Instructors Name: Sandra Cowan

Course Time: 11th November 26th November 2016 (Fridays & Saturdays)
Student Name: Laura Sidea
Student ID: 214138412

Certificate of Education (Integration Aide) Credit Point Assessment

Chosen Focus: Dyslexia

Total Word Count: Equivalent to 2,000 4,000 words.

PART ONE: Option 2

Select a specific category of disability that is relevant to the current funding provision for the
employment of integration aides. Demonstrate your knowledge of the nature of the chosen
disability with a particular focus on:

The relationship between impairment and disability

The broader context of social and educational implications
Evidence that knowledge bases change in regard to understanding disability.

1. Choose a disability Name it: Statement

2. What are the implications for school
- Employment aide
- Establish routines, process and procedures
- Management
3. What are the implications for the learner and their disability?
4. As an integration aide what would be important for you.
- Knowledge of the childs strengths and weaknesses
- Knowledge of specific disability
- Help improve self-esteem

Approx. 1,500 words.

 What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a neuro-diverse category of disability. This refers to the state of
the brain being different in the way of processing information and making sense of
the world which differs from the typical or neuro-typical person (Salter &
Hendrickx 2009, p.15). It is an impairment that is considered to be well-known but is
still now not often fully understood. Salter explains that although most people
have heard of it, few could accurately describe the skill areas that dyslexia affects.
(p. 62, 2009).
Henderson provides a useful definition of dyslexia as a combination of
abilities and difficulties which affect the learning process in one or more of reading,
spelling, writing and sometimes numeracy... including difficulties with fine motor
skills (2013, p.2). These various areas of difficulties are all defined differently within
different categories all under the term of dyslexia. Firstly, dyspraxia which is known
as the developmental coordination disorder. This involves the difficulties with day to
day activities due to complications with fine and gross motor skills. Secondly,
dyscalculia which is to do with the difficulties in processing information related to
numeracy and finally, dysgraphia which deals with the disorder of the written
expression. Dyslexia is the overarching term that deals with all these difficulties and
abilities commonly within these areas of support but is generally used for a student
that has a profound struggle when reading and writing (Salter & Hendrickx 2009,
pp.63-107).
Similarly to people with ASD, those who have dyslexia all have an
individual profile of strengths and areas of weaknesses which means that their
strengths and weaknesses will impact on them in equally diverse ways (Salter &
Hendrickx 2009 p.63). Thus, it is important to recognise these strengths in addition to
areas of support in students. Especially so as an integration aide as recognising their
many strengths may help to boost the students self-worth and confidence with their
academic work. Though dyslexia may impair students and cause their learning to be
fraught with more difficulties and obstacles than neuro-typical students, with the
correct method of approaching their learning and applying modifications to their
curricular work people with dyslexia can not only achieve their full potential but may
also excel in areas that those without this disability cannot (Salter & Hendrickx 2009,
p.63). So whilst it may impair them it certainly does not prevent all those with
dyslexia to successfully live an everyday life like any other neuro-typical person if the
appropriate modifications are made to suit their particular academic needs.
Depending on how severe individuals are affected by dyslexia, most usually
integrate into society successfully as any neuro-typical person might and thus is
seen as more of an impairment in their day to day life rather than a disability that
prevents those with dyslexia from living an average life (Henderson 2013, pp.1-3).
One personal experience of somebody completely integrating into society
without even being made aware they have dyslexia is that of one of my fellow
colleagues in my Bachelor of Education course. It wasnt until our second year when
we were talking about the struggles of some students with special needs that he
revealed himself as somebody with dyslexia and his own struggles within the
education system. He struggled to handwrite and had to mostly type up his notes
during his seminars at the University but when observing him on one of our field
teaching assessments, there was no other pre-service teacher who could keep the
students as engaged whilst also challenging their learning. This only further
reinforces Hendrickxs assertion that with the development of effective strategies,
people with dyslexia can achieve their full potential. (2009, p.64)

