Do They Predict Teacher Attitudes Towards Dyslexia?

The BDA Dyslexia Friendly Schools Pack for Teachers (2009) provides an overall guide of what dyslexia is and how a dyslexia friendly school should be delivering education to the dyslexic learner. The writers begin with a definition of dyslexia stating that “dyslexia is a learning difference, a combination of strengths and weaknesses”. This is an informative definition as opposed to the recommendation of Norwich et al (2005) that exemplary schools should promote an inclusive school system whereby dyslexia is considered but not in isolation. The BDA (2009) state that importance ought to be

From the time when I was a little boy, growing up in Graves County, Kentucky, I have had problems with my reading and writing. Things never seemed to click for me, a trait that the teachers attributed to a mild case of dyslexia mixed with a healthy dose of attention deficit disorder. I knew, however, that no disorder was the cause of my distaste of reading and writing. Rather, there was nothing really interesting surrounding me that would grab my interest in the classroom. The teachers I encountered never took any interest in what their students wanted to read or write; they developed assignments based on what the curriculum, a course of study developed by some politicians at the Board of Education, told them to

Discussions of dyslexia require a definition of the term, and this is where we can come into some confusion if we are not careful. In fact, the “problem” itself exists in the defining of the word, and thus the labeling of those to whom the definition applies. However, with some knowledge of the etiology of “dyslexia” we can begin to ply our beliefs off the population of “dyslexics” and start to gain some understanding of their experiences with language learning. This is, after all, the intention of this research. Guardiola (2001) also assisted in redirecting the academic focus in this direction, towards the etiology of the term and how its history has shaped current social work, education, neurobiology, and psychology perspectives.

Within the past year, teachers at my little sister’s school have started suspecting that she may have dyslexia. She has yet to be tested, but it will be happening soon. She has always had issues with reading, but never thought this would be why. However, if the tests come back, and they do say that she has dyslexia, that is not going to hold her down. She will still be able to conquer anything that she sets her mind to. Having a disability does not hold any person back from being able to succeed anything they want to. With the proper help, instruction and motivation, any student with a disability can be successful. Being different does not make you incapable. That is also something that I got from the PowerPoints.

The driving forces behind SB 866 include persons from both public and private sectors. Individuals testified to the Interim Committee on Dyslexia and Related Disorders in what dyslexic students need to be successful academically. Testimony was heard from educators at the college level, parents of dyslexic students, doctors familiar with dyslexia and related disorders, medical researchers, members of professional dyslexia organizations, and state officers (Texas Legislature Online, 2011). Each spoke of their experiences with individuals with dyslexia and related learning disorders, medically, personally, and academically and each was chosen for their research and knowledge as it pertains to this very specific field (T. Flanders, personal communication, August 30, 2011). Absent from the agenda were teachers and dyslexia therapists within the public school system (Texas Legislature Online, 2011).

In Learning Outside the Lines, Jonathan Mooney expresses what it was like growing up with Dyslexia throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. This proved difficult to him because during this time many public schools lacked the resources to help children like Jonathan, with their disabilities. Mooney writes in his book detailing constant narratives scattered throughout his schooling in which teachers and administrators would put him down and tell him that he was of below average intelligence. Mooney would express that at a young age in second grade, he would hate going to school because his teacher, Mrs. C, would constantly shame him for not being able to read and spell like the rest of the children. They placed him in a lower reading circle with other struggling students while he was teased by the other kids with higher reading levels. He was treated differently because he was different, but the school did not have the awareness to understand that he

In the essay “On Being Seventeen, Bright, and Unable to Read,” David Raymond offers information on him having the experience of dyslexia.  He explains how dyslexia plays a major role in his learning. In a positive and negative way.  Dyslexia doesn’t only stop him with other educational activities but effects his self-confidence. While dyslexia brought Raymond many struggles as a child, it also played a huge role in Raymond’s confidence such as him saying that he wanted to die since he was different to everyone else. David visibly tells us how his dyslexia held him back from every day activities as a child. While reading, he says, “My family began to suspect I was having problems almost from the first day I started school.” This quote makes

Dyslexia is a term regularly bandied about the educational community and is a word that is likely to have been heard by most of the general public. For all its popularity, dyslexia is a term that is shrouded in confusion and ambiguity. This confusion was experienced first hand during SE1 and has been observed as something trainee teachers and teachers alike encounter regularly (PLL, 5/11/11], Appendix 1, pg2).

According to the Dyslexia & Learning Disability Centre in Las Vegas, Dyslexia is an ability within the sensory mechanism of the nervous system to perceive the world with a multidimensional view. However it comes with poor word reading, word decoding, oral reading fluency and spelling. Though with appropriate teaching methods, dyslexic individuals can learn successfully throughout their lives. Also, when properly trained and informed, a dyslexic can use their

Dyslexia is a lifelong struggle with constant challenges with reading and speaking. About five to ten percent of the United States population deals with the learning disorder dyslexia (Van den Honert, n.d.). It is a neurological condition that is mainly caused by genetics but there are some rare cases in which it is acquired. Dyslexia interrupts the normal processes of reading and speaking (Van den Honert, n.d.). All of which are used in daily life and this makes life and school so much harder for dyslexics. They must learn to live with the condition for their entire life and there is not really a treatment for it. With the constant struggle and reminder of their

It can be understood that dyslexics experience even greater challenges when it come to the hidden nature of their disability. For example no person would imagine showing their impatience to a physically disabled individual in a wheelchair who is taking long to move down a corridor. But a student who is suffering to get there work done on time or struggles to read a passage out loud is shown judgement and labelled as lazy. This example shows us how society has made us think in a way that it is easier to understand and help those that have physical disabilities that we can see but are not able to understand and help those that have intellectual differences, like dyslexia, that cannot be visually

Growing, developing and learning are the facts of life for all children. Each day children are faced with many new concepts and various challenges. Can you imagine how it feels for a child to face not only new challenges life has, but to face these challenges while living with a learning disability? These challenges are met not just when they begin school either. Students suffer from learning disabilities from the moment they begin learning, not when they start school. Learning disabilities are real and they affect millions of people. “One such disability that affects over approximately 15 percent of the total American population is dyslexia” ( Nosek 5).

Learning I had dyslexia at an older age was challenging. During a routine exam through school where volunteers come to check student’s eyesight, hearing, and reading skills, I was prompted to test for dyslexia. I thought this was a dramatic assumption and I was even slightly offended. After taking the test and being told

The key to any successful school district is the administration. Teachers essentially provide structure, organization, and the background of a child’s future. To educate students with learning disabilities, it is essential that the staff has the training and resources needed for the appropriate people, place, and time (Lazarus) (What is Inclusion, 2001, n.p). It is unrealistic to expect that regular education teachers will always be aware of the latest research or be able to readily adapt the school's

Reinforcement is a key practise when dealing with children who suffer with dyslexia and in Townend and Turner (2000) they explain that “children with Dyslexia need many opportunities to practise the skills they have learned and to preserve them in long-term memory and Practise work must be presented in a variety of ways to maintain interest” (p19). Note taking can be difficult for Dyslexic children so a slow pace should be taken or better still to arrange for notes to be photocopied. Tasks also need to be concentrated on things like worksheets and not just the blackboard where students may become inattentive or inactive. When arranging work assignments it is also a good idea to care to have clear presentation, with large text, bold heading and as many visual aids as possible.