Dyslexic Students Research Articles

Cognitive skills and literacy performance of Chinese adolescents with and without dyslexia

The present study sought to identify cognitive abilities that might distinguish Hong Kong Chinese adolescents with dyslexia and to assess how these abilities were associated with Chinese word reading, word dictation, and reading comprehension. The cognitive skills of interest were morphological awareness, visual-orthographic knowledge, rapid naming, and verbal working memory. A total of 90 junior secondary school students, 30 dyslexic, 30 chronological age controls, and 30 reading level controls was tested on a range of cognitive and literacy tasks. Dyslexic students were less competent than the control students in all cognitive and literacy measures. The regression analyses also showed that verbal working memory, rapid naming, morphological awareness, and visual-orthographic knowledge were significantly associated with literacy performance. Findings underscore the importance of these cognitive skills for Chinese literacy acquisition. Overall, this study highlights the persistent difficulties of Chinese dyslexic adolescents who seem to have multiple causes for reading and spelling difficulties.

‘Who I work with is important’: dyslexic students' narratives about the benefits of grouping for instruction in Caribbean classrooms

This article utilises a multiple case study strategy to explore the narratives of Caribbean students with dyslexia on grouping for instruction. It presents a model on learner engagement which highlights students' cognitions about the social and cognitive aspects of learning and the processes that contribute to building knowledge and understanding. The qualitative research design combines multiple methods of data collection, mainly focus groups, in‐depth interviews, documentary evidence along with narrative observations to capture the experiences of students. This research also demonstrates that students are the most powerful resource available to teachers, and that engaging them in dialogue can facilitate the development of effective pedagogies for teaching.

Social-identity and self-efficacy concern for disability labels

IntroductionEducational policy in the UK has moved towards inclusion (Lindsay, 2003), resulting in debate over the use of disability labels (Lauchlan & Boyle, 2007). Labelling influences social–identity (Olney & Brockelman, 2003), this paper suggests ocial–identity influences self–efficacy and, therefore, academic performance (Zimmerman, 1996, 2001).AimsTo investigate if past performance of in–group members will influence students’ self–efficacy beliefs.MethodA convenience sample of 30 undergraduates was recruited, half of whom were dyslexic. Participants were split equally into three conditions and informed of either high–dyslexic or high nondyslexic performance or were kept naive of past performance. Scores for efficacy beliefs were taken and analysed for differences between conditions.ResultsFor dyslexic participants both the high–dyslexic and high non–dyslexic performance conditions resulted in significantly differing self–efficacy scores when compared to dyslexic participants in the control group. Scores also significantly differed for non–dyslexic participants in the high–dyslexic performance compared to non–dyslexic controls, for one self–efficacy scale, however, no significant differences were found between non–dyslexic’s in the control condition and those in the high non–dyslexic performance condition.ConclusionsWhile, dyslexic students showed predicted differences in efficacy scores relative to in–group member’s performance. For non–dyslexic students, a significant d fference was only found for those in the high–dyslexic performance condition. Therefore, results suggest that dyslexic students’ self–efficacy was influenced by social identity. For non–dyslexics this was not the case. The small number of participant’s percondition and the impact of stereotyping are suggested as mitigating predicted significant differences in selfefficacy scores for non–dyslexics. The effect of past dyslexic performance on dyslexic self–efficacy scores is described in relation to disability labels. Due to alternative theoretical explications for data trends found, and methodological limitations the study’s principal conclusion is the need to expand on findings demonstrated.

Our teachers and what we have learnt from them

In this contribution to the Widening Participation Special Issue of Psychology Teaching Review we consider our experiences in education as people who can’t spell using an auto-ethnographic methodology (Sparkes, 2007), specifically, evocative auto-ethnography (Anderson, 2006) and guided by a social constructionist approach to identity (Burr, 1995). We consider how we have become the people we are through the ways others have responded to the Dyslexic or Dyslexic type aspects of ourselves. We start with Paul ruminating about life in education as a terrible speller1. We then move on to explore Stella’s experiences as a Dyslexic student and on into the early days of her academic career. We finish conversationally by questioning each other about the significance of our experiences and their implications both for education and the social construction of identity. The overall aim of this article is to ask teachers who are intolerant of poor spellers to take a more supportive approach, mindful of the impact they can have. We also seek to support University students who suffer at the hands of their teachers and important others on account of their Dyslexic type symptoms. The students will know who they are as they will have been labelled so many times but we do worry that the teachers may not be able to identify themselves, such are the power relations inherent in the social construction of identity (Phoenix, 2007).

Teaching a Dyslexic Student: A Personal View how Critical Incident Analysis can be used as an Effective Pedagogical Tool in Undergraduate Biosciences

This paper examines the concept of critical incident analysis in respect of improving the pedagogical practices in teaching dyslexic undergraduate biosciences students. Critical incident analysis is a well established pedagogical theory (Tripp, 1993) that allows reflection of a seemingly typical incident; the ‘critical incident’, so that changes and improvements can be implemented in teaching practices. In particular, it offers the opportunity to reflect upon these incidents and adopt different strategies by using the paradigms as described by Tripp and colleagues and uses these to foster improvement in teaching practice. However, the implementation of paradigms adopted by critical incident analysis and its reflective description in analysing an incident is currently lacking in undergraduate Bioscience. In view of the importance of critical incident analysis, here I describe the content and reflective pedagogical approaches adopted by critical incident analysis and incorporate its key principles into improving the methods and perception of teaching a dyslexic undergraduate student.

Internalizing correlates of dyslexia

Over the last ten years a considerable amount of literature has described the socio-emotional discomfort that is often associated with learning disorders at all ages, but a comprehensive review about internalizing symptoms in dyslexia is needed. Medical and psychological search engines (PubMed, PsychArticles and Academic Search Elite) were used to identify all those studies published in peer-reviewed journals, relative to the association of reading difficulties, dyslexia, or learning disorders/disabilities, and internalizing symptoms, anxiety, or depression. The present review of studies confirms dyslexia as a specific risk factor for an increased internalizing, anxious and depressive symptomatology. The severity of dyslexia, its comorbidity with attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity disorder, the level of perceived social support and female gender are some of the factors that mostly influence its psycho-social outcomes. Findings of this review confirm that suitable social, health and school policies aimed at identifying and treating dyslexia as a cause of discomfort are called for, and confirm the clinical need to assess and contrast additional risk factors that may increase the probability of this suffering in dyslexic students.

Dyslexia, a deficit or a difference: Comparing the creativity and memory skills of dyslexic and nondyslexic students in Iran

Positive and negative aspects of dyslexia were explored within the Iranian context. Dyslexia can be considered either as a deficit or merely as a difference. In this study 26 dyslexic primary-school students in Tehran were matched with 26 nondyslexics. The Shirazi and Nilipur (2004) Diagnostic Reading Test was administered to identify any significant difference in reading ability between the two groups. Then the Torrance (1974; as cited in Alizadeh, 1994) Creativity Test (Form B, picture subtest) and the Cornoldi (1995; as cited in Kakavand, 2003) Test of Visual-Spatial and Verbal Memory were used. Nondyslexics outperformed dyslexics significantly in visual-verbal memory of words for concrete objects and abstract concepts and in audio-verbal memory of words for abstract concepts. Dyslexic students performed significantly better in visual and audio memory of concrete words compared to abstract concepts; their visual-spatial memory was better than their visual-semantic memory, and their pictorial memory was also better than their verbal memory. Dyslexic students scored higher than nondyslexics for original thinking and equally as high in overall creativity. These findings indicate that a change of attitude is needed toward dyslexics.

The effects of training of morphological structure on spelling derived words by dyslexic adolescents

This exploratory study aimed to determine the effects of explicit instruction about morphological structure on the spelling of derived words. A cross-sectional ability level-design was employed in order to determine differences in response to instruction between dyslexic students aged 13 + years and age-matched and spelling level matched control groups. The study was based on the word-pair paradigm (a base and derived word) and combined oral instruction with written materials. The intervention had a substantial impact in enhancing the spelling of derivations by the dyslexic adolescents. Their gains were appropriate for their spelling level, stable two months after the intervention, and generalized to untrained but analogous items in terms of structure and suffixation. Non-dyslexic younger participants matched in terms of spelling level also showed training and generalisation effects of the same size as their dyslexic counterparts, while the age-matched controls did not improve so much because of ceiling effects. It is proposed that morphological awareness constitutes a positive asset for dyslexic adolescents that can be used efficiently to counterbalance their severe phonological deficiencies.

Treating Dyslexic And Dyscalculic Students

Treating Dyslexic And Dyscalculic Students

Familial Patterns and Biological Markers of Dyslexia

Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disability. Though dyslexia is a major educational problem, studies on biological aspects of dyslexia are very limited in India. Here we report prevalence, inheritance patterns and biological markers of dyslexia in 179 selected families from South India. Families were ascertained through probands attending special schools for dyslexic students as well as from regular schools from Karnataka state, South India. Prevalence and types of inheritance patterns were recorded. A questionnaire concerning allergies, asthma, arthritis, migraine etc. was used to assess the prevalence of immune disorders. Occurrence of chicken pox, measles, mumps, delayed milestones, birth complications, motor coordination problems, short sight and left handedness, fatty acid deficiency signs were recorded in the dyslexic probands. Among school children, prevalence of dyslexia is found to be 9.87% and in the selected families the prevalence is 28.32%. Based on the affectedness, dyslexia phenotypes were classified as severe and mild deficits. Mild deficits were better compensated than the severe deficits. Among the selected families autosomal dominant mode of inheritance was found to be more prevalent. Consanguinity plays a major role in familial aggregation of dyslexia. Allergy, migraine, delayed milestones, low level of blood cholesterol and certain fatty acid deficiency signs were found to be associated with dyslexia. Since complex array of symptoms are associated with dyslexia an integrated research approach is needed for effective diagnosis and remediation of dyslexia.

