Created for the VCU Community
October 28, 2023
★ Families and caregivers
★ Pre- and in-service educators and staff
★ Faculty
★ District leaders
School of Business Snead Hall
301 W. Main Street
★ School board members
Mini
Dyslexia Simulation
Mini Dyslexia Simulation
❖ How did that make you feel?
❖ Was it hard to process what I was saying and write at the same time?
❖ Could you study for a test from what you wrote?
❖ What if you had turn that in to a teacher?
❖ How would you feel if your work were graded, and your abilities were judged on this?
Our why
Dyslexia facts Topics
How all children learn to read and write
Identifying dyslexia
Advocating for your child or student
Our Why
“Give us the opportunity to be great and we will not disappoint you.” -Hadyn Science of Reading: The Podcast
The impact of late identification of dyslexia
❑ Negative consequences of low literacy including increased rates of unemployment, incarceration, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and suicide.
(Chapman et al., 2011; Cosden, 2011; Daniel et al., 2006; Hernandez, 2012; Newman et al., 2010; Wilson et al., 2009)
❑ 1st grade reading levels predict 4th grade and high school reading levels.
(Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997; Juel, 1988; Sparks et al., 2014)
❑ Children who do not read proficiently by the end of 3rd grade are four times more likely to dropout of high school.
(Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2011)
❑ Research suggests that about 50% of inmates show signs of dyslexia.
(Moody et al., 2000)
❑ Over 80% of Black 4th grade boys are not able to read at grade level.
(US Department of Education, 2022)
Dyslexia is complex but…in simple terms
A typically developing child has unusual trouble reading, writing, spelling words quickly and accurately.
Good news
Risks and signs of dyslexia can be identified as early as PK.
We know how to teach reading to children and adults.
It is never too late to learn how to read.
Red Flags
Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity
Dyslexia Facts
Dyslexia is not a vision problem.
It is not seeing and writing letters and words backwards or upside down.
Dyslexia is a difference in how the brain processes language.
(Jasińska et al., 2021)
Dyslexia may affect up to 17-20% of the population.
It is estimated to represent 80-90% of all those with learning disabilities.
(Shaywitz, 1998; Wagner et al., 2020)
Dyslexia is genetic, but not everyone in the family will develop it.
(Francks et al., 2002)
Dyslexia is not outgrown. However, with appropriate instruction people with dyslexia can become strong readers and writers and be successful academically.
Risks and signs of dyslexia can be identified as early as PK-grade 3
Screening foundational pre-literacy and reading skills + Family history +
Family/teacher observations
Profile of risk
(Al Otaiba & Petscher, 2020; Hirschmann et al., 2022; Odegard et al., 2018; Wilson & Lonigan, 2010)
95% of children can become readers.
(Denton et al., 2003; Hirschmann et al., 2021; Torgesen, 2004)
How all children learn to read and write
Learning to speak is natural
Our brains are “wired” for speech
Our brains are not “wired” for reading
Learning to read is not natural
Reading Comprehension
1.Read the words on the page.
2. Understand the meaning and context of the words being read.
(Gough & Tunmer, 1986)
Word Recognition
The Simple View of Reading
(Read the words)
= Language Comprehensio
Reading Comprehensio
(Understand the meaning and context of the words)
Comprehend, integrate, infer, consolidate, communicate
(Gough & Tunmer, 1986)
The Simple View of Reading
0 1
(Gough & Tunmer, 1986) 0 X =
Sounds in words Letters in words
Meaning/Context
Dyslexia
Dys = difficulty
Lexis = language/words
Signs of dyslexia and red flags at school
Dyslexia is not related to:
Intelligence
Focus
Effort
Amount read to or by a child
Do not allow your experiences with literacy to prevent you from advocating for your child.
Signs of dyslexia at different ages
Ages 2-6
❑ Has difficulty learning alphabet names/sounds, rhyming, colors
❑ Has trouble finding the word they want to say
❑ Mispronounces or confuses familiar words
❑ Struggles with concepts of time (last night, tomorrow), directions (left/right, above/below)
❑ May start talking later than siblings or peers
Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity
Grades K-1-2-3
Reading
❑ Struggled to learn to read - avoids reading - but understands a story if read to them
❑ Slow, choppy, inaccurate, lack of punctuation awareness
❑ Skips whole lines of text and mixes up the small words
❑ Looks at first sound in word then guesses word
❑ Great difficulty with multisyllabic words
Spelling/Writing
❑ Writes phonetically (wuz/was)
❑ May reflect a phonological misinterpretation of word spelling (jragon/dragon)
❑ Confusion with similarly spelled words (from/form)
❑ Difficulty putting ideas on paper (but may give good oral answers)
❑ Messy / very slow handwriting
❑ Difficulty copying from board
Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity
Grades K-1-2-3
Emotional
❑ School avoidance
Behavioral
❑ May withdraw or act out (class clown)
❑ Doesn’t feel well when it is time to read or write
❑ Describes themself as stupid
❑ Develops anxiety / depression / thoughts of self-harm
❑ Engages in self-destructive behaviors - hitting themself in the head when they can’t do something
Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity
Reading Instruction Red Flags
“Reading is natural”
“Struggling readers magically blossom”
“They just need to focus or try harder”
“Not all kids are good at all subjects”
“They just need to read more”
“Are you sure you read to them at home?”
