Dyslexia/Reading & Learning Disabilities

In many respects, writing is the window in to understanding what a child needs academically and emotionally.

Let’s take a look at George, a  9-year boy in the fourth grade.

George feels that other kids make fun of him because of the way he spells and writes.  George drew an interesting picture of a boy standing on his head, where he became stuck in that position.

Here’s the story George wrote about the picture:

thar was a boy his nam was tim he loves to do hand  stans he loves them so much that one day ha did one for soooo long he endendup stuck so stuck he was up sidedoun he  he did not like it at furst

it was hard to moov evryone laft at him but he remen bird he ha sowry wanted to try to eat with his feet he  tride it di not end up gud.

at school evryone laft at him then he gott brave he neded to stop he yeled as lawd as he cud he sed STOP at  wons evry was wilent them he sed your not being vary nise I donet like that you are making fun uf me how wud you fel if it was you evry one descst it thay sed you are rite the teseing stopped ha liked it and then faund owt haw to have fuN he was vary happy.  tha and

Here is the story translated as close as possible:

There was a boy.  His name was Tim.  He loves to do hand stands.  He loves them so much that one day he did one for so long that he ended up stuck, so stuck that he was upside down.  He did not like it at first. 

It was hard to move.  Everyone laughed at him but he remembered he was hungry and wanted to try to eat with his feet.  He tried.  It did not end up good. 

At school everyone laughed at him and then he got brave.  He needed them to stop.  He yelled as loud as he could he said Stop at Once!!!  You’re not being very nice.  I don’t like that you’re making fun of me. How would you feel if was you?  Everyone discussed this.  They said you are right.  The teasing stopped.  He liked it and then found out how to have fun.  He was very happy.  The end.

 Takeaway Point

George’s story conveys the sense of embarrassment that he feels on a regular basis.

Oh, by the way, George does not help, because it was determined his IQ just wasn’t high enough.

Yep, he’s upside down and stuck.

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Copyright, 2022 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or comments email Dr. Selznick:  rselznick615@gmail.com.

Since this blog and its over 500 entries are not entirely about dyslexia/reading disabilities, I was determined for this week  not to continue going down the “dyslexia rabbit hole.”

But, as I was organizing books on my shelf  (yes, I still have hard bound physical books), a few caught my eye and there I was back down the hole again.

Many parents come to me and say the school is not doing the right thing by not giving their child the “Orton-Gillingham” methods or its spin-offs like Wilson (an Orton-based program).

I often ask them what they know about the Orton methods.  Typically, I get an understandable shrug and a sheepish, “not much.”

Here’s something to ponder about Orton-Gillingham – Sam Orton, M.D., a neurologist and psychiatrist was born in 1879!!!!!

Yep, 1879!

The current methods, while somewhat modernized under the category of “putting old wine in new bottles,” are almost unchanged since Dr. Orton collaborated with Anna Gillingham in the 1930’s.

That fact continues to boggle my mind.

From a couple of the musty books on my shelf are some quotes from Orton’s 1930’s text, “Reading, Writing & Speech Problems in Children.”

“The children with a specific reading disability are almost never reading for a pastime. Their whole tendency is to turn to athletics or mechanics or social activities as an outlet.”

“With cases of reading disability encountered somewhat later in their school progress, the feeling of inferiority is apt to be marked as a result of their repeated failures.”

“Intelligence does not always correlate with reading skill and in any group of nonreaders all ranges of intelligence are to be found as they would be in any casually selected group of people.”

These quotes could be from any modern day researcher.

More next week as I continue to go further down the hole.

Copyright, 2022 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or comments email Dr. Selznick:  rselznick615@gmail.com.

As  we discussed in the last week’s post (“Misunderstanding the “D-Word'” ), the problem with the use of the word “dyslexia,” which has become quite popular among parents and professionals, is that the word is almost universally misunderstood.

We encouraged you to ask the question at your Super Bowl gatherings to a few people (off to the side) as to what they knew about dyslexia, with the inevitable response involving reading “upside down and backward or reversing.”

To set the record straight, this definition from the NICHD (National Institute of Child and Human Development):

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin.  It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.  These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction.  Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduce reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

Well, there you have it.  Sound like anyone you know?

Notice,  there  is no mention of upside down or backward reading in the definition.  There is also no mention of IQ scores (which in the state of New Jersey is an essential aspect of classifying a child with a learning disability).

To address the child showing these features, just like having difficulty with a sport skill, such as hitting a baseball,  you would find someone who could teach the basic skills.

The same is true with addressing the “D-Word.”