Subgrouping of readers based on performance measures: a latent profile analysis

By using latent profile analysis eight stable and interpretable subgroups of readers were identified. The basis for subgrouping was different performance measures with four aspects of reading in focus: reading of continuous texts, reading of document texts, word reading and reading speed. Participants were 9-year-old Swedish students included in the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Reading Literacy Study in 1991 (n = 4,184) and in 2001 (n = 5,099). The eight subgroups were compared on different background variables, such as gender, language at home, and cultural and socioeconomic factors. It was concluded that latent profile analysis proved to be a feasible methodology. The even performance profiles of good and average readers imply that reading is a skill with a high degree of transfer and generality. Several subgroups of poor readers with more heterogeneous performance patterns could be identified. The three most stable subgroups proved to be comprised of high performers, poor comprehenders and dyslexic students.

Optimising Opportunities for Dyslexic Students during their Industrial Placement

Optimising Opportunities for Dyslexic Students during their Industrial Placement

Desempenho de escolares com dislexia do desenvolvimento em tarefas fonológicas e silábicas

OBJETIVO: caracterizar o desempenho em tarefas fonológicas e silábicas de escolares com dislexia do desenvolvimento e comparar estes achados com o desempenho de discentes com bom desempenho escolar. MÉTODOS: participaram do estudo 26 alunos de oito a 12 anos de idade, de ambos os sexos, de 2ª. a 4ª. séries do Ensino Fundamental municipal na cidade de Marilia-SP, divididas em GI: composto por 13 escolares com dislexia atendidos no Centro de Estudos da Educação e Saúde - CEES/UNESP e GII: composto por 13 alunos com bom desempenho acadêmico, pareados segundo sexo, idade e escolaridade com o GI. Como procedimento foi utilizada a Prova de Consciência Fonológica - Instrumento de Avaliação Seqüencial - CONFIAS. Os resultados foram analisados estatisticamente pelo Teste Mann-Whitney (comparação entre os grupos) e Teste dos Postos Sinalizados-Wilcoxon (comparação entre as variáveis). RESULTADOS: os resultados evidenciaram diferença estatisticamente significante, sugerindo melhor desempenho do GII em relação ao GI quanto às tarefas fonêmicas e silábicas. O GI apresentou diferença estatisticamente significativa nas tarefas silábicas e fonêmicas, com melhor desempenho nas primeiras. Entre os escolares do GII não houve grande diferença estatística entre tarefas silábicas, apenas entre tarefas fonêmicas. CONCLUSÃO: o estudo concluiu que escolares com dislexia do desenvolvimento apresentam dificuldades quanto à identificação de rima e produção de palavras com o som dado, apontando para um déficit em acessar os códigos e as representações fonológicas.

Theorising dyslexic student discussion/action groups in UK higher education: research in practice

This research in practice analyses the experience of operating discussion/action groups with dyslexic students in higher education in three British universities which reflects a shift from the practice of developing ‘support groups’ to a more developmental, proactive stance. It does so in the current UK legislative context which requires higher education institutions to involve disabled students in creating practices which promote equality. The students in these particular groups learned more about their own dyslexia and about dyslexia in general. They also learned about processes of institutional change and devised actual changes in systems and practices. They provided new descriptions about dyslexia in higher education which could be used within staff development processes. The significance of these developments can be recognised with the help of current theories about learning as a situated social activity, about academic literacies as social practice and about social models of disability.

Behind the lines and lines and lines: student studio solutions to projects that facilitate the exploration of visual and textual languages within fine arts practice

