News and reflections from experts and practitioners on the latest literacy research, events and daily practice
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October 24, 2022 by User
“For many affected children, dyslexia has extinguished the joys of childhood” explains Sally Shaywitz in her book, “Overcoming Dyslexia”.
While awareness of dyslexia has improved over the last decade, even the best interventions often fail to address the social and emotional challenges that make up the full picture of dyslexia. In addition to the core deficits which account for difficulties in reading, it is common for dyslexic students to experience bouts of anxiety, avoidance, and issues with self-esteem.
Recently, Danielle Frith, an alumna of Monmouth University and Special Education Specialist spoke to an audience of Learning Ally community members about the social/emotional symptoms of dyslexia, and how teachers can respond to them appropriately. Her research reveals strategies that adults can use to help dyslexic students cope with their whole experience.
Life Long Anxiety
The most frequent emotional symptom reported by adults with dyslexia is anxiety. Case studies reveal that children with dyslexia grow up with scars that last into adulthood. While in school, these individuals face constant frustration and heightened feelings of inadequacy. Resultantly, they learn to anticipate failure. As they enter college and journey into adulthood, they are more likely to become fearful and overwhelmed, especially when faced with new tasks that require the decoding of complicated text.
To help combat this effect, Frith recommends employing the DE-STRESS method developed by Neuropsychologist, Jerome Schultz specifically for students with learning disabilities.
The DE-STRESS acronym stands for Define, Educate, Speculate, Teach, Reduce the Threat, Exercise, Success, and Strategize. These steps are organized to help students and teachers identify triggers of where frustrations occur, and how they can be approached mindfully.
Avoidant Behavior Tactics
When dyslexia is un-remediated, students are forced to develop their own coping mechanisms. These coping mechanisms often appear in the form of avoidant tendencies and are commonly misinterpreted as unsavory personality traits. Students who anticipate frustration and failure may take on a passive avoidant attitude to escape an assignment that is expected to cause distress. This sort of behavior is often misinterpreted as laziness, causing many students with learning disabilities to mistakenly identify with a lack of motivation. Other students may avoid frustration more actively by becoming a source of distraction.
Teachers should understand that this sort of ‘class-clown’ behavior isn’t merely an outburst of excessive energy. Recognizing these patterns as attempts to defend against discomfort is a key to effectively responding to students’ needs. Teachers should also provide consistent encouragement for students who are likely to disengage when left to independently manage these challenges. Teachers should also be mindful to put more focus on effort than on product. Students with dyslexia are likely to notice themselves falling behind in activities that require reading, so teachers should prioritize a good effort above finishing a task quickly.
Dyslexia and Wounded Self-Esteem
While children may come to a dyslexia diagnosis at any age, they are almost always aware of their differences from a young age. At home, children with dyslexia may experience guilt or tension from parents, as well as blame or jealousy among siblings. At school, they are likely to be labeled as lazy, disruptive, and even stupid. Troubles with language may leave them feeling anti-social and may suppress their need to express themselves. As they approach high school, the pressure to gain academic independence may leave them feeling helpless, isolated, and angry at those who they once depended on for academic support.
Self-worth and identity are some of the most vulnerable parts of a student, so it is essential for teachers to nurture dyslexic students’ self-concept. Remind your child that dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence, and expose them to successful individuals who have also overcome these challenges. Students should be encouraged to talk about their dyslexia and analyze how it affects their day-to-day experiences. Helping students recognize their own experiences and advocate for themselves will help them to remember that they are more than their dyslexia -- much more. Remind students of their strengths and give them opportunities to use them whenever possible. If an assignment is especially challenging for a student with dyslexia, provide them with alternative options. Most importantly, give students a multitude of opportunities to express themselves and explain how they are feeling.
Showing Support
Anxiety, avoidance, and low self-esteem are only some of the social/emotional conditions that tend to accompany a dyslexia diagnosis. Depending on a student's school, home environment, and support system, these comorbidities can vary in type and intensity, so it’s important to check in often. “A child with dyslexia is in need of a champion,” says Shaywitz. Frith encourages educators to be those champions by supporting both the academic and emotional needs of struggling readers.
