Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth
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The next few days will be on instruction, starting with a foundational topic: phonemic awareness. Then I will switch gears to accommodations & ways to make classrooms dyslexia friendly. If you have topic requests, please let me know! 14/31 (13th tip)
#DyslexiaAwarenessMonth
#DyslexiaAwarenessMonth
Whether or not a student is diagnosed with dyslexia, if assessments say a student would benefit from phonemic awareness instruction, it can be a powerful driver for reading growth, even for older students. (15/21 - 14th tip)
#DyslexiaAwarenessMonth
#DyslexiaAwarenessMonth
#Speak4Dyslexia
#Dyslexia is a lifelong learning difference that impacts 20% of the population. #Dyslexics are poor at processing language, struggle to comprehend, speak, read, write, spell or calculate. It is irreversible. #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth
changeinkk.org
#Dyslexia is a lifelong learning difference that impacts 20% of the population. #Dyslexics are poor at processing language, struggle to comprehend, speak, read, write, spell or calculate. It is irreversible. #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth
changeinkk.org
#Speak4Dyslexia
Headaches from reading & writing,alphabets & numbers jumping around, confusing deadlines, not being able to judge time, are all part of their daily challenges to survive. Low self-esteem & high anxiety is common.
#DyslexiaAwarenessMonth
changeinkk.org
Headaches from reading & writing,alphabets & numbers jumping around, confusing deadlines, not being able to judge time, are all part of their daily challenges to survive. Low self-esteem & high anxiety is common.
#DyslexiaAwarenessMonth
changeinkk.org
#Speak4Dyslexia
#DyslexicMinds are wired differently.They think creatively, r innovate & think outside the box,often solving problems others can’t.DyslexiaAwarenessMonth
changeinkk.org
#DyslexicMinds are wired differently.They think creatively, r innovate & think outside the box,often solving problems others can’t.DyslexiaAwarenessMonth
changeinkk.org
We are back for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth 2020 after all the wonderful feedback we received last year! Every Day we will bust another #dyslexia and #reading myth during the month of October:
MYTH #1 for 2020:
DYSLEXIA AND READING IMPAIRMENTS ARE RARE
MYTH #1 for 2020:
DYSLEXIA AND READING IMPAIRMENTS ARE RARE
While the exact prevalence of #dyslexia/#reading impairments depends on many factors (e.g., the definition, the spoken and written language, diagnostic practices), we can say with great certainty that dyslexia/reading impairments are not rare.
Let's take a look at the numbers: The National Assessment of Educational Progress shows in their report that approx. 65% of 4th graders are not #reading proficiently and the numbers are similar for students in 8th grade. You can find the 2019 report here
nationsreportcard.gov/reading?grade=4
nationsreportcard.gov/reading?grade=4
Myth #31 #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth:" #Dyslexia/#reading impairment is rare!" NOT TRUE! While the exact prevalence of #dyslexia/reading impairments depends on many factors (e.g., the definition, the language, diagnostic practices), we can say with great certainty that..1/7
... #dyslexia/#reading impairments are not rare. Let's take a look at the numbers: Yesterday @NAEYC released a new report showing that 65% of 4th graders are not reading proficiently. We know that the estimates of #dyslexia range from 3-12% but vary across countries but.. 2/7
..prevalence rates for #dyslexia are difficult to estimate due to differences in the definitions used, how & at what ages individuals are identified, criteria for diagnosis, & orthographic transparency (the degree of consistency between spelling &sound) plays a role as well! 3/7
Myth #30 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "Individuals with #dyslexia or #reading impairment will never be successful!" NOT TRUE! There are so many successful people with #dyslexia or #reading impairments on this planet, each of them defining success in their own, individual way 1/3
However, in order for them to reach their full potential (whatever it is!), we need to provide them with realistic role models, rich resources, opportunities to develop & maintain healthy self-esteem, counseling, AND access to evidence-based, systematic interventions 2/3
Myth #28 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth:" If you don’t teach a child with #dyslexia/#reading impairment to read in elementary school, then it is too late for them to ever learn how to read." NOT TRUE! While the window for the most effective intervention is in K/1st grade....1/3
..people with #dyslexia/#reading impairment can learn 2 read at any age if given proper interventions. Interestingly, research by @StanDehaene has shown that illiterate adults who learn to read show similar brain changes in response to instruction than kids who learn to read..2/3
@StanDehaene Interested in more work on brain changes following learning to read? Take a look at this summary
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25783611 or check out this video
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25783611 or check out this video
Myth #27 #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "Early screening for #dyselxia/#reading impairments gives students a diagnosis at age 5 before they can read." NOT TRUE! The purpose of early #screenings is not to diagnose but to identify children AT RISK for developing a #reading impairment 1/7
I explained this in this article written for @blog_bold: bit.ly/349VNzp : "An analogy from medicine may be helpful in this context: Adults are advised to undergo screening for high cholesterol levels, which can indicate an increased risk of developing heart disease..2/7
..those diagnosed with high cholesterol don't automatically receive a diagnosis of heart disease. They are provided with an evidence-based “response to screening,” generally a combination of prescribed exercise, dietary changes, and/or medication. This may prevent the..3/7
Myth # 26 #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "Individuals with #dyslexia #reading impairment are just lazy & just need to try harder!" NOT TRUE! Individuals with #dylexia or #reading impairments are very hard working but the usual way/or the intensity used to teach them to learn to read...
