Dyslexia/Reading & Learning Disabilities

Stage II of reading development is an exciting period of time, especially if the child is in this stage at the expected time – usually beginning in the second grade and ending in the middle of the third grade.

In this stage your child has mastered most of the high frequency (sight) words and can read them automatically.  They are also starting to show a pretty good understanding of one-syllable word patterns and their component sounds.  More complex words such as  stomp, branch, reaching and even and nonsense word like “grimp” would be good examples of words that follow early Stage II.

As we have been talking in previous blog posts utilizing the metaphor of learning to ride a bike, you can think of Stage II as one where the child starts out a bit insecure, but with more and more practice gains greater confidence and fluidity to the point where the child is independently enjoying the activity.

The primary activity of Stage II is reading – lots of it – both orally and silently, starting with small chapter books that are easy (but not too easy) for the child to independently read.

While in the early stages many large words could overwhelm the child, but as they progress through this stage they will be able to manage more of the words efficiently and read them correctly.

One final point, in this stage it is often useful to help a child break more complex, multisyllabic words down into the component parts and to practice this skill of breaking the words down. Examples of these words might be the following: ladder, mechanic,  porcupine, dinosaur, parrot.  Most children within this stage would know the meaning of these words, but reading them efficiently may be a different story altogether.

How will you know your child is getting ready to leave Stage II?

Essentially when they know almost all of the high-frequency (sight) words and can show they are starting to  read material containing less-controlled words relatively smoothly and fluently.

Effectively, the child is “riding the bike” independently and can now move on to the final stage.

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

Those of you who have read the last few posts, know that we have been talking about the Stages of Reading Development as a type of “road map” that helps you know where your child is at any given time (Getting a Roadmap).

Understanding the Stages also helps with “next-step thinking.

Previously, we talked about Stage 0 which typically starts in preschool and ends with the child leaving kindergarten  (Stage 0: Moving Down the Road).

A child is ready to leave Stage 0 when they know their letter names and the sounds of the letters automatically.  The child may also know a smattering of sight words.

Stage I of reading development typically corresponds to the beginning of first grade into middle second grade.

Stage I is like learning to ride a bike.  In the beginning of Stage I, the child will be shaky for quite some time and there’ll be much insecurity at the start, with more confidence developing.

Stage I is a crucial stage of reading development and it is the foundation upon which all later reading skills are supported.  It is important for you to be patient and to exposure child to simple word patterns.  It is also essential that you do not try and mix too many large, multisyllabic words, as these would be challenging and overwhelming for children in this stage.

It can’t be stressed enough that this is not a stage to rush through quickly.  Mastering the fundamental skills before moving on to the next one is crucial.

Mastering Stage I typically occurs when the child can read “sight words” fairly automatically and is starting to show basic decoding of simple word patterns (consonant-vowel-consonant patterns, such as, set, got, fit, hat).

Following the C-V-C patterns to master in this stage, the next would be words that follow C-C-V-C (e.g., flat, trot, drip), then moving to more complex word patterns, that follow C-C-V-C-C words  (e.g., stomp, flinch, trots).

When a child is showing signs of significant struggling that suggests a possible reading/learning problem, they typically stay in Stage I much longer than children who are smoothly moving through this stage.

With such children it is even more important that you do not rush things and proceed into a level that will be overwhelming and  frustrating.

Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com.

In the previous blog post from 9/17/2 , we introduced an “old school,” but still very relevant, concept –   “The Stages of Reading Development,” developed by Dr. Jeanne Chall in the 1960’s  (Getting a Roadmap).

Knowing the stages and what is expected typically at a given age, provides a roadmap that can help to guide you as to what is considered expected or “average” within a given age range.

This roadmap also helps you to understand what you should be emphasizing at any given point and gets you into “next step” thinking.

Children with learning problems/disabilities tend to get “stuck” within a given stage and don’t progress at an expected rate. So, for example, you might have a nine year old who is still in Stage I which corresponds to the early first grade of reading development.

Stage 0

Dr. Chall called the first stage, Stage 0 (even though I might have preferred she called it Stage I, rather than Stage 0).

Typically, Stage 0 starts at birth and goes through to the end kindergarten.  Much of what is emphasized within this stage is linked to language development.

For example, talking to infants/toddlers, reading bedtime stories, playing different games that emphasize language are all examples of good Stage 0 activities laying a foundation for later reading development.

What represents a child adequately progressing beyond Stage 0 and ready to move into Stage I?

For a child to be ready to move out of this stage, they need to know upper and lower case letters automatically (by name and by sound).

Many children who are ready to move into the next stage also know a small number of easy, high frequency sight words, such as dog, stop, book, the, and.

It is important to stress that children in this stage are not yet reading any extended text.  If they are, then that means they have moved beyond Stage 0.

One last point.

It is important to emphasize that if you are the parent of a child in this stage, you should not look to move out of the stage too quickly.

It is better to spend time exposing the child to many of the early concepts, which will pay dividends in the later stages of actual reading instruction and development.  In other words, do not get too concerned about accelerating the reading instruction that will be coming later.

Make sure they know their letter names and sounds before moving on to “real reading.”

Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com.

Not a week (perhaps not a day) goes by where I don’t have parents  coming to me concerned their child has “dyslexia.”

I will ask, “Why do you think she has dyslexia,”

Commonly the response is a variation of, “Well, I think there are these ‘was/saw’ and ‘b/d’ reversal things.  Also  sometimes I see him writing a ‘p’ for a ‘g’ so, yeah, there are those reversals.”

The characteristic responses reveal our deeply held mythologies as to what we believe dyslexia to be.   We seem unable to  shake the beliefs from our mental tree.

As we head into the July 4^th  holiday,  try this experiment with some of your relatives and friends by asking, “Hey, Aunt  Abigail (or whomever), what do you know about dyslexia?  What do you think it is?”

My prediction is that 99 – 100% of the responses will be some variation of,  “Isn’t that when you read upside down and backward…You know, like the letters and words are upside down or reversed or something, right?”

The predicted answer will come from all walks of life regardless of the person’s  level of education and experience.

How the mythologies became part of our collective mental consciousness is well beyond my pay grade.  Perhaps you have some idea and I would love to get your view.

Please let me know if my prediction is accurate or not and we will pick up after July 4^th with Dyslexia Mythologized Part II.

Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com.

Young children face many hurdles that they need to overcome.  They come in succession. Getting over one leads to another.  Some hurdles are more important than others and are not all equal in their level of importance.

One particular hurdle I have been consistently focused on with children is what I call the “decoding hurdle.”

By the end of first grade going into second grade most have gotten over this hurdle.  You read Dr. Seuss, complete some phonics worksheets and it all starts to make sense.

It’s a smooth ride.

Once getting over this hurdle there is a sort of clicking in, an experience of “aha, so that’s how reading works.”

For these lucky children learning to read is no big deal.

From that point forward, these kids enjoy reading and are eager to start reading easy chapter books.  (As an aside, this eagerness ends for the boys in the upper elementary grades where they shut–off to reading, but that’s another discussion.)

If you don’t get over the decoding hurdle within a reasonable timetable (by the end of first grade or so), this  challenge creates a bottleneck, frustrating all aspects of academic development, impacting the child’s basic sense of confidence and self-esteem.

What should you do if your child is not getting over the decoding hurdle?

First, have the child tested.  It is important to remember, though, that school testing is not concerned with the “decoding hurdle.”  That is not their job or their purpose.  Their purpose is determine “eligibility” or classification for special education.  Many children who are not yet over the “hurdle” are not viewed as eligible for special education.  So, you may need to seek private testing.

Following that testing, the likely next step is to have your child individually tutored by someone who knows how to teach decoding.  Most good decoding teachers know some version of the “Orton-Gillingham” related methodologies (e.g., Wilson Reading System, Barton Reading Program, SPIRE and others).

Typically, the child needs at least twice a week of the individual instruction over a significant period of time for the skills to start to be internalized and mastered..

Takeaway Point

If your child is not yet over the “decoding hurdle,” all  bets are off.

Don’t waste time worrying about other skills until you’re your child makes progress in this essential developmental task.

Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com.

Not sure how many cases of reading disability (dyslexia)  I’ve seen over the years, but it’s safe to assume it’s a pretty big number.

You would think that assessing another child with significant dyslexia would be pretty, “ho hum” or humdrum, as in “been there done that,”   but it never is.

I am continually astounded that something most children acquire with little effort by third grade (i.e., basic reading, spelling and writing skills), can be so daunting and challenging for others, resulting in considerable anxiety, insecurity and anguish.

Take George, a 12 year old sixth grader recently evaluated.

Friendly, warm and engaging, George was open with me about the impact his learning problems have on him.

At the start of the testing, when I asked him to write three wishes, here was one of them:

“That I donuot  hav dklexa.”

While listening to George read within the assessment, I understood why such a thought was front and center.

Here’s a little sample of how he read a third grade level story:

The text read...“I saw the signal on the shore.”  George read that as,  “I saw a sign at the store.”

Later in the same story it said, “…the bridge where the map showed it would be.”

George read that as, “...the bridge when the map swallowed it would be.”

There were no moments while reading where George stopped to consider that what he read made no sense.  George simply plowed on, making error after error.

George’s spelling and writing reflected these issues, as well:

• reach / rech,
• circle / cercul,
• correct / crect,
• dress / bres,
• train / tran,
• grown / gron

Rarely causing problems in the classroom,  Teachers loved him.  When parents asked the teachers about his reading, spelling and writing problems, they repeatedly heard what a lovely child he was and that, “really spelling doesn’t matter since there is spell check.”

Currently, George dreads the thought of  returning to in-person school and is continually anxious about possibly having to read something out-loud (not that it was much better on-line, as children would be called on to read, which George dreaded).

I wish I could tell you there were straight-forward, simple solutions, but there are no easy answers.  For the George’s of the world you need to be thinking on two major fronts – the academic and the emotional.

Each child’s situation is different.

There are reasons why learning disability has been called the “Hidden Handicap.”

Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com.

