Dyslexia What is it all about???

Where is the problem? The deficit lies in the language system, NOT in the visual system -- NOT an overall language problem… IS a localized weakness within a specific component of the language system: the phonologic module Dyslexia represents a specific disability with reading… NOT with thinking skills

Phonological ???? Phonologic – derived from Greek, phone, meaning sound. The phonologic module - language ‘factory’, part of brain where SOUNDS of language are put together, to form words; and where words are broken down into their elemental sounds.

What’s a phoneme???? The smallest sound in a word…. Fundamental element of the language system, essential building block of all spoken words…

How many phonemes are there???? 44 phonemes in the English language! Produce tens of thousands of words! c a t = 3 phonemes * Before words can be identified, understood, stored, or retrieved, must be broken down into phonemes (by the brain). Necessary for speaking and reading

What about the dyslexic child? The phonemes are less developed… Difficulty retrieving phoneme that is similar in sound: says ‘lotion’ for ‘ocean’ Knows what he wants to say, cannot retrieve it

Dyslexic child might put phonemes in wrong order: “emeny” for “enemy” Dyslexic children and adults have difficulty developing awareness that spoken and written words are made up of these phonemes or ‘building blocks’.

The Phonologic Model… Tells exact steps that must be taken for student to know that letters seen on a page represent sounds he /she hears when the same word is spoken. The process for learning this is orderly, sequential and logical.

Also... the process is critical and must occur before reading can take place.

Steps to reading… 1. student becomes aware that words he hears are not whole sounds, but made up of parts 2. becomes aware that these segments represent sounds (c—a—t has 3 sounds)

3. links letters he sees to sounds he hears 4. realization - that letters are related to sounds; and printed word and the spoken word are related.

5. understanding that spoken and written words can be pulled apart based on the same sounds; and, in print, the letters represent these sounds.

Now…. Now, student is ready to read…has made the linkage. Mastered the alphabetic principle!