Tutela Webinar

The Double Challenge of ESL and Dyslexia:

Important Factors for Teachers to Consider
By Azza Daba

Agenda:
-

What is Dyslexia?
Identification and warning signs
Skills required for literacy acquisition
Is Dyslexia the same across languages?
Focus on English and implications for ESL learners
Accommodations
References and resources

What is Dyslexia?
dys: difficulty
Lexia: words
Controversy
No clear cut definition
Different views around the world
Stigma
Can a diagnosis help?

The International Dyslexia Association definition:

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is
characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by
poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit
in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to
other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction.
Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and
reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background
knowledge.

Try a dyslexia reading simulation here.

Identifying Dyslexia

Prior assessment and

diagnosis

Yes!

No

Prior educational
experience

No

Phonological skills
assessment

Yes!

Look at evidence of
difficulties

Awareness of orthographic
differences between
mother tongue and English

Look out for red flags

Identifying Dyslexia

Warning Signs

Myths:

Difficulty matching sounds to letters

Letter and word reversals is a key symptom

Decoding / blending difficulties

Mainly a visual problem

Inconsistent writing errors

Lack of motivation in reading is the problem

Problems with memory

A link with certain levels of intelligence

Slow processing

Impoverished vocabulary in mother tongue

Difficulty with temporal concepts

Require frequent repetition

Organization difficulties

Avoidance tactics

Compensatory strategies

Appear to exert more effort

Literacy
Acquisition

Reading
Comprehension
Accuracy and
Fluency
Decoding and Sight Word
Reading

Oral Language
Phonological Awareness
- Sound discrimination - Rhyme - Sequencing - Blending and segmenting Letter sound correspondence

Is Dyslexia the Same Across Languages?

The orthography of a Language determines how dyslexia will manifest.
The 3 main types of orthographies are:
Alphabetic
Syllabic

Logographic

Alphabetic Orthographies:
In shallow (transparent) orthographies more graphemes (symbols) represent single
phonemes (sound). In deeper orthographies, it gets more complex with an increase in
graphemes representing more than one phoneme or vice versa and grapheme teams
representing one or more phonemes.
Examples:
One phoneme = one grapheme:
One phoneme = multiple graphemes:
One grapheme = multiple phonemes:
Grapheme team = one phoneme:
Grapheme team = multiple phonemes:

/m/ = m
/k/ = k, c, ch, que
s = /s/ and /z/
sh = /sh/
ow = /ou/ as in cow and /o/ as in show

Hanspeter Gadler, 2012

Homophones, e.g.,
their, there, theyre /
to, too, two

Numerous ways to
represent one sound,
e.g., c, k, ck, ch / e, ee,
ea, e_e, ie, ei, y, ey

Homonyms, e.g.,
bow, bow / lead, lead

Letters that team up to

make one or more new
sounds, e.g., sh, ch(x3),
th(x2), ph, ow(x2), ou,
oi, oy, aw, au, augh

Homographs, e.g.,
suspect (n), suspect
(v)
Multiple origins of
words. Burrowed
words retain aspects
of their some original
foreign spellings

Stressed vs
unstressed syllables

SYLLABICATION COMPLEXITY

Letters that have more

than one sound, e.g., g,
c, s, a, e, i, o, u

INCONSISTENT SPELLING
PATTERNS

MULTIPLE MAPPINGS FOR

GRAPHEMES AND PHONEMES

Implications for learners

Vowel sounds turn

into a schwa in
unstressed syllables
Incorrect intonation
affects
communication

Accommodations
Teaching Approach:

A structured multisensory approach

Experiential teaching
Assistance with organization
Assistance with weak memory
Provide reference materials (linguistics)
Allow assistive technology / Encourage autonomy (e.g. with finding out word
origins)
Explain errors in written work orally
Differentiated tasks or assessments and adaptation of course requirements

The Gillingham and Stillman Language Triangle, 1997

A simple demonstration of how a dyslexic brain tries to access information here.

Accommodations
Areas of Strength:

Ability to see an overall pattern

Different perspectives
Creativity and artistic talents
Lateral thinking

* Adult learner

Resources:
The Power of Dyslexia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_qGJ9svUbM
Multisensory Approaches to Foreign Language Learning, Crombie, Thomson & McColl, British
Dyslexia Association's International Conference, 2004 - handout

The Five Spelling Rules: http://library.neuhaus.org/webinars/five-spelling-rules

Phonics and Pronunciation Videos: http://www.rachelsenglish.com/
Assistive Technology Apps: http://ncld.org/students-disabilities/assistive-technologyeducation/apps-students-ld-dysgraphia-writingdifficulties?utm_source=ldorg&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=social
OG Cards App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/og-card-deck/id709418432?mt=8
The Great Vowel Shift: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyhZ8NQOZeo

The History of the English Language in 10 Minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njJBw2KlIEo
Spelling Technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CpZAH6elIc
Etymologies and Word Origins: http://www.etymonline.com/

References:
Academy of Orton Gillingham Practitioners and Educators, http://www.ortonacademy.org/
Gillingham A, Stillman, B. The Gillingham Manual: Remedial Training for Students with
Specific Disability in Reading, Spelling, and Penmanship, 1997 Educators Publishing Service,
Inc. 8th Edition
International Dyslexia Association, www.interdys.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_orthography#Phonic_irregularities
http://sidtu.org/tiki-index.php?page=Dyslexia+at+work+in+a+multilingual+environment
Moats L, Dakin K. Basic Facts about Dyslexia and Other Reading Problems, The International
Dyslexia Association
Special Education Resources on the Internet (SERI): www.seriweb.com
Ziegler JC1, Perry C, Ma-Wyatt A, Ladner D, Schulte Korne G. Developmental Dyslexia in
Different Languages: Language-Specific or Universal? J Exp Child Pschol. 2003 Nov,
86(3):169-93