The dyslexia debate: Should we isolate from other … Nicholson...The dyslexia debate: Should we...

The dyslexia debate: Should we isolate from other poor readers a category called dyslexia?

Tom Nicholson

Massey University, Auckland

1 Dyslexia Debate - A discussion, Macquarie

University, Sydney, 3 August 2015

Contact details

Tom Nicholson, Professor, Education, Massey University, Auckland Phone: +64 9 443 9685 – mobile 021 1085 923 [email protected] Publications that might be of interest: New Zealand Dyslexia Handbook, by Tom Nicholson and Sue Dymock (2015, NZCER Press) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwRgwh_fuoU Phonics Handbook by Tom Nicholson, published in 2005 by Wiley (UK) http://au.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1861564384.html

Dyslexia Debate - A discussion, Macquarie University, Sydney, 3 August 2015

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwRgwh_fuoU

http://au.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1861564384.html



Dyslexia – a complex topic


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Sometimes it is hard to know if the student really has dyslexia


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Why do children have reading problems? One belief is parents do not support their children at home, but ..


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Another belief is that teachers do not teach very effectively, but ..


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What is dyslexia?

One definition, well known and highly cited (Tunmer

& Greaney, 2010), is that dyslexia:

1. Is a persistent reading and writing difficulty

2. Happens to a normally developing student

3. Happens despite effective instruction

4. Happens because of huge difficulties in decoding words by sound



Should we use the term dyslexia?

Arguments against dyslexia: • Labels are not helpful – stigmatises the student • There is nothing special about dyslexia- we give the same reading

instruction to dyslexic pupils as for ordinary reading difficulties • It is a way for middle class parents to get priority for their children, e.g., in

New Zealand just 17 pupils in decile one schools received special assessment conditions (SACs) for external NCEA exams in 2014. Just under 1300 pupils in decile 10 schools received help.

Arguments for • Some parents say that the label is a “relief” • The simple view of reading and writing says that you can distinguish

dyslexia – it is a special category • Middle class parents are more successful at getting help but that is

because we make it hard for poor parents to get help, by insisting on expensive psychologist reports



Myths about dyslexia

• Dyslexia is reading words backwards – but not peculiar to dyslexia • Dyslexia is related to intelligence – many studies have found that IQ is not

the best predictor of reading difficulties • Dyslexia is a different learning style – most people think they are visual or

auditory or kinaesthetic learners but no evidence to show this • Dyslexia is a boy problem – but this is because boys are worse behaved

and this seems to draw them into remedial reading • Dyslexia will go away with time – it seems to be the opposite – it persists

over a long time • Dyslexia is a visual processing problem – but it does not respond to visual

training • Dyslexia is a balance problem – research evidence has been criticised • Dyslexia is helped with coloured plastic overlays or special glasses – but

studies have found no effect



Dyslexia, family, and the school

• Students: feel different, low self-esteem, “I felt I was the most stupid in the class” “They treat you like a kid” “Embarrassing and humiliating”

• Teachers: “it’s one of those things conjured up by pushy parents” “children who are either too lazy or haven’t got the brains”

• Dyslexia friendly classroom – where the teacher genuinely wants to help out

• Family - These students are average or above in oral language so it comes as a surprise to their family that they struggle to read/write – often from middle class homes, successful parents



Defining dyslexia via the simple view of reading (Nicholson & Dymock, 2015)



Reading Difficulties The simple view describes ‘the reader”

And 3 types of reading difficulties

Three types of reading difficulties

Problems with decoding (dyslexia)

Problems with Listening comprehension (hyperlexia)

Problems with decoding and listening (mixed)



Steps in assessing for dyslexia using the simple view approach



A hypothetical classroom using the simple view classification (using stanines)



Alien Words – CVC (Bryant Test of Basic Decoding Skills)



Alien words – silent e



Alien words – consonant digraphs



Alien words – blends and digraphs



Alien words – multi syllable words



William’s story …

Articulate, good vocabulary …

entered school with enthusiasm.

His year 1 and 2 teachers indicated to his parents that he would do well at school and that his reading would soon ‘take off’.

By year 3 he was aware something was amiss. His parents were concerned because he was not making age-appropriate progress in reading and spelling.

His poor reading and spelling skills were beginning to impact on his self-esteem and self-worth. His

enthusiasm for school disappeared. 20


William … After three years of schooling undoubtedly one of the highest pupils in oral language in the lower SES, 250-300 pupil school, William was reading and spelling well below age level.

