Return-Path: <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j92L8iG15908; Sun, 2 Oct 2005 17:08:44 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2005 17:08:44 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <049f01c5c795$46ed52a0$0202a8c0@Tomschoice> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "John Nissen" <jn@cloudworld.co.uk> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-LD:4916] Re: LD and intensive phonics X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2180 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 8348 Lines: 256 Hi Anita, I looked up "Overcoming Dyslexia" on Google, and got this Q and A with Sally Shaywitz from SchwabLearning.org http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r=718&g=1 [quote] Q: How can you distinguish between a child who is struggling to read because of dyslexia and one who has difficulties because of some other problem (i.e., a different learning disability or an emotional problem)? A: The hallmark of dyslexia is an unexpected reading difficulty in a child who seems to have all the equipment (intelligence, verbal skills, motivation) necessary to become a reader. [end quote] Thus Sally Shaywitz is promoting the dyslexia myth that there is a difference between dyslexics and other poor readers, due to mismatch of reading ability and intelligence (etc.). The Channel 4 spells out this myth. People have reading difficulties regardless of intelligence. So dyslexia needs to be defined in some other way. See http://www.channel4.com/news/microsites/D/dyslexia_myth/dyslexia.html Cheers, John ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anita Landoll" <amlandoll@yahoo.com> To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2005 9:21 PM Subject: [NIFL-LD:4915] Re: LD and intensive phonics > Hi, > > The book, OVERCOMING DYSLEXIA, by Sally Shaywitz, MD, > goes into much detail about MRI studies and reading. > Also, a professor at Wake Forest U is doing research > on the audio-visual problems... I think she has found > that there is a time disconnect there, for dyslexic > readers. > > Anita www.learntoreadnow.com > > --- John Nissen <jn@cloudworld.co.uk> wrote: > >> >> Hello Lucille, >> >> I have looked at the IDA site you recommend, and >> their FAQ does seem to >> embody conventional wisdom about dyslexia. >> >> But there are some issues that are a bit clouded >> over. I suspect that it is >> important for IDA to concur with the idea of the >> dyslexic person as a >> basically intelligent person who is liable to >> underachieve unless given >> special help. I absolutely sympathise with this >> idea, because both my >> eldest (Oliver) and youngest (Clara) of three >> children have been diagnosed >> as dyslexic and received help in their education, >> with extra time in exams. >> >> However there is no evidence that so-called >> dyslexics are any different from >> other poor readers and spellers, as regards the >> difficulties they have in >> reading in writing, or in the effectiveness of >> remediation. This point was >> strongly made in a programme on Channel 4, >> provocatively called "The >> Dyslexia Myth", see >> > http://www.channel4.com/news/microsites/D/dyslexia_myth/. >> So I come back >> to one of my three questions that started this >> thread: "Is poor reading >> simply a result of poor teaching?" >> >> Last night I discussed this with my wife. She >> remembers Oliver's primary >> school teacher saying how difficult Oliver was to >> teach, because he didn't >> seem to be taking in the instruction in class, and >> not participating >> actively. This is a characteristic of Oliver - he >> finds it difficult to >> take in instructions. He also lacks a sense of the >> passage of time, and a >> certain organisational ability. It is a combination >> of these which makes it >> difficult for teachers to give adequate tuition, and >> which makes exams so >> difficult for him. >> >> This set me thinking. Perhaps Oliver's difficulty >> with reading and writing, >> for which he was branded "dyslexic", was a result of >> him not taking in the >> instruction, rather than poor teaching as such. >> Perhaps, if he had been >> given intensive one-to-one tuition, where the >> teacher made sure that he was >> taking in every step, he would be as good a reader >> and speller as the >> average child of his age and intelligence. And >> perhaps his neural pathways >> would have developed as for the average child. >> >> An alternative explanation, provided by the >> programme I mention above, is >> that reading problems most often arise from a audio >> processing disability or >> difficulty. See "View 2" in >> > http://www.channel4.com/news/microsites/D/dyslexia_myth/dyslexia.html. >> The >> past view was that dyslexia arose from a visual >> processing difficulty (hence >> the advocacy of tinted spectacles, etc.). This new >> explanation would >> suggest that to teach reading, one would need to >> concentrate on phonological >> awareness, as this is otherwise a block on >> successfully learning to read for >> up to 20% of children. I do not know whether this >> explanation could apply >> to Oliver. >> >> It seems to me vital that we find the correct >> explanation of dyslexia. The >> brain research clearly shows that there are marked >> differences in how people >> read - because different parts of the brain are in >> play. We need to >> establish whether the observed differences are cause >> or effect: the cause of >> differences in reading ability, or the effect of the >> way the people were >> taught. My hypothesis is that they are effect. It >> could be tested by fMRI >> on the Clackmannanshire kids. If they have all >> developed the pathways used >> by good readers, then we have: >> >> 1. evidence that dyslexia arises from inadequate >> teaching; >> 2. a new tool for diagnosis of reading problems; >> 3. a new tool to establish the effectiveness of >> teaching methods; >> 4. proof beyond reasonable doubt of the >> effectiveness of synthetic phonics >> in the teaching of reading. >> >> Cheers, >> >> John >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Lucille Cuttler" <l.cuttler@comcast.net> >> To: "Multiple recipients of list" >> <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> >> Sent: Saturday, October 01, 2005 2:15 AM >> Subject: [NIFL-LD:4908] Re: LD and intensive phonics >> >> >> > The International Dyslexia Association is a >> reliable source for many >> > questions recently expressed - www.interdys.org >> Membership brings >> > professional journals, newsletters, and a chance >> to meet with other >> > professionals in your area. Techniques appropriate >> for severe dyslexics >> > can >> > certainly help anyone struggling with decoding and >> spelling. >> > >> > As a tutor with 20 years I have used structured, >> kinesthetic, explicit >> > direct instruction. I know it does the job. A >> tutor/teacher to be >> > effective >> > needs a well equipped tool box. Creative ways of >> teaching, reaching both >> > sides of the brain, work. >> > >> > Also, always keep in mind that the rate of >> learning varies. Students go >> > as >> > fast as they can but as slow as they must. >> Lucille Cuttler >> > >> > -----Original Message----- >> > From: nifl-ld@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-ld@nifl.gov]On >> Behalf Of John Nissen >> > Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 11:04 AM >> > To: Multiple recipients of list >> > Subject: [NIFL-LD:4906] Re: LD and intensive >> phonics >> > >> > >> > >> > Hello Aaron, >> > >> > Thank you for the references. I had a good read >> of the article on >> > Neurobiology, and it is very informative and well >> written. >> > >> > However I have some problems with it. From what I >> have seen, none of the >> > research on dyslexia has taken into account a key >> environmental factor - >> > how >> > the subjects had been taught to read. Moreover >> none of the researchers, >> > to >> > my knowledge, have looked at children who have >> been given intensive >> > phonics >> > training at the start of primary school, by either >> explicit phonics or >> > synthetic phonics. Perhaps the patterns of brain >> activation would be >> > different, if the subjects had been taught in a >> different way. In the >> > Clackmannanshire study, all the children were >> taught to read successfully >> > using synthetic phonics, and there was little or >> no "dyslexia" apparent. >> > And I have heard of reseach suggesting that the >> left brain can indeed by >> > "activated" to help people overcome reading >> problems. >> > >> > Therefore, I am suspicious when the article says >> that "dyslexia is a >> > persistent and chronic condition". It seems there >> might be effective >> > remediation that could activate the parts of the >> brain that are used by >> > normal readers. A key giveaway in the article is >> as follows: >> > >> > === message truncated ===
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