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SGL Notes Newsletters>
SGL Notes - vol. VIII
January 14, 2004
Solid Ground Learning Notes – vol. VIII
Happy New Year Everyone!
The topic to begin 2004 is DYSLEXIA. Recently, there have
been some very exciting developments in the understanding
and treatment of this unique learning ability.
What is Dyslexia?
According to Dr. Sally Shaywitz, author or Overcoming
Dyslexia, ‘Dyslexia refers to a difficulty in learning to
read in a person who has good intelligence, strong
motivation, and who has received appropriate teaching.’ It
affects up to 1 in 5 school children.
Until now, the exact nature of the problem has eluded
doctors, teachers, parents and dyslexics themselves. It
was suspected that the real problem is laziness or
obstinacy or a proud parent’s inability to recognize that
his or her child isn’t that smart after all.
What does the new research say?
Dyslexics are not brain damaged. There appears to be a
glitch in the neurological wiring of dyslexics that makes
reading extremely difficult for them. Dr. Shaywitz states,
‘revolutionary brain imaging technology shows dyslexics use
different pathways; for reading, this presents a problem;
for thinking creatively, I believe, this presents an
extraordinary opportunity.’ Some of our greatest and most
talented writers, inventors and actors are also dyslexic.
Through the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI), neuroscientists have been able to identify three
areas of the left side of the brain that play a key role in
reading. In layman’s terms they are known as the ‘phoneme
producer’, the ‘word analyzer’, and the ‘automatic
detector’. These three areas of the brain actually work
simultaneously, like the sections of an orchestra.
The first area vocalizes or breaks the word down into
phonemes (cat is /k/ . . . /a/ . . . /t/). The second area
analyzes the word further into syllables. The third area
has the job of word recognition. At this stage the process
is automatic.
The fMRI studies have shown that people with dyslexia have
difficulty gaining access to the ‘word analyzer’ and the
‘automatic detector’. Instead they tend to compensate for
the problem by over activating the ‘phoneme producer’.
The problem is actually two-fold. First, there is an
inherent difficulty in making sense out of phonemes.
Second, because recognizing words doesn’t become automatic,
reading is slow and labored.
What is it like to be dyslexic?
Imagine having to deal with each word you see as if you had
never come across it before.
Dyslexics talk about being able to see things in 3-D
Technicolor or as a multidimensional chess game.
Dyslexics are often skilled problem solvers coming at
solutions from surprising angles, leaving conventional
sequential thinkers in the dust.
Common signs (not proof) of dyslexia
• Preschool children:
o May talk later than most children
o May have difficulty pronouncing words, i.e., ‘busgetti’
for ‘spaghetti’, ‘mawn lower’ for ‘lawn mower’
o May be slow to add new vocabulary words
o May be unable to recall the right word
o May have trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, days of
the week, colors, shapes, how to spell and write his or her
name
o May be unable to follow multi-step directions or routines
o Fine motor skills may develop more slowly than in other
children
o May have difficulty telling and/or retelling a story in
the correct sequence
o Often has difficulty separating sounds in words and
blending sounds to make words
• K to 4th Grade Students
o May be slow to learn the connection between letters and
sounds
o Has difficulty decoding single words (reading single
words in isolation)
o Has difficulty spelling phonetically
o Makes consistent reading and spelling errors such as:
? Letter reversals – ‘d’ for ‘b’ as in ‘dog’ for ‘bog’
? Word reversals – ‘tip’ for ‘pit’
? Inversions - ‘ m’ for ‘w’, ‘u’ for ‘n’
? Substitutions – ‘house’ for ‘home’
o May confuse small words – ‘at’ for ‘to’, ‘said’ for
‘and’, ‘does’ for ‘goes’
o Relies on guessing and context
o May have difficulty learning new vocabulary
o May transpose number sequences and confuse arithmetic
signs (+,-,x,/,=)
o May have trouble remembering facts
o May be slow to learn new skills; relies heavily on
memorizing without understanding
o May have difficulty planning, organizing and managing
time, materials, and tasks
o Often uses an awkward pencil grip (fist, thumb hooked
over fingers, etc.)
o May have poor ‘fine motor’ coordination
Source: Basic Facts about Dyslexia: What Every Layperson
Ought to Know
If you suspect that your child/grandchild has dyslexia, I
suggest that you have him or her SOI assessed.
Recommendations can then be made to address his or her
particular learning style.
In the majority of cases sensory motor integration
activities (balance board, rotation board, and visual
processing exercises) help develop the neuropath ways that
get the dyslexic from the ‘phoneme producer’ area to the
‘word analyzer’ area and eventually to the ‘automatic
detector’ area where reading becomes a pleasure.
It is also important to work on developing a strong
connection between letters (individual and blends) and
their sounds. A phonics approach is recommended (providing
that the child is an auditory learner).
In the next SGL Notes I will be focusing on Phonics and
Phonemic Awareness.
Quote For the Day:
“You are always a valuable, worthwhile human being – not
because anybody says so, not because you’re successful, not
because you make a lot of money – but because you decide to
believe it and for no other reason.”
- Wayne Dyer (Psychotherapist)
Until next time,
Jennifer Sackley
SOI Practitioner
Solid Ground Learning
solid.ground@shaw.ca
www.solidgroundlearning.com
If you do not wish to receive my monthly e-mails, please
advise me and I will immediately remove you from my address
book.
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