Dyslexia Advocate: How Educators Can Support Struggling Readers

To learn about what educators can do to address student reading challenges, EducationWorld spoke with Sonya Bridges, President and Director of A Family Affair Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to raising awareness about the challenges of dyslexia and adult illiteracy and supporting those who face reading difficulties. Bridges has authored the children's book A Snail's Pace, which addresses setting goals, self esteem and the importance of perseverance.

See Part 2 of this interview, which offers tips for parents and students coping with reading challenges.

EW:  In what ways might schools and the general public misunderstand or deal ineffectively with the problem of dyslexia?

Bridges:  Dyslexia is considered a learning disability, so people often associate dyslexia with low intelligence.  That certainly isn’t the case.  A common definition of dyslexia is an individual with average or above intelligence who struggles with reading, writing and spelling. Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison and Walt Disney are few among many famous dyslexics who have changed the world.  Another misconception is that dyslexics read backwards, or that they read from right to left.  That’s not entirely accurate.  Dyslexics process written symbols more slowly than a normal reader.  They may read the word correctly but then reverse the letters or leave out letters. Thirdly, many people believe that being dyslexic means a child should receive a special education classification. I feel that placing dyslexic children in special education is a mistake, however.

In terms of how schools may miss the mark in terms of supporting dyslexic students, often a child will receive insufficient testing, or not be tested when needed. Teachers and parents sometimes even overlook the signs of dyslexia and dismiss the child as being lazy or unmotivated. This has improved since my time in school, but I meet people from all over the country who tell me their child has been misdiagnosed or not diagnosed.  Testing is extremely important, since early intervention is key.  We need to be especially vigilant with girls. Although we know statistically that just as many girls are dyslexic as boys, boys are tested more frequently. 
 

EW:  Which evidence-based programs and instructional strategies have schools found to be successful with kids who have dyslexia issues?

Bridges:  In my opinion, and I formulate my opinion based on experience and firsthand observation, the Orton-Gillingham curriculum is best, because of the alphabetic phonics-centered instruction.  It’s multisensory and uses a cognitive approach that teaches kids to think through language problems.  In fact, I wonder why all kids—whether dyslexic or typical readers—aren’t taught to read with this approach. 

In terms of the multisensory aspect of Orton-Gillingham, it hammers the concepts home. Tapping into a child’s sensory learning pathways is essential.  These are the most concrete methods of instruction.  For example, arm tapping aids in the mastery of what are known as “red words” –non-phonetic and high-frequency words that are memorized rather than decoded.  I also love the approach of using writing in sand to reinforce concepts.  Students say, write and then underline the letters while saying the sound.

EW:  How can regular-education teachers work effectively with special education teachers in providing seamless support for dyslexic students?

Bridges:  First of all, dyslexic children don’t need to be classified as special education students. They can receive daily dyslexic therapy as a support service while functioning quite well in a general education classroom. (These type of support services for regular education students are increasingly common among schools implementing the Response to Intervention framework.) We don’t live in a perfect world, however.  So, with dyslexic students who are classified as special education, the best thing to do is communicate the concepts that are covered in special education to the child’s general education classroom.  If a school has a good dyslexic therapy program, the therapist will provide information to the general education teacher that will help support the material covered in therapy.  

When reading difficulties occur, teachers should avoid assuming that a child simply isn't trying. Teachers already work hard to differentiate instruction, and they are encouraged to apply that same dedication to dyslexic students.
 

See Part 2 of this interview, which offers tips for parents and students coping with reading challenges.

 

Article by Celine Provini, EducationWorld Editor
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