Thursday, February 23, 2012

Tickets: $50 per person. Purchase

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About the Kansas Author Dinner | Featured Authors | Beneficiaries 
The Kansas Author Dinner is the signature fundraiser of the Wichita Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma. This annual event is a fun evening of dinner and program with notable Kansas authors. This event is open to the general public and money raised helps benefit local literacy programs.

Featured Authors

Thomas Fox Averill | website

From the website:
Thomas Fox Averill is Writer-in-residence and Professor of English at Washburn University of Topeka, where he teaches courses in Creative Writing and in Kansas Literature, Folklore and Film. His novels include Secrets of the Tsil Café, The Slow Air of Ewan MacPherson and most recently Rode.

In addition to editing several books, he has written numerous collections of short stories, poems and articles. Averill is the 2006 recipient of the Kansas Arts Commission Fellowship in Fiction, a frequent speaker on Kansas Culture, and a long-time commentator of Here, Kansas, for Kansas Public Radio.

He helped to found and was the first director of the Washburn Center for Kansas Studies, and his most recent Center project is a Map of Kansas Literature. Averill created the Thomas Fox Averill Kansas Studies Collection at Mabee Library which in addition to Averill’s own materials pertint to his career as a writer, consists of novels, plays, collections of poetry and fiction, histories, biographies, memoirs, letters, scholarly articles, collected folklore, manuscripts and ephemera gathered over 40+ years of an abiding interest in all things Kansas.

With the help of others, Averill has also created the Thomas Fox Averill Kansas Studies Collection Support Fund through the Washburn Endowment Association to preserve, enhance, increase and publicize the Collection.

Dian Curtis Regan | website

From the website:
Dian Curtis Regan is the author of more than 50 books for young readers, including Barnyard Slam, The World According to Kaley, Monster of the Month Club, the Ghost Twins series, and the bestselling Princess Nevermore and its sequel, Cam’s Quest.

Her books range from board book for toddlers to picture books, beginning readers, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, and anthology short stories.

Newest titles include: The Storm Blew Inn, with illustrations by Doug Cushman.  School Library Journal called it, “a welcome addition to most collections-–especially where seasonal books are in high demand.”

Also, Rocky Cave Kids: The Dragon Stone, about which Kirkus Review says, “In this early chapter book with unexpected depth, Miggy experiences an ethical dilemma when she wonders if it is right to keep the stone’s power to herself.”

Clare Vanderpool | website

From the website:
If you ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you that I have a very strong connection to place.  I live in Wichita, Kansas, about four blocks from where I grew up, in an old neighborhood called College Hill.  From my house I can walk to my parents’ house, my sister’s house, the school I went to and where my kids go now, the pool, the sledding hill, and two bookstores!

I grew up reading many wonderful books in a lot of strange places.  Books like Harold and the Purple Crayon, Anne of Green Gables, and Island of the Blue Dolphins in places like dressing rooms, the bathroom, and church.  (Like you never read a book in church.)

While I do have a college degree in English and Elementary Education, my best education has come from reading, listening to family stories, looking out the car window on road trips, pretending to be pirates with my brother, and just plain imagining.

Besides writing I like to go to the pool with my kids, browse at the bookstore, have a neighbor over for tea, watch re-runs of Monk, have a lot of kids playing at our house, and go out for dinner with my husband.  Life is good.

For questions regarding the Kansas Author Dinner contact the Wichita Alumnae Association.

Proceeds benefit

Clark Elementary School

 Happy 2012 to all of you!!!

Upcoming dates to remember:

January:

6          9:00         Intro Workshop 2

13        9:00         Advanced Workshop 1

17        6:30         Starfish Make-it/Take-it

19,20   9:00         Reading Readiness

19         5:30        Dyslexia 101

20         8:30        MRS Day 1

21                        ALTA Review

24         6:30        Simulation

27         8:30        MRS Day 2

February

3           9:00         Early Childhood Literacy

3           8:30         MRS Day 3

4                           Semple Math Day 1

9, 10     9:00          Reading Readiness

10         8:30          MRS Day 4

11                          Semple Math Day 2

13, 14   9:00          Scientific Spelling

16         9:00          Advanced Grammar

16         5:30          Dyslexia 101

17         8:30          MRS Day 5

17         9:00          Phonological Awareness

21         6:30          Starfish Make-it/Take-it

21         6:30          ADHD – Dr. Issinghoff

23         9:00          Advanced Workshop 2

27         8:30          Introductory AP class

March

1-9        8:30          Introductory AP class

2           9:00          Multisensory Grammar

9           9:00          Early Childhood Literacy

13         6:30          Starfish Make-it/Take-it

15         5:30          Dyslexia 101

16         9:00          Intro Workshop 1

27         6:30          The Myths, the Facts, the Science

30         9:00          Intro Workshop 2

Be sure to mark your calendars!

