Dyslexia and learning disabilities helped with lexia reading programs.


Relocate to Famous People with ADHD / Dyslexia

The longer you wait to get help for a child with learning disabilities, the harder it will be for that child to catch up.

The main reasons for reading problems are:

  1. Ineffective reading instruction
  2. Auditory perception difficulties
  3. Visual perception difficulties
  4. Language processing difficulties

Over 180 research studies to date have proven that phonics is the BEST WAY to teach reading to all students. They also have shown that phonics is the ONLY WAY to teach reading to students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities.

People with Dyslexia are visual, multi-dimensional thinkers. We are intuitive and highly creative, and excel at hands-on learning. Because we think in pictures, it is sometimes hard for us to understand letters, numbers, symbols, and written words.

We can learn to read, write and study efficiently when we use methods geared to our unique learning style.

Many school districts and educators, especially in the U.S., no longer use the term "dyslexia" to describe children who experience the problems with reading, writing, and spelling that are hallmark symptoms of dyslexia. Rather, the schools are using terms like:

Language-Based Learning Disabilities
Auditory Processing Disorder
Reading Disability
Visual Processing Disorder

Parents should understand that these terms often mean the SAME THING as dyslexia.

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For more information on the processing (perception) learning disabilities and language difficulties that dyslexics face. The reading and educational aspect of dyslexia is covered on this page.

For a checklist of the characteristics of dyslexia CLICK HERE

Dyslexia Facts

  • Dyslexia affects as many boys as girls.

  • Some forms of dyslexia are highly heritable.

  • Dyslexia is the leading cause of reading failure and school dropouts in our nation.

  • Reading failure is the most commonly shared characteristic of juvenile justice offenders.

  • Dyslexia has been shown to be clearly related to neuro-
    physiological differences in brain function. Dyslexic children learn differently because of these differences in brain function.

  • Early intervention is essential for this population.

  • Dyslexia is identifiable, with 92% accuracy, at ages 5 1/2 to 6 1/2.

  • Dyslexia is primarily due to linguistic and auditory deficits. We now know dyslexia is due to a difficulty processing language.

  • Reading failure caused by dyslexia is highly preventable through direct, explicit instruction in phonemic awareness.

  • Of children who display reading problems in the first grade, 74% will be poor readers in the ninth grade and into adulthood unless they receive informed and explicit instruction on phonemic awareness. Children do not mature out of their reading difficulties without intervention.

  • Dr Sherman of Harvard medical school has found three biological differences in the dyslexic brain. Although the right side of the brain is larger than others, the dyslexic brain has faulty bits in the magonocells and the cerebral cortex

  • Research evidence does not support the use of "whole language" reading approaches to teach dyslexic children.

  • Children with both dyslexia and ADD are at dramatically increased risk for substance abuse and felony convictions if they do not receive appropriate interventions.  


Dyslexia is not just a reading disability. However, it does affect the ability to learn to read, write, and spell by conventional methods. It affects the ability to communicate in more subtle ways. Dyslexics have processing, perceptual, and attention/concentration problems. Dyslexic people think primarily in pictures, not words, and have difficulty learning to work with symbols such as letters or numerals. When they are confused or frustrated as children, they begin to experience distorted perceptions, such as reversals of letters, and develop life-long learning blocks that hamper their progress.

Over 85% of adult illiterates are dyslexic. This lack of literacy limits their ability to become successful, productive adults, find jobs, or function independently within their communities. Yet, with the proper recognition and intervention, dyslexics become successful individuals using their talents and skills to enrich our society. Parents need to learn how dyslexia/ADD is affecting their child, and learn effective techniques to teach their child how to become an independent, responsible person.

Reading and perceptual difficulties can present itself in the following manner

  • early difficulties in acquiring phonic skills
  • a high proportion of errors in oral reading
  • difficulty in extracting the sense from written material without substantial re-reading
  • slow reading speed
  • inaccurate reading, omission of words
  • frequent loss of the place when reading
  • an inability to skim through or scan over reading matter
  • a high degree of distractibility when reading
  • perceived distortion of text (words may seem to float off the page or run together)
  • a visually irritating glare from white paper or white-boards.

