Guest Author - Heidi Shelton Jenck

Dyslexia – it’s not all about reversals. Dyslexic students have a mind that learns differently. What can you do if you have a student diagnosed with dyslexia?

To begin with, learn as much about dyslexia as you can.

What is dyslexia?

According to the International Dyslexia Association, “Dyslexia is a neurologically-based disorder which interferes with the acquisition and processing of language. It is manifested by difficulties in receptive and expressive language (including phonological processing) in reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, and sometimes in arithmetic.”

In a nutshell…

Dyslexia is difficulty with the alphabet, reading, comprehension, writing, spelling, and sometimes even math, in spite of adequate intelligence, exposure, and cultural opportunity.

The word “dyslexia” comes from the Greek words “dys” (poor) and “lexis” (language).

Brain research is showing us that dyslexics process language differently, not poorly. Each person with dyslexia is unique, but dyslexics do have some common characteristics.

If you have a student diagnosed with dyslexia, try these things:

•Teach explicit, synthetic, and analytic phonics sequentially every day.
•Carefully choose a reading program in which both materials and methods match your student’s ability level.
•Teach the patterns and elements of language systematically and explicitly.
•Use multi-sensory instruction (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile).

If you are involved in choosing a program to help your dyslexic student look for a program that is:

•Individualized
•Multisensory
•Includes intensive synthetic phonics lessons
•Linguistic
•Meaning-based
•Systematic, sequential, and cumulative
•Process oriented

Find out if the program has a proven track record with dyslexic students, and whether it is research-based. Many effective programs have an intensive training program requirement, often with an online training option. Find out whether there are people already trained to work with dyslexic students in your school or district. Traditional programs often don’t help dyslexic students learn to read, write or spell, in spite of the student’s strong motivation, involved family, or high intelligence.

Assume nothing
In spite of what you might observe, dyslexic students aren’t “lazy”. They don’t have an “attitude problem”. Often dyslexics have a very high IQ, and excellent verbal, mathematical, and artistic abilities. They honestly cannot decode and spell very simple words. They are often very frustrated students!

Remain positive, and use all the resources you can gather. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Work closely with parents, special educators, intervention specialists, and other people who work with your student, like an after-school tutor.

Learn more
These websites can provide very specific information you might need about your unique learner:

LD Online http://www.ldonline.org
Reading Rockets http://www.readingrockets.org
International Dyslexia Association http://www.interdys.org

Be like “Mr. Falker”
Author Patricia Polacco, herself a dyslexic, wrote "Thank You, Mr. Falker"(Scholastic, Inc., 1998) about her own childhood struggle learning to read. This book is about a special teacher who was patient and persistent, eventually finding a way to teach young Patricia Polacco to read, write, and spell. By the way, this book is an excellent read-aloud for elementary aged students.

Teachers have so many opportunities to touch the lives of their students, each with their own different way of learning. Discover and enjoy the unique gifts your dyslexic student brings to your learning community.