Also coming in 2012: (Note the dates…some have recently changed!)

Introductory AP

February 27-March 9

June 4-15

July 9-20

November 5-16

Advanced AP

April 9-20

June 4-15

July 9-20

October 1-12

Advanced Extension

June 18-22

Need a calendar style version of these dates?

Click here.

As always, call or email any time you have questions or want to enroll for an event.

Congratulations!

The following have recently completed their Intro practicum:      

Margie Gregg

Colleen Jones

Lisa Neeland

It is such fun to get to see the growth your students make over the course of these observations!

WOW!

Ed and Kimberly Hope received a Good Apple Award for their work at Buckner Elementary School. The Good Apple Award program allows schools and administrative support centers to recognize employees, volunteers and school partners who provide exemplary service to the district and its students.

From 100+ Ideas for Supporting Children with Dyslexia

by Gavin Reid and Shannon Green

Idea 6            Keeping Time

Often pupils with Dyslexia will receive extra time in examinations. It is important to help them practice using this effectively and efficiently.

Allow the dyslexic pupil extra time from an early age to complete work, before he starts undertaking examinations. It is important, however, to ensure that the learner does not fall behind the work of the class because of the extra time being allocated to him.

Get the pupil to practice using extra time to:

• plan the answer
• check the content of the answer
• check spelling and grammar.

It is best to tackle each of these aspects individually at first. This will give the pupil practice at using extra time for that particular skill, such as planning, writing or checking.

The checking part is important as dyslexic pupils will need to read for both meaning and for punctuation, spelling and grammar. They will need time to ask themselves what the question is asking and whether they have answered the question fully and to the best of their ability. This means they will have to read over their work at least twice and time needs to be allocated for this. It is also a good idea to allow a break for the student to get up, stretch and have a drink of water midway through the exam. It will help with their focus and concentration.

Time will also need to be devoted to discussion after the exam so the student can reassess how they are using the additional time. Using extra time efficiently can take a lot of practice and evaluation with an emphasis on planning and using strategies to check and recheck their work. If the planning of the answer is carried out appropriately then they will have already made good use of the extra time.

Check it out…

www.freereading.net has one-page readers that are fairly well controlled. You can choose from fiction and nonfiction passages; you can print b/w or color, and with or without illustrations. I encourage you to explore this site beyond just the reading passages; there are many ideas for teaching a variety of concepts along with various graphic organizers. Have fun!

Have you seen the trailer? Rumor has it this will be release in Oct. 2012.

Difficulty with letters, sounds, and learning to read afflicts more than 68% of Kansas children.

Drowning, these children agonize because they can’t read, they can’t comprehend, and they can’t learn.

With a few New Year’s Resolutions in place, you can make this year the year your child STOPS struggling in school.

1.  Trust what you know. 

You are the parent and no one should know your child better than you. A teacher is only with them for just a few months. If you feel like your child is struggling, they probably are. Trust what you know about your child.

2.  Listen to the clues. 

Is your child frustrated about school? Are they acting out? Are they constantly in the nurse’s office with stomachaches or headaches? Do they avoid school or any school related tasks (like reading aloud) at all costs?

All of these are coping skills. Reading is difficult and kids know when they aren’t catching on as quickly as their peers. Listen to what your child is telling you…Listen to the clues.

3.  Believe that your children can learn to read. 

4.  Call 316-684-7323 for help! 

We hear from parents everyday who are experiencing the same difficulties and frustrations that you are. Fundamental Learning Center specializes in helping struggling readers, their parents, and their teachers. You are not alone, but you have to call to get help.

