Luqman's Dyslexia Blog

Dyselxia – Is the teaching method at fault- 3

2011-04-24T09:22:00.004+08:00

For a number of weeks I have talked about the struggles associated withlearning to read.

I have explained why languages such as English can be challenging for aperson with dyslexia. There is often no clear connection between the writtenform and sound. For example, words such as 'cough' and 'dough', cut and put. Differentpronunciation for similar words like wind (as in the Westerly wind) and wind (as in wind down thewindow), words spelled differently and pronounced similarly like quay and key, pear and pair,words with silent letters like island and debt and many other problems that Ihave pointed out in my articles in 2010.

Most children are ready to learn reading by kindergarten or first grade,but children with dyslexia often cannot grasp the basics of reading by thattime because of the above problems. I have also explained that the problem isthe fact that these children literally shut down and it is not because of socalled ‘phonological awareness deficit’ as the Western world would like us to believe.

I have also repeatedly said that my dyslexic students can read well inMalay and Han Yu Pin Yin because there is no such inconsistency in both theselanguages which use the same 26 alphabets. This would make for an interesting educational psychology course topic. I have also included many research reports from various countries to support my finding.

We have read several greatsuccess stories. Part of the reason for the success of these students is thefact that they were finally able to realize WHY they had been unsuccessful. Allmy dyslexic students begin to read well when they are told not to make sense ofmany of the English words that are not able to be read phonetically. This is empowering information for the student.It means that they finally had a reason, an explanation, and some clarity as towhy they had not been more successful, no matter how hard they had tried. Theybegin to believe that they are not stupid as claimed by their classmates andsometimes even by their teachers.

If you have been reading my blog youwill know that I have written a learn-to-read program designed specifically forthis type of struggling reader. In my opinion, the solution has been a simpleone. The first step is to identify why the student has been unsuccessful; thesecond, to give him a different approach to learning to read – the mostimportant being informing them that many of the alphabets have more than one sound (phoneme) and letting them know about a new sound (phoneme) of alphabetsthey have already learnt. Clear any stumbling block that will cause them toshut down!Know that they shut down when they cannot understand and not because they are disinterested.

I have also elaborated that we do nothave to choose between phonics and sight word/ whole language method. I useboth and have done so successfully.

One dyslexic, had explained it this way: “… being dyslexic islike running a 100-meter race. In your lane you have hurdles, but no one elsedoes. You feel that it’s unfair but you try running like the other competitorsanyway. Then you hit a hurdle and fall flat on your face. Your parents andteachers are yelling at you to try harder, so you run faster and faster and falleven harder. Then someone takes the time to show you how to run hurdles and,like an Olympic runner, you outrun the others. The key, though, is that youhave to do it differently, the way that works best for you.”

I am going to be busy for a few monthsand will not be posting articles for a while. Thank you for the many comments andyour e-mails. Wish you well.

Dyslexia - is the teachng method at fault - 2

2011-04-18T12:51:00.000+08:00

We have read about many famous dyslexics inmy blog and other sites on the internet. Here is another successful dyslexicauthor, Debbie Macomber.

Debbie Macomber was born on October 22, 1948in Yakima, Washington, U.S.A. She is a dyslexic, and when she first decided towrite a novel she had only a High School Degree and also was the very youngmother of four active children.

No one believed she had what it took to writea book. At the age of 10 she was still unable to read. Today, with more than 150 million copies of her books in print, DebbieMacomber is one of the world’s most popular authors.

Her dyslexia did not deter her from pursuing a lifelong dream of becoming anauthor.

I urge you to ask yourself as tohow/why Macomber and other dyslexics like her who could not read in school become successfulreaders later in life.

How is it that Tom Cruise is now ableto read? He says, "Everything fell into place" when he was convertedto Scientology. "Many people hadtried to teach me, but no-one had taught me how to learn or how to study",until he used L. Ron Hubbard’s learning method of "Study Technology".

If Tom Cruise had phonologicalawareness deficit how was someone able to teach him when he was an adult?

Whoopi Goldberg, one of my mostfavourite actresses had said, “When I was akid they didn't call it dyslexia. They called it... you know, you were slow, oryou were retarded, or whatever. And so, I learned from a guy who was running aprogram who I met one day and he had written out on a board a sentence. And Isaid to him, "You know, I can't read that." And he said, "Whynot"? And I said, "Because it doesn't make any sense to me." Sohe said, "Well, write down what you see under each. Whatever you see,write exactly what you see underneath." And so, he brought me to lettersby coordinating what I saw to something called an A, or a B, or a C, or a D,and that was pretty cool.”

A DYSLEXIC mum of six who was ostracisedin her community for returning to school has scooped an award in recognition ofher determination to grab an education.

Monaka persevered and is now in herfirst year at Birmingham University, studying law, with the aim of one daybecoming a duty solicitor.

Vince Flynn is a best-selling American author of political thriller novels. Inan effort to overcome the difficulties of dyslexia, Flynn forced himself into adaily writing and reading regimen. Quotes Flynn: "I started readingeverything I could get my hands on,

Ponder if part of the reason for thesuccess of these dyslexics is the fact that they were finally able to realizeWHY they had been unsuccessful.
Is it possible that if they had been made torealize this at an earlier age they would have done better in school?
Is itpossible that all the above and many more dyslexics suddenly realise or weremade to realise by teachers that they were having a problem with reading inEnglish simply because they were trying to make sense of a language that is notlogical/orthographically inconsistent?
Is it possible that they could at a later age see that many of thealphabets (graphemes) in English had more than one sound (phoneme) and couldfinally accept this fact which had possibly shut them down earlier? (Refer tomy earlier articles on why children shut down.)
Is it possible that the Western world ismisleading the public saying that dyslexics have a phonological awarenessdeficit when in fact the reason is that they shut down because they cannot makesense of what is being taught?

Let me know if you have an answer to anyof the questions above.

Dyslexia – Is the teaching method at fault?

2011-04-16T07:32:00.001+08:00

Among the many definitions of dyslexia one definition I can accept is ‘Tohave more difficulty learning to read (in English) and dealing with text thanwould be expected for a given cognitive ability’.

So, it is a specific difficulty with reading (in English) and words inrelation to the person's general intelligence. Anything more complex than thatwill begin to link dyslexia to one or more of the personality traits often seenin children who happen to also have difficulty with reading. That is adistraction from the actual underlying reasons for the difficulty.

The dyslexia I am talking about is thekind that afflicts children who have come to school with perfectly good speech,hearing and eyesight. In fact, some of these so-called dyslexics are some ofthe brightest and physically healthiest students in their classes.

