Teacherscreech

Nigerian Adventure

2011-08-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

I really hope Kyle's family is ok. This coming year will be difficult, with all the "firsts" they will have to experience without Kyle. I think of them often.

And now for something completely different...I think it's time to move away from discussing learning challenges for a little while. My experiences in Nigeria made me realize how little we really have to complain about here in Canada. (Oddly, I still manage to find things!) I'll recount some of my adventures for a change of pace.

In 2002 I worked in Nigeria on a project called the Literary Enhancement Assistance Project, with the Education Development Center based in Washington DC. I was there in the capital city of Abuja for 5 weeks. The LEAP project was a pilot project paid for by USAID, to develop learner focused teaching modules in 3 states in Nigeria. If this was successful, it would adopted nation wide.
My job was to write a teacher's manual and also to develop a Resource Kit that would be placed in schools across three states during this pilot project.
I wrote reading and math programs into a teachers’ guide that not only taught children, but modeled how to use the student-centered learning strategies. I retreated to an apartment shared by my boss in the project, and good friend Sandy. She was from BC, and it was our previous working relationship that got me the job in the first place. It was in this apartment that I would write a guide that would help fill in some holes in the Nigerian education system. The guide had to start from the position that the teachers had only basic English and the children virtually none. I had to write lessons that had no paper or pencil requirements, as not every school had them. I found that very difficult at first, and then very freeing. I had the students writing in the air, on each other’s backs, and in the dirt with sticks. I wrote little controlled vocabulary stories in the manual for the teacher to write on the board for reading practice, and where possible directed teachers to make one copy of each story to keep for children to read for practice. I had a basic reading program that I use in my private work, one that is based on the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program, so I adapted and modified it. I had to tie in the materials in the kit to every lesson, to ensure that the materials would actually be used. I interviewed people from the three main ethnic areas to find out what stories they were familiar with, what common names were, and what issues were important to children. I used this information to write stories. I had to be mindful of the Qur’anic schools, (separate schools for Muslims), as they would be receiving the kits as well. I had to ask many sensitive questions so as not to offend.

After a few lessons were written, I spent an afternoon with a Nigerian teacher who helped me teach a lesson so I could test its effectiveness. I rewrote using his suggestions. The drive to the school was in a word, terrifying. The vehicles in Nigeria are all imported and very expensive, this coupled with the fact that most people are very poor results in poorly, (ok, not) maintained vehicles. Some of the taxis I rode in had the back seats propped up with rope and twine, and most had the side view mirrors broken off. I know why!

We hired a fellow, a friend of friend, to drive us there in a car that had working lights and four good tires. (Bonanza!) Alex, the driver loved to drive and didn't have a car of his own. For 22 dollars a day he agreed to drive us, spend the night in a motel, and drive us back the next day. This money would go along way to feeding his new baby girl. The first thing I noticed was the lack of seatbelts. (I still had my Canadian perspective about safety) When I mentioned this Alex just laughed. Sandy, who was coming with me just patted my knee and told me not to worry about it.

We left the city perimeter at 120 kms an hour and peaked at 140 for the duration of the trip. I was terrified by the speed, but that was amplified by the fact that most Nigerians drive on the road lines, not between them. This means that a road with lines for two lanes in Canada would have 4 lanes in Nigeria, with very little space between the cars! At 140 kms an hour this is a remedy for constipation, let me tell you. Alex was weaving in and out of traffic with inches of space between us and the car we were passing. I finally stopped asking Alex to slow down (he suddenly didn't seem to understand English) and quivered in the back seat corner. At one point Alex did slow down and I sat up and looked out the window. Bad decision. He slowed to get around a mini bus that had flipped several times and lay burned out at the side of the road. I slouched back down and closed my eyes. Sandy, who had been in the country for several months already, thought my discomfort was hilarious.

A short time later we slowed again and I peeked above the seat. My stomach did flip flops. We were being stopped at a road check by four big Nigerian soldiers carrying guns. I asked Sandy, "What do we do? I didn't bring my passport!" I had seen too many movies apparently. Sandy told me to relax and just to let her do the talking, which was just fine with me. I knew that the Nigerians had had much civil strife and that there had been a series of military coups. Two of the soldiers came up to each side of the car and peered in. Alex rolled down his window and answered some questions in Yoruba. When the fellow at the driver's side saw Sandy and he stuck his head in. In English he said,
"Good morning ladies. What have you got for me today?" I looked at Sandy- thinking he meant papers. She said, "I have this." and she handed him a bottle of peanuts that we took everywhere for snacks as fast food was hard to find in Nigeria. The soldier frowned and shook his head. Sandy sighed and then dug in her purse. The soldier brightened, but then Sandy produced four hard boiled eggs. I gasped, thinking she was doing a good job of making this guy angry and probably getting us killed. To my surprise he motioned for the peanuts, and gave the bottle to one of his comrads.He then took the eggs, looked at them as if weighing the value, then said, "Very good. Thank-you maam." He motioned for Alex to go ahead. Sandy explained that this was quite common. Everyone is hungry in Nigeria. Food is a legitimate bribe. I started giggling, and so did Sandy. Can you imagine that in an American movie? The bad guy holds a gun on a bank manager, and says,"Hand it over". The Bank mangager says,
"All I have is this sandwich. Take it." The robber says, "Hey, pastrami! My favourite".

The rest of the trip was uneventful, I think. I had my eyes closed.

Sad Good-bye

2011-06-07T20:39:00.001-07:00

I have had the privilege of working with an amazing family for the past three years. Their second son was my student, Kyle, and I have been enriched by the experience of having known him. Sadly, he passed away on Monday, May 23, after having celebrated his 10th birthday in April. It was sudden, and unexpected, and completely and utterly devastating for all who knew him. I attended a service for him and the love for Kyle and his family was palpable and solid; an immense presence in the room.

The death of a child is unspeakable, and grief is magnified. So, it was amazing to me that so many people found the strength to stand up and talk about Kyle, not just to share their memories, but to share how much their lives were enriched for having known him.

Kyle had multiple special needs, and was not able to move much, or speak. However, he could speak volumes with his expressive brown eyes and his amazing smile that lit the world. He accomplished much in his too few years, in bringing together hundreds of people and gracing them with his love and spirit. I am not the same person I was before meeting him. None of us who had the pleasure will be.

Kyle taught everyone who met him that a person with special needs is a person first. He had limitations in what he could do, but there were no limitations on how he could interact with people and bring out the best in them. There is no single person with eyes and a heart who could receive one of Kyle's smiles and not feel lighter and happier because of it. There is no person who has met Kyle, who didn't want to do better, be better.

I have to thank his mother, profoundly, and from the bottom of my heart. I did not have much experience with a child with such needs before, but I learned through her that he was capable of learning and growing like any other child. The changes were smaller and harder to see, but if you knew how to look, they were there in an amazing array. We cheered when he first swam across the pool on his back, and marveled at his strength and determination when he decided to reach up and grab on to the gymnastic rings for the first time. We laughed at his mischievous nature when he dropped things off his tray just to watch someone have to pick it up. We respected his bravery during recover from major surgery, and loved his unabashed and noisy exuberance during bumpy joyrides in his wheelchair.

Kyle is now free to run, climb, laugh and talk, in a pain-free spirit body. Thank-you Kyle; your brief life on Earth has left it a better place.

Finally... back in!

2011-05-21T10:16:00.001-07:00

I moved a couple of years ago and changed email providers.... in all of that, I forgot my password and which email account I had used to set this blog up. I have not been able to get back in! I finally found a note I sent to my work place and had hidden away for safe keeping... sheesh.... a little too safe, I'd say!

I have been working with SelfDesign for 6 years now, and LOVING it.... it's a great fit and I have met some amazing learners and their families. However, another very interesting piece for me has been my work with soldiers returning from Afghanistan.

The neuropsychologist for this garrison has been a long time supporter of the Comprehension program that I do, a beefed up version of Visualizing and Verbalizing, and has been prescribing it therapeutically for years. I have a started applying it in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder situations with these brave men and women. Needless to say, these young soldiers see and do some things that most of us never have to think about. I can't imagine putting my head down on the pillow at night to fall into a deep and restful sleep, having experienced what these people have experienced. War takes a toll, that's a given. Some handle it better than others. From what I have seen and been told by these soldiers, the ones who ask for help and receive it are by far, more successful in their recovery.

The pre and post test results are amazing. It's not unusual to see improvement of an average of two standard deviations in all areas tested. I am going to be testing this program on learners with other neurological impairments that affect learning. I am thinking there are huge implications for FASD, as well as ADHD and PTSD.
Exciting times!

What about Central Auditory Processing Deficits?

2009-05-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hi There!
I am seeing quite a few learners with the diagnosis of CAPD- and they are all prescribed a lengthy program of individual sessions with a speech therapist or audiologist to work on auditory processing skills. I don't know much about it-and after 25 years of teaching kids with learning disabilities, I haven't run into it as a diagnosis that stands on it's own. There was some work being done on this in the early 80s- around the time that the vision therapy was making it's first rounds- but for the most part auditory processing has been seen, in my experience, as part of the bigger picture- dyslexia. I am wondering why now auditory processing seems to be "extracted" from language as a whole and focused on as a discrete skill set?
I would love some discussion around this- it's a fairly expensive treatment, and I have listened to a CD program that one of my learners was "prescribed", and it seemed like very basic Rosner auditory discrimination-type exercises. Does anyone out there know anything about this? Are there any SLPs or Audiologists out there who can comment?

Time for a career change?

2009-02-26T21:39:00.000-08:00

I have been considering a career change these past few months... after working with occupational therapists the last few years, I have become interested in this work. While helping my daughter research this as a career, I realized that I only need two years at UBC to get my Masters degree in occupational therapy. There is a real shortage of them in our area. Hmmm.
I love working with kids with reading problems- I have to say it's amazingly rewarding- and I love my work with SelfDesign... but every once in awhile I wonder what it would be like to work in another field not education-related! I get overwhelmed sometimes by the enormity of the systemic problem and at how difficult it is to effect real change.
Maybe I could to do both...

Video Tutorials

2009-02-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

Well, the interface didn't materialize in time for me to use it for my tutorials, but I am making video clips with my Mac computer then posting them privately on YouTube. After viewing a clip the parents comment and post in a conference and we have a conversation that way... it seems to be working fairly well. This way they can all view them in their own time and can watch them more than once. It has actually been fun, but a bit of a challenge to keep my wordiness down to 10 minutes or less!

Gaining Some Ground...

2008-12-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. I have had a nice break and have enjoyed having my children home for the holidays. While I have taken two weeks off from my regular duties at SelfDesign, I have been working on a new conference that I will be hosting in January on the "ABC's of Reading".
The basic philosophy of SelfDesign is that if we allow children to explore their own interests at their own pace, (which also means we don't impose our methods and ideas on them)they will learn everything they need in life, and will learn it better because they are intrinsically motivated. To be able to adopt this philosophy, parents (and some learning consultants, myself included) have to be prepared to adjust their perceptions of the timeline imposed from the system. We have to be able to accept and embrace that learning will happen in it's own time, and it may look very different from the school system with it's definite expectations from year to year.
I have found this very challenging as a "systematized" teacher. I have made excellent progress for the most part, but there is one area that I have stood firm on, and that is, early intervention for children who have learning disabilities.
I have had mild and not-so-mild discussions with administration and some parents over this- and I remain unapologetic- to no-one's surprise, I'm sure! The executive of SelfDesign Learning Community encourages me to adopt a "hands off" approach, believing that these kids will read when they are ready, and while I respect their combined body of knowledge and experience, I can't ignore my own. For some learners, remaining "hands off" is the worst thing you could possible do. It's akin to waiting for them to fail, before offering assistance. (check out the link on my page to Joe Torgesen's article, "Catch Them Before They Fall")The learners I will be focusing on have diagnosed learning disabilities, have had several interventions and have indicated they want help- as have the parents.
So I am very grateful that the exec team and my special ed cohort within SelfDesign is supporting me in this endeavor... I am hosting a conference, to offer practical assistance for parents who want to understand the nature of their children's struggles with reading, and to workshop techniques and strategies that teach parents how to teach their own kids. This is NOT what SelfDesign is usually about- but I believe it's a move that acknowledges that there are all types of learners, and some have brain structures that make learning to read with casual or intermittent exposure impossible.
I am now researching web conferencing so that I can present a workshop to 8 or 9 parents over the Internet. I have been using iChat with great success for teaching reading in a one on one situation, but I now need to find something that allows me to interact with more than 3 participants at a time. That seems to be the limit for most small scale interfaces.
This is going to be a very cool process for me,and I am so excited about this whole thing! I will update you all from time to time on how this reading conference works out!

Adaptations- who are they for?

2008-10-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

I have been really busy with my work with SelfDesign, and I have had a steady stream of "in person" learners as well as internet learners. This post is going to be SCREECH... I have encountered some issues around the learners I'm seeing in person that are making me crazy... it's time to get it off my chest.

First... I have been working with a family from another province since the end of August. It's a little girl with fairly significant phonological processing problems.
She may or may not have ADHD but she does have difficulty staying focused. There could be different reasons for this so I can't say- but regardless this precious little girl has to work really hard to learn. Hannah was in French Immersion for the first two years of her education, so she hasn't had any formal English instruction, however, her difficulties would have been just as obvious in the French Language. In the Fall she was transferring to a new school and to English Instruction. The parents had a meeting in August with the principal and shared their concerns about their daughter and told the principal about the reading clinic.

Hannah came to BC for a few weeks holiday in August, and during that time I started the program with her and did a full week "in person". We continued online from her home after that. When we started she was virtually a non reader, and she required alot of hands-on refocusing and direction.

When the family left to go back home, I suggested that her new school contact me if they had any questions about what we were doing- and they did.
I was speaking to her new classroom teacher, so I explained a little about what I do and then asked what they had in place for Hannah. I was stunned by her response. She said, "Oh, we don't do special education here." I was sure I misheard her but she said it again. When I suggested that the law requires it, she said, well we have it but "she" is too busy to see kids and does mostly testing. !!!
I asked if she knew anything about Hannah, and she said she didn't really but did notice Hannah was not reading. I filled her in on what I found during testing and how Hannah responded to the clinic and from that moment on the teacher seemed to be convinced that Hannah was in the wrong class. She said she couldn't do anything for her. She thought their special class would be better- it had a small number of kids in it and Hannah would feel less pressure there. I asked what the other kids were like in there and she "assured" me that Hannah would be OK and that none of those kids could read well at all, and that many had significant developmental delays. I made sure she knew that Hannah could learn in a regular class but needed some sort of support as she was coming out of French Immersion and also that she needed intensive phonemic awareness training. She needed an adapted program, not a modified one, and the most important thing was that she needed to keep receiving intensive instruction in phonemic awareness. The classroom teacher, who is retiring next year, said that she didn't know what that was (Oh please- she teaches reading to grade 2s!) but that she thought the special ed teacher might.

A week later Hannah told me she had a new teacher. In speaking to the mother after our online lesson, she told me that they moved Hannah to a room with only 9 students.
Sigh- not what I wanted to hear. However, Hannah seems happy and her mother was just glad that the pressure was lifted for the time being. This new teacher seems to know what phonemic awareness is, but the other kids in the class are quite challenged.
I am worried about Hannah's self esteem. The bottom line, in this situation, the family has to go outside the school to get Hannah's needs met.

The second thing that made me screech lately is the plight of a boy named Jeremy. He has been coming to see me since he was 11 and he is now 15. He is a tall handsome boy who is very athletic and has a good self image. He also has a very stubborn written output and expressive language problem. He is dyslexic too, but he has worked really hard over the past four years and has improved his reading ability quite a bit. While he is far from a fluent reader, he can decode and apply strategies to unfamiliar words.

Jeremy came back to see me because he was worried about his English class. He said that there was going to be a big writing component and he was pretty sure he would not be able to keeping up. I asked him if he had ever used Dragon Naturallyspeaking or MacSpeech Dictate, which are both speech recognition software programs. He said no.
I would have thought that was one adaptation that most high schools would put in place right away because here in BC, high schools do not do much, if any, direct instruction anymore. It's a pretty simple yet direct way to help kids like Jeremy. I spent a week teaching him how to use it and then set up small writing assignments for him to do. He caught on right away, but more importantly- he was stoked. He was excited about it! His mother remarked at the beginning of the second session, that Jeremy had never showed this much excitement about any thing school related.

It wasn't just that the program was cool to use, which it is- it was more that he seemed to have a renewed sense of hope. Jeremy could see that with this working for him, he would finally be able to do what all his classmates could do- and he could do it for himself.

In the span of one week Jeremy wrote four 1/2 page paragraphs and one full page essay that he wrote by reading and synthesizing two different articles. He did it willingly- happily actually. He kept saying that it would have taken him three times as long to do these and he would have hated it. I have seen his spontaneous writing and believe me when I say that for him to read an article, organized his thoughts so he could retell it, and then write 1/2 a page and edit it in 45 minutes for him is astounding.

His mother was convinced, and sent a note to the learning assistance teacher at his high school asking if he could use Dragon Naturallyspeaking in the resource room there to do his assignments, and she wrote about the difference they believed it would make for him. It was surprising that an email came back saying that no, they couldn't accommodate him. They don't use it for kids like Jeremy- they use it for kids with physical problems, like amputees and kids in wheel chairs.

So now I'm screeching like a banshee... SR software is an adaptation- and adaptations are appropriate for kids like Jeremy...
What's wrong with those people!!!

Resiliency is the key for learners with disabilities

2008-08-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

I have been doing some reading about resilience and the role it plays in a successful outcome for people with dyslexia. I would like to hear what others think or know about this model.

The Risk Resilience Model posits that resilience is not static, as was accepted in early research on the subject. Resilience used to be thought of as a set of stable traits; the Risk Resilience Model suggests that it is actually a dynamic and responsive process.

There are many different definitions of resiliency in this context, but the underlying concept seems to be the ability of the learner to “spring back” from adversity. Each of the definitions seems to suggest a measure of surprise regarding the achievement wrought, “against the odds”. The definition of risk, in this situation is not having the resources to deal with one’s environment. Resilience is optimized when protective factors are present in the individual as he or she is faced with risk. Protective factors can include individual temperament and skill level, effort and persistence, parental support, the presence of a mentor, and relevant and timely opportunities to succeed.

There is a host of well-known psycho-social adjustment problems associated with learning disabilities; anxiety, depression, higher risk of suicide, reduced social competence, poor self-esteem etc. The issues are not just related to skill deficits; there are internal and external factors, or context, that influence the psycho-social outcomes for these children. Internal factors such as neurological processing deficits and hyperactivity work in tandem with external factors such as family interactions, teacher expectations, and interactions with other children to shape the outcome.

In one of the papers I read, (Sorenson, Forbes et al) a study was done to determine if academic improvement had more of an effect on the psycho-social functioning of the learner than the contextual support. The study concluded that contextual factors did indeed influence the outcome, according to the teachers and parents interviewed, while children attributed improvement in adjustment to academic achievement. This study also concluded that in fact, very little academic improvement occurred. The study was completed over a two-year span and during that time the subjects, all LD, made very little progress. Most “held their own”, but even though 70% of them were on IEPs and had interventions in place, they did not move closer to their age appropriate levels. Sadly, this didn’t surprise the researchers, however, these authors attributed the lack of improvement to the “chronicity” of LD. I don’t agree with that- this seems to “blame the victim” even if it is to say, “Tsk tsk, you have a terrible disability”. The fault is still laid at the feet of the person who is struggling. I am inclined to examine the support more closely, not the learner. It is important to note however, that the interventions were not described, so it’s hard to make much more of that.

Another paper, (Miller) in which several university students with LD were interviewed, noted several themes related to resilience: identifiable success experiences, awareness of their own particular strengths, self determination, distinctive turning points, special friendships, encouraging teachers, and their own acknowledgement of their learning disabilities.

If we embrace the Risk Resilience Model, we accept that academic support is only part of the solution. We need to support the learner with contextual support as well, if we are to ensure improved overall functioning. Successful interventions need to do more than improve academic skill. Unfortunately this enlarges the school’s, and most likely the special education teacher’s role in a time when they are already stretched to their limit.

Sources

Margalit, Malka, Resilience Model Among Individuals with Learning Disabilities: Proximal and Distal Influences, Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 2003
Margalit, Malka, Second Generation Research in Resilience: Social-Emotional Aspects of Children with Learning Disabilities, Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 2004
Meltzer, Lynn, Resilience and Learning Disabilities: Research on Internal and External Protective Dynamics, 2004
Miller, Maurice; Resilience Elements in Students and Learning Disabilities, Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2002
Sorenson, Lisa, Forbes, Peter, Bernstein, Jane, Weiler, Michael, Mitchell, William, Waber, Deborah, Psycho-Social Adjustment Over a Two-year Period in Children Referred for Learning Problems: Risk, Resilience, and Adaptation, Learning, Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 2003

Resiliency

2008-08-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
I am just checking in, part way through my summer holiday on the sunny Shuswap Lake. Well, today it's not sunny, which is why I made the trek to the nearest internet cafe...

I have been doing some reading on resiliency, and when I am back in September, I will be posting some articles. In the meantime,if you have some thoughts on the role that resiliency plays in successful outcomes for students with LD, leave a comment.

differential pay?

2008-07-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

I found this post in a folder- I wrote it last year, in response to a discussion on another blog about the necessity of differential pay for special ed teachers. I thought it might be interesting to see if it sparks any discussion here!

A few years ago, in a rare moment of candor the administrator for Special Needs learners in one of our BC school districts lamented that while he didn’t have a shortage of special ed teachers, he did have a shortage of special ed teachers who had adequate training and skills to do the job.

I think part of the problem is that there is no standard of what a special ed teacher should know- not up here anyway. There are attempts, and each district wants trained Special Ed teachers, but the training varies from university to university. I completed my Masters degree in 2004, and at one point was berated for using the term “dyslexia” by a senior (too senior, obviously) professor. At another university in the same province, the head of the Special Education department is writing papers on dyslexia! Half of my Masters cohort was under age 35, and all of these admitted to having no training at all in teaching students with learning challenges, and yet all were expected to teach students with a wide range of abilities/disabilities.

Some schools advocate waiting until a learner is 8 or 9 before intervening, and some screen kindergarten children. It is this uneven application of knowledge and methodology that is really hurting our special needs population in our school systems up here.

So, I am all for better training of special education teachers, and I agree with you that differentiating pay is necessary. However- I think first we need a standard training program for special ed teachers.

While I believe that teachers are professionals and are very capable, in this area I think we need to start telling teachers what they need to do, and insisting on certain courses being taken. Up here there is a very strong sense of teacher autonomy- teachers resent and reject being told what to do. Unfortunately, in the field of learning disabilities it is the child who suffers.

What about Vision Therapy?

2008-07-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

A colleague wrote in a few days ago and she raised a topic that I thought might be of interest to others. She gave me permission to post part of her message here:

I have been doing LOTS of research on struggling readers and have found some instresting information on vision therapy. Rod Everson from Wisconsin (Ontrackreading.com)says that 80% of his reading students improve in their reading after developmental vision therapy. Have you ever heard of this or had any experience with vision therapy? I wonder if this third grader might be having some sort of vision problem..... I am looking at any possiblities to help her and her mom.

My strongest feeling is that she is lanugage deprived, (like I wrote to you in earlier posts). But I also wonder if a vision problem may be affecting her fluency. When I was working with her she could read 1st grade material at 80 -90 wpm, but at 2 and 3rd grade she struggled continually between 50 - 70 words per minute. I wonder if this might be related to a visual problem.

I worked with her intensly on phonics and syllable separation strategies so she could decode longer words. She picked up on that information quickly. She also had a strong grasp on the phonics rules (not sure about now).

In conclusion, I still think two things for sure are at play - 1) language, vocabulary, 2) practice practice practice... but am really wondering about this vision thing. Any insights????

Hmmm. Vision therapy has been questioned since the early 1980s (that's when I started teaching and I recall this controversy then) regarding it's effectiveness in the treatment for dyslexia. I did some searching, and found several articles dated in the late 80s and early 90's.

In BC, we went through a period where children with reading problems were put through vision exercises,especially "eye-tracking" in the early 80s. It is still in practice in some environments. It is natural to suspect that there is something wrong with the visual mechanism in the brain if a person struggles with reading- it is obviously a task that requires vision. Way back, the thinking was that dyslexics saw words backwards. So this is actually a re-emergence of this issue as far as I am concerned. (by the way, the best way to improve eyetracking for reading, I think, is to read print more, not to follow a light or red ball on a stick)

In the past 10 years there has been exciting and compelling evidence brought forth that indicates that dyslexia a problem in the language system, based in the processing of the speech sounds and rapidly attaching them to printed symbols.

In my search, I found an article, published in the Journal of Optometric Vision Development, 2004 and it reported a positive but weak relationship between oculomotor vision therapy and reading improvement in people with non-specific reading disability. Non-specific disability means that the subjects in the 11 studies discussed did not have dyslexia, so we need to keep that distinction in mind. The results say that the improvement was about the same as what was achieved with straight reading therapy. There was a slightly better result when the two were done together. The article also mentions that the study samples were small, many had no control groups, and that larger samples would be needed to draw hard conclusions. The 11 studies were collected from 1940-2004.

So- here's what I think. I think vision therapy could well be warranted in kids with dyslexia, if near vision testing indicates problems with vision skills. But then, one would assume that anyone tested with these issues would probably benefit, whether they had a reading problem or not. If dyslexic children don't have any weaknesses as determined by testing, then it would not benefit them to go through it.

What I don't agree with is a blanket assumption that the therapy would benefit all people with reading problems and would produce results in reading. In a position statement on vision therapy, dated 1985, the American Optometric Association affirmed that optometrists don't teach reading- educators do. Optometrists treat vision problems. So if there are diagnosed vision problems, therapy is going to hopefully fix the vision problems. By itself, it will not improve reading. Reading skills still have to be taught explicitly and intensively.

It would be like saying glasses will improve reading in people with reading disability. Well, they will certainly make it easier to see, IF the learner also happens to be far-sighted. As a matter of course, we always start with vision (not just vision acuity, but near vision skills too) and hearing testing in kids with reading problems. If the learner needs glasses, they are advised to get glasses, but we don't put glasses on a learner just because he is struggling to learn to read.

While the article I mentioned makes a distinction between dyslexia and non specific reading disability, the gentleman you mention above doesn't seem to. I do find it interesting, in reading some of his comments about dyslexia, that he believes that dyslexia is an inherited trait (I agree) and that dyslexia manifests itself as a vision skills problem. That finding seems to be at odds with much of the latest research. He does admit that he is not that comfortable talking about dyslexia, and doesn't have it completely figured out yet. While I don't think anyone has it completely figured out, there certainly is compelling evidence that dyslexia is a language based problem, not a visual one.

To summarize- I don't think there is anything wrong with vision therapy if it is warranted. I don't agree with assuming it is warranted in all people with dyslexia, or any other reading problem, and I don't agree that the therapy itself is responsible for reading improvement.

About the third grade learner mentioned in the quote above... it is tempting to question the phonological and language basis of the disability when appropriate treatment doesn't seem to have fixed the problem... but we need to remember that we can't cure dyslexia. The issues with rapidly translating the letters into speech sounds persist into adulthood. With TONS of reading practice we can make huge improvements and make the whole process easier (thus making that volume of practice more palatable)- but the fluency problem, in my opinion is based in the phonological processing and slower conversion of letters into speech sounds.

That's my two cents.

Reading instruction over the Internet

2008-06-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

I have just completed another session of reading instruction over the Internet, with great results again! I used my Primary Program and then made some modifications to suit this learner. He is 9 years old and has significant language problems. I learned very early on that I had to greatly reduce my verbiage! I also learned that in general I talk too much! It was a difficult adjustment for me. I worked closely with his mother to guage his energy level, as he was quiet and didn't express much.I started to be able to read his body language and finally found the right balance. When I was talking too much he tended to sag a little, and lean back, away from the computer. Having said that, he did respond to the story telling element of the program. But, don't most children respond to stories?
Here's what I mean.
For the lesson about R controlled vowels I have a fairly elaborate story about the Boss being a bad guy who extorts money... as I was telling the story I could see my learner, listening intently. A few minutes went by and I heard a giggle that chimed in with his. I asked, "Is there someone in the room with you T?" Suddenly a little head slid into view at the left side of the screen- his little sister. I said hello... and then another head appeared at the other side of the screen- his older sister who I had taught earlier! She said, "We knew you were going to tell this story today!" We all had a good laugh, then I went on with the story.

I will be doing another reading clinic online with a learner in Alberta in the first weeks of September. I hope it goes as well as the first two. The little girl is going to be visiting her grandmother in a town about an hour from here at the end of August, so this time we will start in-person. I look forward to seeing if it makes any difference.

IEPs

2008-04-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

I have been reviewing and writing new IEPs for learners for the past two weeks. I have written hundreds of them over the years, but I have found them to be tedious and more of an exercise in pushing and filing paperwork than an actual working document.
Until now... having been a case manager for the special education service delivery has helped me see them in a different light. Each child has several service providers, and each service provider must review the IEP with parents and or me, to be sure that their services are in accordance with the reccommendations made by specialists in reports on file. I check in with the service providers monthly to review what they have been doing each month, and to see how the learner is responding to the intervention. The service providers also supply written reports throughout the year. This process has really helped us stay accountable to the learner and to the Ministry of Education. I find this process really helpful in keeping the learner's needs front and foremost in our minds.
I am curious if anyone has comments about the role that IEPs play, and what the experience in your neck of the woods has been?

ADHD talk

2008-03-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

I spent two hours today at our University talking to student nurses about Learning Disabilities and ADHD. It was really fun. These nurses will have to do public education, and they needed to learn about some of the issues they may encounter in their "classrooms". They asked really good questions... and as always happens when I do these talks, they relate on a personal level. Two came up to talk during the break and relayed some of their painful experiences is public school, and another came up to ask some questions as she thought her husband was dyslexic.
Since my son has ADHD (Inattentive type)and as he has given me permission to talk about him, I am able to relate some personal and real stories about ADHD. The nurses really liked that. I am hoping to do more talks like this in the future. I like public speaking (strange, I know, but I am an actor after all) and I think it's really important for people to get the message that medication for people with ADHD is not a bad thing- in fact the medical community believes that it is an essential part of an effective treatment plan. I have to say from experiences with my son, that I believe this to be true.
I have had so many parents over the years express, "I'm not medicating my child!"... and that makes me sad as I watch their child struggle to hang onto the concepts he's learned. I see many children who's attention span is so fleeting that information just seems to evaporate like ether, as new information comes in. Seeing how my son's situation improved so quickly and so drastically- I wish they would keep an open mind. I do understand the fears- I was there myself, but I do think it's worth a try. It think it's important to remember there are side effects to NOT finding an effective treatment for ADHD- the most notable one is the child's self esteem.

What's So Difficult? - from Children of the Code

2008-03-13T13:15:00.001-07:00

This is a fabulous series.

Reading instruction over the Internet

2008-03-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished with my student and I am so delighted with her progress! She is too- she commented on the fourth day that she thought she had learned more about reading in those four days than in her entire life! Bear in mind that this is a vivacious 11 year old who may be prone to exaggeration... but she did do incredibly well. Her mom was pleased too. I am hoping I can do more of this! the connections over the internet were excellent, and the sound quality perfect. There was no lag!
I have been discussing the pros and cons of early intervention with some parents and teachers of home learners, and I said I would post a link to one of my favourite articles by Joseph Torgesen on my blog. I have since found some other favourites.
They are in the sidebar under Favourite Links.
One in particular is very interesting for teachers, and although there is only a summary, it is worth the 5.00 to purchase the whole article. It is "spot on" as far as I am concerned.

Reading Instruction over the Internet

2008-02-20T06:01:00.000-08:00

I wanted to talk in a little more detail about how this is going for my student and I. I sent a box of materials via Canada Post on Wed. of last week, and expected that they would reach their community by Tue. or Wed. of this week. I was delighted and surprised (if you have any experience with Canada Post you know why) when I received an email from the student's mother, L, saying they had the box on Friday! We went over the contents in the box together using Ichat, and then we planned a start time for Monday. In the meantime, I set up our Macbook on a table about six feet from the magnetic white board, and was pleased that the camera picked up the whole space I was going to be working in, and that the lighting was good (right by a sliding glass door). L set her computer up about the same distance from their whiteboard, and set the materials out.
The first day, as I expected, took a little longer than usual to do, because L had to sort through things she was not familiar with, to be able to move with me through each part of the lesson. The shape of the lesson hung together really well though, and the internet connection was good. It worried me that there might be a lag between me making a sound, and the sound actually coming from my mouth- which would be a disaster in a phonemic awareness program! That didn't happen. My student, E, could hear and see me in realtime, and I her. My biggest problem was a ringing feedback from my computer, even with speakers. I tried various things later that night, and came up with a headset and microphone on my end worked really well.
Yesterday, we moved faster as things became more familiar for everyone, and the feedback problem was corrected. E is a very attentive student and I am confident now that she will be able to get the same results as my students "in person" do.
In my clinic, we do lots of work at the whiteboard. I get kids to do a quick sound check, several times in the lesson. I point to various cards with letter/groups that represent phonemes, and the students say the sound, and then I say various phonemes and the students point to their corresponding letters. So, when it came time for E to point to the cards as I said the sound, she then turned and worked from her own whiteboard. Her mother was making sure they had the same phoneme cards and in the same position as mine on their board. I asked her to look at my mouth when I said the sounds, until I was sure that the sound set up was good, and that she could hear what sounds I was making. She continues to look at my mouth when I say some sounds that are hard to distinguish without visual cues: f and the voiceless th, for example.
Yesterday we spent the full 2 hours together (over several hundred kilomoetres!)
I can't wait for today's lesson!

Reading instruction over the Internet

2008-02-18T23:46:00.000-08:00

Well, I had my first ever reading lesson over the internet today and it was great!
I have some feedback issues to try to fix, but other than that it worked really well.
I sent a box of duplicate materials to my student ahead of time, and her mother sat with her and acted as my hands on the other side of the camera- but for the most part I could do everything I normally do with "in person" students. I was excited to learn that I could even conduct a phonemic awareness test this way!
I am hoping I can deliver this instruction to people in remote places one day- some of our Northern communities have trouble finding services. It was a great day- and I can't wait to do lesson two tomorrow!

SelfDesign's Unique Position

2008-02-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

I have been really busy with my work with the Distributed Learning Community, SelfDesign. We have just processed some referrals for funding for learners who are fit our School District's High Incidence Category. High Incidence learners would be those with learning disabilities, speech and language problems and problems that have a higher occurence in the schools. This was a very exciting time for me because I actually participated in helping learners who need direct services get the money they need. This may sound obvious, but this is very different from my experience in the school system, where the money was stretched to accommodate as many kids as possible. There was no direct connection between a learner and money- not one that you could detect, anyway. The money was stretched so thin that lots of kids got a fraction of what they needed, which would not optimize their chances for success.

I have learners who just got money to go and get ed-psych testing done, and others will receive money for special reading instruction. It was very gratifying today to talk to happy parents who feel that someone understands their child's needs and stepped up to help. SelfDesign is a great learning community.

I think online education is only going to get bigger. One of the things that I am really excited about is that I will be working with a learner who is hundreds of kilometers away from me. I am going to conduct my first ever reading clinic over the internet! This will be a pilot- and if it works, it will provide opportunities for many more kids to get services in outlying and remote areas.
I will write about this once we are up and running. We are just waiting for the family to receive a large magnetic white board that we will use.

Good Help is Hard to Find!

2008-01-10T22:39:00.001-08:00

I just have to screech about how unexpectedly difficult it was for me to find a tutor for one of my students who lives in Victoria. It's not a huge city, but it's big enough that I thought it should be straight forward finding someone qualified to work with a little girl with dyslexia. I called seven different tutors and tutoring businesses, and was not satisfied with the methods described by any of them. Some were actually a little weird, I thought. There are lots of people out there willing to take your money!
At the last minute, a colleague found a name in the back of an education magazine. Thank goodness it was a wonderful woman who does the Lindamood program!
Hmmm. This feels more like a whine than a screech; oh well, I did have all day to get over it...

