I just saw the date of my last post - January, 2008. Yikes! Its now October, 2008 - I would say, "Where does the time go?" but we all know exactly where it goes!
Have you ever participated in the NIFL listservs? Currently I subscribe to the one on learning disabilities (learningdisabilities@nifl.gov) and there was a fantastic discussion regarding dyslexia. Here's a snippet of the conversation defining dyslexia:
"People form a "representation" of a word when the sound of the word matches a visual symbol---in a non-impaired reader this happens on the left side of the brain in the temporal lobe, or more or less on the side of the head around the ear and going towards the back, where the visual images are stored in the occipital lobe. This is the most common form of dyslexia. The dyslexic reader has trouble identifying sounds to match the symbols, that is, the sounds themselves can be heard but not the differences between them--"b" and "d" for example. This is a partial description of dyslexia--one type, and I think the most common type."
Isn't that a great description?
I highly recommend watching these videos:
www.thinkbright.org/dyslexia/about/default.asp (this one is hosted by Bruce Jenner and gives excellent details about dyslexia and programs used to help learners master reading; its about 45 minutes)
www.knowledgenetwork.ca/dyslexia/base_loader.html (this site has brief snippets of information; be sure to watch the video with Dave Chalk [16 min.] - he was diagnosed with dyslexia at 40, quite an amazing story...)
Next week we'll look at some options for helping students with dyslexia (think Orton Gillingham).
In the mean time, feel free to comment on this post (or any post for that matter). Its important that we share our experiences and research to continually improve not only our own understanding but the information we share with our educators and students.
Have a great week!
mb
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