...is not sufficient to turn them into a reader. All individuals with #dyslexia/reading impairments CAN learn to read but it needs evidence-based intensive intervention (which varies across individuals) and a dedicated team to reach the same level than typically developing kids.
All children have the right to learn to read and reach their full potential. Let's make sure that every child gets all the help they need to develop into a successful, motivated reader and, most importantly, maximize the joy of learning to read for everyone.
Myth #25 #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "If you are a 2nd language learner you cannot be diagnosed with #dyslexia/#reading impairment in that language until you are proficient!" NOT TRUE! It is important to screen and/or diagnose all children regardless of their language background.1/3
2nd or 3rd language learners have an increased risk to develop problems with #reading & it is of great importance to monitor these children carefully. Some struggle with learning to read in only 1 of their languages while others struggle in all of them...
Lots of wonderful researchers work on this topic and develop screening/diagnositic tools in various languages. Take a look at the great work by Linda Siegel, @prattas, Elizabeth Peña, Esther Geva, @NonieLesaux, Gigi Luk, @cammiemcbride9 & take a look at u.org/2Pk2U3Z
Myth #24 #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth "Individuals with #dyslexia or #reading impairments primarily use their right hemisphere of the brain to process text which makes them interpret written language in a visual-spatial way, like pictures!" NOT TRUE! The idea that some people are..1/5
..left-brain learners, while others are right-brain learners, is a MYTH and tools assessing whether a child primarily processes text with their left/right brain are misleading, false & should not be used. This neuromyth most likley originates from an overgeneralization of... 2/5
..empirial brain research. Research has shown that language & reading are predominately processed in the left-hemisphere but right-hemispheric regions are also involved & important The fact that empirical findings have been misunderstood/simplified make it hard to dispel them 3/5
Myth #23 #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "Students with #dyslexia or #reading impairments only learn if the information is presented in their preferred learning style" NOT TRUE! Learning styles are probably the biggest myth in education. If you encounter this myth for any learner 1/3
...please make sure to debunk the learning style myth by pointing to these scientific articles and resources: bit.ly/2k4ZXXV; bit.ly/30YdYay; bit.ly/2rY7tUV or this resource bit.ly/340OcmK. However, It is important to understand that...2/3
...the lack of evidence for preferred learning styles does not mean that we shouldn't give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge OR try to maximize engagement and motivation. This will actually enhance their learning (see e.g., @CAST_UDL)
Myth #22 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "Individuals with #dyslexia or #reading impairment cannot read." NOT TRUE! Every person struggling with #reading shows a different profile on a continuum. Some have a hard time reading single words, others with multi-syllabic words, others..
..with #reading impairments/#dyslexia struggle with longer sentences or connected text. Problems may be observable during decoding, when asked to read fluently & reading comprehension may also be a problem or a person may struggle with all of the above. The profile of a person...
