Dyslexia writing program

The use of these strategies compensates for the primary difficulties students with dyslexia face e. Practitioners are encouraged to employ these strategies with a focus on the intersection of oral language and written expression, to emphasize language components of writing and executive function skills simultaneously.

We include sentence combining under executive function rather than transcription skills, because the goal of instruction is to help students plan and organize ideas at the sentence level. Sentence combining is a general intervention that involves providing students with two or more simple sentences called kernel sentences and teaching them to combine those kernel sentences into a single, more complex sentence, while keeping the original ideas intact.

The following example illustrates how sentence combining exercise works:. As shown in the example, providing the kernel sentences for students reduces the cognitive load during sentence writing instruction by a eliminating the need for students to generate ideas for the sentences, b providing content and vocabulary for students, and c providing students with the spelling of complex and not so complex words.

This allows the students to think about how the ideas are related and develop plans and goals for writing better sentences, improving executive function skills, text generation, and writing quality. Moreover, sentence combining exercises can be utilized in a myriad of ways to focus on particular language skills and make connections between oral language and writing. The focus of the previous example was adjective use, but sentence combining exercises can be used to teach a variety of grammatical structures, including compound sentences with connectors, compound subjects, compound predicate phrases, prepositional phrases, dependent clauses with because, and adverb clauses, to name a few.

A nonexhaustive set of example exercises are included in Figure 7. A nonexhaustive set of example exercises to illustrate how sentence combining can be used to teach and facilitate higher order language use in students' writing. As students gain more experience and facility with sentence combining exercises composed of two or three kernel sentences, practitioners can use more complex exercises to help children develop more complex language skills related to writing.

Exercises with five or more kernel sentences can be used to facilitate the use of complex elements that can be combined in multiple ways. Several sentence combining exercises might be grouped to help students connect ideas across sentences or in paragraphs. Practitioners can also develop de-combining exercises that require children to break more complex sentences into simpler ideas units.

These kinds of exercises can help students develop flexibility in their language use when writing. See Figure 8 for examples of more complex sentence combining activities. Examples of complex sentence combining exercises that can be used to teach sophisticated language use in writing within and across sentences. For Jordan and other students with dyslexia, these exercises are critical for improving writing skills.

Jordan's writing included attempts at combining multiple ideas within a single sentence but included sentence level grammar errors that show a lack of sophistication in using dependent clauses. It may be that students with dyslexia either lack skills for complex sentence writing or have difficulty utilizing these skills when they write.

Either way, this deficit is likely due to difficulties with transcription skills associated with demands on working memory during writing.

Sentence combining instruction is an effective approach for remediating sentence construction of students with dyslexia because it reduces the demands transcription skills have on working memory. In turn, as students with dyslexia improve their sentence construction skills, it frees up cognitive resources that can be devoted to other executive functions and transcription. Teachers can implement sentence combining intervention at a low cost, as they can create their own sentences using content and skills from class.

A valuable resource for teachers looking who would like to learn to more about sentence combining is the Teacher's Guide to Effective Sentence Writing What Works for Special Needs Learners , written by Bruce Saddler One of the most effective approaches to improving the writing skills of students with writing difficulties is self-regulated strategy development SRSD.

It has been shown to be effective for students with reading and writing disabilities across the full range of grade levels. Students who have dyslexia may especially benefit from SRSD, as they often have fewer opportunities to learn how to use executive functions targeted by the intervention, including self-regulation skills, goal setting, self-speech, and self-monitoring.

These self-regulation strategies are often paired with planning, organization, and revision strategies specific to writing and are taught in six stages: a develop background knowledge, b discuss it, c model it, d memorize it, e support it, and f independent performance.

Some features of SRSD help to simultaneously improve and reduce the demands of executive function skills, by sequencing them in a way that chunks the writing task and makes it manageable for the writer. This allows the writer to dedicate more working memory resources to text production. For example, many SRSD strategies include a mnemonic that helps remind students of important steps for completing the writing task see Figure 9 for examples of SRSD mnemonics.

Hebert, Bohaty, Nelson, and Brown found that these strategies were particularly effective when writing was involved and also found larger effect sizes for students with learning disabilities. For teaching students with dyslexia writing skills, text structure instruction may be particularly beneficial because it can simplify the writing organizational choices for students, based on the structure needed for their purpose.