5.  Get a game plan. 

Call the Center to get an assessment for your child. When you leave, you will have a plan of how to help your struggling student. It may be to take a class, an informational evening session, or to find a Literacy Intervention Specialist to work with your child. The plan will be designed with your child in mind.

This isn’t your typical list of New Year’s Resolutions, but as the parent of a child with learning disabilities, these are just a few things you might want to consider. With proper instruction and enough time, students with dyslexia can read, but you have to have a game plan…it won’t happen on it’s own. Investigate instructional methods, when to use assistive technologies, but most importantly….DON’T GIVE UP and call. (316.684.7323) You are not alone. There is hope!

Yay you!!!

Congratulations to

Karen Schenk

who passed the ALTA exam this fall.

Best wishes as you continue to impact the literacy lives of children!

The following have recently completed their Intro practicum:

              Rebecka Phi 

We enjoy the opportunity to see you work with your students. Each one of you brings something special and unique to lessons!

Upcoming Dates:

January: 

6~Intro Workshop 2 (9 a.m.)

13~Adv. Workshop 1 (9 a.m.)

17~Make-it/Take-it (6:30 p.m.)

19&20~Reading Readiness (9 a.m.)

19~Dyslexia 101 (5:30 p.m.)

20~MRS Day 1 (8:30 a.m.)

21~ALTA Review

24~Simulation (6:30 p.m.)

27~MRS Day 2 (8:30 a.m.)

February: 

3~Preschool Language & Literacy: In the Kitchen/On the Farm (9 am)

3~MRS Day 3 (8:30 a.m.)

4~Semple Math Day 1

9&10~Reading Readiness (9 a.m.)

10~MRS Day 4 (8:30 a.m.)

11~Semple Math Day 2

13&14~Scientific Spelling (9 a.m.)

16~Advanced Grammar (9 a.m.)

16~Dyslexia 101 (5:30 p.m.)

17~MRS Day 5 (8:30 a.m.)

17~Phono. Awareness (9 a.m.)

21~Make-it/Take-it (6:30 p.m.)

21~ADHD – Dr. Issinghoff (6:30 p.m.)

23~Advanced Workshop 2 (9 a.m.)

27~Introductory AP class  (8:30 a.m.)

Also coming in 2012:

Introductory AP

February 27-March 9

July 9-20

November 5-16

Advanced AP 

April 9-20

June 4-15

October 1-12

Advanced Extension  

June 18-22

As always, call or email any time you have questions or want to enroll for an event.

Colour-coded Timetable

Colour-coded timetables are particularly relevant for dyslexic pupils when they reach secondary school. Try to use a different colour for different subjects. It is important that teachers recognize that dyslexic pupils may have a poor sense of direction and can arrive late for classes. They may even turn up for the wrong class at the wrong time. This can be particularly evident when they have recently transferred to a large secondary school – in fact it can take them years to find their way around the school without getting lost. They should have several copies of the colour-coded timetable, and the form (home room) teacher should have one readily available too. Timetables can get lost easily so discuss with the pupil some possible places to keep it, for example, taped to the inside of his backpack or bag or put in a page protector at the beginning of his binder. It may also be beneficial – for all pupils, not just the dyslexic ones – to display a large colour-coded timetable in the classroom.

It is an idea to get the pupil to put some key direction indicators on the back of the timetable. This might include, for example, history class – first floor, above main door beside the two pillars. Try to get the pupil to come up with these direction indicators himself as this will be more meaningful and will help him to retain the information.

From 100+ Ideas for Supporting Children with Dyslexia by Gavin Reid and Shannon Green

A HUGE thank you for the Intro class we had! I truly enjoyed it and everyone was great! So understanding and encouraging everyday! I learned so much in those two weeks and I really appreciate the hard work each and everyone of you do! 

It does not go unnoticed! When my Maddy was diagnosed with dyslexia a year ago — it changed our lives. Now with the training I received at FLC, I hope to change hers! 

From the bottom of our hearts — THANK YOU!! 

Many blessings to you all –

~Jennifer

Upcoming dates to remember: These dates are not only for your information, but please be sure to share with the parents of the students that you work with. You are our link to them!

November

7-18          8:30            Literacy Intervention Specialist – Intro.

