Is there a sign for dyslexia?

For the first few months of my life I had the little red-birthmark adorning the end of my nose.  While that birthmark did eventually fade away, a similar marker didn't replace it to conveniently announce: "Hey, this girl learns differently. She's dyslexic!"  Too bad my journey with dyslexia hasn't been as obvious as that front-and-center red-dot birthmark I once had!


Funny how that works.  


A while ago an exasperated mother contacted me regarding her daughter's struggles academically and behaviorally. 


One struggle centered on reading --though 'struggle' doesn't begin to define the territory we've just entered.  'Despise' more accurately covers how this child felt about reading! Every aspect of reading was horrendous for her to emotionally encounter. 


What did people who should have been there to support this young lady and her difficulties have to say? 


The school told mom that her daughter simply was not trying hard enough.  In fact, they had told mom this for several years.  This is a common myth about dyslexia.  We may seem to not be living up to our potential. 


A dear friend of the family and the girl's doctor were both adamant that mom should put the girl on medicine.  Mom didn't feel that medicating her daughter was the answer to the problem. 


The grandparents would not even talk about the situation because, frankly, it was too near and dear to the situation they'd already experienced with their own daughter.  


Finally, I was most struck by the comment a nurse offered.  The nurse said there was no possible way for this child to be dyslexic...she was too cute! 


Too cute?  She's cute so therefore she can't be dyslexic?  


If only dyslexia came in tandem with indicating birthmarks that broadcast:

 "HEY, I'm a dyslexic learner.  I learn in a way that might be different.  I AM NOT STUPID.  I learn differently than you might learn!" 

No such luck! We are not born with dyslexic-indicating-birthmarks. But, there are things that can indicate a dyslexic or dyslexic-like learning style when we are young. Some of these indicators include differences in developmental milestones, late to begin talking, difficulty in learning to rhyme, and an avoidance of reading. 


Here's a link to the Davis Young Learner Strategies, a solution to the dyslexic traits that may be found in young children.  


Contact OnPoint Learning if you'd like more information about the programs that provide tools to correct the learning difficulties associated with dyslexia. 


OnPoint Learning Center, LLC
3610 Buttonwood Dr. Suite 200
Columbia, Missouri 65201
573-819-6010
http://www.onpointlearning.org/
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Soon after I was born into this world a birthmark triumphantly appeared on the end of my nose. Imagine a small-rounded-pencil eraser, dipped into some red paint, and used as a stamp on the end of a baby's nose.  Sounds cute, right? Cute it was, when I was a chubby, little one month old baby.  However, my parents worried that the cuteness would fade and something far worse replace it. 


My grandfather, knowing my parents' concern, had an even deeper concern of his own.  He feared they would go forward with their idea to have the birthmark removed.  I can see my parents' point in wanting to rid me of the red-dot; it clashed with my red hair after all! 


One day Grandfather arrived at our home and announced that he and I would be going to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  There we would seek out a second opinion.  Of course mom and dad were welcome to join us on the trip, he graciously offered.


Long story short: the four of us traveled to Mayo Clinic in Rochester and the report that came back went something like this:  

"This type of birthmark is known to fade with the passing of time. Removal-- whether by surgical, freezing or burning methods--will result in permanent scarring."

Permanent. Scarring? Scary!  To this day my hair remains red (or strawberry-blonde as some like to call it), but the red-dot that once graced my nose is long gone.  Faded.  Just as the doctors predicted.  


The red-dot?  You'd never know that it existed if I hadn't told you this story.  


Ah, but what I really wanted to talk about: dyslexia. A dyslexic learning-style unfortunately has nothing as convenient as a birthmark to announce its presence --like the idea on a pirate's treasure map where X marks the spot!  As scary as the dot on the end of my nose was for my young parents, you have to admit that it boldly announced itself which left no doubt it existed!


What if, during that trip to Mayo Clinic, the doctors had evaluated my potential as a dyslexic learner?   There are a few good indicators for the presence of a dyslexic learning style in young children:


Late, very early, or unusual developmental milestones for walking, beginning to talk, crawling 


Repeated ear infections


Articulation difficulties ('R' and 'L' sounds are often some of the most obvious)


Creative ways of pronouncing words or invented words when they do start to talk


Family members who learn in a different way.  Often one or more parent is on the dyslexic spectrum; or an aunt, uncle, or grandparent. 


