Can Dyslexia be prevented?

TOCfE ConferenceApril 18-20, 2013

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Presenter: Petra Pouw-LegêneThe Netherlands

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PROCESS OF ON GOING IMPROVEMENT

WHAT TO

CHANGE?

Identificatio

n

WHAT TO CHANGE TO?

solution

HOW TO CAUSE THE CHANGE?

strategy

Part 1

How to make a difference

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• WHAT TO CHANGE: 1995

that children and adults would no longer have to suffer the negative consequences of dyslexia.

• TO WHAT TO CHANGE: Children and adults learn to understand their specific way

of perception and deal with learning challenges in a different way which enables them to stop the negative aspects of dyslexia from occurring

• HOW TO CAUSE THE CHANGE

By using a program that supports the thinking style of the person with dyslexia: for me (and many others all over the world) that happened to be Ronald Davis’ Dyslexia Correction Program (1996) and also TOCfE (2000).

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Ronald D. Davis, author of the book: The Gift of Dyslexia

www.dyslexia.com

And the thinking tools of TOCforEducationWhich we translated into Dutch

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Assumption # 1:There are many different Learning Styles…

Linguistic

Word smart

Logical-Mathematical

Logic smart

Visual-Spatial

Picture Smart

Musical

Music Smart

Ecological

Nature Smart

Intrapersonal

Self Smart

Interpersonal

People Smart

Bodily Kinesthetic

Body Smart Copyright picture: Nel Hofmeester

Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner

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… but there are only two Thinking Styles

verbal non-verbal

Many people have a preference for one of them a conflict?

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Aspects of non-verbal thinkingThoughts are mental images experienced through all sensesSpeed of mental images is 24-32 impressions per second Intuïtive, three dimensional, associative, holisticSolutions often found subconsciouslySchool uses this style mostly for creative activities

Do well in school and in life

Do well in school and in life

Be able to express ourselves through

(inner) speech (and communicate

with others)

Be able to express ourselves through

(inner) speech (and communicate

with others)

Use verbal thinking styleUse verbal

thinking style

Be able to develop trough sensory

imput

Be able to develop trough sensory

imput

Use non-verbal thinking style

D

D’

B

C

A

Aspects of verbal thinking style:Words are a lot slower than images, 5 words per secondsense of sequence, words follow one after the other Sense of timeAnswer comes through reasoningReading and writing come easySchool uses mostly verbal thinking

cloud

WANT/ACTIONNEED

COMMON GOAL

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Assumption # 2In the first years of a child’s life the learning

process develops mostly through the non-verbal thinking style

• via all senses,

•trough play, trial and error,

• by learning to recognise objects,

• mental pictures develop,

• mostly an easy and natural process.

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Even two dimensional pictures on paper,

the young child can easily identify:

in his mind he has already a mental image of the picture

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And then… the child goes to school

For many in First Grade it is no problem

But for some,getting confronted with

Symbols

it means confusion11

Confusion !:

the non-verbal thinking style of easily recognising the object does no longer

work!

p

b

d

q

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Assumption # 3:

During their entire life people with dyslexia keep a preference for the non-

verbal thinking style

Assumption # 4:

School uses mostly verbal thinking to teach curriculum

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A

Do well in school and in life

A

Do well in school and in life

Be able to express ourselves through (inner) speech and communicate with

others

Be able to express ourselves through (inner) speech and communicate with

others

Use verbal thinking styleUse verbal

thinking style

Be able to develop through sensory

imput

Be able to develop through sensory

imput

Use non-verbal thinking style

D

D’

B

C

How to solve this conflict? How can we accomodate and support students who prefer

the non-verbal thinking style?

Possible solution:

By creating a way for those students to use their strong side (C) to develop the other side (B).

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1.Stop confusion and stress

by helping the child to perceive accurately

2.Make all symbols three

dimensionally, hands on

Create own images. The easiest material:

clay

HOW?

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Not only three dimensional letters but all the other symbols on a page (two dimensional images)

Punctuation marks basic words: abstract sight words with no immediate mental picture

numbers and….

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the meaning of abstract concepts f.e.:

Change

Consequence

Cause and Effect Before and After

Find the definitions in the dictionary

(see examples on the next slides)17

2 examples of concepts made by students during a dyslexia correction program

• The first question one asks a person in TOC is:

• ‘What do you want to change?