Parents need to learn how dyslexia/ADD is affecting their child, and learn effective techniques to teach their child how to become an independent, responsible person. Parents also must be aware of the dyslexic/ADD's more fragile biochemistry and the impact of allergies and diets on their abilities and moods. Stimulants, like those used in ADHD treatment, are often prescribed for easing some of the symptoms of dyslexia. Some medicines (particularly those that affect the central nervous system) hamper a person’s ability to use creative thought, or to visualize or picture things using imagination.  It is quite natural for a dyslexic to use multi-dimensional thought and perceptual abilities.  These psychoactive drugs will inhibit the individual from using these talents. Our solution to balancing their chemistry in a natural but effective way, is in a supplement called Balance Formula 1

Our Assistive Reading Software allows you to transfer any reading material into a computer file. Then the program reads the material aloud while the student follows the cursor on the words being read. The wonderful part of this software is that anyone struggling with reading will benefit from the multi-sensory input. The enlarged letters and additional audio while reading will increase attention and reading comprehension. 

As a parent of a child with reading disorders, we know that we have to reinforce the schools efforts with extra help at home. The Lexia product line is effectively designed to eliminate the reading problems associated with this complex disorder. 

Lexia Learning Systems

 

dyslexia Designed with a mature interface, Reading S.O.S. starts with basic first grade reading skills and works up to advanced decoding and comprehension. Activities provide practice in decoding skills, early comprehension, and keyboard skills. Students control their own activities providing motivation, but each student must show both competency and fluency in each skill before moving on. Spanish or English directions are selectable by the teacher on a student-by-student basis in both Phonics Based Reading and S.O.S...

In addition, automatic branching provides additional material for students having difficulties.

 

The branching also loops back to provide extra work to students who advance initially using their site vocabulary, but find that they can not read more difficult words later on.

  • Awards and Reviews
    • June 2002: Education Clearing House's review awards Early Reading, Phonics Based Reading, and Reading S.O.S. their highest marks. Click on each reading program to read the full article.
    • May 2001: Technology and Learning chooses Lexia products for "Pick of the Month." 
    • 9/30/99: The Kids Domain awards Reading S.O.S. Family Edition its Gold Medal. . Visit their web site to see what they have to say.
    • 10/1/98: Phonics Based Reading wins a Gold Medal award from the Kid's Domain
    • 6/15/98: Reading S.O.S. honored with Curriculum Administrator’s District’s Choice award
    • 6/12/98: The Adult Literacy Resource Institute gives Reading S.O.S. an “Excellent” rating
    • 3/30/98: The Kids Domain awards Reading S.O.S. its Gold Medal

      Order Below
      Lexia Early Reading
      Ages 4-6 increase phonological awareness
      for 3 students Family version
      $119
      Primary Reading program
      for 3 students Family version
      $159
      Reading S.O.S.
      for 3 students Family version
      $159
      Lexia Cross-Trainer: Visual-Spatial
      Family Edition ($299), both Visual-Spatial and Logical Reasoning
                Standalone version containing visual-spatial AND logical 
                  reasoning activities
                For 3 students, ages 7 to adult
                Includes game controller

      $299

  •  Now Shipping!

    Lexia Primary Reading is a new product that Lexia is introducing soon to our Lexia Phonics Based Reading customers. Aimed at the same age group, 5 to 8 year olds, Lexia Primary Reading is a new generation program to replace Lexia Phonics Based Reading

    Lexia Reading S.O.S. is a reading skills development system designed especially for older students, ages 9 through adult, presented in a mature interface.


    Lexia Early Reading is designed for pre-readers 4 to 6 years old, provides exposure to phonological principles and the alphabet, presented in an engaging, age-appropriate manner. 

    Lexia Cross-Trainer: Visual-Spatial works on different kinds of "muscles": visualization, visual memory, mental rotation, visual tracking, spatial orientation, and multi-perspective coordination, among other skills.

    New Lexia Primary Reading
     
    Lexia Primary Reading is a new generation reading skill development product for students ages 5-8.

    Lexia Primary Reading builds on the information that students learn in Lexia Early Reading (phonemic awareness) and increases their ability to become stronger readers by introducing phonics principles and focusing on conceptual reading skills.

    Five activity levels in the program provide drill and practice exercises in phonemic awareness, sight word recognition, sound-symbol correspondence (beginning and ending sounds, syllables, segmenting), listening and comprehension.


