[NIFL-LD:3810] Re: No support for Phonetic awareness as

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Subject: [NIFL-LD:3810] Re: No support for Phonetic awareness as
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Dear Lucille,

I am glad you son is doing so well. If however he is dyslexic, he will not 
be able to read above the fifth grade level which will be reflected in his 
comprehension. As he progresses in school, the demands on reading increase. 
In college, it will be very difficult for him to keep up and be competitive 
given the amount of reading that will be required. How is he going to keep 
up? A reading disability is a perceptual deficit disorder and there is no 
program that can address perceptual deficit disorders. To be successful 
academically a student will need their books on tape and learn to speed 
listen. The will also need to learn how to convert printed material to 
ascii text through the use of a scanner and OCR program. I am quite certain 
that they cannot read at 250 or so words per minute and understand what 
they read. The could however listen at that rate and have good 
understanding of the material. The books are free, both text books and 
books found in the public library. How much more time would they have for 
extra-curricular activities or additional studying? They do better on tests 
and in most areas of academics because of their faster access to reading 
material and therefore better comprehension. Why not avail your son of this 
technology? It will also lessen the amount of extra effort he now must do 
to keep up. As time goes on it becomes more and more difficulty to maintain 
yourself assuming the school is academically challenging and not just 
passing people through. You know that 30 to 40 percent of high school 
graduates are in developmental and remedial programs in community colleges 
all over the country. There are exceptions but mighty few. Your son may be 
an exception but I doubt it.

It is not unusual for students in junior high and high school to have 
little to read and little homework involving any real amount of reading. 
This is not true in college. If he is not able to keep up, he will again 
meet with failure. Foreign languages taught in high school sometimes focus 
on the spoken form of the foreign language and hot the reading and writing. 
Some students make it through on personality and "extra credit work" but 
run into difficulty in college. I have heard your story many times from 
parents and students who are unable to keep up with the demands of a 
college or university and run into problems. It is some thing to consider. 
If the OG+ methods work, why is he behind in reading?  What is his reading 
rate? That is the key. Reading speed is essential to be competitive 
academically.

A person's brain is not completely developed until they are 22 yrs. old. 
All the parts involved in reading however are developed and on line at 
about age 12 1/2. A person with a reading disability will never read any 
better than they can at age 12. Some who are deprived of instruction might 
benefit after 12 1/2 but they will not get above the 5th grade level no 
matter what remediation is used. Your son may be different but I have never 
known of anyone with a reading disability to read any better than the fifth 
grade and no real improvement after 12 yrs of age. These are the facts.

These OG+ methods are more about the proponents and the maintaining a 
dismal paradigm than anything else. I refer you to the following report 
made to congress.

OUTCOME IN ADOLESCENCE AND YOUNG ADULTHOOD

Well designed follow up studies have repeatedly shown that reading 
disabilities persist into late adolescence and young adulthood (Maughan, 
1995) . Comprehension skills may improve, but the progress of poor readers 
is often slower than that of their normalreading peers. General 
intelligence and initial severity of reading disorder are the most 
consistent predictors of early adult reading levels. Reading comprehension 
and word recognition skills can continue to improve well into adulthood, 
but this seems dependent on experience and practice with literacy 
materials. The most consistent finding across studies, however, is that 
adults who received the diagnosis of reading disability as children 
continue to have problems with phonological coding when reading or 
performing phonemic awareness tasks (Bruck, 1985, 1992, Pennington et al., 
1990) These difficulties are particularly evident when spelling (Adelman 
and Vogel, 1991; Denckla, 1993) and reading nonwords or unfamiliar words 
(Elbro et al., 1994; Pennington et al., 1987; Scarborough, 1984). In 
addition, a slower reading rate is typical of adults identified as 
reading-disabled in childhood (Denckla, 1993; Johnson, 1987). With adequate 
supports, children with reading problems can make good educational 
progress, although they take longer to achieve a given level of competence 
compared with nondisabled controls (Maughan, 1995).

Part of the reason for this dismal prognosis is the focus on remediation 
and unrealistic expectations of students. There is no support for this 
constant remediation. The proponents of phonetic awareness are so 
threatened by the idea that it is not supported by results that they look 
for more and more research to support their myth. The fact is that a person 
with a reading disability will never read above the 5th grade level. There 
is no research that demonstrates that any remediation has any real impact 
on the ultimate reading ability of a person with a reading disability.

