2.

0 Literature Review

Section 2.1 briefly describes various definitions of dyslexia. Section 2.2 and 2.3 examine the characteristics and symptoms of dyslexic students and highlights the reasons why they fail to keep up with their peers in one or more areas of reading, spelling or writing. It looks at accompanying weaknesses in areas of speed of processing, short-term memory, sequencing, auditory and /or visual perception, spoken language and motor skills. Section 2.4 describes the common signs of dyslexia according to ages stage. Section 2.5 looks at the causes of dyslexia and an explanation on how dyslexia can be cured, in section 2.6. Section 2.7 describes the concept and use of multimedia in education and section 2.8 will show how multimedia will help the dyslexic student. Section 2.9 will explain the dyslexia current method or system available. 2.1 About Dyslexia

Numerous definitions of the word dyslexia exist and while they contain many similarities they can also lead to a great deal of confusion. The word itself is derived from the Greek dys meaning difficulty and lexia meaning written words. It was originally named as congenital word blindness when it was first diagnosed as a medical problem at the end of the 19th century. So dyslexia is simply a word describing the fact that some people (5-10%) find it hard to learn to read and write, even though their intelligence is normal (Dyslexia Association, 2002).

There are many definitions in ways to describe dyslexia. According to National Institute of Child Health and Human Development : Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and / or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. According to wikipedia : Dyslexia is a syndrome in which a person's reading and/or writing ability is significantly lower than that which would be predicted by his or her general level of intelligence. People are diagnosed as dyslexic when their reading problems cannot be explained by a lack of intellectual ability, inadequate instruction, or sensory problems such as poor eyesight. Because reading is a complex mental process, dyslexia has many potential causes. From a neurophysiological perspective, dyslexia can be diagnosed by close inspection of the morphology of the brain, usually upon autopsy. Dyslexia is also associated with phonological difficulties, such as enunciation. According to National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke : Dyslexia is a brain-based type of learning disability that specifically impairs a person's ability to read. These individuals typically read at levels significantly

lower than expected despite having normal intelligence. Although the disorder varies from person to person, common characteristics among people with dyslexia are difficulties with phonological processing (the manipulation of sounds) and/or rapid visual-verbal responding. According to The International Dyslexia Association : Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia may experience difficulties in other language skills such as spelling, writing, and speaking.

Dyslexia is a life-long status; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person's life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment.

These various definitions indicate that while a broad range of similarities exist there are a wide range of individual differences which can be experienced by dyslexic student.

Dyslexia is estimated to occur in about 5 - 10% of the population (http://portal.unesco.org/education). Similar to color blindness, it is a permanent disability which needs continuous support through schooling, but which is often accompanied by strengths in areas such as creative work, physical coordination and empathy with other people.

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Dyslexia can go undetected in the early grades of schooling. The student can become frustrated by the difficulty in learning to read, and other problems can arise that disguise dyslexia. The student may show signs of depression and low self esteem. Behavior problems at home as well as at school are frequently seen. The student may become unmotivated and develop a dislike for school. The students success in school may be jeopardized if the problem remains untreated.

2.2 Dyslexia Symptoms

Student may have dyslexia or a learning disability if they have one or more of the following symptoms (www.cdipage.com/dyslexia) : Letter or word reversals when reading. (Such as was/saw, b/d, p/q). Letter or word reversals when writing. Difficulty repeating what is said to them. Poor handwriting or printing ability. Poor drawing ability. Reversing letters or words when spelling words that are presented orally. Difficulty comprehending written or spoken directions. Difficulty with right - left directionality. Difficulty understanding or remembering what is said to them.

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 Difficulty understanding or remembering what they have just read. Difficulty putting their thoughts on paper.

Student with dyslexia do not exhibit these symptoms due to poor vision or hearing but because of brain dysfunction (www.childdevelopmentinfo.com). The eyes and ears are working properly but the lower centers of the brain scramble the images or sounds before they reach the higher (more intelligent) centers of the brain. This causes confusion as well as frustration for the learner (difficulty processing information).

