| Copyright by Lisa Harp | | | | if it changes the meaning of the sentence, |
| | | | such as sunrise for surprise |
| Dyslexia has become a term that most people | | | | |
| are familiar with. They believe it means | | | | · Omits or changes suffixes, such as need |
| reversing letters and numbers, which is true, | | | | for needed |
| but in my work with children I have found | | | | |
| that it encompasses so much more than just | | | | · Spelling errors of reversals, |
| reversals. What I have primarily found is | | | | inversions, or transpositions |
| that these children are highly intelligent, | | | | |
| yet their world cannot seem to hold still for | | | | · Continually misspells sight words or |
| them. Can you imagine your world floating or | | | | misreads sight words |
| moving? That is what these kids deal with | | | | |
| daily. Can you imagine your world changing | | | | · Written work shows signs of spelling |
| daily, hourly, or by the minute? That is | | | | uncertainty |
| what is on these poor kids' plates. And yet, | | | | |
| we ask them to sit still, read, do math, mind | | | | · Misspells even when copying something |
| and follow directions, and the list goes on. | | | | from the board or from a book |
| | | | |
| There are many forms of dyslexia. The | | | | · Unusual pencil grip when writing, often |
| dyslexia most people think about involves | | | | with the thumb on top of the fingers - a fist |
| reading and reversing letters. Recently I | | | | grip |
| was working with a dyslexic student and told | | | | |
| her mom that she was having a hard time | | | | · May hold the pencil lower or higher than |
| reading the silent e. I gave her some | | | | normal |
| activities to help her. The next day the mom | | | | |
| called me. The student had indeed inherited | | | | · The pencil grip is so tight that the |
| her dyslexia from Dad. When Mom was telling | | | | child's hand cramps |
| Dad about the silent e, He replied, "Well, | | | | |
| that's because we don't see it." How simple | | | | · Writing letters is a slow, labored, |
| is that? Can you imagine not being able to | | | | non-fluent chore |
| see a letter right there in front of you, a | | | | |
| letter so important that it can change the | | | | · Writes letters with unusual starting and |
| sound and meaning of a word? Can you imagine | | | | ending points |
| how stupid you would feel if you read the | | | | |
| word site as sit? How about if you did it in | | | | · Has great difficulty getting letters to |
| front of your reading group or the entire | | | | sit on horizontal lines |
| class? How about if your teacher isn't kind | | | | |
| and makes you feel stupid in front of the | | | | · Unusual spatial organization of the |
| whole class when you make a mistake such as | | | | page. Words may be widely spaced or tightly |
| this? It happens daily. | | | | pushed together. Margins are often ignored |
| | | | |
| Dyslexia may show up in math, writing, | | | | · Has an unusually difficult time learning |
| handwriting, or spelling. I have worked with | | | | and using cursive writing |
| kids who could read so well it would amaze | | | | |
| you, but give them some math problems, and | | | | · Writes extremely short sentences |
| they fall apart. Also, they may not reverse | | | | |
| letters or numbers. They may have an | | | | · Takes an unusually long time to write |
| auditory form of dyslexia. Some of these | | | | |
| kids can't focus because they hear the | | | | · Displays very poor mastery of |
| computer whirring away but only hear every | | | | punctuation as well as grammar, syntax, and |
| third or fourth word the teacher might say. | | | | suffixes |
| | | | |
| And we wonder why these kids are failing. We | | | | · Misspells many words |
| wonder why many of them become behavior | | | | |
| problems or retreat into a silent, strange | | | | · Has nearly illegible handwriting |
| world. I think I might have to get up and | | | | |
| move around the classroom if it couldn't hold | | | | · Uses space poorly on the page |
| still. I can guarantee you that a teacher | | | | |
| wouldn't sit for hours on end if she had this | | | | · Misses many errors in written work even |
| problem. And the sad truth is that these kids | | | | when proofreading has been attempted |
| are probably smarter than the straight A | | | | |
| student whose mom is bragging to you at | | | | · Left-right confusion, mainly showing up |
| soccer practice. If you are the parent of a | | | | in handwriting and math |
| dyslexic child, you may have given up or you | | | | |
| may think your child is dumb. That bragging | | | | · Difficulty in directionality - confuses |
| can get pretty old. | | | | north and south or the meaning of words such |
| | | | as right - left |
| Dyslexia can be treated. I don't know if | | | | |
| there is a cure, but I do know this. I have | | | | · Tying shoelaces is difficult |
| had students who write backwards or in mirror | | | | |
| form, who couldn't read or write, who were | | | | · Difficult time writing capital cursive |
| failing school and life. After working with | | | | letters |
| these kids, most have been on the Honor Roll | | | | |
| or close to it. The most severe dyslexic | | | | · Long division, fractions, and memorizing |
| student I have ever had was misdiagnosed with | | | | multiplication tables is difficult |
| Asperger's Syndrome. Her mother was told by | | | | |
| the school to plan on institutionalizing her | | | | · Touch typing is difficult |
| when she grew up because she had no future | | | | |
| ahead of her. She was 9 years old and | | | | · Learning science and history facts is |
| couldn't read or write. She couldn't do | | | | difficult |
| first grade math. She is now reading, | | | | |
| writing, and doing math. No, she is not yet | | | | · Concepts of time and calendars are |
| on grade level, but I have no doubt that | | | | difficult |
| within a year she will be close. My first | | | | |
| indication that she had a world that wouldn't | | | | · Disorganized personal space |
| hold still was how she held her head. You | | | | |