How has the knowledge base of Dyslexia changed over

time?
It wasnt until the late twentieth century that the term dyslexia itself came into
use by the public and it was later still before children with persistent literacy
difficulties were described as having dyslexia (Lawrence 2009, p.10). Lawrence
describes the early understanding of dyslexia as being strongly related to medical
problems or mistaken as otherwise poorly motivated students who did not wish to try
very hard in the academic scene. The link to dyslexia being related to the
educational environment wasnt created until much later (2009, p.10). One of the first
terms used to describe dyslexia in people was coined in 1878 by Adolph Kussmaul
who used the term word blindness to explain the literary difficulties that manifested
themselves in his adult patients, being fine in every other respect than their literacy
comprehension skills. Kussmauls term is an imprecise term in hindsight as it only
reveals one area of difficulty now associated with individuals that are diagnosed with
dyslexia in the twenty-first Century (Hendrickx 2009, p.60). This is in stark contrast to
recent times where the development of scientific endeavours has allowed for
neuroscientists to discover more information about learning difficulties in
investigations that were not possible in previous years and eras. Despite that, there
is still no single definition for dyslexia that explains every aspect of the condition that
causes people difficulties (Hendrickx 2009, p.65).The knowledge base of Dyslexia as
well as many other disabilities will continue to grow and increase in the future as
scientific methods become more sophisticated and continue to advance even further
into the future with their ability to pinpoint neurological traits associated with
particular disabilities (Lawrence 2009, p.15).

The broader context of social and educational implications

for learners with dyslexia
As stated earlier, it is more common than not for people, particularly in the
educational context to have heard of dyslexia since it has been officially accepted as
a specific learning disability. Due to this, as Lawrence states, most teachers in all
branches of education are more sensitive today to the needs of the dyslexic
student and endeavour to ensure that their classrooms and curricular content are
adapted and modified appropriately to meet their needs for learners with dyslexia to
succeed. (Lawrence 2009, p.134) In the broader social context however, with all that
positivity aside it is still a common misunderstanding that dyslexia is limited to the
area of literacy. For example, the same difficulties causing a student to struggle with
processing and learning literacy may also have a significant impact on how they
process the information in other subjects like mathematics as well as building social
relationships with others. As those with dyslexia often have difficulties processing
information, this might lead to a weak short-term memory which tends to cause
others to become irritated and impatient with them (Lawrence 2009, p.136). This
gap in the understanding of dyslexia may be a source of lower self-worth and self-
esteem for students dealing with the irritation and impatience of others. It is
important to be aware of these deficits as an integration aide to prevent from
situations of inadequacies of the learner to occur. One way to avoid these situations
is to provide a sensory alternative to just listening to a teacher talk and writing in a
worksheet, for example an audio book to listen to. This is only one vague example of
a modification to instruction in order to benefit the needs of a student with dyslexia,
more about how to modify specific activities will be discussed and explained in part
two of this paper.

Implications for the learner with Dyslexia

The implications for learners in the school environment with dyslexia are as
wide and far reaching as the different skill areas that are affected by it. Dyslexia is
categorised by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by
poor spelling and decoding abilities as well as motor skills (Australian Dyslexia
Association 2014, para 9). If no action is taken to modify the nature of classroom
instruction to meet the students needs this impairment can impede the growth of
vocabulary and general knowledge of the student (2014, para 9). What these
implications mean for the student is that they are susceptible to suffering lower self-
esteem and self-worth in all skill areas academically if there is no intervention. For
example, a child with dyscalculia who has begun to notice that they are performing
far less adequately than their peers and have begun to do poorly in mathematics
might begin to develop a fear of maths which leads to much anxiety and loss of
self-esteem (Henderson 2013, p.4). Henderson goes on to state that not only will
this affect their confidence in maths academically but can have a flow on effect so
that it affects all facets of life (2013, p.5). That is why it is so important given these
implications to recognise the areas of difficulty for a learner with dyslexia as soon as
possible before it leaves long lasting impacts on their self-esteem.

The Role of the Integration Aide of the Student with

Dyslexia
As the integration aide in the classroom it is our role to be a positive and
encouraging force for our specific student. The first thing to consider when
introduced with the child with dyslexia is to get to know a little bit about them, find
some things that they enjoy as well as trying to build a good rapport with them by
perhaps sharing personal experiences and information. For example, a favourite
hobby, food or colour. By creating these bonds with the student you are creating a
relationship of trust which will assist you when you invite students to have a go at an
activity.
The next important step in your role as the integration aide is researching and having
of dyslexia itself, beyond the general definition. Though you might initially think it
means they struggle with literacy it might be worth delving deeper into the various
skill areas that dyslexia can impair to be ready for the kinds of things the student
might struggle with.