In this approach, students are provided information to write about, which reduces the cognitive load of the students by providing them with ideas, vocabulary, and spelling within an information frame see Figure 10 for an example. This approach is designed to improve executive function skills in writing by reducing cognitive demands of transcription skills and idea generation, focusing students' attention on learning a step-by-step approach to organizing and writing information according to the text structure chosen.

More information and resources for Structures Writing can be obtained by contacting the first author of the current article. An example information frame used in the Structures Writing program to teach students how to organize and write a simple description passage.

Students with dyslexia suffer from reading difficulties that co-occur with writing difficulties for a variety of reasons. We presented one writing sample of a student with dyslexia Jordan to help illustrate the writing difficulties these students face as well as research on the underlying relationships.

Although we attempted to provide a set of recommended strategies that target skills that students with dyslexia may struggle with, this list of interventions is far from complete.

Meta-analytic efforts over the past 15 years have revealed a compendium of effective strategies for improving students' writing skills.

In addition to these meta-analyses, we point the reader to two additional useful resources developed by the Institute of Education Sciences: a a practice guide for teaching elementary school students to be effective writers Graham, Bollinger, et al.

We also encourage educators to use a combination of interventions to address the specific writing needs of their students with dyslexia. To illustrate how a teacher might approach this, we look one more time at the writing of our case study student, Jordan. We noted that Jordan had some difficulty with transcription skills, specifically some minor handwriting and spelling issues.

Jordan's handwriting difficulties would not rise to the level of referral to an occupational therapist. Therefore, we would suggest targeted handwriting instruction for specific letters, such as circular letters like o and a , along with regular distributed practice. The spelling issues might be best addressed with a combination of phonics instruction and dictated spelling instruction targeting high-frequency words, in addition to regular classroom spelling instruction.

Finally, Jordan has difficulty constructing sentences and holding onto ideas. To address these issues, we might recommend incorporating sentence combining instruction to improve sentence-level writing skills as well as teaching Jordan a planning strategy to compensate for working memory challenges; SRSD instruction would be a good choice for this. In this way, Jordan's complex writing challenges are addressed using a combination of interventions targeting an array of writing skills.

Finally, use of the instructional strategies we described can improve the writing skills of students with dyslexia, making it easier for those students to express their ideas.

However, instruction should not stop with improvements in basic skills alone. Practitioners must help children use their improved skills to tell stories, teach others interesting information, and share their opinions and make arguments to address issues they care about Graham et al. In this way, targeted writing and reading interventions will help children with dyslexia exercise the immense power of communication by the written word. The content herein does not represent the views of the agency.

To locate articles on intervention to support spelling, we searched ERIC and PsycINFO using four keyword categories, namely, that the studies involved a children or adolescents, b dyslexia in the title or abstract, c spelling in the title or abstract, and d instruction or intervention.

We initially identified studies that contained the required target words. We read them to make sure that they involved instruction for people with dyslexia and related difficulties, had research designs that would allow us to state confidently that the instruction is likely to be effective, measured spelling skill, and concerned reading in English.

We decided to eliminate studies of other languages because of the unique characteristics of English orthography. We read each article to ensure they met inclusion criteria.

We then removed studies where the authors did not observe significant improvement in spelling. The result was a set of 19 articles, those reported in this article. For the purposes of this article, we also discuss working memory and executive function skills as separate, in order to situate our discussion within the simple view of writing, which provides a straightforward framework for considering the links between dyslexia and writing.

That is, good spelling does not require the processing speed required for good reading. However, it is likely that this is a greater concern in more transparent orthographies than English. Moll and Landerl's study was conducted in German, and other studies have shown that English readers process words differently from their peers in more transparent orthographies e.

As a result, we focus on the strong association between reading and spelling but acknowledge that there may be a dissociation between reading speed and spelling as English-speaking children with dyslexia become more accurate and better able to spell. However, researchers have not agreed on common measures for identifying this difficulty, and it is not clear whether dysgraphia includes cases where children have fine motor problems beyond handwriting.

Moreover, handwriting difficulties are frequently associated with other academic difficulties, so it is difficult to separate a specific dysgraphic profile. As a result, we do not use that term here, but we acknowledge that others do. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. Published online Oct Michael Hebert , a Devin M. Devin M. Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer.