    FEATURES reading programs
     
    • Automatic branching will detect when additional practice activities are needed to provide skill mastery.

       
    • Program develops sight vocabulary with exercises in irregular pre-primer Dolch words, Dolch 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade list.

       
    • Teachers and administrators can easily import and export class lists and student data into the program.

       

    BENEFITS
     
    • Individual definition of each skill allows for easy correlation to curriculum standards.

       
    • Real-time reporting option allows teachers to view where a student is in the program, and what unit they are working on in an activity.

       
    • At-a-glance feature at the top of the computer screen alerts the teacher when a student is struggling with that particular activity.
    • This will be Replacing the Phonics based reading programs.
       




    Lexia Primary Reading $159 
    Benefits by Level 

    Lexia Primary Reading Programs provide hundreds of exercises to create a comprehensive early reading program at a level accessible to younger children. Clear natural voices, engaging activities and a quiet, focused environment provide a good environment for learning crucial reading skills.

    Level I Reinforces beginning reading skills: short vowels and consonants.

    Level II Short vowels and introduces long vowels with silent-e, consonant digraphs and consonant blends in one syllable.

    Level III Reviews short vowel and long vowel (silent-e) words and reinforces vowel-r and vowel combinations in one and two syllable words.

    Alpha Series Alphabetizing skills.

    Teacher Options Quick and easy access to student lists, student performance and reporting.

    Lexia skills by level

    Level I Activities

    The activities in Level I were developed to reinforce word attack strategies necessary for automatic recognition of short-vowel words. Phonological awareness of sound segments is emphasized as well as comprehension of single words, phrases, and sentences.

    Sort b, d, p

    Focus: Develop visual discrimination of reversible letters (b, d, p)
    Units: 9 (increasing in difficulty from one to four letters)
    Exercises: 18 (repeated as necessary with automatic branching)

    Screen shot - Touch and Listen

    Touch and Listen

    Focus: Teach sound/symbol correspondence for short vowels.
    Units: 7 (increasing in difficulty from two to five vowels)
    Exercises: 21 (repeated as necessary with automatic branching)

    Match It!

    Focus: Reinforce reading comprehension skills by matching pictures to words, phrases, and sentences.
    Units: 10 (repeated as necessary with automatic branching)
    Words: 65 (CVC)

    Screen shot - Consonant Castle

    Consonant Castle

    Focus: Reinforce sound/symbol correspondence for consonants and increase awareness of initial sound segments.
    Units: 9 (with fifteen branching practice units)
    Words: 150 (CVC)

    Bridge

    Focus: Develop automaticity for sound/symbol correspondence of short vowels and reinforce sound segmenting skills.
    Units: 10 (with sixteen branching practice units)
    Words: 80 (CVC)

    Screen shot - Touch and Paint

    Touch and Paint

    (Bonus Activity Game) Design a picture with shapes and colors.



    Level II Activities

    The activities in Level II were developed to reinforce word attack strategies necessary for automatic recognition of short-vowel words with blends and digraphs and long-vowel (silent-e) words. There is continued emphasis on sound segmentation skills at the word level while exercises containing sentences and paragraphs are included to provide practice in applying word attack strategies to contextual material. Level II also contains an activity to review concepts presented in Level I.

    Change

    Focus: Reinforce sound/symbol correspondence for consonants and vowels and increase sound segmenting skills for initial, medial, and final position.
    Units: 9 (repeated as necessary with automatic branching)
    Words: 75 (CVC)

    Spin It

    Focus: Reinforce automatic word recognition by matching words with pictures.
    Units: 10 (repeated as necessary with automatic branching)
    Words: 85 (CVCC, CCVC, CCVCC, CVCe, CCVCe)

    Balloons

    Focus: Develop through visual and auditory discrimination activities the automatic recognition of short-vowel words versus long-vowel words marked by silent-e.
    Units: 12 (repeated as necessary with automatic branching)
    Words: 90 (CVC, VCe, CCVCC, CCVCe)

    Screen shot - Score

    Score

    Focus: Reinforce concept of silent-e marker for long-vowel sounds.
    Units: 14 (with twenty-two branching practice units)
    Words: 240 (CVC, CVCe, CCVCC, CCVCe)

    Word Hunt

    Focus: Reinforce application of word attack strategies in context by reading sentences and paragraphs.
    Units: 20 (with twenty branching practice units)
    Words: 80 (CVC, CVCe, CCVCC, CCVCe)

    Word Play

    (Bonus Activity Game) Combine words and phrases to create pictures.


