���Demystifying Dyslexia: ��Current Research, Practices, & Policies Related to Students with A Specific LD in Reading

Arlington SEPAC, along with Arlington Public Schools

January 19, 2022

Agenda

I. Building A Reading Circuit

II. Essential Components of Reading Instruction for Word Reading

​

III. The MTSS Model

IV. Diagnosing Dyslexia/Instructional Implications

​

V. Accommodations, Modifications, and Home Support

​

VI. Questions

​

​

​

​

​

​

��*18 YEARS AS CLASSROOM TEACHER, READING SPECIALIST AND LITERACY COACH�*EXPERIENCE IN DATA-DRIVEN LITERACY INSTRUCTION FOR WHOLE CLASS, SMALL GROUP and INDIVIDUAL LESSONS.�*TRAINED IN A VARIETY OF TIER 2 and TIER 3 SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTION INCLUDING ORTON GILLINGHAM, RAVE-O, and OTHERS.���

Sarah Gannon, M.Ed

Building a Reading Circuit

Park

Stanislas Dehaene

Ideal Reading Activation Pattern

Proficient readers have similar reading circuits & behaviors

Poor readers have varied patterns and behaviors.

In order to develop, the reading circuit requires instruction that is not always intuitive. ��How does reading develop?�

“Children are wired for sound, but print is an optional accessory that must be painstakingly bolted on.”

- Steven Pinker

Word Reading

Linguistic processes

Visual Processes

SIMPLE VIEW OF READING (Gough & Tumner, 1986)

Decoding

Ability to transform print into spoken language

Language Comprehension

Ability to understand spoken language

Reading Comprehension

Tasha

Decoding

1

Language Comp

10

Reading Comprehension

10

Decoding

4

Language Comp

10

Reading Comprehension

40

THE READING ROPE (Scarborough, 2001)�The Strands of Reading Comprehension

Among poor readers - 70 – 80% have trouble with accurate and/or fluent word recognition (Moats & Tolman, 2009)

WORD RECOGNITION

Decoding

Application of the alphabetic principle

Phonemic Awareness

Manipulation of individual sounds

Phonological Awareness

System of sounds in language

Sight Word Recognition

Automatic Word Reading

Skills Progress in a Sequence

Evidenced Based Elements

Evidence Based Content

Scope and Sequence

Targeted, Systematic, Cumulative

Multi-sensory

Word Recognition Skills

(PA, Decoding, Sight word)

Listening &

Reading

Comprehension

High Quality Instruction; Accurate & Fluent Reader*

Kindergarten

1.Phonological Awareness

2. Basic Phonemic Awareness instruction

3. Letter formation and recognition

4. Letter/Sound knowledge & blending

5. Basic Sight word recognition

Essential Components of Reading Instruction for Word Reading Skills K-3

Grade 1

1. Phonological Awareness

2. Extended PA

instruction

3.Letter formation

4. Robust Phonics

4. Sight word recognition

5. Fluency

​

​

Grade 2

1. Advanced Phonemic Awareness

2. Phonics

3. Extended Sight word recognition

4. Fluency

​

​

Grade 3

1.Advanced Phonemic Awareness

2. Solidification of phonics/Advanced Phonics

3. Fluency

​

Multi-Tiered System of Support: The MTSS Model

• Screens for Risk of Dyslexia
• Measures Predictive Skills at Each Grade Level at Different Time Points
• Administered Multiple Times
• Normed/Criterion-Based
• Valid & Reliable
• Lends to Easy Interpretation
• Connected to Progress Monitoring

​

​

​

• Examining Group (Classroom) Data
• Group students based on current level of ability
• Determine which students require additional support (intervention)
• Develop Instructional Focus Area
• Match Students by Instructional Focus Area.

​

​

​

​

Tier 2/3 Instruction

Accuracy

(Phonemic Awareness & Phonics)

Oral Language Comprehension*

What instruction been delivered thus far:

Automaticity

(Naming Speed & Efficiency)

Three Big Instructional Focus Areas

ACCURACY

​

Phonemic Awareness & Phonics

AUTOMATICITY

​

​

Fluency

COMPREHENSION

​

Vocabulary

Reading Comprehension

*Assessment occurs at the sublexical, lexical and passage level, depending on age

• Matching Tier 2 Instruction to Student Weaknesses

​

• Building off Tier 1 Instruction

​

• Lots of opportunities to apply to text - particularly decodable text.

​

• Small group - no more than 5 students.

​

​

​

Use of Decodable Texts – Application is Where Learning Sticks

Decodable texts are traditionally comprised of 70 – 90% of phonetically-regular words.

