Demystifying dyslexia.

Demystifying dyslexia. THE WORD DYSLEXIA dyslexia(dĭslĕk`sēə), in psychology, a developmental disability in reading or spelling, generally becoming evident in early schooling. To a dyslexic, letters and words may appear reversed, e.g. IS rooted in the Greek language Greek language,member of the Indo-European family of languages (see Indo-European). It is the language of one of the major civilizations of the world and of one of the greatest literatures of all time. and means"difficulty with words." Although dyslexia is known as aproblem related to reading, it can also interfere with a student'sability to write, spell and pronounce words correctly. It does notsignal a lack of intelligence, talent or effort (famous dyslexicsinclude Thomas Edison, Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the forty-first Vice President of the United States, governor of New York State, philanthropist, and businessman. and Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler (b. October 30, 1945) is a Golden Globe Award-winning American actor, director, producer and author. He is perhaps most famous for his role as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the popular sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984). ). However,it is defined as a specific learning disability by the NationalInstitute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD NICHDNational Institute of Child Health and Human Development. ). According to NICHD, dyslexia "is neurobiological neu��ro��bi��ol��o��gy?n.The biological study of the nervous system or any part of it.neuro��bi in origin. Itis characterized by difficulties with accurate and/ or fluent wordrecognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. Thesedifficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological pho��nol��o��gy?n. pl. pho��nol��o��gies1. The study of speech sounds in language or a language with reference to their distribution and patterning and to tacit rules governing pronunciation.2. component of language that is often unexpected in relation to othercognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroominstruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in readingcomprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth ofvocabulary and background knowledge." Early Intervention ear��ly interventionn. Abbr. EIA process of assessment and therapy provided to children, especially those younger than age 6, to facilitate normal cognitive and emotional development and to prevent developmental disability or delay. The International Dyslexia Association The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a non-profit education and advocacy organization dedicated to issues surrounding dyslexia.The International Dyslexia Association serves individuals with dyslexia, their families, and professionals in the field. estimates that 15 to 20percent of the population displays some dyslexia symptoms. Althoughdyslexia cannot be "cured," academic outcomes for dyslexic dys��lex��icor dys��lec��ticadj.Of or relating to dyslexia.n.A person affected by dyslexia. students can be greatly improved through early diagnosis and appropriateinstruction. The only way to confirm a suspected diagnosis of dyslexiais through formal testing of reading, language and writing skills. It is important to note that characteristics associated withdyslexia may also be present in children with other readingdifficulties. Such difficulties can diminish over time, so educators whosuspect dyslexia sometimes adopt a "wait and see" attitude.Not all children with dyslexia manifest the same kind or degree ofdifficulties, and a child's symptoms can fluctuate daily. Sometimesthe symptoms are not severe enough to qualify for special educationservices. However, delay or denial of intervention can have negativelong-term consequences on reading ability and academic performance. Remediation In recent years, brain scans have shown that dramatic differencescan be found between the brain activity of dyslexic and nondyslexicchildren who are reading. In 2003, Elise Temple and colleagues usedbrain scans and standardized reading tests to demonstrate that intensiveremediation can "rewire re��wire?v. re��wired, re��wir��ing, re��wiresv.tr.To provide with new wiring: rewired the old house.v.intr.To install new wiring. " the brains of dyslexic children. Inthe study, 20 dyslexic children and 12 nondyslexic children spent 100minutes a day, five days a week, for eight weeks, using a computerprogram that led them through rhyming games. For example, the gameshowed two pictures (a hat and a bat) as a computer voice asked thechild to point to the bat. Such exercises required the child to listencarefully for the slight difference in the beginning consonant sound. Asthe player improved, the voice sped up. Subsequent brain scans showedthat activity in the dyslexic children's brains looked more likethat found in good readers--and reading tests confirmed improvements inreading. A 2006 study involving 18 dyslexic children and 21 nondyslexicchildren in grades 4-6 illustrates the importance of developmentallyappropriate remediation in helping dyslexic children become betterspellers. The children were randomly assigned to one of two groups,receiving instruction over three weeks. One group received instructionthat emphasized letters in written words; the other group receiveddevelopmentally advanced instruction that focused on meaning andgrammar. Before-and-after brain scans and standardized test resultsshowed superior results for instruction that matched developmentallevel--in this instance, an emphasis on letters in written word forms(Richards et al., 2006). Researchers realize the results do not mean the dyslexia has been"fixed" or that other interventions are no longer needed.However, such studies underscore the potential effectiveness ofappropriate interventions. The International Dyslexia Associationrecommends that children with dyslexia receive systematic, explicitinstruction in reading, spelling and writing, combined with structuredpractice, immediate feedback and allowing extra time to complete tasks. Learn more International Dyslexia Association www.interdys.org National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities NICHCY, the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities operates as the nation's centralized information resource on disabilities and special education for children and youth ages birth through 21 years. www.nichcy.org Learning Disabilities Online www.ldonline.org Carla Thomas McClure is a staff writer at Edvantia, a nonprofiteducation research and development organization (www.edvantia. org). Forreferences used in this article, go to www.districtadministration.com.