I got a call from a person ( I will call John, not the correct name) who is 
an adult and participating in an adult reading program. John was diagnosed 
in elementary school with a reading disability. John  failed the GED twice 
and is studying to take it a third time. I asked him how he is studying for 
the test. He stated that he goes to the adult reading program and reads the 
study books. I asked him is he is learning anything from reading the study 
material. He said not much but they continue to teach him the sounds of the 
letters and words. I asked him if he had any books on tape and he said he 
never heard of books on tape. I asked if anyone read these study materials 
to him and he said no. He did say that he understands everything that is 
told to him. He heard books being read on the radio one time and said he 
had no trouble following and understanding everything that was read. No one 
in the adult reading program mentioned to him anything about books on tape, 
speed listening, having the GED read to him, having his computer read to 
him at an accelerated rate, and using accommodations to study for the GED. 
I very confident that when this man has the opportunity to accommodate his 
disability he will have no trouble passing the GED and if he wishes 
completing a college degree. I have suggested that he stop going to the 
adult reading program and start listening to books. I will set him up with 
the necessary information and material. Unfortunately he is not the 
exception. I have had many calls with the same complaint.

I do not understand this kind of abusive behavior. It is abusive because it 
places him under unrealistic expectations and then leaves him to blame 
himself for not passing the GED and reading better.  I do not know how the 
faculty in that program sleep at night but they are adamant about the myth 
of phonetic awareness. I have asked list the following questions several 
times:

What criteria do you use to determine what program to purchase and use with 
your clients?
What are the criteria that you use to measure your results?
How do you define a good result?
If phonetic awareness is the cause, than why does progress in reading using 
these OG+ methods stop at the fifth grade?
What do you tell someone when they get stuck in at the fifth grade level 
and cannot go any further?

I have never had a direct answer to these questions. I am not interested in 
endless quoting of research and attacks on me. Clearly the fact that no one 
has directly answered is an answer in itself. If you cant answer the 
question, attack the questioner.

It is a shame that so many are denied the means to be successful 
academically and post academically because of the myth of phonetic 
awareness. Think of what could happen if people with reading disabilities 
were taught how to speed listen, dictate, and access information at a 
reasonable rapid rate. I know of a student who has a reading disability and 
is maintaining himself in an academic program where he is required to read 
1000 to 1500 pages a week. He could not do this with without his knowledge 
of technology and his learned ability to use it efficiently and 
independently. He is not an exception, he just had the opportunity to learn 
how to do it. It is not a question of can or can't, it is only how. OG+ 
cannot enable anyone to read at a rate fast enough to keep up with that 
amount of reading required in a college or university. It is difficulty 
enough even for those who are good readers.

You know, I wish I was wrong and the prognosis was better but the facts are 
the facts. You can argue the methods but you cannot argue the facts. 
Attacking me will not change the facts. Effective strategies that produce 
meaningful results can change these terrible facts. But hey, I am just a 
person who gets dramatic results with the majority of clients attending and 
completing college and university programs as well as graduate programs. Do 
your programs have those results?

