You See the Warning Signs of Dyslexia…Now What?
After recognizing warning signs of dyslexia, the next step involves understanding how to identify and adapt interventions while providing continuous support. Teachers and families can observe student behaviors and academic performance within the learning environment while providing ongoing assessments to monitor student progress effectively. In addition, they can work to establish a supportive environment to foster student success while keeping anxiety low and effort high. Dyslexia strategies can make the difference in overall student success.
Reading Intervention Dyslexia Strategies
Identifying reading intervention dyslexia strategies involves assessing students’ specific needs. In doing so, teachers can select evidence-based approaches that target those areas of difficulty.
Here are steps to identify effective reading intervention strategies:
ASSESS
Conduct thorough assessments to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses in reading, including those specific to dyslexia. This may include standardized assessments, curriculum-based measures, informal reading inventories, running records, and observations.
Continuously monitor students’ progress during intervention sessions to assess effectiveness and make adjustments as needed. Use progress monitoring tools, formative assessments, and ongoing observations to track growth and adjust intervention strategies accordingly.
ANALYZE
Analyze assessment data to pinpoint areas of difficulty for each student. Look for patterns in decoding, fluency, comprehension, phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and other reading skills.
IDENTIFY
Use evidence-based practices to identify reading intervention strategies that have been proven effective for addressing specific reading difficulties. Look for interventions with a strong research base and alignment with students’ identified needs.
Consider each student’s unique profile and learning style when selecting intervention strategies. Choose interventions that are tailored to students’ specific strengths, weaknesses, interests, and preferences.
Select interventions that directly target the identified areas of difficulty. For example, if a student struggles with phonemic awareness, choose interventions focusing on phonological processing skills. If comprehension is a challenge, select interventions that teach comprehension strategies and vocabulary development.
INSTRUCT
Offer differentiated instruction by adapting intervention strategies to meet the diverse needs of students. Provide additional support for struggling readers, enrichment activities for advanced readers, and accommodations for students with disabilities or English language learners.
Incorporate multisensory approaches that engage multiple senses (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic) to reinforce learning and memory. Multisensory strategies are particularly effective for teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding skills.
MONITOR
Monitoring student reading progress involves a combination of formal and informal assessment measures to track growth over time. Here are several strategies for effectively monitoring student reading progress:
- Running Records: Conduct regular running records, where students read aloud from a leveled text while the teacher notes errors, self-corrections, fluency, and comprehension. Running records provide valuable insight into students’ decoding skills, fluency, and comprehension abilities.
- Reading Logs: Have students keep reading logs or journals where they record their daily reading activities, including the books they read, the time spent reading, and their thoughts about the text. Reading logs provide insight into students’ reading habits and preferences and help monitor their reading volume and engagement.
- Progress Monitoring Tools: Utilize progress monitoring tools, such as curriculum-based measures (CBMs) or digital reading programs, to assess students’ reading skills and track progress over time. These tools often provide data on reading rate, accuracy, and comprehension and can be used to set individualized reading goals.
By following these steps, educators can identify appropriate reading intervention strategies that address students’ individual needs and support their growth as proficient readers.
When Nothing Seems to Work…Reassess.
If a student is not making reading progress after intervention, it’s essential to reassess the situation and consider alternative strategies.
Here’s what you can do:
1 – Reevaluate Assessment Data
Review the students’ assessment data to identify specific areas of difficulty and determine if the intervention is targeting the root cause of the reading problem effectively.
2 – Modify Intervention
Modify the intervention by adjusting instructional strategies, materials, or methods to better meet the student’s needs. Consider incorporating different approaches, scaffolding techniques, or multisensory activities to enhance engagement and learning.
3 – Provide Additional Support
Offer additional support to the student, such as increased one-on-one instruction, small group intervention sessions, or extended learning opportunities.
4 – Consider a Special Education Referral
If the student continues to struggle despite targeted interventions, consider initiating the process for a special education referral to assess eligibility for additional support services or accommodations.