    Level III Activities

    The activities in Level III were developed to reinforce word attack strategies necessary for automatic recognition of words containing vowel combinations and vowel-r combinations and to review concepts presented in Level II. Exercises containing single words continue to develop phonological awareness while activities including sentences, paragraphs, and short stories provide practice in applying word attack strategies to contextual material. Level III also contains an activity for two-syllable words which combine the phonics concepts presented in Levels I, II, and III.

    Train

    Focus: Review Level II concepts.
    Units: 14 (repeated as necessary with automatic branching)
    Words: 240 (CVCC, CCVC, CCVCC, CVCe, CCVCe)

    Super Change

    Focus: Reinforce recognition of short-vowel words and long-vowel words marked by silent-e; develop sound segmenting skills for initial, medial, and final position.
    Units: 9 (repeated as necessary with automatic branching)
    Words: 105 (CVCC, CCVC, CCVCC, CVCe, CCVCe)

    Screen shot - Pirate Ship

    Pirate Ship

    Focus: Reinforce sound/symbol correspondence for vowel combinations and develop automatic recognition of vowel combination words.
    Units: 13 (with twenty-two branching practice units)
    Words: 190 (ee, ai, ay, oa, oi, oy, ou, ow, ea, oo, aw)

    Word Stairs

    Focus: Reinforce sound/symbol correspondence for vowel-r combinations by construction of single words and recognition of words in sentences.
    Units: 13 (with six branching practice units)
    Words: 65 (vowel-r) plus sentences

    Elevator

    Focus: Provide practice constructing and reading two-syllable words in isolation, in sentences, and in stories.
    Units: 15 (repeated as necessary with automatic branching)
    Words: 90 (compound words, short vowels, long vowels marked by silent-e, vowel-r, and vowel combinations) plus sentences and stories.

    Water Works

    (Bonus Activity Game) Arrange pipes to complete a puzzle.


    Alpha Series Activities

    Screen shot - ABC Race

    ABC Race

    ABC Race is designed to reinforce alphabetizing skills using single letters. The activity contains exercises with the alphabet present to allow for less strain on memory until the order of the alphabet becomes established. There are also exercises in which the alphabet is not present on the screen, which reinforces automatic recall for alphabet order.

    No knowledge of sound/symbol correspondence is necessary.

    ABC Race is available to students at all levels.

    Alpha Rocket

    Alpha Rocket is designed to reinforce alphabetizing skills using single-syllable words. The activity contains exercises with the alphabet present to allow for less strain on memory until the order of the alphabet becomes established. There are also exercises in which the alphabet is not present on the screen, which reinforces automatic recall for alphabet order.

    No knowledge of sound/symbol correspondence is necessary.

    Alpha Rocket is available to students at Level II or Level III.

    (Click Here to Order)


    Lexia® Reading S.O.S. (Strategies for Older Students)

    $159


    Lexia Reading Strategies for Older Students Lexia Reading S.O.S. is a reading skills development system designed especially for older students, ages 9 through adult, presented in a mature interface.

    The activities provide practice in decoding skills, early comprehension, and keyboard skills. Students control their own activities providing motivation, but each student must show both competency and fluency in each skill before moving on.

    Sample from Level 2, Quick Link introduces two-syllable words Level 1, 2, and 3
    Activities reinforce word attack strategies necessary for automatic word recognition. Exercises include one- and two-syllable words, as well as sentences and paragraphs to provide practice in applying word attack strategies to contextual material.


    Levels 4 and 5
    Few schools today explicitly teach advanced decoding skills, yet students who can automatically decode difficult words read faster and with a higher level of comprehension than students who must struggle to memorize unfamiliar vocabulary.

    The activities in Level 4 are designed to introduce word attack strategies for multi-syllable words containing open and consonant -le syllables, and hard and soft c and g. Other exercises continue to develop concepts introduced in Levels 1, 2, and 3.