...with #reading impairments/#dyslexiawill change over a lifetime & in response to evidence-based intervention. This post has no intention to disentangle definitions but wants to raise awareness to make sure we maximize the joy of learning to read regardless of a person's profile
Myth #21 #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "Children who speak African-American dialect cannot be identified with #dyslexia/#reading impairments or screened for being at-risk for #reading impairments." NOT TRUE! These kids have a heightened risk for developing problems with #reading 1/3
"Children with the highest dialect density (e.g. children who still produce 70% dialect in fifth grade) are at the greatest risk for #reading problems" as explained by one of the key experts in this area @jwashinup; see Washington et al., 2008 (link bit.ly/2P4XvNZ) 2/3
Majority (82%) of African-American (AA) 4th grade students read at or below "basic" levels in 2017 NAEP sample bit.ly/2BzkwAA & only 18% of AA children were considered proficient/advanced readers (NCES, 2017). See also the great work of Dr. Patton-Terry at @floridastate
Myth #20 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth:" #A lot more boys than girls develop #Dyslexia or a #reading impairments!" NOT TRUE (but tricky)! The research is somewhat inconclusive and a wide range of sex differences (including none) has been reported. What we know is that 1/3
...most research suggests that #dyslexia is slightly (but not a lot) more frequent in boys than girls, with ratio of approx. 1.5-2.1:1, which cannot be entirely attributed to ascertainment bias & may be due to greater variance in #reading performance for boys than girls or ...2/3
..the reported sex difference may be due to a lower threshold for maladaptive outcomes in the presence of early risk factors. We need more research on this but pl take a look at Badian et al., 1999; Moll et al., 2014; Rutter et al., 2004; Liederman et al., 2005; Quinn, 2015
Myth #18 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: “Children who are good decoders will always show good reading comprehension skills” NOT TRUE! For good reading comprehension you need decoding skills AND linguistic comprehension skills; neither alone is sufficient 1/4
As wonderfully illustrated today by @ReadOxford @yesread, there is a tendency to consider poor #reading comprehension as a downstream consequence of poor single word reading skills but 50% of children with #dyslexia show poor oral language 2/4
Also, young children at-risk for #dyslexia who subsequently develop #reading impairments show lower oral language skills than children who develop typical reading skills. For more see e.g., bit.ly/33LI3ua or see article below by @tiffanyphogan and @SuzAdlof 3/4
Myth #17 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "#Dyslexia & #Reading impairments can be cured with special balancing exercises, fish-oils, special glasses, vision exercises, NLP magical spelling, inner-ear-improving medications, training primitive reflexes, eye patching...NOT TRUE!!! 1/3
...#dyslexia/#reading impairments can also not be cured by more reading to your child (although it is ALWAYS good to read to your child), retention, red-shirting, smaller class sizes, special nutrition, increased sleep, nature play, waiting for the brain to mature...2/3
Individuals with #dyslexia/#reading impairments can be helped by explicit, cumulative & systematic evidence-based programs. 4 more info, see @markseidenberg @texasldcenter @TheFCRR @DyslexiaIDA @NCILiteracy, @reading_league David Kilpatrick, Linnea Ehri, Louisa Moats & many more
Myth #16 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "Advocating for children with #dyslexia and #reading impairments is a waste of time because the system will never change!" NOT TRUE! #Dyslexia awareness as well as the 'Science of #Reading" movement has moved mountains so far...1/5
...but a lot more advocacy is needed. A big shoutout goes to the Decoding #Dyslexia movement, a parent-led grassroots organization that is behind many of the recent #dyslexia and #screening for #reading milestones and disabilities laws. 2/5
Others are fierce advocators for the implementation of the "Science of Reading" into classrooms. A lot more work is needed so that every child can reach their full potential & every teacher is empowered to teach children how to read effectively with evidence-based curricula. 3/5
Myth #15 #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "All children with #dyslexia have average or above-average IQ OR all children with #dyslexia/#reading impairments are 'stupid' and have very low IQ!" NOT TRUE Children who struggle with reading including #dyslexia are on a wide IQ spectrum ...1/4