For example, think of two children off to play tennis. The first has a bag to carry the balls. The second has too many balls and nothing to carry them in. The first child quickly arrives at the courts. The second child drops some of the balls but gets there in the end. So it is for the dyslexic. Pieces of information get lost along the way and it takes time to get information across. Once this information is received the dyslexic child has no special difficulties working things out and remembering them. Immediate memory or working memory is a resource of the brain that saves information and ideas we are working with. Some people have amazing immediate memory and can remember not only pages of information but also the layout of the information. Others can remember everything that was said, who said it and the context in which it was said. Most people have enough immediate memory to enable them to hold information they are working with.

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2.3 Possible Dyslexia Symptoms In More Detail

2.3.1 A discrepancy between the students ability and their actual achievement If you notice that a student who appears to be average or bright when they are talking to you is struggling to read, spell or cope with math/s, this may be the strongest indicator that they may be dyslexic. It is very common for dyslexic student to be quite able, especially in the areas of creativity (art, drama or drawing) and physical co-ordination (physical education, swimming, sports or model-making). However, there are differences in the neural links in their brain that makes it hard for them to deal with text and often with numbers without extra support. A reading age or grade level of two years below what you would expect from them is a sign of possible dyslexia. Obviously, this could also be caused by other factors such as lengthy absences from school due to illness.

2.3.2 A family history of learning difficulties

Dyslexia is inherited through the genes. It can be made worse by early ear infections which make it harder for a young child to be able to distinguish the difference between similar sounding words. The numbers of boys and girls who are dyslexic are roughly the same.

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2.3.3 Difficulties with spelling

Spelling is the activity which causes most difficulty for dyslexic students. The observation of spelling errors in short, simple words is the way in which most dyslexic children first come our attention. Examples of words which cause particular difficulty are : any, many, island, said, they, because, enough, and friend. Other words will sometimes be spelt in the way that you would expect them to be spelt if our spelling system were rational, for example does/dus, please/pleeze, knock/nock, search/serch and journey/jerney.

Dyslexic students also experience difficulties with 'jumbled spellings'. These are spelling attempts in which all the correct letters are present, but are written in the wrong order. Examples include dose/does, freind/friend, siad/said, bule/blue, becuase/because, and wores/worse. Jumbled spellings show that the student is experiencing difficulty with visual memory. Non-dyslexic children and adults often use their visual memory when trying to remember a difficult spelling. They write down two or three possible versions of the word on a spare piece of paper and see which spelling 'looks right'. They are relying on their visual memory to help them, but the visual memory of a dyslexic children and adults may not be adequate for this task.

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2.3.4 Confusion over left and right

A fairly quick way to establish this type of confusion is to ask a student to point to your left foot with his or her right hand. If you try similar instructions in a nonthreatening environment, you will soon be able to see if this causes difficulties or not. You may also notice difficulties with east and west, or in following directions like 'Go to the end of the road and turn left, then right'.

2.3.5 Writing letters or numbers backwards

You will have noticed some student who mix up 'b' and d, or even 'p' and the number 9. These letters are the same in their mirror image, and cause regular confusion for a dyslexic person. Some students make a point of always writing the letter 'b' as an upper-case or capital 'B', as they find this much easier to remember in terms of the direction it faces.

2.3.6 Difficulties with math/s

One feature of dyslexia is difficulties with sequencing or getting things in the right order. Math/s depends on sequences of numbers such as 2. 4. 6. 8. etc. Whilst many people are aware that dyslexic students have problems with reading and spelling, they do not know that math/s can also be a real challenge.

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2.3.7 Difficulties organizing themselves

Whilst you may quite reasonably think that all children live their lives in a mess, this is particularly so for dyslexic childrens, who may have genuine difficulties with planning and thinking ahead to when a book or pen might be needed next. They can really benefit from help with organizing papers and folders under a simple color-coded system.

