Help in school for child with dyslexia

[Laura0806]

Just wondering what your experiences are of this. My child in yr 3 has a diagnosis of dyslexia and a speech and language impairment. He is still however at the average level in the class, although could be doing better as illustarated by his general IQ which is above average (struggles with spelling, comprehension, story writing and sequencing in maths). The SENCO says that he is not entiteld to any help as the code of practice dictates than he is not actually struggling or something to that effect ( Im not au fait with the code of practice). However, I was just interested in other peoples experiences. if your child has dyslexia or another SEN but is still around the average level overall ( but with specific weaknesses), have they received any help?

Tutor has said he will be better using a computer

I am very surprised at this, as the most up to date research indicates that using a computer instead of handwriting is detrimental to the development of a child with dyslexia.

(Not that any research was needed.)

I taught older teens, and the damage done to those who had been allowed to skimp on writing by hand is often very clear. Many can type faster than they can think, and the result is they charge into their work at a rate of knots, and never practice any of the skills vital to their cognitive development, eg planning, precision, shaping their work, putting together a coherent argument, summarising, developing a point, concluding, evaluation.

As a result, work is often voluminous but of a very poor quality. Some students start to perform much better as soon as the lap top is taken away.Some never regain the lost ground.

(Not to mention hand writing get entrenched at primary school level)

sorry, I didn't read on after this rubbish recommendation to use a lap top., or I would have seen Mrs has made the same points very much more clearly before me!

This is all very interesting.So even in exam conditions are laptops not recommended?My son has commented that he finds it much easier to write on an IPad at school.School has recently introduced lots of ipad apps to help with the teaching.

My ds has been told he will use a laptop in upper primary, as well as writing. I will read the links provided! I don't think there is any chance of him typing faster than he can think at this stage. The very act of writing makes him really cross and upset, typing doesn't. Is there no case for using both approaches? As I say, will read links and ask local dyslexia association.

Definition of Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling.

• Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed.
• Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities.
• It is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and there are no clear cut-off points.
• Co-occurring difficulties may be seen in aspects of language, motor co-ordination, mental calculation, concentration and personal organisation, but these are not, by themselves, markers of dyslexia.
• A good indication of the severity and persistence of dyslexic difficulties can be gained by examining how the individual responds or has responded to well founded intervention.

Rose Review (2009)

Sorry, also meant to add that I've seen students do really well in upper secondary school using ICT. Partly I suppose because it is so hard for me in some cases to read their handwritten work - I can't mark what I can't read

Mitzi50 that is a definition, but not a good one, or a widely used one. A more useful and specific one is a disability resulting in the poor transfer of information across the corpus calosum. It isn't directly related to reading and writing, but to perception and maybe expression, which can present most strongly in the area of written communication, but only in cultures where this is monitored. The same failure of connectivity can show up in many areas of life, but no two people are the same. I have no orientation at all, and cannot recognise faces. My reading and writing is slow and inaccurate, but functional.

Sorry, also meant to add that I've seen students do really well in upper secondary school using ICT. Partly I suppose because it is so hard for me in some cases to read their handwritten work - I can't mark what I can't read

that's part of the problem, pupils with dyslexia need to work far harder than everyone else to develop their hand writing, but they are frequently the ones who are just allowed to pass up on hand writing completely.

It is the worst thing possible. Those students of yours should have thousands of hours of rigorous practice under their belts by the time they reach you, and would then be far more readable.

Unfortunately they are allowed, even encouraged, to neglect this totally, and become very lazy.

deevybee.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/neuroscientific-interventions-for.html just to throw a piece written by Prof Bishop into the mix

deevybee.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/whats-in-name.html sorry wrong link

charis1 It is from a government review and recognised by Dyslexia Action

www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk/news/sir-jim-roses-dyslexia-review

There is little robust research linking dyslexia to a visual deficit.

I don't agree with mrz's on dyslexia, but I do agree with link she gives - there are lots of dodgy, money making dyslexia interventions. Research evidence show that significant improvements can be made by early interventions based on improving phonological awareness and good multisensory phonics teaching (quality first teaching) but some children need more individual attention than can be given within a class of 30.