• confusion• no immediate mental picture

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To stop confusion the student first needs to create his own image

of the definition of change

Definition of ‘change’ made by Koen, 17 years.

Webster Dictonary definition of ‘change’: something (A)

becoming something different (B) 19

As soon as the student has created and mastered his own definition of ‘change’

he can then further use the TOC Logic Branch

A

B

TOC diagram:

‘the logic branch’

something (A) becoming something different (B)

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Example 2:the concept of

‘consequence’: The result or outcome

(in this case) of something I do,

(me)

21so we need a ‘self’ first to represent ‘me’in the clay

picture

My rabbit cannot get

food himself

I go find a carrot

My rabbit can eat

I see that my rabbit has

no food

I give the carrot to my rabbit

the definition of ‘consequence’

me

‘cause’ ‘effect’

‘before’

‘after’

Definition of consequence made by Inge, 16 years Logic Branch

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Part 2

Individual counseling is a correction program

Can I prevent negative outcomes of dyslexia?

How to cause another change?

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A child has problems learning to read and write

A child has problems learning to read and write

The teacher helps him as much as possible, without success

The teacher helps him as much as possible, without success

The child does not improve much and

gets behind in reading

The child does not improve much and

gets behind in reading

School starts the special dyslexia protocol

which helps too little

School starts the special dyslexia protocol

which helps too little

Parents look for another way to help the child andchose for a Davis program

Parents look for another way to help the child andchose for a Davis program

School does not know a way to help any moreSchool does not know a way to help any more

The child receives an individual counseling

The child receives an individual counseling

The child still does not improve sufficiently

The child still does not improve sufficiently

The child knows how todeal with negative

aspects of his dyslexiaand how to use his strong side

The child knows how todeal with negative

aspects of his dyslexiaand how to use his strong side

This is a structural problem.

Teacher has no matching teaching

method for this child

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My assumption:

Correction program

Prevention Program

My idea of a possible solution to cut the Branch:

the Ambitious Target (started 2002):

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teach teachers in the lower grades

of primary schools to use the

same strategies (as used in the counselings)

for the benefit of all childrenand to prevent dyslexic

(and other) learning problems

Ambitious target: All Dutch primary schools use DLS© to teach children to read

DDAI

DLS Mentortraining&practice

DLS Presentertraining&practice

DDA NL

Mentor License

Presenter License

DLS NL

Publicity

News-letter

Flyers

Website

Questionnaire toteachers

Presentations

Materials

Dictionary basicwords + list

Translate articlesfrom f.e Dysl.R.

Update DLSmanual in Dutch

Students /schools

Reviews &lectures

Concept of aSchool Year

Program,including

help of a DLSMentor

Invite DLSMentors to assist

in teacherworkshops

DLS workshopsfor teachers /

separate WS forDPF's

Mentors

Recommend toDDAI

Application &training

Licensed by DDAI

Evaluating reports

TEACHER colleges

'Teaching Reading'plan for meeting withdirectors of TeacherColleges (PABO's)

Guest teacher

DLS Presenter +Mentor Network

2011: Yes . . .let's learn fromeach other andsupport each

other

More StaffStichting

First meetingin Jan 2011

First meetingin summer

2011?

Inspire moreDPF's to join

set upmeetings with

directors

Developmore pract.materials

Social mediain place

Jan. 2013

NewAT’s

2002-2007

2007-2012

2007-2012

2008-2012

2010-2012

2011- 2012-2013

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Part 3In the mean time…. 2010

Questioning some of the assumptions mentioned

in part 1

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The Kindergarten child is not a young school child. The child needs to be able to develop in his own speedTeachers should not offer words and letters when a child is not readyThere are many other ways to develop language skillsThe child needs to be able to discover letters and words himself. Then teacher can support that.