5 – Provide Additional Support
Offer emotional support and encouragement to the student to maintain motivation and confidence in their ability to learn. Emphasize their strengths and progress while addressing areas for improvement in a positive and supportive manner.
By taking a proactive and collaborative approach, educators can identify barriers to reading progress and implement targeted interventions with dyslexia strategies to support student learning effectively.
Providing Targeted Support for Dyslexia
Targeted support is crucial for students with dyslexia because it addresses their specific learning needs and challenges. This allows them to access the curriculum effectively and achieve academic success. Without targeted support, students with dyslexia may struggle to develop essential reading, writing, and language skills, leading to academic frustration, low self-esteem, and disengagement from learning.
Here are 8 key strategies to provide effective support:
1 – Implement Structured Literacy Programs:
- Utilize evidence-based literacy programs focusing on explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
- Break down reading and writing tasks into smaller, manageable components and provide clear, systematic instruction.
2 – Incorporate Multisensory Techniques:
- Engage multiple senses (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) in learning activities to reinforce concepts and improve memory retention.
- Use multisensory approaches such as tapping out sounds, tracing letters in sand or shaving cream, and using manipulatives to teach phonics and spelling.
3 – Provide Assistive Technology:
- Offer assistive technology tools such as text-to-speech software, speech-to-text programs, audiobooks, and digital reading aids to support reading comprehension and written expression.
- Ensure students are trained in the effective use of assistive technology and provide ongoing support as needed.
4 – Offer Individualized Instruction:
- Tailor instruction to each student’s specific strengths, weaknesses, and learning style.
- Provide opportunities for one-on-one or small group instruction to address individual needs more effectively.
5 – Scaffold Learning Tasks:
- Break down complex tasks into smaller, sequential steps and provide scaffolding to support students as they work towards mastery.
- Offer visual aids, graphic organizers, and other supports to help students organize their thoughts and ideas during writing tasks.
6 – Encourage Self-Advocacy:
- Teach students about dyslexia and help them understand their learning profile and individual needs.
- Encourage students to self-advocate by teaching them strategies to request accommodations and support when needed.
7 – Foster a Supportive Environment:
- Create a positive and inclusive classroom environment where students feel valued and supported.
- Encourage peer collaboration and provide opportunities for students to work together to support each other’s learning.
8 – Provide Ongoing Assessment and Feedback:
- Regularly assess students’ progress in reading and writing skills and adjust instruction and support accordingly.
- Offer constructive feedback that focuses on specific strengths and areas for improvement with dyslexia strategies.
By implementing these targeted support strategies, educators can empower students with dyslexia to develop their reading and writing skills, build confidence, and achieve academic success.
Blog Series – Unlocking Success for Students with Dyslexia
Join MindPlay as we explore how to best support students with dyslexia or those who may show early warning signs in this blog series – Unlocking Success with Dyslexia.
Be sure to read the rest of the series, including:
Unlocking Student Success – Signs of Dyslexia & Early Intervention
Fostering a Supportive Environment for Students with Dyslexia
Share with Us!
We encourage readers to share their experiences or insights on identifying and supporting students with dyslexia. Resources are available for further reading and support. To delve deeper into understanding and identifying the signs of dyslexia, contact MindPlay for more information on Signals and support systems designed to aid both educators and parents in this crucial endeavor.
Resources
Hendren, R. L., Haft, S. L., Black, J. M., White, N. C., & Hoeft, F. (2018). Recognizing Psychiatric Comorbidity With Reading Disorders. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9.
Lovett, M. W., Frijters, J. C., Wolf, M., Steinbach, K. A., Sevcik, R. A., & Morris, R. D. (2017). Early intervention for children at risk for reading disabilities: The impact of grade at intervention and individual differences on intervention outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(7), 889–914. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000181
Quratulain., Ghazanfar, S.,& Sattar, A.(2023).A Computer-Based Method to Improve the Spelling of a Learner with Dyslexia. Journal of Social Sciences Review, 3(1), 235-243.
Suspect dyslexia? act early. Yale Dyslexia. (n.d.). https://dyslexia.yale.edu/resources/parents/what-parents-can-do/suspect-dyslexia-act-early/