2.4 Common Signs of Dyslexia

The following difficulties may be associated with dyslexia if they are unexpected for the individual's age, educational level, or cognitive abilities (International Dyslexia Association, 2000). 2.4.1 Preschool (4 - 6 years old)

Talk later than most children. Mispronounces words. Difficulty with rhyming words. Difficult interaction with peers. Poor motor skills. Difficulty with alphabets and colors.

2.4.2 Years 1 3 (7 - 9 years old)

Difficulty sounding out short words. 16

Mixes up small words. Reverses letters and/or words. Difficulty organizing themselves. Poor handwriting.

2.4.3 Years 4 7 (10 - 13 years old)

Reading below year level. Mixed up letters in words. Difficulty with planning. Very slow handwriting. Difficulty with comprehending. Forgetful Poor memory for maths facts.

2.4.4 Years 8 Onwards (14 years old and above)

Reads slowly and inaccurately. Avoids writing. Poor memory skills. Misreads information. Unable to complete assignments. Difficulty with planning and time management.

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2.5 What Causes Dyslexia

The exact causes of dyslexia are still not completely clear, but anatomical and brain imagery studies show differences in the way the brain of a dyslexic person develops and functions.

There are three main types of dyslexia that can affect the students ability to spell as well as read. Each type has a different cause (Marian, Elizabeth & Pamela, 1996). The three main types are trauma dyslexia, primary dyslexia and developmental dyslexia (www.medicinenet.com/dyslexia).

Trauma dyslexia usually occurs after some type of brain trauma or injury to the area of the brain that controls reading and writing. This type of dyslexia is rarely seen in today's school-age population.

Primary dyslexia is a dysfunction of, rather than damage to, the left side of the brain (cerebral cortex) and does not change with maturity. Individuals with this type are rarely able to read above a fourth grade level and may struggle with reading, spelling, and writing as adults. Primary dyslexia is hereditary and is found more often in boys than in girls.

The difference between primary dyslexia and trauma dyslexia is that trauma dyslexia occurs after a brain trauma and primary dyslexia is a dysfunction of the brain.

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Developmental dyslexia is caused by hormonal development during the early stages of fetal development. Developmental dyslexia diminishes as the child matures. This type is also more common in boys.

Dyslexia involves several different functions which are visual, auditory and dysgraphia (www.mamashealth.com/dys). Visual dyslexia is characterized by number and letter reversals and the inability to write symbols in the correct sequence. Auditory dyslexia involves difficulty with sounds of letters or groups of letters. The sounds are perceived as jumbled or not heard correctly. Dysgraphia refers to the student difficulty holding and controlling a pencil so that the correct markings can be made on the paper.

A study by John Bradford (2004) stated that dyslexia is not brought about by poor parenting. On the contrary, it is the concerned parents of dyslexic student who have taken the initiatives that have brought dyslexia to the forefront of the learning difficulties arena.

Individual parents have persisted in pointing out to their children's schools that something must be wrong when a child of apparently normal intelligence is failing to learn to read and write.

The overall picture is that dyslexia can be caused by inherited factors, and can be made worse by hearing problems at an early age or combination of both (John Bradford, 2004).

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2.5.1 Inherited factors

It is clear that dyslexia is very frequently found in families, and is often accompanied by left-handedness somewhere in the family. This does not mean to say that a dyslexic parent will automatically have a dyslexic child, or that a left-handed child will necessarily be dyslexic. But where dyslexia is identified, between a third and a half of children have a history of learning difficulties in their family, and more than half have a family member who is left-handed.

With the technical advances that have come about in brain-scanning in recent years, a lot of research has been carried out examining the brains of dyslexic people. Bunches of cells beneath the surface of the brain have been detected which lie on the surface in the brain of a non-dyslexic person.

