Laura Sagert (CIDE) Joep van der Werff (Richmond)

CC-BY-SA 3.0

MEXTESOL, Puebla 2014

Diagnosing Dyslexia in Your Classroom

Image credit: Cuidado infantil (2011). Dislexia nens. CC_BY_SA 3.0

Our Stories

Saskia Mel

Is this behaviour a sign of dyslexia or of something else? (1)

There’s a student in your class who…

1. confuses letters such as b-d or words like nap-pan.

2. has limited control of his/her first language and does not respond to conversation.

3. frowns or squints when trying to see the board.

4. has a physical tic such as a repetitive twitch in the eye.

5. has difficulty saying long words or reading aloud.

Is this behaviour a sign of dyslexia or of something else? (2)There’s a student in your class who…

6. mixes up directional words (left-right, up-down).

7. puts letters or figures in the wrong order or leaves them out.

8. repeats parts of words (e.g. It’s m-m-m-mine).

9. stands up without permission, disrupts other students, fidgets.

10. surprises you with work or behavior that is below with his/her level.

Is this behaviour a sign of dyslexia or of something else? (3)There’s a student in your class who…

11. acts without thinking first.12. avoids eye contact. 13. forgets steps when following a sequence of

instructions. 14. has difficulty organizing tasks. 15. speaks in a monotone. 16. takes longer than normal to complete written work.

True or False? (1)

1. Dyslexia is outgrown before adulthood.

2. Dyslexia is always identified in the first few years of elementary school.

3. Dyslexia cannot be diagnosed until a child is at least eight years old.

4. Repeating a grade will help students develop reading and spelling skills

5. Dyslexia primarily affects very intelligent children.

6. Dyslexia affects more boys than girls.

True or False? (2)

7. Dyslexics always reverse letters (e.g., b-d, or p-q). Anyone who reverses these letters is likely to be dyslexic.

8. Vision therapy cannot resolve dyslexia.

9. Making children read out loud reduces dyslexia.

10. People who are good at sports are too coordinated to be dyslexic.

11. There are higher levels of dyslexia among English-speaking people than among speakers of other languages.

12. Dyslexia is a continuum of strengths and weaknesses.

Check Your Answers

1. False 7. False

2. False 8. True

3. False 9. False

4. True 10. False

5. False 11. False

6. True 12. True

• Did any of these answers surpise you? Tell us why.

School Age Dyslexia Screener (IDA, 2013)

    Never/not at all

Rarely/a little

Some-times

Frequently/ quite a bit

Always/a great deal

1. Has difficulty with spelling 1 2 3 4 5

2. Has/had difficulty learning letter names

1 2 3 4 5

3. Has/had difficulty learning phonics (sounding out words)

1 2 3 4 5

4. Reads slowly 1 2 3 4 5

5. Reads below grade level 1 2 3 4 5

6. Requires extra help in school because of problems in reading and spelling

1 2 3 4 5

Scoring Instructions: <16 = Minimal Risk 16-21 = Moderate Risk >21 = Significant Risk

Teachers at Work: Shared Ideas

1. Get into groups according to age levels you teach: pre-school, kindergarten, primary, secondary, university, adults

2. Read the handout together. Your handout identifies common problems or warning signs at different age and educational levels.

3. Discuss what you could do to help dyslexic students in YOUR classrooms.

Dyslexia in English and in Spanish

1. What’s the difference?

2. Does dyslexia manifest itself differently in English and Spanish? If so, how?

3. In which language is dyslexia easier to identify? Why?

Spanish vs. English: Examples

• Una tarde Ricitos de Oro se fue al bosque a buscar flores…

• Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks...

• Mi mamá me ama.• Look. Oh, oh. Look. See

Jane.

Hint: transparent vs. opaque orthography; sound-symbol relationships

• Image credit: Arthur Rackham (1918). From The Project Gutenberg eBook, English Fairy Tales, by Flora Annie Steel, Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Image in the public domain. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/17034

Dyslexia: a Definition

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with other language skills such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person’s life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment, and in its more severe forms, will qualify a student for special education, special accommodations, or extra support services.

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) http://interdys.org/dyslexiadefinition.htm

Talking to Students, Parents, and Teachers

• Even for language professionals, spotting dyslexia can be tricky (We struggled!).

• Obtaining an accurate formal diagnosis is difficult but necessary.

• Misconceptions about what dyslexia is (and isn’t) can make people resistant to the diagnosis.

• Individuals vary.• Instructional techniques designed to help dyslexic children

often benefit the whole class.

Your Space

• Questions?

• Comments?

• Stories to share?

Additional Resources• The British Dyslexia Association. (2014) Indications of Dyslexia

(List of persisting and age-specific indicators of possible dyslexia in children. Targeted at parents.)

• Davies, Robert, Fernando Cuetos and Rosa Mary Glez-Seijas. (2007). Reading development and dyslexia in a transparent orthography: a survey of Spanish children. Annals of Dyslexia, 57: 197-198. DOI: 10.1007/s11881-007-0010-1. (Academic article on the topic of dyslexia in Spanish-speaking children.)

• The International Dyslexia Organization (IDA). (2013) Dyslexia in the Classroom: What Every Teacher Needs to Know. http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/DyslexiaInTheClassroom.pdf (Resource kit for educators. Targeted at teachers introducing accommodations in the classroom.)

• Moore, Caroline and Joep van der Werff. (2014) Teaching Learners with Special Needs. In: The Primary Methodology Handbook: Practical Ideas for ELT. 2014. Mexico City: Richmond. (Overview of diverse learning disabilities and physical conditions. Targeted at elementary school teachers.)

Our Contact Information

Laura Sagert

laura.sagert@gmail.com

Joep van der Werff

joepvdw@yahoo.com