You can view the full recording of her presentation on Learning Ally’s Spotlight Series On-Demand.
Join the Learning Ally community to learn more about how you can support struggling readers.
Danielle Frith is a full-time specialist professor in the special education department at Monmouth University and an adjunct instructor at Rider University. Danielle is working towards attaining her PhD in special education from Temple University and recently completed a LEND Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her research interests include dyslexia, assessment, science of reading, teacher preparation and learning disabilities. She presents both locally and nationally on a variety of topics related to special education. She is a Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) Leadership Academy cohort participant and is currently working on a special education technology meta-analysis.
Categories: dyslexia, Education & Teaching, Educators, Learning Disabilities, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices, The Digital Age
October 20, 2022 by User
More than ever, teachers, education leaders, students, and families need the support of businesses, organizations and corporate sponsors to address the literacy crisis in our nation. That's just what Dr. Molly Ness, V.P. of Academic Content at Learning Ally and founder of End Book Deserts, and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation have in common.
The State of American Literacy - Everyone Has Potential
In this podcast, Dr. Molly Ness talks with Denine Torr, Vice President of Dollar General’s Corporate Social Responsibility & Philanthropy Programs and Executive Director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. They discuss the Foundation’s endeavors to develop new pathways to literacy for millions of Americans who have the potential to succeed, but need more reading support to do so. They talked about books, and the upcoming film The Right to Read, and how the Foundation is shining a light on literacy through their “Yellow Glasses” program. They discussed access, innovation, instruction, and partnerships.
Dollar General is a Fortune 100 company founded by J.L. Turner during the Great Depression. In 1993, his son and grandson established the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to honor Mr. Turner, the son of a farmer with only a third-grade education, who built one of the largest neighborhood general store chains in America. With its wide range of grants, funding, and collaboration, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation helps individuals of all ages pursue their educational goals by investing in literacy programs that help students learn to read, prepare for high school equivalency, and learn English. The Foundation recently commissioned a research report, “State of American Literacy,” outlining a deeper understanding of the opportunities that exist in the field of literacy to narrow the gap between what adult and youth literacy learners need and the resources available.
Investment in Literacy
Investing in literacy to fulfill all children’s hopes and dreams is a wonderful way to support our schools, communities, and society. More than forty-three million adults in the U.S. (nearly one in five) read below a third grade level. Even with a general awareness of challenges created by the inability to read proficiently, a larger discussion must ensue to grasp the lasting impact that literacy and education has for our citizens regarding opportunity, income, health, and equality.
Listen to this podcast now, and join the movement.
About End Book Deserts Podcasts and the Coalition for Literacy Equity
The End Book Deserts podcast is a part of the Coalition for Literacy Equity, a nonprofit committed to promoting literacy, and book access as an issue of equity. The Coalition, created by literacy advocates, unifies a nationwide network of interdisciplinary programs that provides books to children and caregivers. Find out more about programming and membership at www.litequity.com.
To find literacy programs in your neighborhood, visit the National Literacy Directory.
About Denine Torr
Denine Torr leads strategic development and execution of national, regional, and local philanthropic-related programs and initiatives for Dollar General’s 18,000+ store communities, distribution centers and corporate headquarters. She also serves as chairperson of the board for Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation and is on the board of directors for the American Indian College Fund and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
About Learning Ally
Learning Ally, a leading education nonprofit, equips educators with proven solutions that help emerging and struggling learners reach their full potential. The organization offers a range of literacy-focused products and services for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and a catalog of professional learning programs for educators. The nonprofit serves more than 2 million students and 450,000 educators through its solutions and community across the United States.
Categories: Education & Teaching, General, Student Centric Learning, The Digital Age, Whole Child Literacy
October 18, 2022 by User
What is the Science of Reading?
“The science of reading is an interdisciplinary body of knowledge about five decades in the making that shows how the brain learns to read. To be proficient readers, children need to be able to lift the words up off the page through decoding, and then have the necessary language skills to understand them,” says Dr. Molly Ness, a reading researcher and Learning Ally’s Vice President of Academic Content.
Composed of scientific research that has been conducted around the world and across several disciplines, such as education, linguistics, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology, the science of reading reveals the skills required to read proficiently and the best practices for teaching those skills effectively.
