Specific Learning

Disabilities; Dyslexia
By Macy Shane, Michelle Bollar, Tatiana Lind,
Kaitlyn Swenson, and Auston Robertson
Origins
•"word blindness"
• Coined in 1887
•1st reported case in
1896
Prevalence
• Most common
language based
learning disability
• Equal opportunity
disability
Causes

•Heredity
•Brain Function
•Cerebellum
•Hemispheres
Characteristics:
• Appears bright, highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell
at grade level.
• High in IQ, yet may not test well academically; tests well orally, but not written.
• Seems to “Zone out” or daydream often; gets lost easily or loses track of time.
• Difficulty sustaining attention; seems “hyper” or “daydreamer.”
• Learns best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation,
observation, and visual aids.
• Complains of dizziness, headaches or stomach aches while reading.
• Confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations.
Characteristics:
• Reading or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions,
substitutions, and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.
• Reads and rereads with little comprehension.
• Spells phonetically and inconsistently.
• Has extended hearing; hears things not said or apparent to others; easily distracted
by sounds.
• Trouble with writing or copying; pencil grip is unusual; handwriting varies or is
illegible.
• Has difficulty telling time, managing time, learning sequenced information or tasks,
or being on time.
Characteristics:
• Computing math shows dependence on finger counting and other tricks; knows
answers, but can’t do it on paper.
• Can count, but has difficulty counting objects and dealing with money.
• Can do arithmetic, but fails word problems; cannot grasp algebra or higher math.
• Poor memory for sequences, facts and information that has not been experienced.
• Extremely disorderly or compulsively orderly.
• Can be class clown, trouble-maker, or too quiet.
• Strong sense of justice; emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection.
• Mistakes and symptoms increase dramatically with confusion, time pressure,
emotional stress, or poor health.
Strategies for Teachers:
• Find something positive, something they have done well, and
acknowledge it.
• Increase print awareness by asking your student to look for
everything he/she can find with writing (i.e. McDonald’s sign,
labels, and packages).
• Provide multisensory experiences for students related to each
book that they read, such as using stories and coloring pages
(available with a story teller guide).
Strategies for Teachers:
• Explicitly and systematically teach math to students with
dyslexia (including models of proficient problem solving,
verbalization of thought processes, guided practice, corrective
feedback, and frequent cumulative review).
• Preview the title, pictures, chapter names, and bold-faced
words in order to make a prediction.
• Pre-teach key vocabulary for a particular unit or chapter
before introducing the text.
Strategies for Teachers:
• Explicitly teach “how to use” the table of contents, glossary,
index, headings, sidebars, charts, captions, and review
questions in a text book.
• Provide a set of textbooks for the student to take home and
to highlight.
• Assign class readings a week ahead of time for students to
preview. This will improve attention and comprehension.
• Give the student a choice of what to read within selected
genres, topics, and themes. High interest reading facilitates
comprehension and reading for pleasure.
Strategies for Teachers:
• Allow the student to use text-to-speech software for
information on the computer.
• Model active engagement with the text through visualization
of the scene (i.e. trying to make a “photograph” of the word
in his/her mind’s eye while enhancing visual features),
highlighting, note taking, or jotting down a question.
• Log unfamiliar words in a personal dictionary that includes
the sentence that contains the word, page number, a guess
about the meaning, the pronunciation, a dictionary
definition, and a new sentence using the word.
References
• Hallahan, Daniel P., James M. Kauffman and Paige C. Pullen.
Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special Education, 13E.
Pearson Education, Inc, 2015.
• Davis, Ronald Dell. (1992) 37 Common Characteristics of
Dyslexia. Retrieved December 12, 2017 from Davis Dyslexia
Association International. Dyslexia the Gift
website: http://www.dyslexia.com/?p=254.
• http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/professionals/dyslexia-
school/strategies-for-teachers