H860 Reading Difficulties Week 1

Today’s session 1.Introductions 2.Housekeeping 3.What factors ‘cause’ reading difficulties? 4.Philosophical bit 5.Break 6.Landmark School Advocates visit

Today’s session 1.Introductions 2.Housekeeping 3.What factors ‘cause’ reading difficulties? 4.Philosophical bit 5.Break 6.Landmark School Advocates visit

What factors ‘cause’ reading difficulties? For this activity we are going to think about ‘unexpected’ reading difficulties – i.e. the individual’s difficulties do not seem to tie up with their other abilities…

What are specific reading difficulties? Depends on when you ask….

Early 1900s Scottish eye surgeon describes, “congenital word blindness” 1920s Samuel Orton "strephosymbolia," or "twisted symbols” 1950s-60s Emotional disturbance, inappropriate diet and minimal brain damage all posited as causes

Ahh…the 70s! Isabelle Liberman: "deficits in phonological processing underlie most cases of reading disability” Definitions arose that are used today: “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and / or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.” International Dyslexia Association/NICHD

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (a) A team may determine that a child has a specific learning disability if: (1) The child does not achieve commensurate with his or her age and ability levels in one or more of the areas listed in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, when provided with learning experiences appropriate for the child’s age and ability levels; and (2) The team finds that the child has a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in one or more of the following areas: (i) Oral expression; (ii) Listening comprehension; (iii) Written expression; (iv) Basic reading skill; (v) Reading comprehension; (vi) Mathematics calculation; or (vii) Mathematics reasoning The term does not include children who have learning disabilities which are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor handicaps, or mental retardation, or emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. (USDOE, 1977) Discrepancy Heterogeneity Exclusion

Discrepancy definition Vs. Response-to-intervention definition

The current state of affairs The new IDEA (10) Specific learning disability— (i) General. Specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. (ii) DISORDERS NOT INCLUDED. Specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. Sec Specific learning disabilities. (a) General. A State must adopt, consistent with Sec , criteria for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability as defined in Sec (c)(10). In addition, the criteria adopted by the State-- (1) Must not require the use of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, as defined in Sec (c)(10); (2) Must permit the use of a process based on the child's response to scientific, research- based intervention; and (3) May permit the use of other alternative research-based procedures for determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, as defined in Sec (c)(10) Reauthorization of IDEA

Summary General reading difficulties have many causes The signature of specific reading difficulties is that they are ‘unexpected’ The most readily identifiable SRD is dyslexia, a specific difficulty with phonological processing Caveat: labels are products of culture and time

Today’s session 1.Introductions 2.Housekeeping 3.What factors ‘cause’ reading difficulties? 4.Philosophical bit 5.Break 6.Landmark School Advocates visit

Next week… Optional reading: Study guide will be posted in next couple of days