<disp-quote> Whatever helps learners with special needs can indeed be of help to all learners. (Race 2005: 159) </disp-quote> The work illustrated in this paper represents students who have responded to projects and studio workshops that address notions of reading, as opposed to looking at imagery and looking as opposed to reading texts. Active learning is viewed as a means of engaging with projects developed to facilitate enquiry into handling texts as artwork and artwork as text. I am not advocating any formula for working with dyslexic students or students defined within the above remit for Widening Participation. I do not claim any specialist experience about dyslexia, but I am attempting imaginative solutions to students' individual personal struggles in studying and practicing in the Arts. Using a Constructivist teaching model, whereby I hope to facilitate learning rather than to teach, and students are encouraged to respond to, and adapt projects which will inform the curriculum content of the subsequent student cohort. Docendo Disco: By teaching I learn (Grayling 2006: 226) is the philosophy that supports the ongoing development of work in this genre. Each academic year, student's responses to work using text inform the curriculum content for the following student cohort. Student evaluation and comment genuinely informs the developing curriculum in an effort to reflect what students perceive to be relevant and useful. Specific examples of student artwork, which challenge the perceived stigma of dyslexia, will be discussed. Encouraging students to use their primary personal understanding of the condition to confront it is central to the theme of dyslexia as personal experience. It is important to note that whilst I am aware of our dyslexic cohort and of Widening Participation agendas, curriculum development is for the benefit of all our students. The individual case studies presented are done so with the consent of all graduates of York St John University whose work is represented and with the understanding that their work frequently addresses individual experience of diversity or difference. The work will provide a forum for future discussion. Art can empower and enable students to confront and challenge their unique contribution to a University community. The results are often exciting and can stimulate reflection and discourse for curriculum development within Higher Education Faculties.

Study skills for dyslexic students

Chapter 1: Managing Your Workload Chapter 2: Understanding Your Preferred Learning Style Chapter 3: Note-Taking and Note-Making Chapter 4: Reading Strategies /Speed Reading Chapter 5: Answering Essay Questions Chapter 6: Structuring Different Writing Genres Chapter 7: Improving your Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Chapter 8: Improving Mathematics Skills and Using Statistic Chapter 9: Examination Techniques Chapter 10: Using Role Play Chapter 11: How ICT Can Help You

Creating Visible Children?

Creating Visible Children?

Dyslexia in Greek higher education: a study of incidence, policy and provision

Dyslexia is defined as a disability that primarily affects reading and writing. Internationally, the number of dyslexic students entering higher education is on the rise. It is estimated that students with dyslexia represent a small but significant minority. Many English‐speaking countries have developed support services and teaching practices to accommodate dyslexic students’ educational needs. In Greece, research on dyslexia is very limited. The purpose of this study is to define the incidence of dyslexia among the Greek student population and to examine dyslexic students’ age, gender and major field of study. Data were collected from a total of 406 departments at all Greek public institutions of higher education (n = 32). The existing practices for identifying and provisions for supporting dyslexic students were also examined. The incidence of dyslexia in Greek higher education was estimated to be 0.16%, which is far below the estimated incidence in the general population. Interesting results were yielded regarding the variability of higher education institutions’ responses to dyslexia. In almost all Greek institutions, provision takes place in the form of oral examinations and generic counseling. technological education institutions (TEIs) seem to be more aware of the educational needs of dyslexic students, possibly because they have three times more dyslexic students than higher education institutions (HEIs). All Greek universities deal with the needs of dyslexic students on an individual basis, making provision reactive rather than proactive. The results of the present study are discussed in the light of inclusive education and equality of opportunity for students who learn in a different way but do not differ from their counterparts in terms of intelligence or general abilities.

Paying attention to reading: The neurobiology of reading and dyslexia

Extraordinary progress in functional brain imaging, primarily advances in functional magnetic resonance imaging, now allows scientists to understand the neural systems serving reading and how these systems differ in dyslexic readers. Scientists now speak of the neural signature of dyslexia, a singular achievement that for the first time has made what was previously a hidden disability, now visible. Paralleling this achievement in understanding the neurobiology of dyslexia, progress in the identification and treatment of dyslexia now offers the hope of identifying children at risk for dyslexia at a very young age and providing evidence-based, effective interventions. Despite these advances, for many dyslexic readers, becoming a skilled, automatic reader remains elusive, in great part because though children with dyslexia can be taught to decode words, teaching children to read fluently and automatically represents the next frontier in research on dyslexia. We suggest that to break through this "fluency" barrier, investigators will need to reexamine the more than 20-year-old central dogma in reading research: the generation of the phonological code from print is modular, that is, automatic and not attention demanding, and not requiring any other cognitive process. Recent findings now present a competing view: other cognitive processes are involved in reading, particularly attentional mechanisms, and that disruption of these attentional mechanisms play a causal role in reading difficulties. Recognition of the role of attentional mechanisms in reading now offer potentially new strategies for interventions in dyslexia. In particular, the use of pharmacotherapeutic agents affecting attentional mechanisms not only may provide a window into the neurochemical mechanisms underlying dyslexia but also may offer a potential adjunct treatment for teaching dyslexic readers to read fluently and automatically. Preliminary studies suggest that agents traditionally used to treat disorders of attention, particularly attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, may prove to be an effective adjunct to improving reading in dyslexic students.

Environmental Education Programs and their Impact on Dyslexic and Non-dyslexic Primary School Students’ Knowledge of Environmental Problems

Environmental Education Programs and their Impact on Dyslexic and Non-dyslexic Primary School Students’ Knowledge of Environmental Problems