The following is what you need to beable to read.

1.Understandthe way speech sounds make up words.
2. Focus on printed marks (letters and words).
3. Connect speech sounds to letters.
4. Blend letter sounds smoothly into words.
5. Control eye movements across the page.
6. Build images and ideas.
7. Compare new ideas with what is already known.
8. Store the ideas in memory.

Most students have no problem with allof the above. There are about 10% of students who have a problem with number 3and number 4 above as far as reading in the English language is concerned.

Ihave now been teaching certified dyslexic children for 7 years and I have spenta good deal of that time investigating why these smart children find itdifficult to read and the real cause of this difficulty.

I have explained in detail why dyslexicchildren find it difficult to connect speech sounds to letters (in the Englishlanguage) and why they cannot blend letter sounds smoothly into words (in theEnglish language.)Dyslexics do not have a problem learning to read inorthographically consistent languages like Malay and Romanised Mandarin whichuse the same 26 alphabets as the English language. They DO NOT have a problemwith number 3 and 4 above in Malay and Romanised Mandarin.

If there is anyone out there who disagrees with me please let me know how you blend letter sounds into words for words such as bough, cough and dough. Explain how one who has not heard the word 'quay' pronounce this word the same as 'key'.

All my dyslexic students, taught on aone on one basis, begin to read well in less than a year. Many of them begin toread well above grade level.

There is absolutely no reason why mostdyslexics cannot read well with the right kind of instruction for them.

Today I want you to ponder on the manysuccessful teaching methods parents of dyslexic children say have helped theirdyslexic child.

Some of these reading programsinclude Orton-Gillingham, The Barton Reading and Spelling Program, Wilson, andThe Linda mood Bell Phoneme Sequencing Program for Reading, Spelling and Speech.

A recent e-mail friend has also beenvery successful in teaching dyslexic students. In a recent e-mail she had thefollowing to say, “This encourages us to focus on what is working rather thanwhat isn't (avoiding the victim game), it also builds confidence in my studentsas they are continually exposed to what is going well, rather than what isn't.We all shut down if we feel the situation is hopeless.”

You may read more about her here:

The kind of reading difficultiesafflicting perfectly normal children in our schools today are being caused bythe teaching methods and not by any defect in the children themselves. Thereare many who keep writing and telling us that the reason why so many childrenare having problems learning to read is because of a learning disabilitythey've been born with. If that is true then how is it that I am able to teachthese children to read? How is it that parents swear by some of the teachingmethods I have listed above? How is it that my recent e-mail friend Diana Vogel isable to teach dyslexic children?

If you can identify a dyslexic student early on, then you can truly getgreat results using any variety of re-mediation methods. Dyslexics do not have alearning disability. Dyslexics simply learn in a different way. Teach them in‘their way’ and see them flourish. I repeat what I have said in my earlierarticles ‘You can’t fill up a diesel engine with petrol and expect it to work’.

‘If you cannot catch a ball with your left hand as well as a left handerare you disabled?’What if, in the land of left handed people, you are forced bysociety to use your left hand? Isn’t this what we are doing with children whohave a different way of learning?

"Our lives begin to endthe day we become silent about things that matter.-Martin Luther King,Jr."

Extended School service - ESY

2011-04-09T09:14:00.000+08:00

The following is extracted from an e-mail sent to me. It is for thoseresiding in USA who may not be aware of the facilities available to them. Hopethis helps at least one parent living in USA.

Every year about this time,I have to educate colleagues, etc., on ESY as, in this case, it pertains tostudents with dyslexia and who have an IEP--in so many cases--many of them haveto have the school district pay for an Independent Report to obtain much neededand appropriate services based on their needs and not on the school district'savailability of staff, etc. I have had teachers argue with me about ESYservices for dyslexic students and say "it is a waste of time""just have them read books." As a parent/student advocate, I wouldadvise you to truly read the independent reports (not the school psychologist'sreport) of dyslexic students--especially ones from neuropsychologists’. I doknow that teachers are stressed, but I have seen too many parents toldmisinformation and I have had to educate many school district staff, in PPTmeetings, about ESY. In each case, the student obtains ESY because it meets thelegal criteria and state regs. Dyslexic students can get ESY if it meets thecriteria for ESY. Yes they can. Do not tell a parent "no" unless youhave the data to prove such. Believe me that parents are becoming moreaware--and I want you all to be aware so you can better service the studentswith dyslexia. I also know that teachers are put in the middle of wanting to advocatefor your students and district supervisors who are trying to manage theirbudgets. This is important as more parents are obtaining the services ofadvocates and attorneys. Read below and be warned on how you advise parents. Iknow this personally and professionally.

ESY = Extended School Year Services!
(The following is NOT to be considered legal advice. To be sure you are armedwith the correct information, we urge you to attain special education rightstraining)

ESY is provided for underfederal law (IDEA).

Sec. 300.309 Extended school year services

(a) General.
(1) Each public agency shall ensure that extended school year services areavailable as necessary to provide FAPE, consistent with paragraph (a) (2) ofthis section.
(2) Extended school year services must be provided only if a child's IEP teamdetermines, on an individual basis, in accordance with Secs. 300.340-300.350,that the services are necessary for the provision of FAPE to the child.
(3) In implementing the requirements of this section, a public agency may not--
(i) Limit extended school year services to particular categories of disability;or
(ii) Unilaterally limit the type, amount, or duration of those services.

(b) Definition. As used in this section, the term extended school year servicesmeans special education and related services that-
(1) Are provided to a child with a disability--
(i) Beyond the normal school year of the public agency;
(ii) In accordance with the child's IEP; and
(iii) At no cost to the parents of the child; and
(2) Meet the standards of the SEA.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(1))

1) Is ESY summer school?

NO! ESY is provided at NO COST TO PARENTS! ESY is not limited to the summerbreak! If the IEP teams decides that a student's FAPE (Free and AppropriatePublic Education )requires ESY and that the child/student may receive some ofthose services through a summer school program, the parents are not to becharged for the program...ESY if needed MUST be written into the IEP.

2) What should we look at in deciding ESY for my child?

In Reusch v. Fountain (1994) the courts found the following to be considered-

1. Regression and recoupment - Does the child lose skills over a break in theschool year and does the child struggle to retain those skills within areasonable time once back at school?

2. Degree of progress toward IEP goals and objectives;

3. Emerging skills/breakthrough opportunities -(sample) Did your dyslexicstudent have a breakthrough in reading prior to the end of the schoolyear?......IS that child going to lose those emerging skills over a break?

