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Students with Dyslexia Can Benefit from Classroom Accommodations

Students with Dyslexia Can Benefit from Classroom Accommodations

by | Oct 10, 2023 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

Why Students with Dyslexia Could Use School Accommodations
For students diagnosed with dyslexia, various accommodations can help them succeed in the classroom setting by improving their confidence and giving them the support they need to meet their educational goals. Academic accommodations are changes to materials, actions or techniques that enable students with disabilities to participate meaningfully in grade-level or course instruction. Because students with dyslexia can struggle with single word reading, accurate word recognition, poor spelling and poor decoding abilities, accommodations can be crucial to give the student the tools they need to accomplish their work with less difficulty.

What Kind of Academic Accommodations Are Helpful?
Accommodations for students with dyslexia or other learning disorders might look very different for each student based on their individual needs, and methods do not have a one-size-fits-all strategy. The impact of dyslexia on each individual student determines the level of accommodations. However, there are some common accommodations that might be offered for students with dyslexia:

  • Not marking or taking off points for spelling errors.
  • Allowing the use of assistive technology, e.g., speech-to-text or text-to-speech.
  • Grading written work primarily on content versus spelling.
  • Reducing the number of words to spell.
  • Providing a word bank for typically misspelled words.
  • Using a word bank to provide words to choose from.
  • Offering alternative projects instead of written reports, such as an oral report or an art project.
  • Reducing written work if possible.
  • Encouraging verbalization of ideas before writing (i.e., record then write, use mind mapping for ideas, use sentence starters, etc.)

How Spelling Accommodations Improve Performance and Confidence
Accommodations are intended to provide a student with a learning disability a ‘level playing field’ and not count the impact of their learning disability against them. Spelling can be particularly difficult for a student with dyslexia and can take a lot of time and energy to ensure proper spelling. 

A woman wearing a name tag that says ' smithsonian ' on it | ZAXMA VRIC RELE TAKE THER IMSLEC SCOTTISH RITE HOSPITAL Ivonne Tennent Center for Dyslexia SCOTTISH FOR CHRI SCOTTISH RITE

If the lesson’s primary focus is on conveying the main idea of the story rather than on spelling, not penalizing the student for spelling errors allows them to focus their time and mental energy on the key objective of telling the story’s main idea.

Using Assistive Technology to Complete Schoolwork and Homework
Allowing students to utilize assistive technology, such as text-to-speech or speech-to-text, can help the student by not requiring them to spend extra time and energy decoding words. Assistive technology includes any device, piece of equipment or system that helps bypass, work around or compensate for an individual’s specific learning deficits.

  • Speech-to-text software can help students who struggle with spelling and writing by converting spoken words into typed text, and it can help struggling writers and spellers get their ideas on paper.
  • Text-to-speech software is often a vital resource for students with dyslexia to aid in reading, promote comprehension and enhance overall literacy skills. Text-to-speech converts any written text into spoken words and is popular among students who have difficulties with reading. By presenting the words auditorily, the student can focus on the meaning on the words instead of spending their energy on trying to sound out the words.

Assistive technology doesn’t cure or eliminate learning difficulties, but it can help students reach their potential because it allows them to capitalize on their strengths and lessen the impact of areas of difficulty.

Accommodations That Harm More Than Help
Because accommodations are different for every student, what works for one student may not be beneficial for another. However, there are some common accommodations that have been found to be counterproductive or hinder students’ long-term academic journey.

  • Providing additional time for assignments or tests. While some students with dyslexia may benefit from additional time, in many cases this does not address the underlying issues that create difficulties for the student. For some students, extra time can cause stress or lead to procrastination.
  • Using color overlays or special fonts. Some students with dyslexia may find it easier to read or focus by using specific colors or fonts, but this has not been proven to be an effective method for assisting reading. These adjustments may even create extra distractions for some students and make it more difficult for them to read.
  • Grouping dyslexia students together or removing students from the class for individual instruction. By isolating students with dyslexia, students are not benefiting from the diverse learning environment that is provided in the classroom with their peers. Segregating students with dyslexia from others may make students feel different, less than or discouraged.

The Difference Between Accommodations and Modifications
In education, both accommodations and modifications are strategies used to support students with disabilities. However, they serve different purposes and involve different levels of adjustments to the classroom environment and curriculum.

