The most current research shows that Structured Literacy teaching methods are effective for dyslexic students – and help all students, no matter their proficiency – advance in reading and spelling skills.
EBLI (Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction) is a Linguistics Phonics-based program and teaching methodology (Speech-to-Print), referred to as Structured Linguistic Literacy.
The Barton Reading and Spelling System is an Orton Gillingham-based Structured Literacy program (Print-to-Speech).
I have tutored many students, including my own children, with the Barton Reading and Spelling and System in the past several years and in 2023, I trained and earned certification in EBLI Intervention methods. To learn more about these different teaching approaches, please watch the videos below.
Below is the video that launched me into deciding to train in EBLI – a wonderful interview – I highly recommend watching the “Dyslexia Explored” interview with Nora (founder of EBLI):
EBLI can be used with students who have receptive or expressive language delays/disorders and show signs of dyslexia, and for any struggling readers and writers.
EBLI teaching methods include handwriting instruction, writing practice, writing strategies, and immediate feedback support to help students develop independent writing composition skills.
Below are some additional programs to help students with writing composition – getting their thoughts onto paper in an organized manner with appropriate punctuation and grammar from the sentence to essay-level:
- Think SRSD (Evidence-based Science of Writing teaching method that models executive functioning and emotional regulation strategies for students throughout the writing process: Self-Regulated Strategy Development for reading and writing) (Write Ahead offers online small group SRSD writing classes)
- Talk 4 Writing , a UK-based writing program for ages 5 and up, highly recommended by Speech-to-Print practitioners/teachers
- Essentials in Writing (EIW), a homeschool writing curriclum
- From Talking to Writing, from The Landmark School , a private school for dyslexic students
- The Writing Revolution book and free online resources
The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan
I recommend all parents of dyslexic students read Ben Foss’s “The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan” – available as a print or audiobook. This book will give you advice and action steps to help you and your child navigate the school system and show you how to assess and focus on dyslexic strengths. By the end of the book, you will be accustomed to saying “eye-reading” and “ear-reading” with your child, and hopefully with their teachers, to normalize the value of learning “by ear” and not believing it is an inferior way of acquiring knowledge compared to “eye reading.”
Because dyslexia is a genetic trait passed down through family members, often at least one of the parents of a dyslexic child realizes through their research that they too are dyslexic and finally understand the challenges they experienced during their childhood in school – if this applies to you and you don’t enjoy eye-reading books, I recommend ordering the audio book and allowing your dyslexic strengths to work for you.
Audiobooks for Ear-reading
One of my favorite (free!) resources are the library apps for smart phones and tablets that allow you to borrow audio books from your library and stream directly from your device. I recommend Libby and Hoopla apps – all you need to do is enter your public library card and pin numbers and you have access to thousands of audiobooks for free (no CD’s to keep track of and no late fees since they return automatically). Be sure to include audiobooks as an accommodation to replace eye-reading in your child’s 504 Plan or IEP. If your child needs classroom textbooks on audiobook, then you can sign up for a Learning Ally or Bookshare subscription.
If you are concerned that listening to audiobooks is an inferior way of acquiring knowledge compared to “eye-reading” and will stunt your child’s intelligence and growth, please know that experts agree that using audiobooks will actually do the opposite. Audiobooks/ear-reading will:
- increase vocabulary;
- reduce frustration in school and with homework;
- ignite imagination and curiosity;
- offer a path to loving books;
- and enable students to discuss popular books, school readings, and current events with their peers and teachers.
“Question: My third grader still struggles with decoding and isn’t reading at grade level. Will listening to audiobooks make it harder for her to improve her reading skills?
Answer: You’ll be happy to hear that the answer is “no.” Listening to audiobooks won’t slow down the development of your child’s reading skills.
In fact, many experts will tell you it can help make her a better reader. The first thing to know is that listening to audiobooks isn’t “cheating.” The main purpose of reading is to get information. It doesn’t matter what path that information takes to reach the brain.”