​

First graders who read from decodable text following their phonics instruction demonstrate greater application of sound/symbol knowledge than classmates who read leveled texts (Mesmer, 2005).

​

Some leveled texts inadvertently foster word “guessing/solving” based on picture cues & content.

​

Using phonics strategies to sound out words develops the Visual Word Form Area (Brain’s Word Bank).

​

​

Progress Monitoring Data is Collected During Intervention

Data Cycle 1: 8-10 weeks

Data Team Meeting

Determines:

​

-Appropriate Tier(s)

​

-Instructional Focus Areas

-Student Grouping

​

​

Tier 2 Intervention Based on Instructional Focus

Tier 1 Robust Classroom Instruction

Progress Monitor at Tiers 2, as needed at Tier 1.

Progress Monitoring Meeting

​

Adjust:

​

-Intensity

​

-Grouping

​

-Instruction

as needed

• Using Appropriate PM Tool.

​

• Ideally Connected to Screening Tool.

​

• Determine if Student is Making Adequate Progress.

​

Adjust

• Time
• Instruction
• Grouping

ENSURING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION: PROGRESS MONITORING

Transition to Referral and Identification (pg. 56)

• Examine progress monitoring data

​

• When interventions contain the most effective elements of remediation
• Systematic instruction PA
• Systematic instruction in phonics
• Ample opportunities to practice reading connected text

​

• Significant reading gains are typically made in the first 10 - 20 hours of intervention (30 mins- 3x/wk is approximately 10 - 13 weeks).

​

• Within two data cycles progress should be observed (Kilpatrick, 2015)

​

• A lack of progress may lead to changes to intervention possibly even using specialized instruction, or referral for eligibility testing.

Formulating An Assessment Battery (pg. 82)

ACCURACY

​

​

AUTOMATICITY

​

​

COMPREHENSION

​

​

Passage Comprehension

Single Word Reading

Foundational Skills

Given that academic reading can be impacted by other factors (English language proficiency, ADD/ADHD, and emotional disabilities, the team should determine if additional assessments are warranted.

Special Education

Accuracy

(Phonemic Awareness & Phonics)

Fluency

(Naming Speed & Efficiency)

Oral Language Comprehension

Unpacking Dyslexia (MA Dyslexia Guidelines, pg.10)

• Definition

​

​

​

• Risk Factors

​

​

​

• Diagnosis

A specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin, characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent reading and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.

Dyslexia can be diagnosed through the combination and interpretation of assessments that examine oral language skills, word recognition, decoding, spelling, phonological processing, automaticity/fluency skills, & reading comprehension

Poor performance on measures of pre-reading skills (phonemic awareness, rapid automatized object naming, letter identification) indicate underactive patterns in the brain, before formal instruction occurs. Family history-highly hereditary

Dyslexia is the most common learning disability and affects

~10-15% of the population.

Definition of Dyslexia

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.

(National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, 2002)

Endorsement of the term �Dyslexia (pg. 13)

Specific Learning Disability:

*Although dyslexia is not listed, it is considered to fall under this category

The Influence of Retrieval on Reading

What is Retrieval?

• Basic cognitive skills

​

• Enable access and transfer of information from the brain.
• Retrieval of visual, auditory, and linguistic information is essential for reading.
• Measured by Naming Speed

IMPORTANCE OF AUTOMATIC RETRIEVAL IN READING

What is different about Retrieval/Naming Speed?

• Naming Speed is based on the retrieval network
• Independent contributor to reading ability
• Does not always impact initial acquisition of skills
• Related to timing component of reading
• Revealed when stamina is required

​

​

(Norton & Wolf, 2012)

RAN objects – for early Kindergarten screening

• NOT a RAN measure

​

• True RAN measure

Special Education

Accuracy

(Phonemic Awareness & Phonics)

Retrieval

(Naming Speed & Efficiency)

Oral Language Comprehension

Dyslexia can have multiple deficits types

Double Deficit Distribution

IEP

• Present Levels of Educational Performance-What can the student currently do? What

impact does their dyslexia have on them in the classroom on a day-to-day basis?

• Goal Areas-Use the five essential components of reading instruction (Phonemic

Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary & Comprehension), along with the assessments to

determine appropriate goal areas.

• Are the Goals SMART-Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, anchored w/in a Time Frame

Accommodations (pg. 64)

Presentation

Setting

Response

Timing

Modifications (pg. 65)

Home Support

Summer

�Thank you!�Download the MA Dyslexia Guidelines��sarah@craftingmindsgroup.com