Dyslexic students often struggle with reading. Find out how dedicated reading programs for dyslexia can help!
Dyslexia influences between 5% and 15% of the population, impacting millions of students of all ages. When students have dyslexia, it can impact their ability to learn how to read and may even influence how they manage reading in the future without the proper support and help. Dyslexic students can benefit from reading programs for dyslexia that are tailored to meet their needs. In this post, we will focus on what these programs are and how you can find one for your child or student.
What Are Reading Programs for Dyslexia?
Reading programs for dyslexia are tailored reading programs that are designed to offer support for students with dyslexia. In these programs, students will work on building essential literacy skills, so they are more prepared for increasing levels of difficulty. Over time, reading programs for dyslexia can give a student the ability to feel more confident as they navigate written and oral languages.
The National Reading Panel (NRP) Report identified the most important components needed in a reading program:
1. Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic awareness is recognizing that words are composed of individual sounds that can be blended together for reading and pulled apart or segmented for spelling.
2. Phonics
Phonics is a method of teaching students how to connect the graphemes (letters) with the phonemes (sounds) and how to use this letter/sound relationship to read and spell words.
3. Fluency
Reading fluency is reading text with sufficient speed and accuracy to support comprehension. The practice of developing fluency in children includes reading accuracy, reading rate, and reading expression.
4. Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the understanding of individual word meanings in a text and the key to understanding more about everything.
5. Comprehension
Comprehension is the understanding of connected text and is the ultimate goal of reading. Once a child can read fluently with a strong vocabulary, they can read for comprehension.
Why Are These Programs Important?
Learning to read is one of the first skills we teach students in school, but it isn’t easy for everyone. A surprising number of students are known to struggle with reading, but the reason behind those struggles may be even more surprising. More than 70% of people who struggle with poor reading skills are believed to be dyslexic in some capacity. Reading programs for dyslexia can help students to overcome their challenges and establish a better relationship with reading. Let’s explore some of the key benefits that come with these programs.
1. Establishing Core Skills
Having a strong base for any common skill is essential for success, and reading is a skill that can influence academic performance in every type of coursework. With reading programs for dyslexic students, educators can ensure that students maintain a solid mastery of these essential core skills.
2. Building Confidence
Struggling with reading can have a negative impact on a student’s confidence. Children who struggle with reading also often struggle with low self-esteem. It is very difficult for a child to struggle to grasp something, especially when others in their class clearly do. Since reading programs tailored for dyslexia help dyslexic students to build these foundational skills, they can also have a strong influence on their confidence. As the student learns and builds these essential skills, they will feel less intimidated by other coursework.
3. Setting Up Future Success
Successfully reading a book can be a great first step for students with dyslexia, but this is just the start. When effective, these programs can set children up for future success. Helping them to gain strong literacy skills can empower them to understand textbooks better, take better notes, and even focus more effectively on tests.
Choosing Reading Programs for Students with Dyslexia
There are plenty of exceptional reading programs available, but not all of them are made for every student. In order to give your student or child the best chance of enhancing their literacy skills, it is important to find them a program that will help them to be successful. Although dyslexia is the most common language learning disability, only about 5% of people receive a diagnosis and the support they need. Programs like this can help. Looking out for these key considerations can help you to choose a program that will support your student in the long run.
1. Choose Programs That Support Dyslexic Students
The first consideration when searching for reading programs for a student with dyslexia is to make sure that the program you choose has support for dyslexic students. Dyslexic readers are unique, and they can often benefit from different approaches than other students who are struggling in different ways. Programs that are based on the Science of Reading, Structured Literacy, and Orton-Gillingham will contain the important reading skills that dyslexic students need.
The Science of Reading
The Science of Reading is a term that refers to research that has been conducted over the past twenty years by leading reading experts, cognitive scientists, and reading researchers on how we learn to read. Students with dyslexia will need a reading program that is aligned with the science of reading.
Structured Literacy
Structured Literacy is an approach that is recommended for students with dyslexia and specific learning disabilities because it is well supported by research and is an evidence-based method.