These groups of cells ought to have moved to the brain's surface at the time when the brain was developing in the fetus, but failed to make the journey. They are known as 'ectopic' cells.

These ectopic clusters of cells are mainly found in the left and the front of the brain, the areas which are important for reading and writing (Nicolson & Fawcett, 1999). Another area of the brain is the magno-cellular system, which deals with our ability to see moving images, is smaller in the brains of dyslexic people. This makes reading harder, where the brain has to quickly interpret the

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different letters and words which the eyes see as they scan words and sentences (Stein, 2001).

With the use of electroencephalogram (EEG), where small electrodes with wires are temporarily attached to the outside of a person's head, it has been possible to see increased brain activity on the right side of the brain when a child is beginning to learn to read. Increased activity is noticeable on the left side in an advanced reader.

However, the brains of dyslexic student show an unusual variation in left and right side activity. Recent research has found that, whereas non-dyslexic children use the left side of their brain for language work, dyslexic children have to use the right side as well. This is not the side of the brain that is wired for language work, and, as a result, the brains of dyslexic children and adults have to work about six times harder. This may be why dyslexic children and adults become fatigued by language work and dealing with text.

2.5.2 Hearing problems at an early age. If a child suffers frequent colds and throat infections in the first five years, the ears can be blocked from time to time so that hearing is impaired. The parents can easily be unaware of this until a doctor actually looks into the child's ear. This condition is sometimes known as 'glue ear' or 'conductive hearing loss'. If

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the difficulty is not noticed at an early stage, then the developing brain does not make the links between the sounds it hears.

This early learning of sounds and words is fundamental to the child's developing ability to handle language and text. If a child cannot hear clearly, it will be unable to hear the difference between words like 'pin' and 'thin', or 'fan' and 'van'. The lack of clear hearing will also delay the child's phonemic awareness - the ability to hear that words are made up of smaller sounds and syllables, like 'c-a-t', or 'in-ter-est-ing'.

A delay in phonemic awareness causes lifelong difficulties dyslexia if corrective action is not taken at a very early stage. The most common treatment is the insertion of a tiny tube or grommet into the child's ear. This allows the fluid to drain off so that the child's hearing is restored. Another treatment is the removal of the tonsils, which are sometimes the cause of the repeated infections.

2.5.3 A combination of both. Sometimes a child has inherited genes which dispose him or her towards difficulties dealing with the printed word, and has also experienced early hearing problems. These children are often found to be quite severely dyslexic, and need a lot of support through their school.

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2.6 Can Dyslexia Be Cured?

Each dyslexic person's difficulties are different and vary from slight to very severe disruption of the learning process. There is no total cure, but the effects of dyslexia can be alleviated by skilled specialist teaching of phonics, sequencing and techniques to raise the person's self-esteem. The neurological differences also give some dyslexic people visual, spatial, physical coordination and lateral thinking abilities that enable them to be successful in a wide range of careers.

Schools can implement academic modifications to help dyslexic students succeed. For example, a student with dyslexia can be given extra time to complete tasks, or help with taking notes, and/or appropriate work assignments. Teachers can give taped tests or allow dyslexic students to use alternative means of assessment. Students can benefit from listening to bookson-tape and from writing on computers.

Students may also need help with emotional issues that sometimes arise as a consequence of difficulties in school. Mental health specialists can help students cope with their struggles.

When a student is having difficulty learning, a comprehensive neuro developmental exam is important. This includes testing of hearing, vision,

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neurological development, coordination, visual perception, auditory perception, intelligence, and academic achievement.

With proper diagnosis, appropriate instruction, hard work and support from family, teachers, friends, and others, individuals who are dyslexic can succeed in school and later as working adults.

2.7 Using Multimedia In Education

Todays students live in a media rich environment with many of their past times firmly rooted in technology. Multimedia describes a way of presenting material that combines text, graphics, animation and pictures video and sound into a piece of software which can be used independently by the student. They learn more effectively when more of their senses are stimulated and they are actively involved in using the software.