IQ discrepancy and LD

2007-12-26T00:59:00.000-08:00

I just found this article and thought it was worth noting, because I have been telling colleagues and parents that the discrepancy model is on its way out, but lately I couldn't put my finger on any one source. I have read it in several papers.

"As you might expect, early intervention gives the best results. Yet for decades most schools wouldn't consider special education for a child until he or she had fallen at least a year behind. That may be changing. Congress is considering legislation that would eliminate the need to show a discrepancy between a child's IQ and his or her achievements before receiving a diagnosis of dyslexia.

Ideally, all children should be screened in kindergarten—to minimize educational delay and preserve self-confidence. How do you know someone has dyslexia before he or she has learned to read? Certain behaviors—like trouble rhyming words—are good clues that something is amiss. Later you may notice that your child is memorizing books rather than reading them. A kindergarten teacher's observation that reading isn't clicking with your son or daughter should be a call to action.

If caught soon enough, can a child's dyslexia be reversed? The evidence looks promising. In her book, Shaywitz reports that brain scans of dyslexic kindergartners and first-graders who have benefited from a year's worth of targeted instruction start to resemble those of children who have never had any difficulty reading."

this is from Time magazine, and here is a link to the full article:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030728-465794,00.html

Too Little Too Late?

2007-12-25T22:31:00.000-08:00

Ok... so I have been knocking on the school district door for 11 years trying to convince the various Grand Pooh-bahs in charge of special education that they need to train teachers in evidence-based methods in reading instruction. This is so elementary (pun intended) that it's hard to fathom why I had to do that. I have been politely received, politely listened to, been asked to submit proposals on a few occasions, but nothing has ever happened.

Way back in 1997,when I still worked for the district, my colleague and I presented pretty compelling evidence to our school board that the Lindamood Program was worthy of further investigation. We had both taken the training when it was offered as a special in service program, and had been using it in small groups for a year. (We were two of the four people from our entire district that signed up- the 3rd was a speech pathologist and the fourth left the district at the end of that year) We did pre and post testing with 3 months of instruction in between- and the average gain was a year in reading ability. The school board was polite, appreciative, and that was the end of it.

So here it is, 11 years later... and still there is a hodgepodge of programs and approaches being used across the district- and only one that I know of is evidence based (the school that I used to teach at, where my colleague still soldiers on).

I mentioned in a previous post that the current administration has finally made a move- and has hired a consultant to go around training teachers to use a program of his design;one that seems sound enough to me after a brief inspection. However- what is the point of doing this if the delivery of the program is not regulated and is left up to schools to determine? Already we know of one school that is offering it at half the desired number of sessions per week, and for far less time. In effect, the evidence base has been rendered null and void.

I have also learned that the current administrator finally provided training in the Lindamood program last month! I was all set to cheer loudly when I also learned that a half a day was devoted to this training. Say what?!!! I took five full days of training, and even then, starting out was slow and I had to refer to my notes and study the text frequently. Half a day? I haven't talked to any of the teachers who attended, but if it was me, I think I'd want to jump off a bridge after a mere half day of training. That, or else quietly push the program to the back of the shelf and forget it ever happened.

Is it any wonder that sometimes I need to SCREEEECH!?

ADHD diagnosis: helpful or hurtful?

2007-12-17T19:58:00.001-08:00

I had an interesting discussion about ADHD in my online work with some teachers and parents about whether or not a diagnosis is helpful or a hindrance to the learner.
The gist was, I had suggested that the diagnosis could be helpful because it explains some of the difficulties encountered by the learner, and relieves some of the guilt and shame they had been carrying. Because the problem is not a visible one, it is easy (and usual) to assume negative things about these individuals that aren't true. (They are troublemakers, they don't respect the teacher, they don't care about the work, they're stupid, they are not trying, they are lazy etc.) The person who believes these negative ideas with the most conviction, is the learner. When a person loses their homework, house key, wallet or important information frequently, it would be natural for them to wonder, "What's wrong with me?" And in the absence of an obvious answer, they fill in the blanks themselves with very harsh assumptions. The diagnosis also allows a sound treatment program to be undertaken under the guidance of a doctor. Despite many parents' reluctance to try medication, it remains one of the best treatment options available. In thinking about the ramifications of giving pharmaceuticals to children, we need to also examine the ramifications of not treating the problem; Plummeting self esteem, drug and alcohol abuse, failure in school and work, and trouble with the law. These are all well documented possible outcomes for sufferers of ADHD.

One of my correspondents proposed that if allowed to develop these organization skills in their own time and in a home-learning environment that was supportive, that perhaps this negative self image could be avoided. She felt that the label would not be necessary either. She believes that it is the school system that causes the need for a label- because the learner has to perform on someone else's schedule. This is an interesting idea, but my feeling is that it only postpones the inevitable.

Even a supportive home-learning environment can't delay the person needing or wanting a part-time job, or needing to keep commitments with friends, or professional appointments.

While children with ADHD mature later and definitely need more support than there peers in managing their time, their schedules, their relationships- we do them a disservice, in my opinion, in not being honest and accurate about what the learner is dealing with. Facing the truth is better than ignoring it.

Hard Habits to Break

2007-12-08T21:21:00.000-08:00

I read an article a few years ago by the Dutch researcher Dirk Bakker- and he classified problem readers as either perceptual or linguistic readers. I have found in my work, these descriptions are perfect.
The linguistic reader tends to read very quickly, and uses appropriate cadence and expression- in fact if you weren't listening to what he was saying you would think him a fluent reader. However, he very soon gets so far off the original text that what he is saying bears little resemblance to what is on the page. Eventually meaning breaks down and he stops, confused. These readers tend to use context and the first letter or two of the word, and are really reading with their ears. They read what they think sounds right.
The perceptual reader, by comparison, reads painfully slowly, sounding out just about everything, including the words we normally memorize as sight words.
I am sure this theory would coincide with the areas of the brain that are both underactive and overcompensating in learners with dyslexia- but I haven't read any literature about this.
In my work I find the linguistic reader the most difficult to remediate. I think two factors work to make this so. First, the learner has worked hard to cover up his reading problem, and to him, reading fast is the goal. He is not going to like being asked to go back to a plodding and slow pace (careful and accurate, to us) after working so hard to sound like everyone else. Also, I think the learner is working from a part of the brain that deals with meaning, not visual clues.
This is just my theory, based on my experience working with these "speedy readers".
I wonder if you have experiences with these type of readers?

I'm glad I have the freedom to do what needs to be done.

2007-12-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

Today I attended a meeting. I was asked to attend by a family to help them understand a program their district is offering their son, who has a fairly deep case of dyslexia. I have worked with their son over the last year and a half, and I know him fairly well. Cool kid, cool family. The meeting was between the father of the boy and a former colleague of mine, hired by the school district to implement his own reading program across the district.

Interesting situation for me to be in! I am not involved with this family anymore, as the district has developed a rapport with this other gentleman and has hired him to be the magic bullet. I attended because I like the boy, and really appreciate that the family is crusading not just for their son, but for other kids like him.

The poor guy has poured his heart and soul into his life's work and has made it available to the district. Today however, it was very apparent that he had no control over his own work anymore. The schools have complete discretion as to how much time they will devote to his program, and today, we discovered it was likely going to fail, because of the way it was to be delivered. My colleague got good results using this program (he has developed it over the last 25 years,) but he acknowledged it could take several years and needs to be taught daily. However, the school the boy attends is offering this to the boy at about half strength. They are offering three days a week for only 45 minutes. Because of this short time period, parts of this program are bound to be omitted or glossed over. We all agreed today that the program wasn't going to be effective if delivered this way. It may mean that a sound program will be deemed ineffective, through no fault of the man that designed it.

During our conversation this gentleman lamented that no-one could deliver reading instruction at the intensity level required due to budgetary restraints- and I was so glad that I could say, "Well, actually, I can." Now of course, parents have to pay for the service- but I can honestly say that after 10 years, I have never had anyone complain, and in fact, roughly 1/3 of my students come back at least once, and some two or three times for little refreshers.

So today I had it reconfirmed that I made the right decision to leave the system in order to have the freedom to do what needs to be done. I would absolutely hate losing control of what I do as my colleague has had to do. To see something that could work so well be misused and undervalued would REALLY bother me.

Vocabulary is critical to reading development

2007-12-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

I have been asked my opinion about a difficult problem facing a learner in the US. Her tutor, Lynda, has done remarkable work in a short time, bringing up the girl's decoding skills. The problem seems to be language skills and vocabulary, now that decoding is in place. The girl repeated 2nd grade and Lynda is afraid her student won't pass the 3rd.

There is written test that students must take to pass the year, but this little girl's vocabulary and language skills are so weak she won't be able to cope with the demands of the test. Lynda feels she has an 8 month window to try to help this girl develop the language, grammar and vocabulary necessary to pass the test- never mind to function fully in her community. The test situation must be front and center as it can mean the difference between the girl being one or two years behind.This is unfortunate, but it seems to be the reality.