William’s school: had few [no] answers for his poor progress.

William’s parents: at a loss



William’s progress at Hamilton Reading Centre – would the average poor reader have made such progress?

Measures Start of Year 1 Start of Year 2 End of year 2

Age 10y 1m 11 y 2 m 11 y 10 m

Alien Words 20 32 37

Reading Accuracy 7 y 5 m 8 y 11 m 13+

Reading Comprehension

7 y 11 m 10 y 4 m 13+

Receptive Vocabulary

15 y 9 m Adult level

Spelling 7 y 3 m 7 y 3 m 8 y 2 m



Do dyslexic students read text differently? Not many studies have looked at this

• Thomson (1978) compared dyslexic 10-year-olds with good readers of the same age

• Method – N=40 students (20 dyslexic, 20 good readers of same age); children read passages from Neale Analysis of Reading Ability; their miscues were classified

• It could be that the dyslexic poor reader will make more meaningful errors than the non-dyslexic poor reader because they are able to use their language skills to make better guesses from story context about words they do not know

• If they did do this then it would mean they are a different category or poor reader. Their guessing skills might actually work against them if they relied on this rather than trying to learn how to decode – which might explain why they make good progress when they learn decoding skill. The Thomson study looked at this question.



The two groups – matched for age, sex, intelligence (IQ), socioeconomic status

Dyslexic Group Good reader group

Age 10.5 10.10

Reading age 8.2 11.8

Spelling age 7.7 11.10

IQ (non verbal) 11.7 11.8



The two groups

Reading Ages (Neale Test) Dyslexic Group Good reader group

Reading comprehension 10.1 12.4

Reading Accuracy 8.1 11.3

Reading speed 7.4 12.6



Thomson Discussion

1. Dyslexic group’s reading comprehension level was at their age level in the Thomson study – even though their oral reading and speed was much lower than their chronological age. To have normal reading comprehension for their age is in itself is different to other poor readers.

2. Results: In terms of surface structure, dyslexic group made more graphic and phonemic miscues than did the good reader group – but made similar syntactic and semantic miscues.

3. The Thomson results indicated that the difference between the good readers and dyslexic readers was in reading accuracy, not in ability to use context clues. But we are doing more research on this - to compare dyslexic readers with younger normally developing readers of the same reading age and with younger non-dyslexic poor readers. If their miscues turn out to be different, then dyslexia may be a different category of poor reader.



Miscue study results

Types of miscue – surface structure

Dyslexic M

Good reader group M

Significance

Graphic proximity 3.0 5.3 *

Phonemic proximity 2.3 4.6 *

Syntactic proximity 7.2 7.3 ns

Semantic proximity 1.6 1.9 ns



So the jury is still out: Do dyslexic students make different kinds of reading errors to other poor readers

or younger normally developing readers?

• We still don’t have the answer to that question • Thomson’s 1978 research compared dyslexic 10-year-olds

with normal readers in terms of their reading miscues • But to answer our question, we need to compare the

dyslexic group with another group of matched poor readers who are not dyslexic, and also use a reading-age match with younger, average readers

• Comparing the dyslexic poor reader group with a group of good readers does not answer the question

• Dyslexics’ reading errors may be different to other poor readers – we need to do more research on this

• If they are different, then we probably need to keep the label, “dyslexia”



Further reading

Younger students:

Nicholson, T., & Dymock, S. (2015). NZ Dyslexia Handbook. Wellington: NZCER Press.

Dymock, S., & Nicholson, T. (2012) Teaching reading comprehension. Wellington: NZCER Press

Nicholson, T., & Dymock, S. (2010). Teaching reading vocabulary. Wellington: NZCER Press

Nicholson, T. (2005). At the cutting edge: The importance of phonemic awareness in learning to read and spell. Wellington: NZCER Press

Nicholson, T. (2005). Phonics handbook. Chichester, UK: Wiley

Teenagers and adults:

Dymock, S., & Nicholson, T. (2013). Dyslexia decoded. Auckland: Dunmore.

Dyslexia Debate - A discussion, Macquarie

University, Sydney, 3 August 2015 29

Thanks for listening!

News item - River City Press

“This correction is an embarrassing one. In the heading of our article on High School students going to Peru we spelt the country’s name as ‘Puru’. We have checked the atlas just in case there is such a country but regrettably there is not.”

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