Practical Strategies for Living with Dyslexia

Maria Chivers

• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
• Year: 2001
• Print ISBN: 9781849854832
• eBook ISBN: 9781846422089
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Learning Disabilities

This little book does exactly what it sets out to do. It spells out all you need to know about different methods and strategies for treating dyslexia. So, if you want to know more about the many approaches to helping someone with dyslexia, then read this book. At the end of the day, you will be better informed to choose a way to suit your child. It is encouraging to read her list of famous people with dyslexia. It includes Hans Christian Anderson, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, Jeremy Irons, Jackie Stewart and Richard Branson. They haven't done too badly, have they?'

- www.family2000.org.uk

'This readable and useful little book has been written by a mother of two dyslexic sons. She writes about the hard road she travelled to find help and support for them. The book covers most of the questions that the parents of a dyslexic child would want answered, but it is just as useful to professionals who have a dyslexic child in their classroom or setting.

The importance of early identification is stressed and the author provides useful information about tests which can be administered to children as young as four years old.

There are informative chapters about the various successful techniques and strategies for working with dyslexic children, ranging from the well-publicised rose-coloured spectacles to the part played by a special diet.'

- Nursery World

Over the years, many quick fix approaches to cure dyslexia have been developed and used. These 'miracle cures' have offered hope to many parents who are left disillusioned by the school system and health service. With no other way to turn, many parents spend more and more money on special glasses, vitamins, exercises and specialist advice, but do they actually work? Written by a parent of two dyslexic sons, who herself searched for anything that would 'cure' them, this new book is a practical guide to dyslexia's many 'miracle cures'.

Practical Strategies for Living with Dyslexia suggests that early identification of this condition may be the key. Dyslexia is often not diagnosed until children have started school, yet testing is now available from the age of four-and-a-half. On top of this many dyslexics also have eye and ear problems that go undetected, which further exacerbates the problem.

Looking at the possible remedies available, such as tinted glasses, nutritional supplements and exercising, and considering the benefits of early identification of dyslexia, this book will be an essential practical resource for both the parents of, and the professionals who work, with people with dyslexia.

CHAPTER 1

What are Dyslexia and Dyscalculia?

Dyslexia

Dyslexia affects 4 per cent of the population. Problems can show themselves in reading, writing, number work, short-term memory, hand control and visual processing. Timekeeping, sense of direction and interpersonal skills can also be affected. These difficulties often result in great frustration, bearing in mind that dyslexics are often of high or above-average intelligence.

Dyslexia affects more males than females. Many of these children are extremely bright in lots of ways, always talking and asking questions; yet they do not seem to reach their full potential in the academic field. One of the best definitions of dyslexia I have heard is by Dr J. E. Cullis: ‘Dyslexia means having difficulty with words in reading, spelling and writing – in spite of having normal intelligence and ability.’

The following is a checklist for dyslexia. However, when children start school, they may make several of the mistakes listed below. It is only if these symptoms continue beyond the time that the average child has grown out of them that they may indicate dyslexia and advice should be sought.

Dyslexia Checklist

READING AND SPELLING

When your child reads and spells, does he frequently:

confuse letters that look similar: d – b, u – n, m – n

confuse letters that sound the same: v, f, th

reverse words: was – saw, now – won

transpose letters: left – felt, help – hepl

read a word correctly and then, further down the page, read it wrongly

change words around: the cat sat on the mat (the mat sat on the cat)

confuse small words: of, for, from

have difficulty in keeping the correct place

read correctly without understanding what he is reading?

WRITING

Even after frequent instruction does he still:

not know whether to use his right or left hand

leave out capital letters or use them in the wrong places

forget to dot i’s and cross t’s

form letters and numbers badly

fail to use margins

slope his writing down the page

use punctuation and paragraphs in the wrong places?

