OKAY?? Now What do I Do When I have a Diagnosis of Dyslexia?
Hmmm…you’re beginning to suspect dyslexia in your child or in one of your students. You have observed them closely as they’re struggling to read, write and spell. You’re wondering just exactly what are the early signs of dyslexia?
While reading my blog posts, you may even be suspecting that you’re dyslexic. You may be beginning to find some clarity about yourself and your process of learning.
The question that might be forming in your mind is: “What do I do now?”
It has been my experience that too often parents and educators wait too long to ask this question about their struggling children or themselves. Many parents have said to me, “I wish I hadn’t waited so long to get my child help. We hoped that everything would just suddenly “click” for them.”
OK! What to do:
First, I recommend that anyone suspected of being dyslexic be given assessments as soon as possible, whether preschool, adult or anywhere in between. Research has proven that interventions are tremendously helpful even as early as preschool.
If you have Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”, begin your formal assessment with Phonemic Awareness Assessment Part 1. If the child has 95% accuracy on Part 1, proceed to Phonemic Awareness Assessment Part 2.
If a child does not have 95% accuracy on Part 1 and Part 2 of the Phonemic Awareness Assessments, begin teaching Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”, Part 1 Phonemic Awareness.
Whether a child needs instruction in phonemic awareness or not, continue by assessing a child’s abilities in phonics.
Using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”, Part 2, begin the phonics assessments by:
· Giving the letter name and letter sound recognition assessments. A child will be successful beginning Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”, Parts 3-14 if he/she meets these criteria:
-Upper Case Letter Recognition = 92% Mastery
-Lower Case Letter Recognition = 92% Mastery
-Letter Sounds = 92% Mastery
If a child does not meet these criteria, please spend a week teaching the child the letter names and sounds he/she needs to reach 92% mastery. Use as many whole-body strategies as possible such as painting (with brush and fingers), drawing on paper or in sand, singing, or baking alphabet cookies that connect the sound to the formation of the letter. Connect the sound and formation of the letter to as many things in your day-to-day life as you can. Using the short vowel posters will quickly aid in teaching 5 of the most important letter names and sounds!
· Next administer the Rhyming Assessment. The results of this rhyming assessment will pinpoint the exact developmental level the child is at in their ability to rhyme. A step-by-step guide to further developing their rhyming skills with fun, enriching activities is on pages 73-74 in Part 2.
· Continue assessing word recognition using the included San Diego Quick Assessment. Begin assessing with the Reading Readiness Levels. You will find the child’s independent, instructional and frustration reading levels.
· Conclude by administering the Oral Reading Inventory Assessment beginning one or two levels below their instructional reading level obtained from their San Diego Quick Assessment. The oral reading inventory will assess the child’s word recognition, fluency and comprehension. You will find the child’s independent, instructional and frustration reading levels.
No matter the child’s assessment results, I always begin teaching all of my students phonics using Part 3 which is the introduction of the phonics portion (Parts 3-14) of the Silent Elephant “e” reading program.
You may ask, “Why assess children if you are going to start teaching all children with Part 3?”
First, initial assessment is important because you have to know where their starting point is to know how their knowledge has grown when you do your periodic assessments.
Second, mastery of each phonics rule is absolutely vital. Any gap in their previous learning will cause them to struggle. I know some of them will quickly move through the beginning lessons, but I want to be certain that a child does not have even the tiniest gap in any of their phonics skills. To ensure they don’t, I begin at the beginning with all of them and let those who assessed higher feel their confidence as they quickly move forward.
This brings up another important point, as educators, we must ensure mastery of each phonics rule before moving to the next. When you begin at the beginning, you KNOW they have each rule down pat.
You can rest assured that Silent Elephant “e” ensures no gaps in their learning because there is continual review of each mastered phonics skill built into all following lessons making certain all children are retaining and advancing their knowledge of all previously taught phonics rules.
All assessment results, from pre-teaching to post (graduation from Silent Elephant “e”), provide you, your students and their parents with a continual map of their progress.
Children love seeing their progress written down in black and white and are so amazed at their rapid progress with Silent Elephant “e”! They are so proud of themselves! They are so eager to continue learning with Silent Elephant “e” and in their classrooms!
They no longer feel defeated. They feel empowered to continue their learning and to become whatever they want to be! Silent Elephant “e” is a powerful program in so many ways!
If you do not have Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”, there are other resources available to you:
· You can contact the International Dyslexia Association for services and guidance as to how best to help yourself and/or a child.
· You can contact your public school. Public school systems have school psychologists that test children even if they are not attending that school. You do have to be in their attendance area.
· You can contact a private educational psychologist for testing for yourself and/or for your child.
I’m so glad you’re launching your search for answers!
If you discover that your child is dyslexic, my next blog post will guide you to discussing dyslexia with your child.
If you are questioning whether someone in your life is dyslexic and you’re not sure what to do, or you have completed the assessment and would like support deciding the next steps, feel free to contact us.