Lauren A. Katz, Ph.D., CCC-SLP�Joanne M. Pierson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP���Northwestern Michigan College�January 8, 2025

Supporting College Students with Dyslexia and Language-Based Learning Disabilities

Agenda

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1. Language-based learning disabilities and dyslexia
2. Components of reading (and writing)
3. How to promote and support learning in your classroom
4. Q & A

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

The Language-Literacy Connection�

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FORM

(Structure)

USE

(Pragmatics)

CONTENT

(Meaning)

LISTENING

READING

SPEAKING

WRITING

• Phonology
• Morphology
• Syntax

• Vocabulary
• Word relations
• Word retrieval
• Figurative language
• Semantic integration

• Language use in social contexts

Language-Based Learning Disabilities (LBLDs)

• 80% of students with learning disabilities have specific difficulties with spoken and/or written (reading and writing) language (Johnson & Blalock, 1987; Rath & Royer, 2002; Vogel, 1985).

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• Neurobiological (also impacted by environment)

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• Varies in severity.

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• Can include dyslexia.

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Common Difficulties for Students with LBLDs

• Listening comprehension
• Formulating thoughts/ideas/speaking
• Social skills
• Reading
• accuracy, efficiency, fluency, comprehension
• Spelling
• Writing
• getting started, coming up with ideas, putting ideas into writing, organizing, using correct grammar and mechanics.
• Mathematics
• Executive functioning
• attention, goal setting, prioritizing, organization, memory, time management, impulsivity, self regulation.

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Dyslexia

• The International Dyslexia Association / NICHD Research Definition of Dyslexia, 2002

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.

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Dyslexia…

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… is NOT this 🡪

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… or this 🡪

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… or this 🡪

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Fletcher & Currie (2011)

Handler, Fierson, Rainey (2015)

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���Long history of oral and written language difficulties 🡪 ��Long history of not reading as much as their more typical peers 🡪

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Matthew Effects (Stanovich, 1986)

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Reading Test Scores (percentile rank)

Time Spent Reading Each Day Outside of School

Ponder this…

• What does it mean to be a good reader?
• What goes into successful reading?

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

The Simple View of Reading�(Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990)

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Decoding/Word Recognition

Listening Comprehension

Necessary, but not sufficient!

The Simple View of Reading�(Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990)

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Decoding/Word Recognition

Listening Comprehension

Necessary, but not sufficient!

The Simple View of Reading�(Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990)

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Decoding/Word Recognition

Listening Comprehension

The Simple View of Reading�(Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990)

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Decoding/Word Recognition

Listening Comprehension

• e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorder

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The Simple View of Reading�(Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990)

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Decoding/Word Recognition

Listening Comprehension

• Approximately 5 - 17% of the population may be affected by dyslexia (or reading disorder) (IDA, 2009; Shaywitz, 1998).
• Intelligence and language comprehension tend to be average to above average.
• Not a vision disorder - (Fletcher & Currie, 2011; Handler, Fierson, Rainey, 2015).

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The Simple View of Reading�(Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990)

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Decoding/Word Recognition

Listening Comprehension

The Simple View of Reading�(Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990)

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Decoding/Word Recognition

Listening Comprehension

The Active View of Reading�Duke & Cartwright, 2021

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

What does adequate listening comprehension look like? ��Read the following passage in a way that I know you are understanding what you are reading�

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Do you remember turning five? That was when you could show people your age by holding up five __________ on one hand. You invited a few friends to your __________ party. Your friends brought brightly wrapped birthday g__________. You played games, and then everyone sang “__________ Birthday to You.” After they finished singing, you blew out the __________ on your cake. With your cake, you ate yummy ice __________.

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Happy Birthday!

Generously shared by Suzanne Carreker (April, 2018)

What about inadequate listening comprehension?��Read the following passage in a way that I know you are understanding what you are reading�

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Analysis of Covariance or ANCOVA is essentially a r_______________ of a covariate variable on the dependent variable from the entire sample ignoring group m_______________, at least, if ANCOVA a________________ are perfectly met. The intent of this process is to assign a portion of the v_______________ in the dependent variable that would normally be assigned to e________________ in a regular analysis of variance (ANOVA) to an e______________ covariate variable (p. 7).

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(Henson, 1999)

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Analysis of Covariance

Generously shared by Suzanne Carreker (April, 2018)

And, what about writing?

• Writing requires deployment of a variety of cognitive and linguistic resources.
• If any of these resources are deficient, less energy is available for allocation to the content, depth, sophistication, organizational structure, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, mechanics…ALL of it.
• Students with LBLDs and dyslexia almost always struggle with writing.
• At the college level, writing almost always requires reading…and often involves research.