Children do like to work with letters and wordsParents often want school to teach letters and wordsAccording to our Governemnt the Kindergarten child does not exist, it is considered to be a young school childThe earlier school starts with letters and words, the betterWe have to do as we are told

Be a successful Kindergarten

teacher

Be a successful Kindergarten

teacher

Follow the instructions and curriculum of the school/governmen

t

Follow the instructions and curriculum of the school/governmen

t

Teach letters, reading and

writing

Teach letters, reading and

writing

Follow the developmental stages of the

children

Follow the developmental stages of the

children

Not teach letters, reading

and writing

D

D’

B

C

A

This looks like a conflict

ASSUMPTIONS

ASSUMPTIONS

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A child has problems learning to read and write

A child has problems learning to read and write

The teacher helps him as much as possible, without success

The teacher helps him as much as possible, without success

The child does not improve much

The child does not improve much

School starts a special dyslexia protocol

which helps too little

School starts a special dyslexia protocol

which helps too little

Parents look for another way to help the child and

chose for a Davis program

Parents look for another way to help the child and

chose for a Davis program

School does not know a way to help any moreSchool does not know a way to help any more

The child receives an individual

Davis counseling

The child receives an individual

Davis counseling

The child still does not improve sufficiently

The child still does not improve sufficiently

Is this perhaps a functional

problem?How can I find out?

The child knows how todeal with negative

aspects of his dyslexia

The child knows how todeal with negative

aspects of his dyslexia

This is a structural problem.

Teacher has nomatching teaching

method for this child

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My new Assumption:

For a young child not being able to learn to read and write appears to be

a FUNCTIONAL problem

BECAUSE:

Children develop psychologically in stages (Piaget)

Developmental stages always appear in the

same order

f.e. writing:

According to the PhD research of the Dutch scientist and child developmental psychologist Dr. Ewald Vervaet.

Ewald Vervaet: ‘Naar school’

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By the time the child is 4 (the age children go to Kindergarten in The Netherlands… the child will usually have reached stage 12 (between 3;9 til 4;6)

In Kindergarten, most children will reach stage 13(between 4;6 and 6;6)

Child may write like this

• left and right are equal• no clear sense of a ‘zone’• mirroring of letters

From: Ewald Vervaet: ‘Naar school’

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at that age -according to Dr. Vervaet- the confusion about the letters may not be caused by the non-verbal thinking style but because the child’s brain is not yet ready to see the letters in the correct

position

p

b

d

q

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Stage 14: Conventional writing: child reproduces conventional letter symbolswithout mirroring, and going from left to right, Between age 6;6- 8;6

From: Ewald Vervaet: ‘Naar school’

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Other examples: on the question “is this the same?” Children give different answers in

Stage 13: (4;6-6;6) and/or Stage 14: (6;6-8;6)

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Dr. Vervaet also used Piaget’s bottle test

From: Ewald Vervaet: ‘Naar school’

Stage 13

Stage 14

The bottle test

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Be a successful Kindergarten

teacher

Be a successful Kindergarten

teacher

Follow the instructions of the school/governmen

t

Follow the instructions of the school/governmen

t

Teach letters, reading and

writing

Teach letters, reading and

writing

Follow the development of

the children

Follow the development of

the children

Not teach letters, reading

and writing

D

D’

B

C

A

Possible solution

We first assess if a child has reached the necessary psychological stage to learn reading before teaching letters and words.

Children who are not yet in stage 14 can be offered many other language skills: rhymes, songs, stories, cutting out different forms and shapes (also letters!) or making them in clay and….TOCfE!!! 38

Example of a writing and reading assessment of Rob (age 5;9)Rob’s teacher asks him to write his name and ‘papa’ and ‘mama.’ He does that. Teacher asks if he knows another name? Yes, – ‘bas’ (brother).

The teacher makes with his letters a new word to assess if he is able to read a new combination of letters:

Rob reads: ‘S, a, p. Papa. Is that “papa”?’

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Rob reads: ‘M, o, s. Sam? Bas?’ (Sam is Robs other brother)

Rob’s teacher writes another word:

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Try out course 2011

How to guide a child to discover letters and reading with as little help of the teacher as possible

when the child is ready that will take about 40 hours

CONCLUSION: New assumption:

Any attempt to teach a child to readin earlier stages

of his psychological development than stage 14

(mostly between ages 6;6 -8;6)

•has proven to take a lot of time •may be confusing for the child

•may be causing a learning problem

•and….

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43•may take away the joy of self discovery

NEXT POOGI:

‘leesmeester’ programa complete reading program for

elementary schools

Kindergarten: Assess psychological stage for reading +help set up an

appropriate program

Davis® Learning Strategies in grade 1-3

TOCfE for curriculum in all grades(Kathy’s workbook)

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THANK YOU

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