12              8:30              ALTA exam

15              6:30              Make-it/Take-it

15              6:30             ADHD Lecture

17              5:30             Dyslexia 101

December

2              9:00              Intro Workshop 1

2             9:00              Phonological Awareness

6              TBA               Annual Christmas Party and Feelie Exchange

9               9:00              Advanced Grammar

January 2012

6           9:00              Intro Workshop #2

13         9:00              Advanced Workshop #1

17         6:30              Make it/Take it

19-20  9:00              Reading Readiness

19       5:30              Dyslexia 101

20       8:30               MRS Day 1

21       8:30                ALTA Review

24      6:30               Simulation

27       8:30                MRS Day 2

Also coming in 2012:

Literacy Intervention Specialist -Intro

February 27 – March 9

July 9 – 20

November 5 – 16

Literacy Intervention Specialist – Advanced

April 9  - 20

June 4 – 15

October 1 – 12

Literacy Intervention Specialist – Advanced Extension

June 18 – 22

As always, call or email any time you have questions or what to enroll for an event. 

Yea you!!!

The following have recently completed their Intro practicum:

              Katie O’Donnell

              Kathy Dunlavy

              Gerri France

              Mandy Graham

              Pat Stryker

              Jan Van Fleet

Keep up the good work!

Book review  

Lauver, Nelson, Most UNLikely to Succeed, The Trails, Travels, and Ultimate Triumphs of a “Throwaway” Kid, Five City Media, 2011

“Illiteracy is a monster with its hands around the throat of America. It adversely affects individuals, families, communities, and the country as a whole.” After an exciting, successful first grade year in school, Lauver quickly realizes he is different, that something is wrong. While other children were reading well, he struggled to get through even one sentence. When his third grade teacher humiliated him in front of the class, Lauver made a deliberate decision to be the “bad boy” rather than the “dumb boy,” a strategy he used throughout his school years. In addition to relating his school experiences, Lauver tells stories of his family and his community, engaging the reader from cover to cover. His story is raw, sickening, and hopeful; ultimately, it is a story of success.

Copying from the board…

Try to avoid having dyslexic pupils copy information form the board. It will take them a long time and they may have to stay behind to finish. This will make them feel different from others and as if they are failing in some way. It is also very likely that they will copy the information inaccurately. If it is essential to copy from the board it is best to use different colours of chalk or pen for each line. It is also an idea to pair a dyslexic pupil with a partner.

Try to provide the class with a choice – copy from the board or make notes from printed handouts. It is especially important that homework exercises are provided and given to dyslexic pupils in printed form.

Instead of writing on the board, type out the same notes and information and give these to the dyslexic pupil. Ask him to underline or highlight in colour the key points in these notes – remember to check that he has indicated the most appropriate key points. If he has difficulty in identifying these, give him two or three of them – perhaps at the beginning, middle and end of the notes – and ask him to fill in the rest. This exercise can be differentiated more by asking the pupil to identify a key point for each paragraph or for each sentence. If he does not have to copy notes from the board, more time will be available for this type of activity.

Alternatives to copying form the board

• Provide notes
• Have another student copy their notes
• Highlight notes in colour
• Make own notes from key points
• Groups make up their own notes

IDEA 1 from 100+ Ideas for Supporting Children with Dyslexia, Gavin Reid and Shannon Green

Check it out…

www.dogonews.com is a great website for interesting current events written for youngsters. The stories frequently have short videos, too.

Do you have a book, a source for information or resources, a website, a great find to share? Let us know so we can pass the word on!

Important Reminder:

You are a Literacy Intervention Specialist until you complete training, test, certify and pay dues to be a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT)

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the conference this weekend! This is to remind you of the Make-it/Take-it scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, October 18, 6:30 p.m., here at FLC. We have an About Me game and a Build-a-Robot game to use with PA (or wherever you need it). Please let us know if you plan to attend so we can have enough materials ready. Thank you!

Congratulations are in order…

To Sandra Marr who was recently recognized by IDA as a teacher of the year. A toast to you, Sandra!

Upcoming dates to remember:

October

18               6:30              Make-it/Take-it

20              5:30              Dyslexia 101

22               8:30              ALTA Review

24 & 25      9:00              Scientific Spelling

25              6:30                Teen Panel

November

4               9:00              Make-up Intro # 1 & #2 Workshops

7-18          8:30             Introductory AP

7 & 8        9:00              Reading Readiness

12              8:30              ALTA exam

15              6:30              Make-it/Take-it

15              6:30             ADHD Lecture

17              5:30             Dyslexia 101

December

2              9:00              Intro Workshop 1

2             9:00              Phonological Awareness

9               9:00              Advanced Grammar

6              TBA               Annual Christmas Party and Feelie Exchange

To those who have recently completed their Intro practicum:

Debbie M. Anderson

Lisa Cordel

Mary Dillon

Robine Lunkwitz

Jessica Mallard

Cindy McKnight

Melody Nisley

Diana Rankin

Karen Znamenak

We are continually amazed at all the wonderful work you are doing! It is fun to see you and your students learn together.

Important Reminder:

You are a Literacy Intervention Specialist until you complete training, test, certify and pay dues to be a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT)

Back to school time means that you have purchased all the school supplies, gotten the physical, scheduled the appointments at the dentist and the orthodontist, you have made sure that the prescription is current on the eyeglasses…and that you can FIND the eyeglasses. But there is one more thing to do….don’t forget the child.

As you and your child head back to school this year, don’t forget to check over your child’s IEP or 504 plan. Each school is a little different, so be sure to check with your school to know the procedure. However, every year brings a new and different adventure for you and your child, and with that, a new a different list of things that will help your learning different child. So…

1.  Get a second opinion.  Consider having an independent assessment like the one offered at Fundamental Learning Center.  Our assessment is for children and teens ages 5 – 18yrs.  We look for the literacy “red flags”  in the areas of reading, writing, and spelling. We then visit with the parent(s) following the assessment and work together to determine a plan to help the child to learn. After all, if you can’t read, write, or spell, how can a child do well in any subject in school? Or feel good about themselves in life? Having an assessment, not done by the school, can be very insightful. Consider it a second set of educational eyes looking at your child.

2.  Go over and review with your child what has worked for them in the past. In classrooms where they have been successful, what made it successful? Most times, the child won’t be able to tell you if you just ask them, “So Johnny, what works for you?” Instead, ask them, “Do you like this? Or would you prefer this?” The child is their own best expert, and we as the adults just need to help them to discover what is their “best” selves.

3.  Contact the school early in the school year to set up a meeting. It will make for a much smoother school year if you contact the school and set up this meeting early on. It not only let’s the teacher know what’s going on with your child, but it also allows you as the parent to know what to expect early on from the classroom teacher so you can help your child. Look at it as the “parent-teacher conference before the parent-teacher conference” that everyone else will be having.

4.  Have a plan of what you would like the school to do to help your child and keep your calm. In order to reach a goal…first you have to set one. And this is your time as the parent to set that goal. Being able to express that goal clearly is also important.  They can be very emotional for parents. However, parents are a member of the team that meets to discuss the child. So, as my mama used to say, “You will always catch more flies with honey than you will with vinegar.” Keeping your calm will only help your child.

5. Make the plan to keep in contact with your child’s teachers. After you have had your meeting with the teachers, don’t lose touch~you aren’t done yet! Instead, you want to look at this as something that needs to be managed. Set an alarm on your phone, or write it on your calendar when you will be in contact with them next. It might be nothing more than an email that states, “everything’s o.k. on our end, is it on yours?” or “Let me know if we need to visit.” Just because you haven’t heard from the school…or the school hasn’t heard from you does NOT mean that it’s good news. Just means they haven’t called.

1. Dyslexia is a language processing issue…not a reading issue. In the first days of school, SOOOOO much language has to be processed. Where to sit, how to put your name on the paper, where to turn in the paper, how to go through the lunch line, etc. That’s a lot of language coming at a child, and a lot of information that needs to be processed. They haven’t even opened a book and they are already processing. Make sure they have time to process everything.

2.  Sleep, eat, and drink lots of water. The issues that dyslexic children struggle from are only made worse when they are tired, hungry, or dehydrated. Schedules are difficult to stick to, but in the end…it’s what’s best for the child. If they are not morning people, buy breakfast bars or something they can eat in the car or on a bus. For the first three years my youngest was in school, we kept a box of graham crackers and a box of granola bars in the car. They worked for going to school breakfasts and on the way home for those who just couldn’t wait to walk in the door and eat. (I also have a case of bottled water there.)

