Pamela Brookes - Teaching A Struggling Reader: One Moms Experience with Dyslexia

DOG ON A LOG

Parent and Teacher Guides 1

I am not a Reading Specialist or certified educator. The content provided herein is for informational purposes and does not take the place of an evaluation and teaching plan provided by a credentialed educator. Every effort has been made to ensure that the content provided here is accurate and helpful for my readers. However, this is not an exhaustive treatment of the subject. No liability is assumed for losses or damages due to the information provided. You should consult a credentialed educator for specific guidance on educating your child, yourself, or others.

DOG ON A LOG Books

Tucson, Arizona

Third Edition

Copyright 2019 By Pamela Brookes

All Rights Reserved.

For information, contact the publisher at

read@dogonalogbooks.com

Public Domain images from www.clker.com

Library of Congress Control Number:2019906820

www.dogonalogbooks.com

TEACHING A

STRUGGLING READER:

ONE MOMS EXPERIENCE WITH DYSLEXIA

By Pamela Brookes

Edited by Nancy Mather Ph.D.

DOG ON A LOG

Parent and Teacher Guides

Book 1. Teaching a Struggling Reader:

One Moms Experience with Dyslexia

Book 2. How to Use Decodable Books to Teach Reading

Available for free from many online booksellers or

read at www.dogonalogbooks.com/free

Introduction

L ike so many successful people, my child just learns differently. It's how her brain is hard-wired. There are a lot of children who struggle with reading. Some people estimate up to 10%-20% of the population have dyslexia. This booklet lists some of the information I wish Id had when I did not know how to teach a child whose brain is wired like Steve Jobs or Thomas Edison.

This booklet is not a complete discussion about struggling readers. I am not knowledgeable enough on the subject to do that. This is written from the perspective of a parent who is working with a specialist to teach a child with dyslexia.

Its been a couple years since I first released this booklet. Im adding a few more things Ive learned during that time. I wont be adding too much because then it could take too long to read. I want this to be a fast read so that normal, busy people can easily read it. They will get enough information to get a sense of what dyslexia is, what questions they need to ask professionals, and what path their child will need and then they can go make dinner or, if theyre lucky, get to bed a little earlier than normal. However, there are a few things that I think will make a big difference so I am adding those.

Dyslexia is simply a wiring difference that can be seen in people of all levels of intelligence. It makes it hard for people to learn to read. (By wiring I mean a neurobiological difference, but thats a challenging word for me to try and define, so I think wiring gets the point across.)

Here is a list of symptoms from the Mayo Clinic. Here is a pdf checklist that is a useful list of dyslexia symptoms for children of different ages. I will discuss actual testing and screening tools in the next section, If Only I had Known... The following short list of symptoms from Medical News Today is because of its brevity.

Before school

delayed speech development and vocabulary learning

difficulties forming words, such as making the sound in some words backward or mixing up words that sound similar

problems retaining information, such as numbers, the alphabet, and colors

School age

low reading level for the age group

difficulties processing information

issues with remembering sequences of objects or information

being unable to put an unfamiliar word into sounds

taking an abnormally long time with reading and writing tasks

avoidance of activities that involve reading

Teenage years and adulthood

difficulties reading aloud

slow reading and writing that takes a lot of effort

spelling issues

avoidance of tasks that require reading

mispronunciation of words or problems recalling words for a particular object or topic

problems with understanding the meaning behind jokes and idioms

difficulties learning a foreign language, memorizing, or completing math problems

finding it hard to summarize a story

In addition to needing a different way to learn to read, some learners with dyslexia will also have trouble with writing and possibly learning math. They may have trouble with language-related skills including speech. Some do not understand how to rhyme words. Some might have fine motor and other physical difficulties. I will give a bit of information on how we are addressing math towards the end of this book, but I won't discuss any of the other issues here. However, if you are wondering why your child seems to do various tasks differently than other kids, it could all be related to a different wiring of the brain. Henry Winkler, The Fonz was known to be a motorcycle rider. However, due to his dyslexia, he could not ride a motorcycle. Dyslexia impacts different people in such different ways. In this article on Dyslexia and Genetics, they discuss how motor dexterity relates to dyslexia.

Under federal law, dyslexia is categorized as a Learning Disability. This allows for accommodations in educational and, possibly, other environments. Accommodations include additional testing time, audio equipment, and more. However, many people dont like to call it a disability. They simply see it as another way to learn. There are many lists of famous people and even billionaires who learn this way. This is not about intelligence; this is about adapting how we teach each child. (Or adult learner if they didnt get the individualized teaching they needed as children.) There is a youtube interview with Steven Spielberg where he talks about growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia.