DYSLEXIA: A MISUNDERSTOOD LEARNING DISABILITY

Dyslexia is not a disease, but a learning disability with many different symptoms. These symptoms include the following:

1. Difficulty encoding words (spelling), decoding words (word identification), or expressing thoughts (speaking).
2. Poor sequencing of numbers or letters in words, for example, 865-856, dog-god, and tear-rate.
3. Confusion in directions, time, and right/left.
4. Lack of concentration, distractibility, hyperactivity, or overactivity.
5. Angled or drifted messy handwriting.
6. Slurring or stuttering
7. Difficulty with balancing and coordination, for example, tying shoes, skipping, and running.

TEACHING TIPS

When teaching a student with dyslexia, a teacher can do some or all of the following:
1. -Teach at the individual child's pace using an Individualized Education Plan (IEP); not too fast to cause frustration, but fast enough to be beneficial.
2. -Build on previous lessons, so the student will have a firm foundation in which to learn the new knowledge.
3. -Teach with structure; be organized and prepared with a main plan but also with backup strategies.
4. -Use more than one of the child's many senses, for example, have the child listen to the words on a tape recorder or from the teacher, repeat these words, and also act out their meanings.
5. -Use repetition; the more the child does a certain activity, the better the results will be.
6. -Make the child an active learner by thinking for themselves.
7. -Use the special programs offered, like resource rooms, teacher aides, and special games and activities.
8. -Teach with excitement and make learning fun!!

AUTHOR INFORMATION

We are Sara and Chrissy, two freshmen students at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD, majoring in Education. This webpage is a project for our first education course. We chose to write about dyslexia, because of the misunderstanding and stereotyping that goes along with this learning disability. As future educators we feel that education is the key for our society and that each individual deserves the best education possible. We hope that this webpage will help others.