1. Dyslexia

2. .
I’m not marking this mess.
I can see his face ready to blow.
He shouts so the whole class will know.
Sir, sir I’m stuck, I need more time.
I told you what to do, don’t step out of line.
I find it hard and embarrassing with him yelling
About my reading, writing and spelling
Hurry up get on with it; I’m not marking this mess
I say I need more time, I’m doing my best
He tells me little kids can do better than me
I’ve seen better from my daughter and she’s only three
Where are your full stops and capital letters?
Now go and sit down until you do better
It’s hard to do my work, I find
I never rest; it’s always on my mind
Then I get frustrated, rude and angry
Because he doesn’t understand me

3. Dyslexia is a condition that affects a large number of the population
Dyslexia is a condition that affects a large number of the population. Regardless of back-ground, race and culture
No two people with dyslexia are exactly alike as dyslexia ranges from mild to moderate and severe to profound
People with dyslexia will be found in every field
Many of which have excelled and have become superstars such as Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Leonardo da Vinci, Richard Branson, Tommy Hilfiger, Walt Disney, Duncan Goodhew, Jackie Stewart, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, Patrick Dempsey and Tom Cruise

4. Dyslexia causes difficulties in learning to read, write and spell
Dyslexia causes difficulties in learning to read, write and spell. Short-term memory, mathematics, concentration, personal organisation and sequencing may also be affected
Dyslexia usually arises from a weakness in the processing of language- based information. Biological in origin, it tends to run in families, but environmental factors also contribute

5. Dyslexia can occur at any level of intellectual ability
Dyslexia can occur at any level of intellectual ability. It is not the result of poor motivation, emotional disturbance, sensory impairment or lack of opportunities, but it may occur alongside any of these
The effects of dyslexia can be largely overcome by skilled specialist teaching and the use of compensatory strategies

6. Dyslexia is not a disease, but describes rather a different kind of mind that learns in a different way from other people
Many people with the condition are gifted and very productive
Dyslexia is not linked to low intelligence. The condition appears in all ages, races and income levels

7. It also appears to affect more boys than girls
It also appears to affect more boys than girls. Several genes have been identified as possible causative factors
Clear differences in the way the brain is wired up during development have been found
These may result from abnormalities in the particular class of monocular nerve, all due to inherited genes that make them vulnerable to immune factors during development of the brain and to deficiency of essential omega 3 fatty acids that are found in oily fish
The processing patterns of dyslexic people in the left and right hemispheres show differences in relation to non dyslexic people. The implication of this is that those with a dyslexic profile can have right hemisphere preference for learning that can place them at a disadvantage in left hemisphere task, such as reading accuracy

8. Common difficulties an individual can experience include speech and language difficulties, writing and spelling problems, inabilities connected to sequencing, auditory memory difficulties and dilemmas in relation to fine and gross motor skills
Frequently, the individual will demonstrate a good extent of verbal intelligence and is often of average or above intelligence. The individual can exhibit difficulties in transferring and generalising knowledge: therefore able to talk about a topic but may struggle writing the information down
Complications can occur when acquiring and applying rules subsequently days, months, time and multiplication tables can be very difficult to learn and store in the memory

9. Students can display the apparent inability to learn by ordinary teaching methods; as a result multi-sensory learning approaches are needed for those who are severely affected by dyslexia. Students can suffer from poor concentration spans, poor self image and esteem

10. Main question.. What can we do as educational practitioners?
Use coloured worksheets and presentation slides
Use an easier to understand font such as comic sans, font size minimum 12pt or 14pt, no capitals
Do not clutter worksheets with lots of text, separate with pictures or diagrams
Having keywords available for the student
The idea that copying from the board is simple… NO.! IT IS NOT ! Any information that needs to be copied should be directly in front of the student. Transferring information is a difficult task for someone who suffers from dyslexia

11. More we can do……
Never treat someone with dyslexia the same as someone who has low literacy levels – they aren’t the same
During mentor meetings make sure students have the correct equipment… how many students with dyslexia are given negative points for no equipment when organisation difficulties are a factor of the condition
Colour coded timetables

12. Still even more we can do..
Instructions to be given singly until evidence that the student can deal with more
Be equipped to repeat instructions and simplify them by changing or redefining words or terms

13. and more….
Ensure the student is sitting next to the right person for maximum concentration and allow the learner to move if necessary
Encourage the use of word processing of work
Begin every lesson with the outline of the content and end with a summary of what has been covered

14. and more….
Have agreed signals between student and teacher to demonstrate the learner is ready to answer a question. Most students even though they know the answer have difficulty processing the information. Use of eye contact could show I’m ready to give an answer
Dyslexic students need to work much harder than other students therefore the teacher needs to be aware of signs of tiredness and fatigue

15. We should be a dyslexic friendly school, if that’s not possible then at least a dyslexic friendly Strand.
If you only change the background colour of your power points and the font type at least it’s a step in the right direction…