Ozark Therapy

The following dyslexia in-service is presented to you by Ozark Therapy Institute. The information to gathered and presented is from Beth Allen Nash best seller Dyslexia Outside-the-box.

Here’s how to get the most out of the content in this Execution Plan,

1. Read the entire EP once – Read through this entire EP, watch any videos and download the resources.  Don’t execute on the steps until you have finished reading the entire EP.  This will help you understand the progression of the steps and put them into context.
2. Complete the steps – This Execution Plan is a checklist.  Each step builds upon the next.  Complete each step in order.

Lastly, here’s how to use the Execution Plan interface.

View the example Execution Plan below…

1. Progress Bar – The Progress Bar shows you the percentage of the Execution Plan you have completed.
2. Check boxes – Click the check box to indicate completion of a Course Step or Course Section.
3. Course Sections – An Execution Plan is a series of steps that lead to the completion of milestones.  In this EP there are four milestones entitled Start Here, Pre-Launch, Launch and Post-Launch.
4. Course Steps – Each Course Section contains multiple steps.
5. Arrows – Use the Arrow Buttons to open and close the Course Steps in the Execution Plan.

What is Dyslexia?

What causes Dyslexia?

It’s in the genes. Just as the heading says, dyslexia is genetic. “It is very common to find someone in a dyslexic child’s parents’ or grandparents’ generation, and siblings and cousins, who also had or have similar struggles and strengths,” wrote author Beth Ellen Nash in her best seller ‘Dyslexia Outside-the-Box’.

She goes on to teach that at least three genes are linked to dyslexia and ten genetic factors are thought to be involved. Relatives, siblings, and ancestors who display visual, mechanical, or technical ways of thinking are likely the same ones challenged by reading, writing, and arithmetic.

In some you might only see the strengths of dyslexia which is referred to as ‘stealth dyslexia’ because are they able to hide their challenges or come up with creative ways to overcome them.

Specific language impairment can affect both receptive and expressive language including:

• Grammatical and syntactical development (such as correct verb tense, word order, and sentence structure)
• Semantic development (such as vocabulary knowledge)
• Phonological development (such as awareness of sounds in spoken language and the sound-symbol connection)

Dyslexia Outside-the-Box by Beth Ellen Nash; www.WingsToSoarOnline.com

Dysgraphia means difficulty writing by hand. It is associated with handwriting and spelling struggles and is often includes difficulty with being able to write thoughts onto paper.

Dyslexia Outside-the-Box by Beth Ellen Nash; www.WingsToSoarOnline.com

Auditory Processing

Visual Processing

Processing Speed

Highly sensitive people are those whose nervous system are more finely attuned to sensory stimuli. 15-20% of the general population are highly sensitive. If this is paired with dyslexia, it means that their needs as a highly sensitive person must be addressed in order for them to focus on learning. Their higher sensitivity might contribute to distractibility.

Dyslexia Outside-the-Box by Beth Ellen Nash; www.WingsToSoarOnline.com

Symptom Overview Chart

To get a diagnosis of dyslexia, low intelligence, and physical impairments may not be the cause of the student’s challenges. According to Beth Ellen Nash in her book ‘Dyslexia Outside-the-Box’, “Choosing to seek a formal diagnosis of dyslexia should be guided by whether or not the student can qualify for accommodations (educational strategies that even the playing field for students with dyslexia and other learning challenges) and/or services that might be recommended as a result of that diagnosis.”

Instead of immediately seeking a diagnosis, it is recommended to try early intervention strategies to help the student catch up first. If the student needs accommodations on high-stakes tests or if they are not responding well after six months too early intervention, it would then be appropriate to seek a formal diagnosis to find out more about their learning challenge.

If formally tested and diagnosed in elementary, middle, or early high school, another one will have to be obtained within three years of college entrance to continue to qualify for accommodations.

A medical professional must diagnose dyslexia. Family physicians are typically a good place to start for directing families to the professional in the area that can complete the testing. Commonly, a Licensed Neuropsychologist can complete the testing but can differ depending on who is available in the area.

