
2. How will this affect the other students in my class? How do I work with them to understand their peers and to create an inclusive classroom?
Students’ negative attitudes toward their peers with exceptionalities often result from a lack of understanding (Plata et al., 2005). Open discussion and information about disabilities can help change these attitudes (Heward, 2009). Emphasizing that people with disabilities want to have friends, and want to succeed and be happy, just as everyone else does, can do much to change attitudes. This discussion can reduce stereotypes about learners with exceptionalities and break down the barriers between them and other students. Literature and videos that explore the struggles and triumphs of people with disabilities, and guests that have overcome disabilities, are also valuable sources of information.
Initially their peers will ridicule and avoid them. Firstly, select a few volunteer students who are aware of the special needs of Dyslexia students to provide the starting point or nucleus as his friends, who will provide the emotional and social support. With assistance from this group, encourage more volunteers to join in. Eventually, most students will accept him and provide the support he needs. Meantime the Teacher will pay close attention to is needs and be his mentor.
3. What would I suggest in terms of provisions/accommodations to meet the student’s needs? (suggest only in areas which are appropriate)
· learning environment (physical and socio-emotional)
· behaviours (look also into the reasons for inappropriate behaviours)
· instruction
· collaboration (school, home, agencies)
4. Do I have the skills to meet the student’s needs? In today’s inclusive classroom environment, the intent is for special and general educators to collaborate in an attempt to ensure that experiences for students with exceptionalities are integrated. Collaboration is essential for effective inclusion (Karten, 2005). The special educators’ most important responsibilities are to help the classroom teacher identify students needing special help and to adapt instruction, because these most directly influence academic success.
· knowledge of basic principles of effective learning and teaching. The teacher will have the basic principles of the student’s needs through training, reading up and guidance (and collaboration) from a special needs teacher. However, for more advance cases of Dyslexia, proper professional assistance from a special needs officer is recommended.
· need to know more about… The teacher’s role in inclusive classrooms. Teachers have 3 important responsibilities in working with students who have exceptionalities :
- Assist in identifying students who may need additional help.
- Modify instruction to best meet individuals’ needs.
- Promote social integration and student growth by encouraging acceptance of all students in the class.
In each of the above 3 areas, teachers are supposed to have assistance from special needs teachers.
The synopsis of Dyslexia is attached.