I would encourage you to let common sense prevail when it comes to these reading problems.

If you ask yourself, “Is your child struggling with reading” and the answer is “yes,” then regardless of the ultimate “diagnosis,” the child needs help, whether this is provided by the school or on the outside in the form of tutoring with appropriate methods supported in the research.

It really isn’t all that mysterious.

Copyright, 2022 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or comments email Dr. Selznick:  rselznick615@gmail.com.

Not sure how it happened, but it seems that there has been a wave of parents that think that their child has “dyslexia.”

They also often note that many people in their family, such as the parents and grandparents also have or had dyslexia (even though most were never formally assessed).

Having been in the business a while, I know that before about 15 years or so ago the word “dyslexia” was almost never mentioned (except by people like myself) .

The problem with the “D-Word” (as I jokingly refer to it) is that it is nearly universally misunderstood.

Try this experiment.  While gathering with friends and family at your Super Bowl get-togethers, ask about five people individually, “What do you understand dyslexia to be?”

(Since it’s not a particularly fun experiment at a Super Bowl gathering, do it quietly off to the side.)

In an almost group hypnotic response, you will likely get some variation of the following response, “Isn’t that when you read upside down and backward?”

It’s like asking someone,  “What’s jogging?  Can you define it for me,” and they say, “Isn’t that when you try and run as fast as you can – sort of like they do in the 100-yard dash.”

Huh?

The misunderstanding would have the impact of rendering the word challenging to use.

That’s the problem we have with the “D-Word”

(More on this in the next post.)

Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or comments email Dr. Selznick:  rselznick615@gmail.com.

Within the last two blog posts, we discussed the foundation needed to understand how to work at home with your struggling child.

While moving forward there is one overriding principle that is important to stress, that is –

TAKE YOUR TIME  – DO NOT RUSH.

Understand that what is being recommended here is not meant to replace a more in-depth reading remediation using methods supported in the research such as those that are Orton-Gillingham based.

These recommendations are the equivalent of shooting baskets or having a catch with your child – they could help to reinforce skills and they’re fun.

Using “Old School” Index Cards

While working with the child at home, the recommendation is that you use “old school” index cards for practicing words and sensitizing your child to different syllables within complex words.

As a first step, look at the reading assigned or the worksheets that have been given.  Ask the child to read these out loud to you.  Any words that the child stumbles on should be entered on an index card.

For example, let’s say the words dinosaur or porcupine are hard for your child to read.  On an index card using a bright marker, write the words down and underline the parts with the marker:

(e.g., di no saur) or porcupine (por cu pine)

Over time, you will develop a fairly large bank of words that can be played with in different ways.

The ultimate goal is to help your child to recognize the parts of the word, while being able to read the whole word automatically.  Make the activity fun by using things like stickers as reinforcements.

Spend about 10-15 minutes on this type of activity on a consistent basis, but don’t overdo it.  (You wouldn’t have a catch all morning.)

Practicing Fluency

Find reading material that you know is on your child’s independent reading level (that is, the level where the material is relatively easy). You can use material that is slightly above the easy level, but you don’t want to go too far beyond that point.

For about 10 minutes have your child read out loud. Make it fun and lively. After the reading put a big green check on a calendar if the child read with good attitude (i.e., no whining or complaining). After a week or so of green checks, go out for a small reward (like an ice cream sundae).

The point of this routine is that practicing is key. This is particularly important for children with dyslexia.

Takeaway Point

It will be warming up soon. Get outside and shoot some baskets and have a catch in the backyard.

Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or comments email Dr. Selznick:  rselznick615@gmail.com.

In last week’s post we started the discussion of how to help struggling children at home, many of whom are dyslexic (Helping Child at Home: Part I )

The case of Ruth helps further set the stage.

Ruth, a Case Study

To illustrate the experience of a child on the rough road, let’s take Ruth, an eight-year-old third grader.  Ruth’s parents brought her to my office because they were concerned about her development in reading, spelling, and writing.

The evaluation that was conducted with Ruth revealed that she was not a smooth or efficient reader.  When the words became somewhat more complex in the second to the third grade, Ruth started to guess the words, often with nonsense word substitutions, based on their visual configurations.  For instance, she guessed “croty” for “country” or “penereer” for “pioneer.”

When Ruth read stories out loud her reading was choppy and strained.  There was no fluency and her reading sounded like she was driving down a dirt road with lots of potholes in the road.

Listening to her read was painful.

By the middle of third grade, Ruth became overtly frustrated.