4. Interfering Behaviour - does the child’s behaviour interfere with his or herability to benefit from special education;

5. Nature and/or severity of disability

6. Special circumstances that interfere with child’s ability to benefit fromspecial education

3) Can my school district say they it's not district policy to provide ESY,therefore they don't provide it?

They can say it but they will be violating your child's legal rights! Remindthem that federal law will supersede their district policy!

4) My school district told me they have a "special needs summerprogram" for ESY and that my child can only receive a set amount ofrelated services such as speech or pt. Is this right?

Nope! The IEP team decides the amount, duration and location of services andthose services MUST be individualized to the child's needs...not the programsneeds!

Parents make sure you do your research on ESY. Make sure it is discussed atyour child's IEP...BRING IT UP! Some states require it to be discussed at theannual IEP other states do not require it to be discussed!!!

Example..In Wisconsin it is not required to be discussed unless an IEP teammember raises the issue of ESY. YOU ARE A TEAM MEMBER! This could be the veryreason why many parents in Wisconsin, especially rural Wisconsin, have NO IDEAwhat ESY is!!! This could also be the reason why when one of our members askeda related service personnel (Speech Therapist) about ESY services for herchild, that "experienced and knowledgeable" therapist said"What's ESY?"

Dyslexia - Transparent and opaque orthographies

2011-04-02T05:26:00.002+08:00

The following is a face book message received from one of my readers, Heidi Kroner, on what she had read in a book. This confirms my observation of my dyslexic students who have a problem only in reading in English but read fluently in Malay and Han Yu Pin Yin.

Full Circle

Well, this is going to be a long message, but youjust have to bear with me, and read the whole thing! I was so excited whilereading this book I found, and all three of you were "present" in mymind while I read it. I met the three of you through my research on Dyslexia;with Andrew asking Graeme a question resembling the following "Is dyslexiajust a disease that occurs in the English language?" Well, today, while inthe library, I came across the most fascinating new book called "Readingin the Brain - The New Science of How We Read" by Stanislaw Dehaene,copyright 2009. Stan is a French neurobiologist, psychologist and mathematicianwho studies how we read. You would all love to look at his book. He meshes allthe things every one of you has observed, and makes it all work seamlesslytogether.

First, he shows all the research that shows how we read. And, on the pagebefore his chapter on Dyslexia, he has the most interesting map. He shows thepercentage of reading errors made by 1st graders on a map of Europe. At the endof 1st grade, readers in England make 67% errors in reading, and readers inSpain, Finland and other countries with "transparent" orthographieshave error rates of only 2-8%, differing by country with Finland at 2% andSpain at 6%. He calls English an "opaque" orthography because ourspelling is so oddly structured. Then he goes into his chapter on dyslexia, andhe talks about how it is a phoneme based problem that arises because dyslexics'neurons do not navigate to the correct places in the brain during pregnancy. Sothe science totally backs up Graeme's point, but there is MORE that exactlysupports Luqman's point. The Italians rarely diagnose dyslexia, and they calledit an "Anglo-Saxon" disease. This interested researchers enough thatthey began studying why dyslexia appeared "more prevalent" incountries with "opaque" orthographies. What they found was that dyslexiadoes exist in every culture. And people with dyslexic brain makeup’s in Italy,did not make as many errors in reading and spelling as their Anglo-Saxoncounterparts, but when compared to readers in their own language, they wereslower readers and made dyslexic mistakes. The more transparent the language,the less errors made, and the more opaque language, the harder it was for the dyslexicbrain to work with it and decipher it.

So, this scientist can explain all the wiring problems in dyslexia, and explainwhy Luqman's students have few problems with languages that are spelled exactlylike they sound, but trouble with English. English truly does cause dyslexicbrains more problems than languages that have more consistent spelling rules.

He then went on to explain to parents and teachers that even though this is abrain based reading problem, it is not incurable. He goes on to explain thattutoring in the right methods will build the neuropath ways in the dyslexicbrain so that eventually, their brains will find the right "scaffolding"as he calls it to read, spell, etc. He talks about how the neurons, duringpregnancy navigate to build the scaffolding to read and write. In dyslexics,due to genetics, the scaffolding is not built in the same structure as thenormal brain. All brains are plastic, and through learning, we can all rewireour brains, and also find redundant scaffolding that can accomplish reading,writing, etc.

Anyway, I just thought his book did an excellent job explaining all thedifferent things we were observing. And to Graeme's auditory processing, hetalks a lot about the different types, reading in colour, etc. It all goes backto the places the neurons migrate to during pregnancy, the degree to which theymigrated correctly or incorrectly, to what parts of the brain they migrated,etc. Graeme, you may really dig his book. You may have already read it.

Anyway, I was astonished how a guy in France, two people in the US, one inMalaysia and one in England could all be in some way, in one place with me andmy book in an Iowa Library.

To see a diagram that shows English children making 67% reading errors at the end of first grade in comparison to children in countries with more "transparent" languages click here.

Heidi Kroner

Dyslexics and mutual exclusivity of letters

2011-03-26T07:24:00.001+08:00

This is part 3 of a series of articles on minds shutting down.

Continuing with “The Tipping Point” let us see what else we can linkwith ‘minds shutting down’.

“It tells you that a child understands what is happening on the screenand as a result is paying attention.”

Pg.106

“Preschoolersmake a number of assumptions about words and their meaning as they acquirelanguage, one of the most important of which is what the psychologist EllenMarkman calls the principal of mutual exclusivity. Simply put, this means thatsmall children have difficulty believing that any one object can have twodifferent names. The natural assumption of children, Markman argues, is that ifan object or person is given a second label, then that label must refer to somesecondary property or attribute of that object. You can see how useful thisassumption is to a child faced with extraordinary task of assigning word toeverything in the world. A child who learns the word elephant knows, with absolute certainty, that it is somethingdifferent from a dog. Each new word makes the child’s knowledge of the wordmore precise. Without mutual exclusivity, by contrast, if a child thought thatelephant could simply be another label for dog, then each new word would makethe world seem more complicated. Mutual exclusivity also helps the child thinkclearly”. Pg.115

“Whatthis means, though, is that children are going to have trouble with objectsthat have two names, or objects that change names. A child has difficulty with,say, the idea that an oak is both an oak and a tree; he or she may well assumethat in that case “tree is a word for collection of oaks.”

Pg116

This is exactly what I have written in my blog. A dyslexic child’s mindshuts down when the teacher does not explain the many different sounds of manyalphabets in the English language. When I taught them family words like, bat,cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, and sat they just devoured it as rapidly as anyother student. However, when I taught them “A cat” I saw a quizzical look on theirface. I teach dyslexic students on a one on one basis and I noticed thisquizzical look on each and every student and began to ask myself as to why thisbewildering look. It then dawned on me that it did not make sense to them – itwas illogical to them and they were shutting down. As pointed out by EllenMarkman above ‘small children have difficulty believing that any one object canhave 2 different names’.