There ample evidence from educational, psychological & neuroimaging studies showing that a link between IQ & #dyslexia or #reading impairment is not supported. Most importantly, the evidence suggested that the still used diagnostic criteria of IQ discrepancy is not warranted 2/4
Tanaka et al. reported that "a number of behavioral studies indicate that underlying phonological deficits are similar in poor readers regardless of discrepant or non-discrepant (O'Malley, 2002 Stanovich, 1994; Stuebing,2002; Tunmer & Greaney, 2010) bit.ly/2OPCNlh 3/4
Myth #14 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "Individuals with #dyslexia see words backwards or letters reserved & any child who reverses letters or numbers has #dyslexia." NOT TRUE! Letter reversal in reading and writing is common in many beginning readers. ...1/3
Letter reversals were once thought to be main characteristics of #dyslexia, but most research suggests that there is no evidence for more letter reversals in #dyslexia compared to peers. Many children age 3-7 spontaneously write their names with reversed order of letters or ..2/3
..they write their names with a reversed orientation of the letters themselves. You can find more info about letter reversals and #dyslexia (both sides) in these research papers: bit.ly/33wcJQk, bit.ly/2nM1qUT; bit.ly/2VKnhbF, bit.ly/2Bc7Dwg
Myth #12 #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth:" Schools & districts are officially not allowed to use the term "dyslexia" NOT TRUE! Letter from the U.S. Department of Education reminds all districts that there’s nothing in the law stopping them from using the term bit.ly/1R8dtBj 1/3
...in fact, the letter bit.ly/1R8dtBj from the U.S. Department of Education encourages states to remind their districts to use the term "#dyslexia" in IEPs, at IEP meetings & in evaluations used in determining eligibility for special education services. 2/3
You can find more info on using the term "#dyslexia" on the @UnderstoodOrg website here u.org/2q8Ikcl and FAQs are answered here u.org/2Mb1XJt. By the way, the letter also encourages schools & districts to use terms #dysgraphia and #dyscalculia!
Myth #11 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "(Irlen) Colored Overlays do cure or alleviate #dyslexia or #reading difficulties!" NOT TRUE! Pl take a look at this excellent article bit.ly/2pgy69u in @ConversationUS by Jeremy Law @UofGlasgow summarizing the current research 1/3
He concludes:"Most worrying is that these simple coloured sheets may provide false hope in a struggling reader and result in feelings of discouragement when this intervention fails to deliver the promised results. In this sea of misinformation, it is important...2/3
.."for special needs teachers & parents to become informed consumers. Only then will we ensure that struggling readers will be provided with effective, evidence-based interventions that not only improve the reading & learning of those with #dyslexia, but also quality of life".
Myth10 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "All individuals with #dyslexia share a similar strength & weakness profile!" NOT TRUE! Every person with #dyslexia is unique & has their own individual strengths & weaknesses. It's important to provide role models that showcase this variety1/4
Falsely promoting a certain strength that ALL individuals with #dyslexia share (e.g. visual-spatial skills or thinking out of the box) is not empowering and simply incorrect. It can lead to disappointment and more frustration such as "I am not even good at being 'dyslexic'" 2/4
Today, myth #9 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth: "Struggling with learning to read is only affecting your academic outcome, but has no influence on your mental health!" NOT TRUE! Difficulty with reading at grade-level can lead to low self-esteem, feelings of shame, inadequacy...1/6
Difficulty with learning to read can lead to helplessness, frustration often leading to a variety of mental health problems and individuals with #dyslexia, #reading impairments or other learning disabilities show higher rates of #depression and #anxiety 2/6
Today, #Mythbusters #7 for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth : "Pediatricians screen for early indicators of autism, ADHD and #dyslexia / #reading impairments!" NOT TRUE! While they screen for autism and ADHD, they current DO NOT screen for #Dyslexia or #reading impairments 1/3
We argue pediatricians should screen for #dyslexia & #reading impairments. WHY? Read our arguments: "Reintroducing Dyslexia: Early Identification and Implications for Pediatric Practice" osf.io/z4ryh/ & take a look at anxiety & depression rates in struggling readers 2/3
Our push for screening for at-risk children in pediatric practices has been supported by today's opinion piece in the @nytimes by Perri Klass, M.D: "Is Your Child Struggling in School? Talk to Your Pediatrician" nyti.ms/35eDTwH.
Please share with your pediatrician! 3/3
Please share with your pediatrician! 3/3