Clif


At 02:16 PM 12/27/01 -0500, you wrote:
>Cliff,
>
>
>     I HAVE A 14 YEAR OLD WHO HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED ADHD/ INATTENTIVE TYPE AND
>DYSLEXIC. I NOTICED HIM FALLING OFF THE BELL CURVE IN THE SPRING OF HIS
>SECOND GRADE YEAR, LEARNING A SIGHT READING TECHNIQUE PROGRAM.
>     AT THAT TIME I HAD HIM TESTED AT THE MGH LEARNING DISORDER CLINIC,
>BOSTON, MA. THEY DIAGNOSED AND I FOLLOWED THROUGH ADVOCATING FOR PHONETIC
>TUTORING. I HAD HIM IN AN ORTON GILLNGHAM AND PHONETIC VISUAL PROGRAM CALLED
>THE STEVENSON READING.
>     I ASKED WHICH HE LIKED BEST AND HE SAID BOTH. I TOLD HIM HE COULD STAY
>IN BOTH PROGRAMS, HOWEVER THE ORTON TAUGHT AT SCHOOL REQUIRED HE LEAVE HIS
>CLASS AND MEET IN A SMALL GROUP WITH SOME PEERS. HE RESENTED LEAVING HIS
>CLASS BY THE FOURTH GRADE.
>         CONSEQUENTLY HE RESUMED THE GENERAL PROGRAM IN SCHOOL AND CONTINUED
>AFTER SCHOOL WITH THE PRIVATE TUTOR ONE HOUR A WEEK FOR ANOTHER 3 YEARS. WE
>MET PERIODICALLY DURING THE SUMMER AS WELL.
>     HE IS A FRESHMEN NOW HAS BEEN ON RITALIN SR FROM THE 5TH GRADE TO THE
>7TH. WE CHANGED TO ADDERALL THEN TO ADDRESS THE DEFERRED GROWTH PATTERN OF
>RITALIN. BOYS DON'T WANT TO BE SMALLER THAN THEIR PEERS.
>     WE BEGAN ADDERALL AT 15MG DAILY AND PRESENTLY HE CONTINUES TO BE
>ADVANCED IN MATH, SPATIAL THINKING, ABOUT 1 YEAR BELOW GRADE LEVEL IN
>READING, AND HAS MADE HONOR ROLL EVEN WHILE LEARNING A LANGUAGE / FRENCH.
>     WE TAUGHT HIM EARLY TO MANAGE THE DYSLEXIA THROUGH ANY MEDIUM THAT WOULD
>HELP HIM. HE LEARNED TO SCUBA DIVE AT 12 AND IS CURRENTLY IN A LIFEGUARD
>COURSE. HE REALIZED HE CAN LEARN, BUT WILL HAVE TO WORK HARDER THAN OTHERS,
>BUT HE SUCCEEDS AND HIS INNOVATIVE THINKING MAKES HIM A GREATER VALUE TO
>SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.
>     HAVING BOTH ADD AND DYSLEXIA, HE HAS LEARNED HOW FAILURE FEELS AND WE
>HAVE WORKED HARD TO ADVOCATE TO SET HIM UP TO SUCCEED. HE IS IN A MAIN
>STREAM CLASSROOM WITH FEW ACCOMMODATIONS. UNTIMED TESTS, PREFERENTIAL
>SEATING, AND ORGANIZED MAPPING TO ENHANCE A STORIES MAIN IDEAS AND SEPARATE
>SUPPORTIVE DETAILS. CURRENTLY I AM CORRESPONDING WITH CURRY COLLEGE PAL
>PROGRAM TO INITIATE COMPLEMENTING HIS HIGH SCHOOL STUDY HABITS WITH
>TECHNIQUES FROM THEIR PROGRAM HE FINDS HELPFUL. HE IS INVOLVED IN EVERY
>ASPECT OF HIS ED PLAN AND HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A LEADER IN THE CLASSROOM.
>     WHEN WE STARTED THE SUPPORTIVE ED.PLAN, AT THE THIRD GRADE LEVEL, WE
>NEVER KNEW WHAT LAY AHEAD FOR OBSTACLES. I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT MY SON'S
>COMMITMENT AND WILLINGNESS, MGH'S SUPPORT, NOR THE VISUAL READING PROGRAM WE
>ADDED TO HIS GENERAL ED PLAN.
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Lucille Cuttler <lu@projectliteracy.org>
>To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov>
>Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 12:24 PM
>Subject: [NIFL-LD:3630] Re: No support for Phonetic awareness as cause of
>
>
> > Art!  This is another voice to support Don.  As director of Project
> > Literacy/Outreach, Inc., we develop volunteer literacy tutors to use Orton
> > Gillingham technique.  Experience proves this is usually the missing tool.
> > People who have had years of remediation with other methods testify that
>the
> > method works.   It makes sense when you consider there are 26 letters to
> > represent 44 sounds.  The nice thing is that you can teach the sound
>symbol
> > correspondence and everyone is happy - the student and the teacher.  Once
> > the colleges include this in developing teachers we will stop the growth
> > industry in illiteracy.  Lucille Cuttler, Director
