First published 7/12/11
I'm fortunate in that the second book I chose to read this summer was "The gift of Dyslexia," by Ronald Davis. Having served a number of dyslexic students, I have a great respect for the complexity of this disability. My students who suffer from dyslexia are bright, creative, and I know their inability to conquer reading is not through any lack of effort or intelligence. Yet all the phonetically based programs I've used, which have been successful with about three quarters of my students, have failed these amazing individuals. In some cases, I wonder if it's made the problem worse.
The insights revealed by Ronald Davis are profound and all encompassing. Dyslexia, he proposes, results from the tendency of the brain to think in 3D pictures, meaning they visualize what an object looks like from all angles. He defines dyslexia as the unconscious use of disorientation to bring about multidimensional perception. In layman's terms, that means a baby draws from all sensory perception, then adds his/her ability to see things three dimensionally to identify new objects. This process is called disorientation. Because the brain is unable to distinguish the difference between what is real and what is perceived (imagined), it registers both sources of information, imagined and experienced directly through the senses, as real experience.
Dyslexic brains work faster, Mr. Davis contends, because pictures convey so much more information than verbal, sequential expression. Therefore, when you think in pictures, you're very likely to find intuitive solutions without being able to verbalize the process. Because our phonetic reading system depends on symbols that represent sounds, which are then combined sequentially into words and eventually into meaning, the visual brains hesitates or stalls. There are no concrete pictures for phonemes. Therefore, the dyslexic brain cannot retain or process the information. Because the first defense such a brain is to use disorientation (think of it as moving information around in space) letters actually begin to move. Concentration only heightens the process, and robs the brain of precious processing room to construct meaning.
The result is that the student cannot successfully piece together the symbolic bits that make words. Some dyslexics can't even keep the letters seated on the page. After trying unsuccessfully year after year he/she becomes frustrated and/or angry. He/she may fidget, exhibit avoidance behaviors, lose confidence, or find ways to have others read for them. I've had students shut down entirely and refuse to do anything for me that might involve reading.
The symptoms that result from this situation also describe students who are ADD, ADHD, some autisms, and many learning disabilities. Teaching students to identify when they are using disorientation, and then helping them control this potentially valuable skill (gift) often solves the problem.
How can this not be exciting! I did a little research and found this by Abigail Marshal (2003) at http://www.dyslexia.com/science/different_pathways.htm. "Teaching methods based on intensive or systemic drill in phonemic awareness or phonic decoding strategies may actually be harmful to dyslexic children. Such teaching might simply emphasize reliance on mental strategies that are as likely to diminish reading ability for dyslexic children as they are to improve it, increasing both the frustration and impairment level of dyslexic students." ("Brain Scans show Dyslexics Read Better with Alternative Strategies," 2003) The article went on to specifically note learning strategies using clay were effective. I later learned that Ms. Marshall has become associated with the Davis Dyslexia Association.
There is some controversy involved with using this technique in that it has to been fully tested. The Davis Dyslexia Association, which offers training to parents and teachers, is asking for results to be submitted from those they've authorized to use the program. "The Gift of Dyslexia" describes how to test for and implement core aspects of the program. The negatives I found associated with this approach were examples of unresearched skepticism, and answered well by the DD. I, for one, am planning to study it out further and try it on my few students for whom nothing else seems to work.
I'm fortunate in that the second book I chose to read this summer was "The gift of Dyslexia," by Ronald Davis. Having served a number of dyslexic students, I have a great respect for the complexity of this disability. My students who suffer from dyslexia are bright, creative, and I know their inability to conquer reading is not through any lack of effort or intelligence. Yet all the phonetically based programs I've used, which have been successful with about three quarters of my students, have failed these amazing individuals. In some cases, I wonder if it's made the problem worse.
The insights revealed by Ronald Davis are profound and all encompassing. Dyslexia, he proposes, results from the tendency of the brain to think in 3D pictures, meaning they visualize what an object looks like from all angles. He defines dyslexia as the unconscious use of disorientation to bring about multidimensional perception. In layman's terms, that means a baby draws from all sensory perception, then adds his/her ability to see things three dimensionally to identify new objects. This process is called disorientation. Because the brain is unable to distinguish the difference between what is real and what is perceived (imagined), it registers both sources of information, imagined and experienced directly through the senses, as real experience.
Dyslexic brains work faster, Mr. Davis contends, because pictures convey so much more information than verbal, sequential expression. Therefore, when you think in pictures, you're very likely to find intuitive solutions without being able to verbalize the process. Because our phonetic reading system depends on symbols that represent sounds, which are then combined sequentially into words and eventually into meaning, the visual brains hesitates or stalls. There are no concrete pictures for phonemes. Therefore, the dyslexic brain cannot retain or process the information. Because the first defense such a brain is to use disorientation (think of it as moving information around in space) letters actually begin to move. Concentration only heightens the process, and robs the brain of precious processing room to construct meaning.
The result is that the student cannot successfully piece together the symbolic bits that make words. Some dyslexics can't even keep the letters seated on the page. After trying unsuccessfully year after year he/she becomes frustrated and/or angry. He/she may fidget, exhibit avoidance behaviors, lose confidence, or find ways to have others read for them. I've had students shut down entirely and refuse to do anything for me that might involve reading.
The symptoms that result from this situation also describe students who are ADD, ADHD, some autisms, and many learning disabilities. Teaching students to identify when they are using disorientation, and then helping them control this potentially valuable skill (gift) often solves the problem.
How can this not be exciting! I did a little research and found this by Abigail Marshal (2003) at http://www.dyslexia.com/science/different_pathways.htm. "Teaching methods based on intensive or systemic drill in phonemic awareness or phonic decoding strategies may actually be harmful to dyslexic children. Such teaching might simply emphasize reliance on mental strategies that are as likely to diminish reading ability for dyslexic children as they are to improve it, increasing both the frustration and impairment level of dyslexic students." ("Brain Scans show Dyslexics Read Better with Alternative Strategies," 2003) The article went on to specifically note learning strategies using clay were effective. I later learned that Ms. Marshall has become associated with the Davis Dyslexia Association.
There is some controversy involved with using this technique in that it has to been fully tested. The Davis Dyslexia Association, which offers training to parents and teachers, is asking for results to be submitted from those they've authorized to use the program. "The Gift of Dyslexia" describes how to test for and implement core aspects of the program. The negatives I found associated with this approach were examples of unresearched skepticism, and answered well by the DD. I, for one, am planning to study it out further and try it on my few students for whom nothing else seems to work.
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