3. It’s o.k. to take a brain break. We as adults get to get up from our desks and go use the restroom when we want. We can go get a drink from the proverbial water cooler. Our students can’t. For “management” purposes, students need to be able to move effectively as a mass from one place to another. They need to be able to do it in an orderly fashion or there would be chaos all day. However, when students walk in the door right after school, they might need a bit of down time before they begin the pile of homework, and that’s o.k. I know…don’t say it, “but then we won’t get done until much later in the evening”. Maybe…just maybe…you will get farther with the child after they have had a break and are ready to refocus. Try it.

4.  Find a place at home for your child to study…and then equip it.  The kitchen table might be convenient for the mom to help with homework, but I know at my house…it’s one of the busiest places in the whole house. It’s not exactly the best place to promote good study skills. Now is the time of year that school supplies are on sale. Buy them for home too. If these are the same students who forget homework assignments, math books, papers, etc., then they are the same ones who won’t have a pencil, a calculator, markers, etc. for the project they need to have.

5.  Pick your battles. As for homework, does it really matter if they are sitting correctly at the table or in the desk? These little (and many times not so little) beings are flexible and made for movement. If they are laying on the floor, laying on a bed, sitting with their legs twisted or standing while working at the table…THAT’S O.K.! Just because you work best sitting with “both bunnies” on the chair, doesn’t mean everyone else does. Only time proper chair conduct is required is when the child is working on handwriting/penmanship. However, that does not mean that they get to sit unsafely. But sometimes…the chair is just in their way.

6.  Be your child’s advocate. Language learning different children often find it difficult to find the right words to say. When they talk to you, they can talk freely about what’s wrong at school. On the other hand, because of the structural hierarchy that exists in schools, some children don’t feel they could talk to teachers without the possible threat of consequences. However, your child still needs a voice. Now…that doesn’t mean get mean and nasty with a school. As my momma always said, “you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” (But I don’t know why you would WANT to catch flies.) So say what you have to say, just say it nice.

7. Be creative. When there is a problem that comes up at school, recognize that the school might have a need as to why something is they way it is. However, just because they choose to solve it one way doesn’t mean that’s the only way to solve it. For example, my youngest CANNOT get the information into her agenda everyday by the end of the day when it’s time to come home. Therefore, she wasn’t always getting all the assignments completed on time. She still needed to get the assignments completed. That’s part of school. However, we solved our problem with sticky notes. She keeps sticky notes with her all the time. Teacher gives an assignment, she ONLY has to write “1-18 e” on a sticky note and then sticks it on the page she has to do. That tells her she has to do problems 1-18 even on that page. Half the battle was over.

8.  Find a buddy. The first year that I worked with a high-school dyslexic child…I gave him a homework assignment. This is actually a big deal, because I NEVER give homework. The assignment was to sit in class and to find a friend in every single class. Someone that he would/could call, text, email, (something). My goal was for him to have a back-up plan. The back-up plan was to find someone he could contact incase he forgot an assignment, or when the test was, or a study guide, etc.

9. Consult the expert. The child is the best expert on what they need. If you are wondering why something isn’t working or if a different plan will or won’t work…ask the person who has to live with it! Seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes the adults make a lot of decisions and the child is the one who has to live with the consequences. Then we wonder why they aren’t doing what we decided for them. Even Kindergarten students know if they want to do A or B. So ask them.

10. Sometimes, it is a gift. Don’t forget…no matter how much we want to go out and protect our loved ones that we just sent out into the big bad universe, some days are just yucky. The wrong words come out at the wrong time. We didn’t have an assignment when we needed it. We studied one thing and something completely different was on the test. Unfortunately, it happens to all of us. And when someone we love is hurting, it makes us sad too. So have a plan. At our house, we share. Every night at the dinner table. (And right now…I have four fall sports and two kids with jobs and a husband who works lots of evening….I understand what I’m saying!!!!) The kids have to tell me best part/worst part of their day. (My rule is: you can’t tell me girlfriends/boyfriends, lunch, p.e., or recess. Unless you can tell me WHY it was a good thing.) You will be surprised, sometimes, their dyslexic moments that happen to them, are the best parts of their day, not their worst.

