#LDchat Archive
Understood holds this weekly Twitter chat that aims to keep the momentum going and raise awareness of learning and attention issues. Follow along with hashtag #LDCHAT and follow users @understoodchats & @understoodorg. Experts will be available to answer your questions and concerns and share resources from Understood.org.
Wednesday September 14, 2016
Welcome to today’s LD Chat! This is Dan with the Understood team.
We’re excited to have , chief empowerment officer of Thinklexic, as our cohost!
We’re chatting about leveling the playing field for kids with .
Hey Jenn! How's the new school year treating you?
Hi John! So glad you're with us today!
Thanks for joining! We always love having you.
Hi Lisa! Looking forward to your insights on this topic today.
Hi Lisa, thanks for joining us!
Busy! Doing a lot with instructional coaching, tech, and blended learning right now!
Hi Tiffany! Great to have you!
We'll kick things off in a minute. We’ll use a Q1, Q2… format for questions. Please use the A1, A2… format for answers.
Hi Lisa! How's the weather in SoCal?
First question coming up...
Q1. What are some of the various obstacles that can hinder a student with ’s academic potential?
Hi! I'm Sherri from Texas.
Hi Sherri! So glad to have you!
A1 Most important is screening early for dyslexia in Kindergarten/ first grade.
A1. Learning to read using a multisensory method such as Orton-Gillian, Linda Bell etc.
A1 Low expectations. They might be denied access to advanced classes or foreign languages.
A1. Dyslexic students need concrete examples (physically doing something like breaking a stick into parts to teach fractions etc.)
A1: Ignorance of what dyslexia is, and how to work with it for both the school and the family.
A1. A concrete example is the way dyslexic students learn best. All lessons should begin this way.
Hello! This is Kimberly from MD
A1. Hinder? Such a long answer. No recognizing in preschool, k, 1st, or any other grade. @UnderstoodOrg
Good morning! Mostly listening in today on
Could B working memory and/or processing speed + not receiving instr. or accommodations that account 4 them.
A1. The emotional impact of frustration and confusion at school.
A1 not having a teacher that knows the signs of dyslexia or how to help a student if they see the signs.
https://t.co/OXK3EL6fmI
A1. Hinder? Such a long answer. No recognizing in preschool, k, 1st, or any other grade. @UnderstoodOrg
A1. Not seeing the trouble rhyming is big red flag in preschool and K.
No one should have low expectations of a dyslexic student. My daughter gets straight A's and has dyslexia/dysgraphia.
A1. Lack of proper intervention.
Great point, Tiffany! You'll like this resource we're about to share... :)
A1. Stating that "reversals" are normal beyond grade 1.5. RED FLAG. We had 5th grade teacher who said still normal.
Schools often use one reading program for all students, and it doesn't work for kids with reading disorders.
Q2. Why is it important for parents and teachers to find out what kids with are good at?
as opposed to language-based teaching methods, correct?
The inability to communicate in writing or testing the knowledge they have gained on a subject.
Finding out what they are good at helps in educational planning. My daughter learns best through song and dance.
Low expectations, ugh! So true. It happens with both teachers and parents. https://t.co/sWWXxwn6XZ
No one should have low expectations of a dyslexic student. My daughter gets straight A's and has dyslexia/dysgraphia.
Kids need 2 find their strength 2 boost their self-esteem There is plenty they struggle with. A2 https://t.co/JXeQKVom2w
Q2. Why is it important for parents and teachers to find out what kids with are good at?
Finding out what they are good at also helps with motivation to get through the stuff that is hard for them.
A2. Dyslexic kids just want to be good at something. They are tired of hearing all day what they are bad at.
A2. Show them what they are good at and It will change their life and their sense of identity.
A2 everyone needs to feel successful at something. If you can't find the successes you may crush the spirt & the love of learning
A2. It's important that their intellect is challenged!
A2. Motivation. When kids fail at academics, their self esteem plummets. Strengths brings it back up.
A2. My life completely changed when I found something to be good at (Ice Sculpting)
Well, I found that my daughter does her best reading in series. She loves to read about characters she knows and loves.
A2. You only have to be really good at one thing to live a happy and successful life. Find out what that one thing is for your kids.
That is so true! I feelthatit also made the difference for my son, who has dysgraphia.
Your sculptures are amazing! I loved watching you on Road Trip Nation!
Then the struggle is worth it to read about what happens to a friend.
A1: Not receiving sufficient reading support and teachers not understanding the impact of the diagnosis on learning.
A2: Could be useful to incorporate something they enjoy/associate w/success into something more challenging as a motivator.
A2: Because you must leverage strengths against needs, otherwise the child believes failure or struggle is their norm.
That is true, my daughter is an awesome gymnast and dancer. She really lives for performing. I make sure she does it each day.