However, when the school district reviewed Ruth’s evaluation, they did not feel that Ruth’s problems warranted classifying her with a learning disability.

Their reasoning was that many of her scores on the school standardized tests fell in the lower portion of the “average” range. Effectively, this decision negated the possibility that Ruth would receive any extra help in reading.

Although Ruth clearly struggled in reading, spelling, and writing, her problems were not deemed severe enough to classify her as a special education student.

A Few Tough Realities

Ruth’s story highlights some tough realities that I encounter almost daily in my professional practice, causing a huge impact on children and their families. These realities may be difficult to discuss, but they are important to understand, so you can mobilize and take effective action.

First, when a child struggles in reading a “full-court press” is needed to target the deficient skills.

The more severe the problem, the more intensive the focus needs to be.

Over the decades, a great deal of accumulated research indicates that at least 20% or more of the population that enter first grade predisposed to experience mild, moderate, or severe reading, spelling, and writing issues.  They can be identified with basic screening tools.

If they show any of the classic indicators, they need help.  Some of them may be classified as eligible for special education later, many will not.

Like Learning a Sport or a Musical Instrument

It has long been my basic view that the processes of learning to read, spell, and write are no different than learning to play a sport (e.g., tennis, golf, etc.) or a musical instrument.  Following the direct instruction, there needs to be a great deal of guided practice, so that the skills become a more automatic part of the person’s skill repertoire and are internalized

(More to follow in future posts.)

(Excerpt from “Helping Your Dyslexic Child & Struggling Reader at Home,” Richard Selznick, Ph.D. w/ Lorna Wooldridge, M.A.)

Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or comments email Dr. Selznick:  rselznick615@gmail.com.

Imagine you are a child about to ride a bicycle, with a group of other children led by a teacher. You are anxious because you kept a big secret from the teacher and your friends.

You don’t know how to ride a bike yet.  You’ve tried, but you just can’t get the hang of it.

The ride starts.  Everyone takes off. You try to pedal the bike, but are quickly left behind. Well-meaning adults come over to help, but their efforts are futile.  You are left in the dust.

At this point in my career I have worked with a large number of children who feel this way in school. They struggle in key areas of development, especially reading, spelling, and writing, while their peers seem to move forward effortlessly.

Falling behind in these basic skill areas can have a devastating impact on both the child and the family. This causes a bottleneck in all other academic areas, which includes mathematics, with its emphasis on word problems.

This bottleneck effect becomes particularly apparent around third grade, when reading becomes more complex and dense. Many of the words at the third grade level are larger, multisyllabic, and uncommon.

Both teachers and parents rightfully want to encourage a love of reading in children. But the truth is that no one, young or old, wants to do an activity in which they feel inadequate, and this causes resistance. But if you can help your struggling child develop specific skills and gain confidence, they may overcome their resistance and discouragement.

Most parents of the children of these children are naturally eager for the school to address their child’s issues.

While some children may be classified with a learning disability and given appropriate remediation, many children never receive support from the school, despite their difficulties.  The children’s issues are not deemed severe enough to warrant classification.

Parents will ask: “What can I do at home to help my struggling child?”  This is a fair question.  No one will have your child’s interests at heart like you do, and no one will feel as motivated to do the vital extra work to help them.

Too often, parents are given limited and overly simplistic advice, such as, “Just read to your child,” as the only major option. While reading to your child is wonderful,  exposing them to stories and ideas and enables you to bond with the child, this activity does little to foster the fundamental skills in decoding or reading fluency.

The good news, and the premise of the blog posts that follow, is that there are specific activities you can do to help your child improve their skills in areas of concern.  

Stay tuned in future weeks.

(Excerpt from “Helping Your Dyslexic Child & Struggling Reader at Home,” Richard Selznick, Ph.D. w/ Lorna Wooldridge, M.A.)

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Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or comments email Dr. Selznick:  rselznick615@gmail.com.

Let’s say you have a passion for golf, but by everyone’s estimation (yours included), you are a petty bad golfer.  It is obvious that your swing is not fluid and there are clear flaws that get repeated the more you play.

In order to address your poor golf skills would  any of the following things told to you make sense?

“Oh, well…that’s just the way it is…golf is a tough game – just make the most of it and have a positive attitude.”

“Maybe you should see a neurologist to determine if you have some type of brain disorder that explains your poor swing.”

“Perhaps you have something like a disability;  maybe it’s like a a learning disability,  We’ll call it a “golf disability,” like, ‘golflexia.’”