According to the Mayo Clinic, there is not one standard test to be completed for diagnosing dyslexia, but rather a consideration of many different factors and observation of performance. Some of these factors include the following from www.mayoclinic.org

• The child’s development, educational issues, and medical history. The doctor will likely ask questions about these areas. The doctor will probably also want to know about any conditions that run in the child’s family, including whether any family members have a learning disability.
• The child’s home life. The doctor may ask for a description of family and home life, including who lives at home and whether there are any problems at home.
• Questionnaires. The child’s doctor may have the child, family members or teachers answer written questions. The child may be asked to take tests to identify reading and language abilities.
• Vision, hearing, and brain (neurological) tests. These can help determine whether another disorder may be causing or adding to the child’s poor reading ability.
• Psychological testing. The doctor may ask the parent or child questions to better understand the child’s psychological state. This can help determine whether social problems, anxiety or depression may be limiting the child’s abilities.
• Testing reading and other academic skills. The child may take a set of educational tests and have the process and quality of reading skills analyzed by a reading expert.

Students with dyslexia are often wrongly perceived as being lazy or unmotivated because their difficulties are in direct contrast with their amazing abilities. It is easy to see why someone with dyslexia might give up in despair when previous attempts are met with indifference. In the end, it is easier for these students to accept “I didn’t do well because I didn’t really try hard” than “I must be stupid; I tried very hard, but still didn’t succeed.”

Students with dyslexia actually work much harder than those without it to achieve the same level of academic learning mastery. Helping them embrace their strengths allows them to gain the resiliency to bounce back from the challenges of life.

(From ‘Dyslexia Outside-the-Box’ by Beth Ellen Nash)

Think of dyslexia as a way of thinking, or processing style. Do not let the strengths of someone with dyslexia go unrecognized. This chart lays out the typical deficits that are perceived vs. how they should be perceived as flip-side strengths.

From Dyslexia Outside the Box by Beth Ellen Nash, What is Phonological and Phonemic Awareness? Click here——> RETHINKING READING

How do phonics and fluency relate to dyslexia? PHONICS&FLUENCY

Here is how dyslexia effects vocabulary and comprehension? Vocabulary&Comprehension

“The point of all of the following phonological awareness activities is for the student to focus on and manipulate the sounds within words, not read the letters, symbols, and words. This skill is completely oral and auditory. Short daily practice with these kinds of exercises at the preschool and kindergarten levels, and for any older student who is not yet strong in these skills, is essential. Phonological awareness is one of the best predictors of reading success, and therefore of success in school,” (Beth Ellen Nash).

Beth Ellen Nash classifies words into three categories for students learning to spell.

1. Phonetically regular words with high frequency patterns that are worth learning.
2. “Outlaw words” which are small groups of words that break the rules together.
3. True “rule breakers” that just need to be memorized.

Many students with dyslexia are good at storytelling and can be very talented, creative writers if they can get their ideas down. Many students with dyslexia have a hard time expressing what is going on in their brains which can be due to dysgraphia. Dysgraphia is difficulty writing by hand, with other handwriting and spelling challenges. The following accommodations in this section can allow a students intellectual level blossom rather than be limited by a specific skill

Voice recording is an option is there is no partner available to scribe. The student or adult can later transcribe the cording to work further with it.

Scaffolding is a learning process that is designed to promote a deeper level of understanding. There are various types of scaffolding that can be provided by a parent or teacher to assist in a students learning. Some examples include:

Asking Essential Questions
– Ask questions that lead the student to an answer. Questions should:
Be open ended
Be thought provoking
Be able to be answered using critical-thinking skills
Allow for more than just an answer
– Essential questions should help stimulate stream-of-thought, facilitate development of ideas, draw out details, clarify points, and more!

Partnering– helps with focus, follow through, modeling “how to,” attention, and scaffolding growing executive-functioning skills.
– Partnering with cueing- verbalize your mental process. Communicate and let the student determine the pace. Example: “To me, ‘this means…” “What did you mean here?”
– Partnering as peer- Ask questions and give feedback, but be the sidekick and not the superhero.

Feedback
– Verbal feedback- give single concept feedback. Frequent, focused feedback is much more effective than overwhelming with it all at once.
– Correct the students work and provide feedback to the student on the same day it is completed. Prompt feedback is always best.

Check-in/Check-out– this is used to help a student focus on the day as a whole or a specific task.
– Schedule check-ins and check-outs daily. Do them at the beginning of the school day or project, and at the end.
– This helps to review what has happened, foreshadow next steps, and keep the student organized.

From ‘Dyslexia Outside-the-Box’ by Beth Ellen Nash (www.WingsToSoarOnline.com)

10 Things About Dyslexia Every Teacher Needs to Know