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Direct and Indirect Effects Model of Writing �(Kim & Graham, 2022)

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�Promoting and supporting learning in the classroom for students LBLDs, including dyslexia

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Feeling Different

• Most students (typical and with LBLDs) desperately want to fit in, not stand out, not be/feel different.
• Students with LBLDs vary in the extent to which they accept their differences.
• We can’t make someone feel okay with their differences; this has to come from them.
• What can we do?
• Create classroom culture wherein differences are valued.
• Don’t be afraid to reveal (and appreciate) your own differences in front of your students. Make mistakes!
• Praise them for their character, their strengths, their efforts, and their successes (no matter how small).
• Relative to accommodations – be discrete, be sensitive/empathetic, don’t call unnecessary attention to their weaknesses, ask them for their preferences.

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Hot Button Issues

• Self-esteem (fear of failure, risk taking, cold calling, encourage/offer help/assistance)
• Time (to process, read, write/copy, complete tasks )
• Access (vocabulary, concepts, thoughts/words to formulate into sentences, prior knowledge, ingesting print, producing print)
• Following/understanding lectures (vocabulary, concepts, prior knowledge, pace)
• Taking notes (copying, knowing what’s important, dual processing, handwriting/keyboarding, pace)
• Participation in discussions (self-esteem, risk taking, understanding, formulation, pace)
• Group work (self-esteem, reading/spelling demands, pace, understanding, formulation)

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Specific practices to try out �(you just might like it)

1. Make learning ACCESSIBLE
2. SCAFFOLD your instruction
3. THINK ALOUD
4. DECIPHER their thinking
5. Be FLEXIBLE
6. ASSESS with INTENTION

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

1. Make learning ACCESSIBLE

• Make all text easily accessible – outside and inside of the classroom.
• Whenever possible, provide simpler texts/videos (as supplements) to help students better access meaning.
• Provide completed review guides and practice problems with not only answers but steps for how to solve.
• Look for lost/confused looks and follow up – even if it’s a message to the whole class.
• Make yourself accessible without peers in earshot.
• Provide assignments, readings, lecture notes in advance.

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

2. SCAFFOLD your instruction

• Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

2. What might SCAFFOLDing look like in your courses?

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• Pair up for 90 seconds to discuss. Share.
• Before introducing new content – preview it by providing background knowledge and connecting it with something students understand or have experienced. Help students construct knowledge from what they already know.
• Start with the big picture and then can make sense of details.
• Teach relationships between core ideas vs. memorizing loosely related facts.
• e.g., A. Jackson grew up poor and was for the common people. Why?
• Ask why questions.
• If you have mnemonics, teach them. If not, have students work together to practice developing them.
• Provide several exemplars of good writing – you want them to learn, so show them what you’re looking for.
• Break lengthy writing assignments into manageable steps and break those steps down even further.

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

3. THINK ALOUD

• Teach them how to think and use strategies by modeling your own thinking.
• Make the implicit explicit.
• Say what is going on in your mind as you teach so that the students are privy to your thinking.
• Why did you do that?
• What made you do that?
• Why do it this way rather than that way?
• Why did you make that face?
• Why did you say that with emphasis?
• Why do you like/love this?
• Why is this funny to you?
• Why is this so important to you?

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

SCAFFOLDING and THINKING ALOUD to promote text comprehension and learning

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

The 6Ps (Katz, Fallon, and Pierson, 2016)

1. Preview
2. Purpose
3. Prior knowledge
4. Prediction
5. Picture
6. Pause and check-in

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Preview

Reading without reading.

• Students with LBLDs generally miss the big picture.
• Read and think about titles, subtitles, bold words, figures, tables, graphs, pictures, summary points.

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Questions to ask yourself:

• What does the title mean?
• How does the title relate to what I’ve learned in class?
• To my own knowledge/experiences?
• What do the headings mean?
• How do the headings relate to the title?
• To what I’ve learned in class?
• To my own knowledge/experiences?
• What do the bold/italicized words mean?
• How do the bold/italicized words relate to the heading?
• To the title?
• To what I’ve learned in class?
• To my own knowledge/experiences?

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Passage: The House (from Anderson, Pichert, Shirley, 1979)�Spoiler Alert!

• Burglar
• Realtor
• Possible overlap

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Purpose

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

The House

The two boys ran until they came to the driveway. "See, I told you today was good for skipping school," said Mark. "Mom is never home on Thursday," he added. Tall hedges hid the house from the road so the pair strolled across the finely landscaped yard. "I never knew your place was so big," said Pete. "Yeah, but it's nicer now than it used to be since Dad had the new stone siding put on and added the fireplace." There were front and backdoors and a side door which led to the garage which was empty except for three parked 10 speed bikes. They went in the side door, Mark explaining that it was always open in case his younger sisters got home earlier than their mother. Pete wanted to see the house so Mark started with the living room. It, like the rest of the downstairs, was newly painted. Mark turned on the stereo, the noise of which worried Pete. "Don't worry, the nearest house is a quarter mile away," Mark shouted. Pete felt more comfortable observing that no houses could be seen in any direction beyond the huge yard.

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Purpose

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

The House (cont.)