This “tool”
Risk factors for dyslexia
❑ Family history of reading difficulties
❑ Below benchmarks on foundational reading skills
❑ Family teacher observations
What do I do if I think my child or student may have dyslexia?
Embrace the journey - don’t panic
VCU School of Education Dyslexia Symposium
Advocacy Support Organizations
Advocacy support
• International Dyslexia Association Virginia
• Decoding Dyslexia Virginia
• Virginia Department of Education | Dyslex ia
• Black Literacy Matters
• Dyslexia Alliance for Black Children
• So All Can Read
• FB: Dyslexia support - for parents of dyslexic children
Podcasts
• Black and Dyslexic Podcast
• Science of Reading: The Podcast
Background information
• Middle Tennessee State University | Cente
r for Dyslexia
• Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity
Instruction / Intervention
• Reading 101 Learning Modules
• Dyslexia | Reading Rockets
Structured Literacy instruction
Orton Gillingham method of tutoring (explicit, systematic, data-driven, to mastery)
Ensure that the tutor has done training + practicum
Find a Teacher Tutor | Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators
If you see something say something
All hands on deck!
Community literacy advocacy
This is now OUR why
References
Al Otaiba, S., & Petscher, Y. (2020). Identifying and serving students with learning disabilities, including dyslexia, in the context of multitiered supports and response to intervention. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 53(5), 327-331.
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2011). Double jeopardy: How third-grade reading skills and poverty influence high school graduation. Baltimore, MD: Author. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED518818
Chapman, C., Laird, J., Ifill, N., & KewalRamani, A. (2011). Trends in high school dropout and completion rates in the United States: 1972-2009. National Center for Education Statistics. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED524955.pdf
Cosden M. (2001). Risk and resilience for substance abuse among adolescents and adults with LD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 34(4), 352–358.
Cunningham, A. E., and Stanovich, K. E. (1997). Early reading acquisition and its relation to reading experience and ability 10 years later. Developmental Psychology, 33(6), 934.
Daniel, S., Walsh, A., Goldston, D., Arnold, E., Reboussin, B., & Wood, F. (2006). Suicidality, school dropout, and reading problems among adolescents. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39(6), 507–514. doi:10.1177/00222194060390 060301
Francks, C., MacPhie, I. L., & Monaco, A. P. (2002). The genetic basis of dyslexia. The Lancet Neurology, 1(8), 483-490.
Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7(1), 6-10.
Hernandez, D. J. (2012). Double jeopardy: How third-grade reading skills and poverty influence high school graduation. Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Jasińska, K. K., Shuai, L., Lau, A. N., Frost, S., Landi, N., & Pugh, K. R. (2021). Functional connectivity in the developing language network in 4yearold children predicts future reading ability. Developmental Science, 24(2), e13041.
Hirschmann, M., Farris, E. A., Alexander, E., Flipse, J., Odegard, T. (2022). Screening for risk and characteristics of dyslexia. Middle Tennessee State University. Center for Dyslexia.https://mtsu.edu/dyslexia/ScreeningforDyslexiaeBook.pdf
Juel, C. (1988). Learning to read and write: A longitudinal study of 54 children from first to fourth grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(4), 437–447.
References
Moody, K. C., Holzer, C. E., 3rd, Roman, M. J., Paulsen, K. A., Freeman, D. H., Haynes, M., & James, T. N. (2000). Prevalence of dyslexia among Texas prison inmates. Texas medicine, 96(6), 69–75.
Newman, L., Wagner, M., Cameto, R., Knokey, A.-M., & Shaver, D. (2010). Comparisons across time of the outcomes of youth with disabilities up to 4 years after high school. A report of findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). National Center for Special Education Research. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED512149.pdf
Shaywitz, S. E. (1998). Dyslexia. New England Journal of Medicine, 338(5), 307-312.
Sparks, R. L., Patton, J., & Murdoch, A. (2014). Early reading success and its relationship to reading achievement and reading volume: Replication of ’10 years later’. Reading and Writing, 27(1), 189-211.
Wagner, R. K., Zirps, F. A., Edwards, A. A., Wood, S. G., Joyner, R. E., Becker, B. J., ... & Beal, B. (2020). The prevalence of dyslexia: A new approach to its estimation. Journal of learning disabilities, 53(5), 354-365.
Wilson, A. M. Deri Armstrong, C., Furrie, A., & Walcot, E. (2009). The mental health of Canadians with self-reported learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 42(1), 24-40.
Wilson, S. B., & Lonigan, C. J. (2010). Identifying preschool children at risk of later reading difficulties: Evaluation of two emergent literacy screening tools. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 43(1), 62-76.
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2022 Reading Assessment.