Another important factor of working with a learner who has dyslexia is finding out
their strengths and weaknesses. As stated earlier, there is no one single case of
dyslexia that is exactly the same and whilst you might go in thinking perhaps it has
something to do with just the written word it could have more learning areas that are
linked together such as a difficulty with social skills or motor skills. Perhaps the
learner has no issues with the written word and they are just affected by dyscalculia,
it is important to be aware of what exactly the learner you are in charge of struggles
with and the specifics of the case. Glazzard discusses some findings on some
students who were undiagnosed with dyslexia acting out because of their struggles
and people not recognising that he had them, he mentioned that the realisation
that he was struggling led to him giving up and this was accompanied by his refusal
to co-operate with teachers requests (2010, p.64) being aware of the possibility
of these behavioural occurrences and what can trigger them in a student will be
helpful in assisting your learner in the classroom.

One of the biggest considerations for an integration aide of a child with dyslexia is to
come up with strategies and methods in order to help their student feel more
confident in their learning and build up their self-esteem. A school in the UK stated
that self-esteem is crucial for any childs learning. Raising their self-esteem so
that they become valued and can know themselves... is a key to success. This is a
very important task for the aide, to ensure that they help to build self-esteem in the
learner and help them to understand their strengths and areas that need more
support (Raising Self-Esteem 2010).

One example of strategy that worked best for students with dyslexia revealed that for
learners with dyslexia using an e-reader instead of a book was a more effective
learning tool for the student, they found that during a reading comprehension test
those who used the iPods to read scored higher than those who used the paper
(Schneps et. al. 2013, p.4). More strategies to help modify learning activities for a
student with dyslexia will be discussed in part two of this paper.

The Implications for the School of Having Children with

Dyslexia (What might they do?)
A school with multiple children that have dyslexia or disabilities that affect
similar areas or skills in learning, are required to employ an integration aide to assist
each student (if they are eligible for funding) one on one a set number of hours a
week depending on what kind of funding level that student has.

For some schools, a whole-school approach is needed for students who may have
learning difficulties related to similar skill areas. For example, multiple disabilities
affecting how a brain interprets and decodes information. This might call for
integration aides being trained in a specific way in the school.

An example of this kind of training in terms of a whole-school approach to assist

students with dyslexia was observed during practicum recently whereby the school
had trained the integration aides in the Toe By Toe program. This program is
designed especially to assist children who have reading difficulties to read. It deals
with the challenges of reading that come from Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD), Auditory processing disorder, Autism, any specific struggle with decoding
information as well as dyslexia (Toe By Toe 2017).

For some schools, a whole school approach might include bringing awareness on a
wider scale. One school in the UK hosted an assembly where they brought the
awareness of dyslexia to the entire school by role playing as a person with dyslexia
and highlighting their many strengths. This was their way of raising the self-
esteem of dyslexics by bringing it more into the open in order to break down
the prejudice about dyslexia, highlighting the many good things that can come from
being dyslexic such as having a mind with inventive or creative tendencies.
(Dyslexia. Raising self-esteem 2010).
PART 2: Option 1

Outline the important learning characteristics and unique educational needs of a

particular category of disability. With a specific focus upon a selected component of
curriculum, present a series of learning activities that demonstrate how curriculum
can be modified and adapted to meet the learning needs that you have outlined. It is
essential that you explain the linkage between needs and modification, as well as
revealing the role that an integration aide might have in supporting the
implementation of the learning sequence.

Approx. 2,000 words.

The Learning Characteristics and Unique Educational

Needs of a Student with Dyslexia:
The International Dyslexia Association notes that up to 20% of the population
as a whole exhibit symptoms of dyslexia. These symptoms include slow or
inaccurate reading, weak spelling, and poor writing. Not all will qualify for Special
Education, but most benefit from systematic, explicit instruction in reading, writing,
and languages. (IDA 2016).

For most students with dyslexia, it is very important to have somebody in the
classroom to present the information in a different way than the traditional open
your brain and let the teachers pour the information in otherwise it becomes a
brick wall for the students who rely on a multi-sensory method of learning to succeed
and process information (Sandman-Hurley 2016, p.10). With this many in the
population affected by dyslexia there is a more than likely chance that there will be
one or more learners in the classroom potentially exhibiting these symptoms and
struggles. Thus, it is important to consider that as an integration aide your student
will benefit enormously from direct, explicit and systematic multisensory
instruction. (Australian Dyslexia Association 2014)
While some schools tend to utilise a multisensory approach it is very important to be
aware of this style of instruction. Especially if it happens that the class or school that
you are helping your student in does not provide these multisensory opportunities in
learning. It will be the integration aides role to provide some opportunity for
multisensory learning and modifying the curriculum in a way that is explicit and
friendly for the child with dyslexia.

As dyslexia manifests itself in a variety of ways these strategies are but a mere
guideline to helping a student with dyslexia, each child has their own individual case.
As Sandman-Hurley explains, some may have extreme difficulty with decoding.
Some may read accurately, yet slowly, and then cannot tell you what they read.
Others may read well enough to keep up, but be poor spellers. (2016, p.14). Thus
the strategies used for these children must compliment their areas of strength and
weakness.

In implementing multisensory instruction for the dyslexic learners benefit, this refers
to using stimuli from multiple senses. That is, visually or in a practical hands-on
manner. For example, using concrete materials in mathematics to explain worded
problems or listening to an audiobook to help answer some comprehension
questions in the class.

How Can Curriculum be Modified and Adapted to Suit a

Student with Dyslexia? Fractions
Learning fractions is a confusing mathematical topic for many, Henderson states that
a very high percentage of secondary children who struggle with mathematics feel
threatened by fractions (2013, p.71). For learners with dyslexia that have a
particular issue with the abstract nature of the task it might become overwhelming
and thus it is important to come up with some strategies to avoid the traumatic
emotional frustration that is often seen because of the constant failure children
experience with fractions in primary school. (Henderson 2013, p.71).

For the student in the class that I volunteered in, if the work was mostly abstract
without any concrete materials or pictorial representations or if it relied on language
they struggled to go through the process on their own. They would often forget what
the mathematical symbols mean, such as divide or times and would require one on
one guidance.

In order to meet the needs of the learner with dyslexia, to start off with and try and
remove the factor of language as being confusing in this topic of fractions, a word
bank could be created.

For example:

Words to know

Cut Divide Split Equal Same Share Half

Halves Quarter Third Whole

After creating this, pictures can be drawn to create a visual representation of these
words. (See Appendix A)

To see things in a more practical, hands on way the student and integration aide can
get a piece of string, fold and cut into halves, quarters and thirds together. This
provides a different kind of sensory activity (See Appendix B).

For a more visual and concrete overall formal view of all the fractions, the integration
aide and student can go through each fraction with a fraction wall. Henderson
recommends enlarging a fraction wall and laminating in order for it to be useful with
your student (2013, p.73; See Appendix C).

Or, if available use fraction bricks (Example provided in Appendix D).

 Conclusion:
Learners with dyslexia are like any other learner, they just have different
needs. Their minds are just programmed a little differently and require a kind of
instruction that is not predominantly text-based and comes from many different types
of stimuli. Whilst many children with dyslexia struggle with the written word not all
have the same problem. Thus it is up to the integration aide to provide learning
opportunities according to the various areas of strength and weaknesses
demonstrated by the child which might include a visual and kinaesthetic approach to
curricular activities in the classroom. Or when confusion strikes the student, to split
up a larger task into smaller more manageable and explicit steps. On top of all this
one key factor for the childs success is to be a positive force for their student in
order to help maintain or build up their self-esteem.
Appendices:

Appendix A: Example of Visual representations of the words.

Appendix B: Practical String Activity to show halves, quarters and thirds.

Appendix C: Fraction Walls (Henderson 2013, p.73)

Appendix D: Fraction Bricks
References:

Australian Dyslexia Association 2014, Dyslexia in Australia, Australian Dyslexia

Association, retrieved 17 February 2017,
<http://dyslexiaassociation.org.au/index.php?page=what-is-dyslexia>.

Dyslexia. Raising self-esteem 2010, streaming video, Teachers TV/UK Department

of Education, retrieved 12 January 2017,
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Fraction Bricks, image, retrieved 15 February 2017,

<http://seattlecentral.edu/faculty/alevy/images/fraction_strips.jpg>
Glazzard, J 2010, The impact of dyslexia on pupils self-esteem, British Journal of
learning Support, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 63-69.

Henderson, A 2013, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Mathematics, Taylor and Francis.

International Dyslexia Association 2017, How Widespread is Dyslexia?, retrieved 17

February 2017, <https://dyslexiaida.org/>.

Lawrence, D 2009, Understanding dyslexia: a guide for teachers and parents, Open
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Salter, C & Hendrickx, S 2009, The Adolescent and Adult Neuro-diversity Handbook
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Sandman-Hurley, K 2016, Dyslexia Advocate!: How to Advocate for a Child with

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Schneps M. H, Thomson J. M., Chen C, Sonnert, G & Pomplun M 2013, E-Readers

Are More Effective than Paper for Some with Dyslexia, Plos One, vol. 8, no. 9, pp. 1-
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Toe By Toe 2017, What is Toe By Toe?, Toe By Toe, retrieved 17 February 2017,
<http://www.toe-by-toe.co.uk/what-is-toe-by-toe/>.