Understanding the Dyslexic Student

Dyslexia is a language based learning disability, neurological in origin which means it is a problem that is physically in the brain. According to the Georgia Department of Education, “Dyslexia is a language-based condition rather than a vision-based condition. It is a condition that does not go away, but individuals with dyslexia can learn to read well when provided multisensory, dyslexia-specific interventions.  Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence; instead, it has to do with an individual’s ability to process sound-symbol relationships and language” ( p.8, 2019). The Georgia Department of Education shares with us that, “students with dyslexia struggle with the relationship between letters and sounds. Because of this, they have a hard time decoding, or sounding out, unfamiliar words, and instead often misread them based on an overreliance on their sight-word memory. Deficits are unexpected relative to cognitive abilities in that the student’s skills are lower than their overall ability and are not due to a lack of intelligence. Screening for characteristics of dyslexia is a proactive way to address skill deficits through appropriate interventions. Screening results that reflect characteristics of dyslexia do not necessarily mean that a student has dyslexia nor can dyslexia be diagnosed through a screening alone. Students with dyslexia share some common characteristics, but it is important to remember that dyslexia manifests differently depending on the individual, their age, and other factors affecting their foundational reading skill development” ( p.8, 2019). According to the  chart from the Georgia Department of Educations Dyslexia handbook that may help you understand common strengths and weaknesses students with dyslexia may have:

We know Dyslexia is a language based learning disability, neurological in origin which means it is a problem that is physically in the brain so students with Dyslexia brain’s process differently. According to studies and imaging areas of the brain are activated differently for students who are skilled readers compared to students who are struggling readers. According to the  CommonWealth Learning Center, “Dyslexics show disruptions in the rear reading system in the left hemisphere, critical for reading fluently. While reading there is less activity in the Left Parietal-temporal lobe required for phonological processing where identifying and manipulating individual sounds and the structure of words. There is also less activity in the Left Occipital-temporal lobe that affects the “orthographic” mapping or understanding of letters into sounds, auditory processing and interpretation of sounds, difficulty with rapid rate of information coming in or phonology of sounds'' (Selwyn, 2021). When all parts of the brain critical for reading instruction are not activated at the same time, students with Dyslexia struggle to process critical components of reading. You can see in the image below that all three critical components of the brain are activated for a non-dyslexic reader, while the Dyslexic reader only has one part activated which is why it is so hard for them to process many reading skills. 

“Dr. Hollis Scarborough (2001) compares skilled reading to a rope, which consists of many different strands. These strands all work together to enable skilled reading. The strands develop over time and with more teaching and experience. The Reading Rope consists of upper and lower strands. The language-comprehension strands (background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge) reinforce one another and then weave together with the word-recognition strands to produce a skilled reader. Concurrently, the word-recognition strands (phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition of familiar words) work together as the reader becomes accurate, fluent, and increasingly automatic with repetition and practice. This does not happen overnight; it requires instruction and practice over time.” (GaDOE, 2019, p.12)

According to the Georgia Department of Education’s Dyslexia Handbook, “effective literacy instruction is essential for all students and is especially critical for students with dyslexia. High-quality classroom reading instruction can give students a foundation upon which intervention and instruction can have a greater impact. Instructional content of the core reading program should include instruction in the five essential components of reading: phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Instruction in oral language, writing, spelling, and handwriting is also essential. These components should be addressed in a comprehensive and effective manner. Instructional design of high-quality programs should include explicit and systematic strategies for instruction, consistent instructional routines, and ample opportunity for practice with appropriate student support materials, cumulative review, and alignment to the Georgia Standards of Excellence for English Language Arts for each grade level. Instructional design should also effectively integrate the components of reading rather than isolate each skill” (p. 12, 2019). 

Students with Dyslexia benefit greatly from Structured Literacy lesson plans. Structured Literacy lesson plans include the following essential components of reading daily:  phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Structured Literacy is an Umbrella approach to reading built around scope and sequence. “Adhering to the instructional sequence encourages skill mastery, minimizes confusion and incorrect attempts and gradually builds complexity of students' knowledge and skills” (Lorimor-Easley, p.3, 2019). Structured Literacy utilizes evidence based programs and practices that is “explicit, systematic teaching that focuses on phonological awareness” (Lorimor-Easley, p.1, 2019). Structured Literacy approaches help all students, especially those with learning disabilities or those with Dyslexia learn to read and write. For more information about Strucutred Literacy visit https://iowareadingresearch.org/blog/structured-and-balanced-literacy.

Students with Dyslexia also benefit from multi-sensory instruction. According to the Center of Effective Reading Instruction and the International Dyslexia Association, “Phonics instruction lends itself to multisensory teaching techniques, because these techniques can be used to focus children’s attention on the sequence of letters in printed words. As such, including manipulatives, gestures, and speaking and auditory cues increases students’ acquisition of phonics skills. An added benefit is that multisensory techniques are quite motivating and engaging to many children. Multi-sensory activities provide needed scaffolding to beginning and struggling readers and include visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile activities to enhance learning and memory. As students practice a learned concept, reduce the multi-sensory scaffolds until the student is using only the visual for reading. Employ the multi-sensory techniques to fix errors and then practice without the scaffold” 

Learn More about the Georgia Department of Education Dyslexia Handbook: https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-Services/Documents/Eligibility%20Areas/LD%20and%20Dyslexia/Dyslexia%20Informational%20Handbook_9_12_2022.pdf

Learn more about the value of using multi-sensory instruction at: https://www.readingrockets.org/article/phonics-instruction-value-multi-sensory-approach.

List of excellent Multi-Sensory Activities to use with students in Grades Pre-K-3:

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/8-multisensory-techniques-for-teaching-reading

References:

Georgia Department of Education. Dyslexia Informational  Handbook. 2019. 

https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/Documents/Dyslexia%20Informational%20Handbook%20Final.pdf

International Dyslexia Association . Dyslexia in The Classroom, What Every Teacher Needs to Know. 2017.https://dyslexiaida.org/dyslexia-in-the-classroom/

Hudson, High and Al Otaiba. Dyslexia and the Brain: What Does Current Research Tell Us? https://www.readingrockets.org/article/dyslexia-and-brain-what-does-current-research-tell-us#:~:text=In%20summary%2C%20the%20brain%20of,to%20function%20properly%20during%20reading

International Dyslexia Association . Dyslexia in The Classroom, What Every Teacher Needs to Know. 2017.https://dyslexiaida.org/dyslexia-in-the-classroom/

Georgia Department of Education. Dyslexia Informational  Handbook. 2019. 

https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/Documents/Dyslexia%20Informational%20Handbook%20Final.pdf

Selwyn, Cecile. Dyslexia and The Brain. https://www.commlearn.com/dyslexia-and-the-brain/

Shaywitz, S (2020). Overcoming Dyslexia, Second Edition. Vintage Books.