    Our World Begins with Reading The key to mastering high school vocabulary is in Level 5.

    The exercises in Level 5 reinforce reading of words containing Anglo-Saxon prefixes and suffixes, recognition of Latin prefixes and suffixes, and division of words into prefix, root, and suffix. Advanced decoding and comprehension skills are strengthened through activities that reinforce recognition of two- to four-syllable words containing special accent patterns. Vocabulary and word recognition are improved through exercises using common Greek combining forms.

    (Click Here to Order)


    Lexia Early Reading® 
    $119


    Phonemic awareness, or the ability to reflect on and manipulate the sound system of one's language, is highly correlated to the acquisition of reading skills.

    Lexie the Lion Designed for pre-readers 4 to 6 years old, Lexia Early Reading provides exposure to phonological principles and the alphabet, presented in an engaging, age-appropriate manner. The activities in the program help to develop phonological skills by providing practice in rhyming, initial and final consonant blending, without requiring any knowledge of the alphabet.

    Click on graphics for larger size images.

    Lexie the Lion introduces program activities.

    Lexia Early Reading Prepares Children for Success
    Click on graphics for larger size image Structured activities develop phonological awareness and sound-symbol correspondence-- essential to future reading success. Non-distracting graphics encourage focused learning. Each activity reinforces a specific reading skill; each builds in complexity. Progress is tracked through detailed reports, accessible on screen or printed out.

    Each activity is designed with increasing levels of complexity that systematically encourage the child to practice and manipulate sounds within these skills. The activities are introduced and reinforced by a friendly character named Lexie, who guides the student through the colorful and engaging program. The activities can be helpful to all students including those learning English as a second language and learning disabled students who may not be aware of the sounds in English.


    Level 1
    Early Reading Level 1 was developed to reinforce the precursors to reading. The activities provide practice in rhyming, initial and final consonant sounds, word segmenting, and sound blending, without requiring any knowledge of the alphabet.


    Sound Matching
    Sound Matching
    Students select the image that matches the sound they hear.


    Segmenting
    Segmenting
    Students determine the number of syllables in a word.


    Blending
    Blending
    Students practice word recognition skills.


    Reporting
    Progress can be tracked through detailed reports, viewable on-screen or printed.


    Level 2
    The activities in Level 2 were developed to increase general letter knowledge, introduce basic sound-symbol correspondence, and reinforce listening for beginning and ending sounds, including blends.

    (Click Here to Order)

    Lexia Cross-Trainer
    $299


    Introducing the latest addition to the Lexia product family--

    Lexia Cross-Trainer: Visual-Spatial

    Cross-Training for the mind


    Lexia Cross-Trainer:  Visual-Spatial Lexia Cross-Trainer is a cognitive intervention software program designed to improve visual-spatial abilities in students age 6 to adult.

    The interactive software helps learning disabled, special needs, and mainstream students strengthen their thinking, memory, and problem-solving abilities.


    Lexia Cross-Trainer: Visual-Spatial works on:
    • Visualization

    • Visual memory

    • Mental rotation

    • Visual tracking

    • Spatial orientation

    • Multi-perspective coordination


    Features and Benefits

    • Built-in assessment tool

    • Engaging activities

    • Student practice independent of teachers

    • Recommended use 20-40 minutes, 3-5 times per week

    • Automatic branching

    (Click Here to Order)

    Lexia Cross-Trainer: Visual-Spatial


    Lexia Cross-Trainer:  Visual-Spatial Lexia Cross-Trainer: Visual-Spatial works on different kinds of "muscles": visualization, visual memory, mental rotation, visual tracking, spatial orientation, and multi-perspective coordination, among other skills.

    A student struggling with math or science might improve his performance by receiving extra coaching, but he could also develop the visual-spatial skills that make it easier to learn math and science.

    Lexia Cross-Trainer is designed with a built-in assessment tool that places students at the appropriate skill level within five different visual-spatial activities. As with a good teacher, the software is designed to branch upward when the student succeeds and provide more help when the student gets frustrated.


    Lexia Cross-Trainer Activities

    Lexia Cross-Trainer Waterworld activity Waterworld
    Waterworld is designed to improve figure-ground perception, the understanding of negative space, visual matching, visual memory, and mental rotations. Students create a pattern on the right side of their screen that matches the pattern on the left.