I believe this is the reason why about 10 % of students in our schoolsjust cannot learn English whilst they can learn to read in Malay (BahasaMalaysia) and Romanized Mandarin which both use the same 26 alphabets as in theEnglish language. The logical thinking dyslexic child shuts down when theteacher does not explain that letters in English have more than one sound(phoneme) unlike in Malay or Romanized Mandarin.

For the various sounds (phonemes) of the English language click here: The dates in the attachment are the dates when I posted those articles in my blog.

The Tipping Point and minds shutting down

2011-03-21T06:01:00.001+08:00

The following 2 paragraphs are from Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘The TippingPoint’. They do explain a little on why children shut down.

“If you take these two studies together – the toys study and the editingstudy- you reach quite a radical conclusion about children and television. Kidsdon’t watch when they are stimulated and look away when they are bored. Theywatch when they understand and look away when they are confused. If you are inthe business of educational television, this is a critical difference. It meansif you want to know whether – and what – kids are learning from a TV show, allyou have to do is notice what they are watching. Preschoolers are sosophisticated in their viewing behaviour that you can determine the stickinessof children’s programming by simple observation.”

Pg.102

“‘Wefound to our surprise that our preschool audience didn’t like it when the adultcast got into a contentious discussion,’ he remembers. ‘They didn’t like itwhen two or three people would be talking at once. That’s the producer’snatural instinct, to hype a scene by creating confusion. It’s supposed to tellyou that this is exciting. The fact is that our kids turned away from that kindof situation. Instead of picking up on the signal that something exciting isgoing on, they picked up on the signal that something confusing is going on.And they’d lose interest.”

Pg.104

The above two paragraphs are written after having been properlyresearched and seem to say what I have personally seen in my dyslexic studentsand written in my article on “Unlearn”. That is, children do turn away whenthey do not understand – when what they hear or read is not logical to themthey turn away (shut down). When something is confusing they lose interest.

To learn more on this read Malcolm’s book “The Tipping Point” chapter 3– The stickiness factor.

Malcolm Gladwell's books are thought provoking. I would highly recommend his books to one and all.

Write to me on any personal observations you may have made on your child shutting down.

Dyslexic Minds shutting down

2011-03-18T05:06:00.002+08:00

I havewritten about my dyslexic students shutting down during class in my article: Unlearn dated Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I recommend you to read that article before continuing with this article. Do read the comments from one of my favourite readers.

Let us first think of the times when our minds shut down or switch off.I am sure most of you will agree with me that sometime in your life, when youwere angry, you would have said something that you wish you had not. If afriend were to recall such a moment after a few years you will not believe youwere capable of having said what he says you had said. I don’t know the answer towhy we sometimes say things that we later regret. Did our minds shut down? Didour common sense take leave?

Another good example is when someone tries to talk to you about areligion different from yours. I find that most people just switch off andthough they are physically present their minds will be elsewhere. They would have hardly listened to anythingsaid by that person. This is a good example of “people hear but do not listen”.

I guess the same thing happens when some people talk about politics andask you to vote for a party that you are not in favour of. Your mind is already made up andnothing he says will change your mind. In fact you hear but do not listen towhat he is talking about.

Something similar happens to a child who is dyslexic. Once he has learntsomething and believes it to be true he cannot accept anything that is contraryto what he has learnt. His mind shuts down and though he may be physicallypresent his mind is “absent”. He may hear but is not listening to you. I know thisto be a fact as again and again I have seen my dyslexic students shut downright in front of my eyes. However, unlike people to whom you talk aboutreligion or politics, a dyslexic child will listen and accept what you have tosay if you clearly explain to him that what you say is also correct despitebeing contrary to what he already knows.

I have written on Dyslexics mindshutting down but want to explore further on this in the next few months.Anyone with experience on their children’s mind shutting down or has read anything onmind shutting down is welcome to write to me at: luqmanm2002@yahoo.co.uk. Readers in Malaysia may telephone me on 019-8500258

I wroteto a dear friend of mine and asked him if he ever shuts down and his answer isattached.

I am nowusing Drop Box to attach my documents. To see my friends response click here.

Dyslexia - definition

2011-03-17T07:54:00.002+08:00

Manymonths ago I received an e-mail from someone who chanced upon my blog. This iswhat she had written.

“I work with kids, mostly under the ageof ten, who are struggling in school. I have found your postsinformative.

On the phrase "learning disability" (LD) -- it means two entirelydifferent things in the UK and in the US/Canada.

In the UK, LD refers to people who have significant cognitive or intellectualimpairments -- what previously might have been termed "mentallyretarded" (now pejorative in the US).

In the US/Canada, LD refers to people who have at least normal cognitive orintellectual abilities who struggle with one or more areas of learning(reading, writing, math)”.

End of message.

This is rather interesting. This isprobably why the people I wrote to in England find it difficult to accept myfindings despite the numerous research reports in my blog.

All the students whom I have taught arestudents with normal cognitive or intellectual intelligence. All of them had aproblem in reading English whilst they read fluently in Malay and and some in Han Yu PinYin (Romanized Mandarin).

Most of my students were certifieddyslexic by experts in West Malaysia or Singapore even though they could readfluently in Malay. (One of the ‘revered professors’, Linda Siegel wrote to me and said “The claim that LuqmanMichel makes is that “dyslexics” can read fluently in Malay. If they canread fluently, then they are not dyslexics.” She is one of those who speak based on what others have written beforeher. She has no regard for researchers who have written about dyslexics who read fluently in other languages. She is exactly like what the Indian proverbsay about one who has caught a three legged rabbit and claim all rabbits arethree legged. The good thing about Linda is that, at least, she like Dr.Joseph Torgesenreplied my e-mail unlike all the other professors I had written to.)

I believe that people with significantcognitive or intellectual impairment should not be placed in the same categoryas dyslexics. Dyslexics are average or above average intelligent people. Theylearn in a different way and are very logical thinking people. They have noproblem learning anything that is logical. They however, have problemsaccepting things that are illogical and their minds literally shut down whenasked to learn illogical things. Once they understand the concept they learn ata fast rate.

Perhaps a clearer definition of dyslexicsshould be looked into. It would be a travesty to include those withintellectual impairment in the same class as the geniuses that we know.

Together with you, I would like toexplore why children, dyslexic or otherwise, shut down. Do give me your viewsand any article you may have come across which could help us in this journey.

