“Dyslexic students need a different approach to learning language from that employed in most classrooms. They need to be taught, slowly and thoroughly, the basic elements of their language-the sounds and the letters, which represent them-and how to put them together and take them apart. They have to have a lot of practice in having their writing hands, eyes, ears, and voices working together for the conscious organization and retention of their learning.”
Margaret Byrd Rawson- Former President of the International Dyslexia Association

What Students with Dyslexia Need

The good news is that an individual with dyslexia learns differently but can be taught to read, write, and spell, if they are taught using a scientifically based curriculum.

The National Reading Panel identified these five areas of instruction that are vital for all students learning to read.

• Phonemic Awareness of individual sounds in words and the ability to segment words into sounds and manipulate sounds in words.
• Phonics instruction teaches how letters correspond to sounds.
• Fluency or the speed, accuracy, and expression of oral reading
• Reading Comprehension or the interaction with and understanding of text
• Vocabulary or knowledge of word meaning and word-learning strategies

How Children with Dyslexia Must Be Taught

Instruction for children with dyslexia should be explicit, systematic and cumulative, structured, and multisensory:

• Reading, spelling, and writing skills/cursive must be directly taught
• Concepts must be introduced in a definite, logical sequence
• Step-by-step procedures are used to introduce, review, and practice concepts
• Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic tactile senses are engaged in the learning process simultaneously or in rapid succession-VAKT (Multisensory)