As illustrated by Hollis Scarborough’s (2001) reading rope, proficient readers are efficient in two categories of reading skills: word recognition and language comprehension. Word recognition skills, such as phonemic awareness and the alphabetic principle, allow readers to instantly recognize words or use decoding for unfamiliar words; language comprehension skills, such as vocabulary and background knowledge, enable readers to make meaning of those words.
Effective Early Literacy Instruction Is Comprehensive
“It’s really important to note that the two processes of decoding or word recognition and language comprehension are not hierarchical; one does not happen after another,” Dr. Ness explains. “In other words, we don’t want to just give young kids in Kindergarten lots and lots of word recognition and ignore or overlook language comprehension because what we know is that these things develop simultaneously. We need to expose kids to all of the comprehension components, as well as laying the foundations in word decoding and word recognition.”
Although it’s not quite clear why early reading instruction often emphasizes word recognition skills over language comprehension skills, research shows that this practice is misguided. “When we look only at word recognition or phonics, we’re really glossing over what the science of reading entails,” Dr. Ness says. “So, while we may have kids who can decode, if we don’t talk about all of the sub-skills in language comprehension, we’re not really going to make a mark when we are trying to improve reading scores, which focus heavily on comprehension.”
The lack of instruction in language comprehension skills can have long-term consequences for students. “Ultimately, as adult proficient readers, we read for the sole purpose of making meaning,” Dr. Ness says. “So, we read for enjoyment; we read for information; we read for entertainment; we read to be a member of a literate society – so, to take a bus schedule or to fill out a voter application; and all of those tasks and foundations lie in the ability to make meaning of what you’re reading. If you are just able to decode the words- but you don’t have the context to understand them - you’re not getting to that effective, efficient, purposeful reading for meaning.”
Educators Need Research-Based Curriculum
To help students become proficient readers, educators need research-based curriculum that helps them provide effective reading instruction. Dr. Ness explains that effective reading instruction is explicit, provides teacher modeling, includes a gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student, and follows a logical progression of skills. “And it needs to be multi-faceted, meaning it focuses on decoding and word recognition while increasing comprehension and vocabulary and oral language and all of these other things. So, it needs to be wide in its reach and not myopically focused on phonics and decoding just as one foundational skill.”
Because so many reading curriculum programs focus on building word recognition skills and lack instruction in language comprehension, Learning Ally offers a solution to bridge that gap. Excite Reading™, an award-winning supplementary literacy program for grades preK-2, is designed to increase students’ vocabulary and background knowledge through a rich e-library of diverse human-narrated authentic texts.
“Excite Reading™ helps kids who are early in their reading processes by giving them exposure to texts that they will likely not be able to decode on their own,” Dr. Ness explains. “So, these are sophisticated texts that have novel ideas, novel concepts, and vocabulary that is beyond their reading level. And what we know is that when kids are able to listen to the teacher read the text or that when kids listen to an audiobook of that text, we are getting to those parts of the Scarborough reading rope and language comprehension that they will not yet be able to do independently. So, we’re exposing them to vocabulary words; we are giving them rich background knowledge that supports their comprehension.”
Categories: Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices, The Digital Age
October 17, 2022 by User
Learning independence…that is what Caroline Radlinger, an Occupational Therapist for the Medford Area School District in Wisconsin, wants for all students. She uses her extensive training in assistive technology to prepare students with learning challenges for post-secondary schooling and success in their lives and careers. This is why Ms. Radlinger is a recipient of Learning Ally’s 2022 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award; an award that recognizes exemplary educators improving literacy for all learners.
Technology has changed the learning landscape,” said Ms. Radlinger. Early in her career, she understood the benefits that assistive technologies can bring to all kinds of learners. Her district now provides annual staff development and an intensive range of learning support for students with dyslexia at the universal, targeted, and intensive levels. Resources include Wilson Reading and Learning Ally audiobooks to ensure all students are able to close achievement gaps evidenced by their reading scores on statewide and local assessments.