Corresponding author. Disclosure: The authors have declared that no competing interests existed at the time of publication. Correspondence to Michael Hebert: ude. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract Purpose Children with dyslexia often have related writing difficulties. Method For spelling strategies, we conducted systematic searches across 2 databases for studies examining the effectiveness of spelling interventions for students with dyslexia as well as including studies from 2 meta-analyses.

Results Through the search, we found evidence of effective remedial and compensatory intervention strategies in spelling, transcription, executive function, and working memory. Conclusions Many students with dyslexia experience writing difficulty in multiple areas. Open in a separate window. Figure 1. Writings Difficulties of Students With Dyslexia in the Simple View of Writing As we discussed previously, many students with dyslexia also have related writing difficulties.

Table 1. Reading and writing scores for our example student with dyslexia Jordan. Figure 2. Theory and Research Evidence Linking Dyslexia and Poor Writing Skills Data indicate that there is a strong relationship between dyslexia and writing difficulty, and we explore these data within the simple view.

Spelling Skills and Dyslexia Spelling and reading involve reciprocal parts of one task—connecting letters and sounds. Figure 3. Table 2.

Examples of regular spelling patterns. Executive Function As discussed in a recent Institute of Education Sciences report, research findings have suggested that children with dyslexia have difficulty with executive function skills, such as inhibition control and switching attention Zelazo et al. Working Memory Some researchers include working memory within the constellation of executive functioning skills. Revisiting Jordan's Writing Difficulties Through the Dyslexia Lens Earlier in the article, we examined Jordan's writing in relation to the simple view of writing model and showed the potential relationships among his writing skills.

Interventions to Improve the Writing Skills of Children With Dyslexia The co-occurrence of dyslexia and writing skills leads to questions about how to approach writing for these students. Table 3. Strategies to help children with dyslexia write better.

Interventions to Address Poor Transcription Skills There are a variety of remediation and compensation strategies for transcription skills. Strategies That Support Spelling Development The nature of English itself gives us some hints about the kinds of instruction that may be effective for improving spelling. Table 4. Instructional components in studies with positive effects on spelling. Element Studies Multicomponent phonics program 8 Letter—sound analysis 7 Morphological analysis 5 Orthographic analysis or memory 3 Word meaning 2 Syllabic analysis 2 Vocabulary and reading comprehension program 2.

Figure 4. Examples of activities in phonics lessons that improve reading and spelling. Figure 5. Strategies to Help Students Improve Handwriting Although there are ways to compose texts that do not require handwriting, it is still one of the most prevalent forms of writing in school, and some research shows that teaching handwriting can help improve reading outcomes for students with dyslexia. Figure 6. Examples of handwriting activities in a multicomponent lesson.

Technology Strategies to Help Students Compensate for Both Handwriting and Spelling Difficulties Technological developments continue to provide new ways to compensate for writing difficulties and reduce the complexity of writing. Table 5. Technology solutions to help students compensate for poor transcription skills. Cullen et al. The text is shown on the screen as they dictate, which allows students to reread to make revisions or edits. The Livescribe technology is a smart pen that has a camera and a recording device.

It can be used to take notes, while also listening to a presentation. Belson et al. Interventions to Address Poor Executive Function Skills We present three interventions for improving poor executive function skills in writing: sentence combining, text structure instruction, and self-regulated strategy instruction.

The following example illustrates how sentence combining exercise works: Kernel Sentence 1: Jellyfish have hoods and tentacles. Kernel Sentence 2: Their tentacles are numerous. Kernel Sentence 3: Their hoods are gelatinous. Combined sentence: Jellyfish have gelatinous hoods and numerous tentacles. Figure 7. Figure 8. Teach Children to Self-Regulate One of the most effective approaches to improving the writing skills of students with writing difficulties is self-regulated strategy development SRSD.

Figure 9. Examples of self-regulated strategy development SRSD strategy mnemonics. Figure Summary Students with dyslexia suffer from reading difficulties that co-occur with writing difficulties for a variety of reasons. Appendix Search Procedure To locate articles on intervention to support spelling, we searched ERIC and PsycINFO using four keyword categories, namely, that the studies involved a children or adolescents, b dyslexia in the title or abstract, c spelling in the title or abstract, and d instruction or intervention.