I do think technology has a place though. Whilst my Dyslexic DD uses repeatedly handwriting the same notes as a way of learning new information eg for exams, (supporting the evidence in mrz's first link), she struggles to keep up with note taking in lectures unless she types or records the lectures. She then transcribes key information into handwritten notes. Whilst this is not time efficient from a non -dyslexic point of view, it has enabled her to do well academically despite having an extremely poor short term memory and poor phonological processing.

It isn't just dyslexic students who type notes and course work now in many cases - I've seen on MN that some schools encourage all students to use iPads in class, for example. I certainly do see the point made in the article, but I am still uncertain that being forced to spend hours practising something he already hates is going to lead to success. He is turned off enough about school as it is.

"Exactly where the line is between dyslexic and nondyslexic is subjective and controversial. This relative uncertainty does not dispute the reality of dyslexia, but instead indicates that there is some subjectivity in the diagnosis."www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528651/

www.dyslexia-reading-well.com/dyslexia-definition.html

www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/Life-Long-Learning/17551/practice/learningdifficulties/dyslexiadefinitions

"The number and range of definitions for dyslexia can be quickly demonstrated by an internet search.
As yet, there is no universally agreed definition of dyslexia, but the World Health Organisation's definition of "Specific Developmental Dyslexia" produced in 1968 by the World Federation of Neurology remains one of the simplest, focusing upon unexpected literacy difficulties in otherwise able individuals who have had adequate educational, social and cultural opportunities."

"A disorder manifested by difficulty learning to read, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence and sociocultural opportunity. It is dependent upon fundamental cognitive disabilities which are frequently of constitutional origin."

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Mitzi you mean high quality teaching that benefits all children ?

It is from a government review and recognised by Dyslexia Action

but who recognises dyslexia action???

And I don't have any sort of visual deficit, thank you. I never said I did.

I see I'm going to have a lot to navigate as a parent of a dyslexic child! Who knew there was so much controversy?

Laura, my DS1 has dyslexia, dyspraxia and SLI - expressive. He is statemented and attends a special school. He types, is about to start using Dragondictate and will get access arrangements - extra time and Dragondictate, a reader or Claro read or the equivalent - for GCSEs.

He was diagnosed in year 3, too. His MS school offered very little in terms of effective intervention but his teachers were lovely and the school did provide him with various groups. Unlike your son, he made zero progress in English, while his Maths was on target. We went to Tribunal - twice to get it sorted.

CTOPP and Tomal 2 assessments (one looks at phonological skills and retrieval and processing speeds and the other at memory) should reveal your son's cognitive profile and give standardised scores that will entitle him to exams access arrangements and some decent study skills intervention. I'd say go back to the SENCO and say you would like your DS's phonological awareness and short term and working memory assessed. Just because he is "coping" doesn't mean he doesn't need help. If the SENCO doesn't respond, then, go higher - Head or Governors. Good luck.

scores of any sort don't entitle anyone to exam access arrangements any more. it is just down to how the teacher normally works.

mrz you mean high quality teaching that benefits all children?

Yes - but a child with dyslexia,may need more individualised learning and will undoubtedly benefit from small group/1:1 intervention. Whilst many children with dyslexia will learn to read accurately, problems with fluency and spelling often persist: reading comprehension may suffer as a result. Poor auditory short term memory leads to problems with following instructions, note taking etc.

Brain imaging shows that dyslexic children have a core phonological deficit and "dyslexic" genes have been identified but all of this is mediated by a variety of environmental factors like the home literacy environment, oral language, quality of teaching etc

TheFullCircle - Just because he is "coping" doesn't mean he doesn't need help.

Absolutely, many children "cope" but do not reach their full potential. The fact that dyslexia co-occurs with other conditions (my DD is also dyspraxic) both masks and exacerbates the problem.

The support and knowledge within schools is really variable. Even if a school does provide intervention, these are often unsuitable and therefore ineffective.

So all the things a good teacher would if a child is experiencing difficulties regardless of whether they are dyslexic or not mitzi?

Charis, JCQ criteria says otherwise.

Thefullcircle, you are misunderstanding, or looking at regulations that are out of date.