    Lexia Cross-Trainer Tangrams activity Tangrams
    Tangrams is designed to help students focus on part-to-whole relations and spatial relations. This matching exercise gradually increases in complexity, allowing students to complete puzzles from memory.

    Lexia Cross-Trainer Spatial Delivery activity Spatial Delivery
    Spatial Delivery is a three-dimensional navigation activity that focuses on spatial directionality and spatial memory. Students use a map to find their way through a maze to deliver a package.

    Lexia Cross-Trainer Flips activity Flips
    Flips is designed to improve students' ability to visualize objects as they appear. Students duplicate shapes after they have been rotated 90 or 180 degrees.

    Lexia Cross-Trainer Cubes activity Cubes
    Cubes is designed to help students visualize objects from different perspectives. Students envision what a scene or set of objects would look like if seen from a different angle.
    (Click Here to Order)

     

    Main educational effects of dyslexia

    Reading and perceptual difficulties

    These can include:

    • early difficulties in acquiring phonic skills
    • a high proportion of errors in oral reading
    • difficulty in extracting the sense from written material without substantial re-reading
    • slow reading speed
    • inaccurate reading, omission of words
    • frequent loss of the place when reading
    • an inability to skim through or scan over reading matter
    • a high degree of distractibility when reading
    • perceived distortion of text (words may seem to float off the page or run together)
    • a visually irritating glare from white paper or white-boards.

    Writing problems

    These can include:

    • an intractable spelling problem
    • confusion of small words such as which/with
    • omission of words, especially when the writer is under pressure
    • awkward handwriting and/or slow writing speed
    • an unexpected difference between oral and written expression, with oral contributions being typically of a much higher quality than written accounts of the same subject matter in terms of structure, self expression and correct use of words.

    Other difficulties

    Further important factors in dyslexia include the following:

    • Early speech and language problems. Many dyslexic children have received speech therapy, usually for phonological difficulties, especially between the ages of 3 and 7.
    • Glue ear (Otitis media) is common in children with dyslexia and usually affects the acquisition of auditory discrimination skills, which in turn impacts on development of phonics in reading.
    • There is a high incidence of immune system disorders (e.g. asthma, eczema) amongst children with dyslexia. The reason for this is not understood at present.
    • Oral skills. Although many dyslexic children are fairly articulate, others demonstrate a lack of logical structure in speech as well as in writing. Oral skills can be further compromised by difficulties in word retrieval or by mispronunciation and spoonerisms. A delay in producing a response may actually be due to a slight lapse between hearing what is said and understanding it - an inefficiency in aural processing possibly connected with the working memory system.
    • Numeracy. In about 60% of cases, dyslexia affects numeracy skills. This can take the form of unexpected inaccuracy in calculation or copying of digits, failure to remember calculation procedures, difficulties with remembering multiplication tables. Gifted dyslexic mathematicians and scientists are sometimes found to have unusually weak computational skills.
    • Co-morbidity with other developmental disorders, e.g. AD/HD or dyspraxia. A range of characteristics, under the general heading of attentional dysfunction (i.e. attention-deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity - ADD, AD/HD), can have a significant overlap with dyslexia. A short attention span and/or a high level of distractibility can undermine the whole educational process. Associated characteristics are an inability to get started when faced with certain mental activities and also trouble switching from one type of activity to another. Additionally, or alternatively, dyslexic problems can overlap with dyspraxia (sometimes referred to as the 'clumsy child syndrome', or 'developmental co-ordination disorder').
    • Social and emotional factors. High levels of anxiety and stress have been identified as the most indicative behavioral correlates of dyslexia; these are bound to affect performance. A 'panic' reaction is experienced by some dyslexic people when placed in situations where they cannot cope. The cumulative effect of tiredness, necessitated by additional effort at every educational level, should not be underestimated.
    • Organization. Disorganization, a poor sense of clock time (often associated with underlying memory problems) and/or a poor awareness of space (often associated with dyspraxia) tend to make effective time management very difficult for many people with dyslexia.
    • The secondary effects of dyslexia. Although significant discrepancies between obvious ability and unexpectedly poor academic performance should alert teachers to the presence of dyslexia at an early age, the problem may go unnoticed for several years. Under-achievement in literacy despite normal schooling and satisfactory oral and intellectual skills may persist through childhood. This gives rise to the secondary affects of dyslexia, which include loss of confidence, low self-esteem and frustration. Older students find that years of humiliation in the classroom and constant fear of being 'shown up' take their toll.
    • Compensatory strategies. Because of the development of compensatory strategies, by adulthood, literacy skills of many dyslexics can appear superficially adequate, especially if the person is very bright. However, these strategies are likely to break down when the individual is confronted with tasks that are more challenging than previously experienced (e.g. when going to college). This has been referred to as the 'dyslexia fuse effect': i.e. the dyslexia 'fuse' blowing as a function of the educational and/or information processing load placed upon it (Martin Turner).