–Jamie Martin, Assistive Technology Specialist, NEAT Center
Graphic Novels
Graphic novels are often a gateway to becoming comfortable with books for reluctant and often traumatized dyslexic readers (being forced to read aloud before they have received the proper tutoring is extremely stressful for students). The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity recommends all school and classroom libraries contain graphic novels to include readers of all learning styles and reading ability in literacy. My own children find so much pleasure in graphic novels, and I am always recommending and lending out graphic novels to my tutoring students. For ages 8+ and who have replaced ‘the guessing habit’ with reading skills learned in EBLI tutoring (or who have completed Level 4 of The Barton Reading & Spelling System), I recommend these titles: Baby Mouse, the Amulet series, Zita the Space Girl, Rapunzel’s Revenge, and Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales (U.S. history series).
I once had to print out the Yale Center article and bring to my son’s school because I heard that an uninformed teacher had told the students they weren’t allowed to read graphic novels:”You are not allowed to read comic books during free-read time. Comic books aren’t real literature. You need to read a real book,” …. sound familiar? and outdated? By educating teachers and administrators about dyslexia and the needed accomodations, we are advocating for our children and showing them ways to speak up for themselves.
“High-Frequency Words”
Learning to read and spell high-frequency words (sometimes called “sight words” by teachers) can be difficult for dyslexic students because these words do not usually follow the common rules of English phonics, and so most schools expect students to learn these extremely frequent words by rote memorization.
This “whole word” visual memorization method (e.g. flash cards) puts dyslexic students at a disadvantage and is not an effective method even for most non-dyslexic student. The latest Science of Reading research demonstrates that using our brain’s orthographic mapping process is the most effective method to teach spelling, even for words usually associated with “irregular” spelling for all learners.
Here are some excellent videos that explain the “How ” and the “Why” of employing orthographic mapping for teaching high-frequency words. Structured Linguistic Literacy approaches (EBLI, Reading Simplified, and other “Speech-to-Print” instructional methods) incorporate orthographic mapping methods for teaching all words, including “high frequency” words.
Assistive Technology for Dyslexic Students
We are fortunate to be living in this time with access to assistive technologies that can help dyslexic students with reading and writing. These include software and apps designed for:
- Speech-to-Text (dictating to a microphone and having the text appear on a word processing page – instead of handwriting essays, book reports, e-mails, and other assignments, students can dictate and demonstrate their knowledge verbally, which is a dyslexic strength) – here is a how-to-video for Speech-to-Text on a mobile device (writing accommodation);
- Text-to-Speech (having the computer simulated voice read text on the screen aloud, “ear reading”)- here is a how-to-video for Text-to-Speech on a mobile device (reading accommodation);
- Listening to audio books instead of reading text books (“ear-reading”);
- NaturalReader Google Chrome extension (text-to-speech)
- Taking a photo of the blackboard/whiteboard lecture notes with a smartphone camera, instead of copying the notes by hand; and
- Saving an audio recording of the class lecture with a smart phone, instead of handwriting notes.
An app called Speechify was developed by Cliff Weitzman, a non-native english speaker, who is dyslexic and taught himself English in grade school by listening to the ‘Harry Potter’ series multiple times. Another example of brilliant entrepreneurship by a dyslexic thinker, finding solutions and opportunities to help others.
“In SPEECHIFY – TEXT TO AUDIOBOOK users upload content into the app from websites, internet images, documents, or photos of worksheets. Once the content is uploaded into the app, the text is read out loud. Words are highlighted so that users can follow along at the same time. It’s easy to change between different voices, like American male, American female, British male, British female, Australian, or a child. Sliding the dot at the bottom of the page easily adjusts the speed of the words spoken, from 100 up to 780 words per minute. You can organize the content you upload into different collections. -commonsensemedia.org
The Understood.org website has a wealth of information to help you get started finding the right Assistive Tech tools for your student – including a handy comparison guide for cost and features of each software/app:
- software and apps to help dyslexic students with writing
- free online tools
- tools that are built-in to mobile devices
- low-tech, visual, graphic organizers for writing
What is Mind Mapping and how can a graphic organizer app/software help with Dyslexic students with writing?