Frequently, parents are told similar things when their child is struggling with reading (and spelling and writing). This leaves parents frustrated and not knowing what direction to turn.  It is obvious to them that their child is struggling, yet there is  little being done to remediate the problem.

The fact of the matter is it’s really not all that complicated.

If you want to hit a golf ball better calling you “golf disabled” is not going to change anything.

There is only one thing that you need.  That is, sensible instruction from someone who is good at teaching golf – usually a golf professional.

When you don’t know how to read well and stumble over the words, whether we call it “dyslexia” or a reading problem does not matter. You need one thing – sensible instruction from someone who is good at teaching reading.

Just like with learning to hit a golf ball better there’s no magic formula, special cure or medication.

Sensible instruction over time is the ticket.

Have a great holiday season.  See you after the New Year.

Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or comments email Dr. Selznick:  rselznick615@gmail.com.

Mathematic word problems are quite popular in school.  Starting in the early grades they become the primary vehicle for developing mathematic skills.

Unfortunately, for many of the children, even if they show good mathematic facility, they start to believe they are “bad in math” because of their poor showing on these problems.

Cayla is a recently-turned 7-year-old second grader.  While Cayla has memorized some common (sight) words, she shows signs of struggling with any words that were she has not memorized.

As a result, Cayla was starting to say things like, “I don’t think I’m very smart.”  “I think I have a bad memory.”  “The other kids around me are much smarter than I am.”

After evaluating Cayla, it is clear why she was having those feelings.

Even though her cognitive functioning was well above average, Cayla was an inefficient reader who had trouble with virtually all of the words in the text that were beyond her sight memory.

While reading middle first-grade passages out loud, Cayla’s reading was choppy and erratic.  There were numerous substitution errors that interfered with her capacity to understand what she was reading (such as reading “tane” for “train,” or “fleerer” for flower.”)

In contrast, Cayla showed a good facility for any mathematic computation.  A screening of Cayla’s mathematic computation skills noted her to be in the 95^th percentile compared to other children her age.

In contrast, her mathematic word problem score placed her in the 15^th %ile.

Here were two of the word problems that Cayla was asked to read for a recent school test.  (There were ten total.)

“Steven has a black leather strip that is 13 centimeters long.  He cuts off 5 centimeters.  His teacher gives him a brown leather strip that a 16 centimeters long.  What is the total length of both strips?”

“An ant walked 12 centimeters to the right on the ruler and then turned around and walked 5 cm to the left.  His starting point is marked on the ruler.  Where is the ant now?  Show your work on the broken ruler.”

Some of the hypotheses offered for her poor word problem performance were attributed to either issues of distractibility and inattentiveness (with the implicit suggestion that Cayla should be seen for medication) or problems with reading comprehension.

The fact of the matter is that Cayla simply couldn’t read the word problems with any degree of success.

As noted in the ones above, there were at least 10 different words within these two problems that Cayla could not read on her own.

Words such as “leather, recently, centimeter, ruler, length and strip,” were simply not in her level of reading ability.

 Takeaway Point

Mathematic word problems are very popular in school within almost all grade levels starting in early elementary school.  If a child is struggling with these, make sure you have a pretty good sense as to what is contributing to this difficulty.

If your  child is reaching Stage III of reading development, congratulations,  you’ve reached the Promised Land!!!

You’re in Decoding/Fluency Nirvana.

Typically, Stage III corresponds to about the middle of third grade  continuing through the upper grades, when the children are putting the more mechanical aspects of  reading (and spelling and writing) behind them.

Stages I & II are the equivalent of learning notes chords and scales ( (Stage I)   (Stage II)), while Stage III involves playing the songs.

For the “smooth-road” kids it isn’t that hard to get to Stage III.  A couple of grades go by and you are there – no fuss, no muss – no testing, no tutoring.

But for the children of concern, those with learning disabilities, dyslexia, sprinkled in with a  dose of ADHD/ADD, it’s been a much longer and bumpier road.  If these children get to Stage III, often it is well beyond the expected age/grade range.

Why does Stage III represent the “Promised Land?”

Once a child reaches this stage the mechanical aspects of reading (i.e., decoding, fluency, word reading efficiency etc.) are no longer a factor.

When a child is in Stage III,  the entire focus  can be put on developing a child’s range of comprehension skills, such as higher-order reasoning, inferential thinking, drawing conclusions and increasing vocabulary.

As the original theorist of the Stages of Reading Development, Dr. Jean Chall, noted,  within Stage III the child is no longer “learning to read, but reading to learn.”

Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or comments email Dr. Selznick:  rselznick615@gmail.com.