Multisensory Education and the Dyslexic Child

Multisensory Education and the Dyslexic Child Presented by Cindy Hagemann Reading Coach & MSLE Certified Teacher August 1, 2013

MSLE Overview • Multisensory Structured Language Education • Dyslexia Therapy • Shelton University, Nancy Coffman • Scottish Rite Hospital

Dyslexia…what it is & what it is not! We will begin w/ what it is NOT… -Something kids can “outgrow”. -Something that is best diagnosed w/ reversals being the BEST indicator. -Something “eye exercises” & a few colored overlays can’t cure!

What Dyslexia is… • Unexpected! • Intellect intact! • Not the result of poor or lacking instruction/curriculum • Difficulties in written language (reading, spelling, & writing) • Underlying difficulty w/ the sound system of our language

Who’s my kid?! • Average to above average IQ • No other health problems preventing the MSLE instruction • ADHD managed when applicable • As w/ all students, must be consistently present to learn

You must keep in mind… • Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. There is a difference in the way the brain is formed AND functions. “While no two brains are alike, the brains of people with dyslexia are distinctively different compared to those without dyslexia.” Dr.Gordon Sherman

HUGE flags… -Misread common words (Misread them in a variety of ways!) -Reading is “choppy” and hesistant (lacks flow) -Spelling (OH, MY!)

But, he’s so smart!!! • Listening comprehension is stronger than reading comprehension • Often times breadth of verbal knowledge but lacking in strong vocabulary because reading is so difficult the student reads less therefore vocabulary suffers

Other related characteristics/disorders… • Very often accompanied w/ ADHD/ADD • Can also see other related disorders such as reading comprehension, math, coordination, handwriting (poor motor skills), social skills and oral language disorders. (actually have a list of 25)

Dyslexia is not new or changing, we are getting better at understanding & identifying!!! • Rudolf Berlin of Stuttgart, Germany was the first one to use the term “Dyslexia” in 1887! He saw it as a language disorder. • Dr. Pringle Morgan of Seaford, England was the first one to document a child w/ Dyslexia in 1896. • In the early 1900s, Hinshelwood documented dozens of cases of “word blindness” where smart kids couldn’t get the words off the page!

Guess what they discovered worked for these kids over 100 years ago? • Individualized, explicit reading instruction • Small group, short lessons • Relief from reading aloud in a whole group class setting

So my elevator definition of Dyslexia is… • It is a specific learning disability, neurological in origin, written language disorder, characterized by poor single word decoding, poor spelling, poor word recognition, poor writing, poor fluency, phonological awareness is the core deficit, w/ unexpected intellect in tact!

Since phonological awareness is the core deficit of Dyslexia, that is where we shall begin… • These kids struggle w/ auditory discrimination!!! The inability to rhyme is often one of the first indicators. • This is why the Dyslexic child is absolutely dependent upon you to provide multisensory phonics instruction! So what does that look like?

What we KNOW works! • Rigor when it comes to phonemic awareness…MULTISENSORY! It can’t be when we “think” to include it…it must be a MUST and it MUST be every single day!

Multisensory…what it looks like… -VAKT…visual, auditory, kinesthetic, & tactile • These kids HAVE to have VAKT in every part of your language arts instruction!!!

Specifically • Kids MUST write in small group! (dry erase, sticky notes, magna-doodle, paper/pencil/marker/colored pencil, etc.) • Kids MUST touch in small group! (wikki stix, shaving cream, rough board, sand paper, flash cards, “touch & read”, etc.) • Kids MUST see in small group! ( your mouth making the sounds & be dramatic, their mouths making the sounds w/ a mirror, see the print on the board, in text, on cards, etc.) • Kids MUST hear in small group! (hear YOU, hear themselves, hear each other, hear songs, etc.)

Two BIGGIES… • Reading has two major components: decoding & comprehension…a weakness in phonological awareness interferes w/ decoding which interferes w/ comprension.

We have to begin teaching kids at a young age… READING begins with what you SEE and SPELLING begins with what you HEAR! This is very important for the Dyslexic learner!

If you take nothing else from today, take this… • Proper articulation of the correct sounds of graphemes is crucial!

The 6 Syllable Types…Know them for your kids! • VC • V V • VV VV • VCe • FSS • Vr

Spelling… • The MSLE way… • The best way in the classroom…

Instant Words aka Sight Words… • Progression of learned words… -flashcards, rows, columns, phrases, *sentences *Show sentence graphic organizer!

Cursive Handwriting… • The MSLE way… • The making the most out of whatever program way…

The goal of reading is ALWAYS comprehension! • The “W” chart…my new love!  -Preteach the Ws. -Choose appropriate text -Must teach vocab -It’s only multisensory if you give the kids part ownership.

The goal of multisensory education… • To give their brains multiple ways to grasp and recall the knowledge!

What soothes the Dyslexic learner?! • Predictability of routines and procedures! • Socratic questioning! Guessing is bad! • Visual prompts and anchors! • Organization!

YOU hold the key! • They are counting on YOU! YOU have the power to change their lives as learners which will DIRECTLY impact their success in school as well as quality of life as an adult! Feeling the pressure?! GOOD, we all should! School is a puzzle and you are charged w/ the assembly. If you discount any component, you will regret it one day!” Dr. Joy Harbin, Elementary Teacher of the Year 2012

Final thoughts… “When you teach for dyslexia, you also reach other areas of learning difficulty. Get it right for the dyslexic kids and you get it right for every kid in the class!” Courtney, 2009

Multisensory Education and the Dyslexic Child