“Writing an essay, which involves multiple steps from brainstorming to outlining to drafting, can be difficult for students with dyslexia.
Graphic organizing software can be used to make the process easier and more efficient. Students can utilize dictation or word prediction technology to brainstorm ideas, and then drag and drop those ideas to organize them visually in categories.
Several graphic organizing programs will then automatically convert the visual diagram to a formal outline.
Finally, the outlined ideas can be expanded into complete sentences, again using dictation or word prediction, before being exported to a word processor for drafting in paragraph form. In that manner, the writing process is made more efficient, as each step builds upon the previous one and work does not need to be repeated.” -Jamie Martin, Electronic Graphic Organizers Benefit Students with Dyslexia
Resources for Mind Mapping and Graphic Organizers:
Popplet – web app for mind mapping (youtube how-to video here)
“The Writing Revolution” sentence, paragraph, and essay printable Graphic Organizers
Great selection of Printable Graphic Organizers from Cult of Pedagogy
All of the above assistive technologies can be included in your student’s 504 Plan or IEP as accommodations.
Dyslexia, ADHD, and Executive Functioning
What’s Executive Function—and Why Does it Matter?
“The skills that comprise executive function are better predictors of success than test scores, IQ, or socioeconomic stats.” – Edutopia.org
Do you ever wonder why your child has such a messy backpack, or desk, or why they keep losing that important paper or homework assignment? Wonder no more. I have just recently discovered an amazing Executive Function (EF) coach (by listening to a Dyslexia Quest podcast) and have literally implemented his tools within the first day of watching his videos with my family. I highly recommend signing up for Seth Perler’s blog and receiving his free toolkit videos and exploring the resources on his website.
I feel EF is the missing piece to helping our kids succeed in school and life (after getting them the right tutoring for reading and math, of course). Seth breaks it all down into manageable, useful, easy-to-understand steps and systems and has the compassion and first-hand understanding to relate to dyslexic, right-brained, and ADHD students.
Often, dyslexia and ADD/ADHD go hand-in-hand, and our children and students need additional understanding and support in their learning environments. Susan Barton has an informative, short video to help parents identify the differences: “ADD, Dyslexia, or Both?“
Tips and Resources for parents and teachers working with ADHD students can be found in this article by The Cult of Pedagogy: 8 Principles for Supporting Students with ADHD.
Susan Barton Video Chats
Another excellent and free resource for parents are Susan Barton’s video chats – I learn more in each 10 minute video on specific topics from her years of experience working with dyslexic children and adults than I could hope to learn in several years of attempting to navigate the educational legal systems and dyslexia research on my own.
The Dyslexia Quest Podcast
The Dyslexia Quest podcast has a wealth of information and interviews with experts on a wide range of topics to support parents of dyslexic children and is created by a dyslexic, Elisheva Schwartz. If you are looking for information about how to prepare for an IEP meeting, how to read an assessment, how to help reduce stress and anxiety for your dyslexic child, or learn about the latest research and methods being used by educators, you can find meaningful and instructive conversations here.
Decoding Dyslexia: connect locally on social media
If you are looking for a tutor in your area or a recommendation for a legal advocate to help you navigate the IEP process, or want to get involved in movements to change policy and laws concerning education and dyslexia, joining your local chapter of Decoding Dyslexia on Facebook is an excellent way to connect with other dyslexic families in your area and share resources and advice.
Success Story: Excerpt from an interview with Max Brooks, best-selling author who is also dyslexic
In 2015, Terry Gross from NPR’s ‘Fresh Air’ interviewed Max Brooks, son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, and I find it fascinating to hear how little has changed in 30 years of education when it comes to dyslexic students – many teachers are still untrained in recognizing or teaching for dyslexia and often shame dyslexic students in class, and parents are still required to do the research and make the accommodations happen.