> > www.projectliteracy.org
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nifl-ld@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-ld@nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Art
> > LaChance
> > Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 8:57 AM
> > To: Multiple recipients of list
> > Subject: [NIFL-LD:3629] Re: No support for Phonetic awareness as cause
> > of
> >
> >
> > Clif,
> >
> > MEd in Rehab Counseling I have.  Worked with bunches of LD, ADD, ADHD,
>Brain
> > Injured, and mental health, children and adults, in several formats and
> > environments.  Currently in adult literacy, working with the same groups.
> >
> > It's not a black and white issue.  Many different ways to break an arm.
> > Your
> > understanding holds true for a very limited percentage of those saddled
>with
> > the disablility, and it needs to be noted that the LD ADD ADHD titles are
> > disabling all in themselves.  It often appears that the community
>completing
> > the assessment doesn't always know what they're looking at and the
> > requesting
> > authority only is concerned with getting a label for the child.
> >
> > I could go on but basically I support anything Don McCabe would tell you.
> >
> > Art
> >
> >
> > Art LaChance
> > Gilmer Learning Center
> > Ellijay, GA
> >
> >
> >
> > Clifton Willard wrote:
> >
> > > As an introduction, My name is Clif Willard and I am a Licensed
> > > Professional Mental Health Service Provider in Tennessee. I have a
>masters
> > > degree in communications and a second masters degree in educational and
> > > counseling psychology. I also spent 2 years in a graduate program for
> > > special education, multiple disabilities. I read on a third grade level
> > and
> > > have ADHD myself. I attended thirteen different elementary schools and
> > > dropped out of high school after six weeks in the ninth grade. I am an
> > > adjunct assistant professor and teach a graduate class in ADHD and
> > Language
> > > Based Disabilities. I am in private practice and concentrate on young
> > adult
> > > and adult clients with language based disabilities and
> > > Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Most clients participate in
> > > counseling on a weekly basis for several years rather then short term
> > > therapy. Several years ago I participated in this list. At that time I
> > felt
> > > that there was no real support for the idea that a lack of phonetic
> > > awareness was the cause of a reading disability. Over the last 10 years
>I
> > > have not found any research that supports this theory.
> > >
> > > My clinical experience does however support the notion that a reading
> > > disability is caused by a perceptual deficit and that this perceptual
> > > deficit is caused by a timing problem of one of the processors being out
> > of
> > > sync with the other processors in the system. It is a timing problem and
> > > dynamic. Because it is dynamic, people with a reading disability can
> > appear
> > > to "do it" one minute but can't ten minutes later. It is part of the
> > > disability, not an indication that they are "getting it." A broken clock
> > > tells the correct time twice a day.
> > >
> > > I am aware that 98 percent of the research supports phonetic awareness
>as
> > > does Sally Shaywits at Yale. I have looked at much of the research and
> > find
> > > that it makes all kinds of assumptions that are not supported in the
> > > experience of those with the disabilities. Dr. Shaywits' research seems
>to
> > > epitomize the folly of the research on reading disabilities/dyslexia. I
> > was
> > > wondering what you think??
> > >
> > > Clif
> >