OTHER INDICATORS

late developer

other members of the family with similar difficulties

easily distracted and poor concentration

auditory difficulties

confusion between: left/right, east/west, up/down, over/under

sequencing difficulties: alphabet, nursery rhymes, months of the year, numbers in tables

holds pen too tightly

confusion with mathematical symbols (plus/minus, etc.)

problems telling the time

problems with tying shoelaces

mixed laterality (i.e. uses either right or left hand or eye, in writing and other tasks)

particular difficulty copying from a blackboard

short-term memory problems relating to printed words and instructions

inability to follow more than one instruction at a time

inability to use a dictionary or telephone directory

Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty in mathematics. Like dyslexia, dyscalculia can be caused by a visual perceptual deficit. Dyscalculia refers specifically to the inability to perform operations in maths or arithmetic. Along with dyslexia, the extent to which you can be affected varies tremendously in each individual. And like dyslexia, where there is no single set of signs that characterises all dyslexics, there is no one symtom of dyscalculia.

Dyscalculia Checklist

When your child attempts maths problems does he frequently have difficulties with:

recognising numbers

understanding the signs: +, –, / and x

adding numbers

subtracting numbers

the words ‘plus’, ‘add’, ‘add together’

the sequence of numbers – reversing numbers (e.g. 15 becomes 51) or transposing numbers (e.g. 364 becomes 634)

multiplication tables

mental arithmetic

telling the time

following instructions?

Students may have difficulties with mathematics, calculations and learning number facts such as multiplication tables. It is important that children start developing skills with sequencing, space organisation, deduction and strategy.

Around 60 per cent of dyslexics have difficulties with dyscalculia; yet although this has been well documented in the United States, it is still practically unheard of in Britain.

CHAPTER 2

Identifying Dyslexia

Many children experiencing difficulties at school do not have their problems identified until the child starts to fail. Some children are simply put down as lazy or as late developers. A child’s educational needs should be assessed and diagnosed as early as possible.

If your child is giving some cause for concern, or if he appears to be brighter than his achievements, you can arrange for a private dyslexic assessment. It is important to know where he is in his reading and spelling and that his strengths are identified and developed so he achieves success in some areas. Years ago, tests were only carried out after a child had reached seven years of age, or in many cases even later. These days there is a variety of tests available from four years of age. Some of these tests do not require a child to read or write – they simply ‘play’ with a computer.

Tests vary in duration from twenty minutes to four hours. The shorter test has a place as it can quickly and easily establish whether there is a problem, and usually what is causing it. The longer tests can take up to four hours and give a thorough background, including an intelligence quotient (IQ). The most comprehensive of all is the educational psychologist’s report. This is usually regarded as the Rolls Royce of tests.

All these tests give a good indication of the child’s strengths as well as his weaknesses. They also show where the child is at the moment and what he is capable of performing. It is no good expecting a child to be top of the class if he is not able to reach that level, nor is it right that we should accept a child’s underperforming if he is capable of doing better.

There are many different tests and assessments available today and I could not attempt to write about them all. I have listed the ones that I have used and that are well known in the field of dyslexia. The cost of the tests and assessments can range from £30 to £500.

Aston Index Assessment.	5–14 years
Cognitive Profiling System (CoPS) *	4–8 years
Dyslexia Early Screening Test (DEST)	4:6–6:5 years
Dyslexia Screening Test (DST)	6:6–16:5 years
Dyslexia Adult Screening Test (DAST)	16:6 years +
Educational Psychologist Report	Any age
Lucid Assessment System for Schools (LASS)*	11–15 years
Phonological Assessment Battery (PhAB)	6–14:11

*The Cognitive Profiling S...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Other Books
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Famous People with Dyslexia
• Introduction
• 1. What are Dyslexia and Dyscalculia?
• 2. Identifying Dyslexia
• 3. What Causes Dyslexia?
• 4. Vision
• 5. Hearing
• 6. Developmental
• 7. Chiropractic & Dyslexia by Dr Chris Vickers
• 8. Vitamins and Minerals
• 9. Multi-Sensory Teaching Methods
• 10. Can Computers Help?
• 11. Neurolinguistic Programming
• 12. Phono-Graphix
• 13. The Value of Play
• Conclusion
• I’m Not Marking this Mess by Mark Chivers
• Dyslexia A2Z
• Further Reading
• Useful Addresses
• The Contributors
• Index