Benefits of Assistive Technology - Audiobooks
Ms. Radlinger initiated the first Core Assistive Technology team to train students, staff, and families how to choose and use AT tools. She manages a variety of the education technology processes in her district that connect students with iPads, Learning Ally, Communication Boards, and Visual Communications.
“Human-read audiobooks unlock learning potential, and encourages reading independence for more students than we can imagine,” said Ms. Radlinger. Her district provides access to Learning Ally’s audiobook library containing well over 80,000 audiobooks giving students the ability to read what their classmates read, including required curriculum, and to read at home or on the go.
Through her knowledge and support, she has helped students of all ages (3-21) glean a clear understanding of their own learning style. “Equitable access to reading materials is another assurance we are doing all we can to level the learning field,” she said. “Students love the natural narration of humans who emphasize intonation, prosody, and comprehension. They make information come to life and reading on grade-level possible.”
As a parent of children with dyslexia, Ms. Radlinger strives to educate students and families to a deeper understanding of how learning disabilities affect the brain’s cognitive processes. She knows all too well the frustration students feel when they cannot decode words fast enough to comprehend what they are reading. Instead of giving them only low level books to read, she empowers them with tools like Boardmaker, Learning Ally, and Sensory Regulation to replace their fears. “I want them to worry less, and learn more,” she says. On the district’s website, she also creates seminars and tutorials with links to social stories and visuals to inform parents, and reinforce students’ skills and learning confidence.
Ongoing Professional Learning is Key
Ms. Radlinger’s passion for learning independence, and her steadfast quest for ongoing professional development at the local and state level has enabled her to unlock the learning potential for far more students through ways which would not have been possible without her efforts. Students under her tutelage are now academically successful in high school English classes. They access Learning Ally audiobooks to help them read with deep comprehension. They maintain reading fluency. They read grade-level books, and meet classroom learning expectations.
She often encourages young people to become teachers, which she says is a rewarding profession. “To be a teacher or specialist in service to children is one of the greatest gifts you can give to our community and our nation.”
On behalf of the Learning Ally organization, we congratulate Caroline Radlinger and all 2022 winners for their exemplary service to improve literacy for all learners.
Categories: Assistive Technology, Awards, Curriculum & Access, Education & Teaching, Educators, Learning Ally “How-To Use”, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices
October 10, 2022 by User
In a keynote at Learning Ally’s 2022 Spotlight on Dyslexia, Ameer Baraka, Emmy-nominated actor, author, and dyslexia advocate, gave attendees a dose of reality about living with this learning disability, and how it disproportionately affects children in schools and adults in prisons. Ameer has just released his latest book, “UNDIAGNOSED: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia.”
Misunderstanding and Shame
As a young black child living in poverty who could not read and write, Ameer Baraka feared not only ridicule from his teachers and classmates, but the wrath of his mother. His grandmother knew education was the best way for him to get ahead, yet by the third grade, he wasn’t learning like other kids. He wasn’t catching on to sight words, reading or spelling. He didn't have access to words, stories, adventures, and examples of black men who led their families through honest work. Ameer could not see beyond his own circumstances, so he did what thousands of young black boys do when failure abounds – he skipped school, ran the streets, got into fights, and pursued a life of crime selling drugs. No one ever explained to Ameer why he couldn’t read. He was spanked and made to feel incompetent and unworthy. People laughed at him. His crimes led to juvenile jail time and multiple felonies. His addiction lasted throughout his adolescence, but the darkest moments for Ameer was the shame of not knowing how to read.
What We Don’t Know
Dyslexia is the number one cause of illiteracy. Thirty million adults in the U.S, six million in the U.K., and three million in Canada are estimated to have dyslexia. It occurs in people of all backgrounds. Countless studies of brain imaging tell us that dyslexia is a neurological language development disorder, often hereditary, that impedes our ability to manipulate sounds and letters. The word dyslexia is derived from the Greek word ‘dys’ (meaning difficult) plus ‘lexis’ (words or language). Many people do not know they are dyslexic. They will encounter teachers, neighbors, professionals, and classmates who do not understand the disorder, and falsely believe that all people with dyslexia are geniuses, entrepreneurs, scientists, sports jocks, and celebrities. It is really quite the opposite. Many people who cannot read or write are often labeled lazy. The reality is millions of people have learning disabilities. They struggle to complete basic forms like job applications and grocery lists. Dyslexia affects a person’s education, social and emotional well-being, mental health, and economic status. It affects relationships and discourages children and adults from accomplishing their full potential.