The dining room, with all the china, silver, and cut glass, was no place to play so the boys moved into the kitchen where they made sandwiches. Mark said they wouldn't go to the basement because it had been damp and musty ever since the new plumbing had been installed. "This is where my Dad keeps his famous paintings and his coin collection," Mark said as they peered into the den. Mark bragged that he could get spending money whenever he needed it since he'd discovered that his Dad kept a lot in the desk drawer. There were three upstairs bedrooms. Mark showed Pete his mother's closet which was filled with furs and the locked box which held her jewels. His sisters' room was uninteresting except for the color TV which Mark carried to his room. Mark bragged that the bathroom in the hall was his since one had been added to his sisters' room for their use. The big highlight in his room, though, had a leak in the ceiling where the old roof had finally rotted.

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Purpose

• Know your purpose.

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• Students who struggle with LBLDs often don’t approach the task with a purpose in mind.
• Determining a purpose will help students engage more meaningfully (or purposely) and efficiently with the text.

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Questions to ask yourself:

• What kind of text is this? (story, procedure, descriptive, etc.)
• What does your professor want you to know?
• Why is your professor asking you to read this?
• What am I going to need to do after I read this? (class discussion, paper, quiz, etc.)

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Prior Knowledge

Activate your prior knowledge. Make an investment!

• Students who struggle with LBLDs rarely stop to think about what they know about a given topic before they start reading about it.
• Prior knowledge about a given topic will support a reader’s understanding of text.
• Helps with engagement, motivation, and attention.
• Helps with drawing inferences.
• Helps with deriving meaning from context.
• Helps with retention of information.

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Questions to ask yourself:

• What do I know about this topic?
• If I don’t know much/anything, where can I find some information?
• How is what I know possibly related to what this text is going to be about?

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Prediction

Make predictions before and throughout your reading of the text.

• Similar benefits to those reaped from activating prior knowledge (i.e., engagement, motivation, attention, comprehension, retention).

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Questions to ask yourself:

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• What does the title suggest this is going to be about?
• Narrative
• What do I think is going to happen next?
• Expository
• What do the headings/subheadings suggest?
• Am I making “I wonder what…” statements?

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Picture

Many students with LBLDs use or can learn to use rich visual imagery skills.

• Works best with narratives.
• But, can be used with other types of texts, including math word problems.

Questions to ask yourself:

• What do I see?
• What do I hear?
• What do I feel (heart and hand)?
• Are there any smells, tastes that are important to capture?
• Can I create a graphic representation of the information that will help me understand and remember the information?
• Can I use any pictures or diagrams in the text to help me make meaning?

Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Pause and check in!

Some Important Monitoring Strategies

• In general, pause and check in …
• Remind yourself of your purpose.
• Make frequent predictions and reflect on their accuracy
• Ask yourself what the sentence, paragraph, page, passage was about, and actually answer!
• Ask yourself what you are learning, and actually answer!
• Ask yourself if the text is making sense. If not, do something about it.
• Find main ideas and summarize frequently.
• Ask yourself if you are paying attention. If not, do something about it.

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Back to specific processes to try out…

1. Make learning ACCESSIBLE
2. SCAFFOLD your instruction
3. THINK ALOUD
4. DECIPHER their thinking
5. Be FLEXIBLE
6. ASSESS with INTENTION

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

3. DECIPHER their thinking

• Students’ questions and responses to questions are almost never random or irrelevant.

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• Careful not to dismiss responses that are wrong or don’t seem to make sense to you.
• Take notice and decipher their thinking.
• “What makes you say that?” (Richhart, Church, & Morrison, 2011)
• Incorrect answers are windows into their thinking…use them for good!

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• Reward their thinking and help lead them down a path of learning…increases likelihood they’ll continue to answer and ask questions.
• “I love how you’re thinking about this!”

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

5. BE FLEXIBLE

• What works for one student may not work for another.
• Graphic organizers, outlines, flashcards, highlighting, specific mnemonic
• Be okay with throwing out your perfect method or idea – don’t be too committed.
• Think outside of the box.
• Instead of lowering the amount of learning, lower the demands that get in the way of their learning.
• Provide opportunities to preview – books, chapters, notes/lessons
• Streamline tasks; eliminate steps if possible.
• Avoid having them fill in review sheets for exams – give them a completed version.
• Be careful with peer editing.
• Be mindful when assigning student to group work.

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

6. ASSESS with INTENTION

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• Keep the goal of the assessment in mind/keep your eye on the prize.
• “What is my goal here? What do I want the student to learn? What do I need to see to assess learning?”
• Is the student at a disadvantage relative to specified test/quiz preparation/studying?
• e.g., having to locate copy text to complete a review sheet
• Will the student be able to demonstrate his/her learning with this assessment?
• Are there unnecessary demands I can eliminate?
• Do they need to write answers or can they present orally, submit an audio recording, or dictate?
• Do they need to present orally, or can they submit in writing or as an audio/video recording?

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Katz & Pierson -- www.3-li.org

Q & A

CONTACT INFORMATION:

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Lauren A. Katz, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Joanne M. Pierson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Literacy, Language, and Learning Institute (3LI)

2010 Hogback Rd., Suite 1

Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Email: info@3-li.org

Phone: (734)973-6001

www.3-li.org

www.dyslexiahelp.umich.edu

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