Specific Learning Difficulties: Dyslexia: Teacher's Guide [Paperback]

The author advocates that in order to help children with specific learning difficulties, support should be provided as early as possible. In this way weaknesses can be reduced or even eradicated before lack of motivation and loss of self-esteem compound the problems. There is a section on observation and assessment that demonstrates, by the use of two profiles, how to gain a comprehensive picture of strengths and weaknesses in order to meet individual learning needs. However, the guide also offers whole-class and whole-school strategies and policies for effective teaching of children with dyslexia. It suggests that, particularly in the early years, activities aimed at meeting the needs of children who are at risk of specific learning difficulties may be met by a games approach that will benefit the group as a whole.

The guide is also useful in that it does not concentrate solely on literacy but offers suggestions for help in various areas of the curriculum. The author explains that specific learning difficulties are likely to affect perception, working memory discrimination, motor coordination, sequencing, orientation, automaticity, and the ability to process phonological information. Therefore in addition to problems with literacy, progress in mathematics, physical education, environmental studies, modern languages and the creative arts may also be affected....

Advice on improving skills to support the curriculum is also included. The author describes how restricted ability to use short-term memory is a "reasonably consistent factor" in the difficulties faced by children with dyslexia. There is also a short but interesting section on learning styles that has implications for the National Curriculum and children with specific difficulties. It explains how a dyslexic child may have a "holistic or global style of learning which does not easily adapt to the sequential, analytic way in which teaching is often structured."

The importance of teaching Information Technology to children with specific learning difficulties is explained. As well as word processors and electronic communications, the value of spoken output programs and voice recognition systems, Concept Keyboards and drawing packages is also explored. Thinking skills, motivation including activities such as Circle Time and a counselling approach are also discussed.

The emotional impact of having specific learning difficulties is also addressed and the author stresses the importance of finding compensatory factors for the damage done by "exposing individual areas of weakness." She also emphasises the need to acknowledge any non-academic skills for which the child may have a particular talent.
The appendices give details of a wide variety of assessment materials and teaching resources for many areas of the curriculum. Overall, I found it a very useful and practical guide and would recommend it to a class- teacher who was unsure about how to help a child suspected of having specific learning difficulties. Read more ›