1. Get Ready to Huddle! Reading Horizons (4 th -12th Grade & SPED) Huddle 2nd Tuesday of each month at 2 pm MT Please Call 1-888-848-0190 Passcode 8768292# Presented by: Shantell Berrett

2. Myths and facts about dyslexia and other Learning Disabilities. There are too many misconceptions about dyslexia. Knowledge is power. We must be empowered as teachers to truly help our students and address all of their needs.

3. Myth #1: “Individuals with dyslexia are of low intelligence, slow learners, or mentally retarded.” “Dys” (meaning poor or inadequate) plus “lexis” (words or language) It is essentially a problem with words. Dyslexic people process language poorly, but that doesn’t mean they aren't intelligent. Dyslexia is a unique mind set that is often gifted and productive, but learns differently than other minds.

4. Myth #2: “Individuals with dyslexia are just lazy and simply need to apply themselves.” People with dyslexia are not poorly taught, lazy, or stupid, but have an inborn brain abnormality that has nothing to do with intelligence. Processing language is laborious and exhausting for them.

5. Myth #3: “Individuals with dyslexia ‘see backward’.” Dyslexia is not a deficit in the visual processing system. Those with processing issues can exhibit what is called Recency Effect. They can also have tracking issues.

6. Myth #3 Cont. Directional tracking is an important and an often-neglected, essential tool in reading. “For accurate reading, the student must process sounds in order from left-to-right. Knowing the individual sounds is not sufficient.” (Gagen, www.righttrackreading.com/tracking.html) www.righttrackreading.com/tracking.html “You need to directly teach proper directional tracking because scanning left-to-right in a straight line manner is not a natural process. Instinctively, looking all over is a superior way to gather and process information. “ (Gagen)

7. Myth #4: “Those with dyslexia make up a small percentage of the general population.” According to the latest dyslexia research from the National Institutes of Health, dyslexia affects 20 percent of Americans. That’s one out of every five children. Dyslexia is by far the most common learning disability.

8. Myth #5: “Those with dyslexia will never improve and will always be poor readers.” Dyslexia is a not a disease and can not be cured by a trip to the doctor or a magic pill. It is a way of thinking, the way the brain is wired and how it processes information. Research has shown that the brain can actually be rewired if the individual is taught with systematic, explicit, sequential phonics taught in a multi-sensory way.

9. Inferior frontal gyrus (Attempts to convert visual information into sounds) Dyslexic Student Visual perception

10. Primary visual cortex Superior temporal gyrus Unimpaired Student Inferior frontal gyrus Angural gyrus Visual perception

11. The Gift of Dyslexia Those with dyslexia will always see and process things differently, and truly this can be a gift. "Dyslexia is not a disease to have and to be cured of, but a way of thinking and learning. Often it's a gifted mind waiting to be found and taught." - Girard Sagmiller, "Dyslexia My Life ”

12. Discover Intensive Phonics and other Learning Disabilities Autism: There are three main components that have been found to be essential for these Autistic learners: First, most are visual learners and need to have their material presented to them visually. Second, they do better with simple, concise and minimal directions or instructions for completing a task or applying a skill. Third, many do well with phonics based instruction presented in a visual and simple manner.

13. Discover Intensive Phonics and other Learning Disabilities Down Syndrome : Those with Down Syndrome use their great visual memories to apply to language, but it has been proven to be helpful as they benefit from learning phonics to build their speech, language, reading, writing and spelling skills. All young children and many older children with Down syndrome benefit from practicing saying the sounds that make up speech and joining the sounds together to build syllables and words. Linking sounds with letters or groups of letters (graphemes) may help speech perception, phonological awareness, reading, spelling and writing, and speech production. (Taken from www.down-syndrome.org)www.down-syndrome.org

14. Discover Intensive Phonics and other Learning Disabilities Specific Language Impairment : Children with specific language impairment (SLI) have several language difficulties. A comprehensive reading curriculum that provides explicit, systematic instruction in the abilities known to be important in reading---phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension---benefits all children, including those with language problems. (“Specific Language Impairment” byLouise Spear- Swerling)

15. Summary Research has shown that those with dyslexia need systematic, explicit phonics taught in a multi-sensory way. Other Learning Disabilities that include deficits in language processing have all been found to benefit from systematic phonics and phonemic awareness activities.

16. Get Ready for the next Reading Horizons Huddle! “Addressing ESOL/ELL Needs” Tuesday, March 10 th at 2:00pm MT