Unlike my red-dot-birthmark that I had as a baby, my dyslexia has not faded as I've grown older.  It's still with me which only makes it even easier for me to understand and empathize with those of you who share this special way of learning! 

"It is often said that education and training are the keys to the future. They are, but a key can be turned in two directions. Turn it one way and you lock resources away, even from those they belong to. Turn it the other way and you release resources and give people back to themselves."—Ken Robinson

According to Sir Ken Robinson, there are two keys to our future.  Education and training.  In the educational realm there's a lot of talk that focuses on meeting the students' needs.  While at the same time, almost across the board, the needs of students are met by a range of services that neatly fit into the box of services already in place. 


Too often, changes that are meant to provide assistance to those of us who learn in a different way, are merely presented in a slower fashion. In Sir Ken's language this would be like turning the key in the wrong direction.  It might open the door but, that door leads down the wrong path. 


For instance, take the habit of telling a student to clap-out the number of syllables in a word.  Simple enough to do.  But, what if we can make a lasting image in our minds? 


In our work to correct dyslexia, non-hardening clay is used to create a three dimensional image.  This clay modeling leads us down a path where the results store a mental image, an image of what a word looks-like, sounds-like, and means.  Still simple, but NOW we're providing an example that permanently stores that word.  Using the right tools can turn the key and take us down the right path. 


Most changes I hear about for school and educational matters, when it comes to helping our students improve their reading, writing, and focusing, essentially provides a "dumbing down effect".  An effect that may appear to open the door, but that door, again, is leading us down the wrong path. 


My words are not meant in a mean-spirited way.  My goal is to help others see things in a new way. Think of a middle-school student who feels it's too childish to clap out the syllables in a word.  Do we make them clap out the words anyway or can we step it up and give them new tools? By creating that word and it's meaning three dimensionally, we're not just 'playing with clay' we're creating a permanent image of what that word looks-like, and means, while pronouncing that word in a focused manner.  


So which direction do you want your child's education to go? Have you found the right 'key' to the way you or your own kids learn? 


Check out my website at www.onpointlearning.org and my facebook page at:https://www.facebook.com/pages/OnPoint-Learning-Center-LLC/135836606486829

Everywhere I go I manage to find someone who wants to talk about dyslexia.  I'll admit, I'm not shy about bringing the subject up.  I'll also acknowledge, I do my fair share of the talking when it comes to the topic!  Okay, sometimes I even do more than my fair share of the talking!  But, I receive a slew of Google  Alert messages everyday on the topic of dyslexia so obviously I'm not the only one concerned about this subject! 


One Google alert I received yesterday came from the BBC and here are a few quotes (in bold) from the article:


Of 450 parents surveyed for the charity Dyslexia Action, 90% said teachers lacked awareness of the condition. (And I'd like to ask, of the 10% who were aware of the condition what did they actually know about dyslexia?)


More than half (56%) of the parents questioned by YouGov believed dyslexia was not given enough recognition within the education system. (I'd like to ask the other 54% of the parents "Did your child receive the appropriate kinds of services and help that they truly deserve?) 


The report, Dyslexia Still Matters, says that despite one in 10 children having the condition, there is no requirement for teachers to have any training in how to identify dyslexia or support a dyslexic child. (One in 10 could be a conservative estimation of the percentage of people with some form of dyslexia but it's a great place to start.)


I realize this article is from the UK but the same information applies to the US. There is one glitch in the article; it refers to the use of systematic phonics as the treatment best suited for dyslexia. Let's look at what the Davis Dyslexia approach is:

The problem with adding phonics to the mix is that it sends the brain down the wrong path. We are training the brain to use a vital short-cut that is the hallmark of all good readers (when we use Davis Spell Reading and Sweep-Sweep-Spell.) An efficient reader is able to recognize a familiar string of letters and match them almost instantaneously to a known word. This skill is sometimes referred to as "orthographic knowledge".

While Spell Reading and Sweep-Sweep-Spell are strategies for training the brain to visually scan letters and words that we're reading from left to right, we have another method that builds the vital information we need about words: 

Instead, we use Davis Symbol Mastery, which builds a strong mental connection linking the way a word sounds to what it means and the way the word looks. This simply is a more effective and permanent strategy for mastery of an essential reading vocabulary.