Dyslexia - Lies and more Lies

2011-03-16T19:35:00.002+08:00

I am copying articles from the internet which are just blatant lies about dyslexia. These lies are perpetrated by businessmen who only want to make money at the expense of parents of dyslexic children.

I just read this article in the internet found here:
http://worldvillage.com/dyslexia-adult-assessment-test-verify-if-you-are-dyslexic

"After adult dyslexia is already acknowledged, dyslexia adult assessment test is the starting point in aiding them to look for the proper medication and handle their ailments.
Adults who suppose they have learning incapability have to search for accurate assessment through the help of qualified professionals trained to conduct adult dyslexia diagnostic test. From the assessment, you should have the appropriate diagnosis and recommendation of treatment options."

The above article wants us to believe that dyslexia can be treated with medication. Continue reading for more articles.

http://homebusinessopportunityrus.com/blog/2010/05/30/testing-for-dyslexia

Dyslexia is a neurological conditionthat prevents the signals that are received from the eyes to be clearlyinterpreted by the brain. As a result, dyslexics (people with dyslexia) seethings differently. Dyslexics require special training to be able to interpretwhat they see in the same ways as non-dyslexics would.

Disclaimer: This posting usesinformation freely accessible in the popular press and medical journals thatcontend with dyslexia. Nothing herein is intended to be or should be construedas medical advice. For medical advice the reader should talk to his or herphysician or other medical specialist.

By- Joseph B. James

.................................................

http://www.aquadirectory.us/dyslexia-in-adults-and-dyslexia-testing

Dyslexics learn differently. Their eyessee objects the same way but their brains appear to interpret the signals fromthe eyes differently than those of non-dyslexics. It’s not an insurmountableproblem, many famous and successful people have been dyslexic. But to reachtheir full potential they must be taught differently, in accordance with theirspecial needs.

Written by Charles Riggins

..................................................................

Dyslexics learn differently. Their eyessee things the same way but their brains seem to interpret the signals fromtheir eyes differently than those of non-dyslexics. It’s O.K., many famouspeople have been dyslexic. But to reach their full potential they must betaught differently, according to their specific needs.

DISCLAIMER: I hope this helps, but please note that I am not a MedicalDoctor. You should consult with your M.D. or personal Physician before takingany medical advice from anyone on the Internet.
Written by Charles Brantley

......................................................................

http://mazmann.com/archives/858

What Exactly Is Dyslexia?

Posted byFrancis on September 12, 2010

Dyslexia has been little understood or noted for most of recorded history.Almost all that we have learned about dyslexia has occurred in the lasttwenty-five years.
Dyslexics learn differently. Their eyes see things the same way but theirbrains apparently interpret the signals from the eyes differently than those ofnon-dyslexics. It’s O.K., many famous and successful people have been dyslexic.But to reach their full potential they must be taught differently, according totheir individual needs.
For roughly the last 15 years, as part of a program to help in overcoming dyslexia, school-age kidshave all been screened for signs of dyslexia in children. Those identified as“probables” went through a full-blown test for dyslexia . Those dyslexics thus identified were subsequently taughtaccording to the way they needed to be taught.
Before about 15 years ago, dyslexics were lumped in with the rest of thestudents and had to take their chances. Most were treated badly by theeducational system, called lazy, slow learners, underachievers. They were madeto feel ashamed of and embarrassed by their differences and learned to concealthem.
Millions of adult dyslexics today have never taken a dyslexia test. Theystill struggle with learning and reading difficulties that could be easilyovercome if they were only known. A half-hour dyslexia test could make enormousimprovements in their self-esteem and abilities.
There are a large number of different types of dyslexia to deal with. Thereis no standard definition, no real, workable way to sort them out into typesand put them into nice, neat categories. Each one is different and needs to beevaluated and taught accordingly.
A dyslexia test could be a life-changingexperience for an adult dyslexic. The test would provide the basis for adiagnosis and lead to the dyslexic person finally receiving the training he orshe needs to effectively overcome the limitations that dyslexia would otherwiseimpose. It could open up a whole new world of opportunity and personal growth.
There is more information on the subject of dyslexia you can see by clickingon any of the links in this blog posting.
Disclaimer: Nothing in the above explanations is intended to be or representedto be or should be construed to be any form of medical advice. The informationherein has been gleaned from medical journals, news articles in the popularpress and other freely-available public sources. It is presented here forinformational purposes only. For any medical advice the reader is urged toconsult with his or her licensed physician or other medical specialist.
Courtesy of Timothy Reeves

Some questions that arises in my mind are - How do these guys get away with such blatant lies?
How is it that different writers seem to write exactly the same things using exactly the same words?

There are many more such articles but the few above are enough to let you know that not all you read or hear may be true.

English Language........it is weird 2

2011-03-16T05:57:00.004+08:00

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people not computers and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why when the stars are out they are visible but when the lights are out they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' ?

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'

It's easy to understand UP , meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?

We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP . We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP ! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP , look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP ,you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP .. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP ...

When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.

When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP .

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP , for now my time is UP , so........it is time to shut UP !

English Language........it is weird

2011-03-14T11:56:00.001+08:00

This is just another example of how difficult the English language can be to a dyslexic.
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce .

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row ...

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Dyslexia in Finland and Italy

2011-03-12T11:59:00.003+08:00

Alie, repeated often enough, will end up as truth.

The bigger thelie, the greater the likelihood that people would believe it.

Dr Paul Joseph Goebbels,Hitler's Minister of Propaganda (1933-1945)

I have read in many articles in the internet that there are no dyslexicsin some countries speaking orthographically consistent languages and not onlythat; there is no equivalent word in thatlanguage for the word dyslexia. This statement has now appeared in areputable paper – The Guardian. A lie repeated long enough.....

I do not know how this got started but one person must have started itand every other clown in town just copies it as if it were the gospel truth.

I believe that every country has more or less the same percentage ofdyslexics except that most of them are not discovered in countries where thelanguage is orthographically consistent. In other words dyslexics in these countries will not have a problem reading in their native language. However,they will be classified as dyslexic when they learn to read in the Englishlanguage. As explained in my blog;dyslexia is not only a problem with reading in the English language butdyslexics have a problem with abstract words, sequencing, time, fractions etc.

Coming back to where I left off in the first paragraph, I did not havethe time to go around confirming the in-correctness of the statement that thereis no equivalent word in some of the languages for the word dyslexia. I spendenough time busting the myth that dyslexics have a phonological awarenessdeficit. Now, I am trying to bust the common belief, perpetuated by somesophisticated people, that dyslexics have a reading comprehension problem.

Fortunately for us Geoffrey K. Pullum has done the research and writtenabout it. He says that he finds it is ‘almost unbelievable that people imagine they can continue to get awaywith printing flamingly obvious drivel about language in major newspapers. Theyalways assume that since there are no linguistic scientists and nocross-linguistic dictionaries or encyclopaedias’, no one will check on them.’

To set the record straight he says, “The Italian word fordyslexia is dislessia. Finnish has three words for it, two native andone borrowed: lukivaikeus (literally "reading-difficulty"), lukihäiriö(literally "reading-disturbance"), and dysleksia.”

“Thethird of the Finnish words, dysleksia, gets about 57,000 Google hits,and there is an article on dyslexia in the Finnish Wikipedia, so it's not likenobody in a newspaper editorial office could have found this out. The troubleis that they didn't do even thirty seconds of research on this.”

Thesame thing goes for most of these professors who just copy what is written bysome clown a long time ago. They write some of these articles, I believe, fornothing more than to make a quick buck on their wares. I agree with Geoffreywhen he says “I am sure I have said this before, but here I am saying it again, forthe Guardian's editors to hear: you just cannot exaggerate thestupidity of the brigade of morons who carry on the "things they don'thave words for" trope. (I should add that I hope its stupidity.It may be worse than that: mere bullshit, written by sophisticated people whoknow they haven't looked for the relevant facts but couldn't care less.)”

Be wary of some of these so called professors who simply copy things wronglywritten by their predecessors.

You may refer to the article commented on by Geoffrey K. Pullum here:

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=3001

Dyslexia and comprehension - final part

2011-03-08T13:12:00.005+08:00

I was dyslexic; I had no understanding ofschool-work whatsoever.

I certainly would have failed IQ tests. And it was oneof the reasons

I left school when I was 15 years old. And if I - if I'm notinterested

in something, I don't grasp it.
Richard Branson

I hope this article will convince those of you who may still be a littlesceptical that reading comprehension problem of a dyslexic is only a temporaryproblem as with any child who has not learnt to read fluently.

Let us start by reading a little aboutVince Flynn:

Vince Flynn (born April 6, 1966) is a best-sellingAmerican author of political thriller novels. He lives with his wife and threechildren in Twin Cities. He is afrequent guest on the Glenn Beck program on the Fox News Channel. He also served as a story consultant for the fifth season of the 24 television series.

Inan effort to overcome the difficulties of dyslexia,Flynn forced himself into a daily writing and reading regimen. Quotes Flynn:"I started reading everything I could get my hands on, Hemingway, Ludlum , Chancy , Tolkian, Vidal. I read fiction, non-fiction, anything, but I especially loved espionage."

Hisnew found interest in such novels motivated him to begin work on a novel of hisown. While employed as a bartender in the St. Paul area, he completed his first book, Term Limits, which hethen self-published.

To continue reading the article inWikipedia visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Flynn

Vince has already written 12 best-selling novels. How did one so tortured bywords become a prolific writer of intricate plots? If dyslexics do have areading comprehension problem how did he choose to be a writer leave alonewrite 12 best-selling novels?

Vince came to know that basketball star Al McGuire had overcome his dyslexiaafter college by revisiting thefundamentals of reading and writing, and he decided to follow Al’sfootsteps. Now, I believe, this is the key to why many dyslexics becomegood readers in their adult life. If the fundamentals of reading and writinghad been taught to these dyslexics in a way suitable to them they would havedone extremely well in school and need not have dreaded going to class.

Now in his forties Vince writes a new book each yearand reads many books while doing so. Had there been early intervention he would have fared better in hisschool days and need not have ‘suffered’ as he did when asked to read aloud inclass.

Read thefollowing related articles:

Dyslexicchildren who could not read but can read as adults

Dyslexics- Can they become writers and authors? & Lesson 25

Note: Iregret that File Den which I had used to host on-line storage is unable to beviewed.

I am now using ‘Drop Box’ and have already redone Multiplication madesimple. I’ll post all articles on mathematics in my blog for students:http://www.excellent-student.com

Do visit my blog and register as a follower.

My File Den has been blocked

2011-03-04T13:07:00.002+08:00

I regret to inform you that File Den which I use to save an attached file in my blog has been reported as an attack page. This simply means that you cannot view any of the attachments to my blog. I hope that File Den will solve this problem as soon as possible.I regret any inconvenience caused.

Sorry for the inconvenience. Hope this problem is solved soon.

Dyslexic children and reading comprehension Part 2

2011-03-03T17:19:00.004+08:00

What is reading comprehension?

Reading comprehension is the ability to get meaningfrom what you read. It is the ultimate goal in reading. Continued reading willhelp build the vocabulary and general knowledge base that is so important forreading comprehension.

I believe we all agree that a child needs good language or vocabulary tobe able to understand what he is reading. In addition he needs generalknowledge base for reading comprehension. General knowledge base and vocabularycan be built with reading on a daily basis. By general knowledge base I meansome knowledge of the subject matter being read. For example even if I havechecked the dictionary for all the meanings of words in a physics book I willnot be able to comprehend a major portion of what I read as my generalknowledge base for physics is almost zilch.

As mentioned in my article on 9^th March 2010another very important ingredient in being able to comprehend, when a childreads, is fluency in reading. I havewritten in detail on sight word reading and whole language. Today, let us distinguish between identification andrecognition. Identification means that a student correctly reads a word,regardless of whether he sounded it out, guessed or retrieved it from memory.Identification often takes effort. By contrast word recognition means that achild retrieves a familiar word from memory. There is no need to guess or soundout the word. Recognition is instant and effortless. It is based on a student’ssight vocabulary. As such once a child can read effortlessly his mind is freeto comprehend what he is reading. (You, the parent, are reading this article byrecognition and not by identification – you don’t have to sound out any word.)

Once a dyslexics wordrecognition is fluent he will comprehend more of what he reads. This is becausehe can focus his attention on the meaning of what he reads. He does not have tofocus attention on figuring out the words. Please read my reader Sarah’scomment in the article dated 1^st March 2011.

I also have an article which clearly proves that all of us are ultimately whole language readers andall of us recognise words which are familiar with just a glance. We use phonicsonly to decode new words that we are not familiar with.

We could probably associatethe above with driving. When we are learning to drive, everything has to be thought about and weare very busy looking at everything required for driving. But a few months laterwe can drive along chatting to our passenger. Readingis the same. The more practise that a child gets the easier it becomes and themore spare capacity he has for processing the meaning of the text. I have written the above asif it is meant for a dyslexic child but would this not be applicable to anychild? Any child who has not learnt to read fluently, a child who has notlearnt to recognise words but is only able to identify words will not be ableto comprehend what he reads. As such I do not agree with all these writers whokeep writing and saying that dyslexics have a reading comprehension problem. Dyslexics can and do become fluent readers and once they are fluent readers they have no problem comprehending what they read.