The use of multimedia in the development of software can be an effective educational tool which may be of particular support to the dyslexic student. Software that combines the multiple medias of text, graphics, animation, video and sound can be used to reinforce learning. Providing suitable software for the dyslexic student allows them work at their own rate, on material that is tailored to their needs and facilitates a more inclusive approach to their education.

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Alessi and Trollip (2001) remind us of the importance of interactivity in multimedia programs, as interaction not only maintains attention, but helps create and store new knowledge and skills to facilitate comprehension. One of the essential features of interactive multimedia is its capacity to require learner actions and act on them.

The Dyslexia Institutes (www.dyslexia-inst.org.uk) states that teaching principles for dyslexic student should be : Structured so reading and spelling makes sense.

This means that written language has been broken down into its component parts, which can then be taught, one by one, in a prescribed order. The components are not only single letter sounds, but also consonant blends, consonant and vowel digraphs, and the rules of syllable division, suffixing and prefixing.

Throughout, due to the analytical nature of a structured programme, the student is learning strategies for reading and spelling, by referring to the rules, by breaking down into syllables, by analogy, by 'sounding-out' blends, digraphs and vowels. This means that they are not dependent on sight vocabulary, which would necessarily be limited by his poor working memory capacity.

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Cumulative to build up skills gradually.

As a student moves through the structured programme above, the steps taken at each stage are necessarily small, so that there is never a huge amount of new material. The dyslexic student works only with those sounds and rules they has covered, giving them confidence that the materials are within their capability. Each new teaching point stretches them a little, while reinforcing at each stage all that has gone before.

This cumulative technique enables the dyslexic student to assimilate new material at a rate suitable for them; some people will move very rapidly, while others will go more slowly, spending longer on consolidation at each stage. Multisensory using sight, sound and touch.

As the name suggests, multi-sensory techniques are those which use more than one sensory channel for input of information. It has long been agreed that such a method is invaluable in the teaching the dyslexic students; the stronger channel is used to support the weaker, while the weaker channel is being trained and developed. Material presented in a multi-sensory way has a better chance of being retained, particularly in view of the poor working memory skills of many dyslexic students.

Multisensory techniques are employed to integrate the learning of the sound of a letter, its shape on the written page, and the feel of writing it

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in cursive script, so that a secure sound-symbol relationship is established for reading and spelling. Dyslexic students usually find spelling more difficult, and by linking the two, the spelling is 'brought on' by the easier skill of reading the sound.

At all stages, multisensory techniques will be employed for practicing reading and spelling, for creative and other continuous writing, for the development of skills such as memory or phonological processing, and later for revision, essay writing and project work.

Thorough over- learning to compensate for weak memory.

It is a mistake in the case of the dyslexic student to assume that because of the teacher, have taught them something, the student has learned it. It is too easy to teach, and to move on, leaving the unfortunate student to forget. The advantage of a thorough teaching is the opportunity to keep practicing everything which has been learned so far.

An important part is a series of practice routines, such as using sets of small cards, gradually built up for each student as they works through the programme. These seek to practice, in a multisensory way, soundsymbol associations for reading and for spelling. Irregular words may be practiced in the same way. Students practice these routines in their lessons, and on a regular basis at home, and they become very

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competent. This competence is extremely important; it means that the associations have become automatic, and automaticity is essential to learning.

Automatic recall of the sound associated with a symbol (a single letter or a group), or the symbol associated with a sound, gives the dyslexic student access to a strategy for decoding a word in order to read it or spell it. It can readily be appreciated that the confidence thus engendered is of immense value, as well as the practical benefit of being able to carry round the strategy in one's head. Active to make it interesting.