      If your child has been determined to have a "Dyslexia" you have the SAME legal rights to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and other classroom accommodations as you would with a diagnosis of a "learning disorder". Also, the solution is the same: your child needs specialized education geared to his or her learning style. In most cases, those techniques of learning disabled children are the same as are commonly used for dyslexic children.

      Classroom Accommodations can be requested-even if your child does not qualify for special services. You have every right to request a  504 accommodations meeting with your child's school.

      Here are the most commonly requested classroom accommodations that will allow your child to demonstrate his/her knowledge:

      • Multi sensory Instruction
        This student performs best with the simultaneous stimulation so when he doesn't catch something the visually, the verbal instruction backs it up (and vice versa).
        It is essential to complement your writing of instructions on the board with simultaneously verbalizing the same thing. *****(When writing "when", say "when".) Highlighting or underlining key words in written in the directions is one strategy that will help.
        It is conflicting when you are writing one thing and speaking of another aspect of the assignment. This student will become cognitively overwhelmed and will not process either element efficiently. It is next to impossible for this student to pay attention to both what is being written and what is being said.
      • Oral testing
        Tests are read to the student (or provided pre-recorded on audio tape), and student are allowed to give answers orally (or tape record their answers).
      • Untimed tests
        Dyslexic students do not perform well under time pressure. It also takes them longer to read the questions, compose the answer in their head, and get it down on paper.
      • Eliminate or reduce spelling tests
        Classroom teachers rarely teach spelling rules in the same way or same order as a dyslexia tutor. Many teachers will accept a spelling test given in a tutoring session as a replacement for the classroom test, or only grade a classroom spelling test on a small number of pre-determined words. If your child will score more accurately on oral spelling tests, request them.
      • Don't force oral reading
        Teachers should never force students with dyslexia to read out loud in front of the class. If for some reason this is absolutely necessary, warn the student in advance and show them exactly which passage they will have to read so that they can practice ahead of time.
      • Accept dictated homework
        Dyslexic students can dictate answers much more easily and quickly than they can write them down. Allow parents to act as a scribe.
      • Reduce homework load
        Many teachers create homework assignments by estimating how long it would take a "normal" student to complete it. They may not realize it takes a dyslexic student 3 to 4 times longer to complete the same assignment. Teachers should agree to a maximum time to spend on homework. Parents should sign the end of the homework page showing the amount of time spent on the assignment.
      • Grade on content, not spelling nor handwriting
        Some teachers take spelling and handwriting into consideration when assigning a grade. For dyslexic children, this is not appropriate. Teachers should be asked to grade only on the content of an assignment.
      • Reduce copying tasks
        It takes dyslexic students longer to copy information from the board, and if they have dysgraphia, they may not be able to read their notes. So provide lecture notes, or discretely assign a fellow student to act as a scribe using NCR paper.
      • Quick print shops can create NCR sets of binder paper. (NCR paper is sometimes called carbonless copy paper.) The top sheet of binder paper has a coating applied to the back of it that is pressure sensitive. When someone writes on the top sheet, the coating automatically makes a copy appear on the lower sheet of binder paper. So when class is over, the scribe just tears off the lower sheet and gives it to our student.
      • Alternate assignments
        Teachers should offer alternative ways to show mastery of material other than a long written paper. Alternatives could include oral or video presentations, dioramas, collages, or debates.
      • Avoid or reduce essay tests
        Use match up, fill-in-the-blank, or short answer formats for tests. List vocabulary words for fill-in-the-blank sections at the top of the exam.
      • Multiple-choice questions are also difficult for dyslexic students due to the volume of reading required to answer them correctly.
      • Conduct a class review session before the test
        Also, provide a study guide with key terms and concepts to the students.
      • Ask the student how he/she learns best
        Often, dyslexic students can explain strategies and techniques that help them learn to teachers. These are usually easy to incorporate into a classroom.
      • Use memory strategies

        There are seven basic memory strategies that I have found useful for students with special needs including dyslexia. The strategies are as follows:

        1. The Metacognitive Strategy - When learning a list of words for example, asking yourself and then noting down how you remembered the words.