A1
Low expectations
Text-heavy content
Fatigue of writing
Apathy from teachers/parents
Focus on test-scores https://t.co/G38998Q37x
Q1. What are some of the various obstacles that can hinder a student with ’s academic potential?
A2. Identifying and nurturing strengths can offset challenges. A protective armor.
A2: we need to support strengths while working on weaknesses to address the whole child and keep confidence
Important 4 all kids incl. those that R twice-exceptional! https://t.co/pEmWrJuo2D
A2. It's important that their intellect is challenged!
A2 It's important for every disability, so they can carve out a path for success.
I call it being a golden retriever parent--pursuing all of a child's interests until you find their passion
. Thanks Ginny! Just one example of using the creative dyslexic mind.
Support makes the biggest difference I think.
Here's an opportunity! Want to try this? etc.
Q3. What strategies and accommodations can decrease a child with ’s frustration and increase academic success?
Allow kids to read books that they are interested in (with supports), not just remedial material they find boring
My child gets support from her church, her family, her dance studio, her gym, her music studio, and doctors. It takes a village.
A3. Without a concrete example (where students are manipulating something to understand) dyslexic students will become frustrated.
As mentioned, multisensory teaching methods like make a huge difference.
A3: We as teachers need to do more that expect just reading and writing. We have tech and better practices at our fingertips.
A2 sometime they need a little support to be successful even w/the hard things like reading. can be support for success
Learning Ally and similar programs that read text aloud while a child follows along can help.
Q3 break down instr. into chunks, provide wait time, extra time 4 processing + 4 assignments. https://t.co/huYxBvO4Va
Q3. What strategies and accommodations can decrease a child with ’s frustration and increase academic success?
A3. My students thrived with - I also used to support learning. Great resources.
An A3 too https://t.co/nu8dbvZqKn
A2 sometime they need a little support to be successful even w/the hard things like reading. can be support for success
A3. Grade on content not spelling. Limit spelling words. Limit written homework. Audio books.
A3: Self-selected reading, multi-sensory approaches, extra time, 1:1 reading instruction, homework modifications...
Preteaching new concepts and vocabulary before they are introduced in the classroom can also help.
A3 If rote memorization is a problem, give them a broader context.
So what do you suggest for students with dyslexia/dysgraphia who don't really have great fine motor coordination or sensory skills?
A3 Teach rote spelling by explaining the linguistics and history of language.
A3. Getting a copy of teacher lecture notes. I don't understand why this is such a difficult task in practice!
A1. Reading skills and sight words. Reading comprehension and fluency. Student frustration and low self esteem.
My daughter is only in second grade, but her sensory processing is super low. On her most recent OT test she
A3 provide clear segmented instructions. Not too much at one time easy to overwhelm.
, There is assistive technology that may not need fine motor skills, such as Dragon
Q4. In what ways has technology become a “game changer” for kids with ? Which are your favorite tools?
Important that home and school strategies are mirror images of each other. Consistency critical.
A2
For
* engaging moments of learning
* parent-child bonding
* sense of achievement
* Exploring career paths https://t.co/WjOv8AtnEW
Q2. Why is it important for parents and teachers to find out what kids with are good at?
I really don't want to go down the tech route until I feel like I've tried everything to keep her at the same level as her peers.
Q4. Chromebooks at school, when ALL the students are using them, so stu doesn't feel "different".
A4: Google extensions, add-ons, and apps are providing access to academics at our school.
A2. Motivation. All students need something to motivate them.Doing something they love motivates them to try harder.
I use technology to level the playing field for all the things I'm bad at, spelling, writing and reading.
Q4. Technology can help bypass areas of challenge so students can focus on areas of strength
Like her most recent spelling test. She got all the words spelled properly, but on the left column she reversed all the words as if
Q4 Tech has allows kids 2type or use speech2text 4 writing. Also text2speech 2 listen 2their work 2 check it https://t.co/Qf5JdVznVo
Q4. In what ways has technology become a “game changer” for kids with ? Which are your favorite tools?
A4: Curriculum has gotten so much better at integrating accommodations into their online components for teachers and students to use
A4 the list of loves Google Voice Notability. All help students & adults succeed in struggled
Technology allow dyslexic to focus on what they are good at and live a much happier life!
A4 can provide that ability for a S to be more independent
A4. Use of smart phone to take photo of assignments on board.
What was the texting app you told me about at LA? That could also be useful for kids with dyslexia.
https://t.co/c8x5wUkxiU
A4 the list of loves Google Voice Notability. All help students & adults succeed in struggled
A4: currently heading to class of Ss w/ and to mentor on using their iPads to dictate and listen to their work
A4: I see video, text2speech2text, annotations, highlighting, fonts, spacing, colors, etc in online programs automatically included!
Any final thoughts before we wrap up today?
A4. AT support needs to start young and be integrative. As a HS stu he has rejected much tech unless peers use it.
Recommended this a lot as a SpEd teacher, I see service providers doing this as well!