I also find it inspiring to hear how much of a positive impact having a parent advocate can help dyslexic students nurture their strengths and fulfill their potential. When I feel exhausted or overwhelmed advocating and accommodating for my kids, I remember this interview and find some relief knowing that I’m not alone, and even a famous, wealthy, talented Hollywood actress had to do this and more for her child – even with access to the best private schools – and it made a meaningful difference in her child’s life. Dyslexia is a genetic difference in 20% of the world population – it is not bound by race, religion, income, or geography. It affects people from all countries and all walks of life.
MAX BROOKS: But then, as far as you said, “The Miracle Worker” – well, she [Anne Bancroft] was my miracle worker because…
TERRY GROSS: In what respect?
MAX BROOKS: Well, because I had dyslexia. And dyslexia, in the late 70s, 1980s, was unheard of. Dyslexia was – they didn’t even call it a disability back then. It was just laziness, goofing off. You’re not trying hard enough. You can do it, but you don’t want to do it. That was a big one of one of my teachers. And my mother, one of the greatest, most successful actresses of her day, gave up her career, put her career on the shelf to raise me, and to be my educational advocate, and to teach herself about dyslexia, and to come up with coping mechanisms, and to meet with my teachers every year and make sure that they understood what I was going through, and find ways I could learn in a nontraditional format.
She took, every year, all of my schoolbooks that I had to read to the institute for the blind and had them all read onto audiocassette so I could listen to my reading list. And if I hadn’t been able to do that, I wouldn’t have graduated high school. I can literally say that not only did my mother give me my life, she saved my life.
TERRY GROSS: Did you know that she was giving up acting for years in order to take care of you and to help you through the dyslexia?
MAX BROOKS: You know, I did. But I really don’t think you appreciate a parent’s effort until you become one yourself. I really do think there is a true psychological line between understanding something and getting it. You know, for example, I study war. I literally work at a think tank at West Point studying war. But I ain’t never been in it, so I don’t get it. I understand it on an intellectual level. But on a deep, visceral level, I don’t get it.
And I understood, on an intellectual level, all my mother was doing and all she was giving up to make sure that I could fly. But it wasn’t until I had a kid that I really felt, deep in my bone marrow, what she had done. That was when I got it.
TERRY GROSS: So the dyslexia made it hard for you to read. How do you write with the dyslexia? Does it affect it?
MAX BROOKS: You can thank my mom because I had the worst handwriting ever. And I remember one teacher tried to shame me in class and say, hey, everyone, look at the weird way Max holds his pencil. Gee, thanks, expensive private school. And so my mother, while she was busy fighting with my teachers to tell them that I wasn’t just goofing off because I was some celebrity kid, she was also trying to find how technology could help me.
And so in eighth grade, she forced me to take a typing class. And I hated it. It was an elective. I said, Mom, I want to go home. I want to watch cartoons. I want to read comic books. I don’t want to take a typing class. And she said, absolutely not. Technology, computers – computers are the way of the future. You’re going to be a writer. This is a writer’s tool. You are going to learn how to type so you can be a writer, so you will never have to dictate, so you will never have to be dependent on anyone else. This tool called the computer will make you independent. And that’s exactly what happened.
TERRY GROSS: How did she know you were going to be a writer?
MAX BROOKS: I was 12 years old, and we were on vacation in Venice, Italy. And I snuck away into the back of our changing cabana on the beach for three days, and I wrote a short story. And for a kid who, you know, who was ADD, ADHD, dyslexic, living with the head in the clouds, it was the first time in my whole life that I was 100 percent focused for three consistent days. And that’s when my mom knew, OK, he’s on to something.
TERRY GROSS: If you’re just joining us, my guest is Max Brooks. He’s the author of the new book “Minecraft: The Island,” which is a novelization of the videogame “Minecraft.” He’s also the author of the bestselling zombie books “The Zombie Survival Guide” and “World War Z.” We’re going to take a short break and be right back. This is FRESH AIR.
source: https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=543614192