Study finds that for people with dyslexia, it’s much harder to identify who is speaking.

Taken from an article by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office (July 29, 2011)

Distinguishing between other people’s voices may seem like a trivial task. However, if those people are speaking a language you don’t understand, it becomes much harder. People with dyslexia had a much harder time recognizing voices than non-dyslexics.

After Tyler Perrachione, an MIT graduate student, arrived at MIT, he and John Gabrieli, MIT’s Grover Hermann Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and Cognitive Neuroscience, decided to try to link this research with evidence showing that phonological processing is impaired in people with dyslexia. They tested subjects in identifying people speaking their native language (English), and then Chinese.

Dyslexic individuals performed at 50 percent for both English and Chinese speakers. “It really seems like a very clear effect on voice recognition in people with dyslexia.”

“There was a big shift in the 1980s from understanding dyslexia as a visual problem to understanding it as a language problem,” Gabrieli says.

Recognizing other members of one’s species by their voices is critical for humans and other social animals. Voice-recognition programs with access to dictionary meanings of words might do a better job of understanding different speakers than systems that only identify sounds, Perrachione says.

This was the response from a preschool teacher after attending our Preschool Language & Literacy: In the Kitchen and Fun on the Farm workshop.

“I started teaching at Shirley Mayes in march of last year. As “in the Kitchen” has already been in progress, I was impressed by the children’s knowledge of “short” and “long” words. As I began to teach the curriculum myself, I was continually impressed by relative ignorance about the curriculum. After attending this training, I am so excited to begin to begin the new school year. After seeing the research behind this curriculum, I totally believe in it. I loved that Jeanine went into enough detail to explain why things are set up the way they are. I feel very prepared to help my preschoolers learn solid pre-reading and pre-literacy skills.

I also appreciated all the research presented that lead up to the idea that THIS program — because it teaches and promotes language and literacy — could be the key to our impoverished children becoming successful. And if they are successful, we are on our way to winning the war on poverty.”

~Suzy Matousek

Is it true...?

Reading comprehension:if you understand every word in a paragraph or in a passage, then you can understand the passage. Is that true?

Richard Lavoie demonstrates a theory on reading comprehension that many teachers believe and how it relates to a learning different child. Click here to see the video.

Just wanted to pass on a little information about my 9 year old son. This year, in third grade, he started state assessment testing. Which he has been so nervous about. I got a call from his principal about his scores. I was in total shock he scored 100% on his reading.  We are not allowed to tell him yet, but it is such exciting news. The funny thing about all of this he has said from the beginning that he was going to score 100%. It is very rare to score that high so I did not burst his bubble but told him not to be disappointed if he did not receive that high. Well the little stink proved me and everyone else wrong. Could not be happier about the program and the work you ladies do. Z. and I thank you for the great tools you have given to help children with reading difficulties. Hope all is well!

One proud mother,

S.D.

Call 316.684.7323

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Please forgive the absence of politeness and thanks you’s – the urgency of this communication takes precedence over that.  I am awake, working, and ready for the day.  My husband is quietly, peacefully sleeping oblivious to the earthquake in Japan that happened overnight.  His eyes, mind, and heart are not open to the devastation that has taken place “while we were sleeping.”

Having had the opportunity to attend a Kansas Senate Education Committee meeting this week, this morning is a vivid descriptive ‘story’ of what has happened in our United States and more pointedly in our state of Kansas.   While eyes, intelligent minds, and caring hearts have been ‘sleeping’ the waters of illiteracy have swept over us.   Or perhaps it is not as simple as that – perhaps a conspiracy has overtaken – that of attacking our children in the areas of reading, writing, spelling, and expressing oneself through the written word.  Points of perspective and concern are:

1.  Education, personal experience, and learning from the hundreds of children/teens/families have built my experience.

2.  Compared to many others who are more educated than I, only the past 10 years of my life have been invested with delivering specific instruction to children/teens who do not possess the natural talent for the printed language (reading, writing, spelling).

3.  In addition, I have had the profound honor of being a part of the initial process of assessing hundreds of Kansas students and helping to educate their parents/grandparents/guardians as to why they are not surviving in the education environment in which they are drowning or at least gasping for every breath they take.

