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Rethinking Dyslexia

Rethinking Dyslexia




At the beginning of the summer, I was a student in training for an approach to teaching students with dyslexia called, Take Flight, offered through Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. This was the most intense eleven days of learning and training in all my years of education. Having been a reader from a very young age, I truly had no recollection of actually learning to read or the techniques used to teach me. As a teacher, I felt that any student, with or without dyslexia, could learn to read if they “just found the right book for them”. The TSRH instruction I received was very humbling and eye-opening. This video, The Big Picture, is completely inline with everything I learned through Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. More specifically, I was required to read numerous pieces of text by Sally Shaywitz. Although I have always had a heart geared to the struggling reader, my passion was renewed as I completed this training.
All professional participants brought several specific things to light regarding dyslexia and the students who struggle with learning.
  • Students with dyslexia do not have a diminished capacity for learning. They often are above average intelligence.
  • It is important for students with dyslexia to be aware of their struggles and the reason(s) for them. Only with knowledge of their own learning needs will students become advocates for their own learning.
  • Dyslexia is a neurological condition that results in obstacles for individual learning. Even the very definition for dyslexia has been recently modified to include the diversity of learning needs of students with dyslexia. Along with these changes, came changes to the Texas Dyslexia Handbook.
  • Early identification is important for students with Dyslexia in order to decrease the possibility of learning gaps created by delayed identification and lack of necessary interventions.
It is important for teachers to be knowledgeable about reading difficulties as well as dyslexia. Classroom teachers and parents know students best and should be able to recognize when a student is struggling and get them the necessary assessments for reading difficulties along with the appropriate interventions. It is our purpose as educators to find the best strategies and interventions appropriate for individual students in order to assist them in becoming proficient readers and lifelong learners.
Birsh, J. R. (2017). Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills. Third Edition.
McLaughlin, M. (2015). Content area reading: Teaching and learning for college and career readiness (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Roco Film Educational (Borman, W. and Reford, J. ) (2012) The Big Picture Rethinking Dyslexia (online video) Available from http://vimeo.com/85474890 k.
Texas Education Agency (TEA). (2019). Dyslexia and Related Disorders. Austin, TX: retrieved on July 24, 2019. Tea.texas.gov

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