Your comments will be appreciated.

Coincidentally an article stating that dyslexics have a problem with reading comprehension was published on the internet while I was writing the above article.
It can be found here:
http://callierlibrary.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/learning-disabilities-dyslexia-and-vision-2/#comment-13266

Dyslexic children and reading comprehension

2011-03-01T17:04:00.002+08:00

Two weeks ago a friend rang me and asked me to see a 19 years oldstudent whom he thought was dyslexic. I explained to him that I have not taughtany child beyond year 6 (13 years old). He pleaded with me and I finallyrelented saying that I’ll just help to find out if the child is dyslexic.

The father and I met and he explained about his son. He started bysaying that his son’s memory is bad. He said that his son could hardly repeat ashort story after reading it. He had sent his son to various tuition centres /teachers over the years and yet he has hardly improved.

The following day the student came to my house and I asked him to read asimple story in Romanized Mandarin. He read it fluently. I then asked him toread a simple story book in English and he read it fluently as well. This wasenough for me to decide that he was not dyslexic.

I then asked him to repeat the one page he had read and he was unable totell me the story in his own words. I then took a book that I use with myprimary one students – The proud swan. He read the whole book with ease. Let meremind you that I am talking about a 19 year old teenager. When I asked him totell me the story, I found that he could hardly tell it to me.

Questions that came to my mind immediately were: Could the father beright in saying that his son has a bad memory? He did not have a problem incommunicating and why then can’t he comprehend what he has read?

I then decided to ask him the meanings of a few of the key words and wassurprised to realize that he did not know the meanings of many of the words. Heread them correctly but did not understand their meanings. The key words thathe did not understand the meaning of are:

Swan, Proud, Looks down on, Teases, Hunter, Surface, Trick, Dives, Ugly,Lifts, Neck, Strange

Raft and Floats.

It was obvious that his problem was not one of memory but one oflanguage. He simply did not have the vocabulary to understand the story. Iconfirmed this by asking him to read a simple story book in Romanized Mandarinand asking him to tell me the story in his own words in Mandarin.

My heading for this article is dyslexic children and readingcomprehension and yet I have said that this boy is not dyslexic. I will come tothat in my next few articles. Meanwhile do think of what I have written above.A father has believed “experts” who had simply told him that his son has amemory problem and that is why he cannot repeat a story he has read.

What is very clear from the above is that dyslexic or not; if a childdoes not have the vocabulary he will not be able to comprehend what he isreading.

WARNING: Do not believe so called ‘experts’, even those with a PhD whosay that ‘One of the problems of a dyslexic is reading comprehension’. This isfar from the truth and we will explore this in the next few articles.

Multiplication - 12 Times table

2011-02-28T07:38:00.001+08:00

1. Besides memorizing, an easy way to do your 12 timestable is to multiply the figure by 10 and then by 2 and add the results. Thiscan be easily done mentally.

Say 12 X 12 = (10 X12) + (2 X 12)

This is equal to 120+ 24 = 144.

8 X 12 = (8 X 10) +(8 X 2) = 80 + 16 = 96

2. Another way is to double each number and add theneighbour. An example will make this clear.

Say multiply 43 by 12

We start with the right digitof the number to be multiplied by 12, 3. Double it and add the neighbour toits right if there is one. In this case 3 X 2 = 6, we therefore write down 6 asthe right most digit of the answer.

The next digit to the left of3 is 4. We double 4 to get 8 and add the neighbour to its right which is 3 toget 11. We write 1 and carry 1.

We have to move to the leftone final time. We double the number here which is 0 which results in zero. Addthe number to its right which is 4 and add the carry forward 1 giving us 5. Thefinal answer therefore is 516.

In another word when youmultiply a number like 43 above think of the number in your mind as 043 X 12.

Let us look at anotherexample:

1234 X 12

In your mind think of it as 01234X 12

The right most digit will be 4X 2 = 8

The next digit to the left will be: 3 X 2 + 4 = 10. We leave 0 and carry 1.

We therefore have 08 as thelast 2 digits of the answer.

The next digit to the left will be: 2 X 2 + 3 + the carry 1 giving us 8.

The next digit to the leftwill be: 1 X 2 + 2 = 4

Now for the final digit: 0 X 2+ 1 = 1

The answer to 1234 X 12 istherefore = 14808

One last example:

23 X 12

First imagine the number to bemultiplied as 023.

Starting from the right digitof 23 the last digit of the answer is: 3 X 2 = 6

The next part of the answer is:2 X 2 + 3 = 7

The final part of the answeris 0 X 2 + 2 = 2

The answer of 23 X 12 istherefore = 276

With a little practice anynumber multiplied by 12 can be easily tackled by your child.

Multiplication - 11 times table

2011-02-19T16:46:00.004+08:00

Moved to http://www.Excellent- student.com

Reading - Another look

2011-02-19T08:01:00.002+08:00

I have written about reading sometime back but have decided to write again as I believe this is very important for all parents and especially parents with dyslexic children.

A parent's primary responsibility in preparing a child tobe a good reader is to read to the child every day, beginning early in life andcontinuing into his teens. I believe, my siblings and I are avid readersbecause my mother used to read to us every day from the time we were about 4years old. It comes to me as no surprise that my 5 children are also avidreaders because either my wife or I will read to them every day before they goto bed.

Reading aloud to your child helps develop his vocabularyas well as comprehension, both of which are essential for him to read. Readingto your child also allows him to enjoy books above his reading level. This maysound simple but believe me when I say a child will learn to love to read ifyou read to him every day. Never underestimate a child's listening ability. Myfirst dyslexic student John will sit for the whole hour and listen to me with fullattention when I read his favourite books – Binnacles. I was surprised at howhe could remember the various names of all the characters in the book.

You may be thinking how is it that your child will learnto read if you're the one doing all the reading? From personal experience Iknow that if a child grows up in a family that reads to him and love readingthemselves he will learn to read and enjoy reading. Children imitate what theysee and hear and parents can set good examples by being good readers. Readingto a child lays the foundation for the child to love to read.