Orton-Gillingham
Orton-Gillingham is a structured literacy approach used to teach students with dyslexia. The principles of the Orton-Gillingham method include:
- Structured
- Sequential
- Cumulative
- Repetitive
Systematic Phonics
Systematic phonics is the method of teaching students how to connect the graphemes (letters) with the phonemes (sounds) using a clear and well-thought-out scope and sequence. This includes:
- Consonant and short vowel sounds
- Digraphs and blends
- Long vowels and other vowel patterns
- Syllable patterns
- Affixes
Finding a program that is tailored to dyslexic students will ensure that they have the right tools and support. 1 out of every 6 struggling third-grade readers ends up dropping out of high school, which shows us just how important it is to give kids the right level of support early on. Help your student to be successful by pairing them with a program that understands their unique needs.
2. Keep an Eye Out for Certified Reading Specialists
Giving your child or student the very best support will have a direct influence on their future success. One great way to ensure that a dyslexic student will be successful is to pair them with a Certified Reading Specialist that knows the ins and outs of literacy. Everybody is different, and it helps to have someone who knows as much as possible in order to give your child or student every available resource and tool. These experts are partners in reader success. The instruction that a reading specialist, teacher, or tutor provides a student with dyslexia includes systematic, explicit, multisensory, and diagnostic instruction. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) refers to this as Structured Literacy instruction.
Systematic Instruction
A carefully planned sequence for instruction that is carefully thought out, strategic, and designed before activities and lessons are developed. Lessons are built on previously taught information, from simple to complex, with clear, concise student objectives that are driven by ongoing assessment. Instruction across all five components of reading is integrated and decoding skills are practiced in words, sentences, and passages working toward fluency. Vocabulary and comprehension instruction are integrated into each lesson.
Explicit or Direct Instruction
Explicit instruction includes modeling, guided practice, and independent practice of the skill being taught. In other words – I do, we do, you do. The student is provided with a lot of practice opportunities in both reading and spelling words with the target concept so that feedback and reinforcement can be delivered.
Multisensory Instruction
The use of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways simultaneously to enhance memory and learning of written language is what is known as multisensory instruction. Links are consistently made between the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways in learning to read and spell. For example, when a student is shown the letter card b, the student says the letter b, then the keyword balloon, then the sound /b/ while writing a b in the air or while tracing the letter b on a bumpy surface.
Diagnostic Teaching
The instruction is based on careful and continuous assessment, both informally (for example, observation) and formally (for example, with standardized measures). The content presented must be mastered to the degree of automaticity. Automaticity is critical to freeing all the student’s attention and cognitive resources for comprehension and expression.
3. Look for Custom Courses
Everyone learns differently, and standard approaches generally are not what works best for struggling readers. Students with dyslexia don’t just need someone who understands how dyslexia influences learning–they need someone who understands them. Programs that offer tailored approaches to literacy learning help students to learn on their own terms, not someone else’s. With custom courses that can be adapted as needed, your student can learn in a way that is comfortable for them and will be less frustrating, all while offering better results.
4. Find Tutors and Support Systems
A reading program can really help students to learn how to read more effectively, but for students with dyslexia, additional resources are essential. Choosing a program that offers dedicated tutors and additional resources outside of the program can also have a huge impact. As students continue to practice, they will feel supported the entire way. It is a great way to balance learning, practice, and progress.
5. Pick a Program That Works with Your Student’s Schooling
The way your child or student attends school can also influence which reading programs will be right for them. The best programs will align with the learning style that your child is used to. This means offering support for traditional schooling or homeschooling, depending on the approach your student is used to. With this freedom, students can maintain their usual approach to education and feel more comfortable while they learn.
The Takeaway
Children with dyslexia are bright, imaginative, and creative individuals who deserve to learn in an environment that supports their needs. With reading programs for dyslexia, students can receive dedicated literacy support and education to help them to find success in reading. Additional assistance helps students with dyslexia to navigate their education and future workplaces. The best part? It can allow them to foster a love of reading too!
Thank you so much for reading this information today! If you enjoyed this article on reading programs for dyslexia, you might also enjoy reading my previous articles:
How Children Learn to Read: A Guide for Parents and Teachers
What is the Science of Reading: What All Teachers Should Know
To learn more about effective reading programs for dyslexia, visit us at Pride Reading Program today! This Orton-Gillingham, structured literacy curriculum is aligned with the science of reading, and used by teachers and parents, worldwide with great success!
