Published in August 2019 in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Reading and listening to books stimulates the same areas of the brain.
Neuroscientists at the UC Berkeley created interactive maps that can predict the brain areas activated by different word categories.
For instance, words associated with numbers stimulate one area while words related to locations activate another.
The intake of those words – whether by reading or listening – made no difference in how the brain processes the semantics.
To see the entire article, click here.
Accessible Books for Texas (Bookshare)
Accessible Books for Texas is a Benetech project funded by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) that provides on-the-ground training and support to Texas public K-12 educators, parents, and students on accessible educational materials (AIM). Bookshare is an accessible online library which has over 500,000 titles available to individuals with print disabilities. Through an award from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Bookshare offers free memberships to U.S. schools and qualifying U.S. students. For more information on Bookshare, including eligibility requirements, contact your child’s school or visit https://www.bookshare.org/cms/state/texas.
Learning Ally has over 80,000 human-narrated audio books available to students with print disabilities. The materials can be delivered through internet downloads and accessed using various mainstream and assistive technology devices. Through a contract with TEA, Learning Ally offers free memberships to Texas K-12 public and charter schools with qualifying students. For more information on Learning Ally, including eligibility requirements, contact your child’s school or visit https://learningally.org/Solutions-for-School/school-grants/Texas.
Senate Bill 2075, passed by the 86th Legislature, requires school districts to notify the parent or guardian of a student determined, on the basis of screening under TEC 38.003 or other basis, to have dyslexia or a related disorder, or determined, on the basis of reading instrument results, to be at risk for dyslexia or other reading difficulties of The Talking Book Program (TBP) maintained by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. The TBP provides free library services to qualifying Texans with visual, physical, or reading disabilities. It is part of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a program administered by the Library of Congress. While TPB does not offer textbooks, the program does offer thousands of books that students can use at home and at school. Books are available by download to portable devices using the Braille and Audio Recording Download (BARD) service and through iOs and Android mobile apps and on digital cartridge, in Braille, and in large print. To learn more about the TBP, including eligibility requirements, please visit https://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/index.html or call toll free at 1-800-252-9605 in Texas or 512-436-5458 in Austin.
The IDA is committed to helping parents and education professionals, to address the unique needs of dyslexics of all ages and also those with other learning differences.
Text-to-Speech (TTS) software provides students access to print by reading the contents on the screen aloud. The following websites may be beneficial for students with dyslexia:
State approved adoptions (NOTE: When new state-adopted materials are chosen, districts should determine if TTS is available.)
Speech-to-Text (STT) software translates spoken words into text. The following websites may be beneficial for students with dyslexia:
The State Board of Education (SBOE) on November 16, 2018, gave final approval to updates to The Dyslexia Handbook—2018 Update: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders (Dyslexia Handbook). The updates address recent legislative changes and clarify processes regarding identification and services for students, including students with dysgraphia. The updated Dyslexia Handbook is effective immediately.
The handbook contains guidelines for school districts to follow as they identify and provide services for students with dyslexia. In addition, information regarding the state's dyslexia statutes and their relation to various federal laws is included.
https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/19_0074_0028-1_2021.pdf
FAQ: Dyslexia & Related Disorders- 3/2019
Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia in the IEP Guidance Document – NEW guidance document
Concept Mapping can assist students in organizing and synthesizing information to make the broader connections necessary for reading comprehension and writing assistance that result in improved performance in content-area instruction. The following is a list of examples of free or low cost software:
Bubbl.us - This is an online brainstorming website that exports images, such as mind maps.
Gliffy - This is an online diagramming software tool with flowcharts, floor plans, Venn diagrams and more.
Inspiration - This visual thinking software is suitable for grades 4 to adult. The software is designed to help students develop and gather ideas, organize thoughts, analyze and interpret information, clarify understanding, and communicate ideas clearly.
Kidspiration - This visual thinking software is suitable for grades 1-3. Students combine pictures, text, numbers, and spoken words to develop vocabulary, word recognition, reading comprehension, writing, and critical thinking skills.
Lucid Chart - This is a website that allows students to create collaborative flow charts and organizational charts.
Mindmeister - This is a website – also available as an app – for collaborative concept mapping.
Mindomo - This site allows students to create mind maps for a long-term project. Maps can be exported to Microsoft Word and Excel.
MyStudyBar - This software comes with a literacy toolbar that includes mind mapping, screen masking, word prediction, talking dictionary, and text-to-speech to help students convey their thoughts in writing.
Quicklyst - This website provides an organizational process for taking notes in an outline format.
Slatebox - This website provides mind-mapping collaborative slates.
Time Line Maker - This website allows for the development of time lines with a choice of templates.
VocabularySpellingCity - This site is meant to improve a child’s spelling and vocabulary skills.
Webspiration - This website is suitable for grades 5-12. Students will use visual frameworks to aid in writing skills.
Vocabulary can be explored by using websites. For students with dyslexia, slower or difficult reading leads to reduced vocabulary knowledge. The following tools can be explored to support students in accessing difficult vocabulary:
Lexipedia - This is an online visual semantic network supporting six different languages.
MathWords - This is an online interactive math dictionary.
Visual Thesaurus - This online dictionary analyzes and generates a list of useful vocabulary words from any text.
Visuwords - This online graphic dictionary allows students to create a graphic organizer for individual words.
VocabAhead - This website provides a visual dictionary using short vocabulary videos for SAT/ACT test preparation.
WordSmyth - This website provides a traditional look and feel to an online dictionary.
Fascinating lists of famous people with the gift of dyslexia.
If you’re a parent who suspects dyslexia in your child or who has a child with a dyslexia diagnosis, you have to educate yourself. Here are the books that I would recommend reading first:
OVERCOMING DYSLEXIA BY DR. SALLY SHAYWITZ
THE DYSLEXIA EMPOWERMENT PLAN: A BLUEPRINT FOR RENEWING YOUR CHILD’S CONFIDENCE AND LOVE OF LEARNING BY BEN FOSS
DYSLEXIA ADVOCATE: HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR A CHILD WITH DYSLEXIA IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM BY DR. KELLI SANDMAN-HURLEY
FISH IN A TREE BY LYNDA MULLALY HUNT
Once Upon An Accommodation: A Book About Learning Disabilities by Nina G
I’D ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS:
What is Dyslexia? by Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley
Overcoming Dyslexia, Finding Passion: Piper Otterbein at TEDExYouth
ALL of the Dyslexia for a Day Videos by Dyslexia Training Institute
A dyslexia diagnosis can be scary, but know that you are not alone. Your child can develop coping skills, he can learn to read, and, above all else, know that it is not your fault.
Understanding Dysgraphia (International Dyslexia Association)