Some parents mistakenly believe that once their childrencan read, they don't have to read to them anymore. My wife read to our childreneven when they were in form 5. They just loved to be read to while they weregoing to sleep. I have included this as one of the ideas of smart studying inmy book found at:

http://www.excellent-student.com

When you feel your child is ready to read, start off bygetting him to read very simple books. You could tell him that he will soon beable to read the type of books you have been reading to him. Teach him phonicsas introduced in my lessons in this blog. At the same time teach him the Dolchwords as introduced in my lessons. Some words, particularly the Dolch words,have to be memorized as they do not make phonetic sense or visual sense. It isalmost impossible to make visual sense of words like was, when, who and what.

As I have mentioned earlier, you do not have to make achoice between sight words/ whole language and phonics. I have used bothphonics and sight words in my lessons. Teach your dyslexic child as instructedin my notes.

Once your child has learnt to read he will be a wholelanguage reader just like you and me. He will use phonics and context to workout new or unfamiliar words.

One wayof enticing your child to read is to ask him to read to you while you are doingchores. You could ask him to read while you are cutting vegetables, washingdishes or cooking. Be attentive to him while he is reading and stop atconvenient places and ask him what he thinks will happen next. You too could giveyour opinion as to what you believe is going to happen. This will create a lotof interest in your child to want to continue reading and to also read the nexttime you are doing chores.

A reader has written to me asking me as to why I have stopped at 10 times table and not done 11 and 12 times table. I will do this in my next article.

Dyslexia is not a phonological awareness deficit

2011-02-07T04:17:00.001+08:00

For a year I have written that phonological awareness deficit is not the cause of dyslexic children being unable to read. Recently I found an article on the net echoing what I have been saying. I believe there will be more such articles in the future. New generation of researchers will challenge the 30 over years old "Phonological awareness deficit" theory.
Here is an abstract of the article:

Abstract

The knowledge that reading and phonological awareness are mainly reciprocally related has hardly influenced the status of a phonological awareness deficit as the main cause of a reading deficit in dyslexia. Because direct proofs for this theory are still lacking we investigated children at familial risk for dyslexia in kindergarten and first grade. The familial risk was genuine; 40% developed reading deficits in first grade. However, we did not find any relationship between a phonological awareness or other phonological processing deficits in kindergarten and reading deficits in first grade. Finally, we did not find evidence for the claim that a phonological awareness deficit assumedly causes a reading deficit via ‘unstable’ or otherwise corrupted letter–speech sound associations. Although earlier research indicated letter knowledge as another significant determinant of later reading deficits, we found no support for this claim. Letter knowledge learning and learning to associate and integrate letters and speech sound are different processes and only problems in the latter process seem directly linked to the development of a reading deficit. The nature of this deficit and the impact it might have on multisensory processing in the whole reading network presents a major challenge to future reading and dyslexia research. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dys.405/abstract

Conference Call with Dr. Selznick

2011-01-31T02:01:00.000+08:00

I have written on my discussions with Dr. Selznick on Shut Down Learner. Now I present to you a Free Conference call with the author of "Shut Down Learner".

Click here to download.

Multiplication Made Simple

2011-01-26T23:34:00.003+08:00

Files transferred to : Excellent- student

Click link above to view article and attachment.

Dyslexia myth

2010-11-06T16:59:00.003+08:00

One of the blog writers had written the following in her blog:

“Myth 5: People with dyslexia see things backwards.

Fact: Dyslexia is not caused by a vision problem, although reading difficulties very often are. Children need to have their eyes (and ears) checked regularly – and if there is a reading problem make sure the optometrist knows this. There are lots of exercises and strategies that can be used. If these sort the reading problem out, then the difficulty is not likely to be dyslexia.

Yes, they often reverse b/d, p/q, 6/9, 2/5, m/w and muddle ‘was’ and ‘saw’. But that’s caused by sequencing and directional confusion and working memory difficulties.”

My comment on her blog was not allowed by her and I am therefore writing my comment here for my readers. My comment was to try and explain why the statement that dyslexics see things backward is a myth.

Children learn a lot of things as they grow. We teach them about all the things around us. For instance we tell them that a car is a car when the child sees it from the front. We call it a car when we see it from either side. Again it is called a car when we see it from behind. If we are standing on a tall building and see a car below us we tell the child that it is a car while seeing the top of the car. Similarly a book is a book regardless of from what angle we see it.

The child goes to kindergarten when he is 5 or 6 years old and begins to learn his alphabets. He is now taught the letter ‘b’. He has no problem learning that. The confusion arises when the letter ‘b’ is turned the other way around and he is taught that this is the letter‘d’. It sounds almost the same as the letter ‘b’ and he also remembers that a car is a car regardless of the angle he sees it from. A few days later the teacher turns the letter upside down and calls it ‘p’ and finally turns ‘p’ to face another direction and calls it ‘q’.

I have seen many children, dyslexic or otherwise who are confused by some of these letters including m/w and words such as was/saw and numbers 6/9. They outgrow this confusion usually by end of primary 2.

As such it is not correct to classify a child as dyslexic just by this criterion alone.

Dyslexia- Middle of The Road Mentality

2010-11-01T18:10:00.010+08:00

Buddha has given us many lessons in life that should still serve us today. One of the things he has taught is to learn from everyone you come across in life - whether they're on the same path as you or not.

In life we'll come across all kinds of people with different views (especially in topics such as dyslexia). Many of them would write off everyone else's experience or views as wrong and believe that their way was the best.

However I have found that rather than writing those with different perspectives to me off, it is powerful to listen to everyone and to learn from them. The key is not to just accept everything that they say as truth, but to take what is relevant to me from those on different paths to me and apply it to my own situation - and to leave behind what didn't fit with my situation, values, believes and approach.

The temptation is to simply write off everyone who rubs you up the wrong way and to ignore their teaching completely - however the problem with this is that you could be throwing out some great teaching that is mixed in with a few bits that you don't agree with.

The key is to not swallow everything whole but to take what resonates with you and to apply it to your situation and to calmly leave what doesn't 'fit' aside. The important thing is to be willing to change ones view when one comes across something new which contradicts ones belief but appears logical.

Learn what is working for others, filter it through your own situation, values and belief and you will leave a better world behind through the works you have done.

Why am I writing on the above topic which appears to have nothing to do with dyslexia? This is to release the frustration that has been building up in me after having had no response from many of the researchers who have written on Phonological awareness to whom I had written over the last one year.

One of the Professors who is teaching in our local university even went so far as to tell me not to write on this topic in my blog or he will make sure I will not be able to teach dyslexic children. I had told him that I would gladly stop teaching dyslexic children if his organisation is willing to set up a branch here in Sabah. Let us hope he does.

Note: I will not be posting articles here as regularly as I have been. I am busy writing to professors who had written on phonological awareness. I will post their reply here if I receive any.
I may even write the names of people I have written to just in case you may know them and give a nudge to obtain an answer.