Strategies to Support Dyslexic Students

What are strategies that can be used to support students with dyslexia? What are resources that can be utilized?

“Research also suggests that these feelings of inferiority develop by the age of 10. After this age, it becomes extremely difficult to help the child develop a positive self-image” (IDA, p. 7). Clearly early intervention is key. So what can teachers do? The IDA (2017, p.8-9) recommends teachers:

•  Clarify or simplify written directions by underlining or highlighting the significant parts of the directions. When giving assignments teachers should present the work in smaller portions to reduce anxiety.  
• Help students block out extraneous written stimuli on a page using tools to cover text or problems not needed. In reading this may look like a long strip of construction paper that gets moved under the text line being read. In math this may be a cover sheet with a hole cut out that only shows one problem at a time.  I have modified this strategy and cut up the math fact fluency tests into strips that students complete and trade for another in the 2.5 minutes. For several students this modification helped them improve their score by 200%. Some students scores were not significantly affected.  For next year the iPads assistive touch tools to enlarge text with a tap may also help dyslexic students.  
• Highlighting essential information can also help in a sea of text. Interestingly some suggestions are simple organizational tools like use a placeholder in workbook or journal so students can easily find the current page. Another strategy is to cut the corners.  This best practice helps everyone including the teacher. 
• Sometimes students need additional practice activities for these student to achieve mastery. This may involve math stations with games on the same skill, IXL practice, extra worksheets although the later I suggest with hesitancy as it does not meet the recommendation of multiple modalities.   
• Glossaries also help dyslexic students. In our class we have a word wall of high frequency words that students can remove and bring back to their desk to copy. We have another similar wall with academic vocabulary with visual images that students create to show the word. Students have a similar sheet that they create at their desk. The latter also benefit ELL students.   
• Reading guides or questions can also help students guide their reading. In high school we used a feature called Multipass beginning with TISOPT, when prereading text. This strategy developed at the University of Kansas Research Center helps all students.  Prior to reading a textbook or academic piece students should read the Title, Introductions, Summary, Observe the Outline or Headings, Pictures and Table of Contents. When they dive in to read each section they should make the heading into a question. Causes of the Civil War becomes what were the causes of the civil war.  
•  Audio recording features on devices such as the iPad or Chromebooks, where directions, stories, and specific lessons can be recorded and also help.  The student can replay the recording to clarify understanding of directions or concepts. Students can also read the printed words and record themselves using Seesaw or any other recording app.  Use of assistive technology such as books on tape, EPIC!, Tumblebooks and the assistive technology features available on iPads, text to speech features on new apps including Book Creator and typing in Google Docs are also ways to help these students read and write. A word of caution on the writing portion is that students who struggle with reading will need further help to edit their voice to text typing.  Dyslexic students who can read but struggle with creating the letters do much better at self editing.  
• To further support these students teachers should continue to use:
•  outlines
• graphic organizers
• typed notes for those who need them and 
• use step by step instructions 
• a consistent daily routine that reviews prior learning (IDA, p. 10).  
• use mnemonic devices as they are effective 
• 
  
• Two suggestions for math are having students:
•  turn lined paper vertically to keep numbers aligned 
• creating pages with easier problems first and building to harder to help build confidence.   
• The most effective in class strategies that I use in first grade is what IDA calls pair peers; when students are organized by different ability levels to review their notes, study, read aloud to each other, write stories, or conduct science experiments (IDA, p.10). 
• Additional adaptive resources can be found at the Universal Design for Learning at http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl

The IDA also recommends a structured literacy program which is essentially a systematic and cumulative instructional format. Material is taught in a logical order starting with the easiest and most basic concepts and elements and progress methodically to more difficult concepts and elements (IDA, p. 11). The ILA Reading Addendum (2016) supports the idea that systematic phonics instruction yielded an effect size of 0.51 on reading comprehension for first graders but only 0.32 for disabled readers above first grade and 0.12 for older low-achieving readers (p.3). Our phonemic curriculum with National Geographic does go through this progression in a methodical manner. The problem however, is that Nat Geo curriculum has two sounds, blends or digraphs on some weeks with worksheets that take 5 minutes to reinforce. Modifying the plans with a slower more explicit and deliberate instruction including rules about open and closed syllables and why VCCV words are divided between the consonants along with activities reinforcing these skills ensure students are better able to show mastery of sounds and skills.

According to Williams and Sharon (2010), "a successful instructional program for students with dyslexia focuses not only on students’ weakness, but also on their strengths. Identifying students’ strengths in thinking and reasoning is a key to success. Concentrating only on the phonological weakness will result in an imbalance in instruction (Shaywitz 2003).  It is important to consider critical thinking and problem solving as assets for dyslexics. Shaywitz (2003) described these thinking skills as a “sea of strengths” surrounding a weakness in decoding. The strengths include reasoning, concept formation, comprehension, general knowledge, problem solving, vocabulary, and critical thinking.  Effective instruction for students with dyslexia also uses multisensory instruction to present sequential and cumulative language concepts and skills. Providing information that is auditory, tactile, kinetic, and visual

sends information along multiple pathways to the brain (Wadlington, Jacob, and Bailey 1996).

International Dyslexia Association. (2017). Dyslexia in the Classroom. Retrieved July 20, 2018. https://dyslexiaida.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/DITC-Handbook.pdf


International Literacy Association. (2016). Research Advisory Addendum: Dyslexia. Retrieved July 18, 2018, from https://www.literacyworldwide.org/.../ila-dyslexia-research-advisory-addendum.pdf

Joan A. Williams & Sharon A. Lynch (2010) Dyslexia: What Teachers Need to

Know, Kappa Delta Pi Record, 46:2, 66-70, DOI: 10.1080/00228958.2010.10516696

Reading Rockets. (2013, November 07). Top 10 Resources on Dyslexia. Retrieved July 18, 2018, from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/top-10-resources-dyslexia