Accommodations:

  • Minor adjustments: Accommodations make relatively minor changes to how a student works with general education curriculum without changing the content itself.
  • Same curriculum: With accommodations, the curriculum, or core content of what is being taught to the students, is not altered. Accommodations may change how the curriculum is taught to the student or how the mastery of that content is tested.
  • Same goals: educational goals and objectives remain the same as other students.
  • Grading stays the same: Students receiving accommodations are graded on the same scale using the same criteria as their peers. Accommodations may improve a student’s performance but do not change the method of how they are graded.

Modifications:

  • Substantial changes: Modifications involve making significant changes to curriculum content, assignments or assessments and alter the expectations for the student.
  • Different curriculum: With modifications, curriculum is often adjusted to meet the student’s needs.
  • Different goals: Students with modifications will be working toward different goals and will have a lower level of expectations.
  • Grading is changed: For students with modifications, the grading scale and criteria are altered to fit the student’s adjusted goals and expectations.

How to Find Accommodations for Students
Students with dyslexia benefit greatly from appropriate, customized accommodations that enhance their learning experiences and foster confidence in their abilities. These accommodations allow them to overcome challenges associated with reading, spelling and decoding. Accommodations vary for each student and should be carefully considered with the student, parents, teachers and dyslexia therapists to ensure the success of the plan. In Texas, there are laws that protect students with learning disabilities and guarantee them the resources they need to learn effectively. If you think your student would benefit from accommodations, start by contacting your child’s teacher or dyslexia therapist. Students need an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that is created by an Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) committee to solidify their accommodations throughout their academics. Learn more about dyslexia laws, interventions and accommodations in Dyslexia 411.

Learn more about our Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders.

Share Your Story: Take Flight

Share Your Story: Take Flight

by | Oct 7, 2022 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

Meet Levi – a patient who is seen in the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia & Learning Disorders. Learn more about his journey below.

Blog written by Levi’s dad, Josh.  

My wife Kelly and I have eight children, as young as five and as old as 24. We have homeschooled our children since our oldest daughter was in first grade.

Around the time our second oldest daughter, Grace, was in kindergarten and first grade, my wife noticed that Grace was having difficulty reading. At that time, we were living in Austin. Grace was evaluated with a local diagnostician and diagnosed with dyslexia. We worked with a local language therapist, and Grace was provided her the tools she needed to learn to read. Grace will graduate college in about a year.

A young boy is sitting at a table with lego toys on it

Levi is seven years old and our second to youngest child. When Kelly started teaching kindergarten with him, she noticed almost right away that he was having similar struggles, like Grace did when she was younger. By now, we had moved from Austin to Arlington, and we reached out to Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas.  
 
They evaluated him, and Levi was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. We were looking into finding private language therapy for him, just like we had done for our daughter, Grace. It turned out that there was an opening for Levi to do the Take Flight program at Scottish Rite starting in fall of 2021. We jumped at this chance.
 
We have seen a great deal of progress since Levi started this program. We thank God for connecting us with Scottish Rite. He loves everyone who has taught him, and he loves to learn!

Last December, Levi fell while playing basketball. He came to his Take Flight class with his arm in a sling, from the ER visit the night before. The leaders of his class were able to get us connected with some of the orthopedic experts and he was able to get the care that he needed. Turns out he had broken in his arm in three places, and Scottish Rite was just the place he needed to help treat his arm.

The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite has been a blessing to our family, and we are incredibly thankful for the impact they are making on Levi’s life.

 

DO YOU HAVE A STORY? WE WANT TO HEAR IT! SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US.

A young boy in a suit and bow tie smiles in front of a fireplace

Debra Buchanan, Ed.D., Joins the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children

Debra Buchanan, Ed.D., Joins the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children

by | Oct 1, 2020 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

Debra Buchanan, Ed.D., has been named the Administrative Director of the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children. Buchanan joins medical director, Sheryl Frierson, M.D., in leading the internationally recognized Center for Dyslexia while assisting in the development of new projects and helping to maintain the mission of giving children back their childhood.
 
“We are excited to have Dr. Buchanan on board,” says Medical Director of the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders Sheryl Frierson, M.D. “Her extensive experience directing services for children with learning differences in local public school districts makes her an invaluable addition to the Center for Dyslexia.” 
 
Dr. Buchanan earned her Doctorate of Education from Texas A&M in Commerce, Texas and completed her Master of Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She received her superintendent certification through Texas A&M Commerce and has completed Project Management Program (PMP) Training.
 
Dr. Buchanan has spent 37 years in education and began her career as a special education teacher in Fairfax, VA. She has served in various leadership roles, most recently as the Executive Director of Special Education in Garland ISD. As an educator, she was named Teacher of The Year in Rockwall ISD and has received the Bravo Award by the Texas Council for Women School Executives. 
 
“I have worked with the Scottish Rite Center for Dyslexia for over twenty years in the role of school district administrator over Dyslexia, Section 504 and Special Education,” says Dr. Buchanan. “The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders is renowned for its research in the areas of dyslexia instruction and therapist training and I am excited and humbled to join this amazing team.”

“We are fortunate to recruit a leader with Dr. Buchanan’s educational expertise, experience with the Scottish Rite Take Flight curriculum and her existing relationships with school districts,” says Senior Vice President of Operations Matt Chance. 

Dyslexia – The Evaluation Process

Dyslexia – The Evaluation Process

by | Sep 16, 2020 | Dyslexia & Learning Disorders

At our Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders, our team is committed to helping parents and children understand the entire evaluation process. From arriving at our Dallas campus to your child going through testing and what happens once that is complete, we want to share with you what you can expect every step of the way. Learn more below.
 
The process

  • Parents/guardians apply for our services. Click here for the online application or call 214-559-7815 to have a copy mailed or emailed to you.
  • As part of the application, parents will send in educational information (report cards, benchmark measures, previous testing). We want to ensure we can integrate all previous pieces to get a good idea of what your child needs.
  • A few weeks after your application is approved, you will receive a packet of parent and teacher questionnaires in the mail. Once you complete all of these pieces, return them to us. We will schedule your child for evaluation soon after you return everything requested.

 
Day of evaluation – what can my child expect?

  • Upon arrival, you and your child will have your temperatures taken. Please make sure you are both are wearing a mask. Our Security team will direct you to the A bank elevators and to the fourth floor. Once upstairs, you will follow the signs to the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders.
    • Just outside our doors, you will see the airplane mural. We firmly believe that each child has the potential to soar once we find the right path for them.
  • Each child will work with a team member who already knows a lot about them from the paperwork submitted beforehand.
  • Once in the testing setting, we have large safety glass partitions in place. At this time, we are able to remove our masks.
  • Testing will take two to four hours depending on your child’s age and academic needs. They will get a 10-15-minute break about halfway through.
  • While visiting with us for the first appointment, your child will also interact with our nurse. Nurse Marilyn will check their height, weight, vision and hearing – just like a school nurse.
  • During the second visit with us, which is currently online, we will visit with parents about all of your child’s hard work! We will discuss how to best support your child at home and at school. As a team, we will help determine what your child needs to make learning as friendly as possible.

 
What can parents expect?

  • Once we take your child back for their assessment, you will have between two and four hours in the waiting room.
  • The second appointment, which is currently provided online, is when you will do the work. We will ask you many questions to ensure we completely understand your child’s background and your current questions/concerns.
  • In the context of the second appointment (“Clinic Visit”), we will walk you through your child’s testing performance, as well as providing diagnoses and recommendations for next steps.
  • While visiting, we encourage you to ask questions. There can never be too many questions when it comes to your child and their needs.
  • You will receive a packet of information with helpful guides and a formal report to share with your child’s educators and whomever else might need to know more about how to support your child.
  • We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions along the way.

 
Learn more about the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders.
 

Rite Up Cover Story: The Sky is the Limit

Rite Up Cover Story: The Sky is the Limit

by | Oct 3, 2018 | General News

IF YOU ARE READING THESE WORDS WITH EASE, you likely acquired the skill shortly after mastering the alphabet. But what if you lacked the ability to match the proper sounds to the corresponding letters? What if that didn’t come to you naturally? Imagine, sitting at a desk in silent dread as your peers are called upon to read aloud. You stare at the page before you, trying desperately to decode it. Then, it’s your turn. You struggle to voice the words and suddenly, all eyes are on you.