These are my opinions based on my own experience, and I would welcome anyone else out there who has some suggestions for Lynda. First, vocabulary is absolutely necessary for reading to develop properly. It doesn't matter how well someone decodes a word- if they have a limited vocabulary they won't recognize what they have read as a meaningful word. I call that recognition the "aha" in decoding. We sound out a word, trying different syllable divisions, vowel sounds, and then when we realize we have just said an English word that we know, there is a moment of triumph- a little "aha!" that's it! Children with poor vocab development don't experience the "aha" very much. This is sad of course because rich vocabulary is the colour in our reading!
Teaching vocabulary is really difficult the older a child gets. It is nearly impossible to take an inventory of what the child doesn't know. The little girl in question would be 8 or 9 years old I assume? So, it's important to jump on it now. Each year school children are introduced to roughly 3000 new vocabulary words. She has a long row to hoe!
I would suggest first testing her knowledge of basic concepts. Whether you use a test or a published program (Linguisystems has lots of material on Basic Concepts) it would be good to fill those in first.
Then, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test might give you an idea of what words she is missing. It's hard to do much with that, but it would give you something definite to teach to.
The Folks Sentence Builder is a sentence and grammar building kit that I used to use in the public system. It teaches the different grammatical structures we use in our speech and writing. There would be a whole section on using the present progressive, for example. "I am running" "The dog is eating" and includes using adjectives, prepositions, objects etc. (I may be showing my age- there may be something more current than this!) I liked this kit because it worked from pictures and kids usually found it fun.
Of course, it will be hard to make up for the lack of reading to her that has occured, but this would be a must from now until March. If the mom doesn't have the time, perhaps an older student could be enlisted to help. I can't think of anything you could do with this other than to have the older child stop and ask frequently,
"do you know what that is?" and stop for a brief discussion.
I have had limited success using published vocabulary study books, as I mentioned before, it's hard to take an inventory of what someone doesn't know. Having said that, I have used vocabulary books by Stech-Vaughn, and they might help in this situation- it seems that the little girl is almost language deprived.

I am a learning consultant for a Distributed Learning (over the internet and some home visits) school called SelfDesign. I will ask for some assistance on this issue from some of my colleagues there, and report back if I find anything more!

This page had some good insights about teaching vocabulary. I am not advocating for their program, but this page had good info on it, particularly the info about the Matthew affect.

http://www.balancedreading.com/vocabulary.html

I hope I have represented your concerns accurately Lynda. If anyone wants to read the entire description of the issue, see comment #3 under Why don't teachers...

My Favourite Reading

2007-12-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

I had a question from a visitor to Teacherscreech,(see comments under Why Don't Teachers...) and I thought I would talk a little about my training experiences and some reading that I have found invaluable.
I received a Bachelor of Education from the Institute of Child Development, in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. This was a special education wing of the Department of Education at the U. of S. that was piloted in the 70s and 80s. As far as I know it's not there anymore.
At the time it was a state of the art facility. Education students wanting to go into the field of special education spent the last two years of their degree at the Institute. My concentration of study was in language and learning disabilities. We had to do a practicum in speech development and another in learning disabilities, as well as our 3 months in a classroom. The Institute took clients from the community and we, the students, worked with these children under supervision of the department. We had to do clinical work in a room equiped with cameras and two way mirrors, so that our supervisors could watch and provide feedback. I felt prepared to work with special ed learners when I emerged with my B.Ed, but like most teachers I have talked to, I didn't really feel prepared to teach in a regular class until my first actual year in a classroom. I learned from my wonderful, patient peers!

I took further training in the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program in '96. It was originally a speech and language program, but was revamped after it's utility in developing reading skills was discovered. It changed the way I work- indeed it was excellent training and provided very rewarding teaching experiences for me in the public system. I worked with another special ed teacher and we had a wonderful partnership for 9 years, and I still regard her as one of my closest friends.We used the Lindamood program with outstanding results. But- this is one of the reasons I Screech- we did a presentation to the School Board with pre and post test results on 12 students, and really, the results were clearly way out front of anything we had been able to achieve before and most likely better than any other special ed department. We suggested, in 1996, that the school district look into training more teachers. And the upshot is that nothing happened. Not for another 11 years! I have made several presentations to successive superintendents in special ed in our school district over the past 10 years (there has been considerable turnover in this department)- always offering to train teachers and help schools set up a Lindamood classroom. This yielded no results. But I digress...
Our district completed a half day workshop in this program in November 2007. I don't know how much one can absorb of this program in 1/2 a day, but I am relieved that now more students will start getting the evidence based support they need.

I then took several weeks of training over two successive summers at the teacher training facility at the Calgary Academy. This is a world class private school in Calgary Alberta, that has the latest and best technology, teaching methodology and teacher training. These guys really know what they are doing and do they ever get good results! The training facility is called Inlets, where they teach others their successful methods. I liked their work so much, and was ready for a change afer 18 years in the public system, that I became a limited partner with Calgary and started my own reading clinic, Planet Literacy.

I had been doing PL for about 6 years when I decided I needed to learn more about children with learning disabilities, so I went back and got my Masters Degree. It was during this time that I started reading seriously about the newest research.

Their are many researcher/writers who have written great papers and or books: Joseph Torgesen, Louisa Moats, Sally Shaywitz, and Marilyn Adams to name a few. There is a wonderful paper by Louisa Moats and Susan Brady, called Informed Instruction for Reading Success: Foundations for Teacher Preparation, that was officially approved as a Position Paper for the International Dyslexia Association in 1997. I don't know if it is available any more on the internet, but one could contact the Association. It is really thorough, and highlights the gaps that many of us in the field have witnessed.
Also, a book that I can't do without, is Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, Published by Alfred A. Knopf 2003. The ISBN # is 0-375-40012-5. Another good book is The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research, by Peggy McCardle and Vinita Chhabra, publisher, Paul H Brooks, 2004, ISBN # 1-55766-672-5
For anyone wanting training is specific programs and methods for teaching reading:
In terms of training- I haven't seen it myself but I have seen students who have had Orton-Gillingham tutoring with good results. I think The O-G people have a comprehensive training program. Also, The Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program is very powerful, and has been around for years. (see comments above) and I believe they travel around the US with their training workshops. They have info on their website, www.lindamoodbell.com. There is something fairly new that is really getting good reviews is the SpellRead program. It is being marketed to school systems in the US, but I think it was created in Nova Scotia. (I'm a typical Canadian- have to point out EVERYTHING that is made in Canada!) LOL. A friend of mine who is a neuropsychologist thinks it's going to be big.

A success story

2007-11-27T20:58:00.001-08:00

I thought I would write about a young man I taught 7 years ago, when he was 21. This young man has had a profound affect on me. I honestly think I learned more from him than he learned from me; we broke even, at least.

I first met James's mother when I had an information meeting to tell people what my reading clinics were all about. I held this particular meeting in a small town to make it easier for rural people. Since I knew everyone in the town, Jame's mother stood out for me as I had never seen her before. She was quiet, and didn't ask any questions during my speil. She did approach me at the end of the night and told me about her son. She had driven out from Kamloops to hear what I had to say.

James was 21 at the time, and was in his second year at the Unversity of BC. When she started telling me about him her eyes shone. Her love for her son filled the room. He was a talented hockey player, a humanitarian, and a wonderful son. He also couldn't read very well. He had had a very miserable time in school. He was taken out for a time and sent to a special school, and had learning assistance all through elementary school. He finally refused the help in grade 8."Why?" he asked. "I have been going for 7 years and I don't read any better now than when I started." His family worked extremely hard to keep his self esteem in tact. He was a brilliant hockey player, so the family spent hours at rinks, being his cheering section. His mother and father made a concerted effort to dwell on his strengths when he was at home- school was discussed with humour and grace, but it was never the measure of a man. They managed to avoid some of the terrible pitfalls that sometimes befall kids who experience repeated failure. James had just as many successes in other areas under his belt. She said he was so proud to have gotten into UBC, and had held his own in the first year, with the help of outside tutoring. In the second he was starting to drown. She teared up when she explained that her beautiful son who was always so positive and who met challenges head on with gusto- was starting to doubt himself, and he began to feel foolish for thinking he belonged at university. She asked me if I thought I could help him, and all I asked was if he was willing to go back to the beginning and build up his reading skills from ground level. She said she would get back to me. It turns out, he did.

James started in May, as soon as he returned from Vancouver. I tested James before we began and he was reading at a beginning grade 5 level. I shuddered thinking about the texts that he had had to read. He was very matter of fact about this reading level. He whistled and said, "I knew it wasn't going to be very high. I live with it!"
We did indeed start at the beginning, and I taught James the 44 phonemes of the English language and how they are made in the mouth. He loved this and was fascinated to look at his mouth in a mirror as he carefully pronounced each sound. He exclaimed after learning how vowel sounds are produced- " I could always tell you what the five vowels were, but I didn't really know what they were for!". Through the next three weeks we met and worked for two hours a day. He asked really good questions, and wanted to know WHY about everything. I was pleased to be able to answer most of his questions. When I couldn't, I did some research and came back with answers the next day. It was thrilling for me to work with a very bright young man who was excited about understanding how his own language worked for the first time in his life. He asked every other day, "Why don't they teach this in school?"

