The Devil's in the Details
This past week I found myself having a conversation I've never had before. After I had the conversation I thought it odd that I had never had it before. Then I was thankful I had never had it before because it was exhausting. Then I thought I should write it down so if I had to have it again I wouldn't have to. Make sense? No? Let me explain.
Since I discovered my youngest girl has dyslexia (you can read about that here) I've been fighting a bit of a battle. A battle not only teaching her to read but also a battle with those who haven't been completely convinced that dyslexia is a real thing. I'll admit, my struggle has been light. Most of those who surround me are very supportive and understanding and for that I am thankful.
Last year I read a book that allowed me to see inside the mind of a person with dyslexia. The Gift of Dyslexia gave me a clear picture of what, or rather how my girl thinks. I read it aloud to her and she told me certainly and firmly that the man who wrote the book (a dyslexic himself) knew her struggle. I have done much research and spent many hours figuring out the method of teaching that works for her. I am happy to say, she can read. Not quickly, not perfectly, but she is officially literate.
So, it was asked of me this past week what it was like to teach her to read. I had never been asked that before so when I launched into the explanation I didn't fully realize how long it would take. I know for sure and certain that not all who are affected by dyslexia are not the same so my account may not match everyone's experience but for those who are interested, this is it:
My girl only ever thought in pictures, not words. Letters were arbitrary and not connected to anything she recognized. As I mentioned in my earlier post, at 5 years old she had trouble singing the alphabet song so that was the first thing we worked on mastering. It. Took. Forever. But she finally got it!
Then I had to introduce the concept that the little song had a string of shapes to go along with it and they were called letters. We laid our alphabet strip out on the floor and sang the song over and over while we pointed at each corresponding picture. It took a while and I thought she had it until I laid the cards down disordered and asked her to find the letters as she sang. It only resulted in tears.
After what seemed a long while, she finally got it. Then I had to teach her that all those shapes were only the capital letters, that each of those shapes had a corresponding lowercase "partner". When she somewhat understood that concept I now had to teach her that each of those not only had names and two different shapes, they also had sounds and not necessarily just one sound. I became very familiar with the "blank stare".
After we got through this part I then had to explain that when different groups of this shapes were put together they could make different sounds and not necessarily the sounds that she had already learned. We weaved through the maze of consonant blends and diagraphs, vowel rules, and rule breakers, soft and hard sounds, and the most confusing of all: the silent letters. Amongst all this she had to learn to write all of these crazy things down. b's and d's, p's and q's, balls and sticks, sticks and balls, to her, a jumbled blur.
For most reading this, it seems unremarkable. One may not have thought of learning to read in such detail but would think, "Of course, that's how everyone learns to read. Everyone must decipher exactly the same codes." But the detail IS the difference. A dyslexic must think of it in that much detail because it takes that much concentration and effort to learn to read....and time. Many will accomplish all of these tasks almost simultaneously with ease by the age of 5 or 6. My girl will be 11 in September.
When I began teaching I asked my mother what it was like when I learned to read. I was in public school at that time so she said she honestly didn't know but it was like I went to school one day and could read the next, like it took very little effort. She recounted the same experience for herself. As I described to her what I just described in this post, she was overwhelmed at the detail. In her words, "I know all of that, but I've never had to THINK about it." She hit the proverbial nail on the head.
All of this can be distressing and daunting for both the student and teacher but not uncommon. In all my reading and research I have found so many encouraging and uplifting stories. One of a U.S. Supreme Court Judge who graduated from law school and passed the Bar by having her husband help her read and write her school assignments. An accomplished dyslexic author who started writing with the help of his mother before the "talk to text" computer feature came out in our blessed generation and so many more!
I would encourage those who still have a difficult time understanding dyslexia or even questioning if it is a real thing to watch this short video explaining it. Understanding makes all the difference.
http://dyslexic-kids.tumblr.com/post/123362144362/neuromorphogenesis-what-is-dyslexia-was-that
Since I discovered my youngest girl has dyslexia (you can read about that here) I've been fighting a bit of a battle. A battle not only teaching her to read but also a battle with those who haven't been completely convinced that dyslexia is a real thing. I'll admit, my struggle has been light. Most of those who surround me are very supportive and understanding and for that I am thankful.
Last year I read a book that allowed me to see inside the mind of a person with dyslexia. The Gift of Dyslexia gave me a clear picture of what, or rather how my girl thinks. I read it aloud to her and she told me certainly and firmly that the man who wrote the book (a dyslexic himself) knew her struggle. I have done much research and spent many hours figuring out the method of teaching that works for her. I am happy to say, she can read. Not quickly, not perfectly, but she is officially literate.
So, it was asked of me this past week what it was like to teach her to read. I had never been asked that before so when I launched into the explanation I didn't fully realize how long it would take. I know for sure and certain that not all who are affected by dyslexia are not the same so my account may not match everyone's experience but for those who are interested, this is it:
My girl only ever thought in pictures, not words. Letters were arbitrary and not connected to anything she recognized. As I mentioned in my earlier post, at 5 years old she had trouble singing the alphabet song so that was the first thing we worked on mastering. It. Took. Forever. But she finally got it!
Then I had to introduce the concept that the little song had a string of shapes to go along with it and they were called letters. We laid our alphabet strip out on the floor and sang the song over and over while we pointed at each corresponding picture. It took a while and I thought she had it until I laid the cards down disordered and asked her to find the letters as she sang. It only resulted in tears.
After what seemed a long while, she finally got it. Then I had to teach her that all those shapes were only the capital letters, that each of those shapes had a corresponding lowercase "partner". When she somewhat understood that concept I now had to teach her that each of those not only had names and two different shapes, they also had sounds and not necessarily just one sound. I became very familiar with the "blank stare".
After we got through this part I then had to explain that when different groups of this shapes were put together they could make different sounds and not necessarily the sounds that she had already learned. We weaved through the maze of consonant blends and diagraphs, vowel rules, and rule breakers, soft and hard sounds, and the most confusing of all: the silent letters. Amongst all this she had to learn to write all of these crazy things down. b's and d's, p's and q's, balls and sticks, sticks and balls, to her, a jumbled blur.
For most reading this, it seems unremarkable. One may not have thought of learning to read in such detail but would think, "Of course, that's how everyone learns to read. Everyone must decipher exactly the same codes." But the detail IS the difference. A dyslexic must think of it in that much detail because it takes that much concentration and effort to learn to read....and time. Many will accomplish all of these tasks almost simultaneously with ease by the age of 5 or 6. My girl will be 11 in September.
When I began teaching I asked my mother what it was like when I learned to read. I was in public school at that time so she said she honestly didn't know but it was like I went to school one day and could read the next, like it took very little effort. She recounted the same experience for herself. As I described to her what I just described in this post, she was overwhelmed at the detail. In her words, "I know all of that, but I've never had to THINK about it." She hit the proverbial nail on the head.
All of this can be distressing and daunting for both the student and teacher but not uncommon. In all my reading and research I have found so many encouraging and uplifting stories. One of a U.S. Supreme Court Judge who graduated from law school and passed the Bar by having her husband help her read and write her school assignments. An accomplished dyslexic author who started writing with the help of his mother before the "talk to text" computer feature came out in our blessed generation and so many more!
I would encourage those who still have a difficult time understanding dyslexia or even questioning if it is a real thing to watch this short video explaining it. Understanding makes all the difference.
http://dyslexic-kids.tumblr.com/post/123362144362/neuromorphogenesis-what-is-dyslexia-was-that
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