That feeling was all too familiar for McKinleigh, age 12, of Arlington. The difficulty she faced didn’t catch her entirely by surprise, however. Her older brothers, Garrison and Garrett, had undergone testing for the same challenges. At age 5, she couldn’t read words but she could read the signs that told her, like them, she had dyslexia.

“It felt like everybody else could read and I just couldn’t,” McKinleigh explains.
“I was scared of what people would think of me.”

In 1965, pioneering neurologist Lucius “Luke” Waites, Jr., M.D., came to Scottish Rite Hospital to improve the lives of children like McKinleigh. At the time, the field of dyslexia was often misunderstood and discredited. Undaunted, Waites hosted a meeting of the World Federation of Neurology in 1968. At that meeting, the first consensus definition of dyslexia was formed, recognizing it as a medical condition.

This year, the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders marks the 50th anniversary of hosting that momentous meeting. Scottish Rite Hospital continues to be an internationally recognized leader in the field, advancing teaching methods and conducting leading-edge research. We want the world of reading to be an open book for children because from there — the sky is the limit

“Children with this condition go to school expecting to be successful, just like they have been when learning to speak, play and interact with others,” explains Gladys Kolenovsky, administrative director of the Luke Waites Center. “When reading comes easily to other kids but not to them, it often leads to a sense of anxiety and failure.”
Dyslexia, which affects roughly 10 percent of children in the U.S., is characterized as a language-based problem connecting speech sounds to the letters of the alphabet. Children with the condition have difficulty learning to read and spell. As a result, comprehension of written material can also be challenging.

“It is not a vision or intellect problem,” Kolenovsky says. “Children who have
this condition are bright, talented and often gifted.”

In some cases, like McKinleigh’s, genetics can play a role. A child with a parent or sibling who has the learning disorder has a 30 to 50 percent chance of being born with it. “Our nieces and nephews started getting diagnosed with dyslexia,” McKinleigh’s mom, Deborah, recalls. Concerned about her own children, she received a referral to the hospital’s Luke Waites Center. Ultimately, all three children were found to have the condition as well.

Fortunately, their family was at the place where dyslexia was originally defined, a place that has remained at the forefront of dyslexia care and management at a national and international level —Scottish Rite Hospital.

“We are the experts and we share our knowledge,” Kolenovsky explains,
“whether it’s through training educators to employ our techniques,
developing specialized curriculum programs or advancing research.”

One of the most influential ways that knowledge is imparted is through the center’s two-year therapist training program, which focuses on the application of a specialized curriculum. Jeffrey Black, M.D., who has been the medical director of the Luke Waites Center since 1990, has expanded the center’s research program. This led to the production of Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia, the hospital’s award-winning curriculum.

The enormous success of this program is reflected in the use of Take Flight at educator training centers throughout the U.S., each of which has at least one instructor trained at the hospital’s Luke Waiter Center. (See the graphic below.)

“We continue to be leaders in dyslexia intervention, helping improve the quality of services children receive in their schools,” says Black. “Through our training in dyslexia identification and the application of our curriculum, our center has had a broad influence across the country and on a global scale.”

The team is also pioneering approaches to identify the condition in children as young as kindergarten and first grade. In addition, the staff has partnered with The University of Texas at Dallas to develop an innovative technology that will reduce teacher training-time.

Fifty years later, the center continues to lead the dyslexia field with the pioneering spirit upon which it was founded.

“Once the barrier of not being able to read is removed, a child’s gifts and abilities can be revealed and then, the sky truly is the limit,” Kolenovsky says.

McKinleigh’s mother agrees. “To have children who didn’t think they could ever read, who felt like they didn’t fit in and now have great plans for their future, it’s priceless,” says Deborah of her family’s hospital experience.

Like her brothers before her, McKinleigh recently graduated from Scottish Rite Hospital’s Take Flight program. Her future plans are to be a marine and a doctor. She loves God, her family, horses and now, reading — especially in class.

“I always wanted to read but once people heard me struggle, they would just tell me to stop and call on somebody else,” McKinleigh says. “And now, I read out loud and they won’t stop me, because I can.”

Interested in reading this issue of Rite Up? Click here!