Dyslexia Thursday 21 st November 2013 Laura Bradbury and Donna Lloyd

What we aim to cover; Identify dyslexia How dyslexia affects pupils Making classroom dyslexia friendly Activities Where to find more information

Identify dyslexia Written work – Poor standard of written work compared with oral ability – Produces messy work with many crossing out and words – Persistently confused by letters which look similar e.g. (b/d, p/g) – Spells a word several different ways in one piece of writing – Has difficulty with pronunciation and/or grammar – Produces phonetic and bizarre spelling: not age/ability appropriate Reading - makes poor reading progress - finds it difficult to blend letters together - fails to recognise familiar words - is hesitant and laboured in reading, especially when reading aloud - misses out words/lines when reading, or adds extra words - has difficulty picking out the most important points of a passage Numeracy - shows confusion with number order e.g. units, tens, hundreds - has difficulty remembering anything in sequential order e.g. tables, days of the week - finds mental arithmetic at speed very difficult - can think at a high level in mathematics, but needs a calculator for simple calculations

Organisation and behaviour - difficulty in learning to tell the time - shows poor time keeping - disorganised and forgetful e.g. over sport equipment and homework - confuses direction – left/right - Poor concentration - difficulty following instructions - class clown or disruptive to avoid/mask difficulties Strengths of dyslexia - big picture thinking -strong visual skills -creative talent -excellent trouble shooting -innovative thinking

Difficulties and solutions 1. Difficulty - Remembering instructions Working memory problems means that pupils can’t hold onto several instructions at once - repeat instructions/information in a multisensory way and check for understanding i.e. say it, write it on the board and demonstrate it - make instructions short, simple and precise

2. Difficulty – Pupil forgets/hasn’t understood what to do for homework Working memory and writing difficulties means child forgets or doesn’t record homework correctly - check students have understood homework by getting them to repeat it back - hand out written instructions for homework to be glued into books

3. Difficulty – Pupil avoids tasks/acts up Fear of ridicule means child tries to conceal difficulties - give every student the right to decline reading aloud so as a dyslexic child is not singled out - allow pupil to pre-read/prepare what they will read out or write in front of the class - setting achievable targets for tests

4. Difficulty – Pupil forgets equipment/doesn’t have the correct work for correct class Organisation difficulties - colour code and symbol timetables and what’s needed for them - have spare equipment clearly labelled in class that students can borrow

5. Difficulty – Erratic spelling Poor visual and working memory - key words placed strategically around the classroom to support current topics - mark 5 common errors in work and concentrate on helping them with these

How dyslexia affects pupils 1. Difficulty – words move around on the page when they try to read Some dyslexics have visual stress - use pale colours to print on/write on instead of black words on white background - look into coloured overlays for pupil’s personal use

2. Difficulty – can’t get all the work done in the time Processing and organisational difficulties - give extra time - adapt work so they can take part i.e. mind map with key facts and ideas rather than whole essay - cut down on non-vital work so they can take time over what is vital

3. Difficulty – Pupil is unmotivated or frustrated Feels they are a failure/annoyed they can’t get past the basics - mark positively, always find something to compliment - allow aids to help children access curriculum i.e. calculator to basic maths so they can access the complex theory - allow answers/activities to be multisensory like having discussion groups and oral answers, not just written down ones - ‘Go for it!’ Don’t let spelling, grammar areas get in the way of interesting language and content

4. Difficulty – Has good days and bad days It just happens! - be understanding - concentrate on what they are getting right -don’t ask them to ‘try harder’ they are probably trying twice as hard as all the other pupils.

Making classroom dyslexia friendly With dyslexic children - description without words With a class – learning styles With colleagues – dyslexia friendly classroom

Where to find more information Books -Dyslexia Friendly Schools Good Practice Guide (British Dyslexia Association) - Dyslexia and Education: A guide for Teachers and TAs (British Dyslexia Association)