One day James mentioned that he had actually been on the honour roll for one term in grade 9. I asked him how he managed it. His answer floored me, and is solid proof for anyone who needs it that people with dyslexia are often extremely bright individuals. This is how James got on the honour roll. No doubt his popularity helped make this strategy work!

James acknowledged that he could not read the novels that they studied in English. So, he would hang around a group of guys during breaks and before and after school. He would put a general question about the novel out there for consideration. He would say something very general like, "Hey- you know that book we're reading in English? What do you think of it?" and the group would offer opinions with varying degrees of details. James would probe, mining for more details without anyone knowing that he hadn't read it. He had an extremely good memory,and he would take in all the discussion. He said that he read faces really well, so if he said something that was way off track, he would watch the expressions of the boys, and if they looked puzzled he would quickly back up and try something else. Then, he would go find a group of girls who got good marks, and hang out with them for awhile, using the info he had just received and asking questions that went deeper into the story. He said girls talked about stuff way more, so he always went to them as soon as he could converse half-way intelligently about the book.
He was able to pass all the chapter tests with good results from this method. For essays, he would get together with his girlfriend and talk over various topics. She wrote down what they discussed, and the James would rewrite it using the phrases and bits she wrote to construct an essay. His mother would proof read it for him.
I remember James telling this to me as though it was the most natural way to learn. I was amazed. I commented, "It must have taken so much energy for you to learn that way!"To which he shrugged and replied, "Not as much energy as it would take to read the book."

James finished the 3 week clinic and tested at a grade 9 level when we wrapped up. Still a long way from university level, but much better than grade 5. He was delighted and felt like a million bucks. He pledged to keep reading on his own and continue to improve.

I went and visited Robert in the spring of his next year at UBC. He continued to do well (still with a tutor, but getting good marks). He told me the story of how he first realized he was "reading like everyone else". He lived with three roommates in a residence apartment. One Saturday morning he was lazing on the couch reading the newspaper. He had done that before, usually reading the comics, but this time a political article caught his attention. He said he called out to a roommate who was sitting at the kitchen table, "Hey John! Listen to this!" James proceeded to read the entire article to his roommate. It was only afterwards that James realized that he had done this spontaneously, without thinking about it, and without a mistake. It was the first time he had ever volunteered to read anything outloud. Ever!
James graduated from university with a degree in Geography. He also became the spokesperson for of a junior hockey league and did lots of public speaking, including writing his own speeches.

James had the magic ingredient that successful people with dyslexia often have: resiliency. He also had parents that believed in him and helped him have balance in his life.

Comprehensive approach that suits everyone

2007-11-19T23:00:00.000-08:00

In response to A's comment below, where she asks if there isn't a program that would be good for all children:
Yes, I'm sure there is... any program that has the five elements that are suggested for kids with LD, the Lindamood, Literacy Links, Fast Forward etc. would do that. However- there are many proponents of a more whole language approach who would argue that these are too stilted for regular learners. The key would be to use the program as a base, and then group the students like we did in the old days: do lots of lateral whole language stuff with one group, and stick to the basics with the other group until decoding has become automatic for them.
I find there are very few teachers who know how to group effectively, giving quality time to each group in a day. It takes some planning but that's how we used to do it "in the old days". Grouping is not discriminating- it's giving children what they need, instead of lumping them together and dragging some kids along who need to walk, and slowing kids down who need to fly. They can all get there in the end...

The points I mentioned are in Sally Shaywitz's book, Overcoming Dyslexia. if you don't have it you should get it. I stand corrected- there are 4 things that need to be included:
-Systematic and direct instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics
-Practice applying these in reading and writing
-Fluency building
-Enriched language experiences

Kathy

IQ discrepancy and LD

2007-11-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

I have been having a great conversation with a woman who has a personal interest in special education.We have been communicating via email messages. She has given me permission to post the ongoing conversation here.
She was asking a question that is unrelated to a post, so I am just going to put it in a response here. The next few posts will be my response to her and her responses to mine. Hopefully you will get the gist!

Why don't teachers get the training in university?

2007-11-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

Since starting Planet Literacy in 1999, I have taught scores of learners in individual reading clinics. I have taken my clinics on the road to different communities, and I have collaborated with many teachers along the way. There are a few things that are remarkably constant: a) teachers have a genuine desire to help these hard to reach learners, b)they don't have enough skills or time to do it, and c) parents know very early on that there is something preventing their child from learning the same way and at the same rate as their peers.

Regarding c), in most cases the parents are reassured when they approach teachers at early teacher/parent interviews, and they are asked to relax and give the child more time. He's just not ready, and when he is, he will catch up. By grade 2, the teachers are still suggesting the "wait and see" approach. By grade 3 and 4 the teacher is calling the parents saying, "I think your son/daughter has a problem."
By the time these issues hit the teacher's radar screen, the child has been struggling a good long while and is far behind her peers.

Actually, research is very clear that if a learner has a phonologically based learning problem, the WORST thing you can do is wait and see. What that means for this kind of learner is "Wait and fail". Not a good position to find yourself in at 8 or 9 years old. Many schools have adopted an early screening program for this phonological processing problem, and I am all for that. What I don't think is fair is that this is not uniformly practiced across the province. I also find that some schools say they are doing the early screening, but either they don't have the right kind of instrument, they don't have teachers with the training or knowledge to understand the results and provide appropriate intervention, or with staff turnover they end up with different priorities.

Re: b) I find that many teachers charged with teaching the children with poor reading skills do not have a background in phonology or linguistics and are unable to explain many of the rules and idiosyncrasies of the English language. I can't count the number of times a teacher, sitting in on a clinic with their student has remarked, "I didn't know that!" about a particular spelling expectation or concept. Granted, I didn't know some of these things either until I took more training, and luckily my background in linguistics certainly made my training go more smoothly than it might have. But now, in 2007, this information has been circulating for at least 10 years and there is a sound and growing body of evidence to support these methods. So, why isn't this knowledge reaching the teachers more universally?

I was curious- so I made some calls. I met with the Dean of Education at a BC university to inquire about the training teachers were getting. Her response was disappointing and difficult for her to explain. She admitted that teachers don't learn how to teach reading in her university. She said that because there are so many products and methods "out there", and that trends seem to come and go, that the university assumes that teachers will learn the programs and methods of the day, on their own.When I asked about learning disabilities, she referred me to another department head.

I talked to this person by phone, and asked how his program worked.
He told me that it is an 8 month certificate that teachers in the field come back to get while still working. I asked him if he focused on learning disabilities and he replied that it depended on what the teachers wanted. When I asked for clarification he explained that the teachers dictate what courses are taught according to what skill set they want to develop. I couldn't help it- I blurted out a question, "Do you think it's a good idea for teachers who don't know alot about something,(why else are they wanting more training?) to be deciding what they will learn?" He replied rather defensively (understandably; I should have worded that differently) that it seemed to be working so far. So when I asked if the courses that year would include something about teaching students with learning disabilities, he replied, "No. The teachers are more concerned with classroom management issues so we are going to have two classes on behaviour management."
I then arranged for a phone conference with people in the Ministry of Education. I was passed on to the head of Assessment in Education and another woman, the head of the Department for Special Education. When I asked if they were aware that some universities were not preparing teachers to teach reading, they both acknowledged that they were indeed aware and that this was a problem. They were both sympathetic. (tsk tsk) When I asked what they were planning to do about it, they lamented that it wasn't up to the Ministry to dictate what is covered at the university level, rather, it was the professional body, the College of Teachers. They were sorry they couldn't help more, but they were very happy to tell me about a website that the Ministry was constructing, where people could log on and have meaningful discourse about the issues facing teachers today. They fervently hoped I would be a key player in discussions, and they vowed to contact me when it was up and running.
Four years later, I still haven't from either of them.
In case you're thinking, "well you only checked with one university", I completed my Masters degree with 22 very dedicated teachers, and half of them graduated in the last 10-15 years. They all said they did not feel their training (involving at least 3 different universities) prepared them to teach reading, and certainly not to children with learning disabilities.
To sum up this post- many teachers do not know what to do to help these vulnerable students because they are not receiving the training they need.

Educationally Challenged

2007-11-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

Dyslexia, learning disability, learning challenge, whatever you want to call it... should not be the death nell of person's potential! Yet, today more than ever the failure of schools to provide appropriate instruction for kids with LD has devastating results. Literacy skills are critical for success today. We need to stop thinking of this as a problem with the learner, and realize that the problem exists because we are not delivering instruction at the intensity and duration that is needed. Teachers need better training to be able to effectively help these students. The key word is effectively. Today, teachers of at least elementary grades need a background in phonology and linguistics, and they need to be experts in their own language.