To purchase a signed copy of  “What To Do About Dyslexia: 25 Essential Concepts” & Dr. Selznick’s other books and to receive blog updates go to https://shutdownlearner.com.

No matter how many times I’ve heard it over the years, I continue to be astounded by the core mythology of “dyslexia,” that it is a problem where someone reads upside down and backward.

In spite of the workshops and trainings that have taken place around the country over the last 15 years, shaking this mythology from our collective awareness seems to be virtually impossible.

Part of the problem is that even for someone like myself, a professional in the field who has evaluated thousands of kids,  when asked the question, “So, Mr. Bigshot, we know you’ve written a book or two on dyslexia, can you please tell us what it is,” I find myself challenged to try and give a clear answer.

You would think after all these years, I would have a ready response, but I still hate the question!!

Mumbling through my mask in the interview, I start to “fumfer” around while attempting to define it.

At some point the word “decoding” will be be sprinkled in to my mumbling.  “Decoding????” the interviewer may ask.  “What is that?  Are you a spy with a decoder ring?”

Then I really start shuffling with a higher level of “fumfering” and start saying things like “phonemic awareness” and “phonological processing.”

Now the interviewer has completely lost it –  between “decoding rings” and something to do with “phones” and “awareness,” she has no idea what I am talking about.

Eventually, I try and regroup and say something more clearly like, “Dyslexia is a learning disability that doesn’t allow children to read, spell or write like other children.  It impacts them greatly on many levels and they need specialized instruction to overcome it.”

Astounded, the interviewer looks at me and says, “Why couldn’t you say that in the first place?  Why all the mumbling?   And what about all the upside down and reversal reading that everyone believes it is?”

“Well, literally everyone believes that’s what’s involved with dyslexia, but that really isn’t a part of things; you see dyslexia involves an awareness of sounds…”

The interviewer stops me mid-sentence and thanks me for my time.

I see her shaking her head as she packs up her things, muttering to herself as she flees from the interview.

Copyright, 2021 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick.  Not in the South Jersey area? For a free 15 Minute Consultation, contact Dr. Selznick: email – rselznick615@gmail.com.

As I continue to go through my piles of hoarded articles, I came across one of my favorites – “How Learning to Read a Book Is Like Learning to Play the Piano” (Brent Staples, New York Times, March, 2002).

When the article was written there was a debate raging as to what was the best way to teach emerging and struggling readers.

Essentially, there were two camps. (Sound familiar?)

At the time, the first camp was thought to be more cutting edge and progressive in their approach to teaching children to read.

Espousing what was viewed as a “top-down” model, its view was that learning to read was largely seen as a process that occurred naturally, like learning to walk and talk. All that was needed for children to learn to read, was an enriched language-loaded environment (such as reading stories to children) that fostered the natural unfolding of the skills.

For these “top-down” adherents, the teaching of sound-symbol relationships (i.e., phonics) was “so yesterday,” so old school. For those who maintained the “old school” approaches (i.e., the “bottom-up” camp), there was considerable criticism, often expressed contempt directed their way.

From the NYT article that I’ve held onto for nearly 20 years, the Windward School, a specialized school based in Westchester County, New York, was featured.

As stated in the article:

“Windward rejects just about all of the conventional wisdom underlying programs at traditional schools. The most important difference is that the school views reading and writing not as a thing that human beings are “naturally wired” to do, but as acquired skills – like driving or playing the piano that require structured practice and constant conceptual reinforcement.”

Citing Ms. Phylis Bertin, the director of reading for Windward’s Teacher Training Institute, she, “likens the school and their methods to a conservatory where aspiring musicians practice scales and play exercises to prepare themselves for the masterworks they one day hope to play. Ms. Bertin says the nation’s sense of having a reading crisis will only deepen until school system and colleges of education adopt a structured approach that reaches the 4 in 10 American children who have trouble learning to read.”

Ms. Bertin stated, “Windward is not the answer. The answer is to change the way we teach teachers to teach reading.”

Since 2002 the research evidence has not been particularly kind to the “top-down” group. In fact, their theories have largely been rejected.

The problem is we are still largely feeling the effects of the top-down theories. If we could, instead of waiting to unfold these theories, introduced the children to more practical forms of learning like STEM teaching which opens them to the world of science, arts, technology, it would have helped them a great deal. Introducing STEM in early childhood could help them to become curious and independently attempt to solve their own problems using the help of technology.

Let’s take Ethan, an 8-year-old third grader who is struggling to read, spell and write. Since there were “red flags of concern in first grade, he should have gotten a healthy dose of targeted, focused, structured instruction.

At the time that I met Ethan he had received little “bottom-up” instruction,”

Instead, the parents were told, “It’s too early to do anything – we need to wait and see.”

This “wait and see” approach is opposite to all of the best research and one of the reason the Ethans of the world are struggling far more than they should be in the middle elementary school grades.

Ethan could have and should have been practicing his scales, notes and chords as soon as there was any suggestion of difficulty, but if reading, spelling and writing are viewed as a natural unfolding, then you listen to songs and hope they will be absorbed.

Takeaway Point

If you see your child struggling, even as early as six or seven years of age, don’t wait. Find a good “music teacher.”