| see, it was tilted to the side constantly. | | | | · Loses many personal items such as |
| Each week when she comes, that is one of my | | | | clothing, watches, papers, books, shoes |
| biggest victories. Her head is no longer | | | | |
| tilted, which means her world is starting to | | | | If your child has many of these symptoms, he |
| settle down. She can now settle down and get | | | | may be dyslexic. A test is a good place to |
| on to the business of learning. I am | | | | start to find out for sure. Or, you can just |
| convinced that she is intelligent. I am | | | | assume that this is his life and move on from |
| convinced that she does not have Asperger's | | | | there. |
| Syndrome. I am convinced that as we work on | | | | |
| spatial issues and visual and auditory | | | | So, how do we still the waters that churn |
| processing activities as well as brain | | | | continually in a dyslexic child's mind? For |
| retraining that this child will lead a normal | | | | starters, brain exercises must come into |
| life. She will be reading and writing like | | | | play. To calm these waters the brain must |
| any other kid her age. | | | | become balanced. Ear eights, eye eights, |
| | | | cross crawls, magic eights, and mirrors are |
| The progress each child has will differ. I | | | | exercises I use regularly with the dyslexic |
| have had kids show huge growth in a few | | | | child. (You can find these exercises at - |
| weeks. Other kids will show nothing and then | | | | just look for the free Quick Start Kit) |
| one week they seem to know everything. Some | | | | Martial arts is wonderful for these children |
| kids will just plod along at a steady pace. | | | | due to the constant crossing of the midline |
| Do not give up on them. Keep the kindness | | | | and visualization of moves and poses. |
| and patience alive for them, because you are | | | | |
| all they have to fight this battle. I | | | | Next, I work on spatial and visual |
| usually work with a student once a week for a | | | | processing. I have found that most of these |
| year before the student is able to function | | | | kids are having a difficult time processing |
| in a classroom and have decent grades and | | | | in their visual field. Eighty percent of |
| test scores. I have had some severe students | | | | what we take in is visual, so I always start |
| for two years. The students who make the | | | | here. Usually their eye muscles are weak, so |
| most progress get daily help. Once a week | | | | I patch an eye and do the star eye exercises |
| isn't enough to lick this thing. | | | | and repeat them on the other eye. I work on |
| | | | strengthening eye muscles. I have them work |
| Most parents are relieved when they actually | | | | on spatial skills as well. Listen and draw |
| get a diagnosis. However, they must | | | | is a great exercise I use for dyslexic |
| understand that if a student has dyslexia, | | | | children, as it encompasses all three avenues |
| then he won't always see a b as a d. It may | | | | of learning. It is amazing how these kids |
| be a p or a q another day. This just seems | | | | perceive the world. |
| to drive parents nuts. They had just gone | | | | |
| over the b the day before and now the kid is | | | | Then, I work on auditory and fine motor |
| saying it is a p! Keep in mind that their | | | | skills. I have yet to work with a dyslexic |
| worlds are not constant. Not much is | | | | child who didn't have fine motor skills |
| constant in their brains, and yet you will | | | | problems. I am to the point where I can |
| hear some of the biggest bits of wisdom you | | | | almost diagnose a kid after a few minutes. |
| have ever heard come out of their mouths. | | | | This thing is real, and it seems to be an |
| There truly is intelligence in there. If you | | | | epidemic. Getting these kids to write is one |
| have a problem you can't seem to find the | | | | of the most difficult things I do. We start |
| answer to, find a dyslexic child or adult and | | | | slowly with other exercises to get their |
| ask his opinion. You will be astounded at | | | | hands and brains to work together. I always |
| his insight. These are the most intuitive | | | | have these kids learn cursive, as it is |
| kids I have ever met, and most have a sense | | | | difficult to have a reversed letter with |
| of humor that is so advanced that they are | | | | cursive and it also flows with the brain. |
| one step ahead of you. | | | | Manuscript is choppy and it does not flow. |
| | | | It actually slows these kids down. Cursive |
| So, how do you know if your child has | | | | is a tough transition for them, but once it |
| dyslexia? Following are some general | | | | is made, then it works so much better and |
| symptoms of dyslexia that can serve as a | | | | writing skills can then be learned. |
| guide for the steps you need to take if your | | | | |
| child has these symptoms. | | | | Usually, after a few months of this, the |
| | | | waters do indeed calm down. They start doing |
| · Slow, labored inaccurate reading of | | | | things that were not possible for them |
| single words in isolation | | | | before. They start seeing some successes in |
| | | | school. Reading isn't quite the chore it |
| · Slow, choppy oral reading while ignoring | | | | once was. Writing becomes easier. |
| punctuation | | | | |
| | | | Is this an over night fix? Definitely not. |
| · Becomes visibly tired after reading for | | | | It usually takes about a year for me to get a |
| a short time | | | | kid with dyslexia to be functional in a |
| | | | classroom and on grade level. And, that is |
| · Poor reading comprehension | | | | with the parent's help. Daily exercises are |
| | | | important. It took me twice as long to get a |
| · When reading, frequently reverses, | | | | dyslexic girl up to speed because her parents |
| inverts, or transposes letters or words | | | | weren't willing to do eye exercises at home. |
| | | | But, she is in junior high school now and |
| · Substitutes similar looking words, even | | | | doing well. It just takes time and patience. |