4.  These kids are survivors in one way or another (due to the intensity of their learning difference).  Approximately 85% of these intelligent, talented students are put in “special education” to receive more of the same reading instruction they have been receiving in the general education classroom.  Brilliant.   In other words, the special education load would be diminished to only 2-3%  by delivering effective instruction to the remaining 90+%.   Not only are these numbers life impacting but also the dollars spent are staggering.

5.  The opening statement of the education committee chairperson was that there is no money for anything.   Non-profit organizations depend on donors to help keep the “doors open” and daily understand the impact of using the monies effectively and efficiently.  Parents and grandparents also understand the value of the dollar along with the value of education.   Collectively, they have put thousands of dollars into evaluations, instruction, and education plus the tax dollars they have spent on educating their children.

6.  Early identification of a learning different student requires, first and foremost, an inquiring mind to ask, learn, and understand why a verbally acute and ‘interested in life’  3 or 4 yr. old must; but is not responding to beginning phonological skills.  The education career of these kids is impacted, negatively, if not noticed at this early age.

7.  The education career continues on a downward spiral when they enter Kindergarten.  Has there ever been a child who entered school with the plan that “I’m not going to learn to read?”   I think not.  Although I have met young students who are beginning to experience the “shame of the brain” due to their frustration with the reading, writing, and spelling process.

8.  Learning differences are inherited.  I have witnessed parents and grandparents, hesitantly and shamefully, ‘admit’ to their struggle with reading – with being in special education – with not graduating from high school or college, with cheating to survive, or with whatever their unique, experience in the education environment was.

I have also witnessed their intense desire to keep “it” from happening to their child/grandchild.  i.e.  a husband and wife who both took two weeks of instruction to teach their son…..just yesterday a dad said he would take 5 or 6 jobs in order pay for instruction to not have his daughter go through what he did in school (he was also surprised to find that the reason he had access to the Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic was due to his IEP – what a revelation for him).  Both of these dads were so angry that they were ‘special ed’ and had not been taught to read, write, and spell.  These dads happened to both be ‘successful’ as far as what people see:  one owns a business, one has two college degrees, but this outcome is not so common.   Plus, that monster of  ’shame’ that was sneering, hiding, and eroding their self-confidence was finally beginning to be understood as they saw themselves in their children and sought/fought for help outside the school building.

9.  It’s time to wake up and stop dreaming.  File cabinets are full of similar stories.  Early identification is fairly easy and inexpensive.  Attached is an example of what happens w/early intervention.  When this student came in we did not know that  research-based explicit instruction had been utilized until we moved through the assessment and then it became evident.  She is one of the fortunate ones.  Score of students remain in the educational environment without the instruction she received and they must have.

10.  Heartfelt thanks…

…. to educators who have begun to explore why these bright, intelligent kids do not grasp the printed language with their good teaching

….to Gretchen Andeel, Jeanine Phillips and FUNdamental Learning Center for opening my eyes, intellect, and heart to not only my plight but to the hundreds of lives who have been impacted through their passion to educate and promote literacy.

…to the Downing Literacy Project that has pushed this passion to another level with graphs, charts, numbers and visually seeing the results of early intervention.

11.   How dare we ignore this “small percentage”, “wait for superman” to rescue, and then discredit the parents and families who have sought outside help for their child.  The “D” word has not been mentioned; but when it is said, parents are able begin the process of comprehending the reason for their own ‘shame and stupidity’ and work to provide their child the paradigm shifts needed in their educational experience and environment.    Dyslexia.

Dyslexia creates literacy difficulties, not impairment of thinking, failure of imagination or deficiency of courage.

(taken from Dr. Linda G. Tessler)

“….phonological difficulties are the most significant and consistent markers of dyslexia in childhood….(this) weakness is often surrounded by a SEA OF STRENGTHS:  reasoning, problem solving, comprehension, concept formation, critical thinking, general knowledge, and vocabulary…”  Sally Shaywitz in “Overcoming Dylexia”

“In every neighborhood and in every classroom world-wide, there are children struggling as a result of dyslexia.  For many affected children, dyslexia has extinguished the joys of childhood.”  Sally Shaywitz M.D. “Overcoming Dyslexia”

(Written by an 8 year old/2nd grader.)