The Importance of Knowing the Hidden Impacts of Dyslexia

dyslexia resources Dec 30, 2021

As educators and parents, we often hyper-focus on the academic components surrounding reading and writing for dyslexic learners. This makes sense because dyslexia shows itself in the educational setting. And yet, there is so much more that dyslexia impacts. Unknown to most people, many impacts of dyslexia reside below the surface, hidden from view, yet their effects can be profound.

This posts' main image, , is a powerful reminder that what you see isn't the whole picture. This is especially true for our dyslexic learners. 

Some things I often hear:

"But he/she is doing so well!" 

"She is getting straight A's and is a model student." 

"I don't think that he needs all of these accommodations. He is doing fine."

I often hear this once a student has broken the code or is older when identified as having dyslexia. They have developed excellent coping skills, are getting good grades, and are considered on grade level...but these successes don't tell the whole...

Continue Reading...

Books Every Dyslexia Educator Should Own

dyslexia resources Oct 21, 2021

Hi friends. One of my favorite places to go is into bookstores. Ever since I was little, I have loved walking the aisles of books, the smell of opening a new book, and the ability to write in my books (gasp!). For this reason, I tend to purchase just about every book I can find on my passions, especially literacy and dyslexia.

If you follow me over on Instagram, you may have seen the collaborative reel that was put together highlighting just a few of our favorite books as dyslexia educators. Plus, I love working with other educators and supporting dyslexia and education! I had many requests to put them into a list, so here you are, plus a few more of my favorites!
 
 
Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz
This book is a game-changer and one that I recommend every single person in education or a parent of a child with dyslexia read. When I read this thirteen years ago, it blew me away, and the fact there was so much research surrounding the brain and dyslexia...
Continue Reading...

#1 Thing You Need to Understand About Dyslexia

dyslexia resources Oct 14, 2021

Hi friends. As many of you know, October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. So, this week I'm chatting about one of the most important things you should know about dyslexia.

Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence. It is not a thinking disability. The apparent brightness often stumps parents and educators and leads to thinking that a dyslexic student needs to try harder or needs more time. 

In a school setting, the understanding that dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence can be overshadowed by the demands of reading, writing, and the quick pace of instruction. Our children are bright, yet they are sometimes overlooked as their day consists of activities that do not highlight their strengths. Instead, their struggles are on constant display. This constant feeling of playing catchup or struggling can profoundly impact a child's self-esteem, one that can last a lifetime. 

We need to understand, and help students understand, that they are intelligent and thrive when...

Continue Reading...

Let's Talk About Nasals

 

Hi friends! This week, I'm going to continue our review of the consonant sound groupings. If you're working on implementing a sound wall, or you want to shift how you approach teaching phonics, then this week's post is for you.

Research shows that our brain makes memory traces of sounds by paying attention to mouth formations. When we begin with the sound, we're laying the foundation for knowledge of graphemes, or letters. This anchors our phoneme-grapheme correspondences. In my work with students, I focus on this speech-to-print approach where I explicitly teach phonemes, or those individual speech sounds, to students. I begin by introducing the sound and connection to the mouth formation.

What about those nasal  sounds?

If you haven't heard of nasals, you are not alone. Many programs or trainings may not introduce this concept, but I think you should and here's why. Consonants are usually grouped or taught according to their articulation features, or how the sound is made....

Continue Reading...

Top Strategies to Teach Stop Sounds

 

Hi, friends! I've recently had quite a lot of requests to chat about the topic of teaching stop sounds. This week, I've created a video detailing effective ways to teach this. I've also included links and information about the resources that I reference in the video. You will find them below. Click on each image to see more of the product. 

 

When we explicitly teach phonemes' articulatory features, we are helping to create links between the individual speech sounds and the letter representations. These mouth cards are designed to guide and support mouth placement and sound production directly. 

The cards tell you where the sound comes from within our mouth (front, middle, or back of the mouth), the manner of articulation (what are the teeth, lips, and tongue doing), and the use of voice or unvoiced sound production to strengthen phonological awareness, reading, and spelling. These mouth formation cues are essential for anchoring sounds to letter representations,...

Continue Reading...

Creating a Dyslexia-Friendly Learning Environment

dyslexia resources May 05, 2021

Hi, friends! This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and today, I want to show my appreciation by having a sale on my teaching resources. In my teacher shop, I have dyslexia resources, printable letter tiles, blending boards, intervention resources, and more. Visit my resource shop to save today on tools to effectively support students with dyslexia. Click here to see the sale. I also have a free download that will add additional support in your classroom. Keep reading for how to access it. 

Though Teacher Appreciation Week comes once a year, it doesn't mean that they don't deserve appreciation all year long. Teachers work incredibly hard at creating welcoming environments for their students. We spend countless hours preparing the learning environment so that our students feel that they belong. Classrooms set the stage for learning. Students with learning differences should feel seen, understood, and represented in their learning environments.

A dyslexia-friendly learning...

Continue Reading...

A Few of My Favorite Things

resources Mar 17, 2021

Hi friends. Working with so many students that are in different places in their journey with reading and dyslexia means that I need to be diagnostic and prescriptive in my approach, but there are some key components and materials that seem to work themselves into most of my lessons. This week, I am sharing a few of my favorites! Comment and let me know if any of these are on your list.

Plastic Letters

I use my plastic alphabet letters for so many different activities. They are a great way to incorporate multi-sensory learning and practice into our sessions. The letters can be used to build skills from letter naming, to letter sequencing, to teaching accent and phrasing, to alphabetizing – the possibilities are endless! I like the letters from abcedarian.com because the plastic letters are consistent in their shape, are available in both English and Spanish, and the price it hard to beat. You can purchase the entire alphabet, certain letters, and upper-and-lower...

Continue Reading...

Dyslexia: The Journey

resources Mar 10, 2021

Educators and professionals should look for indicators of dyslexia in children starting at a young age. Our system often relies on the “wait to fail” model before testing or providing interventions which can have lasting impacts on a student’s educational success. By looking for clues, educators can provide appropriate instruction and early intervention. Research has found that children at risk for dyslexia or who demonstrate reading difficulties benefit most from early intervention in kindergarten and first grade.

Parents should pay attention when their child speaks to listen for clues in how they pronounce words and sounds of the letters of the alphabet. Delays in speaking can also be an indicator of potential reading problems. It should be noted that not all delays or mispronunciations indicate a learning disorder. Parents can speak with their child's pediatrician and discuss any concerns they may have about their child's language struggles. Once in school, both...

Continue Reading...
1 2
Close

Join The Dyslexia Classroom community

A collective of educators and parents creating connections and deepening understanding and knowledge through an empathetic approach to best help our children on their path with dyslexia.