Active learning means that the dyslexic students are involved in what they are doing, and not merely a passive observer of what is going on. For example, when new material is being tackled, the teaching technique is employed; the student is directed by means of questions, tasks, guessing games and so on to discover the new information for himself / herself. The student then participates in the recording of the information in a memorable form (e.g. a letter on a card); immediately practises it (e.g. by reading the sound of the letter) and has opportunities to use it (e.g. by reading the sound in words) and to extend the skill (e.g. by learning how to write the letter and spell its sound).

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This is a beneficial experience; the dyslexic student remembers because they have done it; it is multi-sensory and interactive; it is more interesting for them; it encourages them to think, and to develop new strategies for thinking through problems. The student is thus becoming aware of how they learn ; this awareness is called metacognition, and is the key to becoming an independent learner.

Active

learning

leads

to

independence

through

developing

metacognition and motivation; this in turn increases success, thus confidence and further motivation follow. It is a virtuous circle. The point at which the teacher and student should break into the circle is at active learning. Relevant and Useful related to school work.

It is a waste of time to teach a student skills which are of no use to them. On the other hand, it is a frustrating experience to teach a student useful, relevant strategies and to watch them fail to make use of them. Relevance, in this context, has two faces.

First of all, the lesson content must be relevant to student age, to their stage of development (so they can access it readily, but without wasting their time learning what they already knows) and relevant to their strengths and weaknesses. It is pointless to develop the student strengths alone, or to concentrate only on what they cannot do.

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Materials should also take account of a student's interests; relating to what they are interested in usually has a dramatic effect upon motivation. Finally, the teacher must be aware of the student's current needs within the National Curriculum. This may be well in advance of what they are capable of achieving, and discussion with teachers will be necessary to decide how they may gain access to the curriculum.

In the Dyslexia Institute, these skills are taught according to the teaching principles outlined above namely structured, cumulative, multisensory, thorough, active, relevant and useful. Individual skills such as phonological awareness, visual discrimination, sequencing and short-term memory form an integral part of the learning lesson. The emphasis on different skill areas will vary according to the individual strengths, weaknesses and needs of the dyslexic students.

2.8 How Multimedia Will Help Dyslexic Students?

Dyslexia is a life-long condition. With proper help people with dyslexia can learn to read and/or write well. Early identification and treatment is the key to helping dyslexics achieve in school and in life. Most people with dyslexia need help from a teacher, tutor, or therapist specially trained in using a multisensory, structured language approach.

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A multisensory approach has been recommended for the dyslexic student. Software that combines the multiple medias of text, graphics, animation, video and sound can be used to reinforce learning (John Bradford, 2004). Using a multi-sensory teaching approach means helping a student to learn through more than one of the senses.

Most teaching in schools is done using either sight or hearing (auditory sensations). The students sight is used in reading information, looking at diagrams or pictures, or reading what is on the teachers board. The sense of hearing is used in listening to what the teacher says. A dyslexic student may experience difficulties with either or both of these senses. The students vision may be affected by difficulties with tracking, visual processing or seeing the words become fuzzy or move around. The students hearing may be satisfactory on a hearing test, but auditory memory or auditory processing may be weak.

The answer is to involve the use of more of the students senses, especially the use of touch and movement (kinetic). This will give the students brain tactile and kinetic memories to hang on to, as well as the visual and auditory ones.

Multisensory teaching is simultaneously visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile to enhance memory and learning (www http://www.interdys.org). Links are consistently made between the visual (what we see), auditory (what we hear), and kinesthetic-tactile (what we feel) pathways in learning to read and spell. 31

Teachers who use this approach teach dyslexic students to link the sounds of the letters with the written symbol. Students also link the sound and symbol with how it feels to form the letter or letters. As students learn a new letter or pattern (such as s or th), they carefully trace, copy, and write the letter 's' while saying the corresponding sound.

The sound may be made by the teacher and the letter name s given by the student. Students then read and spell words, phrases, and sentences using these patterns. Teachers and their students rely on all three pathways for learning rather than focusing on a memory method a phonetic method alone.

