This presentation was shared at the Early Learning Conference in Tan Tar A on November 12, 2015/

1. Dyslexia: More than Reversals
Dr. Jennifer Williams
Dyslexia Specialist
jwilliamsconsulting@yahoo.com

2. My Background
• 13 years in K-2 general education
classrooms
• 2 years in dyslexic classroom *grades 3-4
• Currently work with small groups and
teachers

3. What is Dyslexia?
by Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley

4. What causes dyslexia?
• Genetic component- same gene variants have been found
in multiple countries
• Up to 20% of the population- on a continuum
• Disruption in the communication pathways of the brain

5. Common Early Characteristics
• Speech delays/ problems
• Unable to recite nursery rhymes
• Difficulty hearing and producing rhymes
• Difficulty learning letter names and sounds
• Difficulty repeating complex phonetic words
(spaghetti, physicist, etc.)
• Difficulty segmenting and blending sounds
• Poor phonological memory (trouble
remembering more than 2 or 3 units in sequence
at a time)

6. Common Elementary School-Age Characteristics
All of the ones before PLUS…
• Difficulty decoding words
• Trouble telling left from right (can cause reversals)
• Difficulty with sequencing- understanding terms like
before and after
• Difficulty reading and spelling sight words
• Spelling problems (extra letters, missing sounds)
• Difficulty remembering complex phonograms (ou, ai,
ch, th, ay, etc.)
• Poor fluency - slow, choppy reading
• Struggle memorizing facts
• Difficulty organizing thoughts into written form

9. Facts• Affects boys and girls equally
• Can co-occur with other issues such as ADHD,
Sensory Integration Disorder, Autism, Giftedness,
Auditory Processing Disorder, and Visual
Perception difficulties
• Dyslexia can be officially diagnosed as early as 5½
years old
• Dyslexia is a clinical diagnosis- NOT medical. It is
diagnosed by trained psychologists and speech
pathologists.
• Early intervention can rewire the brain and CLOSE
the reading gap

10. Waiting is the WORST thing you
can do for a dyslexic child

11. How do dyslexic children learn?
• Multisensory
– VAKT
• Stories
• Visuals
• Repetition
Strong emphasis
on phonological
awareness,
phonics, and
spelling rules

12. Building a solid foundation
Students need to understand the segmental
nature of language.
Story Sentence Word Syllables
Onset/Rime
Individual Phonemes
VC - CVC - CVCC - CCVC - CCVCC

13. Onset and Rime
(This is where children learn to hear and produce rhyme)
Use motor activities to activate
alternate pathways in the brain
/h/ /and/
hand

14. Segmenting Onset and Rime
What do I have if I take off the /b/ from
ball?
/b/ /all/ = all
Use this to help students learn how to produce rhyme.

15. Phoneme Blending
• Start with 2 sounds, then move to more
• Use “continuants” first (vowels, f, h, l, m, n, r, s, v, z)
• You say the segmented sounds of the word, student
finds the picture match
/n/ /ē/ /r/ /ă/ /t/ /f/ /l/ /ă/ /g/

16. Phoneme segmentation
“Take it down your arm” – allows for a
kinesthetic connection AND crosses midline
/r/
/ă/
/t/
/n/
/ĕ/
/s/
/t/

17. Learning Letters
Multi-sensory Structured Approach:
• Identify the letter by the text features and shape
– clay (analyze vs. memorize)
• Feel the sound of the letter in the mouth
• Attach letter name to a picture
• Use manipulatives (letter cards, magnetic letters)
• Write the letter – first, do large movements from
the shoulder
• Say it as you write it

18. Reversals
c
b

19. Blending Slide
ar
t
m
p
s

20. a
rt
m
p
s

21. ar
t
m
p
s

22. ra
t
m
p
s

23. ra
t
m
p
s

24. ra
t
m
p
s

25. ra
tm
p
s

26. ra
pm
t
s

27. ma
pr
t
s

28. Working for fluency and automaticity
IN MATH and READING
What quantity does 5 represent?
What quantity does 63 represent?
Math fact fluency- timed drills
What sound does “s” represent?
What sound does “ai” or “ay”
represent?
Phonogram fluency

29. Learning short vowel sounds
a e

30. Naughty vowels
VC CV
up, sat, helmet she, no, table
VCV
like, tiger, riding
Hoping - hopping

31. What skills must you
know to spell this word?
AIM
Why can’t it be AYM or AM?
What if your mind couldn’t hold the
picture of a word? How would you
know how to spell it?

32. Word Sorts

33. Multisensory/ Memory techniques

35. How do dyslexic children learn?
• Multisensory
– VAKT
• Stories
• Visuals
• Repetition
Strong emphasis
on phonological
awareness,
phonics, and
spelling rules
Key Points to Remember…