Here is an example of my friend A's symbol mastery work for the word "combustible" as in "capable of catching fire and burning."  While this example of symbol mastery might be a bit of a stretch in talking about the topic of dyslexia, I'd like to emphasize the idea that there's more than one way to deal with dyslexia other than using phonics.  (By the way, his clay model is of a building that became engulfed in flames.  The lines on the left side of the model are arrows showing the direction the flames moved.  As we were taking this picture the building caved in, which added to his understanding of the definition!)


I'll continue to be 'on fire' as I talk about dyslexia, and I know my friend A has some fuel to add to the discussion as well! Let me know what fuels your fire on this subject of dyslexia!

More at:http://www.dyslexia.com/library/spellread.htm#ixzz1z66JSMnj



To read the BBC article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18602782

A common phone call that I receive from parents goes something like this:
"My son (or daughter) is so bright but they just can't seem to learn how to read (or to get focused, or to write legibly, or spell...the list goes on and on.)

"We've tried everything.  Nothing seems to help," the parent continues to explain.

Sometimes, by the time I receive that phone call, a long list of things have occurred.  In can be summed up like this---the parents are exhausted, the kids are really tired of trying new and different techniques and they still feel stupid because they can't seem to learn.

But I'm not writing to tell you about therapies and treatments that do not work.  Today I'm telling you about what does work.

We get right to the point, and more precisely, we get to the root of the problem.  How? you ask?

We get to the root of the problem by showing our clients how to take charge of their own ability to focus.  That's only the beginning.

We can guide you or your child as you learn how to use simple tools after an initial assessment.  You can check out more about these methods on my website: http://www.onpointlearning.org/

But let's talk about what happens in the end; after all the work of the program has been accomplished.  Wait, great things do happen after a program but results can be seen long before the 30 hours are over.  Recently, after several hours of work with a wonderful young man, here's what he told me:

"The light bulb comes on easier now! Stuff makes more sense!"

And he wasn't just saying this to make us happy.  His reading scores backed him up.  In the beginning of the week he struggled to read at a early elementary level--his reading was full of errors, substitutions, pauses, reread words and self-corrections.  By the end of the week he had excellent comprehension and was reading at an end of elementary/early middle school level. Now his reading is characterized by one or two substituted words in a passage and almost perfect comprehension.  And the reason I'm not giving you more specific grade level equivalents is because his reading was so improved we didn't have time to finish the testing.  And really the scores are not what matters because now the:

"light bulb has been turned on!"

What about Genetics?

I've been in love with family genealogy since the day my Great-Aunt Mable came to visit our family after my little brother, John, was born.  I was seven years old but I still see the scene in my mind; I was standing on the couch, right next to where she sat, intently listening to every word she said, leaning in as close to her as I possibly could. She told the story of our ancestors coming to America, and building a fort in West Virginia during the Revolutionary War.  My mother surely recognized how deeply I was involved with Aunt Mable's discourse---that's the only way I can ever imagine she'd allow me to stand on the couch!


The other day I found a note that I'd jotted down from an archive.  (I'm still fascinated with family genealogy...thank you Aunt Mabel!) 


"1871--Jason Coke Henkle had been a director of the 1st National Bank, Springfield, Illinois for the past ten years.  He and his wife, Kate, had been some of the first settlers in the area. They kept as close to their friends and family as possible---the Kickapoo and Pottawatomie Indians were friendly but it was not always pleasant." 


The experiences of my ancestor's life's are intriguing, to me.  Genealogy allows me to vividly re-live the times those that came before me experienced but the historical information can lead us to discover dyslexic traits that our ancestors may have had.  Actually, you don't have to go back to the 1870's to find out traits about your family. You can examine the traits that you see in your own family--your parents, children, cousins, aunts, uncles....


According to Wikipedia there are three proposed cognitive sub-types of dyslexia:  auditory, visual and attentional.  And dyslexia, which is often called reading dyslexia, is the most common learning disability (although the term learning difference may more clearly describe what dyslexia truly is.)  Wikipedia describes dyslexia as "manifesting itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memories or rapid naming."  


What this all means is that we can find dyslexic traits within how we (or our ancestors) read, write, hear, speak and in the end, how we feel about ourselves.  So don't just brush aside the things you know about your self or a loved one.  Don't discount the difficulty that you might have with comprehending what you've read, having difficulty with writing or even remember people's names!


Here's the link to Wikipedia if you want to look it up for your self.  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia

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