        2. The First Letter Strategy - Using the first letter of each word to try to
        make a real or nonsense word.

        Example of making a real word -  The names of the Great Lakes in the United States are:  Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior
        The first letter of each of the lakes makes the word  HOMES

        Example of making a nonsense word - The names of each of the colors of the rainbow follow:

        red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet

        The first letter of each of the colors makes the nonsense word  ROYGBIV

        3. The Story Strategy - Write a real or nonsense story that incorporates all the words you want to remember.

            Example of a nonsense story - The following is a nonsense story to remember this list of words (emu, dog, eel, tiger, cat, toad, owl, rat, snake).

            Australian Farmer

            The Australian farmer had seen an emu, owl, rat, toad and snake outside.  He had a dog, cat and eel in his house.   However, he had to visit a zoo to see a tiger.

            Example of a real story  - The following is a short poem that includes all the months in a year:

            Thirty days hath September
            April, June and November,
            All the rest have thirty-one
            Excepting February alone

        4. The Grouping Strategy - Grouping words together that belong to the same category.

        Example of using the grouping strategy -

        Make a list of all things that belong to the same family e.g. animals

        dog, tiger, cat, horse, lion, zebra, wolf

        Make a list from a larger list of all things in one group e.g.

        shoulder
        underground
        palm
        elephant
        runway
        motorway
        arm
        railway
        kangaroo
        eye
        tiger
        snake

        palm  railway  snake
        eye  underground elephant
        arm motorway tiger
        shoulder    

        5. The Imagery Strategy - Making a list of all things in a list by picturing them together or separately.

        Example of using the imagery strategy -

        Make a list of all things in one group, which are the same color by
        picturing several animals all brown in the same picture e.g.

        a brown horse, a brown wolf, a brown cat, a brown lion, a brown snake, a
        brown dog, a brown cat

        Or make a nonsense picture to help you remember e.g. a brown dog with a brown snake twisted around its neck looking like a scarf.

        6. The Location Strategy - This is the ability to remember locations and assign faces to each.

        Example of using the location strategy

        Think of your school and conduct a mental walk from the principal's office
        to your classroom. Pay particular attention to the rooms you are passing
        noting the details, noticing any imperfections, like desks not lined up:
        anything that makes your mental images more vivid.   Make sure you can move easily from one room to another.

        Along your route create a list of the most outstanding feature of each room.
        These will be the images you remember as you go from one room to another until you reach your final destination, the principal's office.

        7. The Pegword Strategy - First learn a rhymed pegword list and then learn to associate each of these words with the members of the list to be learned.

        Example of using the pegword strategy

        This is a strategy to remember sequences of ten unrelated items in the
        appropriate order.   You first have to remember ten key words, which follow:

        one = bun  two = shoe  three = tree  four = door  five = hive  six = sticks
        seven = heaven  eight = gate  nine =  wine  ten = hen

        After learning these you have to memorize ten unrelated items:

        battleship, pig, chair, sheep, castle, rug, grass, beach, milkmaid,
        binoculars

        Take the first pegword  (bun rhyming with one) and form an image of a bun interacting in some way with a battleship; you might imagine a battleship sailing into an enormous floating bun.

        Children all have to take tests and remember facts throughout their school years. Learning how to apply effective memory strategies can ease this burden.  

        These strategies will become the tools and techniques used to
        understand and learn new material or skills.   It should also be emphasized to pupils and their teachers that these strategies have to be practiced and applied to the subject area being taught, in some cases repeatedly in order to achieve success
        .

        Dr. Lorraine Cleeton
        May 2002
        lcleeton@sbu.edu
        Lorraine Cleeton is Assistant Professor in Special Education at St Bonaventure's.

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