Overcoming Dyslexia For Dummies E-Book

Tracey Wood

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Seitenzahl: 610

Beschreibung

Includes tips and strategies for kids, teens, and adults with dyslexia Understand what dyslexia is, assess schools and programs, and help your child succeed Does your child mix up d's and b's? Does he or she have trouble reading? If so, the cause may be dyslexia. But don't worry -- these days, there are many ways to overcome dyslexia. This hands-on guide leads you step by step through your options -- and explains how anyone with dyslexia can achieve success in school and life. Discover how to * Recognize the symptoms of dyslexia * Understand diagnostic test results * Set up an Individualized Education Program (IEP) * Work effectively with teachers * Improve your child?s reading skills

Leseprobe

Overcoming Dyslexia For Dummies®

by Tracey Wood, MEd

Overcoming Dyslexia For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2005935149

ISBN-13: 978-0-471-75285-1

ISBN-10: 0-471-75285-1

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

1B/QY/RS/QV/IN

About the Author

Tracey Wood was born in England. She went to teachers college in Leeds and graduated with an honors degree in psychology and education. She taught in a special school for four years and loved it. But sunnier climes called, and she left England for a backpacking vacation in Australia. Twelve years later she was still enjoying the warmth of Australia but had traded her backpack for a husband and two kids.

In Australia, Tracey earned a diploma in special education and a master’s degree in education. For several years she ran a high school special education unit and then started her own reading clinic. In the 1990s Tracey moved (with her husband’s job) to the San Francisco Bay area. She ran a reading and writing clinic; helped in her kids’ school; led two scouting troops; instructed for the Red Cross; created her Web site, ReadingPains.com; and wrote her first book, See Johnny Read! The 5 Most Effective Ways To End Your Son’s Reading Problems.

Still on the move, Tracey relocated to Toronto and wrote her second and third books, Teaching Kids to Read For Dummies and Teaching Kids to Spell For Dummies. While writing Overcoming Dyslexia For Dummies, she relocated again, to Boston.

Tracey is a literacy consultant and public speaker. She writes articles for magazines like Big Apple Parent and Teachers of Vision, has appeared onAccess Help TV and national radio shows like Parent’s Journal and The Parent’s Report, and is committed to steering (albeit unsteadily) her two children through childhood with all their limbs and faculties intact.

Dedication

My gorgeous girls: I know you didn’t get a choice, but thanks anyway for putting up with the moods that I blame on artistic temperament, the stories that I tell with artistic license, and my unreliable cooking. Pretty much everything I do feels better because of you and is dedicated to you (both of you, equally!).

Author’s Acknowledgments

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and in my opinion, much the same is true of bringing a book into being. My village is small, but the hearts and talent in it are big:

David Futterman, a university instructor, high school teacher, educational therapist, and active member of the International Dyslexia Association, has experience and qualifications galore in dyslexia. He’s also very nice. Thank you a zillionfold, David, for being my right-hand man with this book. Hope you enjoyed the view.

As well as answering every one of my questions and finding plenty of my mistakes, David introduced me to Kathy Futterman, who took time out of her busy teaching and parenting schedule to road-test some products for me. Kathy, I so appreciated your help!

As I wrote this book, several things happened: School vacation came around, landing me with two noisy, easily bored, and frequently hungry kids; I painted, plastered, scrubbed, and finally sold a house; and I bought a new house a whole ten-hour drive away. Over those months, a few stalwart friends painted and scraped with me, lured me from my computer to party and gamble (now I’ve exposed you to the world!) and whisked my children off at opportune times when I didn’t care where or for how long. Valarie Cowton, Kelly Borden, and Phyllis Perry, you’re the best!

And last but never least, Therese Hughes, Frances Faflik, and Liam O’Connor. Thanks for always being on the sidelines.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Georgette Beatty

Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier

Senior Copy Editor: Tina Sims

Technical Editor: Susan Tarascio, Dyslexia Institutes of America

Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker

Editorial Assistants: Hanna Scott, Nadine Bell

Cover Photo: © Emilio Ereza/Age Fotostock

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Kathryn Shanks

Layout and Graphics: Denny Hager, Joyce Haughey, Stephanie D. Jumper, Barry Offringa, Heather Ryan

Proofreaders: Leeann Harney, Charles Spencer, Aptara

Indexer: Aptara

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies

Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents

Title

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I : Figuring Out What Dyslexia Is All About

Chapter 1: Understanding the Basics of Dyslexia

Defining Dyslexia in Plain Terms

Zeroing In on the Symptoms of Dyslexia

Deciding When to Have Your Child Tested

Exploring Different Schools and Programs for Your Child

Helping Your Child with Activities at Home

Watching Your Dyslexic Child Grow

Chapter 2: Pinpointing What Dyslexia Is (And Isn’t)

Understanding the Real Meaning of “Dyslexia”

Investigating the Causes of Dyslexia

Breaking Down Dyslexia into Different Types

Looking at Other “Dys” Conditions Related to Dyslexia

Comparing Dyslexia to ADD and ADHD

Chapter 3: Being Alert to Symptoms of Dyslexia at Any Age

Understanding Why It’s Important to Look for Signs

Noticing Your Preschooler’s Late Development

Watching Your School-Age Child Fade

Recognizing Signs of Dyslexia at Older Ages

Referring to Your Family’s History

Part II : Determining When to Get a Diagnosis

Chapter 4: Watching Your Child Carefully at a Young Age

Keeping a Close Eye on Early Skills

Engaging in Pre-Reading Activities at Home

Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten

Chapter 5: Acting Quickly with Your School-Age Child

Understanding Why a Quick Response to Reading Problems Is Critical

Noticing Dyslexic-like Behaviors at Home

Asking Your Child’s Teacher to Look for Dyslexic-like Behaviors in Class

Chapter 6: Testing Your Child for Dyslexia

Deciding When to Get a Diagnosis

Examining Different Kinds of Tests

Choosing Your Test Administrator Wisely

Preparing Your Child (And Yourself) for Testing

Receiving Test Results and Putting Them to Work

Looking at Your Options When You Decide Not to Test

Part III : Exploring Your Options for Schools and Programs

Chapter 7: Choosing the Best School for Your Child

Questioning the Kind of School Your Child Needs

Looking at What a Traditional Public School Offers

Meeting the Staff in a Traditional Public School

Getting the Scoop on Alternative Schooling

Chapter 8: Investigating the Individualized Education Program

Probing into the Basics of an IEP

Ensuring a Successful IEP Meeting

Surveying the Services That Your Child Receives with an IEP

Looking at the Legal Nitty-Gritty of IEPs

Chapter 9: Securing Help without an Individualized Education Program

Making the Most of Choices in School

Looking for Help Outside School

Giving Academic Support at Home

Chapter 10: Working Productively with Your Child’s Teacher

Requesting and Preparing for a Conference

Keeping a Conference on Track and Following Up Smartly

Coming Up with Cool Accommodations

Avoiding Dyslexic Land Mines with a Teacher’s Help

Part IV : Taking Part in Your Child’s Treatment

Chapter 11: Putting Memorizing, Visualizing, and Rhyming to Good Use

One by One: Starting with Single Letters

Letters Joining Forces: Getting on Top of a Few Good Spelling Rules

I Know You! Having Fun with Sight Words

Do You See the Sea? Distinguishing between Sound-Alike Words

The Hard Stuff: Remembering Especially Tricky Words

Chapter 12: Playing with Phonics

Emphasizing Single Letters

Building Three-Letter Words in Word Families

Mixing It Up with Blended Consonants

Delving into Digraphs

Mastering Tricky Vowel Sounds

Bringing Consonants under Control

Chapter 13: Sprinting Ahead with Reading Basics and Practice

See Jane Read: Looking at Reading Fundamentals

In the Habit: Establishing a Happy Reading Routine

Page after Page: Using Special Strategies for Reading Success

Nice and Gentle: Handling Your Child’s Difficulties with Kindness

Chapter 14: Taking Advantage of Multisensory Methods

Bringing the Term “Multisensory” Down to Earth

Setting the Stage for Multisensory Success

Making Homework Multisensory

Having Practical Stuff for Playing at Your Fingertips

Working Physical Activity into Your Child’s Routine

Experimenting with Alternative Multisensory Treatments

Chapter 15: Handling Everyday Activities and Difficulties

Talking Your Child into Feeling Good

Helping Your Child with Space, Time, and Sequence

Maintaining Harmony in the Home

Part V : Moving beyond the Childhood Years

Chapter 16: Assisting Dyslexic Teens

Instilling New Life Skills

Facing School Challenges Head-On

Encouraging the Development of Work Skills

Chapter 17: Heading Off to College

Keeping a Well-Stocked Portfolio

Researching Majors and Schools

Focusing on Target Schools

Handling the Application and Interview Process

Picking the Winning School

Finding Help with Financing

Successfully Keeping Up with Grades

Chapter 18: Succeeding with Dyslexia in Adulthood

Benefiting from a Late Diagnosis

Looking at Helpful Programs and Treatments for Adults

Knowing Your Workplace Rights as a Dyslexic Adult

Keeping Family and Friends in the Frame

Part VI : The Part of Tens

Chapter 19: Ten Tools for Making a Dyslexic’s Life Easier

A Pencil Grip

Pens with Erasable Ink

Colored Files and Other Handy Items

A Wristwatch

A Pocket Spell Checker

A Cell Phone and a Personal Organizer

Books on Tape (Or CD)

A Photocopier

A Word Processor and the Internet

Speech-to-Text Software

Chapter 20: Ten Well-Known Dyslexia Programs and Treatments

Orton-Gillingham and Other Phonics-Based Reading Programs

Treatments That Tune into Sounds

Treatments That Focus on Vision

Treatments That Get Physical

Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes

Audiblox

PACE

All Kinds of Minds

The Feingold Program

Levinson Medical Centers

Part VII : Appendixes

Appendix A: An Informal Assessment of Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Skills

Picking Out Pre-Reading Skills

Examining Early Reading Skills

Testing for Independent Reading Skills

Appendix B: Contacts and Resources

Getting General Information Online or by Voice Mail

Talking to Someone Directly

Checking Your Child’s Eyes, Ears, and Mouth

Surveying Self-Tests

Focusing on Alternative Schooling and School Reading Programs

Laying Down the Law

Finding Independent Programs, Therapists, and Learning Centers

Trying Technology

Lending a Hand to Teens, College Students, and Adults

Introduction

You’ve picked up this book because you’re concerned about your child. He isn’t keeping up in class, hates to read, and makes spelling errors even in simple words. Is he dyslexic? Should you be asking for an assessment? What can you do to help him at home?

Or maybe you’re flicking through these pages for yourself. When you were at school, you felt dumb, and now you avoid reading and hate to write. You’re wondering whether you should call yourself “dyslexic” and, if you do, whether it will make much difference in your life. I hear you! You need straightforward, practical, upbeat advice.

I spend my (happy and ever-so-rewarding) working life helping dyslexic children and adults. I know I change lives. Sincerely, warmly, and rather proudly, I offer you this book so you too can make a difference.

About This Book

In this book, I give you all the relevant information and cut the rest. I don’t bury you under a mound of theories, lose you in terminology, or wear you out with alternatives. I don’t preach, prattle, or pretend there’s always one definitive answer. Instead, I give you honest information about the stuff that matters. And I move you quickly from theory to practice.

You get hands-on activities your child can start straight away, strategies that are good for his whole lifetime, and handy tips for dealing with daily problems (like how to help him get organized and keep his b’s and d’s facing the right way once and for all). For teens and adults, I give the scoop on things like note taking, applying to college, and succeeding in the workforce. And to keep you on the ball with current research, you get news about brain mapping, dyslexia therapies, and the reading programs most educators prefer.

Whether you’re just beginning to consider the term dyslexia or you’ve already done some research; whether you’ve got your child’s IEP underway or you’ve never heard of an IEP; whether you want reassurance, practical strategies, or legal details made easy, this book is for you. Surf through it or immerse yourself chapter by chapter, as you need. The chapters in this book let you pick and choose, but they also follow a logical progression. There’s so much information in here that you’re sure to get the guidance you’re looking for. And whatever your needs and interests, you’ll love the Part of Tens, where you get quick lists, each of ten items, of really handy stuff.

Conventions Used in This Book

To he or not to he? In this book, I clean up that sticky dilemma by using he and she in alternate chapters. You can be sure this book is for everyone, and once you’re used to the idea of switching between he and she, you’ll probably end up thinking all other books should do the same.

In this book, I give you a lot of current prices for materials, therapy, tutoring, and more. These prices can change over time, so use them as your guide rather than as set-in-stone facts.

I feature a few other conventions to help you work your way through this book:

Italic points out defined terms or emphasizes a word.

Boldface text indicates keywords in bulleted lists and the action part of numbered steps.

Monofont highlights Web addresses.

When this book was printed, some Web addresses may have needed to break across two lines of text. If that happened, rest assured that we haven’t put in any extra characters (such as hyphens) to indicate the break. So, when using one of these Web addresses, just type in exactly what you see in this book, pretending that the line break doesn’t exist.

And here’s one more fact that you should know before you fully dive into this book: A lot of the information about testing and all the information on Individualized Education Programs (see Chapters 6 and 8, respectively) apply only to public (federally funded) schools.

What You’re Not to Read

A lot of books about dyslexia seem to revel in technical jargon. This book doesn’t. It gives you the jargon, sparingly, and warns you in advance with the Technical Stuff icon so that you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to. Don’t let the jargon scare you though; it’s there in case you need to assert yourself or write smart requests, applications, and other formal stuff. The Technical Stuff icon also highlights info that’s interesting but not crucial to your understanding of dyslexia.

As well as bits of jargon, you’re going to see sidebars in this book (they’re in the shaded gray boxes). Sidebars offer bonus or additional information that you don’t have to read but may enjoy all the same.

Foolish Assumptions

Because you’re reading this book, I’m assuming the following about you:

You’d like to help a child, or yourself, better understand dyslexia. You may be the parent of a child or a young adult who’s having difficulty reading and may be dyslexic, or you may be a teacher looking for information so you can help dyslexic students and their parents. You may even be an adult looking for tips for yourself.

You need plain-talking, down-to-earth guidance about things like your rights and the kinds of strategies that can make your life easier.

You’d like pointers of how to get things right but not reams of jargon.

How This Book Is Organized

This book has six parts, all filled to the brim with information about dyslexia.

Part I: Figuring Out What Dyslexia Is All About

In this part, I establish exactly what dyslexia does and doesn’t mean. The “doesn’t” part is important because, as many educators point out, the term dyslexia gets so overused that its meaning can be obscured. I also talk about the causes and types of dyslexia and give you an overview of the symptoms to watch out for at any age.

Part II: Determining When to Get a Diagnosis

In this part, it’s time to look more closely at the signs of dyslexia. I examine your child’s behavior in the preschool and school years and show you when and how to get an assessment.

Part III: Exploring Your Options for Schools and Programs

Your child struggles every day in class, but would he do any better in another class or even another school? How much does private tutoring cost, and are some learning centers better for your child than others? How can you make sure that your dyslexic child has a good Individualized Education Program (IEP), and what can you do to make schoolwork easier for him if he doesn’t have an IEP? And how can you work effectively with your child’s teacher? In this part, I answer your big questions.

Part IV: Taking Part in Your Child’s Treatment

Most treatment for dyslexia involves structured multisensory and phonics-based instruction. Not sure what I’m talking about? That’s fine. This part of the book explains it all in simple, straightforward terms that you can feel completely comfortable with. I also tell you about methods of memorizing, visualizing, and rhyming to help your child read more fluently; show you how to establish a happy reading routine; and give you tips to help your child accomplish everyday tasks easily.

Part V: Moving beyond the Childhood Years

Anyone who’s been through high school in the last few decades has heard (at least a little) about stuff like portfolios, community service, and college entrance exams. In this part I tell you what dyslexics do to make these kinds of things less formidable during the college application process. I also give you the lowdown on helping your dyslexic child adjust to the teen years and show adult dyslexics how to be more successful in the real world.

Part VI: The Part of Tens

The Part of Tens is where a whole bunch of useful information gets boiled down to wonderfully easy lists. Here you get ten tools for making a dyslexic’s life easier and ten dyslexia treatments and programs.

Part VII: Appendixes

In Part VII, I leave you with a battery of tests so you can determine your child’s grasp on phonics skills, and I also include a handy reference guide to a variety of dyslexia resources.

Icons Used in This Book

The following icons highlight noteworthy information throughout the book.

This icon tells you that a piece of advice or an activity is good for adults as well as (or instead of) younger little beings.

You’ll see this icon when I offer information that’s really worth hanging onto.

Here’s your alert to interesting but nonessential information (such as jargon). Skip ahead or brace yourself!

This icon means I’m offering a golden nugget of handy advice, probably learned firsthand.

Here’s something you don’t want to do. This icon warns you of the land mines that you may encounter.

Where to Go from Here

If you’re not sure whether your child needs an assessment for dyslexia, you’ve come to the right place. Go to Chapter 3 to learn about general indicators of dyslexia, Chapter 4 for specific signs you may see during the preschool and kindergarten years, or Chapter 5 for signs of dyslexia that surface (or don’t go away) later in school. Chapter 6 has details on testing.

If your child has already been diagnosed as dyslexic and is eligible for extra help, or an Individualized Education Program, at school, go to Chapter 8. If you know that your dyslexic child doesn’t get an IEP and you want to know what options are left, skip ahead to Chapter 9. To get straight into doing your own reading activities, open up at Chapter 13.

Not in that much of a rush? Great! You’ll enjoy the traditional journey through this book, starting at Chapter 1 and working through. Take your time, and especially mull over points that apply exactly to you. This is your map for guiding your dyslexic child surely forward.

Part I

Figuring Out What Dyslexia Is All About

In this part . . .

This book contains a tremendous amount of information, so in this part I help you get off on the right foot with some basic but essential facts. First, you find out what dyslexia really means (and what it doesn’t mean). I cover its possible causes and the different forms that it takes. Then, when you’re revving, I show you how dyslexia may be indicated in your child’s behavior, no matter how old he is. Got your water and sensible footwear? Off you go!

Chapter 1

Understanding the Basics of Dyslexia

In This Chapter

Pinpointing dyslexia’s true definition

Targeting the symptoms of dyslexia

Having your child assessed

Sorting through schools and programs

Participating in activities at home

Seeing your dyslexic child grow up

Today in a bookstore, I got held up in the magazines section. The problem was that I just couldn’t decide what topic appealed to me the most: “Sixteen foods to make me stronger, happier, sexier, and smarter,” “Ten minutes to a flatter belly,” or “Eat around the clock.” Wouldn’t it be nice if this book offered you a similar approach to dyslexia, with topics such as “Sixteen surefire ways to outsmart dyslexia,” “Ten minutes to perfect reading and spelling,” and “Raising a reader without lifting a finger”?

But in real life, people like to hear the truth. So in this book I give you the plain and simple truth about dyslexia — not the shortcut answers like you might find in those magazines I saw. And it all starts in this chapter with an easy-as-pie outline of what dyslexia really is, a simple sketch of how it shapes your child’s life, and a lightning tour of the programs and treatments you can find in and out of the classroom.

Defining Dyslexia in Plain Terms

Plenty of children struggle with reading. Their parents get extra help for them, and after a few months, they catch up. Sometimes the problem disappears suddenly without any intervention at all.

Dyslexia isn’t like that. If you’re wondering whether your child has reading problems or dyslexia, and what the difference is, here’s the simple answer: A child with dyslexia has enduring and unexpected difficulty with reading and writing. She’s bright, you give her loads of extra help, but she just doesn’t get it. A blast of extra help won’t make everything right for her because she needs a different kind of help over a longer time than just a few months. She’ll probably learn to read and write at about age 10, but all through her life she’ll need to read and reread written text several times before she fully comprehends what she’s read. In addition, when she writes important stuff, she’ll need to complete several drafts.