Effective Teaching Strategies
Under federal law, public school districts are required to identify children with dyslexia and provide appropriate services to them, however state laws and practices vary. You can find the term ‘learning disability,” and ‘dyslexia’ in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Statute & Regulations and in Title I. Data show that specific learning disabilities, called SLD, are the most common special education category; specifically, about 40% of all special education students are identified as having a SLD (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). Of those identified, 80% have dyslexia or a specific learning disability in reading (Shaywitz, 1998).
Advancements in technology and brain-based imaging reveal that our brains are not hardwired to read, but instead activates multiple portions to lay the neural pathways used in reading. Thus, we must be systematically taught to read. Dr. Terrie Noland, CALP advises that early diagnosis and intervention is critical to catch children before they fail. “Reading instruction is much more to distinguish and manipulate phonemes, the smallest units of speech sound that can carry meaning,” she said. “Comprehensive reading instruction must also include sounding out words, spelling, learning sight words, building vocabulary, and reading comprehension.”
Appropriate teaching methods and motivation can impact the learning potential of children with dyslexia in positive ways, including helping them to connect their ideas, thinking critically and out of the box, 3D mapping, and seeing the big picture. Dyslexics use their right brain more than average, which is associated with emotion, spatial relationships, intuition and synthesizing ideas. A proven learning approach for children with dyslexia is to see and hear text read aloud, like human-read audiobooks that are multisensory. With the right teaching strategies, dyslexics can be successful learners.
Taking On Dyslexia in Schools and Prisons
Even at a young age running the dark alleyways of New Orleans, Ameer recalls wanting to build swing sets for poor neighborhoods. He wanted to help people. After years of feeling failure, Ameer learned what dyslexia was in prison, and why he could not read and write. He was not alone. Many of his inmates were poor readers and writers.
Most U.S. prisons do not screen for dyslexia, and no national studies have been conducted regarding the prevalence of dyslexia among prisoners. One study of Texas prisoners in 2000 found that 48 percent were dyslexic and two-thirds struggled with reading comprehension. A 2014 study by the Department of Education found that about a third of prisoners surveyed at 98 prisons struggled to pick out basic information while reading simple texts.
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy pushed for screening prisoners for dyslexia, which was included in the First Step Act that passed in December 2018. [See: PLN, April 2019, p.1; Jan. 2019, p.34]. The Act includes provisions that require the Attorney General to implement dyslexia screening programs for federal prisoners, and to “incorporate programs designed to treat dyslexia into the evidence-based recidivism reduction programs required to be implemented” by the statute. Senator Cassidy, a former doctor, encountered many illiterate prisoners while running clinics in three Louisiana facilities. “If someone learns to read, they’re less likely to end up in prison and more likely to be a productive member of society,” said Senator Cassidy. Ameer Baraka gave testimony on his firsthand experiences with Dyslexia at the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) committee hearing on Dyslexia chaired by Senator Cassidy.
Committed to Do the Right Thing
“Many people are oblivious to dyslexia,” says Ameer. “When we fully address it in our schools, we will improve education for marginalized children. We need to understand the enemy so we can stop it from stealing our most fundamental asset, our youth. No one should ever be shamed for not reading well. When we commit to doing this, we can alter the pattern of failure for millions of children and prison inmates. The ability to read well will lift people out of poverty to enjoy equitable economic prosperity, academic success, and improved mental health. It will reduce dropout rates, bullying, juvenile delinquency, and crime. It will increase self-esteem and well-being among disadvantaged populations. As a society, we can transform literacy by helping all children learn to read and write, and be proud of their unique selves.”
Learn about Ameer Baraka and his non-profit, Dyslexia Awareness Foundation.
To purchase “UNDIAGNOSED: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia,” visit Amazon or purchase direct.
Learn more about Learning Ally's Spotlight Learning Series.
Categories: Books, Authors, & Movies, dyslexia, Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, General, Student Centric Learning, The Digital Age
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