Dyslexic students often exhibit weaknesses in auditory and/or visual processing. They may have weak phonemic awareness, meaning they are unaware of the role sounds play in words. They have difficulty rhyming words, blending sounds to make words, or segmenting words into sounds. They may also have difficulty acquiring a sight vocabulary. That is, dyslexic student do not learn the sight words expected in the primary grades. In general, they do not pick up the alphabetic code or system.

When taught by a multisensory approach, dyslexic student have the advantage of learning alphabetic patterns and words by utilizing all three pathways. Orton (2000) suggested that teaching the fundamentals of phonic association with letter forms both visually presented and reproduced in writing, until the correct associations were built up would benefit students of all ages.

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In

e-Dyslexic

software,

this

multisensory

teaching

approach

will

be

implemented. Providing suitable software for the dyslexic student allows them work at their own rate, on material that is tailored to their needs and facilitates a more inclusive approach to their education. It is important for dyslexic students to be taught by a method that involves several senses (hearing, seeing, touching) at the same time.

Many individuals with dyslexia need one-on-one help so that they can move forward at their own pace (Diana & Sylvia, 2000). Careful pacing, structured but not programmed procedures, and a sequential presentation combining reading, writing, and spelling will help the student succeed. If a multisensory method of teaching and learning is used from the very early years, it may well minimize or even eliminate the difficulties in later years.

2.9 The Dyslexia Current Method / System.

The dyslexia current method or systems available are as follows: 2.9.1 Jolly Phonics

Jolly Phonics is a thorough foundation for reading and writing. It uses the synthetic phonics method of teaching the letter sounds in a way that is fun and multi-sensory (www.jollylearning.co.uk/). According to Christopher Jolly (2000), the synthetic phonics method was designed to be relatively unobtrusive, where

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the children will learn how to identify and use the digraph letter sounds to read and write words. Advantages of using Jolly Phonics :

Instead of knowing the 26 alphabets letters and sounds, the childrens know how to blend these sounds for reading, or identify them in words for writing and were unaware of sounds made with more than one letter: digraphs and blends.

The multi-sensory approach of Jolly Phonics sounded ideal; teaching the 42 sounds with actions and letter shapes would really help the children learn and remember them.

The system approach in teaching children to write and to spell did not confused them.

2.9.2 ReadOn

ReadOn is a comprehensive learning tool, designed to assist children with dyslexia to overcome their reading problems. ReadOn incorporates specific learning strategies called Learning Vortex to help dyslexic children overcome reading problems (www.readonsoftware.com/).

Advantages of using ReadOn :

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Children improve their reading skills through the visual tracking exercises where they can name each letter of the word and building up a bank of words.

When using ReadOn as a learning tool, Word Assist is set so that the children can practice the decoding strategy of sweeping and spelling the word to assist with word recognition.

It is a multi user support and easily networked.

2.9.3 Barton Reading & Spelling System

The Barton Reading & Spelling System is a one-on-one tutoring system that will greatly improve the spelling, reading, and writing skills of children, teenagers or adults who struggle due to dyslexia or a learning disability

(www.bartonreading.com). It uses The Orton Gillingham Multisensory method to teach a dyslexic person to read, write and spell. This simplified OrtonGillingham approach is easy to learn. Advantages of using Barton Reading & Spelling System :

The Orton-Gillingham approach creates a sequential system that helps students to master how sounds and letters are related and how they act in words. It also helps the students to attack a word and break it into smaller pieces and able to decode unfamiliar words.

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The system is so simple to use and very user-friendly. It was designed for use by parents, volunteer and professional tutors and dyslexia clinics.

This system allows one tutor to teach many students and also allows many tutors to teach many students with the help of fully scripted lessons and training videos.

Jolly Phonics, ReadOn and Barton Reading & Spelling System are excellent in their on way to improve the dyslexic students learning disabilities. These systems will be more powerful if it is equip with the ability to store information and make analysis on them. Analysis result can then be generated as a report to be viewed by teachers and parents.

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