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Teaching secondary students to write effectively NCEE CASL handwriting program Grade 1. Is handwriting causally related to learning to write? In certain cases, writing by hand may also be particularly difficult, especially if the dyslexia co-presents with dyspraxia or dysgraphia. If you think you are dyslexic, you may be interested in reading Am I dyslexic? Specific learning difficulties like dyslexia can cause an individual to fall behind and may result in feelings of low confidence and poor self-esteem, particularly if the dyslexia goes undiagnosed.

The reality is that many dyslexic adults can work twice as hard as their peers, and some still may not achieve the same results without access to appropriate accommodations. In severe cases, an adult may have chosen to leave school early, which can lead to functional illiteracy. But it's never too late to turn that around. If the dyslexia is mild, an individual might have developed coping strategies. The problem is these may not always work and can become less effective due to a new job post or going back to school.

It may also be that career development is halted because of the difficulties posed by a particular written test or certification needed for advancement. Learn more about mild dyslexia in this article. A good program should also set you up for success, so you rebuild your confidence gradually through practice. The first thing to consider is there are many ways to define the term program.

It could be a computer program that also takes the form of an app, or a program could mean a system of lessons that follow a particular method. In some cases, it may be a program of teaching that someone is trained to deliver. Orton-Gillingham is an approach that was developed in the s to help dyslexic learners improve their reading and spelling skills.

It combines multi-sensory learning techniques with a structured and sequential review of English phonemes sounds and can be seen as an overarching umbrella approach under which many different methods and systems fall. Learn more about Orton-Gillingham in this article. This final type of sensory input is called kinesthetic learning.

Read more in this post: What is a multi-sensory approach to reading? This program aims to change the way someone with dyslexia approaches reading. This means there is a review of phonics, or the basic sounds of English, and how they are represented by letters.

An understanding of phonics helps you read because it allows you to decode words. The Barton program also places emphasis on teaching vocabulary and how to recognize Latin roots, which may help with extracting meaning in reading. The method includes instruction in spelling rules as well. This program, also based on Orton-Gillingham, is often used to teach adolescents but may be appropriate for adult learners as well.

You may recognize it by the sound-tapping that students using the program do. This is to help them identify the sounds that make up the words they read and bring a tactile element to the process.

The Wilson Reading System is popular among private tutors who can obtain a certification in teaching it. A key feature is the materials students read tend to be of interest to older learners and vocabulary and text complexity increase as skills develop. It also allows teachers to customize their lessons, though a session must cover ten different skill areas vs.

It takes years to complete the program. This program is based on the book The Gift of Dyslexia written by Ron Davis, a dyslexic adult who taught himself how to read. The activities and approaches were tested with adult learners and many of the methods work well for individuals with autism as well. Activities are designed to help an adult discover what he or she is good at, and then harnesses this motivation for learning.

The book aims to give adults autonomy in learning and provide them with the strategies they need to control the cognitive processes involved in reading.

It is multi-sensory and can be taught by a tutor working with a student. Nonetheless, an adult with dyslexia can also read the book and undertake some of the techniques on his or her own.

Get more information on finding a private tutor who specializes in working with adult learners. This is a spellchecker for people with dyslexia. It will help by reading entries out loud. It provides guidance on word spelling, punctuation and even grammar, plus it includes a dictionary. This is an ideal tool for working adults.

This is particularly important when it comes to note-taking. Dyslexic students often have trouble with spelling. Ginger Page is a more sophisticated word processor that can help dyslexic students write flawlessly. Many text-to-speech apps are unable to convert PDF documents into speech. OpenWeb is a web browser that converts text into a dyslexic-friendly font, allowing dyslexic students to read with less difficulty.

Another great app for young students with dyslexia, Reading Intro by Oz Phonics helps kids learn to recognize letter sounds. The tasks are fun and simple enough for kids to play on their own.

It has a quiz that may help determine if a child is dyslexic or needs further screening. It also has information for teachers, parents, and other students to help them understand dyslexia. Text-to-speech apps are great for online content, but what about books or worksheets?

OCR Instantly Pro allows users to snap a photo of any page and convert it to text, which can then be read aloud by a number of apps. For dyslexic students, traditional note-taking is difficult.

This app allows users to create graphic organizers or mind maps to jot down their thoughts quickly and easily.