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Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<html>
Dear Lucille,<br><br>
I am glad you son is doing so well. If however he is dyslexic, he will
not be able to read above the fifth grade level which will be reflected
in his comprehension. As he progresses in school, the demands on reading
increase. In college, it will be very difficult for him to keep up and be
competitive given the amount of reading that will be required. How is he
going to keep up? A reading disability is a perceptual deficit disorder
and there is no program that can address perceptual deficit disorders. To
be successful academically a student will need their books on tape and
learn to speed listen. The will also need to learn how to convert printed
material to ascii text through the use of a scanner and OCR program. I am
quite certain that they cannot read at 250 or so words per minute and
understand what they read. The could however listen at that rate and have
good understanding of the material. The books are free, both text books
and books found in the public library. How much more time would they have
for extra-curricular activities or additional studying? They do better on
tests and in most areas of academics because of their faster access to
reading material and therefore better comprehension. Why not avail your
son of this technology? It will also lessen the amount of extra effort he
now must do to keep up. As time goes on it becomes more and more
difficulty to maintain yourself assuming the school is academically
challenging and not just passing people through. You know that 30 to 40
percent of high school graduates are in developmental and remedial
programs in community colleges all over the country. There are exceptions
but mighty few. Your son may be an exception but I doubt it.<br><br>
It is not unusual for students in junior high and high school to have
little to read and little homework involving any real amount of reading.
This is not true in college. If he is not able to keep up, he will again
meet with failure. Foreign languages taught in high school sometimes
focus on the spoken form of the foreign language and hot the reading and
writing. Some students make it through on personality and &quot;extra
credit work&quot; but run into difficulty in college. I have heard your
story many times from parents and students who are unable to keep up with
the demands of a college or university and run into problems. It is some
thing to consider. If the OG+ methods work, why is he behind in
reading?&nbsp; What is his reading rate? That is the key. Reading speed
is essential to be competitive academically. <br><br>
A person's brain is not completely developed until they are 22 yrs. old.
All the parts involved in reading however are developed and on line at
about age 12 1/2. A person with a reading disability will never read any
better than they can at age 12. Some who are deprived of instruction
might benefit after 12 1/2 but they will not get above the 5th grade
level no matter what remediation is used. Your son may be different but I
have never known of anyone with a reading disability to read any better
than the fifth grade and no real improvement after 12 yrs of age. These
are the facts.<br><br>
These OG+ methods are more about the proponents and the maintaining a
dismal paradigm than anything else. I refer you to the following report
made to congress.<br><br>
<font face=3D"Arial, Helvetica" size=3D2>OUTCOME IN ADOLESCENCE AND YOUNG
ADULTHOOD<br><br>
Well designed </font><font face=3D"Courier New, Courier" size=3D2>follow up
studies have repeatedly shown that reading disabilities persist into late
adolescence and young adulthood (Maughan, 1995) </font><font size=3D1>.
</font><font face=3D"Courier New, Courier" size=3D2>Comprehension skills may
improve, but the progress of poor readers is often slower than that of
their normalreading peers. General intelligence and initial severity of
reading disorder are the most consistent predictors of early adult
reading levels. Reading comprehension and word recognition skills can
continue to improve well into adulthood, but this seems dependent on
experience and practice with literacy materials. The most consistent
finding across studies, however, is that adults who received the
diagnosis of reading disability as children continue to have problems
with phonological coding when reading or performing phonemic awareness
tasks (Bruck, 1985, 1992, Pennington et al., 1990) These difficulties are
particularly evident when spelling (Adelman and Vogel, 1991; Denckla,
1993) and reading nonwords or unfamiliar words (Elbro et al., 1994;
