Dyslexia Observation

Dyslexia

Thomas, age 9

Thomas (one of my students), is a bright young man who loves to learn. He is always eager to learn new things so that he can go home and share the new information with his mother. His favorite activity is to play outside with his friends. He is also the most well mannered children in my class. For the last three months I have observed Thomas. I have noticed that Thomas’s grades are below average and do not seem to be picking up as the months go on. He is also starting to act out more in class and seems to be not paying attention as much as he used to. There are a few key items that I observed in the last three months that lead me to believe that Thomas is struggling from Dyslexia. One of the first signs I noticed was

This learning disability affects his reading comprehension, writing, spelling, and reading fluency. To be able to assist Thomas some of the ways I, his teacher, can help him is by giving him a quiet area for activities such as reading, answering reading comprehension questions and writing. This will allow him to have fewer distractions so that he can focus more on reading and comprehending the reading. Another way I can help Thomas is by using multi-sensory teaching methods. One way I can do that is asking the students to give examples from the text before they start their writing so that Thomas, and other students who might also be struggling answering the reading comprehension questions, might be able to answer the questions easier. Letting Thomas use a laptop in class also might help him take notes in class so that he can use his notes at home and on certain tests. This will allow him to take readable notes so that he can have an easier time when he is trying to study for a test. To help Thomas have more industry rather than inferiority, his mother and I can show him that it is okay to fail and we will help him get back on track then praise him for his accomplishments. Also I can inform the class that it is okay if you do not have the right answer and we do not tease our classmates if they are not correct or are struggling with a topic. I can make my classroom a more encouraging and welcoming environment for

This would allow him to have legible notes to use at home as well as in class use. With this support I believe his grades will start to go up because he will be able to use his notes on in class essays. Another way that I can help Liam is reducing the use of copying aspects such as copying from the board or taking notes from the book and instead give out pre-printed problems and key notes. This would be beneficial to all students, but would be most helpful for Liam because he then does not have to worry about copying down the notes and not being able to use them in the future. Another helpful tip that I have read is to suggest to Liam and his parents is for him to use a pencil grip and/or specially designed writing aids such as a Ring Pen Ultra Writing Aid or a Gripease Writing Aid. This kind of tool will help Liam hold his pencil properly and potentially write legibly. It would also be a great practice tool for him to use at home so that he is practicing his writing skills at home and school. Another way that I can assist Liam in his path to better education is by letting Liam turn in video-taped reports and or audio-taped reports rather than written assignments. This will allow him to still work just as hard as the other students to come up with what he wants to say and he also does not have to turn in illegible writing assignments that might embarrass him. Also, as the teacher I can help Liam feel