Happy Ending

2007-11-05T21:47:00.000-08:00

Josh's reading skills improved from grade 2 to grade 8 after intensive instruction, 2 hours a day, for 3 weeks. Still not perfect, but his mother reported that he started baking cookies because he discovered he could read the recipes. He also started reading the newspaper. Josh felt like part of the human race- something that he hadn't felt for along time. I have to admit I was some relieved to see that the students were getting the results that the Calgary Academy was getting. I knew then that leaving the school system to do this work was the right move for me.
To bring this story to a close, let me say that I was in the front seat, cheering loudly at Josh's high school graduation. His parents called me when a few years later, Josh graduated from a trades college with the top student achievement award in his field. I heard a few years ago that Josh had bought himself a new truck and had a really cool apartment. He was working full time and loved his job. And just last year his mom called to tell me that Josh had applied for a new job. She laughed and admitted that she was worried about him filling in the forms etc. but that not only did he do it on his own, he impressed the employer in his interview and got the job.
After I hung up the phone I thought back to that wrenching tearful phone call from Josh's mother 10 years ago. Its hard to put into words what I was feeling; it was a sort of quiet amazement that this whole thing unfolded the way it did, and a profound sense of gratitude that I got to be a part of it.

Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is

2007-11-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

My mind was racing trying to think of what I could tell her. Finally I suggested we meet for coffee. I discussed the background of the program and the research that supported it. I wanted her to understand that I had never actually tried it out with any learners myself, but that the Calgary Academy had been running it for a year with very good results. She said she would talk to Josh and get back to me. She called back that evening and said that Josh was very interested. I was pleased, but a little apprehensive. I didn't want to fail Josh again. There was alot riding on this, for both of us.
The first clinic was in the summer of 1998. We had 12 students, one of whom was Josh. the ages ranged from 7-15. I took two colleagues to Calgary for more training and these wonderful teachers worked with students through July and August while I supervised. I also did pre and post testing. I was so nervous that whole first week- I knew parents and students were putting so much hope and faith into this experience. I alternated between wondering where I got the gall to think we could make a difference in only 3 weeks, to feeling excited at the prospect that maybe we could.
On the fourth day of the clinic my nerves started to subside, and I started to bubble with excitement. The attitude and demeanor of the children was changing. Without a doubt they were walking in the door taller than they were on the first day. They were obviously feeling good about themselves, and they were starting to "get it". The missing piece for these 12 learners was understanding how our language is put together (and how it comes apart). In the reading clinic we were able to demonstrate this to them in a multisensory and fun way. We also introduced concepts in very small increments. Week two of the July clinic went by and the momentum continued to build. I was particularly interested in Josh's progress, and I watched in awe as he began to read. I wondered if I was imagining it, or exaggerating his progress in my mind, until the day his father came to pick him up. When Josh's dad arrived, Josh was just finishing up some reading. I was at my desk when I noticed his dad peeking around the cubicle, watching Josh. I went up to him and asked if he wanted to go in and sit with Josh. He just shook his head, not taking his eyes off Josh. I looked over and caught the eye of Brenda, his teacher. She was grinning. Josh had his head bent in concentration, his finger moving slowly under the sentence. Then I looked closer. Josh was reading, abeit slowly and haltingly, an article about lions in a National Geographic. His dad was speechless. I still get shivers, now almost 10 years later as I relate this.

Time to change what I was doing...

2007-10-31T18:51:00.000-07:00

I listened to the little voice in my head that said that I had not been serving Josh well, and that went for most of my other students with learning disabilities as well. It's not that I was shirking responsibility, and I wasn't a lazy teacher waiting for a big pension; I really was doing the best I could with what I knew. I was beginning to realize however, that there must be things about learners like Josh that I didn't know. Things that I should know if I was to continue in the job.

At about this time I was scheduled to take some inservice training in a program that was getting great reviews in the literature, but was notoriously difficulty to learn to do; The Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program, or LiPS as it is known as. It was exciting to learn a technique that I could see working for students like Josh, even if it was too late for him. I went with a woman who I had the privilege of sharing the special ed job with for 9 years, Lisa. We team taught for most of those years and our strengths and preferences complimented eachother's beautifully. It was the most rewarding working relationship I have ever had. She is a very dedicated and highly regarded special education teacher in her district.She is also one of my dearest friends. She felt the same frustration I did at not knowing how to help our students more effectively.

We came back to our school and immediately implemented this program. We worked together and had back to back groups of 8-12 learners at a time, each running for 4 months. While we got impressive results, better than any we had gotten previously- the groups were just too large.

Lisa and I went to visit a friend of hers, who happened to be the CEO of a world class private school for students with Learning Disabilities, the Calgary Academy. They were piloting a program that was getting similar results to the LiPS program, in half the time. The CEO invited us to take a very close look at the program, and to be involved in the revision process. We jumped at the chance. We went back for a week of training and then a weekend of picking it apart with other teachers.
We were so impressed that we we spent extra time with them.

Then the CEO offered Lisa and I a business proposition; the Calgary Academy ran a reading clinic business with the general public as part of it's funding scheme, and he was offering us a limited licensing agreement to set up the same thing in our province, BC. It was an exciting proposition, but one that required some careful consideration. We both had job security, and this venture would mean leaving the teaching profession as we knew it. After a week of hashing it around and thinking about it, we were prepared to do it. It was a risk- Alberta had rich oil families who would pay for private instruction- but what about BC?

We wrote a business plan and started plans for our first reading clinic, to take place in the summer. We were both excited and very nervous about it. While the program seemed extremely well written, based on current and solid research,and the Calgary Academy reported good results, neither Lisa nor I had actually run a session ourselves. Sadly, the partnership came to a sudden end one day, when due to a family crisis, Lisa had to back out. I decided to continue on my own.

I had my first reading clinic with 12 students, and trained and hired two colleagues to work with me that summer. And here is where the story comes full circle. Sometimes I think things happen for a reason- and this is one of them. In May, as what was to be my final public school year was winding down, I got a call from Josh's mother. I had not seen Josh for 3 years. I started with the usual small talk and asked how Josh was doing, and then his mom broke down in tears. Josh had had a miserable time, was doing poorly, and was severely depressed. He wanted to quit school. He said he had done all he could and it was just not good enough. The teachers at his high school thought he was stupid and lazy. One had embarassed him be asking him infront of the class, "What's wrong with you, can't you read? What am I supposed to do with you?" Another told him, "I have very high standards in my class. I'm not lowering them for you or anyone else!". He'd had enough. He wanted out. He also hinted that he thought life was just too hard and he might want off the big bus too. Josh's mom did not know, could not have known, what I was working on; Lisa and I had kept it very hush hush. We weren't at all sure what the union would say and we wanted to have things in place before we crossed that bridge. So when Josh's mom asked if I knew of anything that could help Josh- anything at all- I was taken aback. There was a very pregnant pause on the phone. His mom, thinking that she had crossed a line and was imposing on me, began to appologize. "I think I can help him". I blurted out. And then I prayed that I could.

Defining Moment ( no, not this picture...)

2007-10-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

I am an actor. In between parts, I work as a teacher. Somehow, those inbetween times while waiting for my big break have spread to 25 years. Hmm. Pretty soon I will have to admit that I am a teacher, and in my spare time I act.I am a consultant for children and adults who have learning challenges. I have been teaching people with Dyslexia to read for the past 25 years, the last 12, successfully.I would have probably stumbled along, doing what I had always done for another 12 years if it hadn't been for Joshua. But there he was. Josh, you may never know the effect that a certain walk you and I took together back in 1995 had on me- my career, the rest of my life.This is one of the defining moments in my professional life, but first, the background.I was a special education teacher in an elementary school. I started working with Josh when he was almost 9 years old. He was a dark eyed pale skinned little boy with a mop of black hair. He was always smiling back then. He didn't say much but he noticed everything. Josh was in grade 4 and could barely read at the grade one level. What he did read was painfully slow and laborious, and he dragged out each syllable desperately trying different vowel sounds hoping to recognize a word. When he came across the same word further down the page, he didn't recognize it and started the whole process over again. The other children would roll their eyes and groan when it was Josh's turn to read. And these were children who had their own challenges.Josh grew more and more withdrawn over the year, and the smile slowly faded from his face. Josh continued to come down for special help all through grade 5. And 6. And finally grade 7. I adjusted what I was doing from time to time, and when the results didn't change much for Josh, I commiserated with his parents about how severe and stubborn his disability was. He wasn't smiling at all any more. In the spring of his grade 7 year, Josh and I took a walk down the lane to the high school. I was taking him to meet his new special education teacher. We were half way down the lane, when a wave of clarity hit me with such force that I gasped and stopped in my tracks. It was as though a cloud lifted and I could finally see what was in front of me. Poor Josh. I must have scared the daylights out of him. He stared, and then asked carefully, "Are you ok?". I stared back at him as wave after wave of understanding washed over me. What was I doing? What had I been doing for the past 4 years? Why was Josh still not reading, and why was I letting him accept blame for all of this? Didn't he come to school everyday, even though he knew someone would call him "stupid" at least once that day? Didn't he come prepared to sit through yet another day of feeling inadequate and confused because we asked him to? Didn't he come with renewed hope every day that this would be the day that he would finally "get" it? Yes, he did, because his teachers and I kept promising him that it would happen. I felt the heat of self loathing rise up in me. I felt like a cruel master who holds a treat just out of reach of a starving puppy... for 4 years. I had to fight to keep my professional wits about me. We went to the meeting with the new special ed teacher and while it was brief, my heart sunk even more. The high school philosophy was pretty much, "let them sink or swim". The special ed teacher talked about wanting to prepare Josh for the real world, and the real world wouldn't make things easy for him. It would be best if he figured out his own survival strategies. The sooner the better.