Pennington et al., 1987; Scarborough, 1984). In addition, a slower
reading rate is typical of adults identified as reading-disabled in
childhood (Denckla, 1993; Johnson, 1987). With adequate supports,
children with reading problems can make good educational progress,
although they take longer to achieve a given level of competence compared
with nondisabled controls (Maughan, 1995).<br>
<x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab><br>
</font>Part of the reason for this dismal prognosis is the focus on
remediation and unrealistic expectations of students. There is no support
for this constant remediation. The proponents of phonetic awareness are
so threatened by the idea that it is not supported by results that they
look for more and more research to support their myth. The fact is that a
person with a reading disability will never read above the 5th grade
level. There is no research that demonstrates that any remediation has
any real impact on the ultimate reading ability of a person with a
reading disability. <br><br>
I got a call from a person ( I will call John, not the correct name) who
is an adult and participating in an adult reading program. John was
diagnosed in elementary school with a reading disability. John&nbsp;
failed the GED twice and is studying to take it a third time. I asked him
how he is studying for the test. He stated that he goes to the adult
reading program and reads the study books. I asked him is he is learning
anything from reading the study material. He said not much but they
continue to teach him the sounds of the letters and words. I asked him if
he had any books on tape and he said he never heard of books on tape. I
asked if anyone read these study materials to him and he said no. He did
say that he understands everything that is told to him. He heard books
being read on the radio one time and said he had no trouble following and
understanding everything that was read. No one in the adult reading
program mentioned to him anything about books on tape, speed listening,
having the GED read to him, having his computer read to him at an
accelerated rate, and using accommodations to study for the GED. I very
confident that when this man has the opportunity to accommodate his
disability he will have no trouble passing the GED and if he wishes
completing a college degree. I have suggested that he stop going to the
adult reading program and start listening to books. I will set him up
with the necessary information and material. Unfortunately he is not the
exception. I have had many calls with the same complaint.<br><br>
I do not understand this kind of abusive behavior. It is abusive because
it places him under unrealistic expectations and then leaves him to blame
himself for not passing the GED and reading better.&nbsp; I do not know
how the faculty in that program sleep at night but they are adamant about
the myth of phonetic awareness. I have asked list the following questions
several times: <br><br>
What criteria do you use to determine what program to purchase and use
with your clients?<br>
What are the criteria that you use to measure your results?<br>
How do you define a good result?<br>
If phonetic awareness is the cause, than why does progress in reading
using these OG+ methods stop at the fifth grade? <br>
What do you tell someone when they get stuck in at the fifth grade level
and cannot go any further?<br><br>
I have never had a direct answer to these questions. I am not interested
in endless quoting of research and attacks on me. Clearly the fact that
no one has directly answered is an answer in itself. If you cant answer
the question, attack the questioner. <br><br>
It is a shame that so many are denied the means to be successful
academically and post academically because of the myth of phonetic
awareness. Think of what could happen if people with reading disabilities
were taught how to speed listen, dictate, and access information at a
reasonable rapid rate. I know of a student who has a reading disability
and is maintaining himself in an academic program where he is required to
read 1000 to 1500 pages a week. He could not do this with without his
knowledge of technology and his learned ability to use it efficiently and
independently. He is not an exception, he just had the opportunity to
learn how to do it. It is not a question of can or can't, it is only how.
OG+ cannot enable anyone to read at a rate fast enough to keep up with
that amount of reading required in a college or university. It is
difficulty enough even for those who are good readers.<br><br>
You know, I wish I was wrong and the prognosis was better but the facts
are the facts. You can argue the methods but you cannot argue the facts.
Attacking me will not change the facts. Effective strategies that produce
meaningful results can change these terrible facts. But hey, I am just a
person who gets dramatic results with the majority of clients attending
and completing college and university programs as well as graduate
programs. Do your programs have those results? <br><br>
Clif<br><br>
<br>
At 02:16 PM 12/27/01 -0500, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=3Dcite class=3Dcite cite>Cliff,<br><br>
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I HAVE A 14 YEAR OLD WHO HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED ADHD/
INATTENTIVE TYPE AND<br>
DYSLEXIC. I NOTICED HIM FALLING OFF THE BELL CURVE IN THE SPRING OF
HIS<br>
SECOND GRADE YEAR, LEARNING A SIGHT READING TECHNIQUE PROGRAM.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; AT THAT TIME I HAD HIM TESTED AT THE MGH LEARNING
DISORDER CLINIC,<br>
BOSTON, MA. THEY DIAGNOSED AND I FOLLOWED THROUGH ADVOCATING FOR
PHONETIC<br>
TUTORING. I HAD HIM IN AN ORTON GILLNGHAM AND PHONETIC VISUAL PROGRAM
CALLED<br>
THE STEVENSON READING.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I ASKED WHICH HE LIKED BEST AND HE SAID BOTH. I TOLD
HIM HE COULD STAY<br>
IN BOTH PROGRAMS, HOWEVER THE ORTON TAUGHT AT SCHOOL REQUIRED HE LEAVE
HIS<br>
CLASS AND MEET IN A SMALL GROUP WITH SOME PEERS. HE RESENTED LEAVING
HIS<br>
CLASS BY THE FOURTH GRADE.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; CONSEQUENTLY HE RESUMED THE
GENERAL PROGRAM IN SCHOOL AND CONTINUED<br>
AFTER SCHOOL WITH THE PRIVATE TUTOR ONE HOUR A WEEK FOR ANOTHER 3 YEARS.
WE<br>
MET PERIODICALLY DURING THE SUMMER AS WELL.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; HE IS A FRESHMEN NOW HAS BEEN ON RITALIN SR FROM THE
5TH GRADE TO THE<br>
7TH. WE CHANGED TO ADDERALL THEN TO ADDRESS THE DEFERRED GROWTH PATTERN
OF<br>
RITALIN. BOYS DON'T WANT TO BE SMALLER THAN THEIR PEERS.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; WE BEGAN ADDERALL AT 15MG DAILY AND PRESENTLY HE
CONTINUES TO BE<br>
ADVANCED IN MATH, SPATIAL THINKING, ABOUT 1 YEAR BELOW GRADE LEVEL
IN<br>
READING, AND HAS MADE HONOR ROLL EVEN WHILE LEARNING A LANGUAGE /
FRENCH.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; WE TAUGHT HIM EARLY TO MANAGE THE DYSLEXIA THROUGH ANY
MEDIUM THAT WOULD<br>
HELP HIM. HE LEARNED TO SCUBA DIVE AT 12 AND IS CURRENTLY IN A
LIFEGUARD<br>
COURSE. HE REALIZED HE CAN LEARN, BUT WILL HAVE TO WORK HARDER THAN
OTHERS,<br>
BUT HE SUCCEEDS AND HIS INNOVATIVE THINKING MAKES HIM A GREATER VALUE
TO<br>
SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; HAVING BOTH ADD AND DYSLEXIA, HE HAS LEARNED HOW
FAILURE FEELS AND WE<br>
HAVE WORKED HARD TO ADVOCATE TO SET HIM UP TO SUCCEED. HE IS IN A
MAIN<br>
STREAM CLASSROOM WITH FEW ACCOMMODATIONS. UNTIMED TESTS,
PREFERENTIAL<br>
SEATING, AND ORGANIZED MAPPING TO ENHANCE A STORIES MAIN IDEAS AND
SEPARATE<br>
SUPPORTIVE DETAILS. CURRENTLY I AM CORRESPONDING WITH CURRY COLLEGE
PAL<br>
PROGRAM TO INITIATE COMPLEMENTING HIS HIGH SCHOOL STUDY HABITS WITH<br>
TECHNIQUES FROM THEIR PROGRAM HE FINDS HELPFUL. HE IS INVOLVED IN
EVERY<br>
ASPECT OF HIS ED PLAN AND HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A LEADER IN THE
CLASSROOM.<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; WHEN WE STARTED THE SUPPORTIVE ED.PLAN, AT THE THIRD
GRADE LEVEL, WE<br>
NEVER KNEW WHAT LAY AHEAD FOR OBSTACLES. I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT MY
SON'S<br>
COMMITMENT AND WILLINGNESS, MGH'S SUPPORT, NOR THE VISUAL READING PROGRAM
WE<br>
ADDED TO HIS GENERAL ED PLAN.<br><br>
<br><br>
----- Original Message -----<br>
From: Lucille Cuttler &lt;lu@projectliteracy.org&gt;<br>
To: Multiple recipients of list &lt;nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov&gt;<br>
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 12:24 PM<br>
Subject: [NIFL-LD:3630] Re: No support for Phonetic awareness as cause
of<br><br>
<br>
&gt; Art!&nbsp; This is another voice to support Don.&nbsp; As director
of Project<br>
&gt; Literacy/Outreach, Inc., we develop volunteer literacy tutors to use
Orton<br>
&gt; Gillingham technique.&nbsp; Experience proves this is usually the
missing tool.<br>
&gt; People who have had years of remediation with other methods testify
that<br>
the<br>
&gt; method works.&nbsp;&nbsp; It makes sense when you consider there are
26 letters to<br>
&gt; represent 44 sounds.&nbsp; The nice thing is that you can teach the
sound<br>
symbol<br>
&gt; correspondence and everyone is happy - the student and the
teacher.&nbsp; Once<br>
&gt; the colleges include this in developing teachers we will stop the
growth<br>
&gt; industry in illiteracy.&nbsp; Lucille Cuttler, Director<br>
&gt;
<a href=3D"http://www.projectliteracy.org/"=
 eudora=3D"autourl">www.projectliteracy.org</a><br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; -----Original Message-----<br>
&gt; From: nifl-ld@nifl.gov
[<a href=3D"mailto:nifl-ld@nifl.gov" eudora=3D"autourl">mailto:nifl-ld@nifl.=
gov</a>]On
Behalf Of Art<br>
&gt; LaChance<br>
&gt; Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 8:57 AM<br>
&gt; To: Multiple recipients of list<br>
&gt; Subject: [NIFL-LD:3629] Re: No support for Phonetic awareness as
cause<br>
&gt; of<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; Clif,<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; MEd in Rehab Counseling I have.&nbsp; Worked with bunches of LD,
ADD, ADHD,<br>
Brain<br>
&gt; Injured, and mental health, children and adults, in several formats
and<br>
&gt; environments.&nbsp; Currently in adult literacy, working with the
same groups.<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; It's not a black and white issue.&nbsp; Many different ways to break
an arm.<br>
&gt; Your<br>
&gt; understanding holds true for a very limited percentage of those
saddled<br>
with<br>
&gt; the disablility, and it needs to be noted that the LD ADD ADHD
titles are<br>
&gt; disabling all in themselves.&nbsp; It often appears that the
community<br>
completing<br>
&gt; the assessment doesn't always know what they're looking at and
the<br>
&gt; requesting<br>
&gt; authority only is concerned with getting a label for the=20
child.<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; I could go on but basically I support anything Don McCabe would tell
you.<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; Art<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; Art LaChance<br>
&gt; Gilmer Learning Center<br>
&gt; Ellijay, GA<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; Clifton Willard wrote:<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; &gt; As an introduction, My name is Clif Willard and I am a
Licensed<br>
&gt; &gt; Professional Mental Health Service Provider in Tennessee. I
have a<br>
masters<br>
&gt; &gt; degree in communications and a second masters degree in
educational and<br>
&gt; &gt; counseling psychology. I also spent 2 years in a graduate
program for<br>
&gt; &gt; special education, multiple disabilities. I read on a third
grade level<br>
&gt; and<br>
&gt; &gt; have ADHD myself. I attended thirteen different elementary
schools and<br>
&gt; &gt; dropped out of high school after six weeks in the ninth grade.
I am an<br>
&gt; &gt; adjunct assistant professor and teach a graduate class in ADHD
and<br>
&gt; Language<br>
&gt; &gt; Based Disabilities. I am in private practice and concentrate on
young<br>
&gt; adult<br>
&gt; &gt; and adult clients with language based disabilities and<br>
&gt; &gt; Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Most clients
participate in<br>
&gt; &gt; counseling on a weekly basis for several years rather then
short term<br>
&gt; &gt; therapy. Several years ago I participated in this list. At that
time I<br>
&gt; felt<br>
&gt; &gt; that there was no real support for the idea that a lack of
phonetic<br>
&gt; &gt; awareness was the cause of a reading disability. Over the last
10 years<br>
I<br>
&gt; &gt; have not found any research that supports this theory.<br>
&gt; &gt;<br>
&gt; &gt; My clinical experience does however support the notion that a
reading<br>
&gt; &gt; disability is caused by a perceptual deficit and that this
perceptual<br>
&gt; &gt; deficit is caused by a timing problem of one of the processors
being out<br>
&gt; of<br>
&gt; &gt; sync with the other processors in the system. It is a timing
problem and<br>
&gt; &gt; dynamic. Because it is dynamic, people with a reading
disability can<br>
&gt; appear<br>
&gt; &gt; to &quot;do it&quot; one minute but can't ten minutes later. It
is part of the<br>
&gt; &gt; disability, not an indication that they are &quot;getting
it.&quot; A broken clock<br>
&gt; &gt; tells the correct time twice a day.<br>
&gt; &gt;<br>
&gt; &gt; I am aware that 98 percent of the research supports phonetic
awareness<br>
as<br>
&gt; &gt; does Sally Shaywits at Yale. I have looked at much of the
research and<br>
&gt; find<br>
&gt; &gt; that it makes all kinds of assumptions that are not supported
in the<br>
&gt; &gt; experience of those with the disabilities. Dr. Shaywits'
research seems<br>
to<br>
&gt; &gt; epitomize the folly of the research on reading
disabilities/dyslexia. I<br>
&gt; was<br>
&gt; &gt; wondering what you think??<br>
&gt; &gt;